For obvious reasons, our “By Invitation” column this week does not bear the author’s name. “It arrived not as an event but as a sensation, felt everywhere at once,” writes a former senior official in the Russian government: “Vladimir Putin has led Russia into a dead-end.” He lays out four reasons why Russians are beginning to imagine a future without their president. 

Donald Trump’s “Project Freedom”, intended to unblock the Strait of Hormuz, did not last long. But now Mr Trump is claiming that “great progress” has been made towards an agreement to end the war with Iran. Believe it or not, that’s probably an exaggeration.

Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party is widely thought to be heading for a hiding today in elections for English local councils and the Scottish and Welsh Parliaments. Our Blighty newsletter explains what else to watch for when the results roll in.