Hong Kong Democratic Party Disbands After Member Vote Amid Security Crackdown 
Special Prosecutor Alleges Yoon Suk Yeol Sought North Korea Provocation to Justify Martial Law 
New Epstein Photos Surface Showing Trump as Lawmakers Near Document Release Deadline 
Israeli Airstrike in Gaza Targets Senior Hamas Commander Amid Ceasefire Tensions 
Syria Arrests Five Suspects After Deadly Attack on U.S. and Syrian Troops in Palmyra 
U.S. Soldiers Killed in ISIS Attack in Palmyra, Syria During Counterterrorism Mission 
Thousands Protest in Brazil Against Efforts to Reduce Jair Bolsonaro’s Prison Sentence 
Preservation Group Sues Trump Administration to Halt $300 Million White House Ballroom Project 
Colombia’s Clan del Golfo Peace Talks Signal Mandatory Prison Sentences for Top Leaders 
Judge Orders Return of Seized Evidence in Comey-Related Case, DOJ May Seek New Warrant 
U.S. Special Forces Intercept Ship Carrying Military Components Bound for Iran 
U.S. Intelligence Briefly Curtailed Information Sharing With Israel Amid Gaza War Concerns 
Belarus Frees Opposition Leaders Maria Kalesnikava and Viktar Babaryka in U.S.-Brokered Deal 
Air Force One Delivery Delayed to 2028 as Boeing Faces Rising Costs 
Belarus Frees 123 Political Prisoners in U.S.-Brokered Deal Over Sanctions 
Zelenskiy Signals Willingness to Drop NATO Bid as Ukraine, U.S. Hold Crucial Peace Talks in Berlin 
International Outcry Grows Over Re-Arrest of Nobel Laureate Narges Mohammadi in Iran 
Ukrainian forces have been gearing up for a major counteroffensive to take back seized territories. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Russians to flee as Ukraine has launched its counter-attack to retake southern Ukraine.
Zelenskyy told Russian forces to run for their lives as Ukrainian troops launched their counter-attack in southern Ukraine, bolstered with weapons provided by the West. This is despite Russia’s claim that it has foiled Ukraine’s attempts to counterattack.
“If they want to survive, it’s time for the Russian military to run away. Go home,” said Zelenskyy in his nightly address, adding that he would not disclose Kyiv’s battle strategy. “Ukraine is taking back its own.”
Kyiv said Monday that its ground forces went on the offensive for the first time after a period of air strikes on Russian supply lines. Ukrainian forces have especially targeted Russian ammunition depots and bridges across the Dnipro river.
The counter-offensive also follows weeks of stalemate between the two countries in a war that is moving toward its seventh month.
Thousands have been killed, and millions were displaced from the conflict that started when Russia invaded back on February 24. Ukraine sees recapturing the southern territory as key to preventing Russia’s attempts to seize more land further west that may cut Ukraine off from the Black Sea.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych said the Russian defenses on the frontlines in the occupied Kherson were broken through in a span of hours. It remains to be seen which line of Russian defense Arestovych was referring to.
Arestovych also said Ukrainian forces were shelling ferries that Russia was using to supply its forces on the west bank of the Dnipro river.
Ukrainian military spokesperson Natalia Humeniuk said Tuesday that Ukraine could destroy any pontoon bridge across the river that Russia has attempted to build or ferry across.
Meanwhile, the US State Department said Tuesday that an assessment found that Moscow is preparing to stage sham referendums in the areas of Ukraine that it has seized to manipulate the results and claim that Ukrainians want to join Russia.
Polling data showed that in a free referendum, Ukrainians would choose not to join Russia, according to department spokesperson Vedant Patel during a news briefing.
