For today, links to reports from Reuters, the Kyiv Independent, and Tass, and to commentary from the Kyiv Post and the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Russia says oil depot in Kursk region on fire after Ukraine drone attack. From Reuters. Three tanks at an oil storage depot in Russia’s Kursk region caught fire as a result of a Ukraine-launched drone attack, acting regional Governor Alexei Smirnov said today. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from the Kyiv Independent.

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Russia’s Battlegroup Center liberates two communities in DPR over past day. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russia’s Battlegroup Center liberated the communities of Progress and Yevgenovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry said today in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine — Is peace coming? by Timothy Ash | Kyiv Post  Lots of interesting developments around Ukraine over the past week or so, that might just suggest that momentum might again be building for peace talks over the next few months. First, Ukraine . . . READ MORE . . .

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The Russia-U.S. divide was on display during Moscow’s monthlong presidency of the UN Security Council, by Edith M. Lederer | AP  UNITED NATIONS — Whether it’s Gaza, Ukraine, Syria or a new world order, it’s been Russia versus the United States and the West during Moscow’s presidency of the Security Council this month, with the growing divide on vivid display. READ MORE . . .