International
The drone and missile attack launched by Russia has affected 15 of the 24 Ukrainian regions
The massive attack with drones and missiles launched by Russia during the early hours of Monday morning has affected 15 of the 24 Ukrainian regions, as reported by the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denís Shmigal, on his Telegram account.
Shmigal explained that Russian forces have used drones, cruise missiles and Kinzhal hypersonic missiles in the attack. These last missiles are the most difficult to intercept in the entire Russian arsenal. Ukraine is vulnerable to the Kinzhal (which means ‘dagger’ in Russian) in most of its territory.
For his part, the Foreign Minister of Ukraine, Dmitro Kuleba, again asked Kiev’s Western partners to allow him to hit with his long-range weaponry military targets throughout the territory of the Russian Federation to avoid massive attacks with drones and missiles such as the one launched on Monday.
And the Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed that it had launched this attack against targets of the “energy infrastructure” of Ukraine.
“This morning, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation launched a massive attack from the air and sea with high-precision and long-range weapons, and unmanned aerial vehicles against critical energy infrastructure facilities that guarantee the operation of the military-industrial complex of Ukraine,” says the military side.
In addition, according to the Russian command, “gas pumping stations in the Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk and Kharkov regions, which guaranteed the operation of the Ukrainian gas transport system” and warehouses with aerial site pumps and projectiles “delivered by the West, at airfields in the Kiev and Dnipropetrovsk regions” were attacked.
Prime Minister Shmigal also recalled that there have been deaths and injuries in the attack. The authorities of the regions of Volín (northwest), Dnipropetrovsk (center), Zaporiyia (southeast) and Zhitómir (center-west) had previously reported the death of a total of four people.
Shmigal has also pointed out that “the target of the Russian terrorists was again the energy infrastructure.” “Unfortunately, there are damages in several regions,” said the head of government, who also reported power cuts in the country as a result of the impacts.
Ukrainian authorities have reported damage to electrical infrastructure in the regions of Lviv and (west) and Dnipropetrovsk. The massive Russian attack has also caused power and water cuts in some areas of Kiev, according to the mayor of the capital, Vitali Klichkó.
The Minister of Energy, Herman Galushchenko, has described the situation of the electricity system as “difficult” after the attack, and companies in the sector have announced emergency cuts due to the damage suffered by the system.
Today’s is the ninth Russian massive attack on the Ukrainian electricity system since last March 22. Ukraine has lost much of its generation capacity in these attacks, which forced the authorities to ration the supply with scheduled blackouts of up to half a day during the first part of the summer.
Meanwhile, the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, announced in his speech to the nation last night that the Ukrainian Army has taken control of two other localities in the Russian region of Kursk, where Kiev forces occupy dozens of towns after crossing the border in early August.
“I just spoke to the commander-in-chief (Oleksandr) Sirski. We are advancing in the Kursk region, from one to two kilometers. We have taken control of two more locations. There are operations underway in another town,” Zelenski said in his speech.
The head of the Ukrainian state also explained that his troops continue to take prisoners among Russian soldiers in the Kursk region. “We are filling in the ‘exchange fund,’” Zelenski said, referring to the exchanges of prisoners of war that are carried out regularly between both sides.
In addition, one journalist killed and three more injured left a Russian attack on the city of Kramatorsk, near the Donetsk front.
The deceased communicator was identified as Ryan Evans, a member of the Reuters team that covered the war in Ukraine, the British agency confirmed.
The attack also reached two other Reuters journalists of Ukrainian and American nationality, who were in a hotel in the east of Ukraine.
“Ryan Evans, a member of the Reuters team that covered the war in Ukraine, died and two Reuters journalists were injured in an attack on a hotel in the city of Kramatorsk,” the international news agency confirmed on Sunday.
According to other versions, a fourth Polish informant was injured when her vehicle was hit.
The Kremlin assured that Russian forces attack only military infrastructure or facilities linked to the Ukrainian military sector when commenting on the death of a security adviser from the Reuters agency in Kramatorsk.
Filashkin, the governor of Donetsk, recalled that throughout Saturday’s day seven civilians died in the region – which records the most intense fighting on the front at the moment – as a result of the Russian attacks, five of them in Kostiantinivka, while 15 people were injured.
International
Mexico and U.S. Launch New Bilateral Security Group to Combat Fentanyl and Organized Crime
The governments of Mexico and the United States officially launched the Bilateral Implementation Group (BIG) on Friday, a new initiative aimed at strengthening cooperation on security issues and enhancing joint efforts against transnational crime.
In a statement, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson announced that he and Deputy Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco addressed officials from both countries who will lead what he described as a “new phase of bilateral cooperation.” The initiative seeks to curb the flow of fentanyl and other illicit drugs, illegal firearms, and human trafficking across the shared border.
Earlier this week, Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had confirmed that senior security officials from both nations would meet in Mexico City on June 12 to review and advance existing cooperation agreements.
Through social media, Ambassador Johnson explained that the new bilateral group is designed to improve coordination between the two governments by placing greater emphasis on implementation, accountability, and measurable results. The effort will also focus on combating transnational criminal organizations operating across North America.
“The participation of 15 U.S. government agencies, working alongside their Mexican counterparts, reflects the seriousness of this effort and our shared commitment to delivering measurable results,” Johnson said.
The ambassador also highlighted several achievements that he attributed to ongoing bilateral cooperation. According to Johnson, maritime drug trafficking into the United States has declined by more than 95 percent, while overdose deaths have fallen by 35 percent.
He further noted that Mexican authorities have seized more than 400 metric tons of illegal drugs and dismantled over 2,300 clandestine laboratories as part of their efforts to combat organized crime and narcotics production.
The launch of the Bilateral Implementation Group marks the latest step in the security partnership between Mexico and the United States, as both countries seek to address shared challenges related to drug trafficking, arms smuggling, human trafficking, and the activities of criminal networks operating across the region.
International
‘El Chapo’ Guzmán again asks Mexican president to seek his return from U.S. prison
Convicted drug trafficker Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán has once again appealed to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to intervene on his behalf and seek his transfer from the United States to Mexico, where he hopes to serve the remainder of his prison sentence.
Guzmán, the former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, is currently serving a sentence of more than 50 years in the United States after being convicted in 2019 on multiple charges, including drug trafficking and money laundering.
According to reports, the latest request was made in a letter dated June 2, one of several messages that Guzmán has reportedly sent to Sheinbaum in recent months in an effort to secure his repatriation. In the letter, he expresses hope that the Mexican government can support the efforts of his legal team.
Written in English and by hand, the letter asks that he be allowed to complete his sentence in Mexico, arguing that such a transfer would enable him to receive visits from family members more easily.
Guzmán is currently being held at the United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility in Florence, Colorado, commonly known as the “Alcatraz of the Rockies,” one of the most secure prisons in the United States.
As in previous communications, the former cartel leader complained about his prison conditions, stating that he remains in near-total isolation and has little to no contact with other inmates.
He also reiterated his long-standing claim that he did not receive a fair trial in the United States and argued that the Mexican government bears responsibility for much of the violence associated with organized crime in the country.
In the letter, Guzmán maintains that his actions were motivated by a desire to protect himself and his family amid the violence linked to criminal organizations in Mexico.
Mexican authorities have not publicly indicated whether they plan to respond to the request. Guzmán remains one of the most notorious figures in the history of international drug trafficking and is serving his sentence under some of the strictest security measures in the U.S. prison system.
Central America
U.S. Authorities Accuse Guatemalan Nationals of Using False Information to Sponsor Migrant Minors
Senior officials from the U.S. Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security announced Thursday criminal charges against three Guatemalan citizens accused of using false information to sponsor migrant children who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border without a parent or guardian.
According to an indictment filed in Ohio, Maritza Cahuec Coc allegedly submitted at least 12 sponsorship applications, several of which were filed under aliases or contained materially false statements intended to secure custody of the minors.
Under U.S. procedures, unaccompanied migrant children apprehended at the southern border are placed in the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services, which is responsible for their care until they can be released to a qualified sponsor, such as a parent or relative living in the United States.
Prosecutors allege that Cahuec Coc, who reportedly entered the United States illegally in 2018, received payments between late 2020 and 2023 for helping bring 12 migrant minors into the country. Authorities claim she submitted fraudulent documents and misleading information to obtain approval for the sponsorship requests.
The case was announced during a joint press conference led by Acting Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. However, officials provided limited details about the investigation and instead focused much of their remarks on criticizing immigration policies implemented under the previous administration.
Republican lawmakers and Trump administration officials have frequently pointed to the increase in unaccompanied migrant children arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border during President Joe Biden’s term, arguing that the government failed to adequately oversee their care and placement.
During Thursday’s briefing, A. Tysen Duva, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, alleged that Cahuec Coc used the identities of other individuals and falsely claimed family relationships in order to obtain custody of the children.
“Maritza submitted sponsorship applications using other people’s identities and falsely represented that the minors were the children of close relatives in order to secure their release,” Duva said.
The case remains under investigation, and federal authorities have not yet disclosed additional information regarding the other two Guatemalan nationals charged in connection with the alleged scheme.
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