Latest news with #war
ABC News
4 hours ago
- Politics
- ABC News
The voices inside Iran the regime doesn't want you to hear
In a country where dissidents face arrest or even execution, 10 Iranians put themselves at risk to document the war. It's 2am in Iran when a message pops up on my phone. "They are bombing us now. I can hear it. I'm at my mum's. There is no shelter. I'm terrified. Pray for us. We may die." The text is from Zahra, a young woman who lives in Tehran, and she is risking her life to send it. It's difficult to get a sense of how ordinary Iranians have been feeling during the past fortnight. Foreign journalists are rarely allowed into Iran, and media in the country is tightly controlled by the regime. People who speak out face arrest, even execution, and rolling internet blackouts help authorities tighten their grip on information. One of my contacts was arrested and held in jail just last year. But throughout the war, several Iranians — including a teacher, a mother, and a labourer — have been sending me information as the war unfolded. They want the outside world to know what's happening in their country. Here are their stories. 'It felt like an earthquake': The war begins People described the first attacks as feeling "like an earthquake". ( ABC News: Sharon Gordon ) Under the cover of darkness, Israel begins Operation Rising Lion on June 13. People wake to explosions and bright clouds of light in the sky. Panic and confusion sweep the streets. ZAHRA: It felt like an earthquake happened. I was terrified, it was almost close to my house. It was 2:30am and suddenly I saw a yellow-orange light … I brought my head up and heard booooooooooom. It all happened in a second. FARAH: My mum heard the booms at about 3am. And she started screaming. They attack our neighbourhood, behind my house, and everything is shattered and destroyed. ZAHRA: I called my mum and begged her to go to the basement. I was running the steps down, calling the neighbours to come down … my dog was following me. You have no idea how I was shaking, no idea! My spine was shaking, my whole body, my legs were shaking so much that I couldn't stand on them. Then it kept going, the night after and the night after. FARAH: In the streets, it is heart-wrenching. I feel so heartbroken to see the kids and young people, ordinary ones who are not in the army, are all killed. And near my house, there is a girl who is killed, she was 20-something, and I keep thinking about her because I remember that I had so many dreams when I was 20. Anyway, that's war. 'No-one is in the streets': Thousands flee Tehran People were told to evacuate Tehran, but several residents told the ABC it was difficult. ( ABC News: Sharon Gordon ) Hours after the attack, Iran's leaders declare war and fire barrages of missiles back at Israel. Israel's military continues to bomb nuclear sites and assassinate senior military leaders and nuclear scientists. Civilians are also killed. People are told to evacuate Tehran — but not everyone can leave. FARAH: We left our city Tehran yesterday. Usually it takes four to five hours to reach to the north part of Iran and yesterday it took us 11 hours. It was very crowded, all the roads and the highways. And I just drive 500 metres in 10 minutes. It's horrible. ZAHRA: I am still in Tehran, it is almost empty. Shops are closed, no-one is in the streets. Some people spend more than 12 hours in traffic getting out of Tehran. In other cities, food and fuel is already scarce. FARAH: I just went to the petrol station here [in northern Iran] and they told me that I can just take the 30 litres, no more. And I heard from my friends in Tehran that you can just get 15 litres for your car per day and not more. So petrol is like a crisis. 'There is no place to hide': Fear intensifies People told the ABC they felt like "nothing" was in their control. ( ABC News: Sharon Gordon ) Five days into the war, Israel's bombing campaign continues. The official death toll in Iran has climbed past 200. It's unclear how many are civilians. People fear the war will continue for years. FARAH: It's been less than a week that they started the war and in just few days everything collapsed and destroyed. And we lost so many beautiful lives and minds. YASMIN: Nothing is in our control. It's not in the hands of the people here either. But we've gotta keep our spirit strong. We've been through so much through the years — and it's made us thick skinned … really thick. FARAH: Innocent people, they are killed, they stay in their home, and there is no alarm, there is no place to hide, there is not shelter, there's no food. I don't know what are we doing? ZAHRA: It's war. It's Israel. It's scary. 'They will kill us': Some hope war will topple regime Some people said they hoped the war would lead to the end of the regime. ( ABC News: Sharon Gordon ) There's talk that Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei could be assassinated. Hundreds of men from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps — the military group that protects the theocratic regime — have also been killed. Amongst the fear, there is hope among people who despise the regime that it could fall. ZAHRA: I hate these paradoxical feelings. On one hand, I am glad that those [in the IRGC] who killed our children, blinded them, imprisoned us are dead. On the other hand, our national pride has been attacked and I/we feel humiliated. Some are angry with the regime and feel happy about eliminating the leaders. Some are not happy with the war and they think it's encroaching our country. KAMRAN: It's this strange feeling, like people were relieved the war started, just because they thought maybe everything else — all this madness — would finally end. ALI: If foreign attacks shatter the regime's grandeur and that fear shatters, it will definitely lead to regime change. ZAHRA: I just woke up, we're still at war. We want it all gone. The regime must go. If they stay after this war, they will kill us all. And we know it. Israel must end up eliminating the regime's men. If not, they will arrest us, they will kill us. 'This might be the last chance': Panic as US bombs Iran People were afraid of what the US joining the war could lead to. ( ABC News: Sharon Gordon ) Just after 2am on June 22, nine days after the first strikes, America joins the war. US forces drop massive "bunker-busting" bombs on several nuclear sites. People inside Iran fear this means real war — not just with Israel, but the start of something that could destroy all of their country. ZAHRA: They bombed Fordow and other sites. It was like an earthquake. Fordow was a place that Israel couldn't bomb so Trump did it instead. But Israel won't stop now. They will finish the Islamic Republic. LENA: State media is telling us that the enriched uranium was moved elsewhere and that nothing has happened. Right now, we don't even have satellite access. Many people don't know what actually happened. For example, I didn't know myself. I went out this morning [and] found out there that the US had struck. FARAH: Nobody knows what's going on and what will happen next. The nuclear leaks, maybe. Maybe we won't be like alive in the next few hours? Who knows? Now this American attack … I can't stop my tears. LENA: The regime doesn't let us access the news or talk to each other. They've shut everything down on us. ZAHRA: This might be the last chance for us. FINISH them. America will finish them. 'I am full of anger': Mixed feelings over sudden ceasefire Iranians had mixed feelings after the ceasefire was announced. ( ABC News: Sharon Gordon ) A day after the US bombs Iran, Donald Trump announces a ceasefire. There's shock and disbelief inside Iran. Could the war really be over？ There's also a growing anger, at what some see as a missed opportunity to topple the regime. FARAH: For now I am full of anger … this mullah's regime is still here and our country is destroyed, many people have been killed for nothing!!!!!! This morning I was crying when I heard the news. They promised us to change the regime. They said that they're going to kill Khamenei, they're going to bring better days but it's all lies, empty promises. YASMIN: Nothing is in our control. It's not in the hands of the people here either. My brain is throbbing. I don't want to give this s*** anymore energy I'm done for today, I'm done with it all. With those f***ers, with politics. FARHAD: I would have preferred Israel to destruct and weaken the regime led by Khamenei even more. If they continue the war, they [Iran's regime] might get weaker, their economy might further weaken and the people could have greater courage to start an uprising. KAMRAN: If they go ahead and announce a permanent ceasefire, after all the damage that's been done to the Islamic Republic's infrastructure, our lives will only get worse. Much worse. 'I still have hope': People disappointed regime remains The Iranian regime, led by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has tight control over the media. ( ABC News: Sharon Gordon ) Anger quickly turns to fear with the realisation the war is over, but the regime remains. Some predict the weakened regime will crack down even harder — especially on those who oppose the regime — as it fights for its survival. FARAH: Right now the regime will have a lot of excuses — that if [you] don't behave like they what they want, according to them, based on Islamic rule, then it's enough for them to label you a spy — you are working for Israel, you are American spy. Then they kill you easily. AVA: I'm disappointed … I thought maybe this could be it. I still have hope that it [the ceasefire] won't last — because otherwise, the people will have to pay for this war. KAMRAN: If I'm being real, I've kind of lost faith, I'm disappointed. Maybe it's all just some psychological game they're playing, I don't know. FARAH: We went to do some shopping yesterday. On the way there, there were more than 10 checkpoints with lots and lots of young policemen with huge guns. I saw they stopped many young men and all kind of lorries and big cars. We came back in the evening, there were lots of checkpoints too with policemen but different types of uniform which I didn't recognise and we've never seen them before. Scary. 'Twelve days of horror': Iranians question what the war achieved Several people told the ABC the cost of food and fuel is already soaring. ( ABC News: Sharon Gordon ) The war is over, but it's not time to celebrate. People in Tehran report massive damage and say the city will need extensive repairs. They say the regime and its henchmen are already jacking up the prices of petrol, oil, and food — likely to raise money to pay for the reconstruction. Some feel like the war was for nothing. KAMRAN: We're going to be the ones expected to pay for the damage — in every sense of the word. Any loss, any destruction — they'll find a way to get people to make up for it. They'll squeeze us. They'll justify it by saying, "We gave you peace. We gave you stability." In every possible sense — especially economically, we'll be crushed. We'll be struggling just to stay afloat, nothing more. BIJAN: We have been notified that for three or four days now, no imports are coming into Iran. Iran's stock exchange has been closed for a week. That affects the economy. FARAH: We don't know how to be happy. What did they achieve from this kind of war? It's just 12 days of horror and shocks and stress. They destroyed all the buildings. They destroyed our homes. They killed innocent, ordinary people … I feel like my heart is bleeding. ZAHRA: Yes we are tired … yes we are disappointed. But, change takes time. You should know the history of Saddam and Gaddafi? The same thing happened. So we will be patient. Change will happen. Credits: Reporting: Middle East correspondent Allyson Horn Additional reporting: Kaveh Akbari, Fariba Sahraei and Nassim Khadem Illustrations: Sharon Gordon Digital production and editing: Leonie Thorne and Toby Mann
The Sun
5 hours ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Trump claims he saved Ayatollah from ‘ugly death' by ordering Israeli jets to turn around midair and call off attack
DONALD Trump has claimed that he saved Iran's Supreme Leader from an "ugly death" by ordering Israeli jets to turn around mid-air during an attack. The President slammed the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after he claimed Iran had won the war - following Trump's Operation Midnight hammer attack. 1 In the post, Trump raged: "Why would the so-called 'Supreme Leader,' Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, of the war torn Country of Iran, say so blatantly and foolishly that he won the War with Israel, when he knows his statement is a lie, it is not so." .
The Independent
9 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Keir Starmer used to stand up for the kinds of protesters he now labels terrorists
Two days before the missiles started raining down on Baghdad in March 2003, Josh Richards packed a mixture of petrol and washing-up liquid into his rucksack and headed off to RAF Fairford base in Gloucestershire. His plan was to set fire to the wheels of a B-52 USAF bomber to prevent it from joining in the imminent shock and awe. He was caught before he could act, but he was not the only person with the idea of mounting a last-ditch attempt to hinder a war which many considered illegal. A few days earlier, Margaret Jones and Paul Milling had cut their way into the same airbase and damaged a number of fuel tankers and bomb trailers. Another two men in their thirties, Phil Pritchard and Toby Olditch, armed themselves with paint, nuts and bolts, with the intention of damaging the bombers' engines. Today, this group of five would be labelled terrorists. See the government's reaction last week when pro-Palestinian activists broke into RAF Brize Norton and – just like their earlier counterparts at Fairford – damaged two military planes with red paint. "A disgraceful act of vandalism," said the prime minister, Keir Starmer. Within days, home secretary Yvette Cooper was on her feet in the House of Commons announcing that the group involved, Palestine Action, would be added to the list of organisations proscribed under the Terrorism Act 2000. If you dare donate so much as a fiver to it in future, you will be committing a crime. Twenty-odd years ago, we lived in a kinder, gentler age. Society was not so harsh in their judgements about the group which became known as the Fairford Five. The protestors lawyered up and their briefs decided on an original defence, arguing that their actions were justified, morally and legally, because they were aimed at preventing a greater evil – ie. the war in Iraq and its probable consequences. They were, in short, willing to commit crimes in order to prevent greater crimes. Among the barristers who came up with this intriguing defence was a rising star of the human rights bar, Keir Starmer QC. He argued the case on behalf of Josh Richards, first at the Court of Appeal in June 2004 and then again before the House of Lords in March 2006. The presiding judge, Lord Bingham, went out of his way to praise the "erudition" involved. The appeal did not totally succeed, but in his judgment Lord Hoffmann articulated a humane view of how, in the UK, he believed we have traditionally regarded such acts of protest. "Civil disobedience on conscientious grounds has a long and honourable history in this country," he wrote (at paragraph 89). "People who break the law to affirm their belief in the injustice of a law or government action are sometimes vindicated by history. The suffragettes are an example which comes immediately to mind. It is the mark of a civilised community that it can accommodate protests and demonstrations of this kind." Hoffman outlined the "conventions" he thought should govern such acts of civil disobedience in his "civilised community". The law-breakers had to behave with a sense of proportion and avoid excessive damage. The law-enforcers, on the other hand, should "behave with restraint [and] … take the conscientious motives of the protesters into account". I imagine Mr Starmer QC read those words with some pleasure at the time: they have been quoted many times in courts over the years by his learned friends in defending clients acting on conscientious grounds. But now, at the behest of his government, such people are to be defined as terrorists. Forget trying to understand their conscientious motives. Lock them up and ban them. What happened? Let's try some hypotheses. The first possible explanation is that Starmer in 2004 was just operating on the "cab rank" principle. He didn't actually believe all that stuff he argued in the posh courts: he was just making the best case he could. But one former Doughty Street Chambers colleague told me Starmer "totally" believed in the right to protest. Some argue he is simply a massive hypocrite. He couldn't care less that there's a yawning gulf between what he then argued and what he now advocates. Or maybe he has just changed his mind? Perhaps he had some sympathy with the Fairford cause (Iraq) and less for the Brize Norton protests (Palestine)? Perhaps he still holds the same views he expressed 20 years ago, but has been advised it would be politically unwise to voice them. Reform is storming ahead in the polls and is demanding tough action. Now's not the time to out yourself as a bleeding-heart liberal. So you can show your toughness by outlawing the very sort of people you once defended. And, while you're about it, tell Glastonbury to drop another "terrorist" – in this case, the Irish language rap group Kneecap. Or maybe he believes in nothing? That, after all, is what a significant slew of even his own backbenchers are coming to assume. Twenty years ago, the public took a more forgiving view of protestors. Juries initially failed to agree on a verdict on charges against four of the Fairford defendants. Olditch and Pritchard were subsequently cleared of all charges after two trials. Josh Richards was also tried twice after admitting he wanted to set fire to a B-52 bomber. Twice, he walked free. Only Margaret Jones and Paul Milling were found guilty – at the second attempt – and were treated relatively leniently. Milling was given a conditional discharge and a £250 fine. Dr Jones was given a five-month curfew order. So perhaps this explains what's going on in Starmer's mind. He, of all people, knows that juries are quite likely to side with conscientious protestors on an issue like Gaza. So it is cleaner simply to outlaw protest groups from the start. For someone who believes in the rule of law, it's a clever way of getting round the rule of law. "Yes, they should stand trial. Yes, they've committed criminal damage," Baroness Helena Kennedy, a fellow civil rights lawyer told me. "But to label them terrorists seems extraordinary to me. It's going down the old Trump road, and I don't like it at all. There's a sense in which you have a US government which has no respect for the rule of law and there's now a kind of poison seeping into our own legal aquifer." As I write, another four protestors have been arrested by counter-terror police at Brize Norton. You can't help wondering whether the concept of terrorism itself is being somewhat watered down by the Starmer government. And you can't help wonder at the philosophical somersaults taking place in Starmer's mind as he stands everything he argued for 20 years ago on its head.
Al Jazeera
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
In an age of abundance and ceasefires, Gaza starves, and the war won't stop
Gaza City – Israel and Iran fought for 12 days, firing bombs, drones and missiles at each other, with the United States even joining in the bombing. Then, earlier this week, it stopped. Last month, India and Pakistan attacked each other, and the world feared the outbreak of an all-out war between the two nuclear powers. But then, after four days, it stopped. In Gaza, we haven't been so lucky. The word 'ceasefire' doesn't apply to us – even after 20 months of slaughter, death, and starvation. Instead, as wars erupt and end elsewhere, Gaza is neglected, slipping down the news agenda, and disconnected from the internet for days. World leaders that can end wars decisively can't deliver medicine to Gaza, can't bring in food aid without daily bloodshed. That inadequacy has left us Palestinians in Gaza isolated, abandoned, and feeling worthless. We feel humiliated and degraded, as if our dignity has been erased. We prayed that the end of the war between Israel and Iran would perhaps help end the one that is being waged on us. But we were wrong. Even as Iran's missiles rained down on Tel Aviv, Israel never stopped bombing us. Its tanks rolled on, its evacuation orders never ceased. And the daily charade of 'humanitarian aid' has continued to kill starving Palestinians as they wait in line at distribution sites. As Israel's bombs continued to fall on us, as they have done since October 2023, we watched as Israelis wept over their own bombed hospitals, damaged cities, and disrupted lives. 'What did we do? Why are we being bombed?' they asked, at the same time as they continued to attack Gaza's hospitals, kill Gaza's children, and murder those trying to get food. Hating food In Gaza, we don't have wishes any more. I don't dare to dream about surviving – my heart can no longer bear the sorrow of being in this world, the absence of any future. We're exhausted from being stories people read, videos they watch. Every minute: bombing, death, and hunger. Especially hunger. During three months of siege and starvation, Israel initially steadfastly refused to allow food in and then allowed distribution only through a shady and militarised organisation, with Israeli forces shooting in. The situation has made me come to hate food. My relationship with it has forever changed, twisted into resentment and bitterness. I crave everything. I ask myself, 'What will we eat? What do we have available?' I imagine myself at a table full of delicacies, throwing everything onto the ground in protest, screaming through tears not out of hunger, but for my wounded dignity. It is this hunger and the basic human instinct to survive that drives tens of thousands of starving men, women and children to the daily slaughter that is the food distribution sites. The hunger dulls every other sense. An empty stomach means an empty mind, a failing body. It makes you do things your brain tells you not to do, to risk everything for a bag of flour, or a bag of lentils. And all of this – the starvation of 2 million people – takes place in the age of global food abundance. The age of pistachio desserts, Dubai chocolates, cheesecakes with layers of cream, gourmet burgers, pizzas, sauces, and creams. For the rest of the world, food is a phone tap away. For us, it taunts us, reminding us of our calamity. Taunted by the tablet Every time I open my phone to see photos, recipes, and trending desserts, I feel a pang in my heart reminding me that we are not living in the same world. My nine-year-old daugher Banias watches Instagram reels with me and says, 'Mom, every chef says the ingredients are easy and found in every home … but not ours.' Her words pierce me. She says them with sorrow, not complaint. Banias never complains. She accepts the pasta or lentils I offer. But the pain is there. My children watch kids' shows on a device I bought at great cost, with a backup battery to offset the two-year power blackout. I did it so they could have some joy, some escape. But I didn't consider what that screen would show them. They play songs and videos all day long about apples, bananas, strawberries, watermelon, grapes, milk, eggs, pizza, chicken, ice cream. All the things I can't give them. The device started playing a song: 'Are you hungry?' My heart can't take it. What is this cursed screen doing? I rushed out of the kitchen, where I had just finished cooking the same pasta with canned sauce – maybe for the 50th time. I looked into my children's eyes. Iyas, turning two this month, has never tasted any of these fruits or foods. Banias watches and casually says while eating her pasta, 'See, Mama? Even the dolls get to eat fruit and grapes and yummy stuff.' Every moment here reminds me that the world lives in one reality, and we live in another. Even children's songs aren't made for us any more. We've become an exception to life. An exception to joy. The fear of what comes next And yet, we are still among the 'lucky' ones, because others have run out of food entirely. I felt that growing dread last week when I opened my last kilo of rice. Fear and despair overwhelmed me. Then, it was the last spoon of milk, then lentils, chickpeas, cornstarch, halva, tomato sauce, the last cans of beans, peas, bulghur. Our stocks are vanishing. There are no replacements. Every empty shelf feels like a blow to the soul. If this famine continues, what comes next? It's like walking step by step towards death. Every day without a solution brings us closer to a deeper mass starvation. Every trip to the market that ends empty-handed feels like a dagger to the heart. And that is just the food struggle. What if I told you about cooking on firewood? Fetching water from distant desalination stations, most of which have shut down? Walking for hours without transport? The cash shortage? Skyrocketing fees and prices? All this, under the shadow of constant Israeli air strikes. We've disappeared from the headlines, but our suffering remains — layered, worsening by the day. What did Gaza do to deserve this erasure, this merciless genocide? Wars end everywhere, ceasefires are possible anywhere. But for Gaza, we need a miracle for the war to stop. Gaza will not forgive the world. The blood of our children and their starving bellies will not forget. We write to record what is happening, not to plead with anyone. Gaza, the land of dignity and generosity, lives a daily horror to survive. And all while the world watches on.
The Sun
10 hours ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Russians advance slower than a SNAIL with 50k pinned down as Putin's summer offensive mired in Ukraine's ‘dronegrinder'
THE Russian invasion of Ukraine has been advancing at an incredibly slow pace - with Kyiv's "dronegrinder" warfare miring Putin's summer offensive. The rate at which Moscow is capturing land has been dubbed "slower than a snail" - all while the human cost of Russian casualties is sky high. 8 8 8 After 448 days of fighting inside Chasiv Yar in Donetsk Oblast, the Russians reportedly only managed to take control of 50 per cent of the city. Which means the troops, on average, are only able to take 0.00629 square miles of land per day - which is a painfully low conversion rate. Even snails, which have a speed of 0.03 miles per hour, can cover more land than what the Russians have gained in the region. Meanwhile, Kyiv has ramped up its defences as it seeks to thwart Vladimir Putin's final killer summer offensive, which military analysts say could start as early as July. Ukraine's fierce resistance forced Russian troops to stop in the Sumy region's border area, Kyiv's military Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky revealed. The military boss said that the Ukrainian armed forces managed to tie down a 50,000-strong force and stabilise the frontlines "as of this week". It comes after Putin cemented his territorial ambitions by proclaiming "all of Ukraine" belonged to Russia and threatening to seize Sumy. Some 125,000 Russian soldiers are reportedly massing along the Sumy and Kharkiv frontiers, according to Ukraine's military intelligence. Ukrainians have now tasked a special defence group to strengthen fortifications near the frontlines, build anti-drone corridors and 'kill zones' Vladimir Putin rages 'all of Ukraine is ours' as he threatens to seize key city while Kyiv slams tyrant as 'deranged' Though the Russian forces recently seized Andriivka (north of Sumy City) and advanced southeast of Oleksiivka, according to the ISW assessment. Putin's battlefield casualties have soared past the bloody one million milestone after 40 months of meatgrinder war. Ukraine's fierce resistance forced Russia to pay a mighty toll for every inch of land it has taken, and its advances remain painfully slow. The staggering milestone includes troops who have been killed or wounded so severely that they cannot fight on. According to the Ukrainian General Staff, one million Russian military troops have been put out of action since February 24, 2022, with 628,000 of those casualties occurring in the last six months. Burning through a million troops has won Putin just 20 per cent of Ukraine's total territory - mainly in southern and eastern areas - which is a humiliating conversion rate. A defiant Ukraine stunned the world with its new-age drone warfare, which now kills more Russians than conventional battlefield techniques, such as artillery firing and battle tanks. One-way attack drones now account for almost 80 per cent of all the casualties in the war, with experts now dubbing it a "dronegrinder" war. Inside Operation Spiderweb By James Halpin, Foreign News Reporter UKRAINE'S shock sleeper drone blitz on Russia's bomber fleet has delivered a hammer blow to Vladimir Putin's nuclear arsenal. The SAS-style strike against four airfields deep inside Russia is reminiscent of the most daring raids of the WW2 that turned the tide against the Nazis. Volodymyr Zelensky oversaw Operation Spiderweb - much like Winston Churchill did as Britain struck deep behind enemy lines. Putin's doomsday bomber fleet is now crippled with 41, or a third, of his most prized aircraft lying in smouldering wrecks on tarmac. Ukraine said the sneak attack was worth $7bn (£5.2bn) in damage to Russia - caused by only 117 cheaply made drones. Ukraine's spies spent 18 months putting the plan into action and struck on the eve of fresh peace talks in Istanbul. The drones and the containers were smuggled into Russia separately and were pieced together right under Vlad's nose. Clueless lorry drivers then parked the containers next to Russian airbases - where they sat and waited in plain sight. Then, on the morning of June 1, the fleet of flying bombs rose over the far reaches of Russia - and the most daring military operation of the war began. Nondescript shipping containers parked in laybys and verges had attracted little attention - before their lids blew open and the drone swarms poured out. The craft buzzed as they took off into the air and only had to travel a short distance to their valuable targets. Each of the 117 drones had their own dedicated pilot and Russia had little defences to protect their bases and stop them. Drones with cameras sent video back to HQ in Ukraine of the moment craft struck their targets and explosions ripped into the sky. Thick black smoke climbed high, with civilians near the bases sending video of Ukraine's successes around the world. The furthest strike was Belaya Air Base - so far inside Russia that the closest neighbouring country is Mongolia. Olenya Air Base near Finland and Ivanovo and Dyagilevo near Moscow were also struck in the country's west. IS PUTIN BLUFFING? Some senior commanders in Ukraine believe the Russian attack on Sumy could be a feint and that Moscow is actually preparing to attack further south to push further into the Donbas. If so, Russia is likely to attack through three areas near each other in the Donbas - Kramatorsk, Kostiantynivka, and Pokrovsk. Vlad already controls more than 95 per cent of Luhansk, but capturing Donetsk would cement his control over the Donbas region and achieve a war aim, albeit a scaled-down one. The Donbas is an important industrial and mining area - and some 200,000 to 300,000 people still live in four cities controlled by Ukraine. Moscow's military planners will be weighing up whether they want to fight through the cities like they did in Bakhmut or encircle them by going around through farmland. 8 Kramatorsk is the closest city to the front line and is under constant attack by Russia. Brutal fighting is going on in the city - with a recent kamikaze drone strike that managed to get inside an armoured vehicle carrying Ukrainian soldiers. Russia has an opportunity to conduct a pincer movement around Kostiantynivka with its soldiers controlling land to the east and west of the city. Instead of attacking the city directly, the could bypass it and attack Druzhkivka behind it - thereby cutting Kostiantynivka and any Ukrainian soldiers still there off. In nearby Pokrovsk, Russia already has a salient, a bulge, out from the front line after a previous advance. The Pokrovsk front line is also very near Dnipropetrovsk Oblast - a region of Ukraine the Kremlin hasn't yet officially claimed. A successful breakthrough there might mean Putin can actually expand his war goals. 8 THE SOVIET RHETORIC It comes after Putin reaffirmed his long-held claim that Russians and Ukrainians are "one people". He declared: "In that sense, all of Ukraine is ours. "There is a saying: wherever a Russian soldier sets foot, that is ours," he added. The narrative is central to Putin's rhetoric, which he has used to justify his invasion of Ukraine. He reiterated his demand that Kyiv accept the realities of Moscow's territorial gains and abandon plans to join Nato. Putin said: "We aren't seeking Ukraine's surrender, we want them to recognise the realities on the ground," adding that Moscow has repeatedly warned Kyiv to make a deal. 8 8 Asked about Moscow's goals in Ukraine, Putin threatened to take Sumy - a key Ukrainian city - as part of the creation of a "buffer zone". He repeated that Moscow was "advancing on all fronts" and that his troops had penetrated up to seven miles into the Sumy region. Putin said: "We have to create a security zone along the border. "We have no objective to take Sumy, but in principle I do not rule it out... They pose a constant threat to us, constantly shelling the border areas." Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga described Putin's comments as "deranged" and called for Kyiv's allies to slap "devastating sanctions" on Russia. 8
