Free Republic

He said the Russian leader had paid his respects at the Moscow hospital where Gorbachev died on Tuesday, aged 91. Gorbachev's reforms helped end the Cold War, but saw the demise of the Soviet Union, which Mr Putin has lamented

Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the funeral of Mikhail Gorbachev on Saturday, citing scheduling conflicts, but he paid tribute to the last Soviet leader Thursday, the Kremlin said. In a call with reporters, Russian government spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the president paid his final respects by laying a wreath at Moscow’s Central Clinical Hospital, where Gorbachev died on Tuesday at age 91. “Unfortunately, the president’s work schedule will not allow him to do this on Sept. 3, so he decided to do it today,” Peskov said. Russian state television showed Putin walking to Gorbachev’s open coffin and placing...

Iran has definitely crossed that line. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Wednesday that a first shipment of Iranian drones had been "newly introduced to the fight" in Ukraine.Iran and Russia have also reportedly been collaborating to evade Western sanctions, a partnership that could undermine U.S. efforts both to impose costs for the Ukraine invasion and to convince Iran to return to compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal. A marriage of convenience can be much more durable than a romantic relationship

In the Carpathian region, the organizers of the coup will be tried: they planned to eliminate the president and dissolve the Verkhovna Rada Russian agents who, together with the "Ukrainian choice" of the godfather of Russian President Viktor Medvedchuk, planned a military coup in Ukraine will be tried in the Carpathian region. Two public and political figures coordinated by the Russian special services were in direct contact with the reception of the creator of the "L/DPR", a former adviser to Vladimir Putin Vladislav Surkov. Video of the day https://membrana-cdn.media/obz/daily_ukr_desktop/obozrevatel-ukr-top5-basic-2166-20220829-desktop.mp4?r=77681 Russia planned to spend almost 10 million on preparing the coup....

In the buildup to the current Ukrainian counteroffensive, the US urged Kyiv to keep the operation limited in both its objectives and its geography to avoid getting overextended and bogged down on multiple fronts, multiple US and western officials and Ukrainian sources tell CNN. Those discussions involved engaging in "war-gaming" with Kyiv, the sources said -- analytical exercises that were intended to help the Ukrainian forces understand what force levels they would need to muster to be successful in different scenarios. The Ukrainians were initially considering a broader counteroffensive, but narrowed their mission to the south, in the Kherson region,...

<p>FUTURES MOVERS Oil futures fell Wednesday, extending the previous session’s sharp decline amid worries about the global economic outlook as central banks move to squelch inflation.</p><p>Oil is heading for a third monthly drop, despite the Ukraine war, with slower economic growth expected in Europe, China and the U.S. as economies recover from the disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic and central banks raise interest rates to combat inflation.</p>

Do you want a recipe for disaster? Make sure you subordinate military strategy and tactics to political considerations. That is what happened to Ukraine in its long awaited counter offensive against Russian held Kherson in south Ukraine, which was launched on Sunday. The attack occurred at several points along the Kherson front. Here is a summary of the activity (note–AFU refers to Armed Forces of Ukraine, AFRF is the acronym for Armed Forces of the Russian Federation):Videos at link###Ukraine only managed to capture Sukhoy Stavok, a small village with no strategic importance. The Ukrainian operation, however, proved very costly to...

The Solomon Islands has informed U.S. authorities that all naval visits have been suspended until further notice following an earlier incident on Aug. 23 when a U.S. Coast Guard vessel, the Oliver Henry, was denied permission for a scheduled port call. The incident comes amid mounting concerns about Beijing’s influence in the region and Solomons Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare’s moves to deepen ties with the Chinese regime while solidifying his hold on power. According to the U.S. Embassy in Canberra: “On Aug. 29, the United States received formal notification from the Government of the Solomon Islands regarding a moratorium on...

Watch the German delegation’s response at UNGA when Trump says “Germany will become totally dependent on Russian energy if it does not immediately change course.”

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia has addressed the Chairman of the Russian Legislative Assembly Mr. V.V. Volodin, supporting the initiative to pass a law completely banning the promotion of sexual perversions. There is a moral consensus in Russian society, sustained by the Orthodox Church, that family is the union of man and woman, as it is stipulated by the Constitution of the Russian Federation. Without the affirmation and protection of family values, the future of the institution of family is in jeopardy. There is also no doubt that the goal of preserving the nation, proclaimed by President of...

We will be so bold as to posit that not only has the sanctions war against Russia backfired spectacularly, but the damage to the West, most of all Europe, is accelerating rapidly. And this is not the result of Russia taking active measures2 but the costs of the loss or reduction of key Russian resources compounding over time. So due to the intensity of the energy shock, the economic timetable is moving faster than the military. Unless Europe engages in a major course correction, and we don’t see how this can happen, the European economic crisis looks set to become...

Chinese military researchers recently called for the destruction of Elon Musk's Starlink satellites, an extraordinary threat for a state to make against a private foreign enterprise.In December 2021, China filed a complaint with the United Nations, claiming that two of Musk's Starlink satellites had nearly collided with the Tianhe module of its Tiangong Space Station -- in April and October of 2021-- and that Chinese astronauts had been forced to maneuver the module of the station to avoid the collision. Starlink is part of Elon Musk's SpaceX and the satellites are part of a plan to make internet coverage from...

They keep telling us to go green—rely on renewable energy!—but the simple often unstated fact is that the technology isn’t there yet. Many countries in Europe are about to find that out the hard way, as that little thing called “winter” approaches and energy supplies dwindle, in large part due to the Russian war in Ukraine but also as a result of their own suicidal policies. An unfortunate fact that the World Economic Forum and the Biden administration don’t want you to know—the sanctions against Russia have largely failed, and the totalitarian country is doing better financially than ever.The Wall...

The Director of Russia’s National Guard has begun a campaign to reassure Russian President Vladimir Putin that Ukrainians are supportive of Russia seizing territory in Ukraine when the reality couldn’t be further off. “I would like to emphasize that we can feel that the population of the liberated areas is supporting us. They realize that we are defending their right to a peaceful life and their children’s happiness,” the director, Viktor Zolotov, told Putin, according to the Kremlin. In a video of the exchange, Putin looks visibly troubled and concerned, gripping the table, while Zolotov shares his thoughts.

oreign states are seeking to uproot Western society through sophisticated cyberattacks on members of the public. The solution is to initiate a collective cyber-defense system; if we do not protect our data, then foreign governments will continue to chip away at our way of life, until all we are left with is the scattered remains of our freedom. As hard as it might be to believe, even the nosiest members of the Chinese government don't care that you just got back from Cancun or that you have a dog named Buddy—regardless of how unquestionably adorable you might think he is....

At the outset of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, most experts expected that Kyiv would fall quickly. Ukrainian forces were fighting against a military that was bigger and better armed. Russia’s troops had more combat experience and funding. The question was not if Moscow’s forces would depose the Ukrainian government but when regime change would happen. Of course, Kyiv didn’t fall. Instead, the Ukrainian military stopped Russia’s assault on the capital and forced a retreat. Russia downsized its initial mission from wholesale conquest, and the war now mostly consists of grinding offensives and counteroffensives in Ukraine’s east and south. The question...

Mikhail Gorbachev, who ended the Cold War without bloodshed but failed to prevent the collapse of the Soviet Union, has died at the age of 92, Russian news agencies cited hospital officials as saying on Tuesday.

Taiwan - Taiwanese soldiers have fired live ammunition at a Chinese drone that had intruded over one of Taiwan's outer islands for the first time, on Tuesday, August 30th. Taiwan had warned on Sunday, August 28th that it would shoot down Chinese drones that did not heed their warnings. Taiwan had warned on August 28th (Sunday) that it would shoot down Chinese drones that did not heed their warnings. The Army's Kinmen Defense Command (KDC) stated on Tuesday that at 4:23 pm, three groups of three "civilian" drones had been detected flying above Dadan Island, Erdan Island, and Shi Islet...

Warthog Defense members are sharing stories, insider tips, news from the front lines, and unique slices of military life including the tough stuff of war.

Will the Su-75 “Checkmate” Reach Serial Production? – Earlier this month, it was reported that Russia’s highly-touted Su-75 “Checkmate” won’t make its maiden flight until at least some time in 2024 at the very earliest. However, the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) – a division of the state-owned military-tech conglomerate Rostec – also announced that it would build four prototypes of the lightweight single-engine fighter in the coming months, with a goal to launch Checkmate serial production just three years later. “We use advanced super-computer technologies in the Checkmate project, which enables us to cut substantially the timeframe of building the...