Free Republic

The Trump administration’s first US weapons aid packages for Ukraine have been approved and could soon ship as Washington resumes sending arms to Kyiv - this time under a new financial agreement with allies, two sources familiar with the situation told Reuters on Tuesday. This is the first use of a new mechanism developed by the US and allies to supply Ukraine with weapons from US stocks using funds from NATO countries. Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby has approved as many as two $500 million shipments under the new mechanism called the Priority Ukraine Requirements List, known under...

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday personally supervised the joint Russian-Belarusian military exercises Zapad-2025, the Kremlin said. Putin arrived at the Mulino training ground in the Nizhny Novgorod region wearing a military uniform as he is also commander-in-chief of the Russian army. Addressing the participants, the president said the goal of the exercises is to practice defending the Union State – a name for the alliance between Russia and Belarus – from any aggression. "The purpose of this exercise is to train all necessary elements for unconditional protection of sovereignty, territorial integrity, and defense against any aggression towards the Union...

A rare £44 million Russian naval ship has suffered significant damage after being attacked by Ukrainian special forces in the Black Sea, it is claimed. Ukraine’s military intelligence agency said the vessel has been “put out of action for expensive repairs” after crucial electronic systems were destroyed in the drone strike. Ukraine’s Military Intelligence Directorate (HUR) said the attack happened near Novorossiysk where Russia’s depleted Black Sea Fleet is now based. The 240ft MPSV07 was reportedly carrying out patrols and electronic reconnaissance near the entrance to the port when it was struck by a Ukrainian-made combat drone. Footage released by...

Kim Jong-un’s rare decision to blame Russia for battlefield failures in Ukraine is less about Moscow and more about the fragility of his own regime, according to an expert. The North Korean leader has publicly wept for fallen soldiers and aired documents acknowledging heavy losses. North Korea is thought to have contributed around 10,000 soldiers to Vladimir Putin’s war, of which, according to intelligence sources in South Korea, more than 1,000 troops have been killed in action and some 4,000 wounded. Footage shown on Korean Central Television displayed internal military reports signed by Kim. One document stated that “Russian army...

Special Presidential Envoy Keith Kellogg on Monday said he and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff recently advised President Trump that Russia is losing its war on Ukraine — as Moscow has seen more than 1 million casualties while taking less than 1% of Ukrainian territory since November 2022. Speaking at the Yalta European Security Conference in Kyiv, Kellogg revealed he and the chairman, Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, each reassured the president of Moscow’s wilting position roughly six weeks ago — shortly before Trump’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. -snip- “I responded quite forcefully,...

Security officers have “neutralized” a drone over government buildings in central Warsaw, and two Belarusian citizens have been detained, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Monday amid heightened regional tensions following recent airspace violations. “A moment ago, the Government Security Service neutralized a drone operating over government buildings (Parkowa Street) and Belweder,” Tusk posted on the X platform. The Belweder Palace is one of the Polish president’s official residences. “Two citizens of Belarus have been arrested,” Tusk added. “Police are investigating.” “Two citizens of Belarus have been arrested,” Tusk added. “Police are investigating.” The incident comes with Poland on...

According to the statement, the goal of the European liberal mainstream is to bring a compliant and loyal to Brussels leadership to power in one of the largest countries in the BalkansMOSCOW, September 15. /TASS/. The European Union is plotting a "maidan" in Serbia with current disturbances in the country with the youth's active participation being a product of Brussels' "subversive activity," the press service of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) said in a statement made available to TASS. "The press bureau of the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) of the Russian Federation informs that, according to the information coming to...

President Donald Trump wants to reopen the U.S. embassy in Belarus in the near future, normalise ties, and revive the economic and trade relationship, John Coale, a Trump representative, said on Thursday. Coale was speaking in Minsk to Belarusian reporters after holding talks with President Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who agreed to release 52 prisoners in what he called a humanitarian gesture. In return, the U.S. will grant sanctions relief to Belarus's national airline Belavia, allowing it to service and buy components for its fleet, which includes Boeing aircraft, a U.S. embassy spokesperson in...

Last Sunday Russia launched a large-scale drone attack that was again described as the “largest ever” with some sources counting 805 total drones and decoys launched: It was followed up on Tuesday with another large attack of over 400+ drones and 50+ various missiles. This strike stood out as a significant number of these drones reportedly flew to Poland, and quite deep into the interior of the country at that, which has never happened before. As always there were two versions of the story, the “topside” propagandized one where Polish and NATO officials tried their best to carve out an...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday condemned the presence of Russian drones in Romanian territory.The Kremlin’s air surveillance in Ukraine has persisted while unmanned aircrafts have been reported in neighboring nations this week.“The Russian military knows exactly where their drones are headed and how long they can operate in the air. Their routes are always calculated. This cannot be a coincidence, a mistake, or the initiative of some lower-level commanders,” Zelensky said in a statement on X.“It is an obvious expansion of the war by Russia – and this is exactly how they act. Small steps at first, and eventually...

Donald Trump issued a stunning threat to NATO allies for holding up his negotiations to end the Russia - Ukraine war and warned against 'wasting my time' in a blistering social media post. Trump took to Truth Social on Saturday morning to rebuke NATO allies for buying oil from Russia despite their opposition to Vladimir Putin's invasion, saying it 'greatly weakens your negotiating position, and bargaining power, over Russia'. 'I am ready to do major Sanctions on Russia when all NATO Nations have agreed, and started, to do the same thing, and when all NATO Nations STOP BUYING OIL FROM...

COPENHAGEN, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Denmark plans to buy European-made air defence systems for 58 billion Danish crowns ($9.11 billion), its largest arms purchase ever, the country's defence minister said on Friday, citing a challenging security situation. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in February ordered the military to "buy buy buy" equipment in preparation for potential future Russian aggression in Europe. Denmark plans to procure eight systems, including the long-range SAMP/T platform produced by Eurosam, a consortium of MBDA France, MBDA Italy and Thales, as well as medium-range systems manufactured by Norway, Germany or France. "There is no doubt that...

Unconfirmed reports of Polish fighter jets shooting down multiple Russian Shahed attack drones over Polish airspace

Russia and Belarus began a major joint military exercise on NATO's doorstep on Friday at a time of heightened tension with the Western alliance, two days after Poland shot down Russian drones that crossed into its airspace. The "Zapad-2025" exercise, a show of force by Russia and its close ally Belarus, is taking place at training grounds in both countries, including close to the Polish border. It was scheduled well before the drone incident, which marked the first known occasion that a NATO member had fired against incoming Russian targets in the course of the 3-1/2-year war. WHAT WILL THE...

This is an excellent 32 minute history lesson on the conflict between the Baltic Countries, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia vs Russia. It's the best summary that I have found.

The 9 September events demonstrate two interlocking realities. First, the prospect of a NATO–Russia war is no longer an abstraction. Moscow has shown a willingness to test NATO directly. Second, the most likely path to such a conflict is not through deliberate escalation but through miscalculation. The means to a wider war exist; the question is which one. Technical failure, human error, or political panic could cause escalation to spiral in a single instant.

Russia on Wednesday strongly condemned the Israeli attack on Qatar's capital Doha, calling it "a gross violation of international law and the UN Charter," and "an assault on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of an independent state." In a statement, the Foreign Ministry emphasized that Israel targeted Qatar's residential district, purportedly aimed at high-ranking members of the Palestinian Hamas movement who were reportedly located there, killing at least six people, including a Qatari police officer and injuring several people. "Russia views this incident as a gross violation of international law and the UN Charter, representing an assault on the sovereignty...

NATO Alerted: Russian Drones Breach Polish Airspace⚠️✈️ Military Summary And Analysis For 2025.09.10 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBE6JnpFxDQ At mark 6:06minutes Dima posts the future EU occupation map of Ukraine. Seems St Z’s EU pals are plotting against him….I fully expect the “ Mussolini treatment “ for the corrupted little man in green.

A senior security official in Moscow has accused Finland of laying the ground for an attack on Russia by Nato, in comments that echo President Putin’s justifications for the invasion of Ukraine. Dmitry Medvedev, the former president and prime minister who is now the deputy head of Russia’s national security council, issued his warning after a visit to Russia’s 830-mile border with Finland. “After joining Nato, under the guise of defence measures, Helsinki is pursuing a confrontational course in preparation for war with Russia, apparently preparing a springboard for an attack on us,” Medvedev wrote in an article that was...

Two wars — Ukraine and Gaza — are killing civilians, destabilizing allies, and draining American power. At their core stand Russia and Iran, two regimes that cannot survive without Beijing’s support. If America wants to end these conflicts on terms that serve U.S. interests, it must compel China to use its leverage — or face consequences. Only Donald Trump has the toughness and pragmatism to make that happen. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has leveled cities, created Europe’s largest refugee crisis since World War II, and cost American taxpayers tens of billions in aid. Hamas’s assault on Israel and the regional...