Free Republic

Kyiv says it needs all its drones for the battlefield, but manufacturers insist the foreign revenue from exports would let them expand their production.KYIV — Foreign drone companies are swarming Ukraine, hoping to be a part of one of the most exciting unmanned vehicle production hubs in the world. There’s one problem: Ukraine’s drone makers are severely limited in exporting their production and know-how. Drone use and production have skyrocketed in the war between Ukraine and Russia, now in its fourth year, because of these machines’ low cost and deadly effectiveness. The constant battle-testing has accelerated the pace of evolution...

Putin also said he doesn't see the need for foreign troops after a peace deal.Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that his country's military would consider any foreign troops that appear on Ukrainian territory, especially before an agreed-upon ceasefire, to be "legitimate targets."His remarks came after European leaders said they finalized a plan outlining potential postwar security guarantees for Ukraine at a meeting in Paris on Thursday."As for possible military contingents in Ukraine, this is one of the primary reasons for Ukraine's involvement in NATO. Therefore, if any troops appear there, especially now, during the course of hostilities, we assume...

Models for reconnaissance, rescue, interception and attack are changing the way both sides operate“It’s more exhausting,” says Afer, a deputy commander of the “Da Vinci Wolves”, describing how one of the best-known battalions in Ukraine has to defend against constant Russian attacks. Where once the invaders might have tried small group assaults with armoured vehicles, now the tactic is to try and sneak through on foot one by one, evading frontline Ukrainian drones, and find somewhere to hide. Under what little cover remains, survivors then try to gather a group of 10 or so and attack Ukrainian positions. It is...

WASHINGTON, Sept 6 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said India and Russia seem to have been "lost" to China after their leaders met with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week, expressing his annoyance at New Delhi and Moscow as Beijing pushes a new world order. "Looks like we've lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China. May they have a long and prosperous future together!" Trump wrote in a social media post accompanying a photo of the three leaders together at Xi's summit in China. Later on Friday, however, he told reporters he didn't think the U.S....

Fourth Turnings never fizzle out. They build to a crescendo of death and destruction. Is there any indications whatsoever that we are not on a course towards all-out war? 🇷🇺🇺🇦🇬🇧 Dmitry Medvedev: “The United Kingdom has sent Ukraine $1.3 billion obtained as profit from the use of frozen Russian assets. This was said by the English idiot Lammy. Well, this means one thing: British thieves have handed over Russian money to the neo-Nazis. The… pic.twitter.com/PcCfPw6kbj — DD Geopolitics (@DD_Geopolitics) September We gave categorical assurances to Gorbachev that if a United Germany could remain in NATO, NATO would not be moved...

Following the meeting, which was attended by Zelensky, the Petit Napoleon Macron, pushing to conquer Russia, said that 26 countries – including the UK and France – have pledged to deploy troops in Ukraine as a “reassurance force” in the event of a ceasefire. They know what they are doing. This is the prelude to a false flag to realize their dream to finally conquer Russia, grab the $75 trillion in assets, and refund the European Union, which cannot last much beyond 2028. The two countries that may need an IMF bailout are France and Britain. It’s no surprise that...

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian has criticised the UN's nuclear agency and accused western powers of "double standards" as he joined the leaders of China, Russia and North Korea for a military parade in Beijing. The Iranian leader was one of 26 heads of state in the Chinese capital for a once-a-decade event showcasing China’s growing firepower and diplomatic clout alongside its closest international allies. Mr Pezeshkian told Chinese state broadcaster CCTV he backed Beijing's drive to reform systems of global governing, which he said should take a multilateral and "justice-oriented" approach.

For over three decades since the Cold War, the United States has lacked a coherent strategy for Russia, lurching from one failed “reset” to another. This stands in stark contrast to the clear, successful Cold War doctrine of containment. Successive administrations have failed to grasp Russia’s true nature and objectives, allowing Moscow to rearm and pursue its imperial ambitions.

Waves of drones tumbled out of the sky above Camp Atterbury, Indiana, on Tuesday, their mechanical death throes punctuating what was otherwise a quiet morning.Why it matters: Drone swarms are a nightmare for security officials all over the world, whether they're overwhelming a Russian air base or hovering near an American airport.How it happened: Defense contractor Epirus this week demonstrated its drone-frying Leonidas to observers from various U.S. military services and foreign countries, including some in the Indo-Pacific. Axios was the only media on hand for the Atterbury tests, about 45 minutes south of downtown Indianapolis.In the climax of the...

Russian President Vladimir Putin has denounced “discriminatory” Western sanctions abetted by an unfair financial system as his country’s economy teeters on the brink of recession, wounded by trade restrictions and the cost of his war in Ukraine. Putin made the comments in an interview with China’s official Xinhua news agency published on Saturday, on the eve of his trip to hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, and attend a massive parade commemorating the end of World War II after Japan’s formal surrender. “It is essential to end the use of finance as an instrument of neo-colonialism, which runs counter...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the “horrific murder” of Andriy Parubiy, 54, a leading figure in Ukraine’s pro-European protest movements who was shot and killed in Lviv on Saturday. A former speaker of parliament, Parubiy also previously served as secretary of the National Security and Defence Council.A former Ukrainian speaker of parliament who was a leading figure in the country's pro-European protest movements of 2004 and 2014 was shot dead on Saturday in western Ukraine, officials said. Andriy Parubiy, 54, who also previously served as secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council, was killed in the city of Lviv....

Ukraine expects to receive around 1.8 million artillery shells by the end of the year as part of the Czech ammunition initiative. The statement was made by Ukraine`s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha during a joint press conference in Kyiv with his Czech counterpart Jan Lipavský, Ukrinform correspondent reported on August 12. “Czechia is making practical contributions to our shared security and defense. Thanks to the Czech ammunition initiative launched in 2024, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are to receive about 1.8 million artillery shells by the end of this year,” Sybiha stated.

American private military firms could be deployed to Ukraine as part of a long-term peace plan. Donald Trump is in talks with European allies about allowing armed contractors to help build fortifications to protect American interests in the country. The plan is being devised as a workaround after the US president promised that American troops would not be stationed in Ukraine. US contractors could be deployed to help rebuild Ukraine’s front-line defences, new bases and protect US businesses.

Peace talks are a moot point between Russia and Ukraine. Security guarantees for Ukraine have been at the forefront of Ukraine’s discussions but they are actually a premise to determine how other nations will officially enter the war. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni proposed an ambitious security guarantee that would require allies to decide within 24 hours whether to deploy troops to Ukraine if Russia attacks. “Allies” could use any excuse to send their men and women to the battlefield under this premise. Zelensky has been urging for Article 5 protection—an attack on one is an attack on all—despite Ukraine...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected proposals for a buffer zone between Ukrainian and Russian forces as part of a peace deal, arguing it does not reflect the realities of modern warfare. "Only those who do not understand the technological state of today's war propose a buffer zone," he told reporters on Friday. His comments followed a report suggesting European leaders were considering a 40km (25-mile) buffer zone as part of either a ceasefire or longer-term agreement. The war in Ukraine has evolved into a conflict driven by drone technology, and Zelensky suggested a buffer zone of sorts already existed...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy confirmed that Andriy Parubiy, a former Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council who was implicated in the tragic events at the Trade Unions House in Odessa on May 2, 2014, was shot dead in Lviv. Zelenskiy announced that Parubiy was killed in Lviv and assured that all necessary resources have been mobilized to investigate and identify the shooter. The incident took place at approximately 10:35 a.m. local time. As Parubiy was walking along a street, a gunman disguised as a delivery courier approached him and fired multiple shots at close range before fleeing the...

A prominent Ukrainian politician and former parliament speaker has been shot dead in western Ukraine, officials said, as a search was under way to find the attacker. Andriy Parubiy, who also previously served as secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, was killed in the city of Lviv on Saturday.The Prosecutor General’s office said a gunman had fired several shots at Parubiy, killing him “on the spot”. The attacker fled, and a manhunt was launched, it said.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the killing as a “horrendous murder” and offered his condolences to Parubiy’s family and loved ones.“All necessary forces...

Russia has bombed a British Council building and the European headquarters in Kyiv in a 'deliberate' double strike during a huge onslaught on the Ukrainian capital that has left at least 17 dead. Video shows a missile slamming into the British building in a fireball explosion at around 5.40am before a second followed 20 seconds later leaving it 'severely damaged'.

In the last 30 months, an estimated 17 Russian officials, politicians, businessmen and leading figures in the arts have died after falling from high windows. The window on the fifth floor of a building in the historic city of Petrozavodsk in northwestern Russia was wide open when the figure of a man appeared briefly, before plunging to the ground. This was followed by Putin enforcing a "blanket ban" on social media apps from enemy countries. The mangled body of former police colonel, Artur Pryakhin, head of the Federal Antimonopoly Service in the republic of Karelia, was hauled off to the...

Russia unleashed a sweeping aerial assault across Ukraine late Wednesday, pounding Kyiv with ballistic missiles and swarms of drones — killing at least 14 people, including 3 children and injuring over 20. “Many people are under the rubble, [including] children,” Andriy Yermak, top advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, told The Post. The barrage began around 9:30 p.m., setting off air raid sirens and prompting urgent shelter notification warnings in nearly every region nationwide. Missiles, drones, and bombs were spotted throughout the country, particularly in Kyiv, but also in western regions of the country where attacks have been rarer. At...