International
Ukraine and Russia exchange more prisoners while attacking and counterattacking in Kursk
Ukrainian troops continue to press and even advance in some areas of the Russian region of Kursk, despite the recent counteroffensive initiated by Russia, which carried out this Saturday with Ukraine the third exchange of prisoners of war since the Kiev incursion into Russian territory.
According to the Ukrainian analytical project DeepState, in the Kursk region the Kiev forces occupied Vetreno, Durovka and part of Zhuravli, while the Russians recovered Snagost with the surrounding peoples and advanced towards Liubimivka.
The Russian Army launched a counteroffensive this week in Kursk, where Ukrainian troops entered on August 6 to try to ward off Russian attacks against the northeastern regions of Kharkiv and Sumi and slow down Russian pressure on the eastern front of Donetsk, and came to occupy 1,300 square kilometers of territory.
Russia claims to have regained control of ten localities and, although Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky admitted this week that a Russian counteroffensive is underway, both the Pentagon and the US Institute for the Study of War (ISW) consider the operation “marginal” today.
Zelenski also assures that Russia has not obtained “important achievements” in the counterattack, for which Russia plans – as he said – to increase the number of soldiers deployed in Kursk to between 60,000 and 70,000.
Russia deploys more soldiers in Kursk
At the beginning of the Ukrainian incursion, the Russians kept about 11,000 soldiers in this area, while now, according to various estimates, there are 30,000 to 45,000, said Vadim Misnik, spokesman for the tactical-operational group “Síversk” on Ukrainian television.
“The enemy is trying to increase forces to stop our offensive,” he said.
Moscow said in the meantime this Saturday that the Russian Army rejected in the last 24 hours up to five attempts by Ukrainian troops to cross the border, especially near the small town of Veseloye.
However, the Ukrainian drone unit Jorne, assured the day before that Kiev’s troops had penetrated the Russian border in a new place and advanced “kilometers within Russia.” As alleged evidence, he published a video on Telegram that would show Ukrainian forces allegedly advancing towards Veseloye.
However, Russia and Ukraine carried out this Saturday the third exchange of prisoners of war since the incursion of Ukrainian troops in Kursk.
More than 300 soldiers exchanged since the incursion
The day before, the Ukrainian president reported an exchange that resulted in 49 prisoners released from Russian captivity – among which 23 women were for the first time in a long time – and today each side recovered 103 soldiers with the humanitarian mediation of the United Arab Emirates.
Among the Russian fighters released this weekend are Russian soldiers that Ukraine captured in Kursk, as well as at the end of August, when the two parties exchanged 230 prisoners of forerra.
Zelenski celebrated on his Telegram channel the return of 82 plains and non-commissioned officers and 21 officers, including 31 defenders of the Azovstal steel mill in Mariupol, in the eastern region of Donetsk.
On this front, Zelensky’s plan to force Russian President Vladimir Putin to deploy more troops in Kursk by removing soldiers assigned to the Donetsk sector is only partially successful, since Russia continues to advance on this front, although only marginally.
According to DeepState, in the last few hours it has done so in Pishchane, Niu-York, Ukrainsk, Sinkivka and three other towns in Donetsk.
The ISW in turn points out that geolocated images of Thursday and Friday also show the Kremlin troops advancing gradually in the east of Toretsk and southeast of Pokrovsk, as well as southeast of Khasiv Yar, and that it continues its offensive west of the city of Donetsk.
They have also further consolidated control over Klishchiivka, according to the same source.
The General Staff of Ukraine indicated in its afternoon war part that another hot spot is the Kurajove sector, where the Russians attacked Ukrainian units on 27 occasions today.
International
Tehran airports resume operations as Iran lifts airspace closure
Iran announced on Thursday the full reopening of its airspace, including over the capital Tehran, after it was closed on June 13 — the first day of the war with Israel.
According to the official IRNA news agency, international airports in Tehran (Mehrabad and Imam Khomeini), as well as airports in the north, east, west, and south of the country, have resumed operations and are ready to handle flights.
Iran had completely shut down its airspace on June 13 following Israel’s unprecedented airstrikes. On June 25, one day after a ceasefire was declared, flight operations had resumed gradually, though only in the eastern regions.
On June 28, Iran further expanded the reopening of its airspace to include foreign airlines flying over its territory.
As of Thursday, only the airports in Isfahan (central Iran) and Tabriz (northwest) remain closed, as both cities were repeatedly targeted in Israeli airstrikes and their infrastructure is still under repair, IRNA said.
International
Man attacks passengers with axe on german ICE Train
A man attacked several passengers with an axe aboard an ICE train in the southern German state of Bavaria on Thursday.
According to police, four people sustained minor injuries during the incident, and the suspect was taken into custodyshortly afterward.
The attack occurred shortly before 2:00 p.m. (local time) on ICE train number 91, which was traveling from Hamburg-Altona to Vienna, Austria, according to German newspaper Bild.
Authorities have not yet released further details regarding the motive or the identity of the attacker.
International
Trump to decide soon on deportation exemptions for construction and farm workers
U.S. President Donald Trump stated on Tuesday in Florida that he will make a decision in the coming weeks regarding exemptions from deportations for workers in the construction and agriculture sectors.
Trump made these remarks to the media during a visit to the new migrant detention center, ‘Alligator Alcatraz,’ located in the middle of a wetland in Florida, the White House reported.
ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) raids have targeted many of these workers, sparking fear among them and threatening to slow down two sectors that are vital to the U.S. economy.
In construction, 25.7% of workers are immigrants, and 14.1% of the total workforce nationwide is undocumented, according to the American Immigration Council.
In agriculture, the percentage of undocumented employees rises to 42%, according to data from the Department of Agriculture cited by the New York Times.
Tehran airports resume operations as Iran lifts airspace closure
Man attacks passengers with axe on german ICE Train
Trump to decide soon on deportation exemptions for construction and farm workers
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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