Putin Envoy Kirill Dmitriev to Visit Miami for Talks With Trump Administration Officials 
Israel Intensifies Gaza Airstrikes Amid Ceasefire Tensions 
Pierre Poilievre Retains Conservative Leadership After Election Defeat in Canada 
Japan Election Poll Signals Landslide Win for Sanae Takaichi, Raising Fiscal Policy Concerns 
Kevin Warsh’s Fed Nomination Raises Questions Over Corporate Ties and U.S.–South Korea Trade Tensions 
Laura Fernandez Set to Become Costa Rica’s Next President, Promising Sweeping Political Change 
Starmer’s China Visit Highlights Western Balancing Act Amid U.S.-China Rivalry 
Syria Detains Group Over Rocket Attacks on Damascus Military Airport Amid Hezbollah Allegations 
U.S. Accuses Cuba of Harassing Top Diplomat Amid Rising Tensions 
U.S. Government Faces Brief Shutdown as Congress Delays Funding Deal 
Rafah Border Crossing to Reopen for Palestinians as Israel Coordinates with Egypt and EU 
Minnesota Judge Rejects Bid to Halt Trump Immigration Enforcement in Minneapolis 
Trump Proposes Two-Year Shutdown of Kennedy Center Amid Ongoing Turmoil 
U.S. and Israeli Military Leaders Hold Pentagon Talks as Tensions With Iran Escalate 
Keir Starmer Urges Prince Andrew to Testify in U.S. Epstein Investigation 
U.S.–Venezuela Relations Show Signs of Thaw as Top Envoy Visits Caracas 
Russian Drone Strike Kills Miners as Ukraine Pushes for Peace Talks Amid Energy Crisis 
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave a posthumous award to a Ukrainian soldier who was shot dead in a video circulating on social media. The honor follows the Ukrainian military’s confirmation of the identity of the soldier in the video.
Zelenskyy announced that he was bestowing a posthumous honor to Ukrainian soldier Oleksandr Matsievsky during his nightly video address on Sunday. Matsievsky was a sniper who was part of a unit in Chernihiv in northern Ukraine. The Ukrainian military confirmed the soldier’s identity prior to Zelenskyy’s announcement.
“Today, I have bestowed the title of Hero of Ukraine on soldier Oleksandr Matsievsky,” said Zelenskyy. “A man that all Ukrainians will know. A man who will forever be remembered. For his bravery, for his confidence in Ukraine, and for his ‘glory to Ukraine.’”
In the video shared on social media, a soldier who had the Ukrainian flag on his uniform was shown smoking a cigarette and saying “Glory to Ukraine” before being shot dead. A voice off-camera could then be heard saying, “die, bitch.”
The German news outlet Bild said its reporter has spoken to Matsievsky’s mother, Paraska.
“He stood there unarmed but proud to be Ukrainian. He was always incredibly brave. At this moment, the only weapon he could defend himself with was to say: ‘Slava Ukraini!’” said Paraska, according to the news outlet.
The British defense ministry said on Monday that the head of the Russian Wagner mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin had lost access to recruiting fighters in Russian prisons due to his dispute with the Russian defense ministry. Prigozhin is turning to recruit Russian citizens to fight on the ground in Ukraine.
“Since the start of March 2023, Wagner has set up outreach teams based in sports centers in at least 40 locations across Russia. In recent days, masked Wagner recruiters also gave career talks in Moscow high schools, distributing questionnaires entitled ‘application of a young warrior’ to collect the contact details of interested pupils,” said the ministry.
The ministry added that half the prisoners that the private paramilitary group has recruited to fight in Ukraine have since become casualties. However, the new approach by Wagner would not likely make up for the loss of manpower. Should Prigozhin continue to be banned, the Wagner chief would likely resort to rolling back the extent of its operations in Ukraine.
