Free Republic

LONDON -- Hundreds of Ukrainian drones crossed into Russia overnight into Wednesday morning, dozens of which targeted Moscow and again caused disruption to flights in and out of the capital, according to officials there. Russia's Defense Ministry said its forces shot down 296 Ukrainian drones over 12 regions -- including the capital Moscow -- during the latest round of long-range strikes. Moscow Governor Andrei Vorobyov said on Telegram that at least 42 drones were downed over the region. Vorobyov reported damage to three homes in the town of Chekhov around 40 miles south of the capital.

(AFP) — Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Monday that Germany along with Ukraine’s other key Western backers had lifted range restrictions on weapons they send to Kyiv to fight against Russia. Merz, who took office early this month, also vowed that “we will do everything in our power to continue supporting Ukraine, including militarily”, in close coordination with other supporters. “There are no longer any range restrictions on weapons delivered to Ukraine — neither by the British nor by the French nor by us nor by the Americans,” he said. “This means that Ukraine can now defend itself, for example, by...

The German Chancellor said that now Ukraine can attack military targets in Russia BERLIN, May 26. /TASS/. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said that Germany will no longer limit the range of weapons Berlin and its allies supply to Kiev. "There are no longer any restrictions on the range of weapons supplied to Ukraine – not from the British, not from the French, not from us. And none from the Americans either," he said during a discussion at a forum organized by the WDR broadcaster. "That means that now Ukraine can defend itself by, say, attacking military targets in Russia,"...

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz Merz said that Germany, France, Great Britain and the United States have lifted range restrictions on military supplies to Ukraine - Kyiv can attack positions throughout Russia with long-range weapons This opens the way to the supply of German Taurus cruise missiles

The United States is working with NATO partners to locate additional Patriot air defense systems for Ukraine, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on May 20 during Senate testimony on the State Department's budget. Ukraine has consistently warned that its current air defense capacity is insufficient to counter the scale of Russia's intensified missile and drone attacks. "The U.S. is looking for Patriot batteries to be able to transfer from other NATO nations into Ukrainian hands," Rubio told lawmakers, adding that no country is willing to give up these systems, and the U.S. cannot produce them quickly enough. Kyiv...

HELSINKI, May 19 (Reuters) - Finland will supply 90 million euros ($101.35 million) of ammunition to Ukraine by using proceeds from Russian financial assets frozen by the European Union after Moscow's full-scale invasion in 2022, the Finnish defence ministry said on Monday.The EU has estimated that 210 billion euros of the roughly $300 billion worth of frozen Russian assets are held in the 27-nation bloc, mainly in the form of government bonds that Russia's central bank had stored as reserves.HELSINKI, May 19 (Reuters) - Finland will supply 90 million euros ($101.35 million) of ammunition to Ukraine by using proceeds from...

Ukrainian forces have reportedly opened up a third vector of attack in Glushkovsky district, Kursk Oblast, this time towards the Novy Put tract. They are taking advantage of bad weather conditions. Fierce battles are reported at these three points on the map. Rain is seriously complicating drone usage.

Russia has reported that it repelled a drone attack on Moscow as the capital city prepares to host a major military parade with foreign leaders in attendance. Russia’s air defence systems intercepted “four drones flying towards Moscow”, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Monday. The attack appears intended to unsettle Moscow’s preparations for events marking the end of the Great Patriotic War, commonly known as World War II elsewhere, on May 9. -snip- The Kremlin has branded Putin’s declaration of a three-day unilateral ceasefire a humanitarian gesture. Military operations will be paused during the truce, according to Russian authorities, as world...

The minerals deal was enough to entice President Donald Trump to cave, siding with Kiev and permitting the first US sale of military equipment to Ukraine since taking office. Trump has been extremely critical of Zelensky since the war began, consistently warning Zelensky that he has blood on his hands and must end the war. Congress approved a $50 million defense package to Ukraine through direct commercial sales (DCS). Trump is a businessman first and foremost—the mineral deal had to be approved before he would approve of any aid package. The United States now has preferential rights to extract minerals...

Japan expressed interest Tuesday in participating in the NATO command for its Ukrainian mission based in Germany in what would be a major boost in ties with the largely European alliance. Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani announced his country’s interest during talks with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Tokyo. After providing the war-torn country with defense equipment and support, Japan now wants to join NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine, or NSATU, headquartered at a U.S. base in the German town of Wiesbaden. Nakatani said Japan wants to further deepen security cooperation with NATO and that participation in...

MOSCOW, April 8 (Reuters) - A sharp drop in global oil prices triggered by U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs poses a risk to the Russian economy, the state TASS news agency cited Elvira Nabiullina, the governor of Russia's central bank, as saying on Tuesday. She was quoted as saying that the central bank was analysing the fallout, but as saying that a technical budget rule would smooth out the consequences for the budget. As of Monday, Brent and WTI had slumped 14% and 15% respectively following Trump's April 2 announcement of "reciprocal tariffs" on all imports. "You are absolutely right...

According to Irakli Kobakhidze, the same thing is happening with financing of organizations engaged in "anti-state processes," including in Georgia - these organizations are now funded only from the EUTBILISI, April 7. /TASS/. The so-called deep state has ordered European structures to continue military operations in Ukraine, said Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze. "The deep state has instructed European institutions to continue the war in Ukraine. Before that, American structures were also involved in this process. Now the deep state has exclusively tasked European structures with prolonging the war in Ukraine," Kobakhidze told reporters. According to him, the same thing...

The United States has agreed to give Ukraine $800 million in military aid that will go toward manufacturing long-range drones to use against Russian troops, Ukraine’s leader said on Monday, fulfilling a longtime Ukrainian goal of getting Washington to buy weapons from manufacturers in Ukraine instead of primarily in America. A Pentagon official, speaking anonymously because of the sensitivity of the issue, confirmed the move, which signifies a change in U.S. policy aimed at shoring up Ukraine’s ability to fight the war with its own weapons and on its own terms. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said in a briefing...

Sweden will send its 17th aid package to Ukraine with further military support totalling 4.6 billion Swedish crowns ($443 million), Defence Minister Pal Jonson said on Monday. The new package will include ammunition for infantry fighting vehicles already donated by Sweden, as well as purchases that would facilitate a transfer of Gripen fighter jets in the future, though no such transfer has been decided on yet. "We want to have the ability to donate Gripens to Ukraine at a possible later stage," Jonson told a press conference. Jonson said support included additional combat boats, missiles and camouflage gear as well...

Ukraine was given approval by the Netherlands on Thursday to use its F-16 fighter jets to strike deep inside Russian territory. The American-made F-16 is an iconic fighter jet that’s been the front-line combat plane of choice for the NATO alliance and numerous air forces around the world for 50 years. Newsweek reports permission to use Western weapons on Russian soil is a key sticking among some of Ukraine’s supporters, with Kyiv claiming this could turn the tide in the conflict. The statements from the Netherlands indicate Ukraine’s other allies may soon follow suit, loosening restrictions on its activities deeper...

Ukraine and Russia were set to reach a landmark cease-fire, with both nations set to send delegations to Doha this month, diplomats and officials familiar with the discussions told The Washington Post. The talks, in which the Qataris would serve as mediators, were scuttled by Ukraine's incursion into Russia's Kursk region last week. The move came in response to a year of Russian strikes on Ukraine's power grid. According to officials who spoke to the Post on the condition of anonymity, there was hope that the negotiations would lead to an end to the war, or at least a limited...

Ukraine destroyed a Russian submarine in Crimea on Friday, Kyiv's military has said, appearing to mark the latest blow to the Black Sea Fleet based around the peninsula to the south of mainland Ukraine. Ukraine "successfully struck" Russia's Rostov-on-Don submarine in the southern Crimean port city of Sevastopol, Kyiv's military said on Saturday. Kyiv also targeted four launchers belonging to Moscow's advanced S-400 air-defense systems on the Crimean peninsula, Ukraine's general staff said... "As a result of the hit, the boat sank on the spot," Ukraine's armed forces said. It had an estimated cost of around $300 million, according to...

In the coming weeks, Ukraine expects to receive the first $3.9 billion in direct budget support from the United States, totaling $7.85 billion.The relevant statement was made by Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal on Telegram, following his meeting with U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine’s Economic Recovery Penny Pritzker, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.“We discussed the issues related to the work of the Multi-Agency Donor Coordination Platform. The financing of budget expenditures, recovery projects, and support for the energy sector are remaining our priorities. Ukraine is grateful for $7.85 billion in direct budget support, which is expected to come from the United...

The Biden administration has decided to move Ukraine to the top of the list on countries receiving air defense weapons, and effectively making American allies wait at least 16 months for those same weapons. The administration said it was because in recent months Russia has stepped up its missile and drone attacks in Ukraine in an attempt to destroy its energy system ahead of the winter. “This is not a new tactic for them, but they have certainly applied a lot more energy and effort into it in recent months,” National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby told...

A 10-story residential building in Belgorod, Russia, was struck overnight by a Ukrainian missile, a local governor said. "The Belgorod city and the Belgorod district came under a massive attack by the Ukrainian Armed Forces," Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of the Belgorod region, said in a post on Telegram. The Ukrainian Tochka-U missile that struck the building was among several that Ukraine launched overnight, the Russian Ministry of Defense said in a statement. Ukrainian military officials did not immediately comment on the claims, which could not immediately be verified.