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BRITAIN will be taken off the map with nuclear weapons unless it stops helping Ukraine, mad Vladimir Putin’s guru dubbed Professor Doomsday has warned.
Sergei Karaganov, 72,…
DONALD Trump has taken another swipe at Putin, warning that he is “playing with fire” as his frustration with the reckless Russian bubbles over.
Furious rhetoric from …
VLADIMIR Putin is hellbent on conquering Ukraine as the tyrant fears he will be “hanging from a lamppost in six months” otherwise, a Brit volunteer soldier has warned.
It comes as the despot snubs ceasefire talks and ploughs on with his bloody invasion of Ukraine – massing a fresh 50,000-strong force on the border.
Putin, pictured at the Kremlin on Monday, has gathered more troops on the border[/caption]
Servicemen of the 127th Separate Brigade of the Territorial Defence firing a cannon towards Russian army positions on the frontline in Kharkiv region[/caption]
Megalomaniac Putin has dramatically escalated Moscow‘s bombing campaign in recent days and unleashed the biggest drone attack since the start of the war.
Furious Donald Trump – who has been attempting to mediate peace talks – branded the dictator crazy as he threatened new US sanctions.
More than three years into Putin’s ruthless invasion, the tyrant has failed in his goal to seize Kyiv and take control of the nation.
Macer Gifford, who fought in Ukraine, said Vlad has defied Trump’s pursuit of a ceasefire as he is fixated on fulfilling his “ideological dream” – and fears he could be killed if he is ousted.
The Brit ex-banker, who also battled ISIS in Syria, told The Sun: “Both sides [Russia and Ukraine] are completely ideologically opposed.
“On one side you’ve got a unique culture, heritage, history, people that want to be part of the EU, they want their kids to build a better life for themselves.
“Then on the other side, you’ve got an old man [Putin] who wants to build a legacy for himself, who wants to rebuild the Soviet empire to fulfil his ideological dreams.
“And this old man is very fearful that if he were to lose in Ukraine then he could be toppled.
“And if he were to be toppled, like all dictators, he could be hanging from a lamppost in six months’ time, or he could be in The Hague accounting for his crimes.”
It comes as Donald Trump’s “candid” call with Putin in a bid to restart peace talks fell flat as the despot readies his troops for a “long war”.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky warned intelligence shows Vlad no intention of ending the war.
Military analysts believe the Russian tyrant is trying to press home his advantage and capture more Ukrainian land.
His forces have taken four border villages in Ukraines northeastern Sumy region, a local official said today.
Between Friday and Sunday, Russia launched around 900 drones at Ukraine, officials said, amid a spate of large-scale bombardments.
On Sunday night, Russia launched its biggest drone attack of the 3-year war against Ukraine, firing 355 drones.
Putin’s decision to ramp up his blood-soaked war comes despite Trump’s fury and staggering losses on the battlefield.
The US president fumed: “I’m not happy with Putin, I don’t know what’s wrong with him.
“What the hell happened to him? Right? He’s killing a lot of people. I’m not happy about that.”
Trump branded Putin ‘crazy’ in reaction to Russia’s latest bombardments[/caption]
Trump is even “seriously considering” lifting all restrictions on how Ukraine can fight Russian troops, sources told the Kyiv Post.
Macer warned Putin could do whatever it takes to secure his “legacy” by overthrowing Ukraine.
He added: “This is a man who wants to survive.
“He doesn’t care about the men he’s throwing into the fight, he doesn’t care whether his people suffer from economic hardship.
“He particularly doesn’t care about the Ukrainians.”
Putin arrogantly assumed he could sweep in and seize Kyiv in a matter of days after ordering his troops over the border into Ukraine.
But more than three years on, the red-faced despot has suffered huge losses on the battlefield.
More than 10,000 tanks, 22,000 armored vehicles, 26,000 artillery systems, and over 700 aircraft have been destroyed, officials estimate.
And the casualty numbers are far grimmer.
Western officials have revealed that the Russians have sustained more than 900,000 casualties, with 250,000 dead, since Putin unleashed his illegal war.
But Volodymyr Zelensky has said there is “no indication” that Vlad is “seriously considering” peace in Ukraine – despite numerous calls and meetings with the US.
The Ukrainian leader added that instead, there is “ample evidence” that a new offensive is being prepared.
by Katie Davis, Chief Foreign Reporter (Digital), and Denis Grigorescu
VLADIMIR Putin has four glaring vulnerabilities that could ultimately lead to his downfall, an ex-military intelligence officer has revealed.
Security expert David H. Carstens also told how the tyrant’s “Achilles’ heel” is putting Russia on track to have the highest number of casualties this year since the war started.
He even claimed his weaknesses could see him face the same grisly fate as Adolf Hitler.
Carstens, who served in the US Army for more than 30 years, said Putin is ploughing on with the conflict despite this as he “feels no real pressure” to strike a peace deal.
He told The Sun: “Russia believes it is negotiating from a position of strength. And this is strange because Russia has had some staggering losses in the last four months.
“The Ministry of Defense from the United Kingdom has estimated 160,000 casualties from Russia in the first four months of 2025.
“So this would be – well, this would put Russia on track to have the highest number of casualties this year than in any other year since the war started.
“But Russia is continuing to press on. Putin is feeling no real pressure to come to the negotiating table.
“We just saw this. And quite frankly, I believe Putin is feeling emboldened by the lack of long-term US commitment to Ukraine.
“And what he sees are some cracks in the European Union’s outlook on Ukraine.”
RUSSIA is readying its troops for a “long war” with Ukraine as it builds up a 50,000-strong force on Kharkiv’s border.
Despite Donald Trump wanting to restart peace talks after a “candid” call with Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian intelligence shows the tyrant has no intention of ending the war, Volodymyr Zelensky warned.
Ukrainian firefighters and rescuers work at the site of a damaged storage facility of a private factory near Kharkiv[/caption]
A training exercise for troops near the front line in the Zaporizhzhia region[/caption]
Firefighters extinguish a fire at damaged residential building after Russian air attack[/caption]
Russian President Vladimir Putin talks during an awards ceremony at the Saint Yekeaterina’s Hall of the Kremlin[/caption]
The Chancellor of Germany Friedrich Merz has revealed he anticipates a drawn-out war in Ukraine due to Russia’s reluctance to reach peace.
He said at a joint press conference with Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo: “Wars typically end because of economic or military exhaustion on one side or on both sides and in this war we are obviously still far from reaching that [situation].
“So we may have to prepare for a longer duration.”
Merz disclosing his doubts on the war ending soon comes after reports emerged that mad Vlad is building a 50,000-strong force alongside the border of Kharkiv.
The Ukrainian military in April reported that the Kremlin was amassing troops to prepare for a fresh assault on Ukraine’s second largest city.
And Zelensky also said that Moscow has been attempting to gain ground in the border regions of Sumy in the northeast.
Military analysts believe the Russian tyrant is trying to press home his advantage and capture more Ukrainian land.
They warn that he only has a “four-month window” to get a breakthrough in Ukraine this year.
And this could be the beginning of Russia’s summer offensive targeting the border city of Kharkiv – the “fortress” city of Ukraine which put up the maximum resistance at the start of the invasion.
Putin is said to have deployed 50,000 soldiers – including troops from North Korea – to regain the land he lost.
Some of the soldiers were reportedly part of the Kursk counteroffensive too.
Military analyst Professor Michael Clarke told Sky News: “If they have left those units there, that would suggest they want them to spearhead something else.”
Defence experts say Moscow could – at least – try to get back the land they lost back in 2022 when Ukraine launched its counteroffensive, if not launch direct attacks on the cities.
And military expert Dr Jack Watling said Russia will likely “soft launch” its military instead of mobilising large army units.
This is because even though Russia is hellbent on continuing the bloody war, it does not have the resources to sustain a large-scale ground offensive, experts argue.
Meanwhile Zelensky has said there is “currently no indication” that mad Vlad is “seriously considering” peace in war-torn Ukraine – despite numerous calls and meetings with the US.
The brave Ukrainian leader added that instead, there is “ample evidence” that a new offensive is being prepared.
Zelensky’s words of warning come after weekend-long exchange of long-range cross-border drone attacks between Russia and Ukraine.
Zelensky presents awards to veterans of the National Service in the field of special communications and information protection, in Kyiv[/caption]
A blaze in a private enterprise facility following a Russian strike in Kharkiv region[/caption]
Broken windows and balconies at damaged residential building after Russian air attack[/caption]
Russia launched 60 drones at Ukraine overnight, injuring several people, officials in Kyiv said on Tuesday – marking a significant decrease in the intensity of Russian attacks compared to the previous three nights of relentless aerial attacks.
After a record barrage of 355 drones were launched by mad Vlad on Sunday night, Trump said the tyrant had “gone absolutely CRAZY” and threatened to impose sanctions.
Despite Trump’s stern words, Russia is said to have seized multiple villages inside Ukraine’s Sumy region.
The governor of the region on the Russian border said that Russian forces had captured four villages as part of an attempt to create a “buffer zone” on Ukrainian territory.
Unconfirmed reports of captured villages in Sumy emerged from Russian media over the past few days, with the region having come under frequent Russian air strikes for months.
Sumy Region Governor Oleh Hryhorov listed four villages inside the border that he said were now held by Russian forces – Novenke, Basivka, Veselivka and Zhuravka.
“The enemy is continuing attempts to advance with the aim of setting up a so-called ‘buffer zone,’” he wrote.
Ukrainian forces are said to be “keeping the situation under control, inflicting precise fire damage on the enemy”.
Hryhorov added that their residents had long been evacuated as fighting continues around other villages in the area, including Volodymyrivka and Bilovodiv.
The two settlements that Russia’s Defence Ministry had earlier on Monday said were now held by mad Vlad’s forces.
US President Donald Trump points as he boards Air Force One prior to departure from Joint Base Andrews[/caption]
A private enterprise that catches fire due to an overnight Russian attack lies in ruins in the Kharkiv region[/caption]
Russian reports had said that Moscow’s troops had taken control of villages in the region.
Sumy region is opposite Russia’s Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces launched a gargantuan cross-border incursion last August.
Moscow says Ukrainian troops have been ousted from Kursk, but Kyiv argues its forces are still active there.
Soon, Britain’s state-of-the-art Storm Shadow missiles could be used by Ukraine to blitz targets deep inside Russia, the German chancellor indicated.
Ukraine’s key backers – including Germany, France, the UK and the US – have lifted restrictions on where the weapons they donate can be used, Germany’s Merz said.
He said last Monday: “There are no longer any range restrictions on weapons delivered to Ukraine – neither by the British nor by the French nor by us nor by the Americans.
“This means that Ukraine can now defend itself, for example, by attacking military positions in Russia… With very few exceptions, it didn’t do that until recently. It can now do that.”
In November last year, the US authorised Ukraine to use American long-range missiles called ATACMS against targets inside Russia.
In the same month, Britain gave the green light for Ukraine to fire our Storm Shadow missiles at Russia.
By Annabel Bate, Foreign News Reporter
PRESIDENT Donald Trump broke his silence on Sunday after Russia fired 367 drones and missiles at Ukrainian cities in the largest aerial attack of the war – branding Vladimir Putin “CRAZY”.
“I’m not happy with Putin,” Trump fumed as he spoke to reporters in Morristown, New Jersey earlier on Sunday following the overnight onslaught that killed at least 13 and injured dozens.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with him. What the hell happened to him? Right? He’s killing a lot of people. I’m not happy about that,” he said.
Trump added that he’s known the Russian tyrant for “a long time” and the two have “always gotten along,” but “he’s sending rockets into cities and killing people, I don’t like it at all”.
And later in a post on his Truth Social site, the Republican leader continued to bash the mad Vlad.
He wrote: “I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him.
“He has gone absolutely CRAZY! He is needlessly killing a lot of people, and I’m not just talking about soldiers.
“Missiles and drones are being shot into Cities in Ukraine, for no reason whatsoever.”
In the rare rebuke to Putin, the Republican also said that Putin’s demands for Ukrainian territory will lead to Russia’s demise.
He added: “I’ve always said that he wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it, and maybe that’s proving to be right, but if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia!”
But the Kremlin on Monday subtly slammed Trump’s “crazy” comments, claiming his swipes at the dictator were channelled by the US President’s emotional overload.
It also thanked the US leader for his assistance in launching Ukraine peace negotiations.
Putin puppet and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “We are really grateful to the Americans and to President Trump personally for their assistance in organising and launching this negotiation process.
“Of course, at the same time, this is a very crucial moment, which is associated, of course, with the emotional overload of everyone absolutely and with emotional reactions.”
BRITAIN’S state-of-the-art Storm Shadow missiles could soon be used by Ukraine to blitz targets deep inside Russia, the German chancellor indicated.
Ukraine’s key backers – including Germany, France, the UK and the US – have lifted restrictions on where the weapons they donate can be used, Friedrich Merz said.
An explosion in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory after a strike by British Storm Shadow missiles[/caption]
Firefighters battle a blaze following strikes on Kherson, Ukraine over the weekend[/caption]
Chanceller Merz said on Monday: “There are no longer any range restrictions on weapons delivered to Ukraine – neither by the British nor by the French nor by us nor by the Americans.
“This means that Ukraine can now defend itself, for example, by attacking military positions in Russia… With very few exceptions, it didn’t do that until recently. It can now do that.”
In November last year, the US authorised Ukraine to use American long-range missiles called ATACMS against targets inside Russia.
In the same month, Britain gave the green light for Ukraine to fire our Storm Shadow missiles at Russia.
France has supplied its Scalp missiles to Ukraine, and reiterated in November that strikes on military targets inside Russia were an option.
It was unclear at the time whether there were range restrictions on the use of these weapons since then – but Merz’s comments imply there were.
He did not elaborate on when the decision was reached by each of the countries to allow unchecked deployment of the weapons – and there has been no official comment from the other name-checked nations.
The Kremlin fumed that the increased fire-power to Ukraine would be “dangerous” and counter-productive to peace.
Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “If these decisions have indeed been made, they are completely at odds with our aspirations for a political (peace) settlement.
“These are quite dangerous decisions, if they have been made.”
Britain’s bunker-busting Storm Shadow rockets are a nightmare for enemies as they are capable of dodging air defences.
The £800,000 missiles – already being fired within Ukraine – use GPS to precisely hit targets, and can travel at 600mph.
Geramany’s equivalent is the long-range Taurus missile system.
The previous chancellor, Olaf Scholz, was a staunch supporter of Ukraine but held back from supplying the weapons, concerned it might escalate tensions.
Merz has previously said he supports sending Taurus missiles to Ukraine, but did not confirm on Monday whether his government had begun to do so.
His government has declared it will no longer provide details about its weapons being used in Ukraine, opting instead of a position of strategic ambiguity.
The aftermath of Russian strikes on Sumy earlier this month[/caption]
Emergency workers extinguish a fire sparked by Russian missiles near Kyiv[/caption]
Merz was less ambiguous about his thoughts on Putin.
He said it was clear that Putin was approaching the conflict “harder than before”, and the he “obviously sees offers of talks as a sign of weakness”.
Russia launched devastating volley of missiles into Ukraine, including Kyiv, over the weekend.
In the largest-scale aerial attack of the war, Russia sent 367 drones and missiles over the border, killing at least 12 and injuring dozens.
Apartment blocks were set ablaze by the barrage as residents in the Ukrainian capital fled to underground shelters amid the sound of anti-aircraft fire.
Explosions rocked the city during a seven hour raid as fireballs lit up the skyline long into the early hours.
In response, President Volodymyr Zelensky said: “Unfortunately, the Russians show no signals of a ceasefire. They are not yet ready to end the war.”
“Therefore, all our forms of pressure, all our work with partners to put pressure on Russia, are absolutely necessary.
“Pressure convinces. Pressure on the battlefield. Pressure on the economy – and that is exactly what sanctions are for.”
In the wake of the bloodbath Trump said Putin had “gone absolutely crazy” and was “needlessly killing at lot of people”.
A car burning after strikes over the weekend in Odesa[/caption]
Kyiv was hit by Russian missiles over the weekend, wounding many and sparking fires[/caption]
The Kremlin said that giving Ukraine free range to use western missiles would be ‘dangerous’[/caption]
The Kremlin sought to cool tensions with the White House by thanking Trump with his help in peace negotiations but claiming that this “crucial moment” would inevitably lead to “emotional overload”.
Russia is also reportedly amassing a 50,000-strong force on the border with the Ukrainian city Kharkiv.
The Ukrainian military first reported in April that the Kremlin was gathering troops for a fresh assault on Ukraine’s second-largest city.
Military analysts believe Putin is trying to press home his advantage and capture more Ukrainian land.
They warn that he only has a “four-month window” to achieve a breakthrough in Ukraine this year.
And this could be the beginning of Russia’s summer offensive targeting the border city of Kharkiv – the “fortress” city of Ukraine which put up the maximum resistance at the start of the invasion.
However, a security expert told The Sun he believes that Putin has four glaring vulnerabilities that could ultimately lead to his downfall.
Security expert David H. Carstens also told how the tyrant’s “Achilles’ heel” is putting Russia on track to have the highest number of casualties this year since the war started.
SECURITY expert David H. Carstens believes Putin has four key vulnerability and ‘will die like Hitler’.
The ex-commander told The Sun: “2025 could be the costliest year of the war for Russia in terms of casualties, look, troops are not a limitless resource. So that’s, shall we say, risk number one for Putin.
“Number two is despite Russia’s ability to suffer, the fact that the economy is very fragile.
“If there is some sort of an economic shock, like a massive drop in fuel prices or the loss of a strategic trade partner, I think the system could destabilize.
“Risk or threat to Putin number three is that Putin depends on this very small inner circle.
“His security services, the FSB, his oligarchs, some loyalist military commanders.
“If there are continued war failures, if there is, you know, continued use of soldiers, you know, en masse, rushing Ukrainian defenses, creating these high casualty events, lack of confidence will rise, and this could fracture the inner circle.”
Carstens warned Putin could face the same fall from power as Hitler and end up dead like the Nazi dictator.
“I’ve got to reach into history for the threat to Putin number four. I just don’t think Putin has read his history when it comes to overreach,” he added.
“So Russia is incredibly overextended in Ukraine.
“And it is this exact same type of overreach that ultimately defeated Hitler in his conquest of Europe.
“So I think Putin has fallen into the same demise, is getting mired down in a conflict he cannot sustain, and that as well is part of his Achilles’ heel.”
THIS is the moment Ukrainian drones turned a Russian war train into a raging fireball — in a daring strike caught on dramatic aerial footage.
Video released by Ukraine’s Defence I…
VLADIMIR Putin has four glaring vulnerabilities that could ultimately lead to his downfall, an ex-military intelligence officer has revealed.
Security expert David H. Carstens also told how the tyrant’s “Achilles’ heel” is putting Russia on track to have the highest number of casualties this year since the war started.
Vladimir Putin pictured at the Kremlin this week[/caption]
Russia tanks being wiped out by Ukrainian forces[/caption]
Ukrainian forces walk past a decimated vehicle in the Kharkiv region[/caption]
He even claimed his weaknesses could see him face the same grisly fate as Adolf Hitler.
Putin arrogantly assumed he could sweep in and seize Kyiv in a matter of days after ordering his troops over the border into Ukraine.
But more than three years on, the red-faced despot has suffered staggering losses on the battlefield.
More than 10,000 tanks, 22,000 armored vehicles, 26,000 artillery systems, and over 700 aircrafts have been destroyed, officials estimate.
And the casualty numbers are far grimmer.
Western officials have revealed that the Russians have sustained more than 900,000 casualties, with 250,000 dead, since Putin unleashed his illegal war.
Carstens, who served in the US Army for more than 30 years, said Putin is ploughing on with the conflict despite this as he “feels no real pressure” to strike a peace deal.
He told The Sun: “Russia believes it is negotiating from a position of strength. And this is strange because Russia has had some staggering losses in the last four months.
“The Ministry of Defense from the United Kingdom has estimated 160,000 casualties from Russia in the first four months of 2025.
“So this would be – well, this would put Russia on track to have the highest number of casualties this year than in any other year since the war started.
“But Russia is continuing to press on. Putin is feeling no real pressure to come to the negotiating table.
“We just saw this. And quite frankly, I believe Putin is feeling emboldened by the lack of long-term US commitment to Ukraine.
“And what he sees are some cracks in the European Union’s outlook on Ukraine.”
Carstens, who managed the army’s first intelligence operations in Afghanistan in 2001 and 2002, said 2025 is on course to be the deadliest year of the war for Putin.
He believes the dictator has four crucial vulnerabilities that could see his demise.
The ex-commander said: “2025 could be the costliest year of the war for Russia in terms of casualties, look, troops are not a limitless resource. So that’s, shall we say, risk number one for Putin.
“Number two is despite Russia’s ability to suffer, the fact that the economy is very fragile.
“If there is some sort of an economic shock, like a massive drop in fuel prices or the loss of a strategic trade partner, I think the system could destabilize.
Could Putin end up alone in a bunker like Hitler?[/caption]
by Jerome Starkey, Defence Editor
DONALD Trump says the Vatican could host Ukraine peace talks after a two-hour phone call with Vladimir Putin.
Trump called Kyiv and the Kremlin last week to pressure them into a ceasefire.
The US President and Russia’s leader spoke for more than two hours in a chat Putin described as “frank and very useful”.
Afterwards Mad Vlad told state media: “A ceasefire in Ukraine for a certain period of time is possible if appropriate agreements are reached.”
Volodymyr Zelensky spoke with Trump by phone beforehand for “a few minutes”.
Trump later insisted the Vatican could host negotiations.
He posted on his Truth Social platform after his Putin call: “I believe it went very well.
“Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations toward a ceasefire.
“The Vatican, as represented by the Pope, has stated it would be very interested in hosting negotiations.”
“Risk or threat to Putin number three is that Putin depends on this very small inner circle.
“His security services, the FSB, his oligarchs, some loyalist military commanders.
“If there are continued war failures, if there is, you know, continued use of soldiers, you know, en masse, rushing Ukrainian defenses, creating these high casualty events, lack of confidence will rise, and this could fracture the inner circle.”
Carstens warned Putin could face the same fall from power as Hitler and end up dead like the Nazi dictator.
“I’ve got to reach into history for the threat to Putin number four. I just don’t think Putin has read his history when it comes to overreach,” he added.
“So Russia is incredibly overextended in Ukraine.
“And it is this exact same type of overreach that ultimately defeated Hitler in his conquest of Europe.
“So I think Putin has fallen into the same demise, is getting mired down in a conflict he cannot sustain, and that as well is part of his Achilles’ heel.”
The burnt carcass of a Russian tank[/caption]
Russian rockets continue to fly as peace talks grind on[/caption]
But Carstens argued that “nobody knows how to suffer better than Russia”, and expects Europe and the US to impose more crippling sanctions if Moscow doesn’t sign a ceasefire agreement.
He said: “After three years of war, the Russian GDP is about 10 to 12 per cent below pre-invasion trends.
“Personal disposable income is 20 to 25 per cent below where it would have been without the conflict.
“And when you combine the rate of inflation with the domestic interest rates in Russia, which are about 20 per cent, as well as all the other factors, loss of foreign exchange reserve, bankruptcies on the rise in domestic businesses, drop in real estate prices, increasing difficulties with interbank transactions – Russia’s economy looks extremely weak.
“The problem is that Russia is still getting money through the back door, and the back door is Asia.
“Quite frankly, China makes much of what Russia needs, and they can buy much of what Russia sells. So China has effectively stopped the bleeding that the sanctions were imposed to cause.
“Kazakhstan is an example. Kazakhstan ships hundreds of millions of US dollars of electronic hardware to Russia. So there’s another pipeline.”
NATO scrambled fighter jets after Russia launched a massive air attack on Ukraine for a second consecutive night – killing at least seven people.
Dozens were injured includ…
VLADIMIR Putin overnight launched a massive blitz targeting Ukraine’s capital city Kyiv in one of the war’s heaviest airstrikes.
Dozens were injured after the Russian…
A MUM has been arrested in Russia after allegedly hiring a pal to drown her 12-year-old daughter because they “constantly argue”.
The woman, named only as Svetlana, is said to have tried to pay a male friend £930 to kill her child by throw…