The Briefing Room Explainer: Putin's motivation for war with Ukraine
This is part of a new mini-series called the The Briefing Room Explainers. They're short versions of previous episodes of the Briefing Room.
Presenter: David Aaronovitch
Producer: Caroline Bayley
Editor: Richard Vadon
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
2 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Israel to call up 60,000 reservists as it launches ‘first stages' of attack on Gaza City – Middle East crisis live
Update: Date: 2025-08-21T06:28:54.000Z Title: Israel to call up 60,000 reservists as it launches 'first stages' of attack on Gaza City Content: Welcome to our live coverage of the Israel-Gaza war and wider Middle East crisis. The Israeli military has announced the first steps of an operation to take over Gaza City and said it was calling up an extra 60,000 reservists for the offensive. It came as the government considered a new ceasefire proposal that Hamas has agreed on to pause the war and, separately, Israel approved a huge new illegal settlement in the West Bank. Military spokesperson Effie Defrin said on Wednesday the Israel Defense Forces had 'begun the preliminary operations and the first stages of the attack on Gaza City, and already now IDF forces are holding the outskirts of Gaza City'. Israeli troops clashed with Hamas fighters in Gaza on Wednesday and Benjamin Netanyahu's office said later that the prime minister had sped up the timeline for taking control of Hamas strongholds and defeating the militant group. UN secretary general António Guterres on Thursday called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, saying it was necessary 'to avoid the death and destruction that a military operation against Gaza City would inevitably cause'. In other key developments: Israeli defence minister Israel Katz's order to send more troops into Gaza City came despite international criticism of the offensive, with fears of significant casualties and more mass displacement amid widening conditions of starvation in the territory. The situation in Gaza City was 'catastrophic' and 'large numbers' were fleeing eastern neighbourhoods, according to the Gaza municipality's emergency committee chief, Mustafa Qazzaat. Resident Anis Daloul, 64, told the AFP news agency the Israeli military had 'destroyed most of the buildings in Zeitoun and displaced thousands of people'. The additional Israeli reserve soldiers would not report for duty until September, a military official said on Wednesday, giving mediators time to bridge gaps between Hamas and Israel over the terms of any ceasefire and hostage deal. Hamas said Israel's plans to conquer Gaza City showed its 'blatant disregard' for efforts to broker a truce. The Israeli talk of a large-scale operation could primarily be intended to put pressure on the militant group in ceasefire talks, reports Peter Beaumont. More than 62,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli war in Gaza since Hamas's deadly attacks in October 2023, according to Gaza health officials. British UK foreign secretary David Lammy condemned Israel's approval of the new settlement block in the West Bank as a 'flagrant breach of international law'. The plan would split the West Bank into two with the intention – Israeli far-right minister Bezalel Smotrich has said – of ending any prospect of a Palestinian state. The Israeli military said on Thursday it has received a report about a security incident near the settlement of Malachei HaShalom in the West Bank, adding that details were under review.
Reuters
2 minutes ago
- Reuters
Poland says its airspace was not violated during Russian strikes on Ukraine
WARSAW, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Poland said operations by Polish and allied aircraft on Thursday related to Russian strikes on Ukraine had concluded and that no violations of Polish airspace were observed. "Due to the reduction in the level of threat from missile strikes by Russian aviation on Ukrainian territory, the operations of Polish and allied aviation in Polish airspace have been concluded," the Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces said on X. A combined Russian drone and missile attack on Ukraine's western city of Lviv killed one person and wounded two more, Lviv regional governor said on Thursday.
Daily Mail
2 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Poland scrambles war planes as Russia unleashes hypersonic missile barrage and strikes Ukrainian city near NATO border - as Kremlin calls West's peace talks 'a road to no-where'
Poland said on Thursday that warplanes have been scrambled to protect its airspace as Russia staged its biggest hypersonic missile barrage on Ukraine since Putin met Trump last Friday. The Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces said on X: 'In connection with the activity of long-range aviation of the Russian Federation, conducting strikes on Ukrainian territory... aircraft of the Polish Air Force and allied aviation are operating in Polish airspace.' Russian attacks on western Ukraine killed one person and wounded multiple others, officials in the country said Thursday as diplomatic efforts to end the three-year war grind on. Moscow and Kyiv have kept up their aerial attacks on each other as world leaders including US President Donald Trump push for a ceasefire. 'One person was killed and two were wounded as a result of the combined UAV and cruise missile strike in Lviv,' said Maksym Kozytskyi, head of the regional military administration. 'Dozens of residential buildings were damaged,' he added in a Telegram post. Russian fire also wounded 12 people in the city of Mukachevo, near the border with Hungary and Slovakia, the city council said. 'Five patients are being treated in the hospital, and one more was transferred to the regional hospital,' the council wrote on Facebook. In Lutsk, Mayor Igor Polishchuk reported 'an enemy attack that was conducted by UAVs and missiles'. 'As of this moment there are no injuries or fatalities,' he said. Meanwhile, Russia's defence ministry said it destroyed '49 Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles' across multiple regions. The ministry did not detail any casualties or damage. The latest cross-border fire follows Trump's flurry of diplomacy this month aimed at ending the war. The US president
