For today, links to nine reports from National Public Radio, the Associated Press, Tass, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, the Moscow Times, and the Kyiv Independent; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date, so far, is HERE.) — MCM
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Ukraine can now strike military targets in Russia using some Western weapons. Reported by Joanna Kakissis and A Martínez | NPR The Biden administration has given Ukraine permission to use certain U.S. weapons to strike inside of Russia near Kharkiv for “counter-fire purposes,” according to two U.S. officials. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.
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FROM MAY 30 Biden partially lifts ban on Ukraine using U.S. arms in strikes on Russian territory, U.S. officials say, by Matthew Lee, Aamer Madhani and Zeke Miller | AP WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has given Ukraine the go-ahead to use American weaponry to strike inside Russia for the limited purpose of defending Kharkiv, according to three U.S. officials familiar with the matter. READ MORE . . .
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Berlin lets Ukraine use German weapons against targets in Russia after the U.S. also eases its stance, by Illia Novikov, Matthew Lee and Karel Janicek | AP KYIV — Germany joined the United States today in authorizing Ukraine to hit some targets on Russian soil with the long-range weapons they are supplying — a significant policy change that comes as depleted Ukrainian troops are losing ground in the war. READ MORE . . .
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Germany says use of its weapons by Ukraine doesn’t make it party to conflict. From Tass. BERLIN — “It has always been clear,” said Germany’s deputy government spokesperson, Wolfgang Buchner, “that we don’t become a party [to the conflict] and a warring party by supplying Ukraine with weapons.” READ MORE . . .
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Kremlin says Ukraine has already tried striking Russian territory with U.S. arms. From Reuters. MOSCOW — The Kremlin said today it was already aware of attempts by Ukraine to strike targets on Russian territory with weapons provided by the United States. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov . . . READ MORE . . .
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Russian Army claims sweeping battlefield gains so far in 2024. From AFP. Russian forces are advancing on all fronts in Ukraine and have seized some 880 square kilometers of territory this year alone, Defense Minister Andrei Belousov said today. If confirmed, Russia would have made more gains in the past five months than in all of 2023, when . . . READ MORE . . .
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Russia, Ukraine swap 150 POWs with UAE mediation. From the Moscow Times. Moscow and Kyiv have traded 150 prisoners of war with the help of mediators from the United Arab Emirates, Russia’s Defense Ministryannounced today, the first such exchange after months of stalled talks between the two warring sides. READ MORE . . .
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FROM MAY 30 Russia-linked hackers’ phishing campaign against Ukraine is disrupted. Reported by Jenna McLaughlin | NPR Hackers with ties to Russia planned to launch a massive phishing campaign against Ukraine, taking advantage of the recently lifted moratorium on evictions in the country. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.
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Ukraine, Norway sign long-term security agreement, by Martin Fornusek | The Kyiv Independent Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere today signed a bilateral security agreement between the two countries in Stockholm. Oslo pledges to . . . READ MORE . . .