Boris Johnson claims Vladimir Putin threatened to kill him with missile in call ahead of Russian invasion of Ukraine

Published

1 year ago

January 30, 2023

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Boris Johnson has claimed Vladimir Putin threatened to kill him with a missile in a call ahead of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The former prime minister has alleged the Russian leader told him “I don’t want to hurt you, but with a missile, it would only take a minute” in an “extraordinary” conversation which took place in February after he had visited Kyiv.

Mr Johnson, who would become a key backer of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s administration in the months after Russia invaded, made the claim as part of a new BBC Two series looking at how the West grappled with Mr Putin in the years before the war.

The former PM recalled that on the visit to Kyiv he warned Mr Putin that an invasion of Ukraine would be disastrous and there would be tougher Western sanctions on Russia if he did so.

Mr Johnson also said he told the Russian leader that the escalation would only see Western states increase support for Ukraine, meaning “more NATO, not less NATO” on Russia’s borders.

“He said, ‘Boris, you say that Ukraine is not going to join NATO any time soon. […] What is any time soon?’ and I said ‘Well it’s not going to join NATO for the foreseeable future. You know that perfectively well’,” Mr Johnson said of the call with Mr Putin.

“He sort of threatened me at one point and said, ‘Boris, I don’t want to hurt you, but with a missile, it would only take a minute’, or something like that.

“I think from the very relaxed tone that he was taking, the sort of air of detachment that he seemed to have, he was just playing along with my attempts to get him to negotiate.”

Earlier this month, Mr Johnson made a surprise visit to Ukraine amid renewed scrutiny over his personal finances.

The former prime minister said it was a “privilege” to be invited to the war-torn nation by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with whom he had a close working relationship during his time in office.

Downing Street indicated Rishi Sunak was “supportive” of the visit, after claims it could undermine his authority on foreign policy.

Mr Johnson was pictured visiting Borodianka near Kyiv – a town heavily damaged by the Russian invasion.

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In a statement, Mr Johnson said: “The suffering of the people of Ukraine has gone on for too long.

“The only way to end this war is for Ukraine to win – and to win as fast as possible. This is the moment to double down and to give the Ukrainians all the tools they need to finish the job.”

A spokesperson for Mr Johnson added that he fully supports UK government policy on Ukraine, including the recent decision to send Challenger 2 tanks.

The ex-prime minister pitched himself as a key ally of Kyiv during his time in Number 10, providing support and calling on Western allies to follow suit in the early days of Russia’s invasion last February.

As his scandal-plagued premiership unravelled, Mr Johnson was accused of using trips to Ukraine or phone calls with Mr Zelenskyy as a distraction for crises at home.

This trip came amid allegations BBC chairman Richard Sharp helped the former prime minister arrange a guarantee for a loan – and that Mr Johnson later recommended Mr Sharp for the role of BBC chair.

Mr Johnson’s spokesperson has denied the report as “rubbish”.

Senior Tories raised concerns about the trip, with Commons defence select committee chair Tobias Ellwood telling the newspaper that Mr Johnson should “not interfere with the messaging or the official lines of communication” between London and Kyiv.

World

Four killed and dozens injured after building collapses on beach in Majorca

Published

3 hours ago

May 23, 2024

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Four killed and dozens injured after building collapses on beach in Majorca

Four people have been killed and 27 are injured after a building collapsed on a beach in Majorca – with people still trapped inside.

The building – reported to be a restaurant – collapsed in the capital of the island, Palma – a tourist hotspot.

Pictures have emerged of emergency services evacuating people from the building, with some being taken out on a stretcher.

Firefighters and police were called to the scene just after 8pm local time, the Majorca Daily Bulletin reports.

Witnesses reported the terrace at the top of a popular restaurant had collapsed.

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World

Video showing bloodied Israeli female soldiers captured by Hamas released

Published

11 hours ago

May 23, 2024

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Video showing bloodied Israeli female soldiers captured by Hamas released

The three-minute video of five young female Israeli soldiers being taken by Hamas from their base on 7 October is harrowing and extremely upsetting to watch.

The soldiers are Liri Albag, Karina Ariev, Agam Berger, Daniela Gilboa and Naama Levy.

They all worked at the Nahal Oz observation base, monitoring activity on the Gaza border.

The video, which has been edited in places, was filmed around 9am on the Saturday.

It starts with the five soldiers, unarmed and helpless, standing facing the wall as their hands are tied behind their backs.

Some of them have bloody faces, they all look shocked and frightened.

“You dogs, we will step on you,” one Hamas fighter can be heard saying.

“I have friends in Palestine,” one of the girls pleads. She’s ordered to stay quiet.

They are made to sit down and threatened with being shot.

At this point, another of the soldiers asks to call her friend in Gaza, presumably in a desperate attempt to convince the attackers not to harm them.

There appear to be more than 10 Hamas fighters, all heavily armed and with bullet proof vests on.

Some have green Hamas bandanas around their heads. They appear relaxed, at one point stopping to pray.

It exposes the complete failure of Israel to foresee and prevent the attacks.

Finally, the video cuts to the female soldiers being hurried out of the building and put into one of their own khaki army jeeps.

One is carried, another hops on an injured leg.

There is the sound of heavy gunfire as Israeli forces battle Hamas nearby.

Many Israeli soldiers were killed in the fighting there that day.

The video was put together from body cameras worn by the Hamas attackers that day and released by The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, to put pressure on the Israeli government.

The video, the group said, “is a damning testament to the nation’s failure to bring home the hostages”.

The families have asked the video be broadcast “until somebody wakes up”.

Who are the teenagers in the video?

Liri Albag

Liri Albag, who is 18, is described by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum as having a “heart of gold”.

Her life “revolves around music and the arts”, they added.

Karina Ariev

Karina Ariev is 19 and “loves the field of cosmetics, makeup and beauty”. Her ambition, the group says, is to make a career in this industry.

Her mother told reporters in October she spoke to them on the morning of the attack, saying she “screamed and said she loves us very much”.

“She told us to continue our lives,” she added.

Agam Berger

Agam Berger, 19, volunteers with people who have special needs and with children who have learning difficulties.

Her father told the Associated Press in March one of his three daughters has not gone to school since 7 October, while one of his young daughters has stopped eating.

His wife, an engineer, does not go to work and he tries to avoid the news to save himself the daily roller coaster.

Daniela Gilboa

Daniela Gilboa is 19.

Her mother, Orly Gilboa told Reuters the girls “suffer there every minute, every second”.

“So please, please do whatever you can to bring them home,” she added.

Naama Levy

Naama Levy, 19, is described by her family as strong, according to the Times of Israel.

She’s a triathlete, used to working hard in training and pushing past obstacles – which are traits her family hopes are helping her withstand captivity.

She’s also the great-granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, the paper adds, and took part in the Hands of Peace project in the US, which worked for peace between Israel and the Palestinians until it shut in March.

Ceasefire talks have all but broken down since Israel and Hamas couldn’t agree a deal a few weeks ago.

Last night, in Tel Aviv, the Israeli war cabinet ordered the negotiating team to restart talks, reportedly with a fresh mandate.

Egyptian mediators are now said to be exploring options, although Cairo threatened to pull out of talks earlier in the week over a disagreement with Israel.

World

Singapore Airlines turbulence: People seriously injured on fatal flight need ‘spinal operations’, hospital says

Published

13 hours ago

May 23, 2024

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Singapore Airlines turbulence: People seriously injured on fatal flight need 'spinal operations', hospital says

Many of the people seriously injured on the London-Singapore flight that hit severe turbulence need operations on their spines, a Bangkok hospital has said.

A spokesperson for the Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, said six Britons are among 20 people still in intensive care after the Boeing 777 Singapore Airlines flight sharply descended 6,000ft (1,800 metres) after hitting the turbulence over the Andaman Sea.

Others in the ICU include six Malaysians, three Australians, two Singaporeans and one person each from Hong Kong, New Zealand, and the Philippines.

Some of the 211 passengers on board flight SQ321 described their “sheer terror” as the aircraft began shuddering, causing people to be “launched into the ceiling” while others laid paralysed on the floor.

Geoff Kitchen, 73, from Gloucestershire in the UK died from a suspected heart attack after the freak incident despite flight crew trying to revive him for 20 minutes.

One of the passengers, Josh Silverstone, told Sky News that there was an alert for the seatbelts to come on and then there was a “huge bang”.

“I remember waking up on the floor and just hearing people crying and I am looking around and seeing blood and the ceiling falling through,” he said.

Mr Silverstone said there was an elderly lady in front of him who couldn’t move and couldn’t remember her name or why she was on the flight, while cabin crew members, who had their own injuries, were lying on the floor with passengers making sure they were okay.

The Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital said it had provided medical care to a total of 104 people after the flight was diverted to Thailand.

It remains unclear what exactly caused the turbulence, but data from Flightradar24, said “the flight encountered a rapid change in vertical rate, consistent with a sudden turbulence event”.

At 3.03pm local time, the flight changed course and began its diversion to Bangkok and around 20 minutes later declared an emergency.

Tim Atkinson, an aviation consultant and pilot, told the Sky News Daily podcast he believes “it’s fairly clear” the Singapore Airlines flight “encountered atmospheric turbulence”.

He noted that the area – called the Intertropical Convergence Zone – where the Boeing 777 plunged 6,000 feet is “renowned among pilots, and I dare say passengers, for turbulence”.