Category: NYTimes

On Wednesday, commanders of anti-Kremlin armed groups held a news conference in northern Ukraine after staging attacks in Russia. The cross-border raid appeared intended to force Moscow to divert its soldiers from the battlefield and to embarrass President Vladimir V. Putin’s government by showing Russia’s vulnerability. The raid prompted a warning from the leader of Russia’s largest mercenary force, who said his country faced further military setbacks unless its ruling elite took drastic measures to win the war.

The raiders, a motley group of Russian exiles who have been fighting on the Ukrainian side in the war, said they had consulted with the Ukrainians but that the Ukrainian military had not crossed into Russia. The fighters were buoyant and mocked the Russian response to the raid, saying it was slow, panicked, and disorganized.

The Kremlin, eager to discredit the renegade Russians, dismissed them as neo-fascists. Sergei K. Shoigu, Russia’s minister of defense, called the cross-border attack a terrorist act and warned of a harsh response. Analysts of Russian politics said that the attack might stir discontent over incompetence in the military among pro-war groups, but that it could also offer Mr. Putin an opportunity to try to rally people around the flag.

Cambodian runner Bou Samnang’s inspiring performance at the Southeast Asian Games has won her the hearts of many. Despite finishing last in the 5,000-meter race, Bou Samnang persevered through a torrential rainstorm and crossed the finish line to the applause of a small group of supporters. Her determination and grit has earned her a $10,000 bonus from the Prime Minister of Cambodia and praise from the King. Bou Samnang’s story is a reminder that success isn’t always measured in wins, but in the courage to keep going.

The U.K. has seen a record level of immigration, with net migration reaching 606,000 in 2022. This has created a dilemma for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who is under pressure to reduce the number of arrivals while also trying to revive the sluggish economy. The figures were swelled by the influx of people from Ukraine and Hong Kong, suggesting that a significant portion of the uplift is temporary. The government has responded by introducing measures to prevent thousands of international students from bringing family members with them into the country. The public is less concerned about legal migration since the Brexit vote, but the government is focusing on tackling illegal immigration and stopping the flow of asylum seekers crossing the English Channel. The new figures show the challenge facing the government in balancing the need to reduce immigration with the need to revive the economy.

Russia has declared victory in its devastating, nearly yearlong assault on Bakhmut, and its Wagner mercenaries have begun to withdraw. Ukraine, whose forces have made small gains on the outskirts, has signaled that it is now focused on making it difficult for Moscow to hold onto the city.

The 16-square-mile city, which was home to some 70,000 people before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, is in the eastern industrial region known as the Donbas. Months of artillery bombardment — followed by grinding street battles — reduced Bakhmut’s leafy streets and apartment buildings to an urban wasteland. All but a few thousand residents have fled.

Moscow has long viewed Bakhmut as a necessary prize in the campaign to seize the entire region known as the Donbas. But the city itself is not particularly valuable in military terms, according to U.S. officials. They believe that Moscow’s unrelenting commitment to wresting it from Ukraine was an indication of the Kremlin’s desperation for a battlefield victory after months of losses and retreats along the northeastern and southern fronts.

Ukraine had used national guard and border guard troops to defend the city’s perimeter, then relied on more experienced combat soldiers in recent months as its hold on the city weakened. Soldiers fought in close-range combat from abandoned buildings, basements and trenches, with thousands of others stationed in surrounding fields and villages.

Losses on both sides have been staggering, especially given the minimal amount of territory that changed hands, although there is no reliable estimate of the toll. President Biden said over the weekend that around 100,000 Russian soldiers had been killed or wounded in the battle for the city. Ukraine has also suffered substantial losses.

Analysts say that Russia has lost so much in its attempts to secure Bakhmut that it seems unlikely Moscow’s troops will be able to marshal new resources to mount successful battles on the same scale elsewhere in the region. Ukraine’s defense of Bakhmut may have degraded Russia’s ability to immediately seize more territory, and the Ukrainian military may be looking to exploit any weaknesses that emerge as Russia rotates its troops.

Russia and Ukraine have been locked in a bitter conflict since 2014, and the situation has only intensified in recent weeks. As Kyiv gears up for a counteroffensive, the Russians are increasing their use of Soviet-era bombs, some of which have been modified to become glide bombs. These bombs are almost impossible to shoot down, and have caused devastating destruction in Ukrainian villages. Ukrainian officials are using the threat of these bombs to help press their case for F-16s, which allies are expected to provide. The only way to stop the bombs, they say, is to attack the planes that launch them. The Russians have boasted about the prowess of their glide bombs, and the Ukrainians have struggled with their own glide bombs, which the Russians have managed to jam. As the war continues to evolve, the Ukrainians are hoping that F-16s will give them the edge they need to protect their people.

Geena Davis is an Academy Award-winning actor and activist who has been working for two decades to promote gender equality in media. Through her Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, she has used data and research to highlight the disparities in popular entertainment and to encourage filmmakers to make changes. Her work has been instrumental in bringing attention to the issue of gender bias in Hollywood and has helped to create a more inclusive and equitable industry.

As summer travel season approaches, travelers should be aware of the potential for delays and cancellations. Last summer, airports in the U.S. and around the world experienced high levels of delays and cancellations, with Newark Liberty International Airport, La Guardia Airport and Kennedy Airport in New York, Reagan National in Washington, and Toronto Pearson standing out from the pack. To increase the chance of pain-free travel, travelers should avoid the airports with the highest levels of delays and cancellations, fly nonstop when possible, and avoid peak times. Additionally, travelers should stay apprised of any potential weather-related complications, such as smoke from wildfires or hurricane season. With a bit of planning and preparation, travelers can make the most of their summer trips.

Today marks the 60th anniversary of Africa Day, an occasion to celebrate the continent and challenge negative perceptions. To mark the occasion, we look at some of the ways to celebrate, from reading Chinua Achebe’s classic novel “Things Fall Apart” to watching the latest African animation project, “Supa Team 4,” on Netflix. We also look at the latest news from around the world, including a drone attack on the Kremlin, a paralyzed man’s ability to walk again with the help of implants, and the latest sports news. Finally, we look at the debate over whether $2000 bedsheets are worth the money, and offer some puzzles to play.

Microsoft recently detected malicious computer code installed by a Chinese government hacking group in telecommunications systems in Guam and elsewhere in the United States. The code, known as a “web shell”, enables remote access to a server and is particularly vulnerable in older routers that have not had updated software and protections.

The code raised alarms because Guam, with its Pacific ports and vast American air base, would be a centerpiece of any American military response to an invasion or blockade of Taiwan. Microsoft called the hacking group “Volt Typhoon” and said that it was part of a state-sponsored Chinese effort aimed at not only critical infrastructure such as communications, electric and gas utilities, but also maritime operations and transportation.

The Biden administration has declined to discuss what the F.B.I. found as it examined the equipment recovered from the balloon. But the craft — better described as a huge aerial vehicle — apparently included specialized radars and communications interception devices that the F.B.I. has been examining since the balloon was shot down.

The National Security Agency, along with other domestic agencies and counterparts in Australia, Britain, New Zealand and Canada, published a 24-page advisory that referred to Microsoft’s finding and offered broader warnings about a “recently discovered cluster of activity” from China.

Anne Neuberger, the deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology, said that covert efforts “like the activity exposed today are part of what’s driving our focus on the security of telecom networks and the urgency to use trusted vendors” whose equipment has met established cybersecurity standards.

The code is part of a vast Chinese intelligence collection effort that spans cyberspace, outer space and the lower atmosphere. It is unclear whether the government’s silence about its finding from the balloon is motivated by a desire to keep the Chinese government from knowing what the United States has learned or to get past the diplomatic breach that followed the incursion.

The U.S.S. Mannert L. Abele, a U.S. Navy destroyer sunk in 1945 during the Battle of Okinawa, has been discovered by a group of civilian underwater explorers. The Abele was the first warship hit by a Japanese weapon called an Ohka, a flying bomb capable of reaching speeds of 600 miles per hour. The ship was broken in half by two kamikaze attacks and sank in 4,500 feet of water, killing 84 sailors.rnrnThe Lost 52 Project, which searches for Navy submarines and warships sunk during World War II, found the ship in December. The U.S. Navy’s Naval History and Heritage Command in Washington confirmed the discovery in April. The Abele and other Navy warships around Okinawa helped to draw kamikaze attacks away from troop transports and supply ships supporting the battle ashore.rnrnFamily members of former crew members welcomed the Abele’s discovery. “I think my father would have been extraordinarily intrigued and would have wanted to see every detail,” said Scott Andersen, whose father, Roy, served as a junior officer aboard the Abele. The ship’s namesake, Lt. Cmdr. Mannert L. Abele, commanded the U.S.S. Grunion, a submarine that was lost at sea. He received the Navy Cross posthumously for sinking three Japanese ships in a single day during the war.rnrnThe Abele is a reminder of the bravery and sacrifice of the sailors who served on it and the thousands of others who lost their lives in the Battle of Okinawa. The Navy considers the Abele, and others like it sunk in combat, a tomb and will leave the ship in place undisturbed.