First, links to reports from the Associated Press, National Public Radio, Tass, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, and the Moscow Times; others are accessible by clicking on their names and initials below. — MCM
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Kremlin will annex 4 regions of Ukraine on Friday, by Jon Gambrell and Adam Schreck | AP KYIV — Russia confirmed on Thursday it will formally annex parts of Ukraine where occupied areas held Kremlin-orchestrated “referendums” on living under Moscow’s rule that the Ukrainian government and the West denounced as illegal and rigged. Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend a ceremony on Friday in the Kremlin when . . . READ MORE . . .
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Moscow prepares to annex 4 Russian-occupied regions in Ukraine. Leila Fadel of NPR talks with PBS Newshour’s Simon Ostrovsky about what the earlier annexation of Crimea might suggest for what happens now for the next areas Russia is trying to annex. Click HERE to listen and, tomorrow, read.
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Ukrainian soldiers’ view on counteroffensive could inform efforts to dislodge Russia. Reported by Jason Beaubien | NPR Ukraine’s counteroffensive saw many Russian forces flee advancing troops in the northeast of the country. But soldiers on the ground say it was more difficult than some headlines have portrayed it. Click HERE to listen and read.
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War didn’t stop Hasidic pilgrims from gathering in Ukraine for the Jewish new year. Reported by Pete Kiehart and Julian Hayda | NPR UMAN, Ukraine — For all but a week a year, the city of Uman is like any small city in Ukraine. The economy usually revolves around a bus factory and some grain processing facilities. But every fall, thousands of Hasidic Jews from around the world transform a central neighborhood in Uman to celebrate Rosh Hashana, the Jewish new year. And this year . . . Click HERE to listen and read.
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EU officials and others are concerned about explosions at Nord Stream pipelines. Reported by Leila Fadel and Jackie Northam | NPR Some European leaders say the Nord Stream pipeline leaks are deliberate. There’s growing concern about what it could mean for security at oil and gas installations around Europe. Click HERE to listen and, tomorrow, read.
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Russian diplomat says Nord Stream leaks occurred in zone controlled by U.S. intelligence. From Tass. MOSCOW — The Nord Stream pipeline incidents took place in the exclusive economic zone of Denmark and Sweden, an area that is fully controlled by US intelligence agencies, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told the Soloviev Live TV program on Thursday. Commenting on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipeline leaks . . . READ MORE . . .
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Russia says Nord Stream ‘sabotage’ likely to be state-sponsored act, by Sabine Siebold and Charlotte Campenhout | Reuters MOSCOW/BRUSSELS — Russia said today leaks spewing gas into the sea from pipelines to Germany appeared to be the result of state-sponsored “terrorism”, as an EU official said the incident had fundamentally changed the nature of the conflict in Ukraine. The European Union is investigating . . . READ MORE . . .
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Over 194,000 Russians flee call-up to neighboring countries, by Dasha Litvinova | AP TALLINN, Estonia — It took Vsevolod four days to drive from Moscow to Russia’s southern border with Georgia. He had to abandon his car at one point and continue on foot. On Tuesday, he finally finished his 1,800-kilometer (1,100-mile) journey and crossed the frontier to escape being called up to fight in Russia’s war in Ukraine. “At 26, I do not . . . READ MORE . . .
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Finland to close border to Russians with EU tourism visas from Friday. From AFP. Finland will bar Russians with Schengen tourist visas from entering the country from Friday, the government said Thursday following a surge in arrivals after Moscow’s mobilisation order for the war in Ukraine. “The decision . . . READ MORE . . .
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Russian forces face ‘imminent defeat’ in east Ukraine supply hub. From the Moscow Times. Russian forces face “imminent defeat” to advancing Ukrainian soldiers in a key supply hub in eastern Ukraine, threatening Russian positions elsewhere and potentially undermining morale further, observers said today. Russian military bloggers said . . . READ MORE . . .
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TO BE CONTINUED