For today, links to 12 reports: from the Associated Press, Kyiv Post, the Kyiv Independent, Reuters, the Moscow Times, Tass, and Agence France-Presse; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (GAZA, WEST BANK, SYRIA and IRAN entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE. UKRAINE 2-3-25 entry is HERE.) — MCM
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Ukraine wants partner countries to join in postwar development worth billions, by Illia Novakov | AP KYIV — Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said today the country wants to collaborate with partner countries on postwar projects worth billions of dollars not just in mining rare earth elements, but also . . . READ MORE . . .
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Zelensky: ‘A good day’ as 150 soldiers freed from Russian captivity. From Kyiv Post. Ukraine has secured the return of 150 soldiers from Russian captivity, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced today. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from the Kyiv Independent.
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Ukraine’s military to roll out units of robotic vehicles, by Max Hunder | Reuters KYIV — Ukraine’s military will create robotic vehicle units to deploy at the front, Defence Minister Rustem Umerov said today, as Kyiv and Moscow vie to gain a technological . . . READ MORE . . .
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Kremlin confirms contacts with Trump White House officials. From the Moscow Times. “There are indeed contacts between certain agencies, and they have intensified recently,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said today. READ MORE . . .
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FROM FEB. 4 5 killed, 55 injured in Russian missile strike on Izium in Kharkiv Oblast, by Martin Fornuse | The Kyiv Independent A Russian missile attack on Tuesday against the town of Izium in Kharkiv Oblast killed at least five people and injured at least 55, Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said. READ MORE . . .
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Russian troops liberate two communities in Kharkov Region, Donbass area over past day. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian troops liberated two communities in the Kharkov Region and the Donbass area over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry said today in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .
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FROM FEB. 4 Ukraine hits school bus with drone in Zaporozhye Region. From Tass. MELITOPOL — The Ukrainian armed forces attacked a school bus in the Zaporozhye Region with an unmanned aerial vehicle, according to the region’s governor, Yevgeny Balitsky. READ MORE . . .
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FROM FEB. 4 Ukraine’s politics warms up as U.S. focuses on war’s endgame, by Tom Balmforth and Yuliia Dysa | Reuters KYIV – After Russia’s 2022 invasion, Ukraine’s normally febrile political life was becalmed under martial law. But there have been growing signs of activity picking up. READ MORE . . .
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FROM FEB. 4 Russian attacks near Ukrainian nuclear infrastructure heighten scrutiny of Kyiv’s preparedness, by Samya Kullab and Hanna Arhirova | AP KYIV — Moscow’s renewed attacks on Ukraine’s electricity infrastructure this winter . . . READ MORE . . .
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FROM FEB. 4 Ukraine sees surge in inquiries from Russian families on missing soldiers. From AFP. Ukraine received a surge in queries last month from Russian families seeking information on missing relatives serving in Moscow’s army, Kyiv said on Tuesday. The government last year established a hotline for Russians to learn details of . . . READ MORE . . .
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FROM FEB. 4 Ukraine’s rare earth minerals: What Is Trump eyeing in Ukraine? From Kyiv Post. “They have great rare earth,” U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters on Monday. “And I want security of the rare earth, and they’re willing to do it.” He said he might supply aid to Ukraine in exchange for . . . READ MORE . . .