Free Republic

Russia is increasing production of its Oreshnik missile system as NATO pledges an additional $40 billion to Ukraine. The nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile is a powerful system with the capacity to travel 3,415 miles, effectively enabling Russia to strike anywhere in the West from Europe to the United States. “Serial production of the latest Oreshnik medium-range missile system is under way,” Putin told a graduating class of military cadets in televised comments. The system became operational on November 21, 2024, and used in an attack whereby it carried multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRV) payload and six warheads that were each...

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered on Thursday to build and deploy drone troops as soon as possible, APA reports citing TASS. "We are currently building drone troops as a separate branch of the military, and these should be developed and deployed as soon as possible," the head of state said at a meeting discussing a new state arms program. Fighting against various unmanned aerial vehicles has required "new approaches and non-standard solutions," Putin explained. "The new state arms program should provide for forming a universal air defense system that would function in any situation and effectively hit means of air...

Panic in Russia is growing amid intensifying attacks by Ukrainian forces on key infrastructure. Two major Moscow airports were temporarily shut down on Sunday due to a Ukrainian drone strike targeting Russia's capital city, Russian officials claimed, while an oil refinery in Engels, Saratov Oblast was targeted in a similar attack on Friday. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram that Russian air defense units destroyed multiple Ukrainian drones flying towards the city. Emergency personnel have been deployed at the wreckage sites, he said. This comes as Russia unleashed a massive air strike in Ukraine, with the war showing no...

Ukraine has deployed an AI-powered turret that has already shot down at least six of Russia's devastating Shahed drones, a military officer told Business Insider. Yuriy, the commander of Ukraine's air defense group, told BI last week that the system, called the Sky Sentinel, has "already been deployed in real combat, demonstrating high effectiveness." He said one prototype shot down six Shaheds in as many operational uses. This appears to be the first confirmation that one of the Sky Sentinels had downed up to six exploding drones. Ukraine previously said that the turret had been successfully tested, including on the...

Despite successes like “Operation Spiderweb,” Ukraine’s missile defense capabilities are described as being at a “breaking point.” With only a handful of Patriot batteries operational (estimated 4-6 out of 8 total) due to repair needs and limited spare parts, and each interceptor missile costing around $4 million (often requiring two per incoming Russian missile), Ukraine faces an unsustainable defense posture.

President Trump thought Ukraine's surprise drone attack over the weekend was "strong" and "badass," sources who discussed it with him tell Axios, but he's also concerned it will make his ceasefire mission even harder. -snip- He has been surprisingly mum in public when it comes to his personal feelings about Ukraine's attack. In private, though, he marveled at the operation. Behind the scenes: "Pretty strong," Trump told one confidant, who relayed his remarks to Axios. "He thought it was badass," a second source said of Trump's reaction. One Trump adviser said: "From an international perspective, you've got a chihuahua inflicting...

Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko called on Wednesday for the country to produce more potatoes in the face of a large shortage of the key crop and rising demand from neighbouring Russia. "We have to grow enough so that it suffices for us and for Russia," Lukashenko said during a meeting with regional officials in Minsk, state news agency BelTA reported. The potato has in the past been seen as a symbol of Lukashenko's rule of the country, which is heavily dependant on agriculture. He was once head of a state-run collective farm, or sovkhoz. Food shortages have arisen recently in...

Avatar Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY! He is needlessly killing a lot of people, and I’m not just talking about soldiers. Missiles and drones are being shot into Cities in Ukraine, for no reason whatsoever. I’ve always said that he wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it, and maybe that’s proving to be right, but if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia! Likewise, President Zelenskyy is doing his Country no favors...

Donald Trump issued an ominous warning to Vladimir Putin after accusing him of deliberately drawing out the fragile peace process in Ukraine. The US president was asked whether he thought it was "disrespectful" of his Russian counterpart to accuse him of being overly emotional. A reporter questioned: "Do you believe the Russians are being disrespectful when they say that your criticisms of Putin are simply an emotional response? And do you still believe that Putin actually wants to end the war? Mr Trump responded: "I can't tell you that, but I'll let you know in about two weeks. Within two...

Nathan’s Famous has found a foothold in Ukraine, a hot dog-loving country.The hot dog statue wore tennis shoes and held a Ukrainian flag in its left hand and an American flag in its right. (The hot dog had hands.) Standing outside the flagship store of the Ukrainian gas station chain Socar, the statue displayed a sign advertising “Nathan’s Famous” hot dogs in the same green curlicue script that promotes the chain at its original location in Brooklyn’s Coney Island and Nathan’s outlets everywhere. On a recent Wednesday afternoon, Ivan Pozniak, a 35-year-old airline pilot, walked past the statue and into...

Kyiv endured a night of hell as Vladimir Putin unleashed new terror on the Ukrainian capital. Apocalyptic scenes unfolded during more than seven hours of bombardment which saw missiles and drones hit until 5.10am today. Explosions and fires broke out across the capital city - as a senior Moscow military figure and hardline politician insisted Putin's aim is to unite Russia, Ukraine and Belarus into a single state.