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in moscow. that is a wake-up call. a sign that this war is very real and close to home. >> one of the questions that needs to be asked is whether the ukrainian intelligence and security services have russian agents in moscow helpingo carry out these attacks. >> probably the most senior russian general to be killed since the full-scale invasion of ukraine by russia in 2022. ♪ >> senior russian general killed by a bomb in moscow. less than 10 kilometers from the kremlin. kyiv claims responsibility. a warning to the russian leadership they will be hunted for war crimes committed in ukraine. we will look at the unit that is behind it and the tactics that are employed. tonight, a cease-fire in gaza is getting your but final details

to be hammered out. the special relationship the british government is not so keen on. nigel faraj in talks with elon musk at mar-a-lago. the kremlin has called the killing of a russian general in moscow in act of terrorism has vowed to take revenge. ukraine security services they they were behind the attack which killed the left tenant. he was killed by a bomb hidden in a scooter outside an apartment building. he had been accused of using chemical weapons on the battlefield. the deputy chairman of the russian security council said those responsible must be eradicated. a russia editor sent us this report from moscow. >> being filmed from a car opposite, a russian general and his assistant here, what appears to be a scooter. we will come back to that. what followed was a giant

explosion with deadly consequences. the two men were killed. a moscow apartment block is now a crime scene. investigators sifted through the debris searching for clues. they -- later, a spokesperson for russia's investigative committee revealed the bomb had been hidden on the scooter. a terrorist attack she called it. it was the targeted assassination of this man. left tenant, the chief of russia's radiation, chemical and biological protectionorces. only yesterday, ukraine had reportedly charged him in abstention for his alleged use of chemical weapons in the war. the general was known for making wild accusations against the west. he once claimed america was plotting to infect russian troops with malaria by releasing mosquitoes from drones. in october the foreign office sanctioned him calling him a significant mouthpiece for

kremlin disinformation. russian state tv said with today'attack, president zelenskyy had signed his own death sentence. the former kremlin leader, dmitry medvedev, called for the killers to be tracked down in russia. we must do everything he said to destroy the patrons who were in kyiv. for local residents who may have heard the blast, there is a sense of shocked. for many muscovites, even after three years of war, russia's war in ukraine is something that is happening a long way away from here. something they see on tv or on their phone. but the killing of a general here in mosco that is a wake-up call and a sign that this war is very real and very close to home. lisa who lives close by says she is scared. when this kind of things

happened -- kind of thing happens not just in your hometown or your neighborhood but in the building opposite, that is shocking. there has been no reaction yet from president putin but the expectation is after such a high-profile killing in the russian capital, moscow will retaliate. >> let's get some reaction to that. the author of our enemies will vanish, russia's invasion and ukraine's war of independence. he is a chief foreignffairs correspondent for the wall street journal. thank you for being with us. we can see from the pictures that this is a man who was known to president putin. how close was he in the inner circle? >> very much so. he was in a meeting attended by president putin just yesterday. the very same day when the ukrainian government indicted him for alleged war crimes. and using chemical weapons,,

puritans on the front line in a ukraine. >> the case and the reach of these assassinations is increasing. last week it was one of the engineers involved in the upgrading of the crew's missiles reportedly shot dead in his hometown about 10 kilometers from the kremlin. what do you make of the tactics in moscow? >> it is not just the g you are. it is also the sbu and other branches of a great -- of ukrainian intelligence. it is part of a broader pattern. many officials in ukraine realize it is impossible to win the war in ukraine if it is confined to ukraine. they are trying to bring the war to russia. that is why president zelenskyy order the invasion of the kursk region of russia. that is why ukraine is firing drones and missiles at military and infrastructure in russia. that is why there has been this growing number of the on russian soil as you mentioned. in addition to the general, one

of the leaders of the russian cruise missile program but before that senior russian officers, intelligence officials. that is all part of a campaign to bring the war to russia so that the russians also feel the results of this three-year-old conflict that has been felt by every ukrainian. >> there is a certain flamboyance in a way to the methods that they are using. they are very public in the way they execute some of these assassinations. highly covert operations. it is much in the style of the israeli intelligence services. >> yes and no. if you look at the casualties from the ukrainian attacks, it is very rare we actually have civilians, innocent bystanders being hit. the assassination today of the general only killed him and his assistant, bodyguards.

no civilians appear as far as we know have been injured in this. but yes, it is true. ukrainians have been watching how mossad is -- has managed to change the trajectory of the conflict in the middle east. i went to see the office of the commander of the ukrainian military intelligence. as i mention the books on his de tactics of the israeli mossad. >> so they are actually learning from them and trying to replicate the way in which they target the upper echelon. >> they are learning from their mistakes. as i have said, so far we have not seen the collateral damage we see in some of the bombis. >> do you think it is possible to do all this without some help on the inside?

>> absolutely impossible. ukrainian intelligence does have a network of agents and sabbath visors deeply embedded inside russia -- sympathizers deeply embedded inside russia. there is a number of russians, a small minority perhaps that are deeply opposed to putin's war in ukraine. that feel the ukrainian cause is the right cause and they are willing to risk arrest and death to help the ukrainians. some of these russians have gone over to ukraine to join the ukrainian military. many others are engaging in not just assassinations but acts of sabotage such as explosions on railways. just the other day we saw a russian fighter jet being torched in russian airfield. these acts of resistance within russia are becoming commonplace. >> thank you very much for being with us. let's bring in peter dickinson should he is the editor of the ukraine alert at the atlantic

council. thank you for being on the program. the motivation is pretty obvious. they are trying to demoralize those on whom the war directly depends. you would think it is creating some paranoia within the general command. >> absolutely. the idea here is to send a clear message to everyone in the hierarchy of russia. the political hrarchy or the military hierarchy that you are not safe. and is attack took place centrally in the heart of moscow of a very senior member of the military so it does not yet much higher than that. they are clear indicating to the russians they will be held to account. ukraine is not going to wait for some long-winded international tribunals. they are going to exact revenge has and when they wish. they are going to do so in the heart of moscow. this will spread panic one would assume within the kremlin and within the hierarchy in russia.

it is personally embarrassing for putin. >> you think they have set their ambitions higher because there is this talk of a negotiation are they trying to get to as many constituencies as they can in russia to try to force the issue? >> i would think in operation like this has been long in the planning. is not something that happens overnight. i'm not sure if it is directly related to the prospect of talks on the horizon. ukraine has been very open. president zelenskyy and other ukrainian officials have said many times they will hold russians accountable. russians will face justice for the crime they are committing in ukraine. i think while it is a way of undermining russian morale, it is something they have long aimed to do. i think they had lived -- they have been planning this for some time. they have been monitoring and preparing to >> >> the former russian president has stepped up the rhetoric tonight. one would anticipate there would be quite a response coming in the next few days.

>> russia will have to respond. they will have to be seen to respond. that is part of ukraine's calculus. the idea of restraint from ukraine's perspective is difficult for ukrainians to understand the concept these days. they are facing with they believe is a genocidal or. more than 10 million people have been displaced. under's of thousands killed. entire cities and towns throughout the east and south have been reduced to rubble. ukrainians are not thinking in terms of fear of escalation from the russian side. that is much more something that comes from ukraine's western allies. from the ukraine a point of view, the emphasis is on striking back. bringing the war to russia and saying you cannot act with impunity attacking us and expect it not to boomerang back on you because it will. there will certainly be some attempts at retribution will response. as far as ukraine is concerned,

that is to be expected. that is nothing new. >> jaroslav was making the point you cannot do something on the scale and in repeated fashion without some help on the inside. would you imagine as part of the investigation the russians will be looking at their own and people within that inner circle? >> absolutely. one would assume there will be a furious debate within russia and perhaps a witch hunt. perhaps they will be chasing shadows. . there will be a lot of paranoia. they will be looking at each other and say who is leaking information here. this is a very senior figure. his security one would assume is top-notch. he is clearly someone who is aware he is on the international sanctions list. ukraine yesterday announced they were charging him with war crimes. he was in obvious high-level target. he would have been presumably receiving the highest levels of

security. it was not enough clearly. there are clearly issues the russians need to address and there is a strong suspicion there are people within the russian establishment who are working against them. that is going to be something they will have to take into and probably there will be a witch hunt. >> peter dickinson. good to talk to you. thank you for coming on. we will take a short break. you are watching the bbc around the world and here in the u.k. ♪

♪ >> we could be moving closer to a cease-fire deal in gaza. hamas say the cease-fire talks in qatar aimed at a truce and a hollister -- a hostage prisoner exchange are serious and positive. it is really negotiating team has arrived in talks with qatar with growing hopes a deal could be signed in the growing days.

of course we have been here before and final details of the negotiations are always the hardest. . there is pressure from president-elect donald who has warned hamas all hell will break out if the hostages are not released by the inauguration. >> as you know, i gave warning that if these hostages are not back home by that date, all hell is going to break out. we will have to determine what that means. it means it will not pleasant. >> the talks appear to be based on the deal president was dutch president biden was pushing in may. the palestinians say there are three phases to it. . civilians and women soldiers would be held -- would be released within 45 days. is really forces pulling out of the city centers in the coastal road. israelis would release hundreds of palestinian prisoners. hamas appears to have shifted on allowing the israeli troops to remain in the initial phase in those key areas.

the philadelphia corridor -- the philadelphi corridor. there would be a second visit for displaced gazans to return to the north of the territory for the final stage that would end the war. remitting hostages freed and troops withdrawn at that point. 96 hostages still held in gaza. 62 are assumed by israel to still be alive. here is the u.s. states -- state department spokesperson matthew miller. >> based on the remaining issues, we should be able to get to an agreement. we should be able to bridge the disagreements between the two parties but that is not to say that we will. because again, there been times before where we were close and we thought the differences were bridge ripple and we did not get a deal. as you have heard me say before, all united states can do is push and try to come up with compromises but we cannot dictate to either side what choice they have to make. they have to make those decisions for themselves.

>> let's bring in senior fellow on national security at the middle east is the two and former senior u.s. diplomat. good to have you on the program tonight. clearly hamas is at its weakest point. yahya sinwar is dead. a lot of the infrastructure in gaza has been demolished. arab negotiators have reportedly told them the longer they wait, the worse the terms will be. you get a sense they are shifting and a deal >> >> i am glad to be here. what we need to remember is both sides and the israelis are dealing with all sorts of internal issues. i think that hamas is very much weakened. which does not make it easier to reach an agreement that is implementable and sustainable. in other words, who is going to speak for everyone? who is going to be able to say the rest of you stand down on this? i think we have that one problem

to consider. the other is as the spokesman says it is a question of the fine points and the definitions. if there are releases on both sides, if hostages are released according to the criteria that are set out and if palestinians who had been held by the israelis are also released, are they going to be released to gaza? are they going to be released to the west bank? are they going to be released to palestinian custody? what is going to be except the ball to hamas -- acceptable to hamas in order for it to say including extreme fringes, let's move in on this deal? on the israeli side, you als have still significant disagreements within the cabinet. >> we will come to the israelis in a second. one of the finer points you talk about is the initial phase and the release of the 30 hosges

israel considers to be in and i use the term loosely humanitarian category. the women, elderly, the sicker captives. hamas are saying the number of living captives that fall into that category or not there or they cannot put a figure on it. clearly in the chaos of what has unfolded in gaza, there are some things if we believe hamas are yet unknown. >> whether or not we believe hamas simply looking at the level of discussion in gaza, it is -- of destruction in gaza, it is inconceivable it would be known exact who is still remaining alive. many of the hostages have been injured or killed in is really bombardment. others have been killed either in the process of being up ducted or later by -- being up ducted or later by hamas.

i would doubt either israel or hamas has a genuine accounting. this goes down i think to the most critical piece which is going to be at this stage and at any stage further if there is not some level of trust between the parties, it is very easy for spoilers or foreign issue -- for an issue to become a spoiled issue to put this issue off track. i would like to be optimistic. i truly would. i am not sure i am. >> a quick point on the unresolved issue between jerusalem and cairo, this future management of the rafa border crossing which is crucial if you're going to get aid flowing and that is part of the deal. what is the hold up there? who should be in control of it and hathat and decided to -- decided? >> i don't think it is going to be easy to decide because the israelis are saying at least in

-- at least internally we will retain security control over all of gaza. that leaves a lot of things undefined and a border crossing is often seen as a primary security issue. so if israel reserves the right to either directly control or to have veto power over crossings there, i don't think we are going to see a significant mitterrand -- significant improvement on humanitarian access or the ability of families to reunite. that is leaving aside returns of the 90% of the population who are displaced within gaza. >> it is a critical issue. joanne cummings, thank you for your expertise. let's turn to someone who does speak to negotiators or people close to negotiations in qatar. that is the cofounder and director of forward thinking, a non-governmental organization

that works to resolve conflict. always good to have you on the program. you have your year to the ground. what is going on in qatar at the minutes? >> there is a cautious optimism. the mooto coming out has been different from previous rounds of negotiation. i am hearing there is al hope that a deal may be reached. it will be complex as was said and i think the complexity could easily derail it but interesting, i spent today here in jerusalem in the israeli institute for advanced studies. they were having a conference on basically the prospects for peace after october 7. there was a real eye felt -- a real eye felt a gloom mood and

no mention whatsoever of the deal that is going on because i think people at that conference had to be convinced netanyahu was sincerely pursuing a deal. >> do you think as we were just discussing about the internal problems within both camps that there is still pressure on prime minister netanyahu to get more out of this negotiation from his cabinet? >> i don't think he is under any pressure at all. he determines what goes on. yesterday, i noticed thank you veer voted against the budget for next year simply because he was concerned there was going to be a deal. i don't think that narrative he was under this pressure and held hostage himself by the far right

in his cabinet, i don't think that is true. i think he is pursuing his war aims he stated at the beginning of this war in october last year. the total demise of hamas. that is still on the table for him. he feels as long as he pursues that, his position as prime minister is secure. >> that said, he is as we heard from donald, he is under pressure from the incoming administration to get this done. and if you antagonize donald trump, it can unravel quite quickly as benjamin netanyahu knows from previous experience. >> i put youth>> -- i put your finger -- you put your finger on the hope i have. the good thing about donald is very transactional. there is no pretense he is working on principle. it is interests. that has always been american foreign policy. trump is the first one that is very open about it and frank about it.

i think netanyahu has to play his cards very carefully because if he obstructs from ames and i do think he once a cease-fire, he wants the permanent peace in the area. it will help him to promote his bigger plan which is further normalization. bring the saudi's further in to the region. israel in to the region with saudi arabia. >> the abraham accords>> very important. >> it is in the economic interest of america to achieve that. i think netanyahu has to play his cards very carefully with donald trump in office. >> we will have to leave it announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... financial services firm, raymond james.

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