Hi Global Recap readers,
Our first story today is kinda brilliant and dumb at the same time.
Brilliant, because it’s the kind of thing that could make a good false flag.
Dumb, because it still requires people to believe Putin.
👀 This Week So Far
Quick Catch-Up
🇮🇷🇺🇸 Iran-US: US Vice President JD Vance says Switzerland talks produced a 60-day roadmap and IAEA inspector access, while Iran says nuclear details were not discussed and no new commitments were made.
🇬🇧 United Kingdom: UK PM Starmer says he will resign as Labour leader and stay in No. 10 only until Labour chooses a successor, with Andy Burnham already preparing for power.
🇨🇴 Colombia: Trump-backed Abelardo de la Espriella narrowly beats Iván Cepeda 49.66% to 48.7% in Colombia's runoff, while outgoing President Gustavo Petro blames "the state of Israel" for a server breach.
🇷🇺🇺🇦 Russia-Ukraine: Ukraine strikes the Tyumen oil refinery in Siberia more than 2,000 km (1,200 miles) from Ukraine, then says it hit a Voronezh electronics plant tied to Russian missile production.
🛢️ Oil: US emergency oil reserves fall to 331.2 million barrels, their lowest level since June 1983, after a 9.05 million-barrel weekly draw.
🇷🇺🇺🇦 RUSSIA & UKRAINE
Anthrax Warning
Anthrax is a serious bacterial infection that usually affects animals but can spread to people through contaminated animals or spores.
Ukraine's military intelligence warned that Russian forces in occupied Kherson are risking an anthrax outbreak by burying infected livestock without sanitary controls.
Claim. The agency said infected carcasses are being moved to about 50 burial sites, with about 10 near Askania-Nova, Skadovsk and Zaliznyi Port posing the biggest risk.
Risk. Some sites are near homes, roads and high groundwater. Anthrax spores can persist in soil for decades, so bad burial can endanger civilians.
Caveat. The agency also warned Russia could detonate the anthrax burial sites, then accuse Ukraine of using “biological weapons.”
The Talks
So, as Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine enters its 5th year, the big question is: are we anywhere close to the end?
The “letter” mentioned here is President Zelenskyy’s open letter published on June 4, proposing a meeting between the him and Putin to discuss ending the war.
Putin. Judging by Moscow’s latest signals, not really. On June 23, Putin said he saw no reason to meet Zelenskyy, even after Ukraine’s president proposed neutral-ground talks, a ceasefire, and an all-for-all prisoner exchange.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy (left) and US President Donald Trump (right) at the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, on June 16, 2026.
Trump. At the same time, Trump’s tone on the war seems to be shifting. According to a senior Ukrainian official, Trump told at the recent G7 summit to act “more boldly” toward Russia. The official said that Trump may no longer believe Putin will move unless he’s put under serious pressure.
🇮🇷🇺🇸 IRAN & US
Rubio Sells It
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaking to reporters in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. He started his three-day Gulf trip on Tuesday in the UAE.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is trying to sell Gulf allies on the Iran MOU, and even critics of the MOU seem to be acknowledging his pitch as being sharper than Vice President JD Vance's version.
Gulf officials reportedly fear the deal gives Iran too much:
no missile limits
a $300+ billion reconstruction fund
billions in sanctions relief
room for Iran to influence Hormuz (toll/service fee)
Rubio's Line
Rubio is getting more credit online because he said the part Vance mostly avoided.
Vance. Critics say Vance sounded like he was making excuses for the Iranian regime’s funding of terrorist proxies surrounding Israel, while defending the deal. They say that he is:
brushing past Iran's continued support of terrorist proxies (namely Hezbollah and Hamas) attacking Israel
sounding like he is blaming Israel for Hezbollah attacking Israel
Rubio. Rubio, by contrast, was much more direct.
He said regional tensions cannot really cool down as long as Iran-backed terrorist groups are still firing missiles and drones from Iraq, or carrying out attacks like Hamas and Hezbollah have.
He also drew a clear line on the Strait of Hormuz: under any final deal, Iran cannot charge tolls or fees for passage through it.
🇮🇷 IRAN
Banks Go Dark
Iran's banking system got hit again, with card services at Bank Melli, Bank Saderat and Bank Tejarat suspended after cyberattacks hit their card-processing systems.
Freeze. ATMs, POS payments and card-linked mobile features were taken offline at the 3 banks to block further unauthorized access.
Spillover. Customers pushed transactions to other banks, straining Iran's payment network. Wider disruption hit as many as 8 banks.
Attribution. Iran has not named suspects for Tuesday's attack. The central bank expected service restoration by Wednesday morning.
📌 Context. On June 14, a separate attack hit shared communications infrastructure used by Bank Melli, Bank Tejarat, Bank Saderat and the Export Development Bank of Iran. Iran's Banking Coordination Council said no customer data was accessed or deleted.
An Iranian hacker group called Black Wolves claimed responsibility on Telegram, while Iranian officials did not confirm the claim.
