A link to an article from Consortium News; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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FROM AUG. 16  A farewell to truth, by Scott Ritter | Special to Consortium News  The execution of a search warrant on my residence by the F.B.I. on Aug. 7 was not my first run-in with America’s premier law enforcement agency. In the 1990s, when I was working as chief weapons inspector for the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) . . . READ MORE . . .

For now, links to five reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, and National Public Radio, and to commentary from Middle East Monitor and Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for today, so far, is HERE.) — MCM

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Diplomacy intensifies to halt the Israel-Hamas war and prevent wider regional war, by Ravi Nessman | AP  JERUSALEM — International diplomacy to prevent the war in Gaza from spreading into a wider regional conflict intensified today, with the British and French foreign ministers making a joint trip to Israel while internationally mediated cease-fire talks in Qatar were expected to enter their second day. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Reuters, and HERE for AUG 15 report from NPR.

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FROM AUG. 15  Gazans are caught in a cycle of displacement by the Israeli military. Reported by Hadeel Al-Shalchi | NPR  As ceasefire talks hang in the balance, Palestinians in Gaza seem to be caught in an endless cycle of displacement as the Israeli military pushes into areas they have previously been. Click HERE to listen and read, and HERE for report from Reuters.

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Israel is slaughtering Palestinians with western arms, by Dr Ramzy Baroud | Middle East Monitor  While many are earnestly pointing at the devastation of war, the rampant human rights violations and the deliberate relegation of international and humanitarian law, there are those who see war from an entirely different perspective: profits. READ MORE . . .

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Why Arab regimes’ betrayal of Palestine may come back to haunt them, by Abdullah Al-Arian | Middle East Eye  Several Arab states have offered Israel significant support since it unleashed its assault on Gaza. This has brought into focus a long-developing regional picture of how these states have been enlisted in the US-Israeli security order. Some . . . READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED

For now, links to eight reports: from National Public Radio, the Associated Press, Reuters, the Kyiv Independent, the Moscow Times, Tass, and the Kyiv Post; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (GAZA entry for this date, so far, is HERE.)— MCM

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Ukrainian forces now control more than 400 square miles of Russian territory. Reported by Michel Martin | NPR  Ukraine says it has solidified its control over parts of Russia’s Kursk region. Retired Lieutenant General Ben Hodges talks about Ukraine’s strategic goals behind the operation. Click HERE to listen and, later, read. Click HERE for report from AP.

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Russia destroys Ukrainian unit armed with NATO weapons in Kursk region, RIA says. From Reuters. MOSCOW — Russian forces destroyed a Ukrainian reconnaissance and sabotage unit that was armed with weapons from NATO countries in Russia’s western Kursk region, the RIA state-run media agency reported today, citing unidentified security sources. READ MORE . . .

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U.S. considering sending Ukraine first long-range cruise missiles this fall, source says, by Kateryna Hodunova and news desk | The Kyiv Independent  Talks between Ukraine and U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration about supplies of long-range cruise missiles are “in the advanced stages,” according to a source close to President Volodymyr Zelensky’s administration. The timeline . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia says Ukraine struck shopping mall in occupied Donetsk. From the Moscow Times. A crowded shopping mall in the Russian occupied Ukrainian city of Donetsk caught fire after alleged Ukrainian shelling today. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Tass.

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Situation in Kursk Region: elimination of Ukrainian mobile groups, HIMARS launchers. From Tass. MOSCOW — Ukraine’s losses in the Kursk area have amounted up to 220 troops and 19 armored vehicles, the Russian defense ministry said. READ MORE . . .

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Secret Russian counter-drone EW system recovered by Ukraine in Kursk Region, by Steve Brown | Kyiv Post  An editor from the Censor.net news site posted a video on his Facebook channel on Aug. 14 showing the secret Russian Volnorez (Breakwater) counter-drone electronic warfare system recovered by Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region along with . . . READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED

First, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, and National Public Radio; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for today, so far, is HERE.) — MCM

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Diplomacy intensifies to halt the Israel-Hamas war and prevent wider regional war, by Ravi Nessman | AP  JERUSALEM — International diplomacy to prevent the war in Gaza from spreading into a wider regional conflict intensified today, with the British and French foreign ministers making a joint trip to Israel while internationally mediated cease-fire talks in Qatar were expected to enter their second day. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Reuters, and HERE for AUG 15 report from NPR.

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FROM AUG. 15  Gazans are caught in a cycle of displacement by the Israeli military. Reported by Hadeel Al-Shalchi | NPR  As ceasefire talks hang in the balance, Palestinians in Gaza seem to be caught in an endless cycle of displacement as the Israeli military pushes into areas they have previously been. Click HERE to listen and read, and HERE for report from Reuters.

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TO BE CONTINUED

For today, links to six reports: from Reuters, the Associated Press, National Public Radio, Middle East Eye, and Middle East Monitor, and to commentary from Middle East Eye; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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New round of Gaza ceasefire talks begins in Qatar, by Andrew Mills and Nidal Al-Mughrabi | Reuters  DOHA / CAIRO — A new round of Gaza ceasefire talks was underway in the Qatari capital Doha this afternoon, an official briefed on the meeting said, with Israel’s spy chief joining his U.S. and Egyptian counterparts and Qatar’s prime minister for the closed-door meeting. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from AP.

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FROM AUG. 14  The status of cease-fire talks, crisis in Gaza and Israeli politics. Reported by Daniel Estrin | NPR  It’s been over 10 months since the attacks on Israel that lead to the war in Gaza. We look at Gaza’s humanitarian situation, how the war has affected Israeli politics and where cease-fire talks stand. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif is alive, says senior official. From Middle East Eye  Mohammed Deif, the commander of Hamas’ armed wing, is still alive, according to one of the movement’s senior officials, Osama Hamdan. In an interview with the Associated Press . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from AP.

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U.S.’s approval of new arms deal to Israel confirms complicity in Gaza genocide, Hamas says. From Middle East Monitor. Hamas has criticised the U.S. administration’s approval of a new arms deal to Israel worth $20 billion, saying the decision confirms Washington’s complicity in the Gaza genocide. In a statement issued yesterday . . . READ MORE . . .

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Gaza ceasefire talks enter new round with low expectations. What’s stopping the deal? by Umar A Farooq | Middle East Eye  A new round of indirect negotiations for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas to put an end to the devastating war on Gaza was set to begin today in Qatar. But . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to nine reports: from the Associated Press, National Public Radio, Reuters, the Kyiv Post, the Kyiv Independent, the Moscow Times, and Tass, and to commentary from Reuters, other articles are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.)— MCM

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NEWER  Ukrainian President Zelenskyy says Kyiv troops have full control of the Russian town of Sudzha, by Samya Kullab and Johm Gambrell | AP  KYIV — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said today that Kyiv troops have full control of the Russian town of Sudzha in the Kursk region in their incursion into Russian territory. READ MORE . . .

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FROM AUG. 14  Ukraine attacks a second region in Western Russia, prompting a state of emergency. Reported by Greg Myre | NPR  Ukrainian forces attack a second border region in western Russia, where the governor declares a state of emergency. Ukraine also targets air bases in at least a half-dozen regions. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Ukraine reports heavy fighting on eastern front after Russia incursion. From Reuters. KYIV — Ukraine said there was no sign Russian military pressure was receding along the eastern front inside its borders today, more than a week after its incursion into Russia, and reported the heaviest fighting in weeks near Pokrovsk. READ MORE . . .

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Russian commander says Ukraine’s forces pushing along the border front, by Guy Faulconbridge and Maxim Rodionov | Reuters   MOSCOW — A senior Russian commander said today that Ukrainian forces had been pushed out of one village in Russia’s border region but that Kyiv’s forces were still probing along the front more than nine days since the lightning incursion into Russia. READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine captures over 100 Russian troops in largest single operation in Kursk, by Kateryna Zakharchenko | Kyiv Post  Ukraine’s Security Service special forces captured 102 Russian soldiers on Wednesday in the Kursk region of Russia, which currently marks the largest single capture of enemy troops and . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from the Kyiv Independent.

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Ukrainian drone attack damages 2 hangars, satellite images show, as fighting in Russia grinds on, by Samya Kullab and Johm Gambrell | AP  KYIV — A Ukrainian drone attack on Russian air bases damaged at least two hangars and other areas, satellite images analyzed by The Associated Press today show. Images taken Wednesday . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM AUG. 14  Russia’s use of inexperienced conscripts for Kursk defense raises questions. From the Moscow Times. Russian soldier Yaroslav Tipusyak spent his 19th birthday as a prisoner of war in Ukraine — just a day after he was captured by Kyiv’s forces in Russia’s Kursk region last week. He . . . READ MORE . . .

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NATO invades Russia in Kursk Region, ex-U.S. intel officer says. From Tass.  NEW YORK — NATO has invaded Russia, Scott Ritter, a former U.S. Marine Corps intelligence officer and UN weapons inspector, said, commenting on the situation in the borderline Kursk Region. “What happened in Kursk . . . READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  Ukraine’s Russia incursion racks up gains, but risks loom, by Tom Balmforth and Pavel Polityuk | Reuters  KYIV — Ukraine has chalked up a string of victories more than a week since blindsiding Russia with a lightning cross-border assault, but the risks are piling up as its troops make plans to hold territory and Russia recovers its footing. READ MORE . . .

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

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Ukraine pounds Russia with drones and says it is advancing deeper, by Guy Faulconbridge and Lidia Kelly | Reuters  MOSCOW — Ukraine pounded Russia with missiles and drones today and said it was advancing deeper in the biggest foreign incursion into Russia since World War Two that U.S. President Joe Biden said posed a dilemma for President Vladimir Putin. READ MORE . . .

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Russia says downed 117 Ukrainian drones, air bases reportedly targeted. From the Moscow Times. Russia’s Defense Ministry said early today that its air defense systems intercepted 117 Ukrainian drones and four missiles across eight regions overnight. READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine claims more advances, prisoners taken as it presses an incursion into Russia, by Illia Novikov and Emma Burrows | AP  KYIV — Ukrainian forces pushed on with their major cross-border incursion into Russia’s Kursk region for a second week today, claiming to have. . . READ MORE . . .

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Oleksandr Syrsky, the Ukrainian general overseeing Kursk incursion. From AFP. Ukraine’s top military commander Oleksandr Syrsky, who was born in Russia and studied in Moscow, is leading an unprecedented assault on Russian territory. READ MORE . . .

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FROM AUG. 13  What Russians are saying about Ukraine’s latest incursion. Reported by Vincent Acovino, Jeanette Woods, and Mary Louise Kelly | NPR  Mika Golubovsky, English-language editor of Mediazona, talks about about what Russians are saying about the chaos of Ukraine’s major incursion. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Russian forces wipe out Ukrainian army’s fuel base over past day — top brass. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian forces destroyed a Ukrainian army fuel base and struck enemy manpower and equipment in nearly 150 areas 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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Kursk incursion deals blow to Putin’s prestige marking first ground invasion of Russia since World War II, by Oleg Sukhov | The Kyiv Independent  The 1,000 square kilometers Ukraine says it controls in Russia’s Kursk Oblast amounts to a tiny share of Russia’s massive terrain. Yet . . . READ MORE . . .

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

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Israeli strikes kill at least 17 in Gaza overnight, Palestinians say. From AP.  Palestinian health officials say Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip overnight and into today killed at least 17 people, including five children and their parents. The strikes . . . READ MORE . . .

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Hamas to stay out of Gaza truce talks, Iran considers Israel attack, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi | Reuters  CAIRO — The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas said today it would not take part in a new round of Gaza ceasefire talks slated for Thursday in Qatar, dimming hopes for a negotiated truce that Iranian sources say could hold back an Iranian attack on Israel. READ MORE . . .

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FROM AUG. 13  The retaliation that didn’t happen, by Seymour M. Hersh | Substack  The new Iranian President, Masoud Pezeshkian, is known to be eager to do more  business with the outside world, and his determination to go ahead with his inauguration, in the face of grotesque murder, has . . . READ MORE . . .

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

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NEWER  Only Gaza ceasefire will delay retaliation, say Iranian officials, by Parisa Hafezi and Laila Bassam | Reuters  DUBAI / BEIRUT — Only a ceasefire deal in Gaza stemming from hoped-for talks this week would hold Iran back from direct retaliation against Israel for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on its soil, three senior Iranian officials said. READ MORE . . .

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Gaza ceasefire: Hamas says again it wants implementation, not more talks, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi | Reuters  CAIRO — Hamas is sticking to its demand that Gaza truce talks focus on a deal already discussed with Israel and mediators rather than starting anew, an official said today, after Israeli airstrikes killed at least 19 Palestinians in the enclave. READ MORE . . .

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FROM AUG. 12  Hamas leader tells NPR about Oct. 7 attack and the war with Israel. Reported by Aya Batrawy | NPR  A Hamas leader says the group has no regrets about the deadly Oct. 7th operation against Israel, but that mistakes happened that day. Click HERE for transcript.

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Israeli strikes on Gaza leave children without parents and parents without children, by Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Reem Abu Hayyah, just three months old, was the only member of her family to survive an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip late Monday. A few miles (kilometers) to the north, Mohamed Abuel-Qomasan lost his wife and their twin babies — just four days old — in another strike. READ MORE . . .

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5 Israeli soldiers accused of sexually abusing Gazan detainee released into house arrest, by Ahmed Asmar | Anadolu Agency  JERUSALEM — An Israeli military court today ordered the release of five Israeli soldiers accused of sexually abusing a Palestinian detainee into house arrest pending investigation, according to local media. They will stay . . . READ MORE . . .

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High-wire diplomacy on possible Iran retaliation in the Israel-Hamas war draws in world, by Jon Gambrell | AP  DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran’s threatened retaliatory strike on Israel over the assassination of Hamas official Ismail Haniyeh drew major world powers today into a high-wire act of diplomacy. Halting or limiting . . . READ MORE . . .

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Restoring fear, that’s why Israeli soldiers use rape as a weapon of war, by Ramzy Baroud | Middle East Monitor  Israeli politician Moshe Feiglin told Arutz Sheva-Israel National News on 25 October that, “Muslims are not afraid of us any more.” It might sound odd that Feiglin saw the element of fear . . . READ MORE . . .

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Why raping Palestinians is legitimate Israeli military practice, by Joseph Massad | Middle East Eye  Sadism has been characteristic of the Zionist colonists’ treatment of Palestinians since the 1880s, as even Zionist leaders complained at the time. This sadism and the sexual torture that often accompanies it . . . READ MORE . . .

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

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FROM AUG. 12  Ukraine’s advance into Russia slows as Russian reinforcements reach the region. Reported by Greg Myre | NPR  Ukraine’s advance into western Russia has slowed in recent days as Russian reinforcements begin to reach the region. The two sides appear headed for a showdown in the coming days. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Top Ukrainian commander says his forces now control almost 390 square miles of Russia’s Kursk region, by Samya Kullab | AP  KYIV — Ukraine’s top military commander says his forces now control 1,000 square kilometers (386 square miles) of Russia’s neighboring Kursk region, the first time a Ukrainian military official has publicly . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from AFP.

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Putin orders military to ‘dislodge’ Ukrainian forces as 120K flee border area. From AFP.  President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered his army to “dislodge” Ukrainian troops who stormed over the border last week, as authorities in the Kursk region said over 120,000 people have been displaced due to the fighting. READ MORE . . .

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FROM AUG. 12  Ukrainian attack on Kursk Region kills 12, injures 121. From Tass. NOVO-OGARYOVO, Russia — The Ukrainian army’s massive attack on the Kursk Region launched on Aug. 6 has killed 12 civilians and injured 121 including 10 children, acting regional Governor Alexey Smirnov said Monday. READ MORE . . .

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Russia steps up assaults on Pokrovsk front in Ukraine’s east. From Reuters. KYIV — Russian forces stepped up their attacks on the Pokrovsk front in eastern Ukraine over the last 24 hours, the Ukrainian military said today, reporting the largest number of battles in the area in a single day in a week. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from AP.

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Ukrainians say they ‘faced no resistance’ in Kursk Region invasion. From Kyiv Post. As Ukrainian tanks and infantry poured over the Russian border in the Kursk region on Aug. 6 in a shock turn of the war, soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Assault Brigade initially encountered no resistance, according to a soldier from the brigade who spoke to the Financial Times. READ MORE . . .

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It’s been a week since Ukrainian troops launched an attack in Russian territory. Reported by Steve Inskeep| NPR  Ukraine’s military says it now controls almost 400 square miles of Russia. Sergey Radchenko of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Click HERE to listen and, perhaps later, read.

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FROM AUG. 12  Kursk incursion and Crimea strikes could ease pressure on Ukraine’s Donbas forces, by Asami Terajima | The Kyiv Independent  Ukraine’s surprise incursion into Russia’s Kursk Oblast over the past week is lifting some hopes for Ukrainian soldiers losing ground on the eastern front amid worsening manpower and ammunition shortages. Ukraine launched . . . READ MORE . . .