Free Republic

Russia has captured 162 square miles of the Ukrainian territory since June 14, the Interfax news agency said Tuesday, citing Sergei Shoigu, the secretary of Russia's security council. Russian forces have captured the village of Tymofiivka in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, Interfax news agency quoted the defense ministry as saying Tuesday. Also, Russian forces have thwarted a Ukrainian attempt to penetrate the border in Russia's Kursk region, the interim governor of the region said Tuesday.

For weeks there has been speculation about his state of health. Ramzan Kadyrov (46), Putin's willing bloodhound, does not seem to be doing well. His mental state is well known (he loves to murder and torture), but his physical state is probably no longer up to speed. In recent months, he has gained considerable weight, looks very bloated, in his videos he often does not get his eyes open. What's going on with the Chechen dictator, who is otherwise so supposedly bursting with strength? In recent months, he has gained considerable weight, looks very bloated, in his videos he often...

Russian tax revenue from crude oil and petroleum products plummeted by 48% in February from a year earlier due to the much lower price of Russia’s flagship crude grade after the EU banned imports of Russian oil, according to Bloomberg estimates based on official Russian data. Total tax revenues from oil and natural gas dipped by 46% year over year to $6.9 billion (521 billion Russian rubles) in February, per data from the Russian Finance Ministry published on Friday. Russia’s revenues from crude oil and oil products alone crumbled by 48% annually to $4.8 billion (361 billion rubles), according to...