Russia has reportedly held secret war games in which their soldiers defeated Nato and seized a key Swedish island, according to a report.
uncertain
soldiers → hold → report
Moscow’s general staff carried out several war simulations involving senior officers and as many as 1,000 participants over the past decades, according to Russian investigative outlet the Dossier Centre.
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staff → carry → outlet
The scenarios, which used software to model opposing forces, terrain and weapons, included the targeting of the Swedish island of Gotland and a fictional war with the US and Japan
Ukraine increasingly became a focus of the war games from 2021, ahead of the full-scale invasion in 2022.
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Ukraine → use → 2022
Meanwhile, at least three people have been killed and 10 injured in a major Russian air atack on Kyiv, in which Volodymyr Zelensky said Moscow tried to “cause as much harm to life as possible” with “ballistic missiles, cruise and anti-ship missiles, and jet-powered ‘shaheds’”.
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Moscow → kill → missiles
He added: “There is significant damage to residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure in the capital.”
It came just a day after US peace envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held peace talks with Volodymyr Zelensky and left the Ukrainian capital.
Full report: Burnham issues statement on Ukraine after holding fresh Trump talks
Prime minister Andy Burnham and US president Donald Trump agreed on the need to "continue working towards a ceasefire that prevented more loss of life" following a fresh wave of talks, Downing Street said.
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Street → add → talks
Mr Burnham spoke with Mr Trump on Monday afternoon.
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Burnham → speak → afternoon
It follows a visit to Kyiv on Sunday by US envoys, who held talks in an effort to end the conflict with Russia.
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who → follow → Russia
A Downing Street spokesperson said: “On Ukraine, the two leaders agreed on the need to continue working towards a ceasefire that prevented more loss of life.
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that → say → life
“The Prime Minister reiterated the UK’s support for Ukraine and for recent US-led peace negotiations.
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Minister → reiterate → negotiations
“On the Middle East, the Prime Minister set out the UK’s commitment to working towards peace and security in the region, stressing the importance of the Two-State Solution, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and ensuring that Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon.
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Iran → set → weapon
Polish armed forces conclude air operation as no airspace violations recorded
As we earlier reported, the Polish Air Force was conducting preventive operations related to Russian missile attacks on Ukraine, it said in a Tuesday morning update.
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it → conclude → update
It later said that the Air Force had ended operations related to Russian strikes on Ukraine.
“We inform you that no violations of airspace were recorded," the army said.
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army → say → airspace
Hours earlier, Polish airport in Lublin resumed air operations after temporary closure due to operations of military aviation, the Polish Air Navigation Services Agency (PANSA) said.
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Agency → resume → aviation
Editorial: Putin has no interest in peace – and Trump is falling into his trap
Steve Witkoff is the real estate guy with zero diplomatic experience who Donald Trump appointed in 2024 as his personal “peace emissary”.
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Trump → fall → emissary
Jared Kushner is the president’s son-in-law, but did at least play some role in one of President Trump’s few foreign policy achievements – the Abraham Accords process that promised to deliver some stability to the Middle East during the first Trump term.
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that → play → term
As a team, they have enjoyed little success in securing the “settlement” to the war in Ukraine that Mr Trump so desires.
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Trump → enjoy → that
There is little reason to suppose that their latest exercise in shuttle diplomacy will succeed where their previous efforts failed.
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efforts → be → diplomacy
Indeed, the prospects for an end to the war, let alone one that will prove just and lasting, are as dismal as at any time since Vladimir Putin launched his ill-fated “special military operation” more than four and a half years ago – its duration now longer than the Soviet Union’s four-year “great patriotic war” against Adolf Hitler.
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duration → let → Hitler
Just as in that epoch-defining conflict, it is the civilian population of Ukraine that will face some of the harshest consequences as winter approaches.
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winter → define → consequences
Before the Witkoff-Kushner double act set out for Moscow and Kyiv, Mr Trump expressed his usual confidence in the pair – he could hardly do otherwise – and declared that “we have an idea for peace”.
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we → set → peace
This idea remains opaque.
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idea → remain → ?
Yet, for a change, this may be more than the usual self-flattering bluster.
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this → flatter → bluster
After a period when, easily bored, Mr Trump lost interest in the region (the situation in Iran didn’t help), this unexpected flexing of US power comes as a surprise.
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flexing → bore → surprise
Comment | Vladimir Putin is winning his war to bring down Europe from within
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Putin → win → Europe
On Sunday, the Alternative for Germany won 43.8 per cent of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt, the strongest result any far-right party has achieved in a German state election since the Second World War.
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party → win → War
It took 39 of the 83 seats, three short of an outright majority.
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It → take → majority
In Berlin, the result is being called an earthquake.
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result → call → Berlin
In Kyiv, it is being read as a countdown.
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it → read → countdown
I have spent the better part of two decades fighting Vladimir Putin.
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I → spend → Putin
He does not need to win elections in other people’s countries.
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He → need → countries
He only needs to wait for them.
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He → need → them
The AfD has never hidden what it would do.
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it → hide → what
Its programme calls for an end to military aid to Ukraine, an end to sanctions on Russia and the reopening of the Nord Stream pipelines.
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programme → call → pipelines
In June, the party’s foreign policy spokesman flew to St Petersburg, against the explicit advice of the German foreign ministry, and met the head of Gazprom and one of Putin’s senior envoys to discuss restarting Russian gas.
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spokesman → fly → gas
Putin’s envoy posted afterwards that he looked forward to building a great future together with the AfD.
None of this is a secret.
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None → post → this
Two killed in Ukrainian drone attacks in Kursk and Bryansk
We’re hearing more reports from Russian local authorities of civilians killed by Ukrainian drone attacks.
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We → kill → attacks
Two civilians have been killed, one in Russia's Kursk region and the other in Russia's Bryansk region, officials said on Tuesday.
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officials → kill → Tuesday
We haven’t been able to independently verify the attacks yet, but will bring you more once as have it.
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it → verify → more
Hungary expels 10 Russia diplomats, says foreign minister
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minister → expel → diplomats
Hungary has expelled 10 Russian diplomats who "were engaged in activities in Hungary that are unacceptable for diplomats under the Vienna Convention," foreign minister Anita Orban has announced.
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Orban → expel → Convention
…and 9 more, not listed.
