Ciaran McGrath
Peskov coy over Putin’s Turkey trip
The Kremlin has given its strongest hint yet that Vladimir Putin may travel to Turkey for possible talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Asked whether the Russian President’s meetings on Thursday would be in Russia, spokesman Dmitry Peskov replied only: “The president has working meetings scheduled… Working meetings.”
The ambiguous exchange, during a press conference with loyalist journalist Alexander Yunashev, has fuelled speculation about a potential last-minute trip to Istanbul.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov (Image: Getty)
Ciaran McGrath
Latvia sounds WW3 alarm as Russia ramps up military power on NATO border
Global tensions continue to rise and now Latvia’s intelligence service has voiced fears Russia is potentially readying an attack on NATO.
The former Soviet state is currently monitoring a major build-up of Russian military power and surveillance operations in the Baltic Sea.
Vladimir Putin is entering the fourth year of his country’s conflict with Ukraine with the odds of a peace deal or ceasefire being agreed between both countries going up and down almost day by day.
As such, the US-led North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is growing increasingly worried Moscow could soon move its sights further to the West – and it now seems the fears could be proven out.
Ciaran McGrath
‘I’ll urge Putin to go to Turkey,’ says Lula
Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has pledged to personally urge Vladimir Putin to attend peace talks with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky in Turkey on Thursday.
Speaking at a press conference in Beijing, Lula said, “I’ll try to talk to Putin,” adding: “It costs me nothing to say, ‘hey, comrade Putin, go to Istanbul and negotiate, dammit.’”
Lula will stop in Moscow on his way back to Brazil after a regional forum in China, as he continues to press for dialogue to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Ciaran McGrath
Kremlin ‘will reveal tonight’ whether Putin will travel to Turkey
The Kremlin is expected to announce on Wednesday evening whether President Vladimir Putin will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Istanbul on Thursday, a senior Russian lawmaker has said.
It comes as delegations from both countries prepare for face-to-face talks in the Turkish city — the first in years.
Russian politician Leonid Slutsky confirmed Moscow’s attendance and said the full list of delegates would also be revealed later on Wednesday.
Mr Slutsky, who heads Russia’s Liberal Democratic Party, told the SHOT Telegram channel: “About Istanbul, I won’t say anything, you’ll know everything in the evening.”
He added: “If we really exchange everyone for everyone (prisoners of war) – this is a question that can be considered.”
Russian politician Leonid Slutsky (Image: Getty)
Ciaran McGrath
Pope Leo XIV pledges to work for peace
Pope Leo XIV has pledged to do “every effort” to help end the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, while defending the heritage of eastern rite churches devastated by conflict and persecution.
Addressing a crowd of pilgrims from eastern Catholic communities, he acknowledged the deep suffering of Christians forced from their homelands in Iraq, Syria and beyond.
He praised those who remain, resisting the urge to flee, and called for concrete action to ensure they can live safely with full rights.
Leo also reaffirmed the Vatican’s readiness to mediate, urging reconciliation “from the Holy Land to Ukraine, from Lebanon to Tigray and the Caucasus”.
Pope Leo XiV has pledged to work for peace in Ukraine (Image: Getty)
Ciaran McGrath
Russian military officer ‘killed in air strike’
A Ukrainian strike has reportedly wiped out the headquarters of Russia’s 40th Separate Guards Marine Brigade in Rylsk.
According to the pro-Ukrainian blogger ExileNova, the brigade’s deputy commander, Alexander Olegovich Danilov, was among those killed.
The 40th Brigade, part of Russia’s Pacific Fleet, had previously suffered devastating losses in battles around Vuhledar and Pavlivka, losing over half its pre-war strength.
Despite being billed as an “elite” unit, the brigade has become emblematic of Russia’s mounting battlefield attrition.
Ciaran McGrath
Police in Germany fear hundreds of Russian agents ‘lying in wait’
German security services fear hundreds of Russian agents may be lying in wait across the country, ready to unleash a wave of sabotage.
Two suspected operatives—Ukrainian citizens allegedly recruited by Moscow’s secret service—were caught plotting parcel bomb attacks aimed at causing mass panic.
Investigators believe the men had already sent test packages to identify high-impact targets, using thermite capable of burning at 2,400°C. A total of three men were arrested.
Officials warn the suspects were part of a broader sabotage strategy—and just the tip of a much larger network operating in Germany.
Ciaran McGrath
Russian parcel bomb plot foiled as saboteurs arrested across Europe
Several Ukrainian men have been arrested in Germany and Switzerland after investigators uncovered a plot to stage false flag operations in Europe. Authorities believe the men were acting on behalf of Russia.
Two were arrested over the weekend, while a third was taken into custody on Tuesday, according to German authorities.
Germany’s Federal Prosectutor’s Office has accused the three men – identified only as Vladyslav T., Daniil B., and Yevhen B. – of plotting to carry out sabotage acts for the Kremlin.
Prosecutors allege the three agreed to commit acts of aggravated arson and to detonate explosives.
Ciaran McGrath
Trio of suspected saboteurs arrested in Germany
Three Ukrainian nationals have been arrested in Germany and Switzerland on suspicion of agreeing to send parcels containing explosive or incendiary devices from Germany to Ukraine, apparently at the behest of people acting for Russia, German prosecutors said Wednesday.
The men are suspected of acting as secret agents for the purpose of sabotage, as well as agreeing to commit arson and bring about an explosion, federal prosecutors said in a statement.
The alleged plans fit a pattern in which Western officials have accused Russia and its proxies of staging dozens of attacks and other incidents across Europe since the full-scale ukraine”>invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago.
Two of the men — identified only as Vladyslav T. and Daniil B. in line with German privacy rules — were arrested in different parts of Germany on Friday and Saturday respectively. The third, identified as Yevhen B., was arrested in Tuesday in the northern Thurgau region of neighboring Switzerland.
The suspects are accused of telling “one or more people suspected to be acting on behalf of Russian state agencies” around March that they were prepared to carry out attacks on freight transport in Germany, prosecutors said. The alleged plan was for the men to send packages that would explode or catch fire while being transported to Ukraine.
One of the suspects, Vladyslav T., mailed two “test packages” in Cologne at the end of March that contained GPS trackers to scope out possible means of transport, according to prosecutors. He was allegedly tasked with doing so by Yevhen B., who is accused of providing the contents of the packages via Daniil B.
German prosecutors did not elaborate further on what was in the packages or on how and where they were dispatched.
In a previous case last year, Western security officials suspect Russian intelligence was behind a plot to put incendiary devices in packages on cargo planes headed to North America, including one that caught fire at a courier hub in Germany and another that ignited in a warehouse in England.
Ciaran McGrath
‘No clear sign’ Putin wants to end war with sidekick Lavrov being sent to ceasefire talks
There are no clear signals that Russian President Vladimir Putin is seriously considering ending the war in Ukraine, a leading analyst has warned, as the Kremlin prepares for ceasefire talks in Turkey later this week.
John Kennedy, an expert at Rand Europe, said that Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, is likely to be one of the figures representing the Kremlin at the Istanbul talks on May 15.
However, Mr Kennedy noted that Lavrov, although a prominent figure, does not hold significant decision-making power within the Russian government.
He said: “If it is Lavrov, we can say that he does not have significant influence over key foreign policy decisions. He is a representative of the Kremlin but not a decision maker – and this makes sense, given that he is a diplomat.”
Sergei Lavrov is Russia’s Foreign Minister (Image: Getty)
Ciaran McGrath
EU agrees on 17th package of sanctions against Russia
The European Union has agreed on a 17th package of sanctions against Russia, targeting nearly 200 vessels in the Kremlin’s so-called shadow fleet, which has been used to circumvent oil price caps and conduct sabotage operations.
A senior EU official said the latest measures also focus on hybrid threats, creating a legal framework to act against entities involved in disinformation, underwater cable sabotage, and other hostile activity.
More than 140 individuals and entities are affected, including companies evading sanctions, figures linked to Russia’s military-industrial complex, and officials connected to prosecutions of Vladimir Kara-Murza and the late Alexei Navalny.
Brussels is also banning exports of chemicals used in missile production, as pressure builds on Moscow to accept a proposed 30-day ceasefire.
Ciaran McGrath
Russia ‘dropped explosives on moving car’
Fresh Russian attacks on May 14 killed civilians in Kharkiv and Donetsk oblasts and left dozens injured across at least five other regions.
Authorities said two people were killed in Donetsk’s Berestok village, while others were injured in Pokrovsk, Kherson, and Rivne, the Kyiv Independent said.
In Dnipropetrovsk, artillery and FPV drones hit Nikopol district, injuring two men.
Russia also dropped explosives from a drone on a moving car in Kherson Oblast, leaving a man with shrapnel wounds and a concussion.
Ciaran McGrath
Russian drone attacks kill four and injures 26
Russia launched a wave of drone and missile attacks across Ukraine overnight, killing at least four civilians and injuring 26 more, regional officials said.
The assault included a ballistic missile launched from occupied Crimea and 145 drones fired from six Russian cities.
Ukraine’s air force reported it had shot down 80 drones, while 42 vanished from radar—likely decoys designed to overload defences.
In Kharkiv Oblast alone, two elderly civilians were killed and multiple others injured in strikes on villages.
Ciaran McGrath
Trump would be ‘unwelcome skunk at the picnic’ if he crashes Russia-Ukraine peace talks
Donald Trump would be “the unwelcome skunk at the picnic” if he gatecrashed upcoming peace talks between Vladimir Putin and Volodymr Zelensky in Turkey, an expert on international politics has warned. Ukraine’s president challenged Putin to meet him personally in Turkey on Thursday, the latest move in a long exchange of proposals from both sides on the next steps in the U.S.-led peace effort.
The Kremlin has remained silent on whether or not he will attend. President Trump also happens to be relatively nearby geographically, currently on a four-day trip to the Middle East to negotiate trade deals. The prospective in-person summit between Russia and Ukraine’s wartime leaders in Istanbul, should it happen, would come as the world remains on a knife edge, with fears of all out war between India and Pakistan; the ongoing humanitarian crisis between Israel and Gaza; and tensions across Eastern Europe as Vladimir Putin continues to rattle his sabre at NATO’s border.
Ciaran McGrath
Royal Navy’s secret sea weapon designed to ‘illuminate’ ocean in hunt for Russian subs
An army of underwater drones equipped with advanced artificial intelligence technology could hunt Russian submarines near the UK. The autonomous mini-hunter submarines, which can lurk underwater for months at a time, will use AI to listen out, detect, and identify Russian vessels.
The gliders—or drones—are part of a new system called Lura, which will, in essence, “illuminate” the oceans and make submarine-hunting simpler, The Times reports. Lura can, it is said, tell the difference between two ships of the same class because of acute differences within each vessel’s acoustic signature. The system, developed by European defence firm Helsing, uses what is described as a “constellation” of underwater sensors to trawl through acoustic data instead of humans to speed up reaction times.
Ciaran McGrath
Russian tank commander issues grim warning to Boris Johnson and Liz Truss
A Russian general has sent a grim message to top UK political figures as the war in Ukraine grinds on and Vladimir Putin reportedly eyes up war with NATO.
Britain should be Russia’s number one target in a World War 3 scenario, according to a Kremlin general, because of their success in holding up Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Reservist Major-General Nikolay Plotnikov claimed Ukraine’s missile and drone strikes was due to targeting data supplied by the UK.
He added: “The British are inputting data into [Ukraine’s] missile control units. This tandem [Britain and France] is responsible for the massive drone strike on Russia on May 7.” That day, Russia claimed it has intercepted 524 drones, but others clearly evaded air defences and struck military targets.
Ciaran McGrath
Panic in Russia as state of emergency declared after huge fires rage out of control
Russia has declared a state of emergency in eastern Siberia, as firefighters struggle to extinguish a series of sweeping wildfires.
For several days, local emergency services in Buryatia have been fighting to contain several forest fires that started last week.
The mountainous region is located on the eastern side of Lake Baikal, the world’s largest fresh-water lake.
Images posted to social media channels show firefighters struggling to douse flames and shrouded in thick smoke. Regional officials say more than 90% of the fires were caused by careless human behaviour.
Ciaran McGrath
European leaders say time is running out
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned the “ball is exclusively in Russia’s court.”
He urged Mr Putin to accept Mr Zelenskyy’s offer or face tougher sanctions from the EU.
He said during talks in Berlin: “We are ready to go further on energy and finance.”
Mr Merz praised Mr Zelensky’s decision to travel to Turkey, calling it a “crucial moment”.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (Image: Getty)
Ciaran McGrath
Lower level talks ‘will just be used to drag things out’
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak insisted Mr Zelenskyy would only negotiate directly with Mr Putin.
He said: “Lower-level talks will just be used to drag things out.”
Ukraine’s government is pushing for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire before any wider agreement is discussed.
Officials say more drone strikes prove Russia is not serious about peace.
Ciaran McGrath
Lavrov, not Putin, likely to lead talks in Turkey, says Kremlin
Russia has suggested that Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will attend peace talks in Turkey tomorrow, not President Vladimir Putin.
The meeting comes amid growing speculation over Moscow’s stance on negotiations with Ukraine.
Turkish officials had reportedly hoped Mr Putin would attend in person.
Kremlin aides insist Mr Lavrov is fully authorised to lead the delegation.
Ciaran McGrath
Putin running ‘scared’ after Zelensky issues fresh Russia ultimatum
Vladimir Putin is “too scared” to meet Volodymyr Zelensky in Turkey for ceasefire talks on Thursday, the Ukrainian President has claimed.
Mr Zelensky issued taunt amid reports that Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will be sent in the Russian leader’s stead, saying: “If he takes the step to say he is ready for a ceasefire then it opens the way to discussing all the elements to end the war.”
“I’m not even mentioning that he is scared of direct talks with me.”
In a clip uploaded to X, Mr Zelensky said his team was now “actively preparing a visit to Turkey.
He added: “Putin is the one who determines everything in Russia, so he is the one who has to resolve the war. This is his war. Therefore, the negotiations should be with him.”
Ciaran McGrath
Peskov coy over Putin’s Turkey trip
The Kremlin has given its strongest hint yet that Vladimir Putin may travel to Turkey for possible talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Asked whether the Russian President’s meetings on Thursday would be in Russia, spokesman Dmitry Peskov replied only: “The president has working meetings scheduled… Working meetings.”
The ambiguous exchange, during a press conference with loyalist journalist Alexander Yunashev, has fuelled speculation about a potential last-minute trip to Istanbul.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov (Image: Getty)
Ciaran McGrath
Latvia sounds WW3 alarm as Russia ramps up military power on NATO border
Global tensions continue to rise and now Latvia’s intelligence service has voiced fears Russia is potentially readying an attack on NATO.
The former Soviet state is currently monitoring a major build-up of Russian military power and surveillance operations in the Baltic Sea.
Vladimir Putin is entering the fourth year of his country’s conflict with Ukraine with the odds of a peace deal or ceasefire being agreed between both countries going up and down almost day by day.
As such, the US-led North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is growing increasingly worried Moscow could soon move its sights further to the West – and it now seems the fears could be proven out.
Ciaran McGrath
‘I’ll urge Putin to go to Turkey,’ says Lula
Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has pledged to personally urge Vladimir Putin to attend peace talks with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky in Turkey on Thursday.
Speaking at a press conference in Beijing, Lula said, “I’ll try to talk to Putin,” adding: “It costs me nothing to say, ‘hey, comrade Putin, go to Istanbul and negotiate, dammit.’”
Lula will stop in Moscow on his way back to Brazil after a regional forum in China, as he continues to press for dialogue to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Ciaran McGrath
Kremlin ‘will reveal tonight’ whether Putin will travel to Turkey
The Kremlin is expected to announce on Wednesday evening whether President Vladimir Putin will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Istanbul on Thursday, a senior Russian lawmaker has said.
It comes as delegations from both countries prepare for face-to-face talks in the Turkish city — the first in years.
Russian politician Leonid Slutsky confirmed Moscow’s attendance and said the full list of delegates would also be revealed later on Wednesday.
Mr Slutsky, who heads Russia’s Liberal Democratic Party, told the SHOT Telegram channel: “About Istanbul, I won’t say anything, you’ll know everything in the evening.”
He added: “If we really exchange everyone for everyone (prisoners of war) – this is a question that can be considered.”
Russian politician Leonid Slutsky (Image: Getty)
Ciaran McGrath
Pope Leo XIV pledges to work for peace
Pope Leo XIV has pledged to do “every effort” to help end the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, while defending the heritage of eastern rite churches devastated by conflict and persecution.
Addressing a crowd of pilgrims from eastern Catholic communities, he acknowledged the deep suffering of Christians forced from their homelands in Iraq, Syria and beyond.
He praised those who remain, resisting the urge to flee, and called for concrete action to ensure they can live safely with full rights.
Leo also reaffirmed the Vatican’s readiness to mediate, urging reconciliation “from the Holy Land to Ukraine, from Lebanon to Tigray and the Caucasus”.
Pope Leo XiV has pledged to work for peace in Ukraine (Image: Getty)
Ciaran McGrath
Russian military officer ‘killed in air strike’
A Ukrainian strike has reportedly wiped out the headquarters of Russia’s 40th Separate Guards Marine Brigade in Rylsk.
According to the pro-Ukrainian blogger ExileNova, the brigade’s deputy commander, Alexander Olegovich Danilov, was among those killed.
The 40th Brigade, part of Russia’s Pacific Fleet, had previously suffered devastating losses in battles around Vuhledar and Pavlivka, losing over half its pre-war strength.
Despite being billed as an “elite” unit, the brigade has become emblematic of Russia’s mounting battlefield attrition.
Ciaran McGrath
Police in Germany fear hundreds of Russian agents ‘lying in wait’
German security services fear hundreds of Russian agents may be lying in wait across the country, ready to unleash a wave of sabotage.
Two suspected operatives—Ukrainian citizens allegedly recruited by Moscow’s secret service—were caught plotting parcel bomb attacks aimed at causing mass panic.
Investigators believe the men had already sent test packages to identify high-impact targets, using thermite capable of burning at 2,400°C. A total of three men were arrested.
Officials warn the suspects were part of a broader sabotage strategy—and just the tip of a much larger network operating in Germany.
Ciaran McGrath
Russian parcel bomb plot foiled as saboteurs arrested across Europe
Several Ukrainian men have been arrested in Germany and Switzerland after investigators uncovered a plot to stage false flag operations in Europe. Authorities believe the men were acting on behalf of Russia.
Two were arrested over the weekend, while a third was taken into custody on Tuesday, according to German authorities.
Germany’s Federal Prosectutor’s Office has accused the three men – identified only as Vladyslav T., Daniil B., and Yevhen B. – of plotting to carry out sabotage acts for the Kremlin.
Prosecutors allege the three agreed to commit acts of aggravated arson and to detonate explosives.
Ciaran McGrath
Trio of suspected saboteurs arrested in Germany
Three Ukrainian nationals have been arrested in Germany and Switzerland on suspicion of agreeing to send parcels containing explosive or incendiary devices from Germany to Ukraine, apparently at the behest of people acting for Russia, German prosecutors said Wednesday.
The men are suspected of acting as secret agents for the purpose of sabotage, as well as agreeing to commit arson and bring about an explosion, federal prosecutors said in a statement.
The alleged plans fit a pattern in which Western officials have accused Russia and its proxies of staging dozens of attacks and other incidents across Europe since the full-scale ukraine”>invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago.
Two of the men — identified only as Vladyslav T. and Daniil B. in line with German privacy rules — were arrested in different parts of Germany on Friday and Saturday respectively. The third, identified as Yevhen B., was arrested in Tuesday in the northern Thurgau region of neighboring Switzerland.
The suspects are accused of telling “one or more people suspected to be acting on behalf of Russian state agencies” around March that they were prepared to carry out attacks on freight transport in Germany, prosecutors said. The alleged plan was for the men to send packages that would explode or catch fire while being transported to Ukraine.
One of the suspects, Vladyslav T., mailed two “test packages” in Cologne at the end of March that contained GPS trackers to scope out possible means of transport, according to prosecutors. He was allegedly tasked with doing so by Yevhen B., who is accused of providing the contents of the packages via Daniil B.
German prosecutors did not elaborate further on what was in the packages or on how and where they were dispatched.
In a previous case last year, Western security officials suspect Russian intelligence was behind a plot to put incendiary devices in packages on cargo planes headed to North America, including one that caught fire at a courier hub in Germany and another that ignited in a warehouse in England.
Ciaran McGrath
‘No clear sign’ Putin wants to end war with sidekick Lavrov being sent to ceasefire talks
There are no clear signals that Russian President Vladimir Putin is seriously considering ending the war in Ukraine, a leading analyst has warned, as the Kremlin prepares for ceasefire talks in Turkey later this week.
John Kennedy, an expert at Rand Europe, said that Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, is likely to be one of the figures representing the Kremlin at the Istanbul talks on May 15.
However, Mr Kennedy noted that Lavrov, although a prominent figure, does not hold significant decision-making power within the Russian government.
He said: “If it is Lavrov, we can say that he does not have significant influence over key foreign policy decisions. He is a representative of the Kremlin but not a decision maker – and this makes sense, given that he is a diplomat.”
Sergei Lavrov is Russia’s Foreign Minister (Image: Getty)
Ciaran McGrath
EU agrees on 17th package of sanctions against Russia
The European Union has agreed on a 17th package of sanctions against Russia, targeting nearly 200 vessels in the Kremlin’s so-called shadow fleet, which has been used to circumvent oil price caps and conduct sabotage operations.
A senior EU official said the latest measures also focus on hybrid threats, creating a legal framework to act against entities involved in disinformation, underwater cable sabotage, and other hostile activity.
More than 140 individuals and entities are affected, including companies evading sanctions, figures linked to Russia’s military-industrial complex, and officials connected to prosecutions of Vladimir Kara-Murza and the late Alexei Navalny.
Brussels is also banning exports of chemicals used in missile production, as pressure builds on Moscow to accept a proposed 30-day ceasefire.
Ciaran McGrath
Russia ‘dropped explosives on moving car’
Fresh Russian attacks on May 14 killed civilians in Kharkiv and Donetsk oblasts and left dozens injured across at least five other regions.
Authorities said two people were killed in Donetsk’s Berestok village, while others were injured in Pokrovsk, Kherson, and Rivne, the Kyiv Independent said.
In Dnipropetrovsk, artillery and FPV drones hit Nikopol district, injuring two men.
Russia also dropped explosives from a drone on a moving car in Kherson Oblast, leaving a man with shrapnel wounds and a concussion.
Ciaran McGrath
Russian drone attacks kill four and injures 26
Russia launched a wave of drone and missile attacks across Ukraine overnight, killing at least four civilians and injuring 26 more, regional officials said.
The assault included a ballistic missile launched from occupied Crimea and 145 drones fired from six Russian cities.
Ukraine’s air force reported it had shot down 80 drones, while 42 vanished from radar—likely decoys designed to overload defences.
In Kharkiv Oblast alone, two elderly civilians were killed and multiple others injured in strikes on villages.
Ciaran McGrath
Trump would be ‘unwelcome skunk at the picnic’ if he crashes Russia-Ukraine peace talks
Donald Trump would be “the unwelcome skunk at the picnic” if he gatecrashed upcoming peace talks between Vladimir Putin and Volodymr Zelensky in Turkey, an expert on international politics has warned. Ukraine’s president challenged Putin to meet him personally in Turkey on Thursday, the latest move in a long exchange of proposals from both sides on the next steps in the U.S.-led peace effort.
The Kremlin has remained silent on whether or not he will attend. President Trump also happens to be relatively nearby geographically, currently on a four-day trip to the Middle East to negotiate trade deals. The prospective in-person summit between Russia and Ukraine’s wartime leaders in Istanbul, should it happen, would come as the world remains on a knife edge, with fears of all out war between India and Pakistan; the ongoing humanitarian crisis between Israel and Gaza; and tensions across Eastern Europe as Vladimir Putin continues to rattle his sabre at NATO’s border.
Ciaran McGrath
Royal Navy’s secret sea weapon designed to ‘illuminate’ ocean in hunt for Russian subs
An army of underwater drones equipped with advanced artificial intelligence technology could hunt Russian submarines near the UK. The autonomous mini-hunter submarines, which can lurk underwater for months at a time, will use AI to listen out, detect, and identify Russian vessels.
The gliders—or drones—are part of a new system called Lura, which will, in essence, “illuminate” the oceans and make submarine-hunting simpler, The Times reports. Lura can, it is said, tell the difference between two ships of the same class because of acute differences within each vessel’s acoustic signature. The system, developed by European defence firm Helsing, uses what is described as a “constellation” of underwater sensors to trawl through acoustic data instead of humans to speed up reaction times.
Ciaran McGrath
Russian tank commander issues grim warning to Boris Johnson and Liz Truss
A Russian general has sent a grim message to top UK political figures as the war in Ukraine grinds on and Vladimir Putin reportedly eyes up war with NATO.
Britain should be Russia’s number one target in a World War 3 scenario, according to a Kremlin general, because of their success in holding up Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Reservist Major-General Nikolay Plotnikov claimed Ukraine’s missile and drone strikes was due to targeting data supplied by the UK.
He added: “The British are inputting data into [Ukraine’s] missile control units. This tandem [Britain and France] is responsible for the massive drone strike on Russia on May 7.” That day, Russia claimed it has intercepted 524 drones, but others clearly evaded air defences and struck military targets.
Ciaran McGrath
Panic in Russia as state of emergency declared after huge fires rage out of control
Russia has declared a state of emergency in eastern Siberia, as firefighters struggle to extinguish a series of sweeping wildfires.
For several days, local emergency services in Buryatia have been fighting to contain several forest fires that started last week.
The mountainous region is located on the eastern side of Lake Baikal, the world’s largest fresh-water lake.
Images posted to social media channels show firefighters struggling to douse flames and shrouded in thick smoke. Regional officials say more than 90% of the fires were caused by careless human behaviour.
Ciaran McGrath
European leaders say time is running out
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned the “ball is exclusively in Russia’s court.”
He urged Mr Putin to accept Mr Zelenskyy’s offer or face tougher sanctions from the EU.
He said during talks in Berlin: “We are ready to go further on energy and finance.”
Mr Merz praised Mr Zelensky’s decision to travel to Turkey, calling it a “crucial moment”.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (Image: Getty)
Ciaran McGrath
Lower level talks ‘will just be used to drag things out’
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak insisted Mr Zelenskyy would only negotiate directly with Mr Putin.
He said: “Lower-level talks will just be used to drag things out.”
Ukraine’s government is pushing for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire before any wider agreement is discussed.
Officials say more drone strikes prove Russia is not serious about peace.
Ciaran McGrath
Lavrov, not Putin, likely to lead talks in Turkey, says Kremlin
Russia has suggested that Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will attend peace talks in Turkey tomorrow, not President Vladimir Putin.
The meeting comes amid growing speculation over Moscow’s stance on negotiations with Ukraine.
Turkish officials had reportedly hoped Mr Putin would attend in person.
Kremlin aides insist Mr Lavrov is fully authorised to lead the delegation.
Ciaran McGrath
Putin running ‘scared’ after Zelensky issues fresh Russia ultimatum
Vladimir Putin is “too scared” to meet Volodymyr Zelensky in Turkey for ceasefire talks on Thursday, the Ukrainian President has claimed.
Mr Zelensky issued taunt amid reports that Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will be sent in the Russian leader’s stead, saying: “If he takes the step to say he is ready for a ceasefire then it opens the way to discussing all the elements to end the war.”
“I’m not even mentioning that he is scared of direct talks with me.”
In a clip uploaded to X, Mr Zelensky said his team was now “actively preparing a visit to Turkey.
He added: “Putin is the one who determines everything in Russia, so he is the one who has to resolve the war. This is his war. Therefore, the negotiations should be with him.”
