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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Shaun Walker in Kyiv

DARK SECRETS: Putin will be smiling ukraine struggles as us focus moves to iran | Vintage Vibes

Firefighters battle a blaze in Ukraine.
Firefighters tackle a blaze in a multi-storey apartment block after a Russian missile strike in Kharkiv. Photograph: Andrii Marienko/AP

At the Iranian embassy in Kyiv, a salmon-pink mansion on a street close to the presidential administration, there were several open days last week for anyone who wished to come and sign a book of condolences in memory of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, killed in the US-Israeli air strikes on Tehran.

Inside, candles lined the floor and mournful music played, as diplomats ushered the way to a room with a portrait of Khamenei and the book to sign. There was, however, no queue of well-wishers.

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