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.
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.
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
Mexican government prioritizes 191 communities after deadly floods
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed on Wednesday that the death toll from recent rains and floods across several central states has risen to 66, while the federal government has activated air bridges and prioritized assistance in 191 isolated communities.
“Unfortunately, 66 people have died, and 75 remain missing,” the president said during her morning press conference. She added that the official death toll will be updated later in a new report.
As of Tuesday, authorities had reported 64 fatalities. Sheinbaum also announced the creation of a public information center to centralize official data on the deceased, missing persons, damaged homes, and cut-off communities.
According to the president, the number of missing persons has decreased thanks to coordination with state authorities.
“Through calls to phone line 079, 103 people who had been reported missing have now been located,” she explained.
Priority Municipalities
The president noted that the federal government has classified 191 communities as ‘priority’, a designation based mainly on the percentage of homes affected.
International
New road and bridge explosions raise alarm amid indigenous protests in Ecuador
Ecuadorian authorities are investigating two explosions that occurred early Wednesday, one on a road in the southern part of the country and another under a bridge in Guayas province. These incidents follow the car bomb explosion in the coastal city of Guayaquil, also in Guayas, which occurred the day before and left one person dead and 30 injured.
Press reports indicate that one person was injured and several vehicles were damaged in the explosion on the Cuenca-Girón-Pasaje road in the south.
“Besides yesterday’s explosion in Guayaquil, we have received reports of explosives placed on bridges along the Guayaquil-Machala and Machala-Cuenca routes to disrupt traffic,” said Roberto Luque, Minister of Infrastructure and Transport (MIT).
On his X social media account, Luque reported that authorities have been deployed to the sites to assess the damage and determine the current condition of the structures.
“What they haven’t achieved with their call for a strike, some are trying to achieve through terrorism,” he stated, referring to the 24 days of protests organized by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities (Conaie) against rising diesel prices and other demands.
The protests, called at a national level, have Imbabura province as their epicenter. Roadblocks have also been reported in the northern part of Pichincha province, whose capital is Quito, while activities in the rest of the country continue normally.
International
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Ecuador’s Armed Forces carried out an operation on Monday — including airstrikes — against illegal mining in the town of Buenos Aires, in the country’s north, Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo reported.
The mountainous, gold-rich area has been a hotspot for illegal mining since 2017, located in the Andean province of Imbabura.
In 2019, former president Lenín Moreno deployed around 2,400 soldiers to the region in an attempt to curb the illegal activity. “The operation began with mortar fire, followed by gunfire and bombing runs by Supertucano aircraft,” Loffredo said in a video released by the Defense Ministry.
He added that the operation would continue on Tuesday with patrols across the area to locate possible members of “irregular armed groups that may have crossed from the Colombian border.”
The Armed Forces stated on X that the intervention focused on the “complete elimination of multiple illegal mining tunnels” in the areas known as Mina Nueva and Mina Vieja.
The operation coincided with the deployment of a military and police convoy into Imbabura, which has been the epicenter of protests against President Daniel Noboa since September 22, following his decision to scrap the diesel subsidy.
Mexican government prioritizes 191 communities after deadly floods
New road and bridge explosions raise alarm amid indigenous protests in Ecuador
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
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