International
Ukraine announces the dismantling of a subversive group that wanted to take Parliament
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) announced today the dismantling of a subversive group that had called a public event in the capital with the aim of overthrowing the Ukrainian civil and military authorities and taking the Supreme Rada building (Parliament).
An indeterminate number of people have been arrested for their participation in the conspiracy, according to the SBU.
“According to the investigation, in May and June 2024 a group of people distributed messages on social networks discrediting the current leadership of the State, calling for changes in the constitutional order and the seizure of power in Ukraine2, reads a statement from the Ukrainian Prosecutor’s Office, which has also reported the dismantling of the group.
According to the Prosecutor’s Office, the leaders of the group had called various public events for June 30, when Ukraine celebrates Constitution Day. The organizers did not reveal their coup intentions in the calls.
In addition to taking Parliament, the idea of these supposed subversives was to elect a new “interim government” in these public acts.
The main organizer of the event is, according to the Prosecutor’s Office, the leader of an organization that “has experience in participating in provocative acts that have not yielded results.” The Prosecutor’s Office does not provide more details about the identity of this person or about the organization he leads.
“He had rented a room with capacity for two thousand people and had also sought military personnel and armed guards from private structures to carry out the seizure of power,” says the Prosecutor’s Office about how he prepared the alleged attempt.
According to this source, the organizer had accomplices in the regions of Dnipropetrovsk (center) and Kiev and had tried unsuccessfully to attract an oenegé from the Ivano-Frankivsk region (west) to the preparations.
Four people are being investigated in Ivano-Frankivsk for distributing material with calls for the violent overthrow of constitutional order in Ukraine. Two of them are deprived of liberty on a preventive basis, according to the Prosecutor’s Office.
On the other hand, Russia expressed its concern about the concentration of Ukrainian troops next to the Belarusian border, denounced by the Belarusian military command.
“This causes concern not only in Minsk, but also in Moscow. Well, we are really partners and allies,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said at his daily telephone press conference.
The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, for his part, asked in his speech to the nation last night for more “bold decisions” from his Western allies to reduce Russian airstrikes such as the one that on Sunday killed one person and injured ten others in the city of Kharkov.
Ukraine has repeatedly asked in recent weeks for more freedom of action to use Western weapons against targets within the Russian Federation to neutralize at the origin of Russian attacks from the other side of the border. One of Kiev’s claims is that it is allowed to use long-range missiles to destroy planes on Russian airfields.
Last month, the United States and other Kiev partners allowed Ukraine to attack military infrastructures located in Russian territory near the border that Russia uses to attack regions such as Kharkov, in northeastern Ukraine.
Ukraine asks its allies for long-range missiles to attack air bases within Russia, and more Patriot systems and other types of longer-range missile systems to keep enemy planes that launch these bombs away from their targets.
On the other hand, Russian anti-aircraft defense systems shot down a total of 18 Ukrainian fixed-winged drones last night over the Kursk and Belgorod regions, both bordering Ukraine, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported on Monday on its Telegram channel.
In addition, the Russian Army took two Ukrainian localities in the Kharkov and Donetsk regions, in the east of the country, as reported by the Russian Ministry of Defense in its daily war report.
International
FBI Says It Disrupted Alleged Plot Targeting White House During UFC Event
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced Tuesday that it had disrupted an alleged plot to attack the White House during a major Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event held in Washington over the weekend.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the threat was identified on June 10 through a joint investigation involving multiple law enforcement agencies. According to Patel, swift action by authorities led to the arrest of several suspects before the alleged plan could be carried out.
“On June 10, the FBI and our law enforcement partners became aware of a potential threat targeting UFC America 250 in Washington. Thanks to the rapid response of the FBI and our partners, multiple individuals are now in custody, and the alleged attack plans were stopped before they could be executed,” Patel said.
He emphasized that the operation demonstrated the ability of security agencies to detect and prevent potential threats at large public gatherings. Patel added that the investigation remains ongoing and that additional details will be released as court proceedings move forward.
According to reports from U.S. media outlets, five individuals have been arrested so far. The suspects were identified as Tycen Proper of Ohio, Daniel Eskridge of Missouri, Abraham Hermosillo Álvarez of Nebraska, and Bryan Omar Roa and Michael Alan Thomas, both from California. Authorities are also investigating the possible involvement of 18 additional individuals.
Investigators allege that the plot involved the use of drones equipped with explosives to target buildings near the sporting event. The plan reportedly sought to trigger a mass evacuation and direct attendees toward areas where snipers were allegedly positioned. Authorities further claim that a second phase of the operation included an attempted assault on the White House.
The U.S. Secret Service confirmed that it worked closely with the FBI throughout the operation. Secret Service Director Sean Curran stated that security teams conducted extensive efforts to identify those involved and eliminate any threat to attendees and protected facilities.
The investigation reportedly uncovered communications conducted through the messaging application Signal, where several suspects allegedly discussed details related to the planned attack. A forensic analysis of one of the seized mobile phones revealed at least 23 users participating in conversations connected to the alleged planning activities.
Court documents also indicate that some of the suspects allegedly intended to target U.S. political figures. Among the reported targets were members of Congress who had received contributions from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Investigators further stated that one of the primary suspects had posted antisemitic messages and expressions of support for Adolf Hitler on social media, evidence that is now part of the ongoing judicial investigation.
International
Brazil helicopter crash in Rio de Janeiro kills six, including pilots and international figures
The Rio de Janeiro Civil Police confirmed on Monday the identities of three of the six victims killed in a helicopter collision that occurred the previous morning in the Recreio dos Bandeirantes neighborhood.
All three identified victims are Brazilian nationals: the pilots of the aircraft, Charles Marsillac and Alexandre Souza, and music producer Lucas Brito.
The identities of the three foreign victims have not yet been officially confirmed. They include U.S. singer Oliver Tree, Argentine YouTuber Gaspar Prim—known online as “Gaspi”—and Argentine producer Lucas Vignale, all of whom were listed on the flight manifest.
According to police, forensic experts from the Legal Medical Institute have already collected DNA samples in order to identify the foreign victims, whose bodies were severely burned.
One of the helicopters crashed into a private parking lot, triggering a fire that destroyed around twenty electric vehicles. That aircraft was carrying the pilot and four passengers, including the three foreign nationals.
The second helicopter, which had only the pilot on board, crashed approximately 100 meters away from the first impact site.
Rio de Janeiro’s deputy mayor, Eduardo Cavaliere, stated that both helicopters were operating transport flights toward Angra dos Reis on the Rio coastline and toward the mountainous region of the state.
Oliver Tree, 32, was in Brazil as part of an international tour. The artist, known for songs such as “Life Goes On” and “Miss You,” had performed to a large audience in São Paulo a week earlier and was scheduled to continue his tour in Europe.
Argentine content creator Gaspar Prim, 23, had built a following of more than two million on social media platforms, gaining popularity for humorous and often controversial video productions that had occasionally been removed by hosting platforms.
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.
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