For now, links to reports from the Moscow Times, the Associated Press, National Public Radio,  Reuters, and teleSUR; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. — MCM

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Russia’s Goals in Ukraine No Longer Solely Focused on the East – Lavrov. From the Moscow Times. Russia’s “geographical goals” in Ukraine have changed to include not only the breakaway Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics of eastern Ukraine, but a number of other regions as well, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told state media today. “Now, [our] geography is different. It is not only the DNR and LNR, it is also the Kherson region, the Zaporizhzhia region and a number of other territories.” . . . Lavrov said Russia cannot accept that “in the parts of Ukraine that [President Volodomyr] Zelensky or the one who will replace him will control, there are weapons that will pose a direct threat to our territory and the territory of those [eastern Ukrainian] republics that have announced their independence. . . .If Western countries supply long-range weapons to Ukraine, [these goals] will move even further,” he said. READ MORE . . .

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Russia Sends Army Recruits to Fight in Ukraine After Just Days of Training, by Anastasia Tenisheva | The Moscow Times Providing minimal training to new recruits appears to be increasingly common in the Russian army as the war in Ukraine approaches its sixth month and high casualty rates combine with a lack of general mobilization to generate serious manpower shortages. A lack of knowledge leaves soldiers without the necessary combat skills to survive on the battlefield, according to military analysts and human rights . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine graft concerns resurface as Russia war goes on, by Matthew Lee and Nomaan Merchant | The Associated Press WASHINGTON — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s dismissal of senior officials is casting an inconvenient light on an issue that the Biden administration has largely ignored since the outbreak of war with Russia: Ukraine’s history of rampant corruption and shaky governance. As it presses ahead with providing tens of billions of dollars in military, economic and direct financial support aid to Ukraine and encourages its allies to do the same . . . READ MORE . . .

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Eli Rosenbaum on how prosecuting war crimes in Ukraine compares to hunting Nazis. Reported by Ari Shapiro, Elena Burnett and Patrick Jarenwattananon | National Public Radio Department of Justice official Eli Rosenbaum talks about his investigation into war crimes that occurred in Ukraine. Rosenbaum led the Justice Department unit that tracked down Nazis in hiding long after World War II. He was tapped by Attorney General Merrick Garland to lead a team investigating war crimes in Ukraine. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Europe races to cut Russian gas usage amid new Putin warning, by Kate Abnett and Nina Chestney | Reuters * Nord Stream 1 pipeline out of action for maintenance * Pipeline due to resume pumping on Thursday * EU says states must act now to reduce gas consumption * Germany, others have rationing and other plans in place | BRUSSELS/LONDON — The European Union will set out emergency plans today to curb gas usage after President Vladimir Putin warned that Russian supplies sent via the biggest pipeline to Europe, Nord Stream 1, were at risk of being reduced further. Deliveries via the pipeline, which accounts . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia, Turkey, Iran change global geopolitical dynamics. From teleSUR. Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia, Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, and Ebrahim Raisi of Iran called Tuesday for preserving Syria’s territorial integrity and strengthening the fight against terrorism. Their joint statement came at the end of an intensive meeting in Tehran held against the backdrop of unfolding international and regional dynamics, and bear significance way beyond the three . . . READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED