First, links to reports from the Associated Press, National Public Radio, Reuters, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. Also today, see the beginning of an essay on foreign policy dissenters in the Kennedy, Reagan, and Obama administrations, HERE. — MCM
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What’s known and not about US drone-Russian jet encounter, by Lolita C. Baldor and Tara Copp | AP WASHINGTON — When a Russian fighter jet collided with a large U.S. surveillance drone over the Black Sea on Tuesday, it was a rare but serious incident that triggered a U.S. diplomatic protest and raised concerns about the possibility Russia could recover sensitive technology. U.S. and Russian officials had conflicting accounts of the collision between the MQ-9 Reaper drone and the Russian Su-27 fighter jet. But a Pentagon spokesman raised the possibility that the Defense Department could eventually declassify and release video it has of . . . READ MORE . . .
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Russian fighter jet forces down U.S. military drone over Black Sea, U.S. says. Reported by Greg Myre and Charles Maynes | NPR The U.S. military says a Russian fighter plane clipped the propeller of an American MQ-9 Reaper drone, forcing it to crash in the Black Sea. Russia offered a very different account, claiming the American drone crashed on its own. What’s not in dispute is the inflammatory nature of the incident, which comes . . . Click HERE to listen and read.
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North of Bakhmut, another key battle tests Ukraine’s defences, by Mike Collett-White | Reuters * Frontline north of Bakhmut also sees fierce fighting * Small gains by Russians around Kreminna come at high cost * Ukrainian battalion says attacks have intensified * Commander defending the front sees risk of encirclement * He expects Ukrainian counter-offensive in April | NEAR KREMINNA, Ukraine — What Ukrainian forces have long described in the city of Bakhmut is also playing out to the north in Luhansk region — more Russian troops, weapons and aggressive tactics that Moscow hopes will produce a badly needed breakthrough. Medics have described heavy casualties in recent weeks, further evidence that . . . READ MORE . . .
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Russian forces wipe out three Ukrainian S-300 radars in DPR – top brass. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian forces destroyed three radars of Ukrainian S-300 surface-to-air missile systems in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) over the past day during the special military operation in Ukraine, Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov said today. In addition, the Russian group of forces struck 101 Ukrainian artillery units at firing positions, manpower and equipment in 197 areas over the past day, he said. READ MORE . . .
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Ron DeSantis says backing Ukraine is not in the U.S. interest, a sign of a GOP divided. Reported by Franco Ordoñez | NPR Republican party leaders are split on whether the United States should continue to back Ukraine with billions of dollars of military equipment and aid, a rift that seems likely to become a major issue in the 2024 presidential election. The latest sign of the GOP divide on Russia’s war in Ukraine comes from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who . . . Click HERE to listen and read.
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A center in Ukraine’s northeast offers soldiers some badly needed rest. Reported by Joanna Kakissis | NPR As Russia’s war on Ukraine drags on, traumatized soldiers can recharge at a Western-style healing center in northwestern Ukraine before returning to the frontline. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.
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TO BE CONTINUED