Ankur Desai

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Hei, olen Ankur Desai ja viimeisenä huomenna, 8.5., nämä ovat meidän mainitsemat. Yhdysvallat sanoo, että se tappoi iranian sääntöjä, kun Iran yritti vahvistaa kolme amerikkalaisen sääntöä Hormuussa. Iran sanoo, että se tappoi yhdysvallan vahvistamista. Moskoossa on tärkeitä edellisiä Venäjän vahvistusluokkia. Ja jotkut kysyvät valtimia Putinin poliittisesta tulevaisuudesta.

Also in this podcast. That crucial moment when our far distant ancestors took a step away from being apes and a step towards humanity. One of the most recognisable broadcast voices of all time. The naturalist and broadcaster David Attenborough celebrates his 100th birthday. We hear from some of his closest friends and colleagues.

We begin with a major development in the Strait of Hormuz, where the US and Iran have exchanged fire. The US military says it struck Iranian military facilities after Iran tried to attack three American warships crossing the strait. Iran says it was retaliating for US violations of the ceasefire. President Trump has described the American strikes as a love tap and insisted the ceasefire is still in effect.

It's the most serious test yet, Ankur, isn't it, of the month-long ceasefire between the United States and Iran involving three U.S. guided missile destroyers that are forming part of the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports.

Both sides saying the other fired first. The US says that its destroyers were not hit, claiming that it acted in self-defense in response to what it called unprovoked hostilities on the part of Iran. And in a post on social media, President Trump claimed the US Navy had inflicted great damage on what he called the Iranian attackers, whose boats, he said, went to the bottom of the sea immediately.

He added with another rhetorical flourish, they dropped ever so beautifully down to the ocean, very much like a butterfly dropping to its grave. Iran, for its part, says that it fired drones and missiles in response to U.S. attacks.

Agression as it put it in the Strait of Hormuz involving two of its vessels and also claims that the US response included attacks on Iranian military facilities in the region. Indeed there were reports of explosions on Iran's Qasem Island, that's an oil port at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz.

David, could this exchange of fire jeopardize any negotiations between the US and Iran or impact this ceasefire? It's a very good question. Of course all this comes as Iran is reported to be reviewing a US proposal to end the war. And that proposal is thought to include a moratorium war.

on Iran's nuclear enrichment, the lifting of US sanctions, release of billions of dollars in frozen Iranian funds, and both sides lifting restrictions on transit through the Strait of Hormuz. Now, according to Iran, today's exchange of fire constitutes a violation of the very fragile ceasefire. According to President Trump, however,

It does not. The Trump administration is seeking to play down this matter. It doesn't want to escalate the crisis. But this is not the first time the two sides have exchanged fire in the Strait of Hormuz since the ceasefire began. And the question is how many more such skirmishes can that fragile truce endure? David Willis.

Joulupäivä on Venäjän vahvistus, joka tarkoittaa natsijärven vahvistuksen toisen maailman. Yleensä järjestelmien keskustelu on Moskoossa, mutta tämän vuoden jälkeen järjestelmä on kohdannut, että Ukraina voisi tavoittaa sen drone-attakseen. Russia-editori Steve Rosenberg osoittaa Moskoosta.

These are Russian soldiers marching near the Kremlin. But Saturday's parade will be different from previous years. There will be no tanks, no ballistic missiles, no military hardware on display in the centre of Moscow. Yevgeny Popov is a Russian MP.

Vladimir Putin valitsi vahvistaa Ukrainiin ja valitsi jatkaa vahvistaa siellä. Mutta aikanaan ympäristö on muuttunut huoneeseen.

Ukrainalaiset droonit ovat päässeet syvälle Ruotsiin. Aiemmin viikon ajan droonit pysyivät laksimaisen residenssipalvelun Moskoossa, juuri neljä miltä Kremlinin puolelta. Ei ollut käsityksiä, mutta suuri vaikutus yhdellä puolella.

Moscow has threatened a massive retaliatory strike on the center of Kyiv if Ukraine tries to target Saturday's parade. Russia's foreign ministry spokesperson warned diplomatic missions to evacuate staff promptly from Kyiv in the event of a mass strike by Moscow. Here in the Russian capital, the Russians I spoke to near the Kremlin were nervous. It's a worrying time, Vladimir says, but what can you do? We live and we worry.

There is a safety issue, concedes Sergei, but parading our military hardware shows our strength on the world stage. Perhaps we should be displaying something.

In current circumstances it would be foolish to showcase hardware, Yulia tells me. On the other hand, this means that we're scared of something that's also not great. To protect the parade and the public, the Russian authorities say that mobile internet in Moscow will be restricted on Victory Day. They claim that digital shutdowns, which have become common across Russia, prevent drone attacks and acts of sabotage.

They're deeply unpopular though with the public, but MP Evgeny Popov doesn't mind that. It would be better to be with no internet than to be killed by Ukrainian missile or drone. Under Vladimir Putin, victory in World War II has become such a key part of Russia's national idea. And the Red Square Parade, normally an opportunity to project Russian military power to the world.

In a village on the edge of Moscow, they're holding a minute's silence for Russians killed in World War II, what's known here as the Great Patriotic War. But here too, as special guests, are two men who've been fighting in Ukraine. They're wearing military fatigues and masks to hide their identities.