First and second, a Reuters investigative report on how increased Kremlin actions against what it terms “foreign agents” in Russia are affecting them, and an Associated Press summary on events related to the war in Ukraine. Next, a pair of Consortium News editors talk with a pair of economists on what Western sanctions against Russia could do to a globalized economy. — MCM
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Putin targets enemies at home as his missiles strike Ukraine, by LENA MASRI | Reuters LONDON — Long before Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and the mass detentions of Russian peace protesters, the Kremlin was already stifling dissent – with choking bureaucracy. Throughout 2021, the Kremlin tightened the screws on its opponents . . . using a combination of arrests, internet censorship and blacklists. The crackdown accelerated after Russia invaded Ukraine. Now a Reuters data analysis and interviews with dozens of people chart these tactics’ success in eroding civil freedoms. A widely used weapon in the Kremlin’s armoury is the state’s register of “foreign agents.” People whose names appear on this official list are closely monitored by the authorities. Among them is Galina Arapova, a lawyer who heads the non-profit . . . READ MORE . . .
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Heavy fighting rages near Kyiv as Russia appears to regroup, by Nebi Qena and Yuras Karmanau | The Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine — Heavy fighting raged on the outskirts of Kyiv and other zones today amid indications the Kremlin is using talk of de-escalation as cover while regrouping and resupplying its forces and redeploying them for a stepped-up offensive in eastern Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an early morning video address that Ukraine is seeing “a buildup of Russian forces for new strikes on the Donbas, and we are preparing for that.” Meanwhile, a convoy of buses headed to Mariupol in another bid to evacuate people from the besieged port city after the Russian military agreed to a limited cease-fire in the area. And a new round of talks aimed at stopping the fighting was scheduled for Friday. READ MORE . . .
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CN Live! — Ukraine: The Economic Fallout. Consortium News editors Joe Lauria and Elizabeth Vos interview economists Michael Hudson and Richard Wolff about the economic war against Russia and its boomerang effect on the West. Listen and read the transcript HERE.
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TO BE CONTINUED