Inside Operation Spiderweb
We live in a time of rising conflict. The more war, the more creatively strategists push further, gain the upper hand, and pre-emptively strike. Leaving their enemies scrambling to work out what on earth happened and how to stop it happening again.
And so it is with Ukraine. In early June the country's intelligence network delivered a decisive blow, deep in Russian territory. Lorries carrying what appeared to be garden sheds suddenly opened, releasing drones, and destroying some of Russia's most strategically important aircraft. Some eighteen months in the making, it was a piece of spycraft worthy of the history books.
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Canada Standard
7 minutes ago
- Canada Standard
Ukraine Receives Another 1,200 Bodies From Russia As War Rages On
Russia 15 returned another 1,200 bodies it says belong to Ukrainians killed in the war, Ukrainian authorities said, while fighting continued and Russia claimed it seized control of a village in the Donetsk region. The repatriations are being conducted following two rounds of direct peace talks in Istanbul that produced agreements on the return of prisoners and the bodies of the dead but brought no visible progress on ending Russia's war against Ukraine. They come ahead of a summit of the Group of Seven (G7) nations in Alberta, Canada, which Kyiv hopes will yield tighter Western sanctions against Moscow, including a lower price cap on Russian oil exports. "Another 1,200 bodies that the Russian side claims belong to Ukrainian citizens, among them soldiers, have been returned to Ukraine," Ukraine'sCoordination Headquartersfor the Treatment of Prisoners of War said on Telegram on June 15. The authorities will work to identify the bodies, it said. The development brought the total number of bodies sent from Russia to Ukraine to 4,012. Russia reported receiving a total of 27 Russian servicemen from Ukraine so far. According to Russian state media citing unnamed sources, Moscow received no bodies in the June 15 transaction. SEE ALSO: After Round Two Of Russia-Ukraine Talks, Peace Seems Even More Elusive Russia and Ukraine have exchanged prisoners of war and the remains of citizens several times since the talks in Istanbul, on May 16 and June 2, but Moscow has rejected calls by Kyiv and the West for a cease-fire and the fighting persists nearly 40 months after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. SEE ALSO: Beatings, Shocks, Hunger: A Ukrainian Officer's 846 Days In Russian Captivity Russia and Ukraine also exchanged prisoners several times before the Istanbul talks, with little or no impact on the level of hostilities. The Russian Defense Ministry said on June 15 that Russian forces had taken control of Malynivka, a village in the Donetsk region, where some of the fiercest fighting has taken place. Russia is seeking to occupy the whole of Donetsk, one of four regions on mainland Ukraine that Putin baselessly claims are part of Russia. SEE ALSO: Hugs, Tears, And Flags Greet POWs Returning Home In Russia-Ukraine Swap The ministry also said its forces had conducted a successful missile attack overnight on a refinery in the city of Kremenchuk that it said supplies fuel to Ukrainian forces in the Donetsk region. It did not provide details, and Russia's claims could not be verified. In addition, the ministry said Russian air defense had downed 128 Ukrainian drones and two guided missiles over the previous 24 hours. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, meanwhile, said Russia had launched at least 183 attack drones and 11 missiles overnight, and that Ukraine's air defenses had destroyed 167 of the projectiles. "The strike mainly targeted the Poltava region, particularly Kremenchuk,"he saidon social media. "Moscow has been doing this for four years now and is constantly increasing the number of strikes. That is why it is so important for all decisions on tightening sanctions against Russia to be made in the coming weeks," Zelenskyy said. SEE ALSO: Zelenskyy Says Tough Sanctions Could 'Force Putin To Seek Peace' As Russia Hits Kharkiv Again "We need price caps that will stop this war. We need sanctions against Russian banks and the financial sector that will truly hit hard. We must also combat sanctions evasion schemes," he said. "The United States, the European Union, and theG7 countrieshave the power to make this happen." Leaders were heading to Kananaskis in the Canadian Rockies for the June 15-17 summit of the G7 -- the United States, Britain, France, Italy, Germany, Canada, and Japan -- which may now be dominated by the heavy fighting between Israel and Iran. European Union officials hope the G7 countries will agree at the summit to new sanctions against Russia including a bid to curtail its oil revenues by lowering the price cap on Russian crude to $45 per barrel from the current $60. Zelenskyy plans to attend and to meet with US President Donald Trump, who has been seeking to broker an end to Russia's war on Ukraine since he started his second term in January and is also trying to improve relations with the Kremlin. While bilateral meetings between leaders are possible on June 15, the official summit program begins on June 16. Trump has threatened to impose additional sanctions on Russia if he determines that Moscow does not want peace, but he has yet to take that step and has said he might also punish Ukraine if the sides don't make progress toward peace soon. After a phone call on June 14,Trump saidin a post on his Truth Social platform that Putin feels, as I do, this war in Israel-Iran should end, to which I explained, his war should also end. With reporting by Reuters and AP
Boston Globe
15 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
Trump says Israel-Iran will come to deal ‘soon' and warns Tehran against retaliating against US
'If we are attacked in any way, shape or form by Iran, the full strength and might of the U.S. Armed Forces will come down on you at levels never seen before,' Trump said. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Hours later Trump took to social media again to predict 'Iran and Israel should make a deal, and will make a deal.' Advertisement The U.S. president made the that he has built a track record for de-escalating conflicts, and that he would get Israel and Iran to cease hostilities 'just like I got India and Pakistan to make' after the two countries' recent cross-border confrontation. India struck targets inside Pakistan after militants in April massacred 26 tourists in Indian-controlled Kashmir. Pakistan has denied any links to the attackers. Following India's strikes in Pakistan, the two sides exchanged heavy fire along their de facto borders, followed by missile and drone strikes into each other's territories, mainly targeting military installations and airbases. Advertisement It was the most serious confrontation in decades between the countries. Trump on Sunday repeated his claim, disputed by India, that the two sides agreed to a ceasefire after he had offered to help both nations with trade if they agreed to de-escalate. Trump also pointed to efforts by his administration during his first term to mediate disputes between Serbia and Kosovo and Egypt and Ethiopia. 'Likewise, we will have PEACE, soon, between Israel and Iran!' Trump said. 'Many calls and meetings now taking place. I do a lot, and never get credit for anything, but that's OK, the PEOPLE understand. MAKE THE MIDDLE EAST GREAT AGAIN!' The growing conflict between Israel and Iran is testing Trump who ran on a promise to quickly end the brutal wars in Gaza and Ukraine and build a foreign policy that more broadly favors steering clear of foreign conflicts. Trump has struggled to find an endgame to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. And after criticizing President Joe Biden during last year's campaign for preventing Israel from carrying out strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, Trump found himself making the case to the Israelis to give diplomacy a chance. His administration's push on Tehran to give up its nuclear program came after the U.S. and other world powers in 2015 reached a long-term, comprehensive nuclear agreement that limited Tehran's enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday about the growing Israel-Iran conflict. And Trump is set to travel later Sunday to Canada for Group of Seven leaders summit where the Mideast crisis will loom large over his talks with the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan and the European Union. Advertisement Some influential backers of Trump are him urging to keep the U.S. out of Israel's escalating conflict with Iran. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, former Fox News host Tucker Carlson are among the prominent backers of Trump who have argued voters backed Trump because he would not involve the nation in foreign conflicts. Kirk said last week that before Israel launched the strikes on Iran that he was concerned the situation could lead to 'a massive schism in MAGA and potentially disrupt our momentum and our insanely successful Presidency.' Kentucky Republican, Sen. Rand Paul praised Trump for having shown restraint and said he hoped the president's 'instincts will prevail.' 'So, I think it's going to be very hard to come out of this and have a negotiated settlement,' Paul said in an appearance on NBC's 'Meet the Press. 'I see more war and more carnage. And it's not the U.S.'s job to be involved in this war.' — AP writer Gary Fields contributed reporting.
New Straits Times
17 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
Trump: US involvement in Iran-Israel war 'possible'
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump told a news network Sunday the United States could become involved in the Iran-Israel conflict, and that he would be "open" to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin being a mediator. The Republican president, according to ABC News, also said talks over Iran's nuclear programme were continuing and that Tehran would "like to make a deal," perhaps more quickly now that the Islamic republic is trading massive strikes with Israel. "It's possible we could get involved" in the ongoing battle between the Middle East arch-foes, Trump said in an off-camera interview with ABC News senior political correspondent Rachel Scott that was not previously publicised. He stressed that the United States is "not at this moment" involved in the military action. As for Putin being a potential mediator in the conflict, "he is ready. He called me about it. We had a long talk about it," Trump said. Israel and Iran traded heavy aerial assaults for a third straight day Sunday, with casualties mounting following Israel's large-scale attacks aimed at crippling Iran's nuclear and military infrastructure, sparking retaliation. Oman, which has acted as a mediator on the nuclear issue, has said a sixth round of talks between Iran and the United States planned for this weekend had been cancelled. But Trump said the two sides were continuing discussions. "No, there's no deadline" on negotiations, he told ABC when asked whether there was a time limit for Tehran to come to the table. "But they are talking. They'd like to make a deal. They're talking. They continue to talk," Trump said, according to Scott. Trump suggested that something like the clash between Israel and Iran "had" to happen to spur talks on a nuclear agreement. It "may have forced a deal to go quicker, actually," Trump said.--AFP
