Free Republic

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Stephanie Terrell bought a used Nissan Leaf this fall and was excited to join the wave of drivers adopting electric vehicles to save on gas money and reduce her carbon footprint. But Terrell quickly encountered a bump in the road on her journey to clean driving: As a renter, she doesn’t have a private garage where she can power up overnight, and the public charging stations near her are often in use, with long wait times. On a recent day, the 23-year-old nearly ran out of power on the freeway because a public charging station she...

After a decade, the E.U.-Israel Association Council met. Although ties are improving, the question of Palestinian statehood persists. Government ministers from Israel and the European Union met on Oct. 3 for the first “Association talks” since 2012. Intelligence Minister Elazar Stern headed the Israeli delegation at the E.U.-Israel Association Council session in Brussels. Established in 1995 and first operating in 2000, the group has not met since July 2012, in part due to differences in views over Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, commonly known as the West Bank. Bouts of violence between Palestinians and Israel, along with the COVID-19...

On September 21, 2022, Putin changed the life of an entire generation of Russian civilians to “before” and “after” mobilization. On the very first day, excited Russian draft officers began delivering the first “good-luck letters” to the newly minted Russian military men. Russian military districts raced to fulfill the mobilization targets in order to compensate for the losses in regular units at the expense of “mobiks”. The war from TV and patriotic Telegram channels suddenly entered the actual life of hundreds of thousands of civilian Russians. We did not see any mass protests against it. The protests culminated in a...

Key developments on Oct. 24 -Ukraine pushes Russian forces out of 4 settlements in Donbas -Ukrainian forces liberated over 90 settlements in Kherson Oblast during counteroffensive -Ukraine's Intelligence chief says Russia prepares for a defense in Kherson – not retreat -Russia's Foreign Minister casts doubt on the future of UN-backed grain deal Ukraine's Armed Forces have liberated four settlements in Donbas – Nevske, Miasozharivka, Karmazynivka, in Luhansk Oblast, and Novosadove, Donetsk Oblast. The Defense Ministry also reported that Ukrainian forces have liberated over 90 villages and towns in southern Kherson Oblast. Yet, Defense Ministry's Intelligence Directorate Chief Kyrylo Budanov said...

Wagner-Line: How useful is Russia's Defensive construction?

Update from Ukraine | Ruzzians can't hold in Luhansk region | Ukraine pushes again Denys Davydov https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjjJmu2gMVM&list=RDCMUCpr-NNORb2UQYDD3k-w-OFg&index=2 Follow on Instagram up to date uploads. https://www.instagram.com/denys_pilot/ Also, check military maps here: https://militaryland.net/ https://militaryland.net/news/invasion-day-242-summary/ https://militaryland.net/maps/deployment-map/

In little over a week, Russia lost its second fighter jet, Su-30, to an uncanny crash when it was carrying out a massive aerial bombardment of Ukrainian cities and battling in the Kherson region. On October 23, an apartment building in Irkutsk, Siberia, was struck by a Russian Sukhoi Su-30SM Flanker multi-role fighter, killing both crew members and starting a massive fire on the ground. Su-30 is a two-seat, twin-engine, highly agile fighter aircraft produced by Sukhoi Aviation Corporation of Russia. The Su-30s are manufactured at the neighboring Irkutsk Aviation Plant, where the jet is reported to have just taken...

KYIV, Ukraine—Winter is approaching on the Ukrainian steppe. As temperatures fall, waves of chilling rain follow, dissolving roads and fields, turning them to mud that mires men and equipment. Then comes the deep freeze and snow, hardening the ground but making it tougher to fight. Armies on both sides of the war in Ukraine are girding for the unforgiving weather and shorter days of winter, which will affect the health and morale of troops, diminish the effectiveness of weapons and intelligence-gathering sensors and multiply the logistical difficulties of keeping soldiers in the field. “Land warfare is generally very difficult. Winter...

We all know how this has played out. This summer Russia started monkeying with the natural gas supply to Germany and the rest of Europe, claiming there was some technical problem that required maintenance. Then they cut the gas off completely and not long after that someone blew up the Nord Stream pipeline. The result of all this has been a huge spike in energy prices in Europe and concern that there might not be enough gas to heat homes this winter.But here we are in late October and the situation is looking very different. For one thing, Europe has...

The U.S. is exporting more LNG to Europe as a result of Russia’s war in Ukraine and cuts made to natural gas supplies ahead of winter, but there has been a buildup of LNG vessels waiting to unload at ports with European infrastructure unable to handle the increased LNG shipments. Sixty LNG tankers have been idling or slowly sailing around northwest Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Iberian Peninsula, according to MarineTraffic. One is anchored at the Suez Canal. Eight LNG vessels that came from the U.S. are underway to Spain’s Huelva port. ... European gas prices had soared above 340...

A more nuanced discussion of the false flag operation that the Americans are planning in Ukraine involving a dirty bomb.

The young Russians who fled their country for neighboring Kazakhstan to avoid being conscripted to fight in Ukraine all want to go home one day. They just don’t know when that will be. Russians refusing to fight in Ukraine flee country but long for home “I feel very sad, because, actually, I love Russia,” a 25-year-old Muscovite told NBC News in the biggest city in Kazakhstan, Almaty, a prime destination for Russians avoiding conscription. “Maybe I stay here two or three months. I don’t know.” Like the other wary exiles NBC News spoke with, the young Muscovite asked not to...

Russia has withdrawn some officers and medics from around the annexed city of Kherson as fears of a major Ukrainian offensive grow, said The Institute for the Study of War (ISW). Moscow is in retreat across the Dnipro River in anticipation of an advance of Ukrainian troops on the regional capital, the US-based think tank said on Sunday. "Russian forces continued to withdraw from western Kherson Oblast while preparing to conduct delaying actions that will likely be only partially effective," concluded the ISW, in a Russian Offensive Campaign assessment, on Saturday. The think tank, quoting the Ukrainian General Staff, stated...

This is a Youtube video expounding an analysis of the implications of the Ukraine war for Russia, out into the future. The presenter/author, Torsten Heinrich, makes no claim about who will prevail in the current conflict. He speaks in a rather careful manner, mentioning sources and listing potential contrary views. He brings up many interesting points about the problems Russia faces going forward, such as alienation of ethnic minorities and the potential breaking of the unspoken social contract in Russia. While time is a precious commodity, I found the 29:49 minute presentation well worth while.

Hundreds of CEOs and finance moguls are expected in Riyadh from Tuesday for a Davos-style investment conference that analysts say will highlight Saudi Arabia's geopolitical muscle despite strained ties with the US. The Future Investment Initiative (FII) was launched in 2017 as an economic coming-out party for the world's largest crude exporter, which is trying to diversify away from oil under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The following year's edition, however, was largely overshadowed by the killing several weeks prior of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and many would-be delegates from outside the region stayed away. Attendance picked up in 2019, even...

Russian officers and collaborators are evacuating Kherson under the guise of a 'civilian evacuation' as the Ukrainian army approaches, one resident has said. The Ukrainian army has set its sights on liberating Kherson, the second largest city in Ukraine, from Vladimir Putin's forces. Russia has declared a civilian evacuation to funnel residents into Russia, but civilians living there say they aren't the ones being evacuated. 'Mostly it's families of Russian officers, families of Russian officials and collaborators who helped to organise the referendum,' said a local Kherson-based activist and organiser, speaking to Sky News on condition of anonymity. Roughly a...

The Russian and Syrian governments announced that they are moving on to the next stage in reconstructing the ancient temple of the pagan god Ba’al in Palmyra. If successful, the project will necessarily mark the third incarnation of the Roman Victory Arch of Palmyra which an ancient Jewish source states must fall and be rebuilt three times before the arrival of the Messiah. On Wednesday, the Syrian Trust for Development, Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums and the Institute for the History of Material Culture, Russian Academy of Sciences signed an agreement to start the second phase of the project for...

Follow on Instagram up to date uploads. https://www.instagram.com/denys_pilot/ Also, check military maps here: https://militaryland.net/ https://deepstatemap.live/

VLADIMIR Putin has deployed the world's biggest submarine which can be armed with a terrifying nuclear "apocalypse drone", NATO has reportedly warned. As the tyrant edges the world into the most dangerous moment since his shambolic Ukraine invasion, there are fears Russia's giant nuclear-capable torpedo is now on the warpath.

Norwegian officials warned Thursday that there could be more arrests after at least seven Russians — including the son of a close associate of President Vladimir Putin — were detained in recent weeks for flying drones or taking pictures near sensitive areas, prompting an investigation by the domestic intelligence service. Norway and other countries are moving to secure critical infrastructure in the wake of the sabotage of the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines. Since then, drone sightings have been reported in Norway’s vast offshore oil and gas fields and at Norwegian airports. On Wednesday, Norway’s prime minister, Jonas Gahr Store,...