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Newsweek
5 days ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
Russia-Ukraine War Battles Hit All-Time High
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. July saw the highest number of battles since the start of President Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine as Russia stepped up its offensive in eastern Ukraine, according to analysis. Independent monitor ACLED (Armed Conflict Location & Event Data) said that in July, there were over 2,600 battles—the highest monthly tally over the three-and-a-half years of war. ACLED also told Newsweek that Kyiv had shifted the targets of its airstrikes to defense contractors in a bid to disrupt Moscow's production of drones. Ukrainian soldiers load a pickup truck on July 18, 2025 in Donetsk Region, near Kostiantynivka on the front line. Ukrainian soldiers load a pickup truck on July 18, 2025 in Donetsk Region, near Kostiantynivka on the front It Matters A record number of battles and Ukraine and Russia increasing drone and missile attacks outlined by ACLED exemplify how the U.S. administration's efforts for a ceasefire have yielded little progress, ahead of a summit in Alaska between President Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin on August 15. What To Know ACLED's latest analysis described how Russia's offensive "went into overdrive" in July, with over 2,600 battles recorded, the highest number since the war started on February 24, 2022, it says. The number of monthly battles has been increasing, reaching high after high, throughout the last several months of 2025. It noted how Russian forces had closed in on Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk region and on Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region. Moscow also made gains further east toward the Dnipropetrovsk region. Ukraine has launched counterattacks toward the city of Sumy. The high number of battles comes amid a spike in Russia's remote attacks on Ukrainian civilians in July to reach an all-time high of 458 which killed 250 people, the highest toll since September 2022 according to ACLED. Only one third of these casualties were in the Donetsk region where the fighting was concentrated, ACLED said, with Kyiv facing 30 long-range drone and missile strikes, the highest since March 2022. The outlet said that Ukraine's forces increased its drone, missile and artillery attacks on Russian soil by a fifth in July, from 1,167 to 1,400. This included a 75 percent increase in strikes occurring outside of Russia's border regions. Between June and July, the Ukrainian army switched priorities from military airfields to disrupting Russia's drone production, ACLED said. On Friday, Ukrainian drones struck the Yenisei radar station, a component of Moscow's advanced S-500 air defense system, in Russian-occupied Crimea, according to Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR). But Russian attacks against Ukraine show no sign of abating, with attacks killing at least eight civilians between Friday and Saturday, including a strike on a bus in Kherson in which two people died, according to Ukrainian authorities. Ukraine's air force said Saturday that Russian forces launched against Ukraine 47 Shahed-type drones and decoys from Russia's Rostov, Kursk and Smolensk regions and two Iskander-K missiles from the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia region. ACLED told Newsweek that as Russia's remote attacks on Ukrainian civilians increase, Kyiv has shifted the targets of its airstrikes to defense contractors with strikes that continue to reach further inside Russia to disrupt the production of drones Moscow launches. What People Are Saying ACLED Senior Analyst for Europe and Central Asia Nichita Gurcov to Newsweek: "Russia's grinding offensive in eastern Ukraine went into overdrive in July—leading to the highest number of battles since the all-out war began in early 2022. Alongside the intense battles, Ukrainian civilians are suffering from remote attacks." What Happens Next Ukraine's drone strikes on Russian facilities and Moscow's continuing bombardment of Ukrainian civilian infrastructure set the scene for talks in Alaska between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin that the U.S. hopes will help end the war.
Atlantic
05-08-2025
- Politics
- Atlantic
Where Have the Proud Boys Gone?
Last week, the Department of Homeland Security debuted a recruitment strategy to expand the ranks of ICE: sign-on bonuses. Thanks to a rush of cash from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the department announced that it's offering up to $50,000 to newly hired federal law-enforcement agents. The offer caught the eye of one group that seemed to be particularly pleased by the government's exciting career opportunity. On Telegram, an account linked to the Toledo, Ohio, chapter of the Proud Boys declared: 'Toledo Boys living high on the hog right now!!' Whether members of the extremist group have pursued job openings at ICE, much less been hired and handed a big check, is unclear. I asked the Toledo chapter whether its members are applying to work for the government, but I didn't hear back. Tricia McLaughlin, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson, said in an email that 'any individual who desires to join ICE will undergo intense background investigations and security clearances—no exception.' But the Toledo Proud Boys' enthusiasm for the work, if nothing else, is telling. The Trump administration is enacting a mass-deportation campaign centered around aggression and cruelty. The Proud Boys are staunchly against undocumented immigrants, and have repeatedly intimidated and physically antagonized their enemies (during the first Trump administration, they often got into fights with left-wing protesters). The group's ideals are being pursued—but by ICE and the government itself. Trump's deportations aren't what they seem There was every reason to believe that the Proud Boys would run wild in Donald Trump's second term. On his first day back in the White House, Trump pardoned everyone who was convicted for crimes related to the insurrection on January 6, 2021—including roughly 100 known members of the Proud Boys and other extremist organizations. They had received some of the harshest sentences tied to the Capitol riot: All 14 people who were still in prison when Trump returned to office were affiliated with either the Proud Boys or the Oath Keepers. At the time, a terrorism expert at the Council on Foreign Relations warned that the pardons 'could be catastrophic for public safety,' sending a message to extremist groups that violence in the name of MAGA 'is legal and legitimate.' Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the Proud Boys who himself was pardoned, announced that there would be hell to pay: 'I'm happy that the president is focusing not on retribution, and focusing on success,' he said on Infowars, 'but I will tell you that I'm not gonna play by those rules.' Six months later, though, the Proud Boys have been surprisingly quiet. According to data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED), a nonprofit that tracks political violence, the Proud Boys have been less active in 2025 than over the preceding several years. Since his release, Tarrio's most prominent action has been helping launch 'ICERAID,' a website that pays people in crypto in exchange for reporting undocumented immigrants. Tarrio, who did not respond to an interview request through a lawyer, also co-hosts frequent livestreams on X. In one episode of a livestream last month, Tarrio nursed a cigarette while a man who identified himself only as 'Patriot Rob' waxed nostalgic about how inescapable the Proud Boys once were. In 2020, members of the militant group showed up at anti-lockdown rallies across the country, clashed with racial-justice protesters, and earned a shout-out from Trump himself during a presidential debate. (The Proud Boys so frequently traveled to Washington, D.C., for various kinds of protests in 2020 that Politico wrote about their favorite bar.) Now, Patriot Rob said on the livestream, 'there's very few of us left.' It's unclear how many Proud Boy chapters there are today, but some seem to be defunct: Those in Philadelphia and Michigan have let their websites turn into dead links and stopped posting on Telegram, the social platform of choice for most Proud Boys. I reached out to 10 Proud Boy chapters and requested interviews. None was willing to speak with me. After I told a Miami chapter that I had spoken with experts on the current state of the Proud Boys, someone who identified himself only as 'Alex' responded: 'Experts' lol Experts at what? Sucking cock Y'all can go fuck yourselves!' The East Tennessee Chapter, perhaps mistaking my name for a woman's, replied by saying, 'We're going to request some nudes in order to confirm your identity 👌.' The Proud Boys have not disappeared. They have been spotted at a 'Tesla Takedown' event in Salem, Oregon; marched with anti-abortion activists in San Francisco; and confronted protesters outside of the 'Alligator Alcatraz' ICE facility. Other right-wing groups have been more active. After the Texas floods last month, a leader of the Patriot Front claimed that the extremist group was involved in recovery efforts to help ' European peoples.' Patriot Front, which has also held several marches across the country since the start of Trump's second term, remains a small organization. Estimates put its membership at 200 to 300 people, compared with the thousands that researchers believe are, or at least were, in the Proud Boys. On the whole, militia groups are 'keeping it low-key,' Amy Cooter, the deputy director and a co-founder of the Institute for Countering Digital Extremism, told me. Since the start of the year, ACLED has recorded 108 extremist protests nationwide—not even half as many as at this point in 2022. This is not entirely unexpected. As my colleague Adrienne LaFrance has reported, in the 1990s, a surge of militia activity and white nationalism appeared to die down after the Oklahoma City bombing—but those movements never disappeared; they simply moved underground. Today, part of the reason for the apparent decline is that even after Trump's pardons, far-right groups are still dealing with the hangover of January 6. Militia groups have always been relatively splintered, but the insurrection exacerbated the fissures. Some Oath Keeper groups are divided on whether their leader, Stewart Rhodes, went too far on January 6, when he rallied Oath Keepers to breach the Capitol, Cooter said. Some members have been vocal about leaving the organization, citing Rhodes's leadership. In 2022, the Southern Poverty Law Center recorded five active Oath Keepers chapters, down from 70 in 2020. (The number of current chapters is not clear.) Meanwhile, the Proud Boys fractured in 2021, after Reuters uncovered court records indicating that Tarrio had served as an informant to local and federal law enforcement before the group was founded. ('I don't recall any of this,' Tarrio told Reuters at the time.) Many Proud Boys chapters disavowed him, including part of his own in Miami. The city now has two separate chapters, an anti-Tarrio and a pro-Tarrio one. In January, I emailed the Toledo Proud Boys chapter to ask about Tarrio. I received an unattributed reply expressing disappointment that Tarrio had 'turned his back and squealed on brothers.' I reached back out this week, and received a similar response: 'Tarrio is a rat, punk, and low life!' The respondent also said this: 'You breland, are exactly what President Trump said. .fake news! I'm sure you preferred the last potatoe!' (I asked if by 'the last potato,' the account meant Joe Biden. 'Ahhh yes. .SMH,' the respondent said. 'You know. .the illegitimate one! The stolen election one! The one who wandered around aimlessly!') The bigger reason that these far-right groups remain underground is that the Trump administration's aggressive agenda has left them with little to do. One of the motivating issues for the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, and other extremist groups is strong opposition to undocumented immigrants. After the presidential election, a leader of the Texas chapter of the Three Percenters, a militia group, reportedly wrote to Trump to offer manpower in enacting mass deportations. But ICE and other federal agencies are engaging in forceful action against immigrants backed by the state in a way that surpasses what the Oath Keepers or the Proud Boys could ever do. ICE agents, not far-right militias, are the ones who have smashed through car windows, thrown people into unmarked vans, and detained them indefinitely. Even apart from immigration, 'groups are taking a hands-off approach right now because their interests are often aligned with the government,' Freddy Cruz, a researcher at the Western States Center, a nonprofit that tracks extremism, told me. The Proud Boys was started in 2016 in part to double down on traditional gender norms. Gavin McInnes, the group's founder, has described the Proud Boys as a 'pro-Western fraternity' for men who 'long for the days when girls were girls and men were men.' The Proud Boys' extreme pro-male views are less distinct than they once were, as MAGA has embraced Andrew Tate and other openly misogynistic figures of the so-called manosphere. As a result, the Proud Boys have one less point to rally around. Still, the Proud Boys and other right-wing militias might not stay underground forever. Under the right conditions, they could surge once again. 'These groups are really responsive to news cycles,' Cooter said. They have specific flash points—immigration, the Second Amendment, and supposed 'election integrity'—that can mobilize them in certain contexts, she explained. The Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, and other established far-right groups still have infrastructure, a durable brand name, and the precedent that Trump might pardon them if things go awry. In May, Tarrio was reportedly invited to Mar-a-Lago, where he briefly spoke with Trump. Newer groups continue to organize. Patriot Front, for example, has teamed up with 'Active Clubs,' a loose network of white supremacists and neo-Nazis who run their own mixed-martial-arts fight clubs. Together, all of this could help give extremist groups a head start that they didn't have in the first Trump administration, when the Proud Boys and many other militia groups began to find their footing. The pieces are there, even if the moment isn't yet.
Miami Herald
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Russia-Linked Tankers Keep Exploding
An explosion on a tanker at a port in Russia is the latest unexplained incident to happen on a vessel linked to the country, which has raised speculation over sabotage. Russia's transportation ministry said Sunday it was investigating the blast on the Eco Wizard tanker at the Ust-Luga port near St. Petersburg, which had caused an ammonia leak on board. Last week, a blast caused flooding in the engine room of the Greek-owned Vilamoura off the coast of Libya. Ukraine said that the ship was part of Russia's "shadow fleet" used to evade oil sanctions. Four other mysterious limpet mine attacks hit vessels that had called at Russian ports this year. Ukraine has not claimed responsibility, but media outlets have noted how Kyiv's security forces often conduct covert action against Russian interests. Olha Polishchuk from the analysis firm ACLED (Armed Conflict Location & Event Data) told Newsweek on Monday that regarding the latest incident, "it is not unreasonable to suggest Ukraine's involvement." Newsweek reached out to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense for comment. The blasts on oil tankers linked to Russia have shaken the shipping world and prompted speculation that they were part of a state-backed sabotage campaign. Ukraine has not claimed responsibility, and there could be other causes, but Kyiv's drone strikes on Russian targets coincide with a fight against vessels that evade oil sanctions aimed at choking off funding for Moscow's military machine. Russian authorities reported an explosion on the Eco Wizard tanker at the strategically important Ust-Luga port in northwestern Russia's Leningrad region, located on the Gulf of Finland. No casualties were reported. The blast caused "a minor leak of liquid ammonia" on board the vessel whose 23-person crew was evacuated, according to Russian Telegram news channel Baza, which said there was "an explosion of an unknown nature." Eco Wizard was built in 2024 to transport liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and was sailing under the flag of the Marshall Islands and is suspected to belong to Russia's sanctions-busting shadow fleet, according to the Kyiv Independent. The vessel had arrived from Antwerp, Belgium, on July 3, according to ship-tracking data from VesselFinder. Polishchuk said that ACLED monitors Ukrainian strikes deep into Russia's territory and had previously recorded explosions where Kyiv's involvement was either confirmed or highly suspected. Ukraine has also frequently targeted oil and gas-related facilities in the past, particularly those facilitating export, Polishchuk told Newsweek. "Taking into consideration the reach of the previous attacks, the location of the current attack, and the nature of the target, it is not unreasonable to suggest Ukraine's involvement, though there are other possible causes." The vessel Eco Wizard is the latest Russian-linked tanker to have suffered an explosion since the start of this year. Last week, there was a blast on the Vilamoura shortly after it visited Ust-Luga in early April, where it loaded Kazakh-origin barrels and had called in at the Caspian Pipeline Consortium terminal near Novorossiysk in May. This is a pattern that correlates with at least four other tanker explosions since January, three of which happened in the Mediterranean, according to analysis by Lloyd's List, which was shared with Newsweek. However, the common link to previous Russia oil terminal visits may not be sufficient to establish a connection between all recent explosions without clear evidence, Lloyd's List said. All five tankers had passed through Malta's outer port limits, but links to Libya were also the common denominator in at least two explosions, it added. Four of the vessels belonged to Greek and Cypriot shipowners, according to the Financial Times. The Vilamoura is part of the Cardiff Group of George Economou. The Seacharm, hit in January off Turkey, and the Seajewel, hit in February in Italy, belong to Thenamaris, which Nikolas Martinos controls. The Grace Ferrum, damaged off Libya in February, belongs to the Cypriot firm Cymare. Another vessel, the Koala, was damaged in an explosion at Ust-Luga Port in February and had been sanctioned by the European Union in May for transporting Russian oil. Olha Polishchuk, Eastern Europe Research Manager at ACLED, told Newsweek: "Previous attacks have also shown vulnerabilities in Russia's defense of not only its oil and gas industry, but also high-value military targets-vulnerabilities that Ukraine will continue to prod and exploit." Lloyd's List on June 30: "A common link to previous Russia oil terminal visits may not be sufficient to link all recent explosions without clear evidence." The latest incident will be investigated by Russian authorities. Security analysts assume that such explosions are related to the vessel's recent loading at Russian oil export facilities; however, Lloyd's List said that there is no hard evidence to support these theories, making vessel risk assessments difficult for shipowners and operators. Related Articles Iran Gets Significant Diplomatic BoostPutin Minister Found Dead After Ukraine FailuresRussia Appears To Be Hiding Its Death FiguresLavrov Lists Russia Demands for Ukraine Peace 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Metro
28-06-2025
- Metro
Mystery as authorities find mass grave with dozens of bodies in bags
Investigators in Mexico made a grisly discovery this year, finding dozens of bodies at a construction site in Mexico. Yesterday, prosecutors said they have identified at least 17 of the 34 bodies found in Zapopan, in Jalisco, Mexico, after remains were found buried in a mass grave. 169 bags were filled with human remains and found by builders in February, prompting a forensic investigation. It's the second time this year Jalisco has been in the spotlight. In March, a group looking for missing people found human remains and clothing items in a ranch used by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. Known as the 'Rancho Izaguirre' case, 15 people have been arrested, including the mayor of a nearby town. Hundreds of thousands of Mexicans have been listed as 'disappeared' by the government in the past 20 years, as families desperately search for answers. Between 2020 and 2022, the number of missing people on the Interior Ministry's national registry, which dates back to 1964, rose from about 73,000 people to more than 100,000, with most of them being men. The majority were between 15 and 30 years old, from lower-income families, the National Search Commission (CNB) reported last year. Police, the military, and cartel groups are believed to be behind many of the incidents. Earlier this year, nine students who went on holiday in southern Mexico in February were found with their hands severed, left in a deserted car. The bodies were found in San Jose Miahuatlan, roughly 175 miles from Mexico City, and were feared to be yet another cartel killing. More Trending The nine students had reportedly travelled from Tlaxcala to Oaxaca for holidays when they were targeted – but other local news outlets have claimed they were members of 'Los Zacapoaxtlas', another gang. As of May 2024, cartels controlled about one-third of Mexico's territory, with the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels responsible for the vast majority of drug trafficking in the United States, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. There are worries that violence could increase further. According to Armed Conflict Location & Event Data, lethal clashes between gangs have increased 18% since 2023. In 2014, 43 students from a Rural Teacher's College were kidnapped in a famous case – there is no indication that the students are alive. Only three of the students' remains have been found. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Sister makes desperate plea for twin who went missing at food bank MORE: Ten killed and several injured after shooting at religious festival in Mexico MORE: Two arrested after 'hardworking peacemaker' stabbed to death outside prayer centre
The Hindu
25-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Gaza to Iran: Israel's illegal wars grow with U.S. support
The United States' involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict has sparked concerns of an escalating regional conflict in West Asia. However, the U.S.'s stance isn't new. Data shows that it has supported Israel's offensive acts steadfastly amid calls for ceasefires and even when the latter was accused of war crimes. Only last year, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, citing allegations of crimes against humanity and war crimes, including starvation as a method of warfare. The then U.S. President Joe Biden had defended Israel and 'rejected the ICC's application for arrest warrants'. News reports show that the people of Gaza continue to starve as Israel still restricts food trucks and aid from entering the region. The chart shows number of food trucks and food aid (in tonnes) allowed into Gaza in the last one year. *Data was not available for March-April 2025 Fewer than a thousand food trucks entered Gaza in the past two months — the lowest in at least a year. The food aid provided also drastically decreased from 2 lakh tonnes in February this year to less than 20 thousand tonnes in June this year. But the war is not just confined to Gaza now. Israel has intensified its attacks on other countries in the region as well. What began as a response to the October 7 Hamas attack in 2023 is quickly spiralling into an all-out regional conflict in West Asia. Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED) data shows that Israel alone has launched over 42,000 attacks in the region, with almost 25,000 on Palestine alone. The chart shows the number of attacks carried out by Israel in West Asia from October 7, 2023 to June 13, 2025 Close to 60,000 people have been killed in the attacks carried out by Israel in the 615 days between October 7, 2023 and June 13, 2025. More than 56,000 people were from Palestine, with more than 17,000 victims being children. Apart from Gaza, people have been killed in attacks launched by Israel in Yemen, Lebanon, Iran and Syria in the period. The chart shows the number of persons killed due to Israeli attacks in West Asia since October 7, 2023. While many countries have repeatedly expressed concerns about the grave humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza, the UN has been urging through resolutions demanding an immediate ceasefire. Data shows that the U.S., despite international concerns, has diplomatically shielded Israel in the international arena. The table shows how the U.S., Israel and India voted on key resolutions concerning Palestine since October 7, 2023 It has been against all resolutions concerning Palestine and ceasefire, except for Security Council resolution 2735 (2024). Israel has refused all resolutions brought to the table. India, which had voted 'yes' in several resolutions demanding a ceasefire or humanitarian aid in the region, has abstained in the latest resolution passed on June 12 which had demanded a ceasefire again. This is the fourth time India has abstained from voting in a resolution asking for a ceasefire in Gaza in the past three years. The U.S. continues to back Israel militarily and with foreign aid. According to a press release from March this year, the Trump administration has approved nearly $12 billion in major foreign military sales to Israel. The United States on Sunday struck three prominent nuclear sites in Iran: Natanz, Fordo and Isfahan. While President Donald Trump congratulated the American warriors on their successful mission in Iran, data from YouGov, an international online research data and analytics technology group, shows most Americans are wary of the U.S.'s entanglement in a conflict. Most Americans thought the U.S. military should not get involved in the conflict between Israel and Iran. The chart shows what U.S. citizens think about their country getting involved in Israel's conflict with Iran. The figure was higher across Democrats and Republicans alike. Only 16% of all U.S. citizens felt that their country should even get involved in Israel's latest conflict. Source: ACLED, WHO, COGAT, UN Voting library and YouGov sambavi.p@
