The head of MI6 has urged Russians appalled by the horrors of Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine to “join hands with us” and spy for the UK to help end the bloodshed.
Sir Richard Moore used a rare public speech to reveal “many” had already taken this step since Russia’s invasion was launched 18 months ago.
The spymaster used his location – the Czech capital of Prague – to draw on the horrors inflicted there by the Soviet Union in 1968 to urge Russians to act on their convictions.
“There are many Russians today who are silently appalled by the sight of their armed forces pulverising Ukrainian cities, expelling innocent families from their homes and kidnapping thousands of children,” Sir Richard said, speaking at the British embassy.
“They are watching in horror as their soldiers ravage a kindred country. They know in their hearts that Putin’s case for attacking a fellow Slavic nation is fraudulent.”
The spy chief highlighted comments by Wagner mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, who exposed the phoney pretext for Russia’s war during his failed uprising, claiming it was to secure a medal for defence minister Sergei Shoigu.
“The oligarch clan that rules Russia needed a war,” Sir Richard quoted the Wagner boss as saying.
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The head of MI6 said the uprising “exposed the inexorable decay of the unstable autocracy over which Putin presides”.
In a direct appeal to Russians, he appeared to make an offer of recruitment.
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He did not identify who he would like to work with MI6, but it would likely be disaffected Russian intelligence, security and military officers
“As they witness the venality, infighting and callous incompetence of their leaders – the human factor at its worst – many more Russians are wrestling with the same dilemmas and the same tugs of conscience as their predecessors did in 1968,” said Sir Richard.
“I invite them to do what others have already done this past 18 months and join hands with us,” he added.
“Our door is always open. We will handle their offers of help with the discretion and professionalism for which our service is famed.
“Their secrets will always be safe with us and together we will work to bring the bloodshed to an end. My services lives by the principle that our loyalty to our agents is lifelong and our gratitude eternal.”
If Hungary’s authorities thought banning this year’s Pride march would keep people off the streets, they were wrong.
Thousands turned out in Budapest, defying a law which said LGBTQ+ events like this should be cancelled to protect children.
The crowd was determined to fight for their rights.
Image: Rainbow flags were on display everywhere as people celebrated Pride. Pic: Reuters
Image: Huge crowds crossed the Elisabeth Bridge over the Danube. Pic: Reuters
“This is a special march, not just because it was the 30th, but also because it was banned,” said Orsi, who proudly wore a rainbow headband and waved a rainbow flag.
“I mean that’s all the more reason to go out on the street and show that Budapest and Hungary is a place where everybody is welcome, where love is equal,” she added.
Image: Orsi told Sky News that it was a special march and worth the risk of being fined
Attendees had been warned that just being there could mean a 500 euro fine or prison time for the organisers.
They were told police would use facial recognition cameras to identify them, but they didn’t care.
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Orsi said it was worth a fine.
Leonas had travelled from Poland to show his support and was also happy to take the risk.
“LGBT rights are attacked across the whole world, and we need to defend each other and work with each other,” he said.
Image: Leonas from Poland felt it was important to defend LGBTQ+ rights
Viktor Orban’s government has repeatedly pitched family values against LGBTQ+ rights.
“The mother is a woman, the father is a man and leave our kids alone,” he told conservative audiences in the past.
He says he is protecting Hungary’s Christian values, but critics say this is just part of a wider attack on democracy which has happened during his 15 years in control.
Image: Budapest was transformed into a sea of bright colours, as marchers defied a ban. Pic: AP
Image: Pic: Reuters
In 2020, the country abolished its legal recognition of transgender people, and in 2021, politicians passed a law banning the depiction of homosexuality to under-18s.
While many were outraged by the attempt to cancel the Pride march, a small number of far-right activists organised demonstrations to show their support:
“Hungary and the Hungarian nation don’t want the aggressive LGBTQ+ propaganda. They are dangerous for our families, they are dangerous for our kids,” said Gabor Kelemen, a member of the 64 Counties Youth Movement.
Image: Gabor Kelemen, from a far-right group, thinks Pride represents LGBTQ+ propaganda that is ‘dangerous for our families’
However, the packed streets showed many disagree.
At one point, as far as the eye could see, the march snaked through streets and across the city’s bridges. The sound of drums and whistles mixing with gay anthems blaring out of speakers.
The organisers said they believed this will be the largest Pride march ever in Budapest.
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The crowd was eclectic, with Hungarians from different communities joining a demonstration which many believe is now part of a fight for Hungary’s future.
“This is not only about the complexity of Pride, not only about love or equality… for Hungarians, it’s about sticking together, supporting each other, showing the government that we believe in a different kind of Hungary. We believe in freedom, we believe in democracy,” said activist Adam Kanicsar.
Image: Activist Adam Kanicsar believes the Pride march will send an important message to Hungary’s government
Despite the ban, today Pride attendees were celebrating a victory. But make no mistake, many in Hungary do not support the parade or what they see as an attack on traditional values.
Next year, the country will hold a general election, a vote which will expose how divided Hungary really is.
Thousands of people have taken to the streets of Tehran to mourn top military commanders, nuclear scientists and others killed in Iran’s 12-day war with Israel.
State-run Press TV said the event – dubbed the “funeral procession of the Martyrs of Power” – was held for 60 people, including four women and four children.
It said at least 16 scientists and 10 senior commanders were among the dead, including head of the Revolutionary Guard General Hossein Salami and the head of the guard’s ballistic missile programme, General Amir Ali Hajizadeh.
Image: Pic: Majid Asgaripour/WANA/Reuters
Image: Pic: Reuters
Their coffins were driven to Azadi Square on trucks adorned with their pictures as well as rose petals and flowers, as crowds waved Iranian flags.
Chants of “death to America” and “death to Israel” could be heard.
Attending the funeral were Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and other senior figures, including Ali Shamkhani who was seriously wounded during the fighting and is an adviser to Iran‘s supreme leader.
There was no immediate sign of the supreme leader in the state broadcast of the funeral.
Image: Pic: Reuters
Image: Foreign minister Abbas Araghchi kneels in front of a coffin. Pic: Reuters
Iran’s president later thanked people for turning out.
“From the bottom of my heart, I thank you dear people,” Mr Pezeshkian wrote on social media.
“With love, you bid farewell to the martyrs of our homeland, and our voice of unity reached the ears of the world.”
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi called the deaths “hard and painful”.
Seemingly referencing the recent airstrikes, he added: “Institutions and structures, however important and valuable, return with new glory and greater strength over time, even if it takes years.”
Image: A woman holds a picture of Iran’s supreme leader. Pic: Reuters
Israel, the only Middle Eastern country widely believed to have nuclear weapons, said its attacks on Iran aimed to prevent Tehran from developing its own nuclear weapons.
The US joined in by launching strikes on three nuclear enrichment sites in Iran, which Donald Trump said left them “obliterated”, however the exact extent of the damage remains unclear.
Iran denies having a nuclear weapons programme and the UN nuclear watchdog, which carries out inspections in Iran, has said it has “no credible indication” of an active, coordinated weapons project.
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New details on US attacks on Iran
Over almost two weeks of fighting, Israel claimed it killed around 30 Iranian commanders and 11 nuclear scientists, before a ceasefire began on Tuesday.