For today, links to reports from Reuters, Tass, the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, and antiwar.com, and to commentary from Consortium News and the Kyiv Independent; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date and a HEINBERG entry are HERE and HERE,) — MCM
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Russia warns of direct clash with West over Ukraine, by Guy Faulconbridge | Reuters MOSCOW — Russia said today that U.S., British and French military support for Ukraine has pushed the world to the brink of a direct clash between the world’s biggest nuclear powers that could end in catastrophe. Just two days after U.S. lawmakers . . . READ MORE . . .
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No plans for NATO combat presence in Ukraine — Stoltenberg. From Tass. WASHINGTON — NATO doesn’t plan to send combat units to Ukraine although some of NATO allies have military advisers there, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in an interview with MSNBC. READ MORE . . .
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Aid approval brings Ukraine closer to replenishing troops struggling to hold front lines, by Samya Kullab | AP KYIV — Saturday’s passage by the U.S. House of Representatives of a much-awaited $61 billion package for Ukraine puts the country a step closer to an infusion of new firepower that will be rushed to the front line to fight Moscow’s latest attacks. Russia is using all its might to achieve its most significant gains since its invasion by a May 9 deadline. READ MORE . . .
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Ukraine says struck Russian ship in annexed Crimea. From AFP. Ukraine said Sunday its navy had struck a salvage ship belonging to Russia’s Black Sea fleet on the annexed Crimean peninsula, putting it out of service. Social media footage purportedly filmed in the Crimean port of Sevastopol showed a ship in flames. READ MORE . . .
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Russia says seized village in east Ukraine’s Donetsk region. From AFP. Russia’s defence ministry said today its troops captured the village of Novomykhailivka in eastern Ukraine, while Ukrainian officials warned the situation on the front lines is likely to deteriorate in coming weeks. “Units of . . . READ MORE . . .
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FROM APRIL 20 House passes $95 billion foreign war bills, by Will Porter | antiwar.com / Popular Resistance U.S. lawmakers passed a raft of legislation containing some $95 billion in military aid for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, also approving a bill that will allow Washington to hand Kiev assets seized from Russia and pave the way for a ban on TikTok. READ MORE . . .
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FROM APRIL 21 War & genocide on Earth Day, by Melissa Garriga | Consortium News On Earth Day Monday, prepare for the annual spectacle of U.S. lawmakers donning their environmentalist hats, waxing poetic about their love for the planet. In Gaza, once-fertile farmland lies barren, water sources poisoned by conflict and neglect. In Ukraine . . . READ MORE . . .
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Russia’s energy infrastructure attacks are depopulating Ukraine, by Olga Aivazovska and Andriy Savchuk | The Kyiv Independent Ukraine was, for the most part, spared from widespread blackouts this winter, but Russian forces are once again targeting critical energy infrastructure. In late March Russia resumed . . . READ MORE . . .