The 34-foot vessel speeds along Ukraine’s Dnipro River at maximum velocity, before its captain shouts: “Hold!” It does a snap turn and then smoothly moves on, in a seamless motion, barely slowing down.

With little armor, the US-donated Dauntless Sea Ark patrol boat relies on speed to evade attacks, and its impressive maneuverability is a key asset for Ukraine’s recently established river fleet.

“We’re looking for any kind of enemies everywhere, air, on land and on the river as well,” Captain Anton, his surname withheld for security reasons, says of his mission. “All the river Dnipro, from the north to the south, the riverine fleet must protect it.”

With a length of almost 1,400 miles (2,200 km) the Dnipro is the fourth longest river in Europe, rising in Russia, flowing through Belarus and Ukraine, before finally ending in the Black Sea. It cuts through Ukraine, connecting some of its major cities — such as Kyiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson — providing water, electricity and a natural barrier against advancing armies.

Its water supply helps cool the reactors of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. And the destruction caused by the recent blast at the Nova Kakhovka dam also highlighted its importance for Ukrainians and Russians alike.

“The river is a strategic object,” Captain Anton says. “(Because of the explosion) now we can understand how it is important to make it a safe and secure place.”

For that reason Ukraine has been developing its river fleet, seeking to maintain control of the Dnipro and its shores, especially as it pushes through with its long awaited counteroffensive. In addition to some old Soviet equipment and civilian vessels modified for combat purposes, it has recently received support from the United States, NATO and other allies to bolster its fleet.

With a maximum speed of 35 knots (40 mph/65 kmh) and with three machine gun mounts, as well as 40mm grenade launchers, the Dauntless Sea Ark adds much-needed muscle to Ukraine’s riverine operations.

“Our mission is to patrol the Dnipro River, since it’s prohibited to use any kind of navigation since 24th of February 2022,” Captain Anton explains. “We have to check each boat, which is… now on the river to check whether they have any suspicious objects whatsoever.”

Their main concern initially was Russian infiltrators, or any related activity, but since Moscow started using Iranian-made Shahed drones to target cities, especially the capital Kyiv, they have taken on a new role.

“We’re taking part in air defense as well,” he says. Russia frequently flies the drones along the river, close to the water, making it more difficult for Ukrainian air defenses and radars to see and target them, and that’s where the river fleet comes in.

“In cases where Russia is using Shaheds, we can use (these boats) to try and strike them,” Captain Anton explains. “That’s part of our job as well.”

A growing part of an otherwise dwindling Navy

Most of Ukraine’s seafaring navy was lost in the first weeks of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, with Kyiv losing control of the seas to Moscow very early on. Ukrainian sailors famously refused to surrender control over the strategic Snake Island, telling the Russian flagship Moskva “go f*** yourself,” but were powerless to fight back.

Later on, Ukraine shifted the balance of power by relying on drones, Western-donated Harpoon anti-ship missiles, as well as its own domestic-made Neptune missiles, to push the Russian navy away from its shores — even sinking the Moskva and regaining control of Snake Island. Yet despite these successes, Kyiv has been unable to effectively challenge Moscow for control of the Black Sea.

Russia maintains a large fleet in the area and Western aid has largely been directed at bolstering Ukraine’s ground forces.

But it’s a different picture along the mighty Dnipro.

Ukrainian special forces have been using the waterway to launch raids across the river, since they retook the city of Kherson at the end of last year, carrying sabotage operations in Russian-controlled territory and, in some cases, successfully establishing foothold in some islands along the Dnipro.

In addition to those surprise attacks, units such as Captain Anton’s, which are currently stationed away from the battlefield, could play a role in future operations.

“We are ready,” he says. “If needed of course we’ll fight.”

The two day discussion in Doha between European Union diplomat Enrique Mora and the Iranian top nuclear negotiator, Ali Bagheri-Kani, appears to be “leading to positive developments on many issues,” the source added.

“The current environment has been positive for de-escalation,” said the source, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the talks.

Mora on Twitter described the talks as “intense,” and Kani tweeted earlier that the two had a “serious and constructive meeting on a range of issues, including “negotiations on sanctions lifting” – the key priority for Tehran, which has faced a slew of crushing sanctions over the past year from the EU and United States.

The meeting came a week after Kani met with officials from the signatories to the deal – formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – France, Germany and the United Kingdom.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian was also in Doha on Tuesday before traveling to Oman on Wednesday. Both Qatar and Oman have played mediating roles between Iran and Western powers in the past.

“The Iranians have been in talks with the Europeans, and indirect talks with the Americans, with the support of the Qataris leading to positive developments on many issues related to both sides in hope of giving positive momentum to the JCPOA with the Europeans and prisoner issues with the Americans,” the source said.

Following a previous failure of the JCPOA revival attempt and amid nationwide protests in Iran, the Biden administration said in October 2022 that the nuclear deal was “not our focus” but said that they were committed to using diplomacy to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

But talks quietly resumed late last year, with countries including Oman serving as intermediaries. A top administration official, Brett McGurk, has traveled multiple times to the Oman for the indirect discussions with Iranian government representatives.

The US is also engaged in trying to secure the release of multiple Americans who have been detained in Iran – something the administration has called a top priority. There are three Americans who have been designated as wrongfully detained who are imprisoned in Iran: Siamak Namazi, Emad Sharghi, and Morad Tahbaz. An American resident, Shahab Dalili, is also detained.

In the past, one aspect of a prospective deal for the detainees has involved the unfreezing of billions of dollars of frozen Iranian assets from South Korea. Iran had demanded that South Korea release $7 billion in funds frozen in South Korean banks under US sanctions.

And in what could be seen as a confidence building measure, the US approved a waiver allowing the transfer of $2.7 billion from Iraq to Iranian banks, in a move State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller called “consistent with transactions that have taken place over – going back a number of years.”

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson said last week that Tehran exchanged messages with the United States through Oman “a few weeks ago” but said that his government does not endorse any negotiations for an interim agreement or new arrangements to replace the JCPOA.

The Trump administration withdrew from the landmark agreement in 2018 and Iran has increasingly grown its nuclear program in violation of the deal.

One focus of the discussions with Iranian officials has been limiting its uranium enrichment. The IAEA said in a June report that the country’s enriched uranium stockpile has increased by more than a quarter in three months.

Iran’s official uranium enrichment currently stands at 60% purity. Weapons-grade uranium is considered to have been enriched above 90%.

A fiery gas explosion in central Paris resulted in injuries to at least 37 people and drew hundreds of firefighters to the scene on Wednesday afternoon.

About 270 firefighters were deployed to the scene near Rue Saint Jacques in the city’s fifth arrondissement, and contained the fire within two hours, Paris police chief Laurent Nunez told reporters.

Four people remain in critical condition and officials say rescue workers are looking for at least two people thought to be missing in the rubble.

“It’s possible that we will find dead bodies tonight, or we will find them alive,” French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said from the scene of the explosion.

Investigators still don’t know how the gas explosion occurred, he said, adding: “There was no alarm sent out before the incident.”

Laure Beccuau, the Paris prosecutor said that early signs indicate that the gas explosion came from within the building that houses the Paris American Academy, according BFMTV.

Laure Beccuau, who visited the scene, said investigators will be leaning on accounts from injured persons in their inquiry.

A part of the building collapsed following the blast and fire, videos show. Smoke was seen billowing from the rubble earlier on Wednesday as rescue workers attempted to tackle the blaze.

Paris American Academy, a fashion and design school, describes itself on its website as the “first bilingual design school” in the French capital

Kent State University, in the US state of Ohio, said all its students at the Paris American Academy are safe and accounted following the blast.

Locals were also stopped from returning to their homes in surrounding streets by authorities in the aftermath of the explosion.

“It felt like an earthquake, the windows banged against each other,” she said.

The local deputy mayor Édouard Civel later explained in a tweet that the impact had been caused by a gas explosion.

Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo visited the scene later on Wednesday, writing in a tweet, “My thoughts go first of all to the victims and their close ones.” Authorities in Paris have opened an emergency response unit to handle the aftermath of the explosion.

Authorities in Paris have opened an emergency response unit to handle the aftermath of the explosion.

As humans, we seek to explore the unknown.

This motivation, propelled by curiosity and the quest for knowledge, is why we venture beyond the familiar spaces of our everyday lives.

The beginning of humanity was marked by migration. Many early humans began their trek out of Africa tens of thousands of years ago, eventually settling in just about every corner of the planet.

Different cultures carved and built boats to cross Earth’s oceans and reach distant lands. Over time, human ingenuity has taken us to the most far-flung destinations — even to the moon.

So often, exploration is connected with awe and discovery. But the tragic deaths of five people on a Titanic-bound submersible this week served as a difficult, poignant reminder that such undertakings are not without risk.

Ocean secrets

The deep ocean is an alien landscape that scientists have only just begun to understand.

Miles beneath the waves, the seafloor is home to life that doesn’t exist anywhere else on the planet, including organisms that glow with bioluminescence and cluster around hydrothermal vents for food and energy.

Only an estimated 20% of the seabed has been mapped so far, and humans have spent more time on the moon’s surface than exploring the wonders of Challenger Deep, the deepest known point of Earth’s ocean floor.

So much remains to be explored because reaching the bottom of the ocean is an incredibly difficult task. Deep-sea vessels must be able to navigate intense darkness, pressure, cold temperatures and challenging terrain.

But the ocean depths have much to offer, including lifesaving compounds and the secrets of how life on Earth evolved.

Solar update

The event is nearly 10 months away, but people are already anticipating the total solar eclipse that will pass over Mexico, the US and Canada on April 8, 2024.

For those able to be within the path of totality, the moon will completely block the face of the sun, turning daytime surroundings into night for a few minutes.

While the eclipse presents a celestial spectacle for many, researchers are taking advantage of the opportunity to study the sun and its hot outer atmosphere, called the corona. Scientists plan to “chase” the eclipse using high-altitude research planes and capture images from 50,000 feet (15,240 meters) above Earth’s surface.

We are family

When a teenage Anglo-Saxon girl died in England about 1,300 years ago, she was laid to rest in a way that suggested she was an aristocrat or royalty.

Her grave was uncovered in 2012 near the village of Trumpington, but researchers are still trying to unravel the mysteries surrounding her identity.

So far, chemical analysis of her bones has helped UK researchers determine that she traveled to England from the Alps in what is now southern Germany sometime in the seventh century. She was buried with a rare gold and garnet-encrusted cross.

Now, a forensic artist has created a facial reconstruction that seemingly allows us to meet someone from the past.

A long time ago

Abortion hasn’t always been the controversial quagmire of conflicting opinions, politics and legalities that it is today.

Instead, the practice was more common than people might think in premodern times, appearing in Greek plays, on Roman coins, within the medieval biographies of saints and inside Victorian pamphlets.

The first known written references about abortion appeared in a 3,500-year-old Egyptian papyrus, and the medical text included instructions.

Across time, different plants were associated with ending unwanted pregnancies. The first recorded extinction in world history was traced to such a plant, which disappeared due to its value, in ancient Rome.

Across the universe

On the cold, clear nights of mid-December, glowing yellow meteors can usually be seen streaking across the sky.

Astronomers consider the Geminid meteor shower to be one of the scintillating highlights of the year, but the origin of the shower has posed a bit of a cosmic mystery. Rather than a comet, the celestial event seems to stem from an odd type of asteroid.

Now, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has shed more light on the initial cause of the shower: a sudden collision between space rocks.

Meanwhile, an international team of researchers searching for the source of a gamma-ray burst traced it back to an ancient galaxy, where an unusual clashing of stars appears to have sent the bright light jetting across the cosmos.

Curiosities

These intriguing stories may catch your eye:

— Thousands of snails recently flew from England to Bermuda, complete with a tasty in-flight meal, as part of a critical quest to save an entire species.

— A glowing green light spotted on Jupiter turned out to be a lightning bolt within a swirling vortex, and NASA’s Juno spacecraft captured the phenomenon on camera.

— Lines, swirls and dots found on the walls of a cave in France are believed to be the oldest known engravings made by Neanderthals.

— A 3,000-year-old octagonal sword uncovered by archaeologists in Germany is so well-preserved that the rare artifact is still gleaming.

Yevgeny Prigozhin is the founder and bombastic leader of Russia’s private military group Wagner. His organization is now in the midst of an apparent insurrection, after claiming control of military facilities in two cities and threatening to march on Moscow.

Prigozhin was once a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, but the Kremlin leader has now vowed punishment on those involved in “an armed rebellion.”

Typically a figure who has preferred to operate in the shadows, Prigozhin and his fighters were thrust into the spotlight following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year, with Wagner mercenaries playing a key role in multiple battles.

Putin and Prigozhin share relatively humble beginnings, and the Wagner chief grew up in the tougher neighborhoods of St. Petersburg, also the president’s hometown.

The men have known each other since the 1990s. Prigozhin became a wealthy oligarch by winning lucrative catering contracts with the Kremlin, earning him the moniker “Putin’s chef.”

His apparent transformation into a brutal warlord came in the aftermath of the 2014 Russian-backed separatist movement in the Donbas in eastern Ukraine.

Prigozhin founded Wagner as shadowy mercenary outfit that fought both in Ukraine and, increasingly, for Russian-backed causes around the world.

After Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine the group was thrust to center stage. Wagner forces were heavily involved in taking the Ukrainian towns of Soledar and Bakhmut.

As the regular Russian army campaign was bogged down by setbacks and disorganization, Wagner fighters appeared to be the only ones capable of delivering tangible progress for the Russian side.

Dilemma for Putin

Known for its disregard for the lives of its own soldiers, Wagner’s brutal and often lawless tactics are believed to have resulted in high numbers of casualties, as new recruits are sent into battle with little formal training – a process described by retired United States Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling as “like feeding meat to a meat grinder.”

Prigozhin has used social media to lobby for what he wants and often cast himself as competent and ruthless in contrast to the Kremlin’s military establishment.

In recent months, Prigozhin has created a dilemma for Putin by becoming an outspoken critic of Russia’s military leaders.

In one particularly grim video from early May, Prigozhin stood next to a pile of dead Wagner fighters and took aim specifically at Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and chief of the Russian armed forces Gen. Valery Gerasimov.

“The blood is still fresh,” he says, pointing to the bodies behind him. “They came here as volunteers and are dying so you can sit like fat cats in your luxury offices.”

After complaining for well over a month of receiving insufficient support from the Kremlin in the grueling fight for the eastern city of Bakhmut, he announced in May that his troops would withdraw.

Now, Prigozhin has launched an all-out rebellion against the Kremlin – after his increasingly outrageous outbursts sparked speculation that he could be going too far.

The Wagner mutiny began when Prigozhin unleashed a new tirade against the Russian military on Friday and then marched his troops into the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don.

Staring down a sudden and staggering escalation of internal tensions that have simmered for months, Putin called Wagner’s actions “treason.”

“It is a stab in the back of our country and our people,” the president said in an address to the nation on Saturday.

Prigozhin responded on Telegram saying that Putin was “deeply mistaken.”

“We are patriots of our Motherland, we fought and are fighting,” the Wagner chief said in audio messages.

Vladimir Putin, meet the Law of Unintended Consequences.

In the years leading up to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a St. Petersburg-based businessman named Yevgeny Prigozhin emerged as a canny political entrepreneur. Prigozhin and his companies served the interests of the Russian state, advancing Putin’s foreign policy in ways that were both useful and off the books.

Prigozhin’s relatively discreet public profile was his greatest asset. He bankrolled the notorious troll farm that the US government sanctioned for interference in the 2016 US presidential election; created a substantial mercenary force that played a key role in conflicts from Ukraine’s Donbas region to the Syrian civil war; and helped Moscow make a play for influence on the African continent.

All of Prigozhin’s activities gave the Kremlin a fig-leaf of deniability. After all, mercenary activity was technically barred by Russian law, and Putin could always maintain that interference in US elections was merely the work of “patriotic” hackers.

And it also served Putin’s interest to outsource some of the dirty work of sponsoring armed insurrection in eastern Ukraine or holding territory in Syria. Wagner’s existence was not publicly acknowledged, and some of Prigozhin’s operations appeared to be partly self-funded, with various shell companies staking claims to oil and gas facilities and vying for access to gold and other riches.

But all of that changed with the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. By giving Prigozhin free rein to raise a private army, Putin both unleashed the political ambitions of the businessman and surrendered the state’s monopoly on the use of force.

Prigozhin’s feud with the leadership of the Russian military is longstanding, and many observers suggested that this was part of the intricate game of court politics under Putin. The pattern was longstanding: Members of the elite jockeyed for position, influence and business assets, allowing Putin to stay above the fray and dominate the scene as the ultimate arbiter of disputes.

Now Prigozhin has ripped up that contract by taking up the flag of mutiny.

Potentially revolutionary scenario

In an address on national television Saturday, Putin appeared to put Prigozhin on final notice, warning that “those who deliberately chose the path of treachery, who prepared an armed mutiny, who chose the path of blackmail and terrorist methods, will face inevitable punishment, and will answer both to the law and to our people.”

But Putin also nodded to the potentially revolutionary scenario unfolding in the country, something that might portend a calamitous repeat of Russia’s 20th century history.

“This was the same kind of blow that Russia felt in 1917, when the country entered World War I, but had victory stolen from it,” he said. “Intrigues, squabbles, politicking behind the backs of the army and the people turned out to be the greatest shock, the destruction of the army, the collapse of the state, the loss of vast territories, and in the end, the tragedy and civil war.”

Putin, ever one for historical revision, was taking a few liberties with Russian history. “Stolen victory” is not the usual interpretation of Russia’s disastrous involvement in World War I. (And lest we forget, the “stab in the back” narrative around Germany’s defeat in the same war was one of the myths that helped propel the Nazis to power.)

But the question is, which events of 1917 is Putin referring to? The February Revolution began with protests and military mutinies that led to the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II and the creation of a provisional government. Later that year, an insurrection in Petrograd – today’s St. Petersburg – brought the Bolsheviks to power, precipitating a horrific civil war.

Now Russia appears at risk of another upending calamity, and it’s unclear what role Prigozhin will play: either as a failed mutineer, or with his power and stature enhanced further within Russia.

After Prigozhin’s forces seized Rostov-on-Don, a video surfaced that showed Prigozhin in a tense conversation with two Russian military commanders.

The Wagner chief made clear who was boss, scolding Deputy Minister of Defense Yunus-Bek Yevkurov for addressing him as “ты,” the second person singular used for speaking informally or to an underling.

“Well, who are you (Yevkurov) to talk to me like “you”? Prigozhin said.

Prigozhin also warns that Wagner’s mutiny will not end in Rostov. “We came here,” he said. “We want to receive the chief of general staff (Gerasimov) and (Defense Minister) Shoigu. “Until they are here we will be located here, blockading the city of Rostov. And we’ll go to Moscow.”

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner paramilitary group, has agreed to leave Russia for Belarus, the Kremlin said Saturday, in a deal apparently brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko that ends an armed insurrection, which marked the gravest threat to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s authority in decades.

In a conference call with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said an agreement was struck with Prigozhin.

“You will ask me what will happen to Prigozhin personally?” Peskov said. “The criminal case will be dropped against him. He himself will go to Belarus.” Peskov added that the Kremlin was unaware of the mercenary’s current whereabouts.

The Wagner boss had earlier turned his troops around “toward our field camps, in accordance with the plan.” Peskov said those troops would face no “legal action” for marching to Moscow, and Wagner fighters will sign contracts with Russia’s Ministry of Defense.

The announcement defuses a crisis that began when Wagner troops took control of a key military facility in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and some fighters advanced towards the capital.

Prigozhin has been publicly critical of Russia’s military leadership and their handling of the war in Ukraine – with few consequences. But he crossed numerous red lines with Putin over the weekend.

A somber-looking Russian president addressed the nation and called Wagner’s actions “a stab in the back of our country and our people.”

The president described events as an insurrection, which he vowed to defeat, and Moscow began to scale up its security measures.

But by Saturday evening, Prigozhin’s calculus appeared to have changed, and the mercenary said his troops, who were 124 miles (200 kilometers) from Moscow, were stopping their advance in order to avoid bloodshed.

In the video, Prigozhin is seen sitting in the backseat of a vehicle. Crowds cheer and the vehicle comes to a stop as an individual approaches it and shakes Prigozhin’s hand.

Stunning escalation

Saturday’s dramatic events come off the back of Prigozhin’s very public and months-long feud with Russia’s military leadership. He has previously accused Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Russia’s top general, Valery Gerasimov, of not giving his forces ammunition and was critical of their handling of the conflict, but has always defended the reasoning for the war.

On Friday, Prigozhin accused Russian forces of striking a Wagner military camp and killing “a huge amount” of his fighters – a claim Russia’s Ministry of Defense has denied and called an “informational provocation.”

The private military chief seemingly built influence with Putin over the course of the conflict, with his Wagner forces taking a leading role in the labored but ultimately successful assault on Bakhmut earlier this year. The capture of that city was a rare Russian gain in Ukraine in recent months, boosting Prigozhin’s profile further.

But it appears that Prigozhin had turned not merely against the military leadership’s handling of the invasion of Ukraine, but also against the longtime Russian leader and his strategy.

On Friday, he said Moscow invaded Ukraine under false pretenses devised by the Russian Ministry of Defense, and that Russia is actually losing ground on the battlefield.

“There are 25,000 of us and we are going to find out why there is such chaos in the country. There are 25,000 of us waiting as a tactical reserve and a strategic reserve. It’s the whole army and the whole country, everyone who wants to, join us. We must end this debacle,” he said on Telegram.

Wagner upped the gambit and went on to take control of military facilities in Rostov-on-Don and Voronezh, a city that lies some 600 kilometers (372 miles) to the north of Rostov. Russia’s domestic intelligence service, FSB, opened a criminal case against Prighozhin for his threats, accusing him of calling for “an armed rebellion.”

Wagner troops were then reported to be moving towards the capital, prompting a major security operation in the Moscow region and a counter-terrorist regime being put in place, according to Russian officials.

Russian security forces in body armor and equipped with automatic weapons took a position near a highway linking Moscow with southern Russia, according to photos published by Russian media. Monday was declared a non-working day and public and other large-scale events have been suspended until July 1 in the Moscow region, according to Russian state run media TASS.

During his speech Saturday, Putin said Wagner’s “betrayal” and “any actions that fracture our unity,” are “a stab in the back of our country and our people.”

Responding to Putin’s speech, Prigozhin said on Telegram that the president was “deeply mistaken.”

“We are patriots of our Motherland, we fought and are fighting,” he said in audio messages.The Wagner chief claimed his forces seized the Russian Southern Military Headquarters in the city of Rostov-on-Don “without firing a single shot,” suggesting that “the country supports us.”

The Rostov base plays a key role in Russia’s war on Ukraine, due to its proximity to the countries’ shared border.

The temperature cooled following the deal apparently brokered by Belarus’ leader. Yet Prighozhin has provided scant details about his agreement to about-face.

“If you ask what kind of guarantee there is that Prigozhin will be able to leave for Belarus, this is the word of the President of Russia,” Peskov’s office said.

When asked what position Prigozhin would take in Belarus, Peskov said he “cannot answer the question.” Peskov said Lukashenko was able to draw on a personal relationship with Prigozhin to broker the deal.

“The fact is that Alexander Grigoryevich [Lukashenko] has known Prigozhin personally for a long time, for about 20 years,” he said. “And it was his personal proposal, which was agreed with Putin. We are grateful to the President of Belarus for these efforts.”

Significant challenge

Many top Russian officials had rallied to Putin’s side over the past day. Russian intelligence official, Lt. Gen. Vladimir Alekseev, posted a video about Prigozhin’s actions that day, describing it as a coup attempt.

Sergei Naryshkin, who heads Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, described the events as an “attempted armed rebellion.”

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, another key player in the war, spoke of a “vile betrayal” by Prigozhin on Telegram. “The rebellion must be crushed, and if this requires harsh measures, then we are ready!” he said.

The FSB also responded on Friday, urging Wagner fighters to detain their leader and opening a criminal case against the militia boss accusing him of “calling for an armed rebellion.”

As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine stalled earlier this year, top US officials said they saw indications of tensions between the Kremlin and the Prigozhin. Officials said the US determined as early as January there was an internal power struggle underway and have been gathering and closely monitoring intelligence on the volatile dynamic ever since.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has warned Western countries against using Prigozhin’s rebellion “to achieve Russophobic goals.”

The European Union, which borders Russia, activated its crisis response center to coordinate between member nations in reaction to the developments in Russia.

Meanwhile, Ukraine took advantage of Russia’s chaotic security situation on Saturday, launching simultaneous counter-offensives in multiple directions, Hanna Maliar, Ukraine’s deputy Defense Minister, said in a Telegram post.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukraine’s Presidential Administration, said Prigozhin’s escalation “almost nullified” Putin and humiliated Russia, showing “there is no longer a monopoly on violence.”

The crew of the Ocean Race’s Team JAJO endured several heart-stopping minutes on their approach to the Strait of Gibraltar on Thursday when their boat came under attack from a pod of orcas.

Video footage shows the orcas, also known as killer whales, circling the Dutch yacht, before accelerating towards it, ramming into it, and biting the rudders, while the crew bangs on the hull in an attempt to drive them off.

“This was a scary moment,” Team JAJO skipper Jelmer van Beek said.

“Three orcas came straight at us and started hitting the rudders. Impressive to see the orcas, beautiful animals, but also a dangerous moment for us as a team.

“We took down the sails and slowed down the boat as quickly as possible and luckily after a few attacks they went away.”

The Mirpuri/Trifork Racing team of Portugal also reported a run-in with orcas, organizers said, adding that there were no injuries or damage to either boat.

Authorities have noted a steady increase in interactions between orcas and vessels in the Strait of Gibraltar and Portugal, with more than 20 incidents in May alone.

In some cases, boats have been significantly damaged, at least three to the point of sinking, organizers said, and the behavior appears to be spreading among different killer whale family groups.

Earlier this week, an orca repeatedly rammed into a yacht in the North Sea off Shetland, in the first such incident in northern waters.

Four players have been suspended after last week’s bad-tempered soccer match between the US Men’s National Team (USMNT) and Mexico, which was marred by pushing and shoving between the two teams.

The contest was also ended about four minutes early following discriminatory chants from the crowd at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

The four players who were red carded during the match on June 15 have all been handed suspensions for “on-field player misconduct,” continental governing body Concacaf announced on Friday.

Mexico’s César Montes and USMNT’s Weston McKennie, whose shirt was ripped during a melee, have both received four-game suspensions, while Mexico’s Gerardo Arteaga and USMNT’s Sergiño Dest have been suspended for three games.

The suspensions include an automatic one-game ban and must be served during Concacaf national team competitions.

Tempers flared just before the 70-minute mark in the match as Montes kicked out at Folarin Balogun, resulting in a red card, before McKennie was also sent off for his role in the ensuing scuffle.

Then 15 minutes later, Arteaga and Dest were both shown straight red cards for pushing each other during another altercation between the two teams.

Concacaf also announced that a fine of an undisclosed amount had been imposed on both federations, who were warned that “more severe sanctions” would be taken should other incidents occur in their upcoming matches.

The USMNT won the match 3-0 and went on to win the Nations League title with a 2-0 victory against Canada three days later.

In the upcoming Gold Cup, the USMNT faces Jamaica in Chicago on Saturday and Mexico plays Honduras in Houston on Sunday.

Stefanos Tsitsipas has said that his comments made on Netflix’s “Break Point” docuseries about Nick Kyrgios were “misinterpreted” after some individuals on social media perceived them as racist.

Speaking about his third-round loss to the Australian at Wimbledon last year, Tsitsipas said in “Break Point” that Kyrgios’ approach to tennis is “uneducated” and that he brings “that NBA basketball kind of attitude” to the sport.

The world No. 5 said in a statement Friday on social media: “It has come to my attention that some individuals have misinterpreted my comments regarding Nick Kyrgios, labeling him as uneducated and accusing him of bringing a basketball mentality into tennis, insinuating racism where none exists.”

Tsitsipas wrote that he “deeply regrets any hurt or offense” caused by his comments, adding that they “were not meant to undermine (Kyrgios’) intelligence or abilities … It was an attempt to highlight the dynamic and captivating nature of his approach to the game, not a criticism of his character or capabilities.”

Kyrgios responded with a statement of his own on social media, saying on Saturday: “We’ve had some crazy battles and I know deep down you like my brand of tennis … we are all good.”

Their Wimbledon match was “a very heated battle,” Kyrgios added, and “sometimes as players we got into these press conferences without digesting the match.”

Tempers had flared during their fiery encounter at Wimbledon. Tsitsipas hit a ball into the crowd, for which he later apologized, and admitted to trying to hit Kyrgios with a body shot. Both players were fined afterwards, Tsitsipas for unsportsmanlike conduct and Kyrgios for an audible obscenity.

They continued to trade barbs off the court – the Greek fourth seed calling his opponent “evil” and a “bully,” while Kyrgios said Tsitsipas is “not liked” in the locker room.

After defeating Tsitsipas 6-7(2) 6-4 6-3 7-6(7), Kyrgios continued his Wimbledon run and reached the final where he succumbed to Novak Djokovic.

Both players are due to compete in this year’s tournament, which begins on July 3.