For today, several links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, National Public Radio, ScheerPost, and Consortium News; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE and GAZA entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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WikiLeaks’ Assange faces wait to find out whether he can challenge extradition to the U.S., by Jill Lawless and Sylvia Hui | AP  LONDON — WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange won’t find out until next month at the earliest whether he can challenge extradition to the U.S. on spying charges, or if his long legal battle in Britain has run out of road. Two High Court judges said . . . READ MORE . . .

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Assange wanted for ‘indiscriminately’ publishing sources’ names, U.S. lawyers say, by Sam Tobin | Reuters  LONDON — Julian Assange is being prosecuted for publishing sources’ names and not his political opinions, lawyers representing the United States said on Wednesday as the WikiLeaks founder’s latest fight to stop his extradition from Britain concluded. READ MORE . . .

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What a Julian Assange conviction could mean for the future of press freedom. Reported by Vincent Acovino, Patrick Jarenwattananon and Mary Louise Kelly | NPR  Kelly talks with the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University’s Jameel Jaffer about arguments that prosecuting Julian Assange would threaten press freedom. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Julian Assange’s Day in Court, by Chris Hedges | Original to ScheerPost  The physical and psychological disintegration of Julian, seven years trapped in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London and nearly five years held on remand in the high-security HM Prison Belmarsh, was always the point, what Nils Melzer the former U.N. Special Rapporteur on torture calls his “slow-motion execution.” READ MORE . . .

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FROM FEB. 21  Assange timeline exposes U.S. motives, by Joe Lauria | Special to Consortium News  LONDON — On Day One of Julian Assange’s attempt to appeal Britain’s order to extradite him to the United States, his lawyers laid out a timeline that exposed U.S. motives to destroy the journalist who revealed their high-level state crimes. READ MORE . . . 

For today, links to reports from Reuters, the Associated Press, Tass, Agence France-Presse, the Kyiv Post, and the Kyiv Independent; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date and an ASSANGE entry are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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As war with Russia enters third year, U.S. aid to Ukraine hangs in the balance, by Humeyra Pamuk and Patricia Zengerle | Reuters  WASHINGTON — Top Biden administration officials spent last weekend in Europe trying to soothe jitters over the prospect of U.S. military aid to Ukraine ending. Just two days later, the Republican Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, who . . . READ MORE . . .

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Desperate for soldiers, Ukraine weighs unpopular plan to expand the draft, by Samya Kullab and Susie Blann | AP  LYMAN, Ukraine — When the Russian army mounted a full-scale invasion two years ago, Ukrainian men zealously rushed to recruitment centers across the country to enlist, ready to die in defense of their nation. Today, with Russia in control of roughly . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia’s forces turn their focus on Ukraine’s northeast in what may be an ambitious new push, by Hanna Arhirova | AP  KYIV — Russian forces are probing Ukrainian defenses for weak points in the country’s northeast, an official said today, an area where analysts believe the Kremlin seeks to build on its recent success in taking a key city by mounting an . . . READ MORE . . .

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France says Russian forces threatened to shoot down surveillance aircraft patrolling Black Sea, by John Leicester | AP  PARIS — Russian forces threatened to shoot down French pilots patrolling in international airspace over the Black Sea. France’s defense minister said today. The minister, Sébastien Lecornu . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukrainian military loses 410 troops near Donetsk in 24 hours — Russian Defense Ministry. From Tass. MOSCOW — The total losses of Ukraine’s military near Donetsk over the past day exceeded 410 men, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. Here are details of . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia says captured Pobeda village in east Ukraine. From AFP. Russia said today its forces had taken control of Pobeda, a small village about five kilometres (three miles) west of Donetsk city in east Ukraine. The capture, if . . . READ MORE . . .

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Second Ukrainian strike on congregating Russian troops in 48 hours reportedly kills 60, by Steve Brown | Kyiv Post  Natalya Humenyuk, spokesperson for the Southern operational command of Ukraine’s Armed Forcesannounced said today that a training ground had been attacked by the AFU in a strike that killed as many as 60 Russian servicemen of the . . . READ MORE . . .

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Denmark confirms Ukraine set to receive first F-16 jets this summer, by Dinara Khalilova and news desk | The Kyiv Independent  Ukraine can expect to receive the first batch of U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets from Denmark already this summer, the Danish Defense Ministry announced today. Denmark has pledged to send Ukraine 19 F-16s, with the first . . . READ MORE . . .

A link to reporting and commentary from Lizzy’s Newsletter, on Substack, followed by a link to the interview the writer highlights and links to herself; other offerings are accessible by clicking on these sources’ names below. (GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date, so far, are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Astonishing insider bombshell, by Elizabeth Woodworth | Lizzy’s Newsletter  Mike Benz is a former U.S. State Department cyber-security official in international communications and information technology. In a Feb. 16 interview with Tucker Carlson, he revealed myriad details of censorship institutions — in a condensed unbroken stream — and without pause. Benz says Pentagon spying on social media took off in 2016 because permanent, war-economy Washington was threatened by . . . READ MORE . . .

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The national security state & the inversion of democracy. Tucker Carlson of the Tucker Carlson Network talks with Mike Benz of the Foundation for Freedom, a communications and information technology authority, on coordinated, behind-the-scenes censorship as it affected the 2020 U.S. presidential election (referred to in the report and commentary linked just above). Click HERE to watch and listen. Click on the link in the first item for an interview transcript.

For today, links to reports from Reuters, the Associated Press, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date and a WOODWORTH entry are HERE and HERE.) — MCM   

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Gaza death toll rises to 29,313, Rafah residents killed in strike, by Bassam Masoud, Ibraheem Abu Mustafa andNidal Al-Mughrabi | Reuters  RAFAH, Gaza Strip / CAIRO — Israel stepped up its bombardment of the southern city of Rafah, residents said today, as the death toll in the war across the devastated Palestinian strip rose to 29,313, according to the Gaza health ministry. In its daily summary of events in Gaza, the Israeli . . . READ MORE . . .

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UN top court shouldn’t urge Israel to immediately withdraw from Palestinian-claimed lands, U.S. says, by Mike Corder | AP  THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The United States said today the United Nations’ top courtshould not issue an advisory opinion that says Israel should “immediately and unconditionally withdraw” from territories sought for a Palestinian state. Acting State Department legal adviser Richard Visek spoke on the third day of hearings at . . . READ MORE . . .

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UN blames security collapse as aid deliveries to Gaza dry up, by Aidan Lewis | Reuters  The flow of aid entering Gaza from Egypt has almost dried up in the past two weeks, and a collapse in security has made it increasingly difficult to distribute the food that does get through, according to U.N. data and officials. Daily figures show a precipitous drop . . . READ MORE . . .

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Food deliveries into northern Gaza are halted because of the war’s chaos, increasing famine risk, by Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy | AP  RAFAH, Gaza Strip — The World Food Program said Tuesday it has paused deliveries of food to isolated northern Gaza because of increasing chaos across the territory, hiking fears of potential . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM FEB. 20  U.S. vetoes call for ceasefire in Gaza for a third time. Reported by Michele Kelemen | NPR  The Biden administration has again used its veto power on the UN security council to block a call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. A U.S. ambassador suggested a different draft resolution. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

For today, links to reports from Reuters, the Kyiv Post, National Public Radio, and the Kyiv Independent, and to commentary from the Duran and the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date, so far, and a WOODWORTH entry are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Russia’s top general visits troops in Ukraine to discuss next steps. From Reuters.  MOSCOW — Russia’s top general, Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, visited troops fighting in the war in Ukraine to discuss the next steps after the taking the town of Avdiivka, state media reported today. President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday Russian troops would . . . READ MORE . . .

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HIMARS blamed for bloody strike on Russian unit standing in field to wait for general, by Stefan Korshak | Kyiv Post  A Ukrainian long-range missile strike shattered a Russian infantry battalion drawn up in parade formation, killing dozens of soldiers as they waited for a top Kremlin-appointed general and other army brass to inspect their ranks, reports today from both sides of the lines said. Russian milbloggers blamed . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine outnumbered, outgunned, ground down by relentless Russia, by Max Hunder | Reuters  KRAMATORSK, Ukraine — The infantry of 59th Brigade are confronting a bleak reality: they’re running out of soldiers and ammunition to resist their Russian invaders. One platoon commander estimated that just 60-70% of the several thousand men in the brigade two years ago were still serving. The rest had . . . READ MORE . . .

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With Western military aid increasingly uncertain, Ukraine builds its own weapons. Reported by Joanna Kakissis and Polina Lytvynova | NPR  Ukrainian Armor Design and Manufacturing Co. and other homegrown arms makers are turning out weapons as fast as they can. Since 2015, Ukrainian Armor has developed and produced two types of . . . Click HERE to listen and read.

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Ukrainian soldiers recall retreat from Avdiivka – on foot, leaving their wounded behind, by Asami Terajima | The Kyiv Independent  DONETSK OBLAST — As Russian forces closed in on a Ukrainian pocket southeast of Avdiivka, infantryman Oleh heard the order clearly: “There will be no evacuation. Leave 300 [the wounded].” Oleh was among the last to flee the nearly encircled Zenit, a key position that . . . READ MORE . . .

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Chaos in Kiev follows chaotic retreat from Avdeyevka. Alex Christoforou of the Duran talks with Alexander Mercouris, his colleague in the Cyprus-based blog, about what they depict as Western misperceptions of Russian aims and strategies. Click HERE to listen and watch.

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How the Kremlin weaponized Russian history — and has used it to justify the war in Ukraine, by Dasha Litvinova | AP  In an effort to rally people around their world view, Russian authorities have tried to magnify the country’s past victories while glossing over the more sordid chapters of its history. They have rewritten textbooks, funded . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to reports from National Public Radio, the Associated Press, and Reuters, and to commentary from Consortium News; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE and HERE.)

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2-day court hearing in London will decide if Assange is extradited to the U.S. Reported by Leila Fadel and Lauren Frayer | NPR  A hearing in a London court will determine whether Julian Assange can be extradited to the United States. Might the the WikiLeaks founder soon face espionage charges in an American courtroom? Click HERE to listen and read.

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WikiLeaks founder Assange faces his last legal roll of the dice in Britain to avoid U.S. extradition, by Jill Lawless | AP  LONDON — Julian Assange’s lawyers opened a final U.K. legal challenge today to stop the WikiLeaks founder from being sent to the United States to face spying charges, arguing that American authorities are seeking to punish him for exposing serious criminal acts by the U.S. state. Lawyer . . . READ MORE . . .

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Assange targeted by U.S. and Trump over his WikiLeaks exposures, lawyer says, by Sam Tobin and Michael Holden | Reuters LONDON — WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was targeted by the U.S. over his exposure of state-level crimes, and Donald Trump had requested options on how to deal with him, his lawyers said today as . . . READ MORE . . .

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U.S. deceptions at the heart of Assange case, by Cathy Vogan | Special to Consortium News   A clue to some of the legal arguments Julian Assange’s lawyers will likely make at a two-day hearing this week at the High Court in London is contained in a 150-page submission that a judge rejected last June. Justice Jonathan Swift’s three-page ruling to deny Assange’s application to appeal is . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to reports from the Associated Press and Reuters; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date and an ASSANGE entry are HERE and HERE.) — MCM   

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The UN Security Council is voting on a Gaza cease-fire, with the U.S. certain to veto, by Edith M. Lederer | AP  UNITED NATIONS — Arab nations are putting to a vote a U.N. resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza, knowing it will be vetoed by the United States but hoping to show broad global support for ending the Israel-Hamas war. The Security Council scheduled . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM FEB. 19  U.S. pushes for UN to support temporary Gaza ceasefire, oppose Rafah assault, by Michelle Nichols | Reuters  UNITED NATIONS — The United States has proposed a rival draft United Nations Security Council resolution calling for a temporary ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war and opposing a major ground offensive by its ally Israel in Rafah, according to the text seen by Reuters. The move . . . READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  Israel orders new evacuations in northern Gaza, where UN says 1 in 6 children are malnourished, by Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy | AP RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Israel ordered new evacuations from parts of Gaza City today, as a study led by the U.N. children’s agency found that one in six children are acutely malnourished in the isolated and largely devastated north of the territory, where . . . READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  UN food agency pauses deliveries to the north of Gaza. From Reuters.  ROME — The World Food Programme said today it was pausing deliveries of food aid to northern Gaza until conditions in the Palestinian enclave allow for safe distribution. “The decision has not been taken lightly, as we . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to reports from Reuters, Kyiv Post, Tass, Agence France-Presse, and the Associated Press, and to commentary from the Moscow Times, and the Kyiv Independent. (GAZA entry for this date and an ASSANGE entry are HERE and HERE. — MCM

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Avdiivka, a Ukrainian town taken by Russia, shown in ruins, by Guy Faulconbridge | Reuters  MOSCOW — The trees are splintered, the houses wrecked, the surviving civilians live in basements, NATO ammunition has been abandoned — this is the picture shown by footage released by Russia from the ruins of the Ukrainian town of Avdiivka. The town, once with a population of 32,000, fell to Russia on Saturday . . .READ MORE . . .

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Ukrainians lay waste to Russian drone launcher using HIMARS – video. From Kyiv Post. Ukrainian troopsreported that they blasted a Russian drone launcher using an American-made HIMARS rocket launcher. The Ukrainian troops were in the “southern direction” Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces said. While . . . READ MORE . . .

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One civilian killed, three others wounded in Ukrainian army’s strike on downtown Donetsk. From Tass. DONETSK — One civilian was killed and three others were wounded in the Ukrainian military’s strike on the center of Donetsk, emergency services of the Donetsk People’s Republic said today. They specified that the city’s center was shelled by 155mm . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine ‘outraged’ by border grain protest by Polish protesters. From AFP. Ukraine’s state railway company today denounced protesting Polish farmers who opened two Ukrainian freight cars and poured grain destined for Germany onto the tracks. The company said . . . READ MORE . . .

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Putin is trying to take advantage of a stalemate in Ukraine but the war is also draining for Russia. From AP. When the invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, some analysts predicted it might take as few as three days for Russian forces to capture the capital of Kyiv. With the war now entering its third year, Russian President Vladimir Putin seems . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine could lose the war. The U.S. and Europe aren’t doing enough, by Ivan U. Klyszcz | The Moscow Times  This year’s Munich Security Conference showed the celebration of Ukrainian resistance and Western unity of 2022-23 is far behind us. Crucially, the West is yet to coalesce around . . . READ MORE . . .

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As an American in Avdiivka, what is Congress doing? by John Roberts | The Kyiv Independent  I am an American military veteran, callsign “Jackie,” and I am writing from Donbas Oblast in Ukraine. As an American soldier, I have always been interested in our national security and global interests. I am . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM   

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Palestinian diplomat accuses Israel of apartheid and asks UN court to declare its occupation illegal, by Mike Corder | AP  THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The Palestinian foreign minister today accused Israel of apartheid and urged the United Nations’ top court to declare that Israel’s occupation of lands sought for a Palestinian state is illegal and must end immediately and unconditionally for any hope for a two-state future to survive. The remarks came at historic . . . READ MORE . . .

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Gaza Health Ministry says over 29,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel-Hamas war, by Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy | AP  RAFAH, Gaza Strip — More than 29,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, the territory’s Health Ministry said today. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has . . . READ MORE . . .

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Rafah attack: How Israel plans to hit Hamas and scale back war, by Samia Nakhoul, Jonathan Saul and Humeyra Pamuk | Reuters  DOHA — Israel expects to continue full-scale military operations in Gaza for another six to eight weeks as it prepares to mount a ground invasion of the enclave’s southernmost city of Rafah, four officials familiar with the strategy said. Military chiefs . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel still plans to mount an offensive against Hamas at the Rafah border. Reported by A Martínez and Greg Myre | NPR  Despite international pressure against the move, Israel’s military is planning a ground invasion of Rafah. The southern Gaza city is currently sheltering over a million displaced Palestinians. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM FEB. 18  For one doctor, becoming a neurosurgeon in Gaza was an uphill battle. Reported by Farah Yousry | NPR  Becoming a medical specialist in Gaza can involve a host of bureaucratic and expensive hurdles. One man became not only a doctor but a neurosurgeon. And then came Oct. 7. Click HERE to listen and read.

For today, links to reports from the Kyiv Post, Agence France-Presse, Tass, the Associated Press, National Public Radio, and Reuters, and to commentary from the Kyiv Independent; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM   

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Ukrainian air force downs two more Russian fighter-bombers, bringing total to 6 in 72 hours, by Alisa Orlova and Kateryna Kakharchenko | Kyiv Post  In a series of significant blows to Russian forces’ aircraft over the past three days, the Ukrainian Air Force took down two more fighter bombers, the SU-34 and SU-35, this morning. Confirming the . . . READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  Ukraine says Russia attacking with ‘heavy fire’ in south. From AFP.  Ukrainian troops are facing “heavy fire” from advancing Russian forces in the southern Zaporizhzhia region after Moscow last week made its most significant territorial gain in nine months, Ukrainian military officials said today. Russian forces are back on the offensive across eastern and southern . . . READ MORE . . .

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Kiev loses over 560 troops near Avdeyevka in past day — Russia’s top brass. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian forces struck Ukrainian army units near Avdeyevka in the Donetsk People’s Republic, killing and wounding roughly 565 enemy troops over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry said today in a general briefing. Russian troops . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia says it has crushed the last pocket of resistance in Avdiivka to complete the city’s capture, by Susie Blann | AP  KYIV — Russian forces have completed their takeover of Avdiivka by eliminating the last pocket of resistance at the eastern Ukraine city’s huge coke plant, the Russian military said today. Ukrainian forces confirmed pulling out of the bombed-out city in what . . .READ MORE . . .

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Russia’s military forces Ukrainian troops out of a strategically important town. Reported by A Martínez and Joanna Kakissis | NPR  As Ukraine struggles for military supplies and aid, a town in the eastern region of Donetsk that has been on the frontline for 10 years has fallen to Russia. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM FEB. 18  Ukraine withdraws from Avdiivka, in Russia’s first major battlefield win in months. Reported by Joanna Kakissis | NPR   DNIPRO, Ukraine — Russian troops have occupied the eastern Ukrainian town of Avdiivka after a months-long assault that wore down Ukrainian troops running low on ammunition. It’s Russia’s first major battlefield win since last May and a boost for Russian President . . . Click HERE to listen and read.

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Russia launches ground assaults in a new sector, recovers ground lost to Ukraine’s summer offensive, by Stefan Korshak | Kyiv Post   Russian tanks and infantry have launched a new round of assaults in the formerly quiet southern Zaporizhzhia sector, overwhelming forward Ukrainian positions and recovering some ground lost to a Kyiv offensive last summer. The Kremlin armored attacks backed by . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukrainian businesses fear new mobilisation law could paralyse economy, by Olena Harmash | Reuters  KYIV — Ukraine’s leading business associations are calling for changes to be made to draft legislation that would overhaul the process for mobilising troops, saying the reforms could deal a blow to the already embattled economy. The issue is highly sensitive for the army, business community and wider public. “Business asks the parliament . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia takes Avdiivka at steep price, as Ukraine forced to face shortcomings, by Igor Kossov | The Kyiv Independent  The capture of Avdiivka is Russia’s first major achievement in nine months, but it doesn’t leave any side looking good. For Russia, it . . . READ MORE . . .