Barcelona’s ascent back to the top of Spanish football has been faster than anyone – even the most optimistic of ‘Culés’ – could have imagined.

With a 4-2 away victory at city rival Espanyol on Sunday, Barcelona secured the team’s first La Liga title in four years after a turbulent period for the club both on and off the pitch.

Such has been the Blaugrana’s dominance this season, Xavi’s side clinched the trophy with four games still remaining and his iteration will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest defensive teams in La Liga history.

The record for the fewest number of goals conceded by a team in a single 38-game season is 18, held jointly by Deportivo La Coruña (1993-94) and Atlético Madrid (2015-16).

With only 13 goals conceded so far this season, Xavi’s Barcelona is set to obliterate that record.

After the pain of Lionel Messi’s departure, financial turmoil and now the looming ‘Caso Negreira’ scandal, this title will no doubt taste all the sweeter.

“We know that we’re going to do it and then we can, I hope, celebrate with the fans because it will be something amazing, something huge. It’s been a few years since Barcelona has won this title, so we’ve done well.

“We won so many games that were very tough. I think the first round [of fixtures] was very important, we proved that we can think about winning La Liga.

“We know that it’s a process, we do things step-by-step and this kind of title can help us and the team a lot.”

But just how has Barça gone from European laughing stock to the king of Spain?

Xavi’s revolution

‘Defensive’ isn’t necessarily a word fans would associate with Barcelona, with much of the club’s recent history defined by attacking play based on intricate passing patterns – and whatever magic Messi could conjure up.

However, solidity in the backline has provided the bedrock for Xavi’s success since his return to the club in November 2021.

Success of any kind looked a long way off at the time, as Pep Guardiola’s protégé inherited an aging squad with no identity that had fallen well behind Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid the previous season, while also later dropping into the Europa League for the first time since 2003-04.

The pressure was certainly on, too, as fans had been clamoring for Xavi’s return long before he arrived in the dugout and there was a sense that he had been anointed as the club’s savior.

“Instead, he has chosen a more defensive approach to secure a solid defense and controlling the games from the midfield.

“I think that Xavi has, let’s put it this way, betrayed that traditional DNA of FC Barcelona because he knew that this team was not prepared to play like Manchester City because their young talents were still too young.”

With that inexperience added to Barcelona’s lack of physicality in midfield, which the club only partially addressed with its signings, Lewandowski’s goals drying up in the second half of the campaign and Ansu Fati’s lack of development, Macià says Xavi’s ability to fall back on the team’s defensive prowess has been crucial.

“So there’s been a problem there, but luckily Barcelona was solid in defense, which is something that we haven’t seen,” he says. “So credit to Xavi because he has got results in a club where results go at the same level with beauty and nice football.

“But even if there’s been a lot of criticism about the sadness of Xavi’s football sometimes – not always, but sometimes – results are there and fair play to Xavi because he’s done it in a very difficult environment.”

Xavi also had the added challenge of reshaping a team and squad that had so far failed to adapt to life without Messi.

Before his shock move to Paris Saint-Germain in 2021 – caused solely by Barcelona’s dire financial state – Messi had been the glue holding the Catalan club together.

Even while he was there, Messi’s consistently brilliant match-winning performances were only enough to paper over the cracks of a team that had been slowly crumbling for some time.

Xavi’s remodeling hasn’t been cheap, however, with Raphinha, Jules Koundé and Lewandowski each being signed for more than $50 million. Those transfers necessitated some complex financial juggling.

But on the pitch, Xavi has got his new-look team clicking and there has perhaps been no better coach to oversee the emergence of young stars Gavi and Pedri in midfield, two players who have been heralded by some fans as the second coming of Xavi and his former midfield partner Andres Iniesta.

Indeed, Xavi has already admitted that he believes Barcelona’s current midfield duo are better than he and Iniesta were at the same age.

In recent years, Barcelona’s financial problems have been exacerbated by the club’s decision to move away from promoting talent from its famed La Masia academy and instead opting to pay for big-money signings, with the club spending well over $1 billion on transfer fees since the 2013-14 season.

And while Macià believes Real Madrid’s surprisingly poor domestic season opened the door for Barcelona’s title challenge, the reintroduction of young talent from La Masia has been the “key” to Barça’s success.

“Pedri and Gabi are the cornerstone of the current project,” he explains. “This is why Barcelona keeps a certain level that allows them to compete against Madrid and the rest of the teams with regularity.

“Also some of the players that have been important in recent years, even if they were older like Sergio Busquets, have helped and then some of the top players from the previous time, Frenkie de Jong being one of these, and Lewandowski, who has helped Barcelona score goals in the first part of this season.

“I think that the convergence of these elements, but the fact that Barcelona has had young talent to resist these difficult times has also been an important factor for Barcelona winning the domestic league.”

Finances and the ‘Caso Negreira’

Off the pitch, Barcelona’s coffers are certainly healthier than they were three years ago.

Huge deals with audio streaming service Spotify and global investment firm Sixth Street, among others, have helped the club claw its way back from the total financial disarray it found itself in following the Covid-19 pandemic.

Back in September, Barcelona said it had recorded a profit of $98 million for the 2021-22 financial year and predicted profits of $298 million for this current season.

The club also recently announced the renegotiation of the $1.6 billion financial plan to repay the debt taken on to finance the renovation of its dilapidated Camp Nou stadium, meaning Barcelona will now pay off the debt five years earlier than originally planned.

The club’s ability to once again pay big fees and big contracts to players, coupled with Messi’s impending departure from Paris Saint-Germain, have fans dreaming that the greatest player in the club’s history could return to Barcelona to finish his career.

But Macià believes the Argentine’s return could come at a cost.

“If Messi comes, there will be no room for many more signings,” he says. “If Messi doesn’t go, Barcelona will not be compelled to, for example, sell important players like De Jong or other players that can give Barcelona enough money, like Ansu Fati.

“So if Messi goes to Saudi Arabia it will be, I believe, easier. Although, of course, from a romantic perspective it would be perfect that Messi finishes his career in Barcelona and everybody will love it – and [club president] Joan Laporta is trying to do so.

“If Messi comes, yes, he will generate new incomes for the club, but it won’t be easy to rebuild a new structure. Of course, you will have to sell talent and you’ll have to trust young, young players.

“There are some players that are 15 or 16 that have already made their debut with Barcelona. They have shown good signs of quality, but I think it will depend on Messi.”

Despite the on-field success this season, Barcelona has been grappling with the ‘Caso Negreira’ scandal in the second half of the campaign.

UEFA, European football’s governing body, said in March that it had opened an investigation into alleged improper payments made by Barcelona to José María Enríquez Negreira, a former leading refereeing official in Spain.

The Catalan club was charged by the Barcelona provincial prosecutor’s office with “continued corruption between individuals in the sports field,” in addition to other charges in relation to an alleged payment scandal which has rocked Spanish football.

While the ongoing case clearly hasn’t been a distraction on the pitch, Macià says the outcome of UEFA’s investigation could be crucial to Barcelona’s progress going into next season.

“It will depend on UEFA’s decision to allow Barcelona to play in European competitions or not,” he says.

“It’s a lot of [prize] money and some players will want to come to Barcelona because they play European competitions. If they don’t [ban Barcelona], then yes, I see a big change coming.”

After so many problems, both on and off the pitch, Macià says this title feels particularly sweet.

“Yes, it feels like heaven.”

Devastating wildfires in Alberta have burned more than 150 times more area than in the last five years combined at this same point in the year, according to statistics from the Alberta government.

With more than 410,000 hectares (about 1 million acres) charred so far in 2023, the extent of the burned area is larger than the country of Luxembourg and is roughly equivalent to the size of 1.5 Rhode Islands.

Canadian Armed Forces will provide firefighting support and airlift resources to Albertans as wildfires ravage the province, prime minister Justin Trudeau said in a tweet Thursday.

“We’ve approved the province’s request for federal assistance,” Trudeau said. “@CanadianForces are going to provide firefighting support and airlift resources, assist with the evacuation of isolated communities, and help keep people safe. We’ll continue to be here for you.”

The 273 wildfires in Alberta so far in 2023 have far exceeded each of the last five years to date as well. With temperatures expected to rise significantly by this weekend and into next week, a provincial state of emergency has been declared as weather conditions threaten to aid in fire growth and worsen the situation.

Temperatures will range between 10 and 15 degrees Celsius above average (18 to 27 degrees Fahrenheit) leading into the weekend, with the peak of the heat expected early next week. Edmonton’s average high temperature is 17°C (62°F) for the month of May, but has already experienced two 30°C (86 °F) days so far this month. The forecast calls for temperatures to exceed 30°C by early next week. “This is very hot for us,” said Lang.

Billowing smoke from the over 80 active wildfires across the Alberta province has drifted across Canada and has reached the eastern seaboard of the United States, creating smoky skies across New England. The smoke is so thick that it is visible on satellite imagery, stretching from western Canada to the US East Coast.

Forecasts indicate that smoke will continue to drift across Canada throughout the weekend, impacting the quality of air, while a notable shift in winds to the north and west will disperse the smoke toward British Columbia and the Northwest Territories through Saturday.

Even though lightning was a factor in the recent uptick of wildfires across Alberta, “many of the wildfires so far this season have been human caused. That could be from anything ranging from sparks created by trains to people being careless where they throw their cigarettes butts,” explained Lang.

“There were 36 people on board. Twenty-one were rescued alive and 15 were drowned,” Abubakar said.

“Among the 15 who drowned were 13 females and two males,” he added.

District chairman, Aliyu Dantani, told state-run media the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), that the boat was carrying mainly children who were in search of firewood, when it capsized. Locals rely on firewood for fuel.

The bodies of the deceased were recovered by local divers and buried Tuesday according to Muslim tradition, Dantani said.

The area has seen previous tragic boat accidents.

In April last year, around 29 people, mostly teenagers, died when a boat that ferried them across the Shagari river in search of firewood sank, local media reported at the time.

A year earlier, 13 people, including children lost their lives in another boat accident in the area.

Britain’s security services are quietly relieved that the coronation of King Charles III passed without major incident – save for some accusations of heavy-handed policing. But a second big event this month is causing them a bigger headache.

On the face of it, the stakes associated with the grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest would not appear to be particularly high. But this year’s contest is being staged in the English city of Liverpool because the winner of last year’s contest and the rightful host nation, Ukraine, is fighting off an unprovoked invasion from its bigger neighbor, Russia. For that reason, British security officials are more exercised than they might otherwise have been about a kitschy musical competition.

A unique combination of factors make the contest a prime target for hostile actors. “On one hand you have thousands of people enjoying the nightlife, which means potential of physical targets and organized crime. On the other, you have a contest that is highly political at the best of times, but especially so in the context of the war in Ukraine,” the security source says.

The main concern is to protect those attending the event from physical threats, though there is no credible intelligence that the event might be victim to a terror attack, according to the Merseyside Police, who are responsible for the event.

What security sources and analysts believe is more likely, however, is an attempt by Russia to disrupt the contest in other ways, embarrassing Britain and delivering a poke in the eye to Ukraine.

Why would Russia want to disrupt a singing contest?

Russia takes Eurovision very seriously. Even before it invaded Ukraine, Moscow saw Eurovision as a window through which it could frame its culture war with Western Europe and its perceived liberal values.

Its foreign secretary, Sergei Lavrov, complained in 2013 about “stolen” votes. St. Petersburg legislator Vitaly Milonov, an influential member of Vladimir Putin’s party, called the contest “blatant propaganda of homosexuality and spiritual decay” in 2014.

Last year Russia was banned from participating due to its invasion of Ukraine, which went on to win the contest on a wave of public solidarity. Britain came second, which is why it was selected to host on behalf of Ukraine.

Eurovision provides Russia with multiple opportunities to cause havoc and disruption.

First there’s the contest itself. Voting is conducted digitally, which means it could be vulnerable to cyber attacks and Russian actors casting false votes, the security source said.

Then there’s the broadcast itself. Eurovision is watched by millions all over the world, which makes it an ideal target for anyone wanting to make a splash, says Iain Wyke, Chief Inspector of Protective Security Operations at Merseyside Police. “This is a really, really good platform. If you were a single-issue group or you had a particular ideology or particular beef you wanted to have with someone or a government, what better stage to put forward your argument, display banners and such? You’ve got the eyes of the world well and truly looking around you.”

Disruptions to the broadcast could come in other forms. Cyber attacks or attempts to interfere with the feed could lead to hijacking of the broadcast or blackouts, officials explained. There are also concerns that infrastructure around the contest – venues or social media feeds – could be targeted digitally, to cause disruption or spread disinformation.

If any protest does take place, it might not be directly related to Russia or Ukraine, but more an effort to embarrass the UK and undermine Western values that Russia opposes.

However, top of Ricketts’ list of concerns is a cyber threat, such as “taking over the broadcast, causing blackouts or something else to disrupt proceedings, which everyone would know came from Russia but which it might be hard to attribute quickly.”

Why would this help Russia?

This year’s event is, at its heart, a partnership between the UK and Ukraine, two major thorns in the Kremlin’s side. Security officials are very aware of this context and how much Russia would like to embarrass them both.

“This is UK PLC in the spotlight, putting its best foot forward and showing how we can deliver this event for Ukraine, on their behalf with a Ukrainian style,” says Wyke. “It’s the largest non-sporting event televised … if that’s not a captive audience I don’t know what is.”

It’s also crucial to understand how Russia uses things like cyberattacks and propaganda against its perceived enemies.

“Russia has a zero-sum view of security, so anything that hurts the West is seen as a Russian gain,” says Keir Giles, a senior consulting fellow at Chatham House. “Take the anti-vaccine propaganda they pushed out both before and during the pandemic. That probably hurt Russian citizens too, but if it hurts the West, it outweighs the risk.”

Giles also notes that while the risk of a physical terrorist act is low, it cannot be fully discounted: “It is an anomaly that Russia isn’t known to be funding and supporting terror groups to cause death and destruction in European capitals at the moment. It is a cheap and effective way for Russia to cause harm. A high-profile event like this, with ties to both Britain and Ukraine, would be an obviously tempting target.”

Of course, a physical attack is the priority, even though Wyke says “no specific intelligence in relation to this event suggest any form of terror threat.”

But the influx of people to a major city gathering in venues and standing in large queues are exactly the sort of soft targets terrorists have tended to hit.

Merseyside Police will deploy 5,500 officers across Liverpool in the runup to Saturday’s final. There will be visible counter-terror measures in place like armed officers and security fences. But Wykes also notes that one of the best ways to keep this event secure is creating awareness in the local community: “A couple of weeks ago, we launched the vigilance campaign that was to bring the community into the policing operation, and ultimately, the public are our eyes and ears. And what better way than to reinforce a security regime around an event of this nature?”

It might seem odd to those unfamiliar that a singing competition created to promote peace in Europe after World War II could become such a flashpoint. But Russia’s decades-long focus on asymmetric, warfare has made an international television event with millions watching at home and in person the perfect battleground for Russia’s fight against the enemies it is unwilling – or unable – to physically invade.

Authorities are trying to identify 22 women murdered in Belgium, Germany and The Netherlands over the last few decades.

Most of the murders are considered cold cases involving women who died 10, 20, 30 or even 40 years ago, according to Interpol, which launched a public campaign on Wednesday to name the women.

“Despite extensive police investigations, these women were never identified, and evidence suggests they could have come from other countries. Who they are, where they are from and why they were in these countries is unknown,” Interpol said.

“Someone, somewhere, knows something which can help identify these women. Just one piece of information could be the missing link,” Interpol Secretary General Jürgen Stock said on his official Twitter account as the campaign launched.

For the first time, as part of the campaign called “Operation Identify Me,” Interpol has published so-called Black Notices about each victim, which include facial reconstruction images, information about personal items, clothes, jewelry, tattoos and pictures of the areas where the bodies were found.

“If you remember a friend, family member or colleague who suddenly disappeared, please take a look and contact the relevant national police team via the form on each page if you have any information about any of them,” Interpol said.

‘The woman in the well’

As the name of each woman is unknown, the cases are described by other characteristics and numbered. “The woman in the well” is the first unsolved murder.

In 1991, the body of a woman was found in a rainwater well on the grounds of a cottage near Leuvensebaan in Belgium, about 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) northeast from Brussels. Her body may have been in the well for up to two years, according to Interpol.

The woman is believed to have been between 30 and 55 years old when she was found, and 1.54 meters toll. She wore a distinctive t-shirt with black vertical stripes and a summer print. “The woman also wore dark plaid shorts, beige/brown knitted cardigan and a plastic or horn ring,” Interpol said.

Interpol has also published images of the cottage and newspaper articles and asks the pubic to contact Belgium national police with any information about the case.

‘The woman with the flower tattoo’

Another case involves the murder of a woman who had a flower tattoo on her left forearm. Under the black flower with green leaves is written “R’NICK.”

In 1992, the body of the woman was found against a grate in the water of the Groot Schijn river near Ten Eekhovelei in Antwerp, Belgium, Interpol said.

“The woman had been killed by violence. To date, her identity is unknown,” Interpol said.

She is believed to have been between 20 and 50 years old, about 1.70 meters tall. “She was light-skinned and had mid-length dark hair,” Interpol said. She wore a t-shirt with the inscription ‘SPLINTER’ and “1990,” dark blue Adidas training trousers with three green stripes and dark walking shoes.

Authorities are urging anyone who may have information about the woman to contact Belgium national police.

Belgium, German and Dutch police are working with Interpol on finding more information about the women. “The woman with the bracelet,” “the woman by the motorway,” “the woman on the boat,” “the woman with the flower skirt” and “the woman in men’s clothing” are how authorities are naming some of the other unidentified women.

Details about each woman and “Operation Identify Me” have been published on the Interpol website. “They are someone’s friend, sister, cousin, daughter or mother. And they matter,” Interpol said.

Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin and her husband, Markus Räikkönen, are to divorce after 19 years together, Marin announced on Instagram on Wednesday.

“We have filed for divorce together. We are grateful for 19 years together and our beloved daughter,” Marin wrote in an Instagram story.

“We are still best friends, cool to each other and loving parents. We will continue to spend time together as a family and with each other,” she added.

Marin and Räikkönen, a businessman and former professional footballer, were married in 2020, according to Finland’s public broadcaster, YLE.

The announcement comes after Marin lost Finland’s parliamentary election in April, with opposition right-wing National Coalition Party (NCP) claiming victory in a tightly fought contest.

She is currently serving as caretaker prime minister until a new coalition government can be formed.

Though considered a millennial role model for progressive new leaders by fans around the globe, at home she has faced criticism for her partying and her government’s high public expenditure.

While she remains very popular among many Finns, particularly young moderates, she antagonized some conservatives with high levels of spending on pensions and education.

Marin’s rise to the top of Finnish politics was meteoric.

The first member of her family to attend university, she entered politics at 20 and quickly moved up the ranks of the center-left Social Democratic Party.

She then became the world’s youngest prime minister when she took office in 2019 at the age 34.

It has been an eventful offseason for Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts.

Last month the 24-year-old signed a five-year extension to his contract, making him the highest-paid player in NFL history on a per-year basis and keeping him with the franchise through 2028.

And on Friday, the star quarterback received his master’s degree in human relations from the University of Oklahoma.

In a tweet posted by the university vice president David Surratt, Hurts – wearing a cap and gown – was warmly applauded by the audience at the Lloyd Noble Center as he received his master’s degree.

Congratulations! @JalenHurts @UofOklahoma @OUArtsSciences @OU_Football pic.twitter.com/FrGCApp2lk

— Dr. David Surratt (@DrDavidSurratt) May 13, 2023

Hurts has enjoyed a hugely successful start to the year. He led Philadelphia to the 2023 Super Bowl, falling short against the Kansas City Chiefs in Arizona in February, and finished second in NFL Most Valuable Player voting for the 2023 season, behind Chiefs play-caller Patrick Mahomes.

“Leads his team to a Super Bowl, becomes the highest paid player in NFL history, while finishing his Master’s Degree. I couldn’t be more proud of you, J,” Hurts’ agent, Nicole Lynn posted on Instagram, alongside a graduation picture of the player.

Hurts spent three years at the University of Alabama, leading the Crimson Tide to consecutive College Football National Championship games in 2017 and 2018 while also earning a bachelor’s degree in communication and information sciences.

He spent his last year of college at the University of Oklahoma after a transfer. Hurts finished second in Heisman Trophy voting, behind Joe Burrow, and was drafted by the Eagles with the 53rd overall pick of the 2020 NFL draft.

The quarterback, who has constructed an all-women support network around him, has previously talked about being inspired by his mother, Pamela. “She went back to school, and she got her master’s to become a counselor,” Hurts told Essence Magazine in April. “That’s a living testimony for me.”

Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant has been suspended from team activities after an Instagram Live video appearing to show him flashing a gun while in a vehicle with others circulated on social media Sunday, just two months after the athlete was suspended over a similar video.

Morant is suspended from all team activities “pending League review,” the Grizzlies announced on Twitter, adding the team had no further comment.

In March, the NBA suspended Morant for eight games without pay for “conduct detrimental to the league” after he was seen in another Instagram Live video holding a gun at a nightclub in Glendale, Colorado, a suburb of Denver.

At the time, the league said an investigation “did not conclude that the gun at issue belonged to Morant, was brought by him into the nightclub or was displayed by him beyond a brief period. The investigation also did not find that Morant possessed the gun while traveling with the team or in any NBA facility.”

Glendale police did not press charges against Morant.

Morant met with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver after the Denver incident. The 23-year-old told ESPN they had an “open discussion.”

Morant’s conduct “was irresponsible, reckless and potentially very dangerous,” Silver said in a statement. “It also has serious consequences given his enormous following and influence, particularly among young fans who look up to him.”

“He has expressed sincere contrition and remorse for his behavior. Ja has also made it clear to me that he has learned from this incident and that he understands his obligations and responsibility to the Memphis Grizzlies and the broader NBA community extend well beyond his play on the court,” the statement said.

Later in March, Morant apologized, telling reporters he received counseling to handle his stress and promising to “be more responsible.”

“I’m completely sorry for that (his ban),” Morant said at the time. “So my job now is, like I said, to be more responsible, more smarter and don’t cause any of that no more.”

He attributed the incident in part to stress.

“I went (to Florida) to counseling to learn how to manage stress. Cope with stress in a positive way, instead of ways I’ve tried to deal with it before that caused me to make mistakes.”

Morant was born in South Carolina and attended Murray State University before being drafted by the Grizzlies during the 2019 NBA draft. He was recognized as the NBA Rookie of the Year at the end of his first season.

The Grizzlies season ended last month when they were eliminated from the playoffs by the LA Lakers.

Russian President Vladimir Putin led a pared-down Victory Day parade in Moscow on Tuesday as he repeated his false assertion that the West had launched a “true war” against Russia, despite the Kremlin’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

Thousands of people lined the streets of Moscow’s Red Square as part of Russia’s annual parade, an exhibition of patriotism marking the Soviet Union’s role in defeating Nazi Germany in World War II.

Victory Day is the most significant day of Putin’s calendar, as he has long used it to rally public support, demonstrate the country’s military prowess and rail against the historical injustices he perceives Western nations have heaped on his nation.

The Russian leader has historically led the annual military parade on Red Square with displays of military hardware including tanks, missiles, and other weapons systems, before a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier near the Kremlin wall, to honor the memory of those who perished in the battles.

More than 10,000 people and 125 units of various types of weapons and equipment were expected to be displayed at this year’s parade, according to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. Last year the ministry announced 11,000 people and 131 types of weapons were involved in the military parade, with an airshow of 77 aircraft and helicopters.

But there was just one ancient World War II-era T-34 tank leading the mechanized column on Tuesday, as Moscow seemingly toned down its annual parade.

Tigr-M and VPK-Ural armored vehicles were also on display, but the main focus was the country’s S-400 air defense system and its intercontinental ballistic system – the Yaris.

The usual fly-past above the Red Square was canceled, state media reported, without providing an explanation.

Putin used the annual Victory Day parade to launch yet another scathing attack on the West, accusing it of holding Ukraine hostage to its anti-Russian plans.

“A true war has been unleashed against our motherland,” Putin said on Tuesday, claiming falsely that the West had provoked the war in Ukraine. “We have repelled international terrorism and to fit we will defend the residents of Donbas and secure our own safety. Russia has no unfriendly nations in the West or in the East.”

He also again drew comparisons between the conflict in Ukraine and the fight against Nazi forces in the World War II, saying that civilization is once again at a turning point.

Throughout his short address, Putin praised Russian troops fighting in what the Kremlin calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine, saying the country is “proud” of everyone who fights on the frontlines.

“There is no more important thing now than your combat work,” Putin said.

However, no mention was made of the high casualties suffered by Russian troops, which are estimated to be in the tens of thousands.

Strained relations

World leaders such as former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan had attended the military parade in previous years. But such displays of solidarity have faded in recent years, after Putin’s invasion of Crimea in 2014 and the war in Ukraine fractured diplomatic ties.

Moscow had been under pressure to strengthen its show of defenses and unity on Tuesday, after last week’s alleged drone strike on the Kremlin shattered the most powerful symbol of the Russian presidency.

Kyiv and its Western allies exchanged thorny memos with Moscow after it accused Ukraine of carrying out orders from the US in an attempted assassination against Putin. Ukraine and Washington vehemently denied the allegations.

The cause of the explosions is unknown, but the optics of a symbolic attack against the Kremlin gave it an opportunity to rally support for Putin from Russians as critics continue to speak out against Moscow’s full-scale invasion.

Similarly, Russia’s wrath appeared neutered when a wave of drone and missile attacks was thwarted by Ukraine’s air defenses on Tuesday.

Over the past week, lives have been lost and civilians injured by debris from destroyed drones, or missiles that have punctured Ukrainian resistance. But above all, Kyiv’s air-defenses have proved potent, and Moscow’s less so.

On Monday, Russian oligarch Andrey Kovalev called Moscow’s military campaign “a terrible war.”

“The whole world is against us,” he said in a video speech later shared on Telegram.

At the same time, strained relations between senior Russian officials exploded into a public display of disunity as Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin launched a fiery tirade criticizing the Russian military’s focus on the Victory Day parade – ahead of an expected spring offensive from Kyiv in the south.

“Today they [Ukrainians] are tearing up the flanks in the Artemovsk (Russian name for Bakhmut) direction, regrouping at Zaporizhzhia. And a counteroffensive is about to begin,” he said on his social media accounts on Tuesday.

“They absolutely clearly say that the counteroffensive will be on the ground, not on TV. In our country everybody thinks that we should do everything on TV and celebrate the Victory Day.”

He also chose the moment of the parade to release a statement saying in fact Russian defense ministry troops had abandoned positions around the city of Bakhmut – a key battleground in eastern Ukraine – and said he had been threatened with treason charges if he left.

“Victory Day is the victory of our grandfathers,” he added. “We haven’t earned that victory one millimeter.”

‘Evil has returned’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky compared Russia to Nazi Germany as he proposed moving Victory Day celebrations a day earlier in a bill presented to lawmakers, in an effort to distance Kyiv from the Kremlin’s celebrations.

Like Russia, Ukraine traditionally commemorates victory over the Nazis on May 9, but that date has become increasingly associated with a parade in Moscow.

“It is on May 8 that most nations of the world remember the greatness of the victory over the Nazis,” Zelensky said Monday.

Zelensky said on Tuesday that Russia had failed to capture Bakhmut before the May 9 deadline of the Victory Day parade.

“They were not able to capture Bakhmut, this was the last important military operation that they wanted to complete by the nineth of May,” Zelensky said in a joint press conference with European President Ursula von der Leyen.

“Unfortunately, the city does not exist anymore everything is fully destroyed.”

London’s Metropolitan Police Service has expressed “regret” over the arrests of anti-monarchy activists on Saturday, the day of King Charles III’s coronation.

It comes after the Met initially defended the dozens of arrests made on Saturday following fierce backlash, with many accusing the force of taking a heavy-handed approach toward demonstrators led by Britain’s largest anti-monarchy group, Republic.

Police arrested 64 people on coronation day. Among those were six anti-monarchy protesters, who have since been released and will face no further action, police said.

In a statement released Monday, the force did not apologize for the arrests but said it regretted the fact that activists were unable to join the planned protest because of the detentions.

Graham Smith, head of Republic, was among the six people arrested on Saturday. He said three Met Police officers visited his home on Monday to apologize and return the items that were confiscated from him during the arrest.

“They apologised while wearing a body cam. I made it clear the apology is not accepted as we will be taking further action,” he said on Twitter.

The Met said it made the arrests on Saturday based on the new and highly controversial Public Order Act, which came into effect when King Charles III signed it last week. The royal ascent is a formality, but its timing just days before the coronation raised eyebrows.

The new law gives police powers to take stronger action against people engaging in peaceful demonstrations. It criminalizes some long standing protest tactics, such as locking on, or physically attaching oneself to things like buildings and roads. It also gives police the power to shut down protests before any disruption even occurs.

Writing in the Evening Standard newspaper on Tuesday, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley said that, by Friday evening, his force had “become extremely concerned by a rapidly developing intelligence picture.”

He said the intelligence suggested some protesters were “intent on using rape alarms and loud hailers as part of their protest which would have caused distress to military horses.”

Rowley added that the Met had said in advance that “there would be a low tolerance of disruption and zero tolerance of security and safety threats.”

In a statement issued late Monday, the Met said the six Republic activists were arrested over concerns that they were “seeking to seriously disrupt the event” after officers found items that “could be used as lock-on devices” in their car.

However, police said that the investigation “has been unable to prove intent to use them to lock-on and disrupt the event.”

Smith said the group carried luggage straps which were intended to be used to secure their posters. “It was not physically possible to ‘lock on’ with them,” he said on Twitter.

Republic also said it spent months working with police liaison officers and meeting senior commanders in order to be able to protest during the coronation. Police said it was “not clear” at the time of the arrest that Smith was engaging with the protest liaison team and that the liaison team was not present during the arrests.

“While it is unfortunate that the six people affected by this were unable to join the hundreds of peaceful protestors, I support the officers’ actions in this unique fast-moving operational context,” Rowley said in his Evening Standard opinion piece.

The coronation was attended by a large number of VIP guests – including more than 100 heads of states – so security was tight throughout central London. The Met said before the event that the day would mark the largest policing action in decades.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who is responsible for the Met Police’s strategic goals, said Monday that he requested more clarity from the force. “While it’s vital the police are able to keep us safe, it must be balanced with protecting the right to peaceful protest – an integral part of democracy,” he said.