International
Desertions in the Russian Army in Ukraine are growing, according to Kiev’s military intelligence
The number of desertions is growing in the ranks of the Russian Army in occupied Ukraine, according to information published on Monday by Ukrainian military intelligence (GUR).
“The desertions increase among the armed formations of the southern military district of the Russian occupation army,” reads the GUR note. “In total, more than 18,000 Russian soldiers have voluntarily left their military units in this district,” the text adds.
The territories occupied by Russia in the Ukrainian regions of Crimea, Lugansk, Donetsk, Zaporiyia and Kherson are included in the Southern Military District of Russia.
According to Kiev’s military intelligence, about 12,000 of these deserters belonged to the 8th Combined Arms Army of the Russian Armed Forces, which participates in hostilities in eastern Ukraine.
Information recently published by the Russian dissident media Mediazona estimated the total number of convictions for desertion handed down by Russian courts at 7,400, since the partial mobilization decreed by the Kremlin in September 2022.
They also alluded to the “record” number of Russians who evade military service and are asking for asylum in Western countries.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian General Staff today reported massive Russian casualties and losses in the last 24 hours, after a week of Russian advances in Donetsk that has led the Army to recognize that the situation has worsened on the east front.
According to the last military report, Russia suffered more than 1,300 casualties during the last day, a figure substantially higher than those reported in previous days.
In addition, Kiev claims to have destroyed 37 Russian artillery systems in the last 24 hours.
Today, the “most complicated situation” for Ukraine occurs in the areas of Pokrovsk and Kurajiv, northwest and southwest respectively of Avdivka, which was occupied by Russia last February.
Ukrainian troops in this area have delayed their defensive line in the face of constant Russian attacks.
The head of the Army, Oleksandr Sirski, has highlighted the intensity of the fighting in the Khasiv Yar area, a town located about ten kilometers west of the occupied Bajmut, which is, according to Kiev, a Russian priority objective.
Despite these advances, the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, assured on Monday from Riyadh that the war against Ukraine launched two years ago by Russian President Vladimir Putin is a “strategic debacle” for Russia.
“The last thing I’m going to say about it is that if you take a step back and analyze it, I think this aggression by Russia has been a strategic debacle for Russia,” said the head of American diplomacy at the special session of the World Economic Forum (WEF), which ends today in Riyadh.
For Blinken, “as a whole, Russia is weaker economically. He is weaker militarily, given the destruction of so many of his forces. And it is weaker diplomatically in much of the world, not in everything, but in a large part.”
In this sense, the Secretary of State pointed to China as a country that is not supplying weapons and ammunition to Russia, but is providing “incalculable support” to its defense industry, through the sale of microelectronic products, machine tools and optics.
Blinken acknowledged that the increase in Russia’s production capacities is something that Europe is “deeply concerned about turning against it” once the war in Ukraine is over.
International
Netanyahu: “Today it’s Tel Aviv, tomorrow could be New York”
Since Friday, Israel has struck key nuclear and military facilities in Iran, killing top commanders and nuclear scientists. In response, Iran has launched barrages of missiles.
Seeking to explain the strikes to U.S. citizens, Israel’s key ally, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave lengthy interviews to American media, describing the offensive as “a battle of civilization against barbarism.” In his conversation with ABC News, he defended the attacks to “disarm” Iran and likened Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to “a modern-day Hitler.”
When asked about U.S. President Donald Trump’s reported veto of an Israeli plan to assassinate Khamenei over concerns it would escalate the conflict, Netanyahu replied: “It won’t escalate the conflict — it will end the conflict.”
He did not confirm whether Khamenei is an Israeli target. “Israel does what it must,” Netanyahu simply stated.
He accused Khamenei of harboring “insane, antisemitic fanaticism.”
“He’s like a modern Hitler. He won’t stop, but we’ll make sure he doesn’t have the means to act on his threats,” Netanyahu added.
“Iran wants an ‘eternal war,’ and they’re pushing us to the brink of nuclear conflict,” he warned.
“What Israel is doing is actually preventing it — ending this aggression. We can only do that by confronting the forces of evil,” the Prime Minister continued.
“Today it’s Tel Aviv, tomorrow it could be New York,” Netanyahu told ABC’s Jon Karl.
To the Israeli leader, pushing back against Iran’s nuclear ambitions is “preventing the most horrific war imaginable and… bringing peace to the Middle East.”
“That will only be possible if Iran is defeated,” he concluded.
International
Panama supports Morocco’s autonomy plan as sole solution for Western Sahara dispute
Panama, a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, has declared Morocco’s autonomy initiative as “the most serious, credible, and realistic basis” and “the only solution for the future” to resolve the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara.
This position was expressed in a joint statement signed on Monday, June 16, in Rabat, following a meeting between Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Panama, Javier Martínez-Acha Vásquez, during his official visit to Morocco.
At a press conference following the meeting, the Panamanian foreign minister emphasized that the autonomy initiative proposed by Morocco in 2007 “should be the only solution for the future,” reiterating Panama’s clear support for the plan as a means to reach a lasting resolution to the dispute.
Panama’s support comes after the country severed all ties with the so-called “SADR” (Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic) in November 2024.
In the same joint statement, Morocco and Panama reaffirmed their commitment to the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Both nations also reiterated their shared desire to further strengthen bilateral relations, highlighting the excellent ties of friendship and solidarity between the two countries. They agreed on the need to continue consultations and assess their cooperation in order to enhance and deepen it.
The two nations affirmed that their cooperation is based on the principles of peaceful coexistence, democracy and good governance, solidarity, transparency, mutual respect, human rights, and international humanitarian law, as well as the rejection of unilateral sanctions.
Internacionales
Tropical storm Erick expected to become hurricane as it nears southern Mexico
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported that Tropical Storm Erick is currently located 460 kilometers (about 285 miles) off the coast of Puerto Ángel, Oaxaca, with maximum sustained winds of 75 kilometers per hour (around 46 mph).
According to the latest forecast, Erick is expected to strengthen into a hurricane later tonight or early Wednesday. Heavy rains are forecast for the southern states of Guerrero, Oaxaca, and Chiapas.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum urged residents in coastal areas to stay alert and follow updates from Civil Protection authorities.
“There is a chance that it could become a Category 2 hurricane and make landfall tomorrow, Wednesday. We ask everyone along the coasts of Chiapas, Oaxaca, and southern Guerrero to stay informed,” she posted on social media platform X.
Due to its geographic location, Mexico faces annual threats from tropical cyclones on both its Pacific and Atlantic coasts, typically between May and November.
In October 2023, Hurricane Otis rapidly intensified to a Category 5 storm before striking the port city of Acapulco, leaving widespread devastation, over 50 dead, and around 30 missing.
More recently, in September 2024, the Pacific coast was hit twice by Hurricane John, which reached Category 3 and caused at least 15 fatalities, mostly in Acapulco.
Netanyahu: “Today it’s Tel Aviv, tomorrow could be New York”
Panama supports Morocco’s autonomy plan as sole solution for Western Sahara dispute
Tropical storm Erick expected to become hurricane as it nears southern Mexico
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