First, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, National Public Radio, and Tass: others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. Next, via the Justice Integrity Project, a column written less than a month after Russia’s invasion on Feb. 24; appended to it is a selection of related recent New York Times and Washington Post articles.  — MCM

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Hungary vetoes EU Ukraine aid, deepening rift with Brussels, by Raf Casert | AP BRUSSELS — A rift between the European Union and member state Hungary deepened today when Budapest vetoed an 18 billion euro ($18.93 billion) financial aid package to Kyiv. Hungary’s veto made sure that the EU’s other 26 member states would need work out a more complicated technical . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine leader defiant as drone strikes hit Russia again, by Jamey Keaten | AP  KYIV — In a new display of defiance from Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled to an eastern city near the front line today, while Russia reported that strategic sites inside the country were hit by drone attacks for a second day. A fire broke out at an airport in Russia’s . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine appears to expose Russian air defence gaps with long-range strikes, by Pavel Polityuk and Sergiy Chalyi | Reuters * Three killed at Russian base just hours from Moscow * One of bases hit was home to Russian bomber fleet * Ukraine minister jokes that careless Russian smokers to blame | KYIV/NOVOSOFIIVKA — A third Russian airfield was ablaze today from a drone strike, a day after Ukraine demonstrated an apparent new ability to penetrate hundreds of kilometers deep into Russian air space with attacks on two Russian air bases. Officials in the Russian city of . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian airstrikes cause electricity outages, but Ukraine says it shot down missiles. Reported by Greg Myre | NPR  Russian airstrikes caused electricity outages in some Ukrainian cities. However, Ukraine says it shot down many missiles, and the damage was substantially less than in previous attacks. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Putting ZNPP under IAEA’s control impossible – Rosenergroatom. From Tass. MOSCOW — Putting the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant under International Atomic Energy Agency control will be impossible, because that organization does not have the authority to manage nuclear power plants, Renat Karchaa, an adviser to the CEO of the Rosenergoatom concern, said today. “The idea . . . READ MORE . . .

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In an ongoing race, Ukraine tries to repair faster than Russia bombs. Reported by Greg Myre | NPR  Ukraine’s power companies, including state-run Ukrenergo and private firms like DTEK, have been able to make repairs quickly when Russia attacks. Power is usually restored within 24 hours. It’s dangerous work. Several workers have been killed in the missile strikes on dozens of facilities. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Russia’s Ukraine invasion is Europe’s 9/11, by Ray Kreig | Must Read Alaska. The U.S. has an essential national interest in a Russia that stands down from authoritarianism, becomes a functioning democracy and reduced military threat.  We would save trillions of dollars and live in a better world. The future of Ukraine is critical to that . . . READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED