International

Ukraine launches counterattacks in Kharkov while trying to contain the Russian attacks in Donetsk

Ukrainian troops defending the north of the Kharkov region are counterattacking after managing to stop the Russian advance in the area near the Russian-Ukrainian border.

Meanwhile, Russian forces remain pressured on different segments of the front in the eastern region of Donetsk and also in the south.

“The fighting continues near Liptsi and between Gliboke and Lukiantsi, as well as the assaults near and inside Vovchansk,” reads the latest bulletin of the Center for Defense Strategies in Kiev, which also states that “the Armed Forces of Ukraine counterattacked near Vovchansk and Staritsia.”

All these localities are located on the two axes opened by Russia in the cross-border offensive that its troops launched in the middle of last month against the Kharkov Oblast, which is still subjected to constant Russian airstrikes that hit the homonymous regional capital with special hard.

Meanwhile, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) in Washington collects in its report this Monday “recent” Russian advances “near Vovchansk” and in the surroundings of the occupied cities of Avdivka and Donetsk, capital of the homonymous region of eastern Ukraine.

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The ISW has also confirmed a Russian “marginal” advance in the town of Krinki, located on the eastern shore of the Dnipro River in the southern region of Kherson. Ukraine has established on that margin of the final stretch of the river a beachhead that Russia is trying to destroy with constant attacks.

The pressure that Russia continues to exert on the entire front is accompanied by a very high number of casualties, according to the daily balances offered by the Ukrainian General Staff.

In the past 24 hours alone, Russian forces recorded, between dead and wounded, 1,270 casualties of soldiers along the contact line. Until the opening of a new front in Kharkov last month, the number of Russian casualties did not usually cross the threshold of a thousand, something that now happens practically daily.

Regarding the losses of military material, Ukraine managed to destroy 14 enemy tanks and 47 artillery systems during the last day.

Kiev hopes to be able to completely stabilize the front with the new US aid in weapons and ammunition that it began to receive weeks ago.

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More than a dozen allies have confirmed in recent days that they will allow Ukraine to hit military targets located in the territory of the Russian Federation, which could enable Ukraine to neutralize in origin many of the attacks that the Russians launch from their own territory against border regions such as Kharkov.

International

Two killed in shooting at restaurant near Frankfurt Airport

Two people were shot dead early Tuesday at a restaurant in Raunheim, near Frankfurt Airport, according to local police.

Preliminary findings indicate that an armed individual entered the establishment at around 03:45 local time (02:45 GMT) and opened fire on the victims, who died at the scene from their injuries.

The suspect fled and remains at large, while the motive behind the shooting is still unclear, German media reported. Authorities have launched a large-scale search operation.

International

U.S. counterterrorism chief resigns over opposition to war in Iran

Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, announced Tuesday that he has resigned from his post, citing his opposition to the ongoing war in Iran.

In a post on X, Kent said he could not, “in good conscience,” support the conflict, arguing that Iran did not pose an imminent threat to the United States. He also claimed that the war was driven by pressure from Israel and its lobbying influence in Washington.

In a resignation letter addressed to Donald Trump, Kent alleged that at the start of the current administration, senior Israeli officials and influential figures in U.S. media carried out a disinformation campaign that undermined the “America First” platform and fostered pro-war sentiment aimed at triggering a conflict with Iran.

Kent further stated that he could not support sending a new generation of Americans to “fight and die in a war that provides no benefit to the American people and does not justify the cost in American lives.”

Since the United States and Israel launched attacks against Iran on February 28, at least 13 U.S. service members have been killed, while 10 others have been seriously wounded and around 200 have sustained minor injuries, according to a report published by The Wall Street Journal.

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International

German president warns Iran war could spread and disrupt Strait of Hormuz

The president of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, warned Monday that the war involving Iran could expand and further disrupt shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. He urged a swift end to hostilities between Iran, United States and Israel.

Speaking in Panama City during a joint appearance with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino, Steinmeier said available information suggests Iran has significant capacity to disrupt maritime traffic through the key oil route.

“Iran has considerable potential to interfere with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz,” Steinmeier said through an interpreter. “We should therefore reach an end to the hostilities as soon as possible and call on all parties involved to make that happen.”

The remarks came during Steinmeier’s visit to Panama, the first by a German president to the Central American nation.

The German leader described the possibility of the conflict spreading as “very dangerous,” saying recent developments indicate that such a scenario cannot be ruled out.

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Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump urged allied nations to help ensure safe passage for ships through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran moved to block the waterway in response to U.S. strikes. However, several allies—particularly in Europe—have shown little support for the proposal.

“Some are very enthusiastic, others are not, and some are countries we have helped for many years,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We have protected them from terrible external threats, and they’re not that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm is important to me.”

Meanwhile, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, said the Strait of Hormuz falls “outside NATO’s scope” and stressed that “the war involving Iran is not Europe’s war.”