First and second, the beginnings of Associated Press and Reuters summaries, with links, both made available in early afternoon EDT. Next, from last week, a Ross Douthat column from the New York Times, reprinted here and there. Fourth, fifth and sixth, via The Greanville Post, an interview with Bulgarian journalist Dilyana Gaytandzhieva on U.S. biolabs in Ukraine, linked to a paper she wrote; an interview with former U.N. weapons inspector Scott Ridder by two Grayzone journalists; and a look at how Ukraine’s government gets its word out on the war. — MCM
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Russia shifts focus to try to grind Ukraine’s army in east, by Nebi Qena and Yuras Karmanau | The Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine — With its aspirations for a quick victory dashed by a stiff Ukrainian resistance, Russia has increasingly focused on grinding down Ukraine’s military in the east in the hope of forcing Kyiv into surrendering part of the country’s territory to possibly end the war. The bulk of the Ukrainian army is concentrated in eastern Ukraine, where it has been locked up in fighting with Moscow-backed separatists in a nearly eight-year conflict. If Russia succeeds in encircling and destroying the Ukrainian forces in the country’s industrial heartland, called Donbas, it could try to dictate its terms to Kyiv and potentially attempt to split the country in two. The Russian military declared Friday that the “first stage of the operation” had been largely accomplished . . . READ MORE . . .
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Putin not seen ready to compromise ahead of peace talks, by Pavel Polityuk and Vitalii Hnidyi | Reuters * Talks arranged after call between Erdogan and Putin * 160,000 people still trapped in Mariupol – mayor * Russians turn effort towards separatist areas | LVIV/KHARKIV, Ukraine — Ukraine and Russia were preparing on Monday for the first face-to-face peace talks in more than two weeks, but a senior U.S. official said Russian President Vladimir Putin did not appear ready to make compromises to end the war. Ukrainian officials also played down the chances of a major breakthrough at the talks, due to be held in Istanbul after Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan spoke to Russia’s Vladimir Putin on Sunday. But the fact that they were taking place in person at all — for the first time since an acrimonious meeting between foreign ministers on March 10 — was a sign of . . . READ MORE . . .
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Why We Need Wartime Dissent, by Ross Douthat | The New York Times On Sept. 14, 2001, the House of Representatives passed what was understood to be a declaration of war against the perpetrators of the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks, by a vote of 420 to 1. The one dissenter was Barbara Lee, Democrat of California. At the time, her protest vote seemed like embarrassing peacenik nonsense, an example of left-wing folly at a time of moral clarity and necessary war. In recent days, since the invasion of Ukraine, the House has cast votes by similarly lopsided margins — 426 to 3 for a resolution urging various kinds of support for Kyiv, 424 to 8 to suspend normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus. The dissenters this time have been Republicans, a mixture of . . . READ MORE . . .
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Richard Medhurst Interviews Dilyana Gaytandzhieva on U.S. BioLabs in Ukraine. From The Greanville Post. One of several online interviews with the Bulgarian journalist. There is a link HERE to a paper she wrote on the subject. An introduction to her conversation with Richard Medhurst reads, “The truth about these biowarfare labs would have been kept secret if the Russians had not invaded Ukraine and overrun the labs. The truth is a lot filthier and more sinister than you thought. That’s one of the main reasons for the secrecy and emphatic denials by all U.S. officials. They got caught, but now, as usual, the media will muddy the waters and turn its attention elsewhere, as if nothing happened. Incidentally, Dilyana shows the legion of fat U.S. and Western presstitutes what it means to be a true journalist in the service of humanity.”
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The battle for Ukraine, with ex-U.N. weapons inspector Scott Ritter. Max Blumenthal and Aaron Mate of The Grayzone spoke FIVE DAYS AGO with ex-U.N. weapons inspector and military expert Scott Ritter. From the introduction: “Ritter provides a detailed analysis of the battlefield that stands in stark contrast to the rose-colored perspective of most Western analysts and offers his perspective on the political follies that drove the conflict.” Watch and listen HERE. (Blumenthal says several times during the conversation that it has been the most-watched to date of the Grayzone live interviews, with 8,000 people tuning in.)
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The foreign strategists, Washington D.C., lobbyists and intelligence-linked media outlets behind Ukraine’s public relations, by Dan Cohen | Mint Press News WASHINGTON — Since the Russian offensive inside Ukraine commenced on February 24, the Ukrainian military has cultivated the image of a plucky little army standing up to the Russian Goliath. To bolster the perception of Ukrainian military mettle, Kiev has churned out a steady stream of sophisticated propaganda aimed at stirring public and official support from Western countries. . . . Ukraine’s propaganda strategy earned it praise from a NATO commander who told the Washington Post, “They are really excellent in . . . READ MORE . . .