Students across Russia are reportedly being offered significant financial incentives to join drone units fighting in Ukraine, serving as both operators and engineers.

This recruitment drive is further evidenced by documents indicating that companies in Russia’s central Ryazan region have been given quotas to enlist workers for the army.

This intensified effort to replenish military ranks comes as Russian forces continue to make battlefield gains in Ukraine, now in the fifth year of the conflict, and as US-brokered peace talks remain on hold due to the Iran war.

The move suggests Moscow is diversifying its recruitment strategies, though the Kremlin has stated that a general mobilisation is not on the agenda.

Top officials also deny any shortage of recruits, despite Ukrainian claims – dismissed by Moscow – that Kyiv is eliminating Russian troops faster than they can be replaced.

Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of the Security Council, told state media on Friday that Russia’s recruitment system, which offers substantial financial packages to volunteers, continues to deliver.

He claimed over 400,000 people signed up last year, with more than 80,000 joining so far this year. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed on Thursday that students are indeed being encouraged to join Russia’s drone forces, a new division of the armed forces established late last year at President Vladimir Putin’s behest.

Peskov added that the recruitment offer “applies equally to everyone – workers, students and the unemployed,” describing it as “a completely open offer, an offer to join a new type of unit.”

Russia’s move to target students – a process critics say has sometimes been accompanied by undue pressure – suggests that Moscow is keen to pour more skilled human resources into its drone forces which – like those of Ukraine – play an increasingly pivotal role in what has long become a war of attrition.

Drone operators from both sides typically work some distance from the front line but are regarded as high-value targets who are hunted down and killed if their positions are revealed.

The Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok is promising students who sign up for a minimum of one year extendable academic leave and a guaranteed exemption from any education fees on their return, plus free accommodation and grants. It is also pledging to cover the costs of any military equipment and weaponry needed.

That is on top of what, by local standards, is a substantial financial package: a first-year salary from 5.5 million roubles ($68,433), a one-off payment of 2.5 million roubles after free training, a monthly allowance of 240,000 roubles, and a one-off payment of 200,000 roubles from the university.

“This is not only an opportunity to prove yourself, but also a unique platform for social and career advancement, backed by unprecedented support measures,” the university said in a document published on March 19.

The Moscow State University of Civil Engineering is offering similar incentives, telling students in a statement on its website that they have the chance to become drone operators, engineers or technical specialists.

The Russian State Hydrometeorological University in St Petersburg is also encouraging its students to sign up. Its offer, published on its website, shows a drone operator promising payments from 7 million roubles ($87,000) per year.

There have been unconfirmed media reports that universities have been given recruitment quotas to meet and leaks suggesting that students – especially those who have failed exams or are indebted – have sometimes faced undue pressure to sign up, such as being threatened with expulsion if they do not.

Reuters was unable to independently confirm that and the Russian Defence Ministry and universities say signing up is entirely voluntary.

The drive to woo students coincides with a new billboard recruitment campaign which shows a young drone operator with glowing eyes in hi-tech glasses under the title “the new indispensables.”

Meanwhile Pavel Malkov, the governor of the Ryazan region – which has a population of over 1 million – has ordered private and public companies to set recruitment quotas for workers to sign contracts with the army.

His orders, contained in a decree which was published on a government website and publicised by state media, said that companies with up to 300 workers should provide two army recruits, companies with up to 500 employees three recruits, and companies with more than 500 workers five recruits.

The decree did not say what punishment, if any, companies would face if they failed to meet the quotas.

June Bunyan, 37, and Jonathan Renteria, 25, had welcomed a baby girl weeks before the murder.

A man has pleaded not guilty to a new indictment charging him with murdering his Scottish wife June Bunyan in the US.

June, 37, who is originally from the Isle of Arran, was found dismembered in her apartment in Los Angeles, California, on September 11 last year. Her husband Jonathan Renteria, 25, was charged with her murder four days later.

The couple had welcomed a baby girl just weeks before the murder.

Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office revealed yesterday Renteria has been indicted on one count each of murder and mutilation/disinterment of human remains, along with a new count of misdemeanor child abuse.

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Authorities allege Renteria killed June, who had moved to the US to work as a lawyer. She was last seen alive on September 4.

The following day, Renteria was seen on his way to drop off the couple’s one-month-old child at his parents’ house while carrying trash bags filled with unknown contents.

Renteria — who was later found in a nearby hotel room suffering from a bloody arm injury — allegedly confessed to killing his wife during an argument in their Franklin Avenue apartment about her weight.

He was ordered to remain behind bars without bail and will appear at a Los Angeles courthouse on June 2 for a pretrial hearing, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

June set up a paralegal service after she moved to LA – but her ultimate aim was to pass the US bar exam so she could practise law in California. Shortly after she started her relationship with Renteria, June filed a restraining order against him citing domestic violence. That claim was later dropped.

Officers discovered June’s torso with missing limbs. The autopsy says the cause of death was traumatic neck injuries and that June suffered approximately 10 “sharp force injuries.”

Her family have since launched a fundraising bid to cover a legal fight to bring her baby to Scotland.

June’s daughter Regina remains in the US with Renteria’s parents. Her family have launched a custody battle to bring her baby home to Scotland but need £40,000 to foot the legal costs.

June’s mother Jill, who still lives on Arran, previously said she wants the details about what happened to her daughter in the public domain. She visits June’s grave in Arran nearly every day and says she finds comfort speaking to her daughter.

Paying tribute, she said she wants her daughter to be remembered as “very beautiful, very intelligent, very funny, humorous, crazy, kind, loving, passionate”.

Jill added: “I know we’re never going to get her back, ever, but I just need to know what happened to her. June deserved better. Way better.”

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Iran shooting down two American military aircraft marks an exceedingly rare assault for the U.S. that has not happened in more than 20 years and shows the Islamic Republic’s continued ability to hit back despite President Donald Trump asserting it has been “completely decimated.”

The attacks came five weeks after U.S. and Israeli strikes first pounded Iran, with Trump saying earlier this week that Tehran’s “ability to launch missiles and drones is dramatically curtailed.”

Iran shot down a U.S. F15-E Strike Eagle fighter jet Friday, with one service member getting rescued and the search still underway for a second, U.S. officials say. Iranian state media also said a U.S. A-10 attack aircraft crashed after being hit by Iranian defense forces.

The last time a U.S. fighter jet was shot down in combat was an A-10 Thunderbolt II during the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, said retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Houston Cantwell, a former F-16 fighter pilot.

But, he said, that’s because the U.S. had largely been fighting insurgents who didn’t have the same anti-aircraft capabilities. The fact that there have not been more fighter jets lost in Iran, Cantwell said, is a testament to the capabilities of U.S. forces.

“The fact that this hasn’t happened until now is an absolute miracle,” said Cantwell, who served four combat tours and is now a senior resident fellow at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. “We’re flying combat missions here, they are being shot at every day.”

Shoulder-fired missile likely used, experts say

U.S. Central Command said in a statement Wednesday that American forces have flown more than 13,000 missions in the Iran war while striking more than 12,300 targets.

After more than a month of punishing U.S.-Israeli airstrikes, a degraded Iranian military nonetheless remains a stubborn foe. Its steady stream of strikes against Israel and Gulf Arab neighbors have been causing regional upheaval and global economic shock.

When it comes to American dominance over Iran’s airspace, there’s still a distinction between air superiority and air supremacy, said Behnam Ben Taleblu, Iran program senior director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a hawkish Washington think tank.

“A disabled air defense system is not a destroyed air defense system,” he said. “We shouldn’t be shocked that they’re still fighting.”

American planes have been flying missions at lower altitudes, which makes them more vulnerable to Iran’s missiles, Taleblu said. It’s possible that Iran fired at the F-15 with a surface-to-air missile, but it’s more likely that a portable, shoulder-fired missile was used, he said. Those are much harder to detect and reflect how Iran is “weak but still lethal.”

“This is a regime that is fighting for its life,” he said.

Mark Cancian, a retired Marine colonel and a senior defense adviser with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, agreed that a shoulder-fired missile was likely used against the fighter jet.

Nonetheless, the American air war against Iran has been a “tremendous success” so far, he said.

To put things in perspective, he said the loss rate for American warplanes flying over Germany during World War II was 3% at one point, which would equal about 350 warplanes in the U.S. war against Iran.

“But then there’s the political side — you have a American public that is accustomed to fighting bloodless wars,” Cancian said. “Then a large part of the country doesn’t support the war. So to them, any loss is unacceptable.”

Pilots are trained on what to do if their plane is hit

The last U.S. jet shot down in combat was struck by an Iraqi surface-to-air missile over Baghdad on April 8, 2003. The pilot safely ejected and was rescued, according to the Air Force.

In high-threat environments like missions over Iran, Cantwell, the retired general, said an aviator’s blood pressure goes up and they become highly alert to incoming missiles. Those are typically either infrared- or radar-guided missiles, he said, requiring different evasive tactics.

If they are hit and need to eject from their aircraft, they are trained on what to do next, he said.

Pilots learn to check for wounds after a violent ejection and the shock of a missile explosion and, most crucially, how they are going to communicate their location so rescuers can find them.

At the same time, he said, the enemy is likely working to intercept the communications or even spoof the location.

Helicopters are more at risk than other aircraft

The planes that went down Friday were not the first crewed American aircraft to be lost overall in Iran.

A military helicopter and airplane exploded in 1980 during an aborted mission to rescue several dozen American hostages at the U.S. embassy in Tehran, according to the Air Force Historical Support Division.

After a series of setbacks, including severe dust storms and mechanical failures, the mission was called off. As the aircraft took off, the rotor blades of one of the RH-53 helicopters collided with an EC-130 aircraft full of fuel and both exploded, killing eight.

More U.S. helicopters have been shot down in recent decades, including a MH-47 Army Chinook helicopter that was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade in Afghanistan in 2005, killing 16. Helicopters are more dangerous because “the lower and the slower, the more susceptible you are,” Cantwell said.

That’s why those who went out on this week’s rescue missions, likely in helicopters, he said, did “such a brave and honorable act.”

___

Bedayn reported from Denver.

Five police officers have been taken off duty after a bag of guns was found outside Sadiq Khan’s home.

Armed officers assigned to protect the Mayor of London reportedly left multiple guns and ammunition outside of his south London residence.

The bag contained an MP5 semi-automatic Heckler & Koch carbine, a Glock pistol, a Taser, and various rounds of ammunition.

They were discovered by member of the public Jordan Griffiths.

He told The Sun: ‘I could not believe my eyes and took some pictures as proof of what we had found.

‘I called the police and told them what I had found and within a few minutes they turned up to collect the guns.

‘When they arrived they were really shocked. They looked through the bag carefully and hurriedly took them away.

‘I was told they had been left there by one of Sadiq Khan’s security officers, which made sense as he lives here.’

The Metropolitan Police said: ‘At around 9.40pm, a member of the public called police after finding a bag containing Met-issued firearms and a Taser on a street in south London.

‘Within seven minutes of the call to police, officers arrived at the scene and safely recovered the items.

‘We are urgently reviewing the circumstances of this incident and recognise the concern it may cause.

‘At this stage it is believed the bag was misplaced by on-duty officers a short time before the member of the public located it.

‘We recognise the concern this may cause and an internal review was immediately launched into the circumstances.’

A spokesperson for Mayor of London Sir Sadiq said: ‘This is a very serious incident, which has been referred to the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards.

‘The Met must now take all steps to ensure an incident like this never occurs again.’

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Rangers host Dundee United at Ibrox at 3pm on Saturday in the Scottish Premiership

If Rangers find their best form against Dundee United, they could move to the top of the Scottish Premiership.

Danny Rohl’s side are yet to beat the Tangerines this season, having been held to a pair of 2-2 draws in their two previous encounters.

Jim Goodwin and his squad are riding high as he aims to complete an Old Firm double either side of the international break.

United stunned Celtic with a 2-0 victory at Tannadice last month and now travel to their city rivals’ ground looking to claim another impressive result.

The Taysiders came from behind to take the lead on their last visit to Ibrox before being denied at the death as James Tavernier salvaged a point.

That match was the final fixture before Danny Rohl’s arrival, with the German subsequently watching another late goal secure Rangers a point at Tannadice, reports the Daily Record.

Rangers, however, are now firmly embroiled in a title race with seven matches remaining, and victory would see them leapfrog rivals Hearts and Celtic – who are not in action until Sunday – to go top.

Here’s everything you need to know about the fixture.

When is Rangers vs Dundee United?

Rangers host Dundee United at Ibrox on Saturday, April 4. Kick-off is at 3pm.

Is Rangers vs Dundee United on TV?

Unfortunately, the fixture has not been selected by Sky Sports or Premier Sports.

However, fans can tune into Sportscene highlights on BBC Scotland from 10:30pm on Sunday, April 5.

Can I live stream Rangers vs Dundee United?

Regrettably, the match will only be accessible to viewers outside of the UK and Ireland. Rangers TV and Dundee United TV subscribers abroad can live stream the fixture as usual at no extra cost from their regular devices.

There is no pay-per-view option available.

Where else can I follow Rangers vs Dundee United?

You can keep up with all the latest action from Ibrox right here with our sister publication dailyrecord.co.uk

Ref and VAR

John Beaton is the referee taking charge at Ibrox. He will be assisted by David McGeachie and Chris Rae. Greg Aitken handles VAR duties alongside assistant Duncan Williams.

There are plenty of activities for children

If you want to take advantage of the many plants that are blooming throughout spring, you might want to go flower-picking to brighten up your home. With plenty of other activities involved, the Secret Farm is offering a new flower picking experience for 2026.

Found just outside Cambridgeshire, the Secret Farm could be a good day out for your family over Easter. You will be free to walk around the tulip fields and pick colourful flowers to take home.

As well as being able to create your own unique bouquet, there are many activities for children. The farm will have mini tractors, balance bikes, and go-karts for kids to ride around the area on.

To help children let off some steam, there is climbing equipment for them to explore, straw bales to jump around on, and outdoor play areas. There is also a sand ‘beach’ where children can play.

There are also plenty of places for a spring-themed family photo, such as a sofa made out of straw bales, to help you remember the day by. There are a few activities that you can pay for including the Easter trail, tractor barrel trains, and a bouncy castle if you want to make the most out of your trip.

If you and your children are worn out after walking through the fields and taking part in the activities, you can enjoy a spot of lunch in the picnic area while watching the surrounding countryside. You can also buy some hot food at the farm including burgers, Dutch pancakes, and snacks to have alongside a hot or cold drink.

The tulip experience will be running until Monday, April 6. The farm will be open from 10am to 6pm with a few different arrival time slots available.

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Tickets for the Secret Farm tulip experience cost £5 for adults and children. Tickets for the day you would like to visit the farm on can be bought on the Secret Farm website.

The Secret Farm can be found on Blunham Road, which is a 46-minute drive away from Cambridge via the B1042. Your ticket also includes free parking on the site.

Cruz Beckham has appeared to take another dig at his brother Brooklyn in a new cooking video for TikTok.

The 21-year-old has launched a fledgling music career amid the ongoing estrangement between Brooklyn and his wider family.

However, it appears that Brooklyn’s love of cooking, who often posts video of his creations on social media, has started to rub off on Cruz.

Posting a video on Friday, Cruz cooked his girlfriend Jackie Apostel pancakes for breakfast, just days after Brooklyn’s wife Nicola Peltz said she loves the sweet treat.

Writing on the caption, Cruz said: ‘She wants crepe, she got em’, as he filmed himself making the batter before adding Nutella.

This comes after Cruz appeared to come for his brother with a ‘passive-aggressive’ cooking video earlier this month.

Previously, at the height of rumours of a family feud, musician Cruz responded to a TikTok comment asking: ‘Are you going to stick with this job or going to become a race car driver next or something?’

Throwing some serious shade in former aspiring footballer/model/photographer Brooklyn’s direction, Cruz replied: ‘Wrong brother mate’.

But now, he’s taken things up a notch by creating his own cooking content
‘wanna see the best cooking video ever ?👌 don’t watch this then’, he quipped in his TikTok caption as he shared a montage of clips from making a ‘cheesy potato soup’.

With Dolce Nonna playing in the background, the youngest Beckham boy chopped up his ingredients and combined them to make the dish, serving the soup in a bowl with seasoning.

Joking that, ‘as gross as it looks, it’s actually decent’, Cruz flashed the camera a thumbs up after the meal was ready to eat.

Naturally, it didn’t take long for people to sense a hidden motive behind his social media content.

‘This is so passive aggressive. I love it!!’, commented @suzanneevans76.

Prior to this, Cruz seemed to express his hopes of patching things up with Brooklyn.

Despite Brooklyn insisting he has no desire to reconcile with his family, having accused his parents of ‘controlling’ him and ‘disrespecting’ wife Nicola Peltz, 31, Cruz still wished him a happy birthday earlier this month.

Stepping out in Paris, France, with his girlfriend, Jackie Apostel, 30, Cruz was asked by a TMZ videographer: ‘Any well wishes to your brother? It’s his birthday,’ to which he replied, ‘Happy birthday,’ with a smile.

Cruz dipped his head and stayed silent when asked if he’d had any contact with Brooklyn lately, before the reporter probed: ‘Any chance you guys will repair the relationship? Are you hopeful for that?’

‘Hopefully,’ Cruz said back, wishing the journalist a ‘lovely day’ before walking away.

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