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

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‘You can feel the Ukrainian spirit’: Concert brings western Mass. Ukrainians closer to home. Reported by Dusty Christensen | NEPM  A crowd of 800 packed into the Frederick C. Tillis Performance Hall at UMass Amherst to see the Lviv National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine perform. Perogies and chicken Kyiv croquettes were on the menu Friday evening as VIPs rubbed shoulders in the lobby ahead of the concert. They . . . Click HERE to listen and read..

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Thousands of Russians who oppose the war in Ukraine have settled down in Armenia. Reported by Charles Maynes | NPR  Thousands of Russian exiles opposed to the war in Ukraine have taken up residence in Armenia, a former Soviet republic which offers Russians passport-free admission. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Russia deports thousands of Ukrainian children. Investigators say that’s a war crime. Reported by Deborah Amos | NPR  The Russian government is operating a systematic network of at least 40 child custody centers for thousands of Ukrainian children, a potential war crime, according to a new report by Yale University researchers in a collaboration with the U.S. State Department in a program to hold Russia accountable. The report describes . . . Click HERE to listen and read.

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In the lives of 5 friends, Ukraine’s war story unfolds, by Samya Kullab | AP  BUCHA, Ukraine — In the cemetery where Oleksii Zavadskyi and Yurii Stiahliuk are buried, the women they loved take drags on the men’s favorite brands of cigarettes. Clouds of smoke are exhaled in silence. Interlaced between Anastasiia Okhrimenko’s dainty fingers are Camels. Anna Korostenska lights L&M’s, her hands . . . READ MORE . . .

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Tens of thousands of new Russian troops are forcing Ukrainian soldiers to pull back. Reported by Steve Inskeep and Tom Bowman | NPR  Russia throws new conscripts into battle — beginning a winter offensive in Ukraine. Ukrainians plan their own offensive soon. Can either side avoid a stalemate? Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Russia strikes across Ukraine as push for embattled Bakhmut grinds on, by Max Hunder and Pavel Polityuk | Reuters  * Ukraine says it shoots down 16 of 32 Russian missiles * Russian offensive against eastern city Bakhmut churns on * NATO to keep ramping up military aid for Kyiv * Zelenskiy targets spring offensive against invasion | KYIV — Russia battered Ukraine with multiple missile strikes on Thursday as its troops sought to advance in the east, Kyiv said, while Western allies pledged to keep military aid flowing for an intended Ukrainian spring counter-offensive. Following a pattern . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian Wagner chief eyes Bakhmut capture by April. From AFP. The head of Russian mercenary outfit Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has said that Russian forces could capture the embattled city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine “in March or in April”. He said progress would depend on whether “the adversary sends reserves” and blasted Russia’s “monstrous military bureaucracy” for its failure to . . . READ MORE . . .

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Lukashenko: Belarus will fight together with Russia only in case of aggression. From Tass. MINSK — Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko today declared Belarus’s readiness to fight together with Russia from its own territory only in case of aggression against his country, the BelTA news agency reports. READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED