To begin, links to reports from The Associated Press, Reuters, TeleSUR, and National Public Radio, most linked to others. Then, via Popular Resistance, links to analyses by John Kiriakou and Moon of Alabama. — MCM
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Russia hits east Ukraine, Finland moves toward joining NATO, by Oleksandr Stashevskyi | The Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine — Russian forces pounded areas in Ukraine’s east today, including the last pocket of resistance in besieged Mariupol, as a war that is redrawing Europe’s security map pushed Russia’s neighbor Finland closer to joining NATO. Even as the globe-shaking repercussions of the invasion spread, the conflict on the ground slogged on, with Ukraine’s military recapturing some towns and villages in the country’s northeast but acknowledging that Russian forces have seen “partial success” farther south in the eastern industrial heartland of the Donbas. Finland’s president and prime minister said today that the Nordic country should apply “without delay” for membership in the Western alliance, founded in part to counter the Soviet Union. The announcement means Finland is all but certain to apply to — and be accepted in — the military alliance . . . . Neighboring Sweden could do the same within . . . READ MORE . . .
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Finland, worried by Russian invasion of Ukraine, moves to join NATO; Kremlin warns of response, by Anne Kauranen and Essi Lehto | Reuters * Membership expected to happen quickly * Finnish public opinion turned over Ukraine war HELSINKI — Finland must apply to join the NATO military alliance “without delay”, its president and prime minister said today, in a historic policy shift triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. READ MORE . . .
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Ukraine Shuts off Flow of Russian Gas to Europe at Donbas. From TeleSUR. Ukraine on Wednesday shut off the flow of natural gas exported from Russia to Europe from a station located in Donbas, now controlled by Russian forces. In a statement, the operator of the gas transmission system in Ukraine (GTSOU) announced its decision to suspend transit operations due to security reasons and “force majeure”. According to the note, the company blocks the flow of gas from the Sokhranivka connection point, located in the eastern Ukrainian region of Lugansk, in the conflict-ridden Donbas area, which is currently under the control of the Russian Army. Kiev has also demanded that Russia’s state-owned Gazprom — which holds a monopoly on gas pipelines and Russian gas sent to Europe — shift gas volumes to the transit point in the northern city of Sudzha, in territory that Ukraine controls. Russia’s Gazprom . . . maintains . . . such a reorganization would be “technically impossible” and [says] there is no reason for the interruption of the flow. [T]he European Commission considers that this cut may affect the transit of gas to European Union (EU) member countries [but] does not represent an immediate problem of security of supply. READ MORE . . .
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Ukrainian fighter trapped in Mariupol steel plant asks Elon Musk for help, by Natalia Zinets and Timothy Heritage | Reuters KYIV — One of the fighters holed up in a steelworks besieged by Russian forces in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol has appealed to SpaceX billionaire Elon Musk to help evacuate them. Many civilians were rescued from the sprawling Azovstal plant last week under an agreement with Russia, but no deal has been reached with Moscow on allowing out hundreds of fighters, some of whom are wounded, after weeks of bombardment. READ MORE . . .
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As the EU tries to ban Russian oil imports, it has 1 major obstacle: Hungary. National Public Radio’s Steve Inskeep talks to András Simonyi of the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Cente,, about Hungary being an obstacle to Europe’s aim of banning Russian energy imports. Click HERE to listen and, tomorrow, read.
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Finnish government leaders say their country must join NATO without delay. Reported by Frank Langfitt | NPR Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Finland is on the brink of joining NATO. Finns have their own memories of Russian aggression. Click HERE to listen and, tomorrow, read.
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Info-Warrior Malcolm Nance, by John Kiriakou | Consortium News / Educate! Malcolm Nance, the MSNBC talking head who bills himself as an “intelligence professional,” recently quit his media gig, signed on to the so-called International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine and left to battle the Russians. . . . There are so many things wrong with this story that I don’t know where to begin. So, I guess the best place to begin is at the beginning. I met Malcolm Nance in the spring of 2001. I had returned from an overseas assignment as a C.I.A. counterterrorism officer to take a course called “advanced counterterrorism operations.” As part of the class, the participants were given about a dozen books related to the latest thinking on terrorism and how to combat it. . . . I put them on eBay for $50. They sold a week later, and I got an email from the high bidder saying that he wanted to send me a check. . . . I told him that I lived in Arlington, Virginia, and he responded that he did, too. It would be better for us just to meet . . . READ MORE . . .
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Ukraine: Why the War Started and Failed Attempts on Snake Island, by Moon of Alabama | Educate! It is Victory Day. As Ernest Hemingway said: “Anyone who loves freedom owes such a debt to the Red Army that it can never be repaid.” The most important part of Vladimir Putin’s speech to the Victory Parade on the Red Square is the narrative that explains how the current war in Ukraine began. Putin is correct in seeing this as a NATO proxy war against Russia: “[D]espite all controversies in international relations, Russia has always advocated the establishment of an equal and indivisible security system which is critically needed for the entire international community. Last December . . . READ MORE . . .
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TO BE CONTINUED