Belarusian dissident freed in Trump-brokered deal says wife Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya will continue to lead opposition in exile

©Reuters
A leading Belarusian opposition figure, freed from prison by president Alexander Lukashenko, said yesterday his wife would continue to lead the exiled movement, and urged supporters to keep fighting for change and the release of political prisoners.
In a US-brokered deal, Siarhei Tsikhanouski was pardoned by Mr Lukashenko on Saturday after more than five years' imprisonment and driven to Lithuania for a reunion with his wife, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.

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The Irish Sun

21 minutes ago

• The Irish Sun

Putin will exploit Middle East chaos to hit Europe with never-seen-before attack, Ukraine warns as tyrant meets Iranians

VLADIMIR Putin could be plotting to exploit the crisis in the Middle East to launch an attack on Europe, a Ukrainian government insider has warned. The alarm was raised as today 7 Vladimir Putin is feared to be plotting an attack on Europe Credit: Getty 7 Putin met today with the Iranians Credit: Reuters 7 An explosion of a drone lights up the sky over the city during a Russian drone strike in Kyiv Credit: Reuters 7 Planes are left burning on a runway during operation Spiderweb, which Putin could take inspiration from Russia has warned Trump has opened up a "Pandora's Box" with his B-2 bomber blitz over the weekend - which Vlad himself slammed as "unprovoked aggression", despite his own illegal war in Ukraine. However, a senior Ukrainian insider warned Putin will be rubbing his hands with glee as he plans to exploit the crisis while the West's eyes are turned to the Middle East. The cunning tyrant may even attempt to mimic Ukraine's elaborate Spiderweb operation that blitzed strategic targets inside Russia. A Ukrainian source told The Sun: "The West should be prepared that the Spiderweb operation may be reconfigured and deployed by Russia as a hybrid attack on any Nato Eastern flank nation. More world news "That would be the major Article 5 test that the Alliance has not experienced yet." Humiliated Putin was left reeling after Ukraine's spectacular raid that - after 18 months of planning - inflicted billions of pounds worth of damage, leaving his bomber fleet in tatters. Daring agents smuggled drones and explosives deep inside the sprawling country before unleashing a coordinated assault on June 1. More than 100 drones were hidden in trucks across Russia before being deployed to five air bases - thousands of kilometres from the Ukrainian border. Most read in The Sun At least 41 of Putin's prized aircraft were wrecked in the attack - including Tu-95, Tu-22M3, and Tu-160 bombers and A-50 spy planes. Delivering such a decisive blow has left Ukraine's enemy scrambling. Bodies pulled from under rubble after Vladimir Putin bombs Kyiv killing 28 as EU chief says 'fight or learn Russian' But a Ukrainian government insider has warned it would also have left Putin's cronies eager to learn from the clandestine operation - and look to mimic it. The source said it could spell disaster if Vlad uses it as a blueprint to launch an attack on a European country. They told The Sun: "We have seen how quickly Russia managed to adapt and learn from Ukraine. "It's not only Nato states that are learning lessons from Ukraine, it's the adversaries too. "There was a time when Russia was two months behind Ukraine in its drone technology, now it is ahead with fibreoptic drones. "Ukraine is catching up and trying to develop techniques to best tackle those. "We have already seen Russian espionage and sabotage acts in Europe. "We can now be almost 100 per cent sure that they have taken on the Spiderweb as an example of something they can mimic in, for example, one of the Baltic states. "That's where the attribution of the operation will be very hard to achieve, but the consequences could be quite significant both for the country/countries in question and for the unity of Nato." The insider believes conniving Putin could sign off an assault while world leaders grapple with the spiralling conflict in the Middle East. With the Trump administration turning its sights to Israel and Iran, and security challenges in China, Europe has largely been left to fend for itself. After more than a week of Israel and Iran trading blows, 7 Combat work by an M109 A3 gun crew on June 17, 2025 near Kostiantynvka, Ukraine Credit: Getty 7 It comes as the EU's top diplomat warned Moscow has a plan for long-term aggression against Europe. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas last week said Putin's determination to throw huge sums of money at his military suggests he is scheming to use his armed forces elsewhere. She pointed to the fact Russia is spending more on defence than the EU's 27 nations combined. Megalomanic Putin is set to invest more on defence than his nation's heath care, education and social policy combined, Kallas said. She warned lawmakers in Strasbourg, France: "This is a long-term plan for a long-term aggression. You don't spend that much on military if you do not plan to use it. "Europe is under attack and our continent sits in a world becoming more dangerous." Both Kallas and the Ukrainian source noted a series of acts of sabotage and cyberattacks - including Russian airspace violations and attacks on energy grids, pipelines and undersea cables. The insider added: "Russia never misses out on devious and cunning techniques. Especially with the upcoming Nato summit. 'UK must bolster defence or pay will blood of its people', Penny Mordaunt warns by Katie Davis, Chief Foreign Reporter (Digital) BRITAIN will pay with the blood of its people if more money isn't spent to bolster the UK's defence, Penny Mordaunt has warned. The ex-defence secretary has urged the government to "wake up" and fund the UK's security properly before it's too late. Former Navy reservist She warned the consequences with be "incalculably grave" if the government does not open up the treasury purse. Ms Mordaunt told The Sun: "I'm confident that if you prepare for war, you invest in it, you train for it, then conflicts don't start. "Because your foes know it is not worth them doing that. They're going to lose. "The consequences of retaliation against them are too great." "During last year's summit, China was conducting military exercises in Belarus, sending a clear signal. "Russia may be distraught with the fact that one of its strongest allies in this war against Ukraine is getting bombarded, but at the same time, they may well use the opportunity of Europe being distracted and the US fully withdrawn to conduct a hybrid attack on Europe." Acts of sabotage have previously been pegged at attempts to undermine Europe's support of Ukraine by military officials and experts. But there are fears Russia could test Nato's Article 5 security guarantee that pledges an attack on any of the allies would be met with a collective response. And with no sign of a peace deal being thrashed out between Moscow and Kyiv despite international pleas after more than three years of war, an assault on the EU appears to loom closer. Germany's foreign intelligence service (BND) Bruno Kahl last week warned against underestimating Russia's threat to the West. He told the Table Today podcast: "We are very certain, and we have intelligence evidence for this, that Ukraine is just a step on the path to the West. "They want to catapult Nato back to the state it was in at the end of the 1990s. They want to kick America out of Europe, and they'll use any means to achieve that." It comes as Nato heads of state are set to meet at a crunch two-day summit this week in The Hague - with setting a new target for allied defence spending the primary issue up for discussion. Allied nations are expected to agree a new defence investment pledge and pour billions of dollars into elevating security-related spending. 7

RTÉ News​

26 minutes ago

• RTÉ News​

Greenpeace joins protests over Bezos's Venice wedding

Greenpeace has added its voice to protests against this week's celebrity wedding in Venice between American tech billionaire Jeff Bezos and journalist Laura Sanchez. The event, expected to attract some 200 guests including US President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner, as well as scores of stars from film, fashion and business, has been dubbed "the wedding of the century". But some locals see the celebration as the latest sign of the brash commodification of a beautiful but fragile city that has long been overrun with tourism while steadily depopulating. Activists from Greenpeace Italy and UK group "Everyone hates Elon" (Musk) unfolded a giant banner in central St Mark's Square with a picture of Bezos laughing and a sign reading: "If you can rent Venice for your wedding you can pay more tax." Local police arrived to talk to activists and check their identification documents, before they rolled up their banner. "The problem is not the wedding, the problem is the system. We think that one big billionaire can't rent a city for his pleasure," Simona Abbate, one of the protesters, told Reuters. Mayor Luigi Brugnaro and regional governor Luca Zaia have defended the wedding, arguing that it will bring an economic windfall to local businesses, including the motor boats and gondolas that operate its myriad canals. Mr Zaia said the celebrations were expected to cost up to €30 million. Mr Bezos will also make sizable charity donations, including a million euros for Corila, an academic consortium that studies Venice's lagoon ecosystem, Italy's Corriere della Sera newspaper and the ANSA news agency reported on Sunday. Earlier this month, anti-Bezos banners were hung from St Mark's bell tower and from the famed Rialto bridge, while locals threatened peaceful blockades against the event, saying Venice needed public services and housing, not VIPs and over-tourism. The exact dates and locations of the glitzy nuptials are being kept confidential, but celebrations are expected to play out over three days, most likely around 26-28 June.

The Irish Sun

2 hours ago

• The Irish Sun

Harris confirms 18 Irish citizens evacuated from Iran and Israel after ‘monumental' US blitz and Ayatollah revenge vow

TAINISTE Simon Harris has confirmed that a total of 18 Irish citizens have been evacuated from Israel and Iran after the removal of three more people today. The evacuations come as conflict between Middle Eastern superpower 3 Trump led the US as it waded into the Iran-Israel conflict on Sunday morning Credit: Getty 3 Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed revenge against long-time enemy US Credit: Reuters Advertisement The battle began last Friday when Israel, led by Prime Minister Binyamin For some 20 months before, the state had been subject to attacks from Iran-backed Houthis in And early on Sunday morning, the Days before, Advertisement READ MORE IN IRISH NEWS Since then, 18 people have been returned home from the The latest cohort consisted of three people who were evacuated from Iran earlier today. He said: "I am pleased to confirm that three Irish citizens and their dependents were assisted to depart Iran overnight and will now travel home. Advertisement MOST READ ON THE IRISH SUN Breaking Exclusive "I want to extend our gratitude to our European friends and partners for their excellent support. US bombs three Iranian nuke sites in historic strike on Ayatollah as Trump hails blitz as 'very successful' "All citizens still in Iran are reminded to register at "This follows the successful evacuation of 15 Irish citizens and their dependents from Israel yesterday. "Throughout this crisis, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and our Embassies have remained in regular contact with Irish citizens in the region. "We have worked closely with our Advertisement "Today, I am at the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels where I will discuss our response to this crisis with my EU counterparts." On Saturday, 15 Irish citizens and their dependants were successfully evacuated from Israel. The group were assisted by US JOINS THE FIGHT Speaking at And he added that a "small number" of Irish citizens in Iran were also seeking evacuation. Advertisement Harris said: "We continue to advise citizens in both Israel and Iran to remain vigilant, to monitor developments and media, and to follow advice from the authorities, including when this is to shelter in place. "All citizens in the region should register with the nearest Irish Embassy, if they have not already done so." And he said that the Irish government is in close contact with all Irish citizens in both unstable regions, and vowed that the Irish government is carrying out The evacuations come after long-time Israeli ally the United States, led by unpredictable President Trump, came to the table. 'MONUMENTAL ATTACK' Early on Sunday morning, the western global superpower joined the conflict by targeting Iranian facilities that were key to the the country's nuclear goals. Advertisement 79-year-old Trump has been firm in his position that decades-old enemy Iran is on the brink of creating their own nuclear weapons. He left the G7 summit in And following Sunday morning's attack, he hailed the US military for their " He claimed that the force took the "bomb out of Iran's hands" and "obliterated" the country's nuclear ambitions. But Iran, led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has vowed revenge on the US for their involvement in the conflict. Advertisement Advisoer to the Ayatollah Ali Akbar Velayati said bases used by US forces could be attacked in response. He said: 'America has attacked the heart of the Islamic world and must await irreparable consequences.' 3 Harris confirmed that three more people have been evacuated from war torn Middle East Credit: PA