
Ukraine Kills Top Russian Navy Commander Who Putin Just Promoted
Ukrainian media outlets had earlier reported Major General Gudkov's death in a HIMARS strike, citing pro-Russian military bloggers.
Now, Russia's Ministry of Defence and the Governor of Primorye Oleg Kozhemyako have both confirmed the loss of Gudkov.
Gudkov, 42, had been promoted to his position by Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 28, 2025, the Institute for the Study of War think tank noted at the time.
He was previously the commander of the 155th Separate Guards Brigade of the Pacific Fleet Naval Infantry.
"Eternal memory to the hero," the defense ministry posted to its Telegram channel announcing the news of Gudkov's death.
This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.
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Axios
5 hours ago
- Axios
CIA admits shadowy officer monitored Oswald before JFK assassination, new records reveal
For the first time since President Kennedy's assassination nearly 62 years ago, the CIA has tacitly admitted that an officer specializing in psychological warfare ran an operation that came into contact with Lee Harvey Oswald before the Dallas killing. Why it matters: The disclosure Thursday — nestled in a batch of 40 documents concerning officer George Joannides — indicates the CIA lied for decades about his role in the Kennedy case before and after the assassination, according to experts on JFK's slaying. The linchpin document: A Jan. 17, 1963, CIA memo showing Joannides was directed to have an alias and fake driver's license bearing the name "Howard Gebler." Until Thursday, the agency had denied that Joannides was known as "Howard," the case officer name for the CIA contact who worked with activists from an anti-communist group opposed to Cuban dictator Fidel Castro called the Cuban Student Directorate. For decades, the agency also falsely said it had nothing to do with the student group, which was instrumental in having Oswald's pro-Castro stances published soon after the shooting. The bottom line: "The cover story for Joannides is officially dead," said Jefferson Morley, an author and expert on the assassination. "This is a big deal. The CIA is changing its tune on Lee Harvey Oswald." The information comes to light as part of President Trump's order that the government meet its obligations to disclose all documents under the JFK Records Act of 1992. Little was known of Joannides' involvement in the case until disclosures in 1998 under the records act. New disclosures of previously hidden records keep adding slices of information to the story. Zoom in: Joannides was the deputy chief of the CIA's Miami branch, overseeing "all aspects of political action and psychological warfare." That included covertly funding and directing the Cuban student group, commonly referred to as DRE for its Spanish-language initials. On Aug. 9, 1963, more than three months before Nov. 22 assassination, four DRE operatives got into a scuffle with Oswald in New Orleans when he was passing out pro-Castro "Fair Play for Cuba Committee" pamphlets. The subsequent court hearing was covered by local news media. On Aug. 21 , 1963, Oswald debated DRE activists on local TV, providing more media attention to him as a communist. After the assassination, DRE's newsletter identified Oswald as a pro-Castro communist, and the Miami Herald and Washington Post covered the story. A year before Oswald became known as pro-Castro, the Pentagon formulated a plan called Operation Northwoods to stage a false-flag attack in the United States, blame Cuba and then attack it. Zoom out: The new documents don't shed any additional light on Kennedy's shooting or settle the controversy over whether Oswald acted alone. Nor is there any evidence showing why the CIA covered up Joannides' ties to DRE. All the records disclosed so far show how the CIA lied about financing or being involved with DRE. That includes the agency's interactions with the Warren Commission (1964), the Church Committee (1975), the House Select Committee on Assassinations (1977-78) and the Assassination Review Board (until 1998). The intrigue: Joannides didn't just have knowledge of Oswald before the assassination — afterward he played a central role in deceiving the House Select Committee on Assassinations. At the time, the CIA appointed Joannides to be its liaison with the committee. But he and the agency hid the fact that he was involved with DRE and therefore the Kennedy case, slow-walked the CIA's production of records, and lied. The committee's chief counsel, Robert Blakey, testified in 2014 that he asked Joannides about "Howard" and DRE, and that "Joannides assured me that they could find no record of any such officer assigned to DRE, but that he would keep looking," Blakey said. A former committee investigator, Dan Hardway, testified before a House Oversight committee last month that Joannides was running a "covert operation" to undermine the congressional probe into the assassination. Two years after stonewalling the committee, Joannides was awarded the Career Intelligence Medal by the CIA in 1981. He died in 1990. What they're saying: Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, a Florida Republican overseeing the House committee examining the newly released JFK documents, said Joannides was "1,000 percent" involved in a CIA coverup. Morley and some others who've written extensively about Kennedy's assassination believe rogue CIA agents might have been involved in the killing, but Morley's not ready to say Joannides was one of them. Others, such as author Gerald Posner, believe Oswald was the lone gunman. But all are in agreement that the CIA acted in bad faith after Kennedy was killed. "It's vintage CIA. They never provide transparency. They don't tell the truth. They obscure. They obfuscate. And when the documents come out, they look bad," Posner said. A CIA spokesperson told Axios the agency "has fully complied and provided all documents — without redactions — related to the assassination of former President John F. Kennedy to NARA consistent with President Trump's direction in an unprecedented act of transparency by the agency."


The Hill
7 hours ago
- The Hill
Sunday shows preview: Trump signs ‘big, beautiful bill' into law; ‘No progress' made on Russia-Ukraine ceasefire
President Trump scored a significant legislative win this week by signing the 'big, beautiful bill,' a massive reconciliation package that will extend the 2017 tax cuts and features cuts to Medicaid, which will likely be the focus of this week's Sunday shows. The president signed the bill at the White House on the Fourth of July, right in time to meet the deadline Trump and his aides imposed months ago. 'We made promises, and it's really promises made, promises kept, and we've kept them. This is a triumph of democracy on the birthday of democracy. And I have to say, the people are happy,' Trump said on Friday. The legislation is loaded with the president's promises from the campaign trail, including getting rid of some taxes on some tips and Social Security. The bill also ups the state and local tax (SALT) deduction cap. The package is allocating $150 billion to fund immigration enforcement, deportations and the border wall. The bill will also expand the production of coal, natural gas and oil, while slashing green energy incentives. The debt ceiling will go up by $5 billion. The measure also contains $150 billion for spending on the 'Golden Dome' missile defense project and building ships. Democrats have criticized the package, with the bill featuring a reduction for nutrition programs and leading to substantial cuts to Medicaid. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Thursday that by passing the 'big, beautiful bill, we are gonna make this country stronger, safer and more prosperous than ever before, and every American is going to benefit from that.' Johnson is scheduled to be on 'Fox News Sunday' where he will likely discuss the process behind passing the legislation through the House and the next priority for the lower chamber. The United States added 147,000 jobs in June, beating economic expectations. The unemployment rate remained at 4.1 percent. Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, saying he made 'no progress' in brokering a ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv. The president later on Thursday told reporters that he was 'very disappointed' with his call with the Russian leader, adding that he does not think that Putin is 'there. I'm just saying, I don't think he's looking to stop, and that's too bad.' The Pentagon paused some shipments of air defense missiles and munitions to Ukraine. Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, is slated to be on 'Fox News' 'Sunday Morning Futures' where he will likely talk about the weapons halt. Here is the full list of Sunday shows below: NewsNation's 'The Hill Sunday': Ret. 4-star Navy Adm. William McRaven; Princeton University legal professor Robert P. George; the executive director of No One Left Behind Andrew Sullivan and the vice president of civic education at the National Constitution Center Julie Silverbrook. ABC's 'This Week': Dr. Rich Besser; former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers and the Chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers Stephen Miran. CNN's 'State of the Union': Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent; Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D). NBC's 'Meet The Press': Actor Olivia Munn; sports broadcaster Bob Costas; the founder of Khan Academy Sal Khan and poet Amanda Gorman. CBS' 'Face the Nation': Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.) and director of the National Economic Council, Kevin Hassett. 'Fox News Sunday': House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.); Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.); Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Bessent. 'Fox News' 'Sunday Morning Futures': House Ways and Means Commitee Chairman Jason Smith (R-Mo.); U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) and Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.).


New York Post
7 hours ago
- New York Post
Ukraine pummels Russia airbase, Moscow continues massive drone assault on Kyiv — hopes of a mediated truce grow dimmer
Ukraine inflicted significant damage on a Russian airbase Saturday, amid Moscow's continued drone attacks on Kyiv, which killed at least one person overnight — part of a prolific Russian assault that has seemed to dash any hopes of a truce in the war. Ukrainian forces struck the Borisoglebsk airbase in Russia's Voronezh region near the Ukrainian border, hitting a depot containing glide bombs, a training aircraft and 'possibly other aircraft,' the military said. The calculated strike targeted fighter jets Russia regularly uses in its air strikes, in an effort to put a dent in the Kremlin's military capabilities, according to Ukrainian officials. 4 A Ukrainian anti-aircraft cannon is seen here firing at night. via REUTERS Moscow's Defense Ministry said it reported no casualties and claimed no damage. Last month, Kyiv destroyed more than 40 Russian planes stationed at several of the Kremlin's airfields in a surprise drone attack. Meanwhile, Moscow fired 322 drones and decoys into Ukraine overnight into Saturday, Ukraine's air force posted on Telegram. Most of the attacks were aimed at the city of Starokostiantyniv, an important military hub in western Ukraine's Khmelnytskyi region. The army said it was able to neutralize 292 of the incoming Russian drones. But some also struck cities in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region, where firefighters were seen battling enormous blazes. A 55-year-old woman was killed, and 15 other civilians were injured, including two children, according to Kharkiv Gov. Oleh Syniehubov. 4 Firefighters battled a large fire in the Kharkiv region in Ukraine, following a Russian drone attack overnight. STATE EMERGENCY SERVICE HANDOUT/EPA/Shutterstock Syniehubov said Russia used Iranian-made Shahed — so-called 'kamikaze' drones — in the attack, a powerful autonomous weapon designed to attack ground targets from a distance, before being destroyed. Ukrainian officials have warned of ramped up production of the Iranian weapon in recent days. 4 Smoke could be seen rising over Kyiv at night following a Russian strike Friday morning. AP The Saturday offensive came on the heels of Russia's largest air strike since the 2022 conflict began. Moscow pounded Kyiv with a record 550 drones and a dozen missiles Friday in an onslaught that killed two people and injured 57 others during a seven-hour barrage on the capital city — just hours after President Trump admitted he was 'disappointed' with Russian President Vladimir Putin following a Thursday phone call between the two leaders. 4 Kyiv's mayor Vitali Klitschko visited the site of a missile attack on a residential building Friday. AFP via Getty Images The attack damaged roughly 40 apartment blocks, passenger railway infrastructure, five schools and kindergartens, cafes and cars in six of Kyiv's 10 districts, according to Ukrainian officials. Trump also spoke by phone with Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday, and the Ukrainian president described the conversation as 'very important and productive.' Zelensky said he was 'grateful for all the support' from the US as the duo talked about boosting Ukraine's air defenses amid Russia's escalations on the battlefield.