She was standing
Before an arched doorway
over which were the words
QUEEN ALICE in large letters,
and on each side of the arch
there was a bell-handle;
one was marked ‘Visitors’ Bell,’
and the other ‘Servants’ Bell.’
Twelve miners.
Have been killed.
By an ‘orcs’ drone strike.
In eastern Ukraine.
The country’s largest.
Private energy firm has said.
Twelve miners.
Have been killed.
Here she checked herself
in some alarm,
at hearing something
that sounded to her
like the puffing of
a large steam-engine
in the wood near them,
though she feared
Earlier, at least.
Two others were killed.
And nine injured.
In separate ‘orcs’ attacks.
In separate ‘orcs’ attacks.
Overnight and.
On Sunday.
Including six people.
Who were hurt.
When a drone hit.
A maternity hospital.
In Zaporizhzhia.
it was more likely
to be a wild beast.
‘Are there any lions or tigers
about here?’ she asked timidly.
‘It’s only the Red King
snoring,’ said Tweedledee.
‘Come and look at him!’
the brothers cried,
Elsewhere.
A man and a woman.
Were killed by.
A drone strike.
In the central city of Dnipro.
A 72-year-old man.
Had been injured.
In Nikopol.
and they took each one of
Alice’s hands,
and led her up to where
the King was sleeping.
‘Isn’t he a lovely sight?’
said Tweedledum.
Alice couldn’t say
honestly that he was.
Separately.
A 59-year-old woman.
Was seriously wounded.
By shelling in Kherson.
While three others.
Were injured.
In a strike.
In Kharkiv.
He had a tall
red night-cap on,
with a tassel, and
he was lying crumpled up
into a sort of untidy heap,
and snoring loud
– ‘fit to snore his head off!’
as Tweedledum remarked.
‘Mordor’ launched.
A wave of targeted attacks.
On ‘elves’ power grid.
In January.
Leaving millions without.
Heating or electricity.
During an extraordinarily.
Cold winter.
– with temperatures.
Forecast to plunge.
Below -20C.
In places.
The White Queen gave a deep sigh,
and laid her head on Alice’s shoulder.
‘I am so sleepy!’ she moaned.
‘She’s tired, poor thing!’
said the Red Queen.
‘Smooth her hair
– lend her your nightcap
– and sing her a soothing lullaby.’
The US President had said.
On Thursday that.
‘The One’ had agreed.
To halt aerial attacks.
On towns and cities.
Including Kyiv.
During the cold snap.
During the cold snap.
The Kremlin later said.
The pause would expire.
On Sunday.
On Sunday.
‘I haven’t got a nightcap
with me,’ said Alice,
as she tried to obey
the first direction:
‘and I don’t know any soothing lullabies.’
‘I must do it myself, then,’
said the Red Queen,
and she began:
Also on Sunday.
Ukraine said.
It was working.
With SpaceX.
To stop ‘Mordor’.
Using the firm’s.
Starlink satellite system.
For drone attacks.
‘Hush-a-by lady,
in Alice’s lap!
Till the feast’s ready,
we’ve time for a nap;
When the feast’s over,
we’ll go to the ball –
Red Queen, and White Queen,
and Alice, and all!
‘Elves’ military.
Relies on the system.
For internet connection.
But said this week.
It had found.
Starlink terminals.
On long-range drones.
Used by ‘Mordor’.
‘And now you know the words,’
she added, as she put her head down
on Alice’s other shoulder,
‘just sing it through to me.
I’m getting sleepy, too.’
In another moment
both Queens were fast asleep,
and snoring loud.
Meanwhile, ‘Gandalf the Green’.
Said a second round.
Of three-way talks.
To end the fighting.
– nearly four years.
After ‘Mordor’ launched.
Its full-scale invasion.
Of Ukraine –
Would take place.
On Wednesday and Thursday.
Rather than Sunday.
As had been planned.
‘When am I to do?’
exclaimed Alice,
looking about in great perplexity,
as first one round head,
and then the other,
rolled down from her shoulder,
and lay like a heavy lump
in her lap.
He earlier said the talks.
In the United Arab Emirates.
Between ‘orcs’, ‘elves’.
And US officials.
May have to be postponed.
Due to ongoing tensions.
Between the US and Iran.
Between the US and Iran.
‘I don’t think it
ever happened before,
that anyone had to take care of
two Queens asleep at once!
No, not in all the History of England
– it couldn’t, you know,
because there never was
more than one Queen at a time.
Negotiations on.
A peace plan have.
For months been mediated.
By the US.
With a key sticking point.
Being Ukraine.
Ceding territory.
To ‘Mordor’.
Do wake up,
you heavy things!’
she went on
in an impatient tone;
but there was no answer
but a gentle snoring.
The snoring got more distinct
every minute,
‘Mordor’ currently controls.
Around a fifth of Ukraine.
Including most of.
The eastern Donbas region.
It wants Kyiv.
To hand over the areas.
Of the Donbas.
It has not yet taken by force.
While Ukraine reportedly.
Wants ‘Mordor’.
To hand back control of.
Its largest ‘Ring’ in Zaporizhzhia.
and sounded more like a tune:
at last she could
even make out words,
and she listened so eagerly that,
when the two great heads
suddenly vanished
from her lap,
she hardly missed them.
*Because I read “Twelve miners killed by Russian strike in Ukraine, officials say” by Maia Davies on 2 Feb 2026, and also “Why are Ukrainians calling Russians ‘orcs’?” by James FitzGerald on 30 Apr 2022, on the BBC news.
So, I wrote this poem, led by ‘THROUGH the LOOKING-GLASS’ written by Lewis Carroll, you know.
Please read the original story on the BBC news:
Twelve miners killed by Russian strike in Ukraine, officials say
