Free Republic

The war between Russia and Ukraine is intensifying, growing more violent and escalating rather than moving toward peace. A recent Ukrainian drone strike deep inside Russia damaged bomber bases, but this has provoked a major retaliatory response: Russia launched over 400 drones and missiles, overwhelming Ukraine’s air defenses. Many of these were advanced Iranian-made drones now upgraded by Russia, making them harder to intercept. Ukrainian forces reportedly intercepted only about half the attacks, and even Patriot systems were either ineffective or destroyed. Footage shows multiple successful Russian missile strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure, with minimal air defense response in cities like...

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad flew out of Damascus for an unknown destination on Sunday, as rebels said they had infiltrated the capital with no sign of army deployments. Syrian army units abandoned their positions on the outskirts of Damascus on Saturday night, fleeing the advance of rebel forces. The military said it was “reinforcing” defensive lines around the capital, which appeared to have collapsed. Mohammed al-Rahmoun, the Syrian interior minister, earlier said there was a “very strong security cordon on the outskirts of Damascus and no one can break it”. But the Syrian opposition fighters early on Sunday disproved this,...