For now, links to reports from the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, Tass, National Public Radio, and Reuters; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. — MCM

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Russia’s hope for Ukraine win revealed in battle for Bakhmut, by Inna Varenytsia and Sam Mednick | AP  BAKHMUT, Ukraine — Russian soldiers pummeling a city in eastern Ukraine with artillery are slowly edging closer in their attempt to seize Bakhmut, which has remained in Ukrainian hands during the eight-month war despite Moscow’s goal of capturing the entire Donbas region bordering Russia. While . . . READ MORE . . .

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Moscow-installed official says Kherson civilian departures ‘completed.’ From AFP. MOSCOW — The head of Moscow-annexed Crimea has said civilian departures from occupied Kherson organised by Russia’s forces amid a Ukrainian counter-offensive were “completed”, after he visited the region with the Kremlin’s domestic chief Sergei Kiriyenko. “The work to organise . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia does not consider itself an enemy of the West – Putin. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russia has never considered and does not consider itself an enemy of the West, despite the ongoing conflict, Russian President Vladimir Putin said, speaking at the Valdai International Discussion Club plenary meeting Thursday. “In current circumstances . . . READ MORE . . .

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Can the U.S. keep up with Ukraine’s demand for weaponry? Reported by Tom Bowman, Stacy Vanek Smith,MEGAN Lim, Justine Kenin, Andrew Sussman and Ailsa Chang | NPR  The U.S. expects to be providing weaponry to Ukraine for months and even years to come. Defense officials are confident they can meet the demand, but there are real-world challenges. Click HERE to listen and read.

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‘No room for old dreams’, German president says of Russia ties, by Andreas Rinke | Reuters  BERLIN — Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has caused an “epochal break” in Germany’s ties with Moscow and the war has shattered former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev’s dream of a “common European home”, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said today. Steinmeier, who hails from a wing of Germany’s Social Democrats that long argued for closer economic ties  . . . READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED