Free Republic

"But where we want to start is about losses, killed in action, wounded in action, missing an action. And what you'll hear me say again and again is any figures where there is incentive and there's no repercussion to lie, then be very very careful with any of this. There's a massive information war that is not only taken on board by people with no lives who do it just themselves, but there's also people with financial incentive to push information, especially on websites like this, as well as state funded propaganda as well. I've got my eye on a...

A massive Russian airstrike hit a US-owned electronics factory in Ukraine early Thursday while some 800 civilians were working there. The Flex Ltd. plant in Mukachevo, a city hundreds of miles from the front line, was engulfed in flames after being hit by two Russian Kalibr cruise missiles around 4:30 a.m., according to Ukrainian officials. The factory was not involved in the war and was just one casualty as “hundreds of drones, as well as hypersonic, ballistic, and cruise missiles, targeted civilian and energy infrastructure” in the latest Russian bombardment, Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andriy Sybiha, wrote on X. “One of...

German prosecutors say a Ukrainian man has been arrested in Italy on suspicion of blowing up the Nord Stream gas pipelines under the Baltic Sea, several months after the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. (snip) There is no evidence so far linking Ukraine, Russia or any other state to the attacks.

United States President Donald Trump took to Truth Social on Thursday to explain that Kiev does not stand a good chance of winning the war against Russia if it is only permitted to defend its territory. "It is very hard, if not impossible, to win a war without attacking an invaders country. It's like a great team in sports that has a fantastic defense, but is not allowed to play offensive. There is no chance of winning! It is like that with Ukraine and Russia. Crooked and grossly incompetent Joe Biden would not let Ukraine FIGHT BACK, only DEFEND defend,"...

The fuel shortage is becoming increasingly acute in Russia and the occupied territories of Ukraine, APA reports, citing Russian "Telegram" channels. It is reported that currently in a number of Russian regions there are kilometers of queues of cars in front of gas stations, and the population complains about the low quality and high prices of fuel. Officials say that the gasoline shortage is due to ongoing repairs at a number of large oil refining plants and increased planting and harvesting work in agriculture. Regular attacks by Ukrainian drones on oil refineries also contribute to the fuel shortage.

Through an extended weekend full of summitry, President Donald Trump revived the role of diplomacy in addressing the European conflict, making the first allied contact with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin since early in the Ukraine war. Trump rejected efforts by Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky and seven European leaders to escalate the endless proxy war against Russia. Despite his narcissistic peculiarities, the president made more progress toward peace in four days than President Joe Biden did in three years, though there is still great skepticism that the war will soon end.

The ugly truth behind any deal that would cede a chunk of Ukraine’s Donbas region to Moscow is that it could immediately strengthen the Russian military, providing a major win for one of America’s leading adversaries in an era of great power competition. In such a scenario, Ukraine would lose some of its most heavily fortified defensive positions. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s generals would seek to deepen their substantial footprint in the strategically vital theater with new military bases. The Russian navy could gain even greater control over the Black Sea. The Russian government and its armed forces could take...

Russia will only agree to security guarantees for Ukraine if it has the power to veto them, its foreign minister has said.Sergei Lavrov said that any attempt to bolster Ukrainian security that did not involve Moscow was a “road to nowhere” and “will not work”.Mr Lavrov said a “very good example” of a potential blueprint could be found in the Istanbul framework of 2022.Under a draft discussed at the time, Ukraine would have received guarantees from a group of countries including the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – China, Russia, the United States, Britain and France. Kyiv...

Omygosh! Voldemoort Zelenskyy stars in a Ukrainian sitcom about how an ordinary Ukrainian is installed as President of Ukraine.

Meetings between NATO and U.S. defense officials left allies concerned that President Donald Trump would leave Europe to ensure a lasting peace in the war-scarred country.“There’s the dawning reality that this will be Europe making this happen on the ground,” said a NATO diplomat who was briefed on the talks. “The U.S. is not fully committed to anything.” The meetings — which occurred days after Trump and European leaders met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House in a sign of unity — underscore the massive task ahead for allies as they weigh plans to send a peacekeeping...

Russia is sending signals that it intends to slow-walk a peace deal on Ukraine, showing some daylight between the Kremlin and President Trump’s intentions to end the war. From a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to suggestions of security agreements for Kyiv, Russian officials have expressed doubt about some early prospects of a peace deal, parts of which are also being backed by a contingent of European Leaders. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov tamped down any progress made at a summit at the White House earlier this week where Trump met with seven foreign leaders as well as Zelensky,...

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, at Tuesday's briefing, criticized the "left-wing media" and "failed foreign policy establishment" for "actively rooting against the president in his pursuit of peace in Ukraine." KAROLINE LEAVITT: For one thing that has absolutely not changed is the media's negative and downright false coverage of President Trump and his foreign policy accomplishments. From the beginning of this entire process, much of the left-wing media has been actively rooting against the President of the United States in the pursuit of peace. Initially, the media ridiculously claimed that President Trump was somehow beholden to Russia for even...

A key takeaway from the summit in Alaska is that Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly wants to freeze the war in Ukraine along its current front line in return for the surrender of the rest of Donetsk region. Russia holds about 70% of the region (oblast), including the regional capital of the same name, after more than a decade of fighting in which Donetsk and neighbouring Luhansk have been the bleeding heart of the conflict. For Russia to gain all of Donetsk would cement its internationally unrecognised claim to the oblast as well as avoiding further heavy military losses. For...

Politico shouldn't be surprised that many question its credibility when its senior foreign affairs correspondent, Nahal Toosi, suffers from extreme loathing of Trump. She made no effort to hide it on Tuesday as you can see in her story about Trump negotiating an end to the bloody Ukraine War in "The Existential Meets the Absurd in Latest Ukraine Talks."Absurd? You don't even have to start reading the story itself to get a strong whiff of hate from the subtitle sneering at Trump: "Ukraine knows exactly how empty a pledge from Trump can be, and that it will have to adapt."

Russia appears to be facing a fuel crisis with gas stations running out of petrol, as Ukrainian drone attacks on oil refineries sow chaos across the country. Multiple regions across Russia have reportedly been affected, with drivers forced to queue for hours in order to fill up. Some motorists have complained of having to wait for up to eight hours in queues stretching for kilometres. Images widely shared on social media show huge tailbacks as drivers wait patiently to get to the front of the line. Motorists have also seen petrol prices go through the roof as fuel supplies become...

An unidentified flying object reportedly crashed into a cornfield and exploded in the eastern Poland village of Osiny early Wednesday (August 20) morning, the Polish news agency PAP reported via the Associated Press.

Lithuania has revealed plans to dig a 30-mile-wide ribbon of defences on its borders with Russia and Belarus that will include minefields and bridges set to blow up in case Russia invades. The plans are part of a Baltic-wide push for more defence, amid increasing aggression from Russia and its allies. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, alongside Poland, have been fortifying their borders, adding obstacles and redoubts to existing fences. All four are also looking for EU funding for these projects. When complete, having been in the works since early last year, the Baltic defence line is estimated to be more...

Russia struck an American business with cruise missiles overnight in one of the largest aerial attacks of the war so far, Ukraine has said. The Ukrainian air force said some 574 drones and 40 missiles were fired overnight, primarily targeting western regions of the country – far from the battlefield’s front line in the east and south of the country. The strikes killed one person and injured 15 more and struck a “major American electronics manufacturer”, according to Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine’s foreign minister. Video footage showed a large fire at the premises of Flex Ltd, a multinational firm headquartered in...

As External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar prepares for crucial talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow, India finds itself at the centre of a diplomatic storm. President Trump has unleashed his most aggressive economic assault on India in recent memory, wielding tariffs and sanctions as weapons to force New Delhi away from its Russian partnerships. The pressure campaign began in August 2025 with sweeping 25% tariffs on Indian exports, later doubled to 50% specifically targeting Russian oil imports. For a nation whose economic planners depend heavily on US markets, this represents a devastating blow. Nearly 70% of India's...

The following is a series of queries to Grok, confirming the movements of Zelensky and some NATO related members the day prior to the assisination attempt which was the subject of the FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! painting President Trump specifically pointed out to Zelensky and the NATO cohort he met with yesterday.https://x.com/JKash000/status/1957587539071475837 JKash MAGA Queen @JKash000·I think we have our answer about why President Trump made a point today of showing Zelenskyy and Von der Leyen his “Fight, Fight, Fight” portrait and mentioning how July 13, 2024 was not a good day. TY @starstomoon JKash MAGA Queen @JKash000·3h Also, of note,...