First, links to reports from the Associated Press, Agence France-Press, Reuters, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. Then, a link to a column in the Berkshire Eagle in which its foreign affairs columnist lays out overlapping political and economic reasons for pursuing the U.S.-led course in Ukraine. — MCM
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Russia’s hope for Ukraine win revealed in battle for Bakhmut, by Inna Varenytsia and Sam Mednick | AP Russian soldiers pummeling a city in eastern Ukraine with artillery are slowly edging closer in their attempt to seize Bakhmut . . . . Taking Bakhmut would rupture Ukraine’s supply lines and open a route for Russian forces to press on toward Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, key Ukrainian strongholds in Donetsk province. Pro-Moscow separatists have controlled part of Donetsk and neighboring Luhansk province since 2014. Before invading . . . READ MORE . . .
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Russia suspends participation in Ukraine grain deal. From AFP. Russia today suspended its participation in a landmark agreement that allowed vital grain exports from Ukraine, blaming drone attacks on Russian ships in Crimea. Russia made the announcement after its army accused Kyiv earlier in the day of a “massive” drone attack on its Black Sea fleet, which Ukraine labeled a “false pretext” and the UN urged the deal’s preservation. The Turkey and UN-brokered deal . . . READ MORE . . .
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Russia says UK navy blew up Nord Stream, London denies involvement, by Guy Faulconbridge and Sachin Ravikumar | Reuters LONDON — Russia’s defence ministry said today that British navy personnel blew up the Nord Stream gas pipelines last month, a claim that London said was false and designed to distract from Russian military failures in Ukraine. Russia did not give evidence for its claim that a leading NATO member had sabotaged critical Russian infrastructure amid the worst crisis in relations between the West and Russia since the depths of the Cold War . . . READ MORE . . .
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Russian navy ‘repels’ drone attack in Sevastopol: Moscow-installed governor. From AFP. The Russian navy today thwarted a drone attack on the Sevastopol port, home to Moscow’s Black Sea Fleet in Russia-annexed Crimea, Moscow-installed authorities said.“Today, starting at 04:30 am for several hours, various air defense systems in Sevastopol repelled drone attacks,” Sevastopol governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said. “All UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) have . . . READ MORE . . .
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It would be U.S. ‘golden dream’ to have nuclear weapons in Ukraine – diplomat. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the emergence of nuclear weapons in Ukraine would be a “golden dream” for Washington. “The U.S. deployed its nuclear weapons on the territory of European countries. It’s not France and the UK that have their own nuclear weapons. This is Italy and many . . . READ MORE . . .
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How Ukraine aid can pay for itself, by James Brooke | The Berkshire Eagle Aside from protecting a democracy from invasion by a totalitarian neighbor, here are dollars and cents reasons for helping Ukraine. As the West’s inglorious response to the start of World War II shows, containment pays. By moving fast to help Ukraine block Russia, NATO aid is radically reducing the chances of having to fight later on to defend five NATO members: Poland, Slovakia and the three Baltic nations. In speeches and essays last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin indicated . . . READ MORE . . .
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TO BE CONTINUED