After US and Israeli airstrikes struck targets in Iran and Iranian state media confirmed the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ukraine posted a cryptic image on its official social media channels suggesting that Russian President Vladimir Putin could be next “to fall.”
The AI‑generated image, captioned “dictator domino,” displayed figures of ousted Syrian President Bashar al‑Assad, former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, Khamenei, and Putin arranged as black domino tiles on a wooden surface. The graphic was meant to portray a sequence of authoritarian figures “falling” like dominoes, with Putin depicted as the final one still standing.
While the first three leaders appeared as “fallen,” the tile showing Putin’s face was labelled “About To Fall.” The post came as Ukraine’s war with Russia entered its fifth year.
Earlier, officials from Israel and the United States said the coordinated strikes had killed Khamenei. Iranian state media later verified his death and announced a 40‑day period of mourning, triggering varied reactions around the world.
On Saturday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the strikes by the US and Israel had created an opportunity for the Iranian people to remove what he called the “terrorist regime” in Tehran. Kyiv has repeatedly accused Iran of supplying Moscow with weapons, including drones and other military equipment, for use in its offensive against Ukraine.
Zelenskyy noted in a video address that although Ukraine had never threatened Iran directly, Tehran chose to align itself with Russia by providing weapons and production technology. He argued that giving the Iranian people a chance to remove the regime would enhance safety for all nations affected by Tehran’s support for militant groups and violence.
He added that the United States’ firm stance was important, saying that when America is determined, “global criminals weaken,” and called for accountability for those he described as perpetrators of terror. (Agency)
