Free Republic

Russian state media threatened that President Vladimir Putin could “destroy the entire east coast of the U.S.” with just two Sarmat “Satan II” nuclear missiles if the West continues to escalate war in Ukraine. The chilling warning was made Tuesday on Russia’s media program Rossiya 1 by Russian member of Parliament Alexei Zhuravlev, who explained that Russia could launch only four Sarmat missiles to completely destroy the US east and west coasts. “I will tell you absolutely competently that to destroy the entire the East Coast of the United States, two Sarmat missiles are needed,” Zhuravlev said. “And the same...

Authorities in Moldova are gathering Tuesday for an urgent security meeting following a series of blasts in a Russia-aligned separatist region, just days after one of Vladimir Putin’s generals suggested that country could be the next target of Moscow’s military aggression in eastern Europe. At least two blasts this morning targeted radio antennas that broadcast Russian programs in Maiac, a town around seven miles from Moldova’s border with Ukraine, according to officials in the Trans-Dniester region. They come a day after several explosions believed to be caused by rocket-propelled grenades were reported to have hit the Ministry of State Security...

Chinese President Xi Jinping has proposed a new “global security initiative” to challenge the US’s alliance network – the bedrock of Australia’s defence policy – just days after securing a new strategic compact with Solomon Islands. As Western allies scrambled to assess the fallout from Beijing’s security pact with Honiara, China’s leader positioned his country as a champion of the developing world and himself as a visionary leader prepared to deal unflinchingly with the world’s challenges. Embracing one of Vladimir Putin’s signature foreign policy ideas as his own, Mr Xi called for a new “indivisible security”.

As Presidents Putin and Xi Often Emphasize, the Russia-Communist China Strategic Cooperation Seems to Be Becoming More Solid In several speeches, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping have emphasized the growing solidity of their nations’ strategic relationship. Even in Russia’s own policy circles, there is a rising criticism to this strategy. At this especially perilous moment in history, how reliable is Communist China as a year-round ally of Russia? “Common sense,” “similar interests,” and “knowledge garnered through hundreds of years of cooperation” are the foundations of Russian-Chinese strategic ties, according to Glazyev. As the world’s most significant...

Russia has 'unleashed chemical weapons on Mariupol' with Ukrainian troops reporting they are suffering breathing issues and dizziness - as the besieged port city's mayor reveals more than 10,000 civilians have died in the conflict so far. The unidentified agent is said to have been dropped on the city from a Russian drone, according to unverified reports from the city's Azov regiment. Details of the assault, via the Telegram messaging app, say a 'poisonous substance of unknown origin' has led to the city's defenders suffering from symptoms including breathing issues, 'respiratory failure' and 'vestibulo-atactic syndrome'. The alleged attack came just...

Shared security concerns bring China and Russia close. But so do similar views of history Each new Russian atrocity in Ukraine prompts a question about China. Surely, foreign governments wonder, China’s leader, Xi Jinping, must distance himself from Vladimir Putin soon—if only to avoid harming his own national interests? Alas, the history of outsiders telling leaders in Beijing how to judge China’s interests is long, and littered with disappointment. The Ukraine conflict is no exception. One reason for this involves geopolitics, and an argument made by Chinese officials and state media, as well as in special classes being organised by...

Destroying arms control treaties is “unacceptable,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday during a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Kremlin. During the visit, which was aimed at cementing economic ties between the two countries amid China’s heated trade war with the United States, Putin thanked Xi for helping their countries achieve a trade turnover of more than $100 billion a year. He added that Russian-Chinese relations have reached an “unprecedented level.” “In the joint agreement that we signed on strengthening global strategic stability in the modern era we empathized the principled stance of Russia and China...