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
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,
‘Mordor’ has launched.
574 drones.
And 40 missiles.
On Ukraine.
In one of the heaviest.
In one of the heaviest.
Bombardments in weeks.
‘Elves’ officials say.
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.
One person was killed.
In a drone and.
Missile strike.
On the western city of Lviv.
While 15 others.
Were reported wounded.
In an attack on the south-western.
Transcarpathia region.
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.
The attacks came as.
The US President spearheads.
Diplomatic moves.
To halt the war.
The ‘elf’ Foreign Minister said.
The strikes highlighted.
Why efforts to bring it.
To an end were “so critical”.
‘I’m afraid he’ll catch cold
with lying on the damp grass,’
said Alice, who was
a very thoughtful little girl.
‘He’s dreaming now,’
said Tweedledee:
‘and what do you think
he’s dreaming about?’
‘Gandalf the Green’ has said.
Ukraine was ready.
To meet ‘the One’.
“In neutral Europe”.
– mooting Switzerland.
Or Austria – adding that.
He was not against.
Istanbul either.
Alice said, ‘Nobody
can guess that.’
‘Why, about you!’
Tweedledee exclaimed,
clapping his hands triumphantly.
‘And if he left off
dreaming about you,
where do you suppose you’d be?’
‘Gandalf the Green’ has stated.
His willingness.
To meet ‘the One’.
In “any format”.
Although he has poured.
Cold water.
On the idea of talks.
Taking place in Budapest.
Which he said.
“Is not easy today”.
Which he said.
“Is not easy today”.
‘Where I am now,
of course,’ said Alice.
‘Not you!’ Tweedledee
retorted contemptuously.
‘You’d be nowhere.
Why, you’re only
a sort of thing
in his dream!’
The prospect of direct talks.
Emerged after.
The US President met.
‘The One’ in Alaska.
And then hosted.
‘Gandalf the Green’ and.
European leaders at the White House.
On Monday.
‘If that there King was to wake,’
added Tweedledum,
‘you’d go out – bang! –
just like a candle!’
‘I shouldn’t!’
Alice exclaimed indignantly.
‘Besides, if I’m only
a sort of thing
The US President initially.
Suggested trilateral talks.
Involving him, ‘the One’.
And ‘Gandalf the Green’.
But has since suggested.
He might not take part:
“Now I think.
It would be better.”
“It would be better.
If they met without me…
If necessary.
I’ll go.”
in his dream,
what are you,
I should like to know?’
‘Ditto,’ said Tweedledum.
‘Ditto, ditto!’ cried Tweedledee.
He shouted this
so loud that Alice
couldn’t help saying,
‘Elves’ air force counted.
614 drones and other missiles.
Fired by ‘orcs’ overnight.
Into Thursday.
And said it had stopped.
577 of them.
It is the biggest air attack.
Since July.
‘Hush! You’ll be
waking him,
I’m afraid,
if you make so much noise.’
‘Well, it’s no use your talking
about waking him,’
said Tweedledum,
‘when you’re only
While ‘orcs’ strikes.
Tend to focus.
On eastern regions.
Close to the front lines.
The latest attacks hit.
Western areas as well.
The latest attacks hit.
Western areas as well.
one of the things
in his dream.
You know very well
you’re not real.’
‘I am real!’ said Alice,
and began to cry.
‘I am real!’ said Alice,
and began to cry.
Since the start of ‘Mordor’’s.
Full-scale invasion.
Of Ukraine.
In 2022.
Its forces have occupied most.
Of ‘elves’ eastern Donbas region.
Including Luhansk.
And Donetsk.
‘You won’t make yourself
a bit realler by crying,’
Tweedledee remarked:
‘there’s nothing to cry about.’
‘If I wasn’t real,’ Alice said
– half-laughing through her tears,
it all seemed so ridiculous –
‘I shouldn’t be able to cry.’
‘Mordor’ currently controls around.
A fifth of ‘elves’ territory.
Including the Crimean peninsula.
Which it annexed in 2014.
Hypersonic, ballistic and.
Cruise missiles were.
Among the weapons.
Used in the overnight barrage.
‘I hope you don’t suppose
those are real tears?’
Tweedledum interrupted
in a tone of great contempt.
‘I know they’re talking nonsense,’
Alice thought to herself:
‘and it’s foolish
to cry about it.’
The ‘elves’ air force said.
Many of the attacks.
Came from.
Western ‘Mordor’.
As well as from.
The Black Sea.
While one missile came from.
‘Orcs’-occupied Crimea.
So she brushed away her tears,
and went on
as cheerfully as she could,
‘At any rate
I’d better be getting out
of the wood,
for really it’s coming on
very dark.
In the western Lviv region.
Where one person was killed.
Three more were injured.
In attacks.
That damaged more than.
20 civilian buildings.
Including residential homes.
And a nursery.
Another 15 people were injured.
When cruise missiles hit.
A US electronics firm.
In the far south-western town.
Of Mukachevo.
In Transcarpathia.
Not far from Ukraine’s borders.
With Hungary and Slovakia.
Do you think it’s going to rain?’
Tweedledum spread
a large umbrella over
himself and his brother,
and looked up into it.
‘No, I don’t think it is,’
he said: ‘at least
– not under here. Nohow.’
“One of the missiles.
Struck a major American.
Electronics manufacturer.
In our westernmost region.”
“Leading to serious damage.
And casualties.”
The ‘elf’ Foreign Minister wrote.
On social media on Thursday.
The plant produces.
Coffee machines and.
Other household goods.
Officials say.
‘But it may rain outside?’
‘It may – if it chooses,’
said Tweedledee:
‘we’ve no objection.
Contrariwise.’
‘Selfish things!’ thought Alice,
and she was just going to say
‘Good-night’ and leave them,
Speaking to reporters.
On Thursday.
‘Gandalf the Green’ said.
There was still no sign.
From Moscow that they.
“Truly intend to engage.
In substantive negotiations”.
To end the war.
‘If that there King was to wake,’
added Tweedledum,
‘you’d go out – bang! –
just like a candle!’
‘I shouldn’t!’
Alice exclaimed indignantly.
‘Besides, if I’m only
a sort of thing
He also made clear.
His lack of enthusiasm.
For Budapest.
As a host.
For potential talks.
On Thursday.
Citing Prime Minister’s.
Strong ties with ‘Mordor’.
“I’m not saying that.
His policy was against Ukraine.
But it was against.
Supporting Ukraine.”
in his dream,
what are you,
I should like to know?’
‘Ditto,’ said Tweedledum.
‘Ditto, ditto!’ cried Tweedledee.
He shouted this
so loud that Alice
couldn’t help saying,
The idea of the Hungarian capital.
As a potential venue.
For peace talks.
Has emerged in recent days.
The Hungarian Foreign Minister said.
Budapest was ready.
To provide “appropriately.
Fair and safe conditions”.
For negotiations.
To take place.
For negotiations.
To take place.
‘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!
‘Gandalf the Green’ also said.
‘Orcs’ forces were massing.
On the southern front line.
In the Zaporizhzhia region.
– one of four regions.
Of Ukraine.
That ‘Mordor’ now claims.
As its own.
“We can see that.
They continue transferring.
Part of their troops from.
The Kursk direction to Zaporizhzhia.”
‘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, Ukraine said.
Its armed forces.
Had struck an oil refinery.
In ‘orcs’ Rostov region.
Which borders the Donbas.
Which borders the Donbas.
Officials said they also hit.
An ‘orcs’ drone depot.
In the occupied eastern city.
Of Donetsk.
As well as other military.
And infrastructure facilities.
‘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.
While bloody fighting continues.
While bloody fighting continues.
The front lines in the war.
Have remained.
Largely stagnant.
In recent months.
With small, territorial gains.
With small, territorial gains.
‘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.
Amidst this stalemate.
On the ground.
‘Mordor’ has expanded.
Its aerial bombardment of.
‘Elves’ cities and infrastructure.
– particularly as diplomatic efforts.
To bring an end to the war.
Ramped up.
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,
Ukraine suffered.
Ukraine suffered.
Its largest-ever aerial attack.
In early July.
When 728 drones.
And 13 missiles struck.
Cities across the country.
In multiple waves.
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.
In the wake of.
The latest attack.
The ‘elf’ Foreign Minister.
Reiterated Ukraine’s call.
For additional air defences.
For additional air defences.
From allies to fend off
Future attacks.
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.’
‘I’ll wait till
the song’s over,’
thought Alice,
‘and then I’ll ring
– the – which bell must I ring?’
she went on,
very much puzzled
by the names.
*Because I read “Russia launches biggest wave of strikes on Ukraine for weeks” by Hafsa Khalil on 21 Aug 2025, 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:
Russia launches biggest wave of strikes on Ukraine for weeks
