Author: xmawalker

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Ukraine, 4-12-22

To start, links to several reports from National Public Radio’s “Morning Edition.”* Then, links to two reports from the Associated Press and Reuters, both linked to others related to the war. Next, from The Guardian, the beginning of a portrait of Vladimir Putin. — MCM

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It’s been a wild few days for Twitter and Elon Musk. Where do things stand now? NPR’s A Martinez talks to Dan Ives, tech analyst with Wedbush Securities, about Elon Musk’s actions with Twitter and what it means for the company, the business of social media and investments. Click HERE to listen and, tomorrow, to read. (Somewhere in the segment, Ives says, “I don’t think anybody thought, in a million years, that Musk would become a corporate raider.” Well, Elizabeth Woodworth did, HERE.)

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Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer says he had tough talks with Putin. Reported by Esme Nicholson | NPR Chancellor Nehammer says he held “very direct, open and tough” talks on Monday in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin — and told him the war in Ukraine needs to end. Click HERE to listen and, tomorrow, to read.

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Many elderly residents in Kyiv stayed behind during Russia’s attacks. Reported by Elissa Nadworny | NPR Many residents of the Ukrainian capital couldn’t leave — even during the worst days of Russia’s bombardment. An old Soviet-style apartment building reveals who stayed behind and why. Click HERE to listen and, tomorrow, to read.

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President Biden held a virtual summit with India’s prime minister on Russia. Reported by A Martinez and Lauren Frayer | NPR Will the virtual summit between President Biden and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi push the country to condemn the war on Ukraine? We examine India’s relationship with Russia. Click HERE to listen and, tomorrow, to read.

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‘It’s not the End’: Children who survived Bucha’s horror, by Cara Anna | The Associated Press BUCHA, Ukraine — The coffin was made from pieces of a closet. In a darkened basement under a building shaking from the bombardment of war, there were few other options. Six-year-old Vlad watched as his mother was carried out of the shelter last month and to the yard of a nearby home. The burial was hurried and devastating. Now Russian forces have withdrawn from Bucha after a monthlong occupation, and Vlad’s father, Ivan Drahun, dropped to his knees at the foot of the grave. He reached out and touched the dirt near his wife Maryna’s feet. “Hi, how are you?” he said during the visit last week. “I miss you so much. You left so soon. You didn’t even say goodbye.” The boy also visits the grave, placing on it a juice box and two cans of baked beans. Amid the stress of war, his mother barely ate. The family still doesn’t . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine checking reports of Russian use of chemical weapons, by Maria Starkova | Reuters * Ukraine and allies check reports of chemical weapons use * Battle for Mariupol reaches decisive stage * Russian troops mass for eastern offensive * U.N. official cites growing reports of rape LVIV, Ukraine, April 12 — Russian President Vladimir Putin today defended the war in Ukraine as a “noble” mission that would achieve its goals as his troops massed for a new offensive amid allegations of rape, brutality against civilians and possible use of chemical weapons. Ukrainian officials urged civilians to flee eastern areas ahead of the anticipated offensive, while the battle for the southern port city of Mariupol was reaching a decisive phase, with Ukrainian marines holed up in the Azovstal industrial district. Should the Russians seize Azovstal, they would be in full control of . . . READ MORE . . .

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Understanding Vladimir Putin, the man who fooled the world, by Gideon Rachman | The Guardian Vladimir Putin was annoyed – or maybe just bored. The Russian leader had been patiently fielding questions from a small group of international journalists in the restaurant of a modest hotel in Davos. Then one of the queries seemed to irritate him. He stared back at the questioner, an American, and said slowly, through an interpreter: “I’ll answer that question in a minute. But first let me ask you about the extraordinary ring you have on your finger.” All heads in the room swivelled. “Why is the stone so large?” Putin continued. . . . It was a masterclass in distraction and bullying. The year was 2009, and Putin . . . READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

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* Note: Apparently NPR makes transcripts of  its “Morning Edition” reports available on its website the day after the audio versions are broadcast so listeners who want to can also read any of them. Particularly useful for people learning English.

Ukraine, 4-11-22

To start, six reports heard on NPR’s “Morning Edition” show. Then Associated Press and Reuters stories from mid-afternoon EDT, both linked to others. — MCM

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Russia’s war will be led by a general with a reputation for attacking civilians. Reported by Leila Fadel and Tom Bowman | National Public Radio Russia put a new commanding general in charge of operations in Ukraine. The move comes after several top Russian military leaders died during the invasion which has taken longer than Russia expected.  Click HERE to listen.

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European Union leaders consider reducing their dependency on Russian energy. Reported by A Martinez and Jackie Northam | NPR EU foreign ministers, who are meeting Monday, are going to discuss more steps concerning the war in Ukraine. One question is whether Europe will reduce its dependence on buying Russia oil and gas. Click HERE to listen.

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Ukraine President Volodomyr Zelenskyy addressed South Korea’s Parliament. Reported by Anthony Kuhn | NPR. South Korea was among the first Asian nations to sanction Russia, but it faces conflicting political and economic interests. Click HERE to listen.

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Why India has not condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Reported by Lauren Frayer | NPR. The U.S. wants India to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but so far the world’s biggest democracy has not. India has deep ties with Moscow, some distrust of the West and big concerns about China. Click HERE to listen.

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Runners from Russia and Belarus are banned from this year’s Boston Marathon. Reported by Amanda Beland | WBUR The Boston Marathon is a week away. Dozens of runners who live in Russia or Belarus may no longer compete because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and its use of Belarus as a staging ground. Click HERE to listen.

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How sanctions against Russia could set back climate change work in the Arctic. Reported by Quil Lawrence | NPR Scientists in the Arctic are concerned that the rift with Russia over Ukraine will set back crucial work on climate change. Click HERE to listen.

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Mariupol mayor says siege has killed more than 10K civilians, by Yuras Karmanau, Adam Schreck and Cara Anna | The Associated Press  LVIV, Ukraine— The mayor of the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol said today that more than 10,000 civilians have died in the Russian siege of his city, and that the death toll could surpass 20,000, with corpses that were “carpeted through the streets.” Speaking by phone to The Associated Press, Mayor Vadym Boychenko also said Russian forces brought mobile cremation equipment to the city to dispose of the bodies, and he accused Russian forces of refusing to allow humanitarian convoys into the city in an attempt to conceal the carnage. . . . The mayor’s comments emerged as Russia claimed that it destroyed several Ukrainian air-defense systems in what appeared to be a renewed push to gain air superiority and take out weapons Kyiv has described as crucial ahead of an expected broad new offensive in . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine expects Russian assault soon in east, by Maria Starkova | Reuters * Russian eastern invasion seen in “nearest time” * Austrian leader says “not optimistic” after Putin meeting * Zelenskiy appeals to South Korea for military aid * Mariupol still holding out-commander * Germany sees evidence of war crimes | LVIV, Ukraine — Ukraine said today it expected Russia to launch a huge new offensive soon, as Moscow shifts its focus to seizing territory in the east after its invasion force was driven from the gates of Kyiv this month. The first EU leader to meet Vladimir Putin face-to-face since the war began, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, gave a grim account of his talks with the Russian leader, held at a residence outside Moscow. “I generally have no optimistic impression that I can report to you from this conversation with President Putin,” he said. “The offensive [in eastern Ukraine] is evidently being prepared on a massive scale.” READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

Ritter, 4-10-22

What follows is a nearly two-hour interview with Scott Ritter, a former U.S. Marine Corps intelligence officer and former United Nations weapons inspector, held on, I think, Thursday, April 8, although I am posting it here on the late afternoon of Sunday, April 10. Click HERE or on the headline below to watch and listen. What Ritter has to say contradicts much of what readers of mainstream news outlets read about the war via “Ukraine, 4-10-22” and what James Brooke had to say yesterday, March 9, in Lenox, MA. Ritter advises listeners (there’s no transcript of the interview) not to believe him but rather to “do your own research” to see if you can find that he’s wrong. The words quoted under the headline are from the link to the interview. — MCM

Ukraine: A Conversation with Scott Ritter

“Margaret Flowers and Joe Lombardo of the United National Antiwar Coalition host a conversation with Scott Ritter regarding the situation in Ukraine and its broader implications for the realignment of global power, security and economic structures. Ritter discusses the provocations that led Russia to launch a military operation, the humanitarian situation, including what happened in Bucha, how Russia is winning, and the propaganda being used to build popular support for war.

“Scott Ritter was the UN weapons inspector who, during the Iraq War told the truth that we found no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.  He became outspoken about this, which undercut the main reason the US used to invade and occupy Iraq.  As with the Iraq War, Scott Ritter is outspoken about the present war in Ukraine, in which we are again hearing US lies about the reasons for, and the events happening in the Ukraine War.  His vast experience and knowledge working in the military and with various international agencies helps expose the truth about what is happening in Ukraine.”

Read the UNAC Statement on Ukraine:

“The United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC) remains steadfast in its opposition to the United States/NATO imperialist project. The people of Ukraine are now suffering in a war zone because of the actions of the United States, beginning with the 2014 coup which violently ousted an elected president. The goal then as now was to use Ukraine as a weapon to target Russia militarily. We point out that the current conflict is not the first for Ukraine. More than 14,000 people living in the eastern Donbas region have died in an eight-year long war because they refused to accept the coup government imposed by the U.S.

“There have been many opportunities to peacefully resolve this conflict. The US could have announced that Ukraine would not be admitted into NATO, but it would not. The MinskII Agreement signed in 2015 by Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France was unanimously approved by the United Nations Security Council. MinskII called for the end of hostilities between Ukraine and the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics in Donbas. Ukraine was required to engage in negotiations and provide constitutional recognition for this region. But far right forces prevented implementation and three American presidents saw an advantage in not implementing the agreement.

”The result was a continuation of bloodshed and the strengthening of right wing and neo-Nazi forces. Ukraine is now a haven for white supremacist groups and has invited mercenaries from across Europe, the United States, and other nations. This capture by the right wing is by design and is yet another means of maintaining a dangerous status quo. It is both naive and dangerous to deny the existence of these far-right forces and to ignore the hold they have on Ukrainian politics. They will not only unleash violence in Ukraine, but they will inevitably bring racist violence back to their home countries.

“The Biden administration sends weapons and prolongs the conflict. The U.S. further enriches the military industrial complex with its actions with money that should be used for the good of the people. The promised Build Back Better bill is in limbo and the monies promised for renewing the Child Tax Credit and providing covid relief instead are used to stoke the conflict in Ukraine.

”UNAC calls on the antiwar community to join in opposing NATO plans to expand further eastward. Not only should NATO cease integrating new members, but it should be dismantled altogether. It is not the defensive force that it claims to be and has wrought destruction from Ukraine to Libya to Afghanistan. NATO is the expression of U.S. global dominance and can only do great harm around the world.

“Congress and the Biden administration approved $15 billion to fund militarism in Ukraine in the same week that providers of free covid testing, vaccination, and treatment for the uninsured were informed their services would no longer be reimbursed. The military industrial complex gets billions of dollars while the people’s needs go unmet. The uninsured and unhoused go without help while the neo-Nazi Azov Battalion gets money with the blessings of Congress.

“The calls for a so-called “no-fly zone” would in fact create an air war that would heighten the risk of nuclear conflict. Sanctions are war by other means and should be universally condemned by all in the antiwar movement.

“The displacement of millions of people in Ukraine is a repeat of what the US and NATO have wrought elsewhere. UNAC appeals to antiwar forces in this country to join in making consistent demands for peace in Ukraine, an end to the NATO imperialist structure, and a system which meets public needs and not those of defense contractors.

“We demand:

“US/NATO hands off Ukraine: No weapons, No military “advisors,” No Mercenaries, No “Volunteers.”

“Humanitarian aid to Ukraine and resettlement of all refugees and displaced persons

“Keep Ukraine out of NATO

“Expulsion of all foreign white supremacist and neo-Nazi forces from Ukraine

“Reparations to civilians in Ukraine and the Donbas independent regions

“Dismantle NATO and establish a military neutral zone from Western Russia through Ukraine and Baltic states

“U.S. government renounce doctrine of Full Spectrum Dominance”

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Ukraine, 4-10-22

First, a collection of reports from the British daily The Guardian. Second and third, the beginnings of Reuters and Associated Press stories updated this morning, both linked to others related to the war. Fourth, a look at translations of some headlines in extended coverage by the Spanish newspaper El País, which asks readers to subscribe.) Then, the beginning of a story of how many Russian families tend to be divided by generation over the war, from the French daily Le Monde. — MCM

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Putin appoints new war commander; Johnson Kyiv visit ‘very important.  From The Guardian Alexander Dvornikov has record of brutality against civilians in Syria, say U.S. officials; Zelenskiy adviser praises UK prime minister’s ‘timely’ visit  * Trapped in Mariupol hospital: ‘They said anyone who left would be shot’ * Boris Johnson pledges to send more arms during surprise visit to Kyiv * Luhansk residents told to evacuate as Russia moves focus east * Analysis: witnessing atrocities in real time is changing everything * At a glance: what we know on day 46 of Russian invasion of Ukraine

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Kyiv keeps pressure on West to do more as battle looms in Ukraine’s east, by Elizabeth Piper and Zohra Bensemra | Reuters * Zelenskiy urges oil embargo, seeks arms * Satellite pictures show convoy heading south * Civilian grave found near Kyiv, official says * Nine trains laid on for evacuation in east, governor says | KYIV/BUZOVA, Ukraine — Ukraine said today it was seeking another round of European Union sanctions against Moscow and more military aid from its allies as it braces for a major Russian offensive in the east of the country. , , . Ukraine says [Russia]  has been gathering its forces in the east for a major assault and has urged people . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine digs in to fight Russia’s looming eastern offensive, by Adam Schreck and Cara Anna | The Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian forces dug in and Russia’s military lined up more firepower today ahead of an expected showdown in eastern Ukraine that could become a decisive period in a war that has flattened cities, killed untold thousands and isolated Moscow economically and politically. Experts say a full-scale offensive in the east could start within days, though questions remained about the ability of Russia’s depleted and demoralized forces to conquer much ground after Ukraine’s inspired defenders repelled their push to capture the capital, Kyiv. Britain’s Defense Ministry reported today that Russia’s armed forces were trying to compensate for mounting casualties by boosting troop numbers with personnel who had been discharged from service since 2012. Ukraine has the bulk of its military forces in the east: estimates vary, but they are believed to number in the tens of thousands. READ MORE . . .

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El País offers for free the latest from the conflict in Ukraine as a public service. Headlines include “United States will supply Ukraine ‘the weapons necessary’ to stop Russia” (AP), “France will keep two paintings from the Morozova collection that were to return to Russia” (El País), “Ukraine denounces the wounding of six rescue workers by shelling in the Dnipro region this morning” (news agencies), “[Ukraine Foreign Minister] Kuleba says the German and French decision in 2008 against permitting Ukraine to join NATO was a ‘strategic error’” (news agencies), “Emergency services exhume bodies of civilians buried in a common grave in Buzova outside Kyiv” (Reuters), “UN confirms 1,793 civilians deaths and 2,439 civilian wounded in Ukraine” (Europa Press), “The Russian Orthodox Church’s support for the war threatens to isolate it) (EFE), “The Pope asks for a truce in Ukraine during Holy Week” (EFE). “If you want to support our journalism,” El País suggests, “subscribe.” (Si quieres apoyar nuestro periodismo, suscríbete.)

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In Russia, on the question of Ukraine, generations clash, by Moscow correspondent Benoît Vitkine | Le Monde The “special military operation” unleashed by Vladimir Putin is tearing apart thousands of families. Older members watch state-controlled television and a majority support their president. The young, informed by the Internet, are more critical. On the morning of Feb. 24, when the conflict started in Ukraine, Jenia had only one reflex: run to his parents place on the other side of Moscow. “I was shocked,” recalled the 25-year-old fashion photographer, “and I said to myself we should be together, supporting each other emotionally.” . . . In his parents’ apartment, though, it was not at all what he had imagined. “My mother was glued to the television, my father stretched out on the sofa. His first words to me were, ‘You, you’re on the khokhlis’ side.’” The term khokhli, very pejorative, was for the Ukrainians. For his father, workers in an electronics factory, Jenia was in the enemy camp. The following days were worse . . . READ MORE in French . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

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Ukraine, 4-9-22

First, from today’s Berkshire Eagle, views of Ukraine before Russia’s invasion this year and now, by former international correspondent James Brooke, who lived there with his family for six years before moving back to the United States; his talk at a church this afternoon in Lenox, Massachusetts, will be on Zoom (details HERE). Second and third, Associated Press and Reuters reports made available around 10 a.m. EDT, both linked to others. Then, an AP report on how the war is affecting food prices. Next, a report via Popular Resistance! that Greek railroad workers have blocked a shipment of U.S. tanks to Ukraine. Finally, via Consortium News, an Indian writer puts the Ukraine war in a geopolitical context.  — MCM

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Putin’s war perverts a personal geography, by James Brooke | The Berkshire Eagle [Brooke sketches pre-war experiences in Bucha, Mariupol, Chernihiv and Kramatorsk in the opening paragraphs.] This was my Ukraine, a cultured, family friendly country where I lived for six years until moving back to Lenox last fall. Based in Kyiv, my wife Pen Soy, our son George and I explored this little known European nation, an expanse larger than France. After Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his war of choice on Ukraine, every city I visited in Ukraine has been bombed. For me, reading the news is to see a friendly, familiar geography turn perverse. From Kyiv, the now iconic photo of the bandaged young woman nursing her baby in a government hospital rang a bell with me. Last August, our George was interned in the same hospital . . . Eagle subscribers can read more HERE.

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More civilians flee east Ukraine after deadly station strike, by Adam Schreck and Cara Anna | The Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine — Civilian evacuations moved forward in patches of battle-scarred eastern Ukraine today, a day after a missile strike killed at least 52 people and wounded more than 100 at a train station where thousands clamored to leave before an expected Russian onslaught. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy demanded a tough global response to Friday’s  train station attack in Kramatorsk, calling it the latest example of war crimes by Russian forces that should motivate the West to do more to help his country defend itself. “All world efforts will be directed to establish every minute of who did what, who gave what orders, where the missile came from, who transported it, who gave the command and how this strike was agreed,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address, his voice rising in anger. Russia denied it was responsible and accused Ukraine’s military of firing on the station to try to turn blame for civilian casualties on Moscow. A Russian Defense Ministry spokesman detailed the missile’s trajectory and Ukrainian troop positions to bolster the argument. READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine faces ‘hard battle’ in eastern regions, Zelenskiy says, by Elizabeth Piper | Reuters * Zelenskiy expects hard battle in Ukraine’s east * At least 52 died in train station attack * Civilians in Luhansk region told to flee KYIV — Ukraine is ready for a tough battle with Russian forces amassing in the east of the country, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on today, a day after a missile attack in the east that officials said killed more than 50 civilians trying to evacuate. Air-raid sirens sounded in cities across eastern Ukraine, which has become the focus of Russian military action following a withdrawal from areas close to the capital, Kyiv. After Friday’s strike on a train station crowded with women, children and the elderly in the Donetsk region city of Kramatorsk, officials urged civilians in the neighbouring Luhansk region to flee. “Yes, [Russian] forces are gathering in the east [of Ukraine],” Zelenskiy told a joint news conference with Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer in Kyiv. “This will be a hard battle, we believe in this fight and our victory. We are ready to simultaneously fight and look for diplomatic ways to put an end to this war . . . READ MORE . . .

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Food prices soar to record levels on Ukraine war disruptions, by Nicole Winfield | The Associated Press ROME — Prices for food commodities like grains and vegetable oils reached their highest levels ever last month largely because of Russia’s war in Ukraine and the “massive supply disruptions” it is causing, threatening millions of people in Africa, the Middle East elsewhere with hunger and malnourishment, the United Nations said Friday. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said its Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in international prices for a basket of commodities, averaged 159.3 points last month, up 12.6% from February. As it is, the February index was the highest level since its inception in 1990. FAO said the war in Ukraine was largely responsible for the 17.1% rise in the price of grains, including wheat and others like oats, barley and corn. Together . . . READ MORE . . .

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Greek Railroad Workers Block Delivery of U.S. Tanks to Ukraine, by Simon Zinnstein | Left Voice Workers at TrainOSE, a Greek railroad company, have been refusing to transport U.S. tanks destined for Ukraine from Alexandroupoli, a port in the northern part of the country. After workers there refused, bosses tried to force railroad workers from elsewhere to take on the work. “For about two weeks now,” the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) said in a statement, “there has been pressure on the employees of the engine room in Thessaloniki to go to Alexandroupoli.” The bosses’ desperate effort to find workers who would move the transport forward .   .   . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine: The Broader Geopolitical Conflict, by Vijay Prashad | Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research It is hard to fathom the depths of our time, the terrible wars and the confounding information that whizzes by without much wisdom. Certainties that flood the airwaves and the internet are easy to come by, but are they derived from an honest assessment of the war in Ukraine and the sanctions against Russian banks (part of a broader United States sanctions policy that now afflicts approximately thirty countries)? . . . It appears that many of the “certainties” are caught up in the “Cold War mentality,” which views humanity as irreversibly divided on two opposing sides. However, this is not the case; most countries are . . . READ MORE . . .

Ukraine, 4-8-22

First, word of a talk tomorrow about the war by semi-retired foreign correspondent and recent six-year Ukraine resident James Brooke, in person at a church but also available on Zoom; Berkshire Eagle reporter quizzes him. Second and third, Reuters and Associated Press reports from Ukraine, both with links to the news services’ related stories. Then, Joe Lauria of Consortium News notes reaction to a Ukrainian’s address to the Greek parliament. Finally, the Australian blogger Caitlin Johnstone sees hypocrisy in Twitter’s labeling a British politician’s account “Russian state-affiliated media.” — MCM

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Can Ukraine Beat Russia? We asked Lenox journalist James Brooke, formerly based in Kyiv, what he thought, by Clarence Fanto | The Berkshire Eagle LENOX — Is there a chance that in what’s often described as a David vs. Goliath war, Ukraine and its president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, could claim a strategic victory against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s armed forces? That’s among the intriguing questions to be explored by veteran international journalist James Brooke during a 4 p.m. discussion Saturday at Trinity Episcopal Church, 88 Walker St. For 24 years, Brooke was a foreign correspondent for The New York Times, followed by eight years based in Moscow for Bloomberg News and then for the Voice of America. Before returning to Lenox, his hometown, last September, he spent six years in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital city, reporting for a newsletter on the nation’s business and politics. . . . The in-person, free 45-minute talk at the church, including a Q&A period, also will be available on Zoom via Trinitylenox.org. All donations — in person, by check, or online — will be sent to the International Rescue Committee for Ukraine. . . . Eagle subscribers can read more HERE.

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Ukraine says 39 killed in rocket strike on rail evacuation hub, by Natalia Zinets and Sergiy Karazy | Reuters * Ukrainian negotiator says talks with Russia continue * Russia cites ‘significant losses’ on battlefield * Zelenskiy pushes West to do more, calls for full energy ban * Teams scour rubble of destroyed buildings in towns near Kyiv LVIV/BORODYANKA, Ukraine — At least 39 people were killed and 87 wounded on today when two rockets hit a railway station in eastern Ukraine packed with evacuees, Ukrainian authorities said, as the region braced for a major Russian offensive. Reuters could not immediately verify the information coming from the city of Kramatorsk. Pavlo Kyrylenko, governor of the Donetsk region, said thousands of civilians had been at the station at the time the rockets struck, in what he described as a deliberate attack. Many of the wounded were in serious condition, he said. . . .  Reuters could not immediately verify the photo. The Russian defence ministry was quoted by RIA news agency as saying the missiles said to have struck the station were used only by Ukraine’s military and that Russia’s armed forces had no targets assigned in Kramatorsk . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian missile kills 30 civilians at train station, by Adam Schreck and Andrea Rosa | The Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine — A missile hit a crowded train station in eastern Ukraine that was an evacuation point for civilians, killing dozens of people, Ukrainian authorities said today after warning they expected even worse evidence of war crimes in parts of the country previously held by Russian troops. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that thousands of people were at the train station when the missile struck. The Russian Defense Ministry denied targeting the station in Kramatorsk, a city in the eastern Donetsk region, but Zelenskyy blamed Russia for the bodies lying in what looked like an outdoor waiting area. “The inhuman Russians are not changing their methods. Without the strength or courage to stand up to us on the battlefield, they are cynically destroying the civilian population,” the president said on social media. . . . The regional governor of Donetsk . . . said that 39 people were killed and 87 wounded. READ MORE . . .

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Outrage as Azov Nazi Addresses Greek Parliament, by Joe Lauria | Consortium News Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been making a virtual world tour with video hookups to parliaments around the globe, as well as to the Grammy Awards and the U.N. Security Council, sometimes with troublesome results. Yesterday a major row erupted when Zelensky brought along a Ukrainian soldier of Greek heritage from the city of Mariupol, who just happened to be a member of the neo-Nazi Azov Regiment. Greece was under Nazi occupation during World War II and fought a bitter partisan war against Nazism (later to be betrayed by Britain and the United States.) With Zelensky in the screen, the man, who gave only his first name, told Parliament: “I speak to you as a man of Greek descent. My name is Michail. My grandfather fought against the Nazis in the Second World War. I am born in Mariupol and I am now also fighting to defend my city from the Russian nazis.”   Alexis Tsipras, leader of the main opposition party, SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance, blasted the appearance of the Azov fighter before parliament. . . . Former Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras called the video being played in parliament a “big mistake” READ MORE . . .

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Twitter IS ‘State-Affiliated Media,’ by Caitlin Johnstone | caitlinjohnstone.com British politician and broadcaster George Galloway has made headlines in the UK with his threat to press legal action against Twitter for designating his account “Russia state-affiliated media”, a label which will now show up under his name every time he posts anything on the platform. . . . Galloway argues that while his broadcasts have previously been aired by Russian state media outlets RT and Sputnik, because those outlets have been shut down in the UK by Ofcom and by European Union sanctions he can no longer be platformed by them even if he wants to. If you accept this argument, then it looks like Twitter is essentially using the “state-affiliated media” designation as a marker of who Galloway is as a person, rather than as a marker of what he actually does. . . . [T]his all overlooks the innate absurdity of a government-tied social media corporation like Twitter labeling other people “state-affiliated media”. READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

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Ukraine, 4-7-22

First and second, Associated Press and Reuters reports. Next, analyses of Israel’s change in Russia policy and oil companies profiteering from the war, both via Consortium News. Then, from Global Research, several perspectives of an apparent massacre of civilians in Bucha, Ukraine, this month that run counter to the Ukrainian government’s accounts and news coverage of it. — MCM

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Ukraine pleads for weapons as fight looms on eastern front, by Adam Schreck and Andrea Rosa | The Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine told residents of its industrial heartland to leave while they still can and urged Western nations to send “weapons, weapons and weapons” Thursday after Russian forces withdrew from the shattered outskirts of Kyiv to regroup for an offensive in the country’s east. Russia’s six-week-old invasion failed to take Ukraine’s capital quickly and achieve what Western countries say was President Vladimir Putin’s initial aim of ousting the Ukrainian government. Russia’s focus is now on the Donbas, a mostly Russian-speaking region in eastern Ukraine. In Brussels, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba urged NATO to provide more weapons and help his war-torn country prevent further alleged atrocities. Ukrainian authorities are working to identify hundreds of bodies found in Kyiv’s northern outskirts after Russian troops withdrew and to document evidence of possible war crimes. ”My agenda is very simple. … it’s weapons, weapons and weapons,” Kuleba said as he arrived at NATO headquarters for . . . READ MORE . . .

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Thousands of goods railcars stuck at Ukraine’s border as war hits exports, by Silvia Aloisi and Pavel Polityuk | Reuters LVIV, Ukraine — In western Ukraine, some 1,100 train wagons carrying grain are stuck near the main rail border crossing with Poland, unable to transport their cargo abroad. They are just some of the 24,190 wagons carrying various goods for export, including vegetable oil, iron ore, metals, chemicals and coal, that were waiting to cross Ukraine’s Western border as of Tuesday, according to data from the state-run railway company that hasn’t previously been reported. With war raging along the country’s southern coast, and its main ports blocked off by Russia’s invasion, Ukraine is struggling to export its grain and other goods, according to . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel, Russia Clash over Ukraine, by Joe Lauria | Consortium News From the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine Israel has refused to join the West’s economic war against Moscow, maintaining a neutral stance that as positioned it as a possible broker to end the conflict. But all that appears to have changed with remarks by Israel’s foreign minister in a Twitter post on Sunday, the day the massacre at Bucha was revealed and before any investigation could be conducted. Foreign Minister Yair Lapid wrote . . . READ MORE . . .

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U.S. Oil Giants Said Profiteering From Ukraine Crisis. By Jessica Corbett | Common Dreams An analysis released Tuesday by a trio of groups highlights how Big Oil has cashed in on various crises over the past year — including the Covid-19 pandemic, Russia’s war on Ukraine, and the global climate emergency —while enriching wealthy shareholders. The new report from BailoutWatch, Friends of the Earth, and Public Citizen explains that there are two main tactics that fossil fuel giants use to benefit investors: “First, they repurchase shares of their own stock and retire them, reducing the number of shares outstanding and driving up the value of each share remaining in investors’ hands. , , , Second, they increase dividends, the quarterly payments investors receive for owning shares,” the report continues. “Oil and gas dividends, historically bigger than other sectors’, have spiked in recent months, outstripping every other industry group. Amid high gas prices and war in recent months . . . “ READ MORE . . .

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U.S.-NATO False Flags? Ukraine April 2022 vs. Kosovo January 1999, by Michel Chossudovsky | Global Research What is a false flag? “A false flag is a political or military action carried out with the intention of blaming an opponent for it. Nations have often done this by staging a real or simulated attack on their own side and saying the enemy did it, as a pretext for going to war,” according to a BBC definition. [Chossudovsky’s introduction summarizes his views of two massacres more than 23 years apart in two countries, including the role of the Office for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in investigating both, and then links to several articles about the massacre this month in Bucha, Ukraine. READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine, 4-6-22

First and second, Reuters and Associated Press reports, both linked to others. Next, five reports from today and yesterday’s “Morning Edition” program on National Public Radio. Then, a note to check yesterday’s entry for two late segments.— MCM

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Russian forces pound key cities as Ukraine demands tougher sanctions, by Natalia Zinets and Conor Humphries | Reuters * Zelenskiy says rhetoric on sanctions not enough * EU executive head says more sanctions will come * U.S., EU set to ban new investment in Russia * Pope condemns Bucha “massacre” * Ukraine reports attacks in south and east LVIV, Ukraine/DUBLIN — Artillery pounded key cities in Ukraine on today, as its president urged the West to act decisively in imposing new and tougher sanctions being readied against Russia in response to civilian killings widely condemned as war crimes. Western sanctions over Russia’s invasion have gained new impetus this week after dead civilians shot at close range were found in the town of Bucha after it was retaken from Russian forces. As Pope Francis described the killings there as a “massacre”, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the West needed to act decisively in taking “more . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia’s failure to take down Kyiv was a defeat for the ages, by Robert Burns | The Associated Press WASHINGTON — Kyiv was a Russian defeat for the ages. The fight started poorly for the invaders and went downhill from there. When President Vladimir Putin launched his war on Feb. 24 after months of buildup on Ukraine’s borders, he sent hundreds of helicopter-borne commandos — the best of the best of Russia’s “spetsnaz” special forces soldiers — to assault and seize a lightly defended airfield on Kyiv’s doorstep. Other Russian forces struck elsewhere across Ukraine . . . But as the seat of national power, Kyiv was the main prize. But Putin failed to achieve his goal of quickly crushing Ukraine’s outgunned and outnumbered army. The Russians were ill-prepared for Ukrainian resistance, proved incapable of adjusting to setbacks, failed to effectively combine air and land operations, misjudged Ukraine’s ability to defend its skies, and bungled basic military functions like planning and executing the movement of supplies. “That’s a really bad combination if you want to conquer a country,” said Peter Mansoor, a retired Army colonel and professor of military history at Ohio State University. READ MORE . . .

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EU considers a ban on Russian coal imports. Will that help to deescalate the war? NPR’s A Martinez talks to Henning Gloystein of the Eurasia Group, about the European Union considering a ban on Russian coal imports. Listen HERE.

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The State Department makes it easier for anyone to help resettle refugees. Reported by NPR’s Joel Rose. Because refugee resettlement agencies are stretched thin, the U.S. is testing a new approach. Groups of regular people are sponsoring Afghan refugees in communities where they’ve rarely gone before. Listen HERE.

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For a special issue, the comic book series ‘El Peso Hero’ travels to Ukraine. From NPR. Fed up with Mexico’s non-interventionist policy after Russia invaded Ukraine, Hector Rodriguez has his Mexican American superhero go to Ukraine in the latest issue of the series. Listen HERE.

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3 military medics in Ukraine describe how the war has changed them. Reported by NPR’s Elissa Nadworny. Young military medics in Ukraine talk about their experience and life under the Russian siege. Listen and read HERE. 

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The U.S. insists that Russia should be held accountable for war crimes. NPR’s A Martinez talks to White House deputy national security adviser Jon Finer about options available to the U.S. and its allies for holding Russia responsible for alleged war crimes. Listen and read HERE.

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NOTE: YESTERDAY’S ENTRY HAS TWO CONSORTIUM NEWS PIECES INCLUDED IN LATE AFTERNOON

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Ukraine, 4-5-22

First and second, Associated Press and Reuters stories related to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, both made available at about 4 p.m. EDT and linked to others. These are followed by two Consortium News pieces, made available at about 2 p.m., by Patrick Lawrence and Joe Lauria.  — MCM

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Zelenskyy at the UN accuses Russian military of war crimes, by Oleksandr Stashevskyi and Edith M. Lederer | The Associated Press BUCHA, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused the Russians of gruesome atrocities in Ukraine and told the U.N. Security Council today that those responsible should immediately be brought up on war crimes charges in front of a tribunal like the one established at Nuremberg after World War II. Zelenskyy, appearing via video from Ukraine, said that civilians had been tortured, shot in the back of the head, thrown down wells, blown up with grenades in their apartments and crushed to death by tanks while in cars. “They cut off limbs, cut their throats. Women were raped and killed in front of their children. Their tongues were pulled out only because their aggressor did not hear what they wanted to hear from them,” he said, recounting what he described as the worst atrocities since World War II. Over the past few days . . . READ MORE . . .

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In U.N. speech, Ukraine’s Zelenskiy accuses Russia of worst war crimes since WW2, by Michelle Nichols, Humeyra Pamuk and Doina Chiacu | Reuters UNITED NATIONS — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told the United Nations Security Council today that “accountability must be inevitable” for Russia as he accused invading Russian troops of committing “the most terrible war crimes” since World War Two. Zelenskiy showed a short video of burned, bloodied and mutilated bodies, including children, in Irpin, Dymerka, Mariupol and Bucha, where Ukraine accuses Russian troops of killing hundreds of civilians. Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia then told the Security Council that Russian troops are not targeting civilians, dismissing accusations of abuse as lies. He said that while Bucha was under Russian control “not a single civilian suffered from any kind of violence.” Zelenskiy questioned the value of the 15-member U.N. Security Council, which has been unable to take any action over Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine because Moscow is a veto power, along with . . . READ MORE . . .

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The U.S. Bubble of Pretend, by Patrick Lawrence | Special to Consortium News It  is perfectly obvious by now, to anyone who cares to look, that mainstream media in America and the other Western powers are not reporting the Ukraine crisis accurately.Let me try that another way: The government-supervised New York Times and the rest of the corporate-owned media on both sides of the Atlantic lie routinely to their readers and viewers as to why Russia intervened in Ukraine, the progress of its military operation, the conduct of Ukrainian forces, and America’s role in purposely provoking and prolonging this crisis. So far as I know, this is the first war in modern history with no objective, principled coverage in mainstream media of day-to-day events and their context. None. It is morn-to-night propaganda, disinformation and lies of omission — most of it fashioned by the Nazi-infested Zelensky regime in Kiev and repeated uncritically as fact. There is one thing worse than this degenerate state of affairs. It is the extent to which . . .  READ MORE . . .

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Questions Abound About Bucha Massacre, by Joe Lauria | Consortium News  Within hours of news Sunday that there had been a massacre at Bucha, a town 63 kms north of the Ukrainian capital, the verdict was in:  Russian troops had senselessly slaughtered hundreds of innocent civilians as they withdrew from the town, leaving their bodies littering the streets. Unlike their judicial systems, when it comes to war, Western nations dispense with the need for investigations and evidence and pronounce guilt based on political motives: Russia is guilty. Case closed. Except the case hasn’t even been opened yet and the sentence is already being proposed. READ MORE . . .

Ukraine, 4-4-2022

First and second, the beginnings of Reuters and Associated Press stories from Ukraine, made available before 9 a.m. EDT and linked to others concerning the war there. Fourth and fifth, a glance at NATO’s 2022 Annual Report from the Socialist Worker, and a link to the report in its entirety. — MCM

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In Ukrainian street, a corpse with hands bound and a bullet wound to the head, by Simon Gardner | Reuters BUCHA, Ukraine — A man lay sprawled by the roadside in the Ukrainian city of Bucha on Sunday, his hands tied behind his back and a bullet wound to his head, one of hundreds of local residents that officials say have been found dead in the wake of five weeks of Russian occupation. Bucha’s deputy mayor, Taras Shapravskyi, said 50 of the dead residents, found after Russian forces withdrew from the city late last week, were the victims of extra-judicial killings carried out by Russian troops, and the officials have accused Moscow of war crimes. Russia’s defence ministry said in a statement issued on Sunday that all photographs and videos published by the Ukrainian authorities alleging “crimes” by Russian troops in Bucha were a “provocation,” and no resident of Bucha suffered violence at the hands of Russian troops. Reuters was not able to independently verify who was responsible for killing the dead residents. But three bodies seen by Reuters reporters on Sunday — the corpse with the hands bound and two others which did not have bound hands — bore bullet shots to the head consistent with what Bucha mayor Anatoliy Fedoruk and his deputy described as executions. READ MORE . . .

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Russia faces growing outrage amid new evidence of atrocities, by Oleksandr Stachevskyi and Nebi Qena | The Associated Press BUCHA, Ukraine — Russia faced a fresh wave of condemnation on today after evidence emerged of what appeared to be deliberate killings of civilians in Ukraine. Some Western leaders called for further sanctions in response, even as Moscow continued to press its offensive in the country’s east. Western allies, though united in outrage, appeared split on how to respond. Poland, which is on Ukraine’s border and has taken in large numbers of refugees, angrily singled out France and Germany for not taking more strident action and urged Europe to quickly wean itself off Russian energy, while Berlin said it would take a longer-term approach. Ukrainian officials said the bodies of 410 civilians were found in towns around the capital, Kyiv, that were recaptured from Russian forces in recent days. In Bucha, northwest of the capital, Associated Press journalists saw 21 bodies. One group of nine, all in civilian clothes . . . READ MORE . . .

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NATO Sets Out Its Strategy for Even More Military Build-up, by Nick Clark | Socialist Worker NATO sees Russia as a threat to U.S. power—and has poured arms and soldiers into eastern Europe accordingly. That’s not the latest statement from the Stop the War Coalition—but the picture NATO paints itself in its annual report released on March 31. The report gives an outline of what the U.S.’s military alliance got up to in 2021 and spells out its aims for the years ahead. It all comes packaged in the ­language of “cooperation” and “security.” But once you strip out the guff, what the report really says is NATO’s biggest concern is containing Russia and China. READ MORE . . .

For an online copy of NATO’s 2022 Annual Report, click HERE.

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