Anti-monarchists unfurling giant yellow ‘Not My King’ flags have joined the thousands of royal superfans and well-wishers on the Mall for King Charles III’s coronation.

“Not My King” protesters could be heard shouting anti-monarchy slogans as they joined the thousands of people who had gathered on the Coronation Route in central London this morning.

Up to 2,000 people are expected to attend the peaceful “Not My King” protests in Trafalgar Square and along the route of the coronation procession today.

It comes amid fears that eco-zealots are planning a graffiti attack on a memorial in The Mall during King Charles’ coronation, as police vow tough action against such tactics.

While Just Stop Oil has not announced any planned protests over the king’s coronation, it did not rule out the possibility, saying yesterday it could “neither confirm nor deny” that it would take action.

A “ring of steel” has been erected around the capital, with 11,500 police officers on duty and a further 10,000 military personnel taking part in what is expected to be the largest security operation in British history.

Anti-monarchists hoist huge yellow flags on the Mall on the day of King Charles’ coronation

A protester waves a ‘Not My King’ flag in Trafalgar Square, central London on Saturday

A record 11,500 police officers – a large number of them armed – will guard London this weekend in what is expected to be the largest security operation in British history

On the Mall, Republican protesters were seen crammed into a corner of Trafalgar Square as a spokesman for the group, who declined to give only his first name, Luke, said: “We are here to stand by your opposition to the monarchy.

“We don’t want them and we don’t need them and they don’t represent the entire population. We should have an elected head of state.

“It’s not a good system with good values ​​that we have at the moment.”

He said his organization chose the coronation because it is an important event that will draw attention around the world and help spread its message.

Republicans who have gathered in Trafalgar Square for a Not My King protest are currently outnumbered by royal fans.

One royal fan, Chris Riley, 55, a contracts manager from Nottingham, told Web: ‘I love the king. I hope it’s the most glorious day for him and the country. “I’m a bit disappointed that there are people here with anti-monarchy banners, which is a bit distasteful.”

Tim Constantinou, 54, from Stoke on Trent and a former Army Corporal, said: “This is a momentous occasion that I had to be a part of.

“I’ve always been impressed by Charles and met him in 1991 when I came back from the Gulf War.

“We had lost a few people from our regiment and he knew their names and was very knowledgeable about the regiment. He has time for people and genuine interest. “I think he will be a wonderful king and unite the country for many, many years.”

Susan Williams, 19, from Castle Bromwich said: “I think the King is great. But I’m more in love with William and Harry and Kate is just amazing with her style.

“I hope Charles has a very long time as king but I think William will be really cool when he takes over.”

Metropolitan Police gunmen take position ahead of the coronation

Huge crowds have already gathered in central London ahead of the King’s coronation

Earlier this week, the Republic said “it will not be deterred” after receiving a “passive-aggressive” letter from the Home Office warning it of plans to protest the king’s coronation.

The group has criticized the Home Office for the official warning letter, which they “interpreted as passive/aggressive intimidation of a legitimate protest group”.

The letter, sent by the Home Office’s Police Powers Unit, details new offenses under the Public Order Bill, which received royal assent from the monarch yesterday.

Under the new legislation, protesters who block vital infrastructure such as roads, airports and railways can face 12 months in prison.

Anyone caught sticking or gluing themselves to buildings or objects faces six months in prison and an unlimited fine.

A police officer guards thousands of people along the procession route ahead of the king’s coronation

A protester wearing a beanie hat that reads “Not My King”.

A protester waves a ‘Not My King’ placard as thousands gather in central London for the coronation

Police can also stop and search anyone they suspect planning to cause disruption under measures that came into effect today – ahead of the May 6 coronation.

The Home Office has contacted a number of protest groups to update them on new crimes that could affect them.

But Graham Smith, Republic chief executive, said his campaign surrounding the coronation will go ahead as planned.

Mr Smith said it was “very strange” that the letter was from the Home Office and described it as “intimidating”.

Police are seen speaking to Just Stop Oil protesters on May 3, days before the coronation of King Charles

He said: “We had two meetings with Met police and numerous phone calls.

“They have said repeatedly that they have no concerns about the Republic’s plans. It is a mystery why the Home Office felt it necessary to send us an anonymous letter that could be construed as intimidation.”

“The Republic will not be deterred and we will be protesting in Trafalgar Square and along the route of the coronation procession on Saturday.

“It is significant that Charles, who has had no problem speaking out on various issues, has chosen not to defend democratic rights when they are threatened on his behalf. Maybe he could make it clear that he believes in the right to protest.’

As a huge security operation began, protesters attempting to disrupt the coronation were warned that they could be shot by police if they ran toward a carriage, just in case they were carrying a bomb.

HMS Diamond, a Type 45 destroyer, will stand guard on the Thames to protect the King

Former Royal Protection Officer Simon Morgan, now operations manager at security firm Trojan Consultancy, said: “It’s an armed police operation because of the threat that the UK is facing, the threat that is facing the Royal Family, the dignitaries involved. So we have to be very careful.

“Someone running in front of the wagons and fumbling with something in their backpack will say that’s not an IED, it’s a banner that just unfurls.

“These protesters need to be very careful about the environment they enter, and the police are very aware of that.”

Facial recognition technology is also used to report people on watch lists or pending arrest warrants to the police.

While HMS Diamond, a Type 45 destroyer capable of tracking drones from a distance of 250 miles, will also keep watch on the Thames on the King’s Coronation weekend.

The Russians have apparently launched a major incendiary attack on the heavily contested town of Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast.

Video captured by a drone has emerged showing the telltale droplets of brightly glowing incendiary munitions reportedly burning across Bakhmut.

The video was geolocated to Bakhmut by our friend Evergreen Intel.

The Russians apparently used incendiary ammunition against the defenders of Azovstal in Mariupol a year ago. (Twitter screencap)

By covering a wide area with very hot flaming droplets, arsonists will devastate some structures, certain types of material, foliage, vehicles, and especially flesh.

Block-by-block combat between the ruins of a once-thriving coal-mining town has proven extremely costly for both sides. Russia stepping up the use of these terrible area weapons at Bakhmut would come as no great surprise as its advance has stalled and a major Ukrainian counteroffensive looms.

We will be keeping a close eye on this evolving situation and will update our story with any new information that comes in.

Before we turn to the latest updates from Ukraine, The War Zone readers can catch up on our ongoing coverage so far here.

The newest

The spokesman for Ukraine’s air force on Friday dismissed claims that a newly deployed Patriot air-defense missile downed a Russian Kinzhal missile over Kiev yesterday. The claim of a Ukrainian defense news release and open-source intelligence trackers would mark a major milestone for Ukraine, which has long sought more sophisticated air defense systems like the Patriot to defeat fast-moving ballistic missiles it previously could not.

“I’ve already denied it a thousand times, you should have seen it yesterday,” Colonel Yuri Ignat told Ukrainian media outlet Suspline. “There was a possibility of deployment, but no ballistic missiles were recorded. What some heads of military administration say, they’ve already gotten for it.”

The Kinzhal (Russian for dagger) is a short-range Iskander ballistic missile specially adapted for air launch. They are fired from MiG-31 Foxhound heavy interceptors modified to carry a single such missile. Given the range and speed of these weapons, a nationwide alert is raised whenever a foxhound is sighted taking off in a neighboring area, Ignat told reporters in March.

In its analysis, Defense Express pointed out that one of the photos that surfaced on social media “shows the nose fairing, that used in the Kh-47 ‘Dagger’ missile, with a complex shape with a sharp diameter as similar as possible is transitions.”

The Ukraine Weapons Tracker OSINT group came to the same conclusion as Defense Express about the debris pointing to the wreckage of a ballistic missile, most likely a Kinzhal.

“The debris matches the unitary warhead configuration used in the Kh-47M2 and Iskander series missiles,” they tweeted on Friday.

The Defense Express and Ukraine Weapons Tracker assessments came a day after Ukrainian officials said missiles were part of the latest barrage on Kiev on Thursday. It was a hectic day when Ukraine also shot down one of its own TB-2 drones. You can read more about it here.

“The Russians attacked Kiev with Shahed-type blocking ammunition and likely ballistic missiles,” Serhiy Popko, head of the military administration of the city of Kiev, also known by its Ukrainian acronym KMVA, wrote on the organization’s Telegram channel Thursday. “(The final type of missiles used will be determined only after examining the remains). According to preliminary information, in the airspace of Kiev our air defense forces destroyed all enemy missiles and UAVs!”

The Ukrainian Air Force was apparently dissatisfied with both the Kinzhal’s analysis and the KMVA’s comments about a possible ballistic missile in the weapon mix that hit Kiev on Thursday.

“There will be no comments or power-ups from Air Force announcers today!” it said on Friday on his Telegram channel. “For additional current, operational and reliable information that the enemy will use in the war against Ukraine, please refer to the following sources of information.”

The Air Force then listed the URL for Defense Express as well as the link to the KVMA Telegram channel.

“We apologize for the inconvenience!”

As we wrote back in December, the Patriots are likely a prime target for Russia, which Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov threatened at the time. Given the somewhat static nature of these batteries, with at least one most likely defending Kiev, they would be a prime target for Kinzhal missiles.

Yesterday we told you about a series of suspected drone strikes on Russian oil depots within its own borders and on the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia has occupied since 2014. This rush has apparently continued to this day. According to Russian media, Russian media reported another Ukrainian drone attack on the Ilsky refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar Oblast, across the Kerch Strait from Crimea.

“Fire at Ilsky oil refinery in Krasnodar Territory on video,” Russia’s MASH news agency reported on Friday on its Telegram channel. “This is the second attack on oil storage facilities by Ukrainian forces in two days.”

“Previously, the UAV flew into one of the facilities, a fire started. No casualties were reported.”

MASH claimed the refinery was attacked by “a group of saboteurs. According to our information, they were arrested. They attempted to escape from the emergency site through the pipeline. Refinery workers say saboteurs blew up the fifth plant using IEDs. The victims are still unknown.”

The War Zone could not independently verify this information.

Another tranche of Ukrainian troops is being trained on Western armor, in this case 80 Leopard 1 tanks donated by Denmark and Germany.

Those tanks are expected to be operational in Ukraine next month, US-funded news agency Radio Svaboda reported on its Telegram channel on Friday.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry Telegram channel, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu flew to Ukraine on Friday to conduct a readiness inspection.

“Deputy Minister of Defense Colonel-General A. Kuzmenkov, responsible for material and technical support to the Russian Armed Forces, presented Army General Sergei Shoigu with new deliveries of modern tanks, armored fighting vehicles, special equipment and motor vehicles from enterprises of the military-industrial complex to supply the groups Russian troops,” according to the Defense Ministry.

Shoigu also “inspected storage and repair bases for weapons and military equipment withdrawn from combat zones.”

And as we wrote earlier today, Shoigu, as an obvious reaction to the outbreak of Prigozhin, also instructed Colonel-General A. Kuzmenkov “to keep under special control the issues of continuous and rhythmic supply of groups of troops in the areas of the special command military operation with all necessary weapons and military equipment.”

As part of its ongoing Drone Army initiative, Ukraine has trained 10,000 drone operators, digital transformation minister Mykhailo Federov reported, according to the Kyiv Post. You can read more about Ukrainian drone operations in our story here.

Speaking of drones, check out this Ukrainian first-person video (FPV) drone taking out a Russian speeding down the street on a quad bike. The FPVs are fast one-way quadrocopters that are controlled via VR glasses and can hit highly dynamic targets.

These drones are gaining popularity among Ukrainian troops as you can see in this image below.

That’s it for now. We will update this story when we have more news to share about Ukraine.

Contact the author: [email protected]

In Wales, a supermarket customer recently had a hilarious surprise. In a can of beans she just bought, the 26-year-old spotted … a real snake.

In Wales, a customer of Aldi – a large chain of discount supermarkets – recently made a discovery she will remember for a long time. She opens an innocent can of beans she just bought from her local shop in Porth, south of the country, and discovers what appears to be a “Dead Snake”reported local newspaper Wales Online on May 3, 2023. “something gray and black with distinctive markings”says the 26-year-old that she almost threw the box across the room.

After the surprise and shock wore off, the customer hurriedly posted a photo of the inside of the container on social media, accompanied by this caption: “So, um… is that a snake in my beans?” »

Also read: This Japanese village is offering nearly €10,000 to capture a legendary snake

Aldi shopper was horrified to find what appeared to be a ‘dead snake’ inside a tin of baked beans
https://t.co/p5xFXVXxgr pic.twitter.com/wDfpbxFewq

– WalesOnline 🏴！ May 3, 2023

“Everything suddenly changed”

The news has been viewed more than a million times and commented on hundreds of times, according to British daily The Mirror. Some netizens describe this discovery as “traumatic” while others are ironic. “Are you sure it’s not listed in the ingredients as ‘additives’? », asks a cybernaut. In order to remain anonymous, the client concerned then deleted her publication.

“Too Panic”she said, to see what was at the bottom of that box, the young woman contented herself with touching the unwanted snake with a fork. “So I gave a fork and everything suddenly moved, after which I refused to look again.”she explains to the Welsh newspaper of the French television channel CNews.

Also read: Quiz. Do you really know the world of snakes?

After this event, the customer returned to the store to file a reasoned complaint. As compensation, Aldi offered him two bottles of wine. One of the brand’s spokespersons, interviewed by the local press, commented on this issue: “While we cannot explain the exact cause of this issue, there could be a defect in the packaging that allows air to enter and degrade the item.”. This is not the first time a reptile of this species has been found in the chain’s products. In 2021, Australian television network ABC reported that a customer had already found a snake inside one of the brand’s products. This time the snake had settled not in a can of beans but in a packet of lettuce!