Russia launches largest drone attack after peace talks, Ukraine says
The largest known Russian drone attack since full-scale war began in 2022 killed at least one woman in the Kyiv region and injured at least three people, Ukrainian authorities said early on Sunday (May 18), as Moscow stepped up strikes following peace talks on Friday (16 May).
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Telegraph
19 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Western democracies have a duty to resist growing Russian aggression
SIR – Beyond the finances not adding up, which appears to be a feature of all Labour policy, the other thing that struck me about the Strategic Defence Review (report, June 4) was its leisurely response to what it acknowledged to be a present and growing threat. Surely the best answer to Russian aggression towards Europe is to increase support to Ukraine now, giving it everything we can without restrictions on use, while properly ramping up full sanctions and other deterrent actions against Russia. Russia is now weaker than it has been for some time, thanks to the extraordinary efforts of Ukraine. We in Western Europe have a moral obligation to defend Ukraine and other nations from repeated Russian aggression. Hopefully, at the same time, we may ultimately help Russia towards a better future, and deter China from resorting to conflict. Colonel Ronnie Bradford (retd) Vienna, Austria SIR – Your Leading Article (June 4) draws attention to the fact that the Prime Minister declined to set a firm date for when the defence budget would increase to 3 per cent of GDP. This gives rise to two concerns. Will 3 per cent be enough, when Nato is poised to set a new target for members to spend 5 per cent? And, given the obvious urgency of the matter, why will this happen only in the next parliament? Brigadier Rod Brummitt (retd) Bournemouth, Dorset SIR – I read your Leading Article (June 4) with incredulity. You write that 'Sir Keir dismissed calls to set specific spending targets as 'performative fantasy politics' '. When I served during the Cold War period, we mustered four armoured divisions – each of three brigades – in Germany, as well as substantial UK Land Forces and a Territorial Army of several thousand. Now, as Lewis Page has written (Comment, June 1), the Army's sole war-fighting division, which is supposed to have three brigades, is actually a two-brigade force with enough equipment for just one. As you say, 'If the deployments needed for the next two or three decades are to be met, then commitments have to be made now.' As it is, what threat does the Government believe we can deter? Lt Col Jeremy Moger (retd) Hazelbury Bryan, Dorset SIR – John Healey, the Defence Secretary, talks about a 10-year plan to get Britain ready for war (report, June 2), in the face of 'growing Russian aggression'. Does he really think that Vladimir Putin is going to wait that long? He added that the Strategic Defence Review would send a 'message to Moscow'. Mr Healey publicises his plans, while Putin hides his. It isn't hard to see who is likely to be the winner. Mick Ferrie Mawnan Smith, Cornwall
The Sun
35 minutes ago
- The Sun
Four men ‘torched Ukrainian-owned firm in UK on behalf of Russia's Wagner Group'
FOUR men accused of torching a Ukrainian-owned firm in the UK did so on behalf of Russia's Wagner Group, a court has heard. Goods including Starlink satellite equipment were being sent out to Kyiv from the targeted industrial estate unit. Around £1million in damage was caused when it was set alight in Leyton, East London, in March last year. Paul English, 61, Nii Kojo Mensah, 23, Jakeem Barrington Rose, 23, and Ugnius Asmena, 20, are said to have started the blaze. The Old Bailey was told that CCTV placed them driving to the scene in English's Kia Picanto. Jurors heard Rose and Mensah were seen climbing a wall to approach the warehouse, while Mensah also livestreamed the arson. Prosecutor Duncan Penny, KC, said they were paid agents motivated by 'good old-fashioned greed'. He added: 'They did not act alone . . . they were recruited by and directed by two others who have since admitted their role in the aggravated arson. 'This was deliberate and calculated criminality at the behest of foreign influence.' Vladimir Putin -controlled Wagner Group. The four deny aggravated arson. The trial continues. Full devastation of Op Spiderweb revealed as new pics show Putin's jets in RUINS after drone blitz 1
Times
an hour ago
- Times
Let's give BBC World Service the funding its power deserves
The BBC is many things to many people, from its revered children's and educational programming to the wonders of the natural world, with Sir David Attenborough a trusted guide. In the UK, we are fortunate to have a healthy creative industries and media sector that thrives on the talents of our nation and represents all corners of the country. But how much value does the BBC have internationally? It is a question the government appears to be taking seriously. In January it launched the Soft Power Council with the aim of boosting economic growth and security. • BBC World Service cuts 'leave gap for Russia and China' A central part of the UK's soft power is the BBC World Service, which operates in 42 languages — 43 if you count the recently announced BBC News Polska offer — and delivers independent news to hundreds of millions of people every hour of the day. During decades of drawn-out and bloody wars, through prolonged periods of enforced isolation, the BBC World Service has a history of providing information for those desperately in need. And it's still doing it today, launching urgent services in recent times in countries facing unimaginable horror. Notable interventions include extended broadcasts for Ukraine as the war erupted, a radio service in Sudan as civil combat ensued and enhanced services for Myanmar after the devastating earthquake. And yet among the geopolitical friction and cultural chasms that underlie global conflicts and catastrophes, a more pernicious threat has taken hold. Earlier this year, the latest Global Risks Report published by the World Economic Forum registered disinformation and misinformation as the most prominent risk facing the world. Disinformation drives doubt, division and destabilisation by playing on our insecurities. It has the power to enrage, to shock and to provoke. In the modern world, disinformation is everywhere, fuelled by self-interested states and turbo-charged by artificial intelligence. • Maga propaganda takeover looms for silenced Voice of America In a febrile climate, this can have devastating results. But there is hope. In Nigeria, misinformation that President Tinubu had forged his university documents led to significant unrest until the BBC debunked the claims, calming the situation. In Pakistan, a viral video with more than 400,000 views on X claimed to show an explosion caused by a Pakistani response to hostilities with India over Kashmir. In fact, the images were from the 2020 Beirut port explosion in Lebanon. The BBC's teams used fact-checking, data analysis and video verification to either debunk the content or at least give it more context. Countering disinformation and providing verified, independent news is what makes the BBC World Service the most trusted international news provider in the world. Recent research also found that it is the most well-recognised British cultural export, alongside our world-beating universities, first-class film industry and the Premier League. The organisation drives a favourable attitude towards the UK and also notably increases the likelihood of its audience wanting to invest here. That's not bad for a product the government terms 'soft power'. Let us hope that next week's spending review settlement for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office includes additional resources to restore some of the lost funding to this great British asset. Lord Blunkett was home secretary between 2001 and 2004
