Drones Spotted Near Zelenskiy’s Flight Path in Ireland Trigger Security Alert 
Australia and Japan Strengthen Defence Cooperation Amid Rising Regional Tensions 
U.S. Justice Department Orders Intensified Probe Into Antifa and Domestic Extremist Groups 
UN Chief Says Gaza Operation “Fundamentally Wrong” as Concerns Over War Crimes Grow 
U.S.-Russia Talks Leave Ukraine Peace Efforts Uncertain 
IMF Deputy Dan Katz Visits China as Key Economic Review Nears 
Cuba Reaffirms Anti-Drug Cooperation as Tensions Rise in the Caribbean 
Israel Receives Body of Deceased Hostage as Rafah Crossing Reopening Hinges on Final Returns 
Maduro Confirms “Respectful” Call With Trump, Signals Openness to Diplomatic Dialogue 
Michael Dell Pledges $6.25 Billion to Boost Children’s Investment Accounts Under Trump Initiative 
Taiwan Signals Openness to Renew Ties with Honduras as Election Unfolds 
U.S. Defense Chief Pete Hegseth Defends Controversial Second Strike on Suspected Drug-Smuggling Vessel 
California Launches Portal for Reporting Alleged Misconduct by Federal Immigration Agents 
New Orleans Immigration Crackdown Sparks Fear as Federal Arrests Intensify 
Honduras Election Turmoil Intensifies as Nasralla Blames Trump for Shift in Results 
China’s Expanding Maritime Military Presence Alarms Taiwan and Japan 
U.S. Repatriation Flight Carrying 266 Venezuelan Migrants Lands in Caracas 
A counter-offensive by Ukrainian forces is underway as the war Russia continues to wage is moving toward its seventh month. Russian-installed officials in the northeastern Kharkiv region have acknowledged that Ukrainian troops have outnumbered Russians by a significant amount.
Russian-installed official Vitaly Ganchev said Monday that Russian forces in the northeastern territory of Kharkiv have been outnumbered by Ukrainian troops by a significant amount as Ukraine makes its surprise counter-attack on the area.
Ganchev added that Ukrainian forces succeeded in retaking Russian-held settlements in Kharkiv, advancing to the border with Russia.
Ganchev also said that around 5,000 civilians fled to Russia as the counter-attack was underway. Speaking to the Russian-state media outlet Rossiya-24, Ganchev said the situation for them was posing more of a challenge over time, noting that the border with the Russian region of Belgorod was now closed.
This follows the gains Ukrainian troops made over the weekend, overrunning the Russian supply hubs in Izium and Kupiansk, where the Russian-installed administration was based. By Sunday, the Russian defense ministry said almost the entire Kharkiv region was abandoned.
“In some areas of the front, our defenders reached the state border with the Russian Federation,” said Kharkiv regional governor Oleh Synyehubov.
The Ukrainian military also said it recaptured over 20 settlements within recent days.
According to the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War Monday, Russia might be lacking the reserve forces it needs to boost its defenses in Ukraine. “Ukraine has turned the tide of this war in its favor” in its counter-attack with the use of weapons provided by the West, according to the think tank.
The United Nations condemned Russia’s “intimidation” of its critics who are opposed to its war in Ukraine, saying that Moscow is undermining fundamental freedoms.
Deputy UN human rights chief Nada al-Nashif condemned the actions before the UN Security Council, citing Moscow’s “intimidation, restrictive measures, and sanctions against people voicing opposition to the war in Ukraine.”
al-Nashif added that by attempting to silence the critics, Moscow is undermining “the exercise of constitutionally guaranteed fundamental freedoms, including the rights to free assembly, expression, and association.”
