Jimmy Lai Convicted Under Hong Kong National Security Law in Landmark Case 
Supporters Gather Ahead of Verdict in Jimmy Lai’s Landmark Hong Kong National Security Trial 
U.S. Suspends UK Technology Deal Amid Trade Disputes Under Trump Administration 
U.S. and Mexico Reach New Agreement to Tackle Tijuana River Sewage Crisis 
Trump Weighs Reclassifying Marijuana as Schedule III, Potentially Transforming U.S. Cannabis Industry 
Ukraine Claims First-Ever Underwater Drone Strike on Russian Missile Submarine 
Pakistan’s Army Chief Faces Gaza Troop Dilemma Amid US Pressure 
U.S. Offers NATO-Style Security Guarantees to Ukraine as Peace Talks Show Progress 
Trump Taps Former DHS Official Troy Edgar for U.S. Ambassador Role in El Salvador 
Syria Arrests Five Suspects After Deadly Attack on U.S. and Syrian Troops in Palmyra 
NSW to Recall Parliament for Urgent Gun and Protest Law Reforms After Bondi Beach Shooting 
Trump Sues BBC for Defamation Over Edited Capitol Riot Speech Clip 
Trump Orders Blockade of Sanctioned Oil Tankers, Raising Venezuela Tensions and Oil Prices 
European Leaders Launch International Claims Commission to Compensate Ukraine for War Damage 
Trump’s Rob Reiner Remarks Spark Bipartisan Outrage After Tragic Deaths 
Belarus Frees Opposition Leaders Maria Kalesnikava and Viktar Babaryka in U.S.-Brokered Deal 
A top aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy proposed that a demilitarized zone be established inside Russia. The zone would be part of a settlement after the war to protect Ukrainian regions from attacks from Moscow.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said on Twitter on Monday that a demilitarized zone should be set up around 100 to 120 kilometers inside Russia along the border as part of a settlement after the war. Podolyak said that such a zone would ensure the protection of Ukrainian regions from potential Russian attacks in the future.
“It will be necessary to introduce a demilitarization zone of 100-120 kilometers on the territory of Belgorod, Bryansk, Kursk, and Rostov republics,” said Podolyak, referencing Moscow’s backing of separatist entities that refer to themselves as “people’s republics” in Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
“The key theme of the post-war settlement should be the establishment of safeguards to avoid the recurrence of aggression in the future,” said Podolyak, adding that the measure would be to make sure Ukrainian regions on the front lines are safe. Podolyak also said the demilitarized zone could initially have an international presence to keep the area in control.
Podolyak’s comments follow those of the Russian governor of Belgorod, which called for the annexation of Kharkiv to prevent cross-border shelling by Ukrainians, which Moscow blames for the incidents. Russia has also alleged that Ukraine has increased its drone attacks on targets within Russia. Kyiv has denied the accusations saying that it is fighting a defensive war in its own territory.
On the same day, the British defense ministry, in its intelligence bulletin, said that Russia held military exercises around the bridge in the annexed Crimea region. The drills included creating a smoke screen, according to the ministry, using TDA-3 smoke generators “likely of the 28th Brigade of Russia’s Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Protection Troops.”
The ministry said that Russia considers this a part of its “camouflage and deception” tactic. However, such a tactic was “generally been ineffectual” in the war in Ukraine due to a lack of central planning and a “poor low-level battle discipline.”
Photo: President.gov.ua/Wikimedia Commons(CC by 2.0)
