Latest news with #Russi
11-07-2025
Man who posted video of father's severed head online is found guilty of murder
DOYLESTOWN, Pa. -- A Pennsylvania man who posted a video of his father's severed head on YouTube was convicted of murder Friday and sentenced to life without parole. Bucks County Judge Stephen A. Corr found Justin D. Mohn, 33, guilty in the January 2024 shooting death of his father at their home in the Philadelphia suburb of Levittown. After the sentencing, Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn told reporters Mohn had exhibited a 'complete and utter lack of remorse,' calling it an 'unimaginable, unfathomable crime.' 'We are satisfied that this was the right outcome to guarantee that the community at large is safe from Justin Mohn,' Schorn said. A message seeking comment was left for Mohn's defense attorney, Steven M. Jones. Prosecutors said Mohn shot his father, Michael F. Mohn, 68, with a newly purchased pistol, then decapitated him with a kitchen knife and machete. The 14-minute YouTube video he posted was live for several hours before it was removed. Mohn testified during the trial that he shot his father while trying to arrest him on what he said were false statements and treason but his father resisted, so he fired at him. He said he severed his head to send a message to federal workers to meet his demands, which included their resignation among other things. Mohn was arrested later that day after scaling a fence at Fort Indiantown Gap, the state's National Guard headquarters. Prosecutors said he called for others to join him in attempting to overthrow the U.S. government. Mohn had a USB device containing photos of federal buildings and apparent instructions for making explosives when he was arrested, authorities said. He also expressed violent anti-government rhetoric in writings he published online, going back several years. During the trial, the judge heard from Justin Mohn's mother, who said police came to the house he shared with his parents and warned him about his online postings before the killing. Denice Mohn testified that she and her husband had been offering financial support and guidance as Justin Mohn looked for a job. Prosecutors described the homicide as 'something straight out of a horror film.' They said Justin Mohn killed his father — who had been an engineer with the geoenvironmental section of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Philadelphia District — to intimidate federal workers, calling it a 'cold, calculated, organized plan.' The YouTube video included rants about the government, immigration and the border, fiscal policy, urban crime and the war in Ukraine. In court, Michael Mohn was remembered as a good neighbor and present, supportive father. In the video posted on YouTube, Justin Mohn described his father as a 20-year federal employee and called him a traitor. During a competency hearing last year, a defense expert said Mohn wrote a letter to Russia's ambassador to the United States seeking to strike a deal to give Mohn refuge and apologizing to President Vladimir Putin for claiming to be the czar of Russia. The judge ruled Mohn was competent to stand trial. Evidence presented at the trial included graphic photos and the video posted to YouTube. The judge warned members of the public at the trial about the images and said they could leave before the photos were shown. The proceedings are known as a bench trial, with only a judge, not a jury.
Miami Herald
30-06-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
Russia Predicts Why NATO Will Collapse
Russia's foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, has predicted that the dramatic increase in NATO defense spending agreed last week will lead to its collapse. Responding to the statement on Thursday from Poland's foreign minister, Radoslaw Sikorski, that an arms race between Russia and the West could result in the fall of Vladimir Putin, Lavrov said: "He can probably see—since he is such a wise sage—that the disastrous increase in spending of NATO countries will also lead to the collapse of this organization." "Meanwhile, Russia—as President [Vladimir Putin] said the other day in Minsk after the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council meeting—plans to reduce its military spending and be guided by common sense, rather than imaginary threats, as NATO member states do, including Sikorski," he said, according to Russia's state TASS news agency. In an interview with the AFP news agency last week, Sikorski said: "Putin should understand that he is on the path of (Soviet leader Leonid) Brezhnev. He himself once said that the Soviet Union collapsed because it spent too much on armament, and now he is doing exactly the same thing." NATO leaders reached a historic agreement last week to significantly increase defense spending, following strong pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump. The 32-member alliance voiced an "ironclad commitment" to mutual defense in the event of an attack, reaffirming its core collective security principle. In a joint summit statement, the leaders pledged to allocate 5% of their GDP annually to core defense needs and related security spending by 2035, aiming to strengthen both individual and collective security obligations. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte hailed the summit as "transformational." Trump called the spending boost "something that no one really thought possible. And they said, 'You did it, sir. You did it.' Well, I don't know if I did it, but I think I did." However, not all members are on board. Spain has already made it clear it cannot meet the target, and other countries have raised concerns. Still, the agreement includes a 2029 review, which will coincide with the next U.S. presidential elections, to assess the progress and recalibrate NATO's response to Russia's growing threat. The alliance also reaffirmed its commitment to mutual defense, with a renewed emphasis on the principle that "an attack on one is an attack on all." Trump had cast doubt on the U.S.'s readiness to defend its allies in the lead-up to the summit. "Together, allies have laid the foundations for a stronger, fairer, and more lethal NATO," Rutte told reporters following the meeting in The Hague. "This will fuel a quantum leap in our collective defense." This article includes reporting from The Associated Press. Related Articles Ukrainian President Moves to Withdraw From Ottawa Convention: What to KnowNATO Scrambles Fighter Jets After Russia's Largest Air Assault on UkraineNATO Scrambles Fighter Jets To Intercept Russia Spy PlanesIran Joins China and Russia in Security Talks After US Strikes 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
The Advertiser
20-06-2025
- Politics
- The Advertiser
Zelenskiy calls for more pressure on Russia
A Russian missile strike on a nine-story Kyiv apartment building is a sign that more pressure must be applied on Moscow to agree to a ceasefire, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says, as Moscow intensifies attacks in the war. The drone and missile attack on Kyiv early on Tuesday, the deadliest assault on the capital this year, killed 28 people across the city and wounded 142 others, Kyiv Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko said. Zelenskiy, along with the head of the presidential office, Andrii Yermak, and Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, visited the site of the apartment building in Kyiv's Solomianskyi district on Thursday morning, laying flowers and paying tribute to the 23 people who died there after a direct hit by a missile brought down the structure. "This attack is a reminder to the world that Russia rejects a ceasefire and chooses killing," Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram, and thanked Ukraine's partners who he said are ready to pressure Russia to "feel the real cost of the war." Tuesday's attack on Kyiv was part of a sweeping barrage as Russia once again sought to overwhelm Ukrainian air defences. Russia fired more than 440 drones and 32 missiles in what Zelenskiy called one of the biggest bombardments of the war, which began on February 24, 2022. As Russia proceeds with a summer offensive on parts of the roughly 1000km front line, US-led peace efforts have failed to gain traction. Russian President Vladimir Putin has effectively rejected an offer from US President Donald Trump for an immediate 30-day ceasefire, making it conditional on a halt on Ukraine's mobilisation effort and a freeze on Western arms supplies. Meanwhile, Middle East tensions and US trade tariffs have drawn away world attention from Ukraine's pleas for more diplomatic and economic pressure to be placed on Moscow. In recent weeks, Russia has intensified long-range attacks that have struck urban residential areas. Yet on Wednesday, Putin denied that his military had struck such targets, saying that attacks were "against military industries, not residential quarters." Putin told senior news leaders of international news agencies in St Petersburg, Russia, that he was open to talks with Zelenskiy, but repeated his accusation that the Ukrainian leader had lost his legitimacy after his term expired last year — allegations rejected by Kyiv and its allies. "We are ready for substantive talks on the principles of a settlement," Putin said, noting that a previous round of talks in Istanbul had led to an exchange of prisoners and the bodies of fallen soldiers. A new round of such exchanges took place in Ukraine's Chernihiv region on Thursday, involving the repatriation of Ukrainian prisoners of war who, according to Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War or KSHPPV, were suffering from severe health issues caused by injuries and prolonged detention. The exchange was confirmed by Russia's defence ministry, which released a video of Russian servicemen at an exchange area in Belarus after being released in the prisoner swap. Commenting on the exchange, Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram: "We are working to get our people back. Thank you to everyone who helps make these exchanges possible. Our goal is to free each and every one." Many of the exchanged Ukrainian POWs had spent over three years in captivity, with a large number captured during the defence of the now Russian-occupied city of Mariupol in 2022, according to the KSHPPV, which added that preparations for another prisoner exchange are ongoing. A Russian missile strike on a nine-story Kyiv apartment building is a sign that more pressure must be applied on Moscow to agree to a ceasefire, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says, as Moscow intensifies attacks in the war. The drone and missile attack on Kyiv early on Tuesday, the deadliest assault on the capital this year, killed 28 people across the city and wounded 142 others, Kyiv Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko said. Zelenskiy, along with the head of the presidential office, Andrii Yermak, and Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, visited the site of the apartment building in Kyiv's Solomianskyi district on Thursday morning, laying flowers and paying tribute to the 23 people who died there after a direct hit by a missile brought down the structure. "This attack is a reminder to the world that Russia rejects a ceasefire and chooses killing," Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram, and thanked Ukraine's partners who he said are ready to pressure Russia to "feel the real cost of the war." Tuesday's attack on Kyiv was part of a sweeping barrage as Russia once again sought to overwhelm Ukrainian air defences. Russia fired more than 440 drones and 32 missiles in what Zelenskiy called one of the biggest bombardments of the war, which began on February 24, 2022. As Russia proceeds with a summer offensive on parts of the roughly 1000km front line, US-led peace efforts have failed to gain traction. Russian President Vladimir Putin has effectively rejected an offer from US President Donald Trump for an immediate 30-day ceasefire, making it conditional on a halt on Ukraine's mobilisation effort and a freeze on Western arms supplies. Meanwhile, Middle East tensions and US trade tariffs have drawn away world attention from Ukraine's pleas for more diplomatic and economic pressure to be placed on Moscow. In recent weeks, Russia has intensified long-range attacks that have struck urban residential areas. Yet on Wednesday, Putin denied that his military had struck such targets, saying that attacks were "against military industries, not residential quarters." Putin told senior news leaders of international news agencies in St Petersburg, Russia, that he was open to talks with Zelenskiy, but repeated his accusation that the Ukrainian leader had lost his legitimacy after his term expired last year — allegations rejected by Kyiv and its allies. "We are ready for substantive talks on the principles of a settlement," Putin said, noting that a previous round of talks in Istanbul had led to an exchange of prisoners and the bodies of fallen soldiers. A new round of such exchanges took place in Ukraine's Chernihiv region on Thursday, involving the repatriation of Ukrainian prisoners of war who, according to Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War or KSHPPV, were suffering from severe health issues caused by injuries and prolonged detention. The exchange was confirmed by Russia's defence ministry, which released a video of Russian servicemen at an exchange area in Belarus after being released in the prisoner swap. Commenting on the exchange, Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram: "We are working to get our people back. Thank you to everyone who helps make these exchanges possible. Our goal is to free each and every one." Many of the exchanged Ukrainian POWs had spent over three years in captivity, with a large number captured during the defence of the now Russian-occupied city of Mariupol in 2022, according to the KSHPPV, which added that preparations for another prisoner exchange are ongoing. A Russian missile strike on a nine-story Kyiv apartment building is a sign that more pressure must be applied on Moscow to agree to a ceasefire, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says, as Moscow intensifies attacks in the war. The drone and missile attack on Kyiv early on Tuesday, the deadliest assault on the capital this year, killed 28 people across the city and wounded 142 others, Kyiv Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko said. Zelenskiy, along with the head of the presidential office, Andrii Yermak, and Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, visited the site of the apartment building in Kyiv's Solomianskyi district on Thursday morning, laying flowers and paying tribute to the 23 people who died there after a direct hit by a missile brought down the structure. "This attack is a reminder to the world that Russia rejects a ceasefire and chooses killing," Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram, and thanked Ukraine's partners who he said are ready to pressure Russia to "feel the real cost of the war." Tuesday's attack on Kyiv was part of a sweeping barrage as Russia once again sought to overwhelm Ukrainian air defences. Russia fired more than 440 drones and 32 missiles in what Zelenskiy called one of the biggest bombardments of the war, which began on February 24, 2022. As Russia proceeds with a summer offensive on parts of the roughly 1000km front line, US-led peace efforts have failed to gain traction. Russian President Vladimir Putin has effectively rejected an offer from US President Donald Trump for an immediate 30-day ceasefire, making it conditional on a halt on Ukraine's mobilisation effort and a freeze on Western arms supplies. Meanwhile, Middle East tensions and US trade tariffs have drawn away world attention from Ukraine's pleas for more diplomatic and economic pressure to be placed on Moscow. In recent weeks, Russia has intensified long-range attacks that have struck urban residential areas. Yet on Wednesday, Putin denied that his military had struck such targets, saying that attacks were "against military industries, not residential quarters." Putin told senior news leaders of international news agencies in St Petersburg, Russia, that he was open to talks with Zelenskiy, but repeated his accusation that the Ukrainian leader had lost his legitimacy after his term expired last year — allegations rejected by Kyiv and its allies. "We are ready for substantive talks on the principles of a settlement," Putin said, noting that a previous round of talks in Istanbul had led to an exchange of prisoners and the bodies of fallen soldiers. A new round of such exchanges took place in Ukraine's Chernihiv region on Thursday, involving the repatriation of Ukrainian prisoners of war who, according to Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War or KSHPPV, were suffering from severe health issues caused by injuries and prolonged detention. The exchange was confirmed by Russia's defence ministry, which released a video of Russian servicemen at an exchange area in Belarus after being released in the prisoner swap. Commenting on the exchange, Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram: "We are working to get our people back. Thank you to everyone who helps make these exchanges possible. Our goal is to free each and every one." Many of the exchanged Ukrainian POWs had spent over three years in captivity, with a large number captured during the defence of the now Russian-occupied city of Mariupol in 2022, according to the KSHPPV, which added that preparations for another prisoner exchange are ongoing. A Russian missile strike on a nine-story Kyiv apartment building is a sign that more pressure must be applied on Moscow to agree to a ceasefire, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says, as Moscow intensifies attacks in the war. The drone and missile attack on Kyiv early on Tuesday, the deadliest assault on the capital this year, killed 28 people across the city and wounded 142 others, Kyiv Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko said. Zelenskiy, along with the head of the presidential office, Andrii Yermak, and Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, visited the site of the apartment building in Kyiv's Solomianskyi district on Thursday morning, laying flowers and paying tribute to the 23 people who died there after a direct hit by a missile brought down the structure. "This attack is a reminder to the world that Russia rejects a ceasefire and chooses killing," Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram, and thanked Ukraine's partners who he said are ready to pressure Russia to "feel the real cost of the war." Tuesday's attack on Kyiv was part of a sweeping barrage as Russia once again sought to overwhelm Ukrainian air defences. Russia fired more than 440 drones and 32 missiles in what Zelenskiy called one of the biggest bombardments of the war, which began on February 24, 2022. As Russia proceeds with a summer offensive on parts of the roughly 1000km front line, US-led peace efforts have failed to gain traction. Russian President Vladimir Putin has effectively rejected an offer from US President Donald Trump for an immediate 30-day ceasefire, making it conditional on a halt on Ukraine's mobilisation effort and a freeze on Western arms supplies. Meanwhile, Middle East tensions and US trade tariffs have drawn away world attention from Ukraine's pleas for more diplomatic and economic pressure to be placed on Moscow. In recent weeks, Russia has intensified long-range attacks that have struck urban residential areas. Yet on Wednesday, Putin denied that his military had struck such targets, saying that attacks were "against military industries, not residential quarters." Putin told senior news leaders of international news agencies in St Petersburg, Russia, that he was open to talks with Zelenskiy, but repeated his accusation that the Ukrainian leader had lost his legitimacy after his term expired last year — allegations rejected by Kyiv and its allies. "We are ready for substantive talks on the principles of a settlement," Putin said, noting that a previous round of talks in Istanbul had led to an exchange of prisoners and the bodies of fallen soldiers. A new round of such exchanges took place in Ukraine's Chernihiv region on Thursday, involving the repatriation of Ukrainian prisoners of war who, according to Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War or KSHPPV, were suffering from severe health issues caused by injuries and prolonged detention. The exchange was confirmed by Russia's defence ministry, which released a video of Russian servicemen at an exchange area in Belarus after being released in the prisoner swap. Commenting on the exchange, Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram: "We are working to get our people back. Thank you to everyone who helps make these exchanges possible. Our goal is to free each and every one." Many of the exchanged Ukrainian POWs had spent over three years in captivity, with a large number captured during the defence of the now Russian-occupied city of Mariupol in 2022, according to the KSHPPV, which added that preparations for another prisoner exchange are ongoing.
Perth Now
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Perth Now
Zelenskiy calls for more pressure on Russia
A Russian missile strike on a nine-story Kyiv apartment building is a sign that more pressure must be applied on Moscow to agree to a ceasefire, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says, as Moscow intensifies attacks in the war. The drone and missile attack on Kyiv early on Tuesday, the deadliest assault on the capital this year, killed 28 people across the city and wounded 142 others, Kyiv Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko said. Zelenskiy, along with the head of the presidential office, Andrii Yermak, and Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, visited the site of the apartment building in Kyiv's Solomianskyi district on Thursday morning, laying flowers and paying tribute to the 23 people who died there after a direct hit by a missile brought down the structure. "This attack is a reminder to the world that Russia rejects a ceasefire and chooses killing," Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram, and thanked Ukraine's partners who he said are ready to pressure Russia to "feel the real cost of the war." Tuesday's attack on Kyiv was part of a sweeping barrage as Russia once again sought to overwhelm Ukrainian air defences. Russia fired more than 440 drones and 32 missiles in what Zelenskiy called one of the biggest bombardments of the war, which began on February 24, 2022. As Russia proceeds with a summer offensive on parts of the roughly 1000km front line, US-led peace efforts have failed to gain traction. Russian President Vladimir Putin has effectively rejected an offer from US President Donald Trump for an immediate 30-day ceasefire, making it conditional on a halt on Ukraine's mobilisation effort and a freeze on Western arms supplies. Meanwhile, Middle East tensions and US trade tariffs have drawn away world attention from Ukraine's pleas for more diplomatic and economic pressure to be placed on Moscow. In recent weeks, Russia has intensified long-range attacks that have struck urban residential areas. Yet on Wednesday, Putin denied that his military had struck such targets, saying that attacks were "against military industries, not residential quarters." Putin told senior news leaders of international news agencies in St Petersburg, Russia, that he was open to talks with Zelenskiy, but repeated his accusation that the Ukrainian leader had lost his legitimacy after his term expired last year — allegations rejected by Kyiv and its allies. "We are ready for substantive talks on the principles of a settlement," Putin said, noting that a previous round of talks in Istanbul had led to an exchange of prisoners and the bodies of fallen soldiers. A new round of such exchanges took place in Ukraine's Chernihiv region on Thursday, involving the repatriation of Ukrainian prisoners of war who, according to Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War or KSHPPV, were suffering from severe health issues caused by injuries and prolonged detention. The exchange was confirmed by Russia's defence ministry, which released a video of Russian servicemen at an exchange area in Belarus after being released in the prisoner swap. Commenting on the exchange, Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram: "We are working to get our people back. Thank you to everyone who helps make these exchanges possible. Our goal is to free each and every one." Many of the exchanged Ukrainian POWs had spent over three years in captivity, with a large number captured during the defence of the now Russian-occupied city of Mariupol in 2022, according to the KSHPPV, which added that preparations for another prisoner exchange are ongoing.
NBC News
09-06-2025
- Business
- NBC News
NATO chief to call for four-fold increase in Europe's air defense spending
LONDON — Washington's European allies must make a 'quantum leap' in military spending to deter Russia, the head of NATO is expected to say Monday, calling for a 400% increase in the continent's air and missile defense budget. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte's comments are set to be among the strongest yet from the organization as it attempts to improve the continent's insufficient defenses against Russi a while also avoiding the political ire of President Donald Trump. 'The fact is, we need a quantum leap in our collective defense,' Rutte is expected to say in a speech to the London-based think tank Chatham House, in remarks released beforehand by the alliance. 'The fact is, we must have more forces and capabilities to implement our defense plans in full. The fact is, danger will not disappear even when the war in Ukraine ends.' Trump's clear signaling that he would like to at least significantly reduce decades of American military support for Europe has sent its nations scrambling to beef up their own arms industries. The American president's suggestion that NATO allies should up their minimum defense spend from 2% to 5% of GDP was once seen as outlandish; but last month Rutte too backed this idea and said he expected it to be adopted at NATO's June 24-25 summit. On Monday he will make a similarly ambitious call, according to NATO's pre-released remarks. He will ask for a '400% increase in air and missile defense' and add that 'militaries also need thousands more armored vehicles and tanks, millions more artillery shells, and we must double our enabling capabilities, such as logistics, supply, transportation, and medical support.' 'Wishful thinking will not keep us safe,' he will say. 'We cannot dream away the danger. Hope is not a strategy. So NATO has to become a stronger, fairer and more lethal alliance.' Rutte's comments would come against the backdrop of European powers vowing to spend more on their military budgets, having relied for decades upon America's protection first against the Soviet Union and now Putin's revanchist Kremlin. NATO's constituents must also maintain a balancing act when it comes to Ukraine — which is not a member. Kyiv's allies want to support a neighbor it sees as a bulwark against Russian aggression, while keeping onside a White House increasingly sympathetic to Moscow's worldview. Trump has previously described his 'very, very good relationship' with Putin, a man considered a pariah by former President Joe Biden and other Western leaders. Many officials and analysts in Europe acknowledge that Trump is right to demand that wealthy nations such as Germany be able to look after themselves without Washington's help. However many of these same commentators have expressed their horror at the tactics used by Trump, who has suggested that the United States would not protect underpaying allies, and openly inviting Russia to 'do whatever the hell' it wants to them. That risks shattering the central premise of NATO: Article 5 of its founding charter — an 'all-for-one and one-for-all' mutual defense promise suggesting that if one ally is attacked, the rest would come to its aid. The scenario the founders had in mind was that the U.S. would join the fight if Russia decided to launch an act of aggression against a smaller European country. In practice however, the only time it has been used in the real world was the other way round, when the alliance lent Washington symbolic defensive help after 9/11. Previous American presidents have always seen this as a good trade off: America underwrites European security, and in return has a huge influence over political, diplomatic and even cultural happenings on the continent and beyond. The soft power return on investment was always seen as a profitable one. However, Trump has repeatedly questioned this logic, not only undermining the promise behind Article 5 but using hostile language against those historically considered Western brethren. The realization among European allies that Washington is no longer committed to its mutual defense has sparked a drive to push up defense budgets and revive the long-since dormant arms industry on the continent.
