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

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Russia hits Kyiv with drone attacks for second night in a row, Ukraine says. From Reuters. KYIV — Russia attacked the Ukrainian capital Kyiv with several waves of drones for the second night in a row, damaging residential buildings and injuring at least one civilian, Ukrainian officials said today. Two civilian were killed and . . . READ MORE . . .

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U.S. announces $400 million defense aid package for Ukraine, by Martin Fornusek | The Kyiv Independent  The U.S. has allocated a new military assistance package for Ukraine worth $400 million, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced during his to Kyiv today, Ukrinform reported. Austin said it would include ammunition, military equipment, and . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for earlier AP report.

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Seoul summons Russian ambassador to protest North Korean troop deployment. From AFP. South Korea summoned the Russian ambassador in Seoul today in protest over claims that Pyongyang sent thousands of soldiers to fight in Moscow’s war against Ukraine, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said, calling for the immediate withdrawal of the troop deployments. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Kyiv Post.

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FROM OCT. 20  Attention: This is how world wars begin, by Jonathan Sweet and Mark Toth | Kyiv Post  In September 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with his North Korean “arsenals of evil” cohort Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un in Vladivostok, Russia. The two dictators finalized plans for North Korea to supply desperately needed . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 19  With U.S. elections looming, Biden’s Berlin swan song was all talk, no action on Ukraine, by Dinara Khalilova | The Kyiv Independent  Joe Biden’s likely last European visit as president was billed as a final chance before the upcoming U.S. presidential election to meet with key world leaders, solidify long-term support for Ukraine, and work towards ending Russia’s full-scale invasion . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to 10 reports: from Reuters, Agence France-Presse, the Associated Press, the Anadolu Agency, and National Public Radio, and to commentary from nader.org, the Washington Post and, via Consortium News, the Tricontinental Institute for Social Research; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initals or website addresses below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Israel intensifies offensive in Gaza, Lebanon after Hamas leader’s death, by Amina Ismail and Nidal Al-Mughrabi | Reuters  BEIRUT / CAIRO — Israel said it had struck Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters in the Lebanese capital Beirut today, while officials in Gaza said they were still trying to recover bodies from the rubble after an Israeli strike that killed dozens. READ MORE . . .

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Hezbollah says it attacked Israeli troops in two Lebanon border villages. From AFP. Hezbollah said it launched rocket salvos today at Israeli troops in two villages inside Lebanese territory, near the southern border, nearly three weeks after Israel announced ground incursions into Lebanon. READ MORE . . .

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Israeli strikes on northern Gaza leave at least 87 dead or missing, Palestinian officials say, by Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli strikes on homes in the northern Gaza Strip overnight and into Sunday left at least 87 people dead or missing, the territory’s Health Ministry said. It said another 40 people were wounded in the strikes on the town of . . . READ MORE . . . 

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The U.S .is investigating an unauthorized release of classified documents on Israel’s attack plans, by Zeke Miller,   Mike Balsamo, Eric Tucker and Tara Copp | AP  WASHINGTON — The United States is investigating an unauthorized release of classified documents that assess Israel’s plans to attack Iran, three U.S. officials told The Associated Press. A fourth U.S. official said the documents appear to be legitimate. They are attributed to . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 19  Israel air strike kills 73 Palestinians in northern Gaza, Hamas media office says, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi | Reuters  CAIRO — At least 73 Palestinians, including many women and children, were killed and dozens wounded in Israeli strikes on Saturday that hit several houses in Beit Lahiya town in northern Gaza Strip, medics and Hamas media said. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Anadolu Agency.

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Nearly 1,400 illegal Israeli settlers storm Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque to celebrate Sukkot, by Aysar Alais and Zein Khalil | Anadolu Agency  JERUSALEM — Some 1,390 illegal Israeli settlers forced their way into the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem today to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, according to a Palestinian agency. READ MORE . . .

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Egyptian president urges immediate end to wars in Gaza, Lebanon, by Ibrahim Khazen | Anadolu Agency  CAIRO — Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Saturday called for an immediate end to the fighting in Gaza and Lebanon, urging stronger efforts towards cease-fire and the exchange of hostages in Gaza. READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 19  After Yahya Sinwar’s killing, journalist reflects on interviewing him. Rob Schmitz of NPR talks with Italian journalist Francesca Borri, who recounts interviewing the late Yahya Sinwar in 2018, when he said Hamas was trying to “reach a compromise” with Israel. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Australia reviews military export permits to Israel: Report. From Anadolu Agency. ANKARA — Australia is carrying out a review of all the 66 military export permits for Israel that were approved before the invasion of Gaza last year, the Guardian reported on Saturday, citing Defense Ministry sources. READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 18  ‘Goodbye Lebanon’ – high Israeli official. Biden says OK, so far, by Ralph Nader | nader.org  Biden’s bombs and missiles, dropped daily on Lebanon, a U.S. ally, by his puppet master Netanyahu, are wreaking havoc in this small defenseless country. The . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 17  What Hamas hoped would happen after Oct. 7, by David Ignatius | The Washington Post  As Israel moves ever closer to all-out war with Iran, newly released documents suggest that this broad regional conflict is precisely what the group’s leader, Yahya Sinwar, had dreamed about when . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 18  How to do a conjunctural analysis, by Vijay Prashad | Tricontinental Institute for Social Research / Consortium News  Reading legacy Western media – which dominates the world information order – is painful. For instance, these media outlets (such as CNN, the New York Times, the Guardian, Le Monde and Bild) have been unable . . . READ MORE . . .

 

For today, links to 10 reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, the Kyiv Post, and 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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U.S. writer Anne Applebaum appeals for arms for Ukraine as she accepts German peace prize, by Vanessa Gera | AP  WARSAW — The prominent American journalist and historian Anne Applebaum urged continued support for Ukraine as she accepted a prestigious German prize today in Frankfurt, arguing that pacifism in the face of aggression is often nothing more than appeasement. READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine strikes key Russian explosives manufacturer. From Reuters. Ukraine struck a manufacturer of military explosives deep inside Russian territory overnight, as well as storage infrastructure at a military airfield in the Lipetsk region, Kyiv’s General Staff said in a statement today. Russian air defence units downed . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE, HERE and HERE for reports from AFP, Kyiv Post and the Kyiv Independent.

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Ukrainian forces lost up to 460 troops in Battlegroup Center responsibility zone. From Tass. MOSCOW — The Battlegroup Center defeated five brigades of the Ukrainian armed forces in the Donetsk People’s Republic in one day and repelled nine counterattacks, the Ukrainian army lost up to 460 servicemen, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 19  Ukraine’s ‘victory plan’ receives mixed reactions from Western allies, by Hanna Arhirova | AP  KYIV — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s plan to end Ukraine’s nearly three-year war with Russia has received mixed reactions from Western allies so far. It includes a formal invitation for Ukraine to join NATO and permission to use Western long-range . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 18  Zelensky’s nuclear arms comments ‘dangerous provocation’ – Putin. From AFP. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s suggestion that Kyiv would seek nuclear weapons if it could not join NATO was a “dangerous provocation,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday. The Ukrainian leader made the comments . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 19  U.S. laments ‘disappointing’ Swiss decision not to fully adopt latest EU sanctions against Russia, by Jamey Keaten | AP  GENEVA — The United States is expressing disappointment over a decision by the Swiss government not to adopt all measures in the latest round of European Union sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine. READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 18  Australia gives 49 ageing Abrams tanks to Ukraine. From AP. MELBOURNE — Australia will give 49 of its ageing M1A1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine months after Kyiv requested the redundant fleet, Defence Minister Richard Marles said on Thursday. READ MORE . . .

For today, links to a panel discussion from the Middle East Institute, and to links to 10 reports from the Associated Press, Middle East Monitor, Anadolu Agency, Reuters, and National Public Radio, and to commentary from Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date and the MAPS entry from Oct. 18 are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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FROM OCT. 18  The killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar: A turning point in the war? Moderator Zena Al-Shaib is joined by Khaled Elgindy, Nimrod Goren, Brian Katalis and Charles Lister of  the Middle East Institute. Weeks after the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon, the killing of Hamas leader Sinwar this week in Gaza marks a significant development. Click HERE for video, which has subtitles.

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A drone targets Israeli prime minister’s house while strikes in Gaza kill over 50, by Adam Schreck and Samy Magdy | AP  JERUSALEM — Israel’s government said a drone targeted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s house today, with no casualties, as fighting with Lebanon-based Hezbollah and Gaza -based Hamas showed no pause . . . READ MORE . . .

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7 Palestinians, including children, killed in Israeli air strike on school sheltering displaced in Gaza. From Middle East Monitor. At least seven Palestinians, including children and women, were killed on Saturday in an Israeli air strike targeting a school run by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in western Gaza that was providing shelter to displaced families, Anadolu Agency reports. READ MORE . . .

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Israel must comply with international law, Germany’s Scholz says during Türkiye visit. From Anadolu Agency. BERLIN — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz today renewed his call on Israel to comply with international law while fighting resistance groups Hamas and Hezbollah.. READ MORE . . .

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After Sinwar’s death, Israel aims to lock in strategic gains before U.S. election, by Samia Nakhoul, Tom Perry and James Mackenzie | Reuters  DUBAI / JERUSALEM — The killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, a mastermind of the attack that ignited the war in the Gaza Strip, marked a major triumph for Israel. But Israeli leaders are also seeking to lock in strategic gains that go beyond military victories – to reshape the regional landscape in Israel’s favour and . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 18  Israel and Hamas signal resistance to ending Gaza war after Sinwar’s death, by Julia Frankel and Abby Sewell | AP  JERUSALEM — Hamas confirmed Friday that its leader, Yahya Sinwar, was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza and reiterated its stance that hostages the militant group took from Israel a year ago will not be released until . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 18  What’s next for Hamas after its leader Yahya Sinwar’s death? by Abby Sewell | AP  BEIRUT — The killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar by Israeli forces in Gaza this week leaves the Palestinian militant group considering new leadership for the second time in less than three months. Will Hamas now . . . READ MORE . . .

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The killing of Hamas leader Yayha Sinwar may escalate war in Lebanon. Reported by Hadeel Al-Shalchi and Scott Simon | NPR  The future of Hamas and the war in Gaza now that the organization’s leader is dead. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha writes about love, life and loss in Gaza. Scott Simon of NPR asks Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha about his new collection, Forest of Noise, and about the conflict in Gaza. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM OCT. 18  North Gaza is starving as humanitarian aid declines. Reported by Gus Contreras, Ari Shapiro and Tinbete Ermyas | NPR  Antoine Renard, the World Food Programme Country director for Gaza, talks about how people in north Gaza are starving and aid shipments reached their lowest level in September. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM OCT. 18  The challenges of vaccinating 590,000 kids against polio in the war zone of Gaza. Reported by Ari Daniel | NPR  Public health officials are hoping to reach the more than half a million Gaza children who received their first dose a few weeks back. But a shifting battlefield is making everything more challenging. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM OCT. 18  Was Yahya Sinwar the obstacle to peace the U.S. made him out to be? by Sean Mathews | Middle East Eye  WASHINGTON —  The U.S. has dubbed the late Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar an “insurmountable obstacle” to a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, but Sinwar’s killing is likely to lift the veil on Israel’sambitions to continue its war on Gaza. READ MORE . . .

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

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Russia says captured another village in eastern Ukraine. From AFP.  Russia said today it has taken the village of Zoryane in eastern Ukraine, enabling its troops to approach the industrial hub of Kurakhove. READ MORE  . ..

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1 dead, 8 injured in Russians’ attack on Shostka. From Kyiv Post. One man was killed and eight people were wounded after the Russians struck the center of the Sumy-region-city of Shostka just after midnight, Ukrainian officials said. READ MORE . . .

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At least 102 Ukrainian POWs executed by Russia, ombudsman says, by Natalia Yermak | The Kyiv Independent  Russian forces have executed at least 102 Ukrainian prisoners of war since 2022, Ukraine’s Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said in an interview on Friday, citing data from the Prosecutor General’s Office. READ MORE. . .

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Investigation: Russians carry out systemic terror in occupied part of Kherson Oblast, by Danylo Mokryk | The Kyiv Independent  In the course of our investigation into Russian terror in the occupied territories, we interviewed dozens of people who managed to leave — some as recently as the summer of 2024. Most asked for anonymity or refused to be interviewed out of fear of . . . READ MORE . . .

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France vows support for Ukraine’s plan to end Russian invasion, by Samya Kullab | AP  KYIV — France’s foreign minister today pledged his support for Ukraine’s plan for ending the war with Russia, telling reporters in Kyiv that he would work with Ukrainian officials to secure other nations’ backing for the proposal. READ MORE. . .  Click HERE for Reuters report.

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Russian air defenses down several aerial targets heading towards Belgorod. From Tass. BELGOROD — Russian air defenses have downed several aerial targets heading toward the city of Belgorod, regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said. READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 18  Russia, Ukraine each bring home 95 prisoners of war in swap brokered by UAE. From Reuters. Russia and Ukraine carried out a new exchange of prisoners of war on Friday, each side bringing home 95 prisoners in an agreement in which the United Arab Emirates acted as mediator. READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 18  Russia returns 500 dead soldiers to Ukraine as world leaders mull next steps, by Illia Novikov | AP  KYIV — Russia on Friday returned to Ukraine the bodies of 501 soldiers, Ukrainian authorities said, in what appeared to be the biggest repatriation of war dead since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. READ MORE . . .

Links to five maps found online; others are accessible by clicking on their sources’ website addresses below. (GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date, so far, are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Six online maps. From mapsland.com, worldatlas.com, maps-of-the-world.net, and ontheworldmap.com. Events in Gaza, Israel, the West Bank, and Lebanon are usually reported without accompanying maps. For six, click HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.

 

 

For today, links to 14 reports: from Middle East Monitor, National Public Radio, Reuters, the Associated Press, the Anadolu Agency, the Christian Science Monitor, Le Monde, Agence France-Presse, and Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initals below. (UKRAINE entry for this date and a MAPS entry are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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181,000 children receive polio vaccine in Gaza. From Middle East Monitor. Palestinian Minister of Health Majed Abu Ramadan said the ministry, in partnership with the World Health Organisation, UNICEF and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, vaccinated 181,429 children under the age of ten against polio in the central governorate . . . READ MORE . . .

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Lebanon’s health minister says health workers are targeted in Israeli strikes. Leila Fadel of NPR talks with Dr. Firass Abiad, Lebanon’s health minister. As Israel bombards Lebanon, the World Health Organization verifies 23 recent attacks on health care facilities and vehicles. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Netanyahu promises more war, dashing peace hopes after Hamas leader killed, by James Mackenzie, Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Samia Nakhoul | Reuters  JERUSALEM / CAIRO — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s promises to press on with Israel’s wars in Gaza and Lebanon dashed hopes on Friday that the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar might help end more than a year of escalating conflict in the Middle East. READ MORE . . .

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Hamas official confirms Sinwar’s death, as Hezbollah vows a new phase of war with Israel, by Julia Frankel | AP  JERUSALEM (AP) — A top political leader of Hamas, Khalil al-Hayya, today confirmed the death of the group’s leader. Yahya Sinwar. In a televised statement, Al-Hayda reiterated . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE and HERE for NPR and Anadolu Agency reports.

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Israeli army issues evacuation warning to residents in southern Lebanon. From Anadolu Agency. ANKARA — The Israeli army today issued a warning to residents of 23 villages in southern Lebanon, ordering them to evacuate their homes and move north of the Awali River, citing “activities of Hezbollah” . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 17  Hamas leader, Israel’s ‘most wanted,’ is dead. What happens to war in Gaza? by Taylor Luck, Fatima AbdulKarim and Dina Kraft | Christian Science Monitor  LONDON / RAMALLAH / GAZA STRIP / TEL AVIV  Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, mastermind of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel that ignited a devastating war in the Gaza Strip, was killed by Israeli forces in southern Gaza, Israel said Thursday. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for NPR report, and HERE for report from Le Monde and AFP.

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FROM OCT. 17  Yahya Sinwar: The refugee and prisoner who went on to lead Hamas, by Rayhan Uddin | Middle East Eye  Yahya Sinwar became leader of Hamas in August, days after his predecessor Ismail Haniyeh was killed in an Israeli attack carried out in Tehran. He was born in Khan Younis refugee camp, in southern Gaza, in 1962. His parents were . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 17  Sinwar’s killing opens up opportunity and much uncertainty for the war in Gaza, by Tia Goldrenberg and Jack Jeffrey | AP  TEL AVIV — Israel’s killing of Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’ top leader and the mastermind of the group’s Oct. 7 attack, is a dramatic turning point in the brutal yearlong war that it touched off. His killing on Thursday . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for NPR report.

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Lebanon’s health minister says health workers are targeted in Israeli strikes. Leila Fadel of NPR talks with Dr. Firass Abiad, Lebanon’s health minister. As Israel bombards Lebanon, the World Health Organization verifies 23 recent attacks on health care facilities and vehicles. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM OCT. 17  A visit to Beirut’s Dahieh neighborhood, a Hezbollah stronghold and target of Israel. Reported by Eyder Peralta | NPR  Dahieh, where Hassan Nasrallah was killed on Sept. 17, is both a Hezbollah stronghold and one of the most vibrant parts of Beirut. Click HERE to listen and read.

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

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Biden says West ‘cannot let up’ support for Ukraine ahead of high-level talks in Germany, by Nate Ostiller and news desk | The Kyiv Independent  U.S. President Joe Biden urged a continuation of Western support for Ukraine in Berlin today. He had arrived earlier in the day for high-level talks with the leaders of Germany, the U.K., and France on . . . READ MORE . . .

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South Korean intelligence says North has sent troops to aid Russia’s war in Ukraine, by Hyung-Jim Kim and Kim Tong-Hyung | AP  SOEUL — South Korea’s spy agency said today that North Korea has dispatched troops to support Russia’s war against Ukraine. If confirmed, the move . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Kyiv Post.

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Russia hammers Ukrainian military-industrial sector, energy sites over week. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian forces delivered 36 strikes by precision weapons and unmanned aerial vehicles on Ukrainian military-industrial enterprises and their energy sites over the week in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry said in a broader statement today. READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 17  One of Ukraine’s most celebrated poets is currently touring the U.S. Reported by Neda Ulaby | NPR  Marianna Kiyanovska lives in Ukraine, but this month she’s visiting more than a dozen U.S. universities, reading her poetry and speaking about writing in wartime,. Her latest collection, titled The Voices of Babyn Yar, is about victims of the Holocaust. Click HERE and HERE to listen to and read two brief reports.

For today, links to seven reports: from Reuters, the Associated Press, Middle East Monitor, National Public Radio, and Middle East Eye, and to an article of commentary from Indian Punchline; others are accessible by clicking on their initals below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Israeli fire kills 11 in Gaza City as its forces tighten siege in the north, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi | Reuters  CAIRO — Israeli airstrikes killed 11 Palestinians in Gaza City today, medics said, while Israeli forces sent tanks into Jabalia in the north, where Palestinians and United Nations officials expressed alarm over shortages of food and medicine. READ MORE . . .

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EU’s Borrell questions U.S. giving Israel one month to improve Gaza situation, by John Irish | Reuters  BRUSSELS — The EU’s foreign policy chief on Thursday appeared to criticise the United States giving Israel one month to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza, saying that during that time, too many people would die. READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 16  Israel pressured by UN and U.S.to step up action to tackle Gaza’s escalating humanitarian crisis, by Edith M. Lederer | AP UNITED NATIONS  — The top U.N. humanitarian official accused Israel on Wednesday of blocking the delivery of desperately needed aid to Gaza, and the U.S. ambassador demanded that its government step up efforts to tackle the Palestinian territory’s ”intolerable and catastrophic . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for NPR report.

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Hamas slams German minister’s claim about Israel’s right to bomb civilians in Gaza. From Middle East Monitor. The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement has condemned in the “strongest terms” German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock for her “abhorrent” defence of . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 16  A surge of people are leaving Lebanon for Syria amid Israel-Hezbollah conflict. Reported by Eyder Peralta | NPR  Some one million people in Lebanon have been displaced from their homes. Many of them have crossed the border into Syria — fleeing one war-torn country for another. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM OCT. 15  What is Israel’s ‘Generals’ Plan’ and what does it mean for the war on Gaza? by Nadav Rapaport | Middle East Eye  Many in the Israeli military and elsewhere are now looking to the “Generals’ Plan“, also known as the Eiland Plan, to secure the defeat of Hamas. At its simplest . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM OCT. 14  Between Russia and Iran all’s well that ends well, by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline  Russia and Iran have had a difficult relationship through centuries. It remains complicated, as the protracted negotiations over their strategic partnership treaty have shown. READ MORE . . .

For today, links to 10 reports: from the Kyiv Independent, the Anadolu Agency, Agence France-Prese, Tass, National Public Radio, the Associated Press, Reuters, and the Anadolu Agency, and to an article of commentary from Indian Punchline; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Victory plan includes Western-supplied missile package to force Russia to talks, Zelensky says in Brussels, by Martin Fornusek | The Kyiv Independent  President Volodymyr Zelensky said today that the victory plan includes placing conventional missile capabilities in Ukraine that would either force Russia to accept negotiations or decimate Moscow’s military targets. READ MORE . . .

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EU Council chief renews bloc’s pledge to back Ukraine ‘as long as it takes,‘ by Nur Asena Erturk and Burc Eruygur | Anadolu Agency  ANKARA / ISTANBUL  The president of the EU Council, Charles Michel, today renewed the bloc’s commitment to supporting Ukraine. “We are on your side for as long as it takes and whatever . . . READ MORE . . .

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UK issues largest sanctions yet on Russian ‘shadow fleet.’ From AFP.  Britain today announced its largest sanctions to date against Russia’s “shadow fleet” of tankers used to sidestep a Western embargo on oil exports after its invasion of Ukraine. The government’s latest crackdown bars . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian forces liberate Maksimilyanovka community in Donbass region over past day. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian forces liberated the community of Maksimilyanovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry said today in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine’s president will speak to EU leaders about his plan to end the war. Reported by Joanna Kakissis and A Martínez | NPR  Ukraine’s president is in Brussels today to speak to European Union leaders about his plan to end the war in a year — without ceding any territory to Russia. Click HERE to listen and, later, read. Click HERE for an AP report.

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‘We must do everything to explore’ ways Ukraine war might end: Scholz. From AFP. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Wednesday that Berlin wanted to explore ways towards ending the conflict in Ukraine sparked by Russia’s invasion, while stressing this had to happen in concert with Kyiv. READ MORE . . .

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Biden to make farewell trip to Germany as Ukraine war rages. From AFP. BERLlN — U.S. President Joe Biden will be in Germany on Friday on a whirlwind trip, with Western backing for Ukraine set to be high on the agenda at talks with Chancellor Olaf Scholz and other NATO leaders. READ MORE . . . Click HERE and HERE for AP and Reuters reports.

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FROM OCT. 16  NATO pledges nearly $43.5B in military aid for Ukraine: Mark Rutte, by Merve Berker | Anadolu Agency  ANKARA — NATO’s new chief on Wednesday announced a military aid package for Ukraine of over $40 billion, reaffirming the alliance’s long-term commitment to bolstering Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s war. Secretary-General Mark Rutte stressed . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for a report from Reuters.

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FROM OCT. 14  Between Russia and Iran all’s well that ends well, by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline  Russia and Iran have had a difficult relationship through centuries. It remains complicated, as the protracted negotiations over their strategic partnership treaty have shown. READ MORE . . .