First, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, Tass, Agence France-Presse, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. Then, commentary from Indian Punchline. — MCM
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Russia’s Wagner boss threatens Bakhmut pullout in Ukraine, by David Rising | AP KYIV — The owner of Russia’s Wagner Group military contractor today threatened to pull his troops out of the protracted battle for the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut next week, accusing Russia’s military command of starving his forces of ammunition and causing them heavy losses. Yevgeny Prigozhin, a notorious millionaire with longtime links to Russian President Vladimir Putin, claimed that Wagner had planned to capture Bakhmut by May 9. That day is a major Russian holiday . . . READ MORE . . .
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Russia’s Prigozhin says Wagner fighters will quit Bakhmut to ‘lick our wounds’, by Felix Light and Caleb Davis | Reuters * Wagner will pull out of Bakhmut on May 10, Prigozhin says * Blames lack of ammunition, says army will have to step in * Video shows Prigozhin with corpses he says are his men — Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of Russia’s Wagner Group mercenary force, said in a sudden and dramatic announcement today that his forces would pull out of the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut that they have been trying in vain to capture since last summer. Prigozhin said they would withdraw on May 10 – ending their involvement in the longest and bloodiest battle of the war – because of heavy losses and inadequate ammunition supplies. He asked defence chiefs to insert regular army troops in . . . READ MORE . . .
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Russia orders partial evacuation near Ukraine front line. From AFP. Russia today ordered the evacuation of families with children and of the elderly from Russian-held frontline areas in southern Ukraine because of an increase in shelling from the Ukrainian side. “In the past few days, the enemy has . . . READ MORE . . .
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Beijing ready to settle Ukrainian crisis jointly with Russia, minister tells Lavrov. From Tass. BEIJING — During Thursday’s talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in India, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said the Chinese side was ready to make a practical contribution into the Ukrainian crisis settlement in cooperation with Russia, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said today. “China will persistently assist and promote peace talks. We are ready . . . READ MORE . . .
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Ukrainian defense official talks about counteroffensive plans. Reported by Joanna Kakissis | NPR Ukraine appears on the verge of launching a counteroffensive, hoping to take back the territory that Russia has occupied. But one Ukrainian official is hoping for more. Click HERE to listen and read.
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In Ukraine’s forests, fighters race to prepare for next push, by Samya Kullab | AP SOMEWHERE IN CENTRAL UKRAINE — The fighters depart at dawn, single-file, rifles slung, compasses in hand, and disappear like chameleons into the lush greenery of central Ukraine’s dense forests. They’re training . . . READ MORE . . .
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Zelensky regime’s fate is sealed, by M.K. Bhadrakumar | India Punchline The entire western narrative of a Russian defeat stands exposed as a pack of lies, and alongside, the myth of Kiev’s military prowess to take on the far superior military might of a superpower has evaporated. The Ukrainian military is being ground to . . . READ MORE . . .
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MAY BE CONTINUED