For today, links to reports from Reuters, the Associated Press, and Middle East Monitor, and to commentary from ZNetwork and Common Dreams; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Israel launches strikes across Gaza as U.S. envoy meets Netanyahu, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Dan Williams | Reuters  CAIRO / JERUSALEM — Israeli planes and tanks pounded areas across the Gaza Strip, residents said, as White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today amid U.S. calls for a more focused military campaign . . . READ MORE . . .

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An airstrike kills 20 in central Gaza and fighting rages as Israel’s leaders air wartime divisions, by Wafaa Shurafa, Samy Magdy and Joseph Krauss | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — An Israeli airstrike killed 20 people in central Gaza, mostly women and children, and fighting raged across the north today as Israel’s leaders aired divisions over who should govern Gaza after the war, now in its eighth month. U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan . . . READ MORE . . .

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UNRWA: Failure to reopen land crossings to worsen humanitarian conditions in Gaza. From Middle East Monitor. The UN agency for Palestinian refugees warned on Saturday that the failure to reopen land crossings and provide them secure access would exacerbate the catastrophic humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip, Anadolu Agency reports. “The crossings . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 16  The arsenal of genocide, by Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J. S. Davies | ZNetwork / Consortium News  On May 8, as Israel escalated its brutal assault on Rafah, U.S. President Joe Biden announced that he had “paused” a delivery of 1,700 500-pound and 1,800 2,000-pound bombs, and threatened to . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 15  Israel’s doomed-to-fail strategy, by Jeffrey D. Sachs | Common Dreams / Consortium News  We owe an ironic debt of gratitude to Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Gilad Erdan for advancing the cause of the State of Palestine at the United Nations. By delivering a speech to the U.N. General Assembly that was so . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to reports from Reuters, the Associated Press, the Kyiv Independent, Tass, and Agence France-Presse; 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 Ukraine makes 62-drone attack on Russia, oil refinery halted, by Guy Faulconbridge and Maxim Rodionov | Reuters  MOSCOW — Russia said today that Ukraine launched a major 62-drone attack on Russian regions forcing one oil refinery in southern Russia to halt operations, and that Kyiv’s forces had fired U.S., French and Ukrainian missiles at Russian-held territory . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine and Russia exchange drone attacks while Russia continues its push in the east, by Samya Kullab and Elisa Morton | AP  KYIV — Russia said it shot down some 60 drones and several missiles over its territory while Ukraine in turn said it destroyed over 30 Russian drones. At least four people were reported killed in an attack on the outskirts of Kharkiv today as . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian attacks in Kherson Oblast injure 6, by Chris York | The Kyiv Independent  At least six people were injured in Ukraine’s Kherson Oblast after a series of Russian attacks today, the Kherson Regional Military Administration said. READ MORE . . .

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Air defenses down 103 Ukrainian drones, 12 ATACMS missiles, 4 Hammer bombs over day. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian air defenses downed 104 Ukrainian drones, as well as 12 ATACMS missiles and four Hammer bombs over the past 24 hours, the Defense Ministry said in its daily report, specifying . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine drone hits fruit picker van – Russian occupation official. From AFP. A Ukrainian drone attack today on a minibus of people going strawberry picking in Russian occupied territory killed one person and injured several more, authorities said. READ MORE . . .

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Russian refinery halts operation after drone strike. From AFP. A Ukrainian drone attack forced an oil refinery in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region to suspend operations today, its operator and authorities said. READ MORE . . .

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

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Dozens killed and wounded as Israeli forces thrust deeper in Gaza’s Jabalia and Rafah, by Nidal al-Mughrabi | Reuters  CAIRO — Israeli troops and tanks today pushed into parts of a congested northern Gaza Strip district that they had previously skirted in the more than seven-month-old war, killing and wounding dozens of Palestinians, medics and residents said. Israel’s forces also . . . READ MORE . . .

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U.S. says the first shipment of aid has reached Gaza through its floating pier. Reported by Scott Simon and Hadeel Al-Shalchi | NPR  The U.S. military says the first shipment of aid has moved ashore into Gaza over a new, massive floating pier. It wants to scale up to 150 trucks entering Gaza per day. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM MAY 17  Israeli army finds bodies of 3 hostages in Gaza killed at Oct. 7 music festival. From AP. JERUSALEM — The Israeli military said Friday its troops in Gaza found the bodies of three Israeli hostages killed by Hamas during its Oct. 7 attack. All three were killed by Hamas while fleeing the Nova music festival, where militants killed hundreds of people, a military spokesman said. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 17  Hamas’s armed wing says ready for ‘war of attrition’ with Israel army. From Middle East Monitor. Hamas’s armed wing said on Friday it is ready for a long war of attrition with the Israeli army, Anadolu Agency reports. “Despite our full commitment to stop the aggression on our people,” said a spokesman for Al-Qassam Brigades, “we . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 17  Israel tells World Court South Africa case makes a mockery of genocide. From Reuters. THE HAGUE — Israel defended the military necessity of its Gaza offensive on Friday at the International Court of Justice and asked judges to throw out a request by South Africa to order it to halt operations in Rafah and withdraw from the Palestinian territory. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 17  A new U.S. pier starts operations off Gaza. Advocates say the aid isn’t nearly enough. Reported by Tom Bowman and Jackie Northam | NPR  The U.S. military is delivering aid at a pier in Gaza, but aid groups fear it’s just a drop in the ocean of need.. Click HERE to listen and read.

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

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Ukraine struggles to hold eastern front at Russians advance on cities, by Dan Peleschuk | Reuters  Resurgent Russian forces, which significantly outnumber and outgun the Ukrainian defenders, have been mounting multiple attacks across the eastern Donbas region in recent months and along the country’s northeastern border last week. The drive . . . READ MORE . . .

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Nearly 10,000 evacuated in Ukraine’s Kharkiv Region: governor. From AFP. Since Russia began its ground attack on May. 10, a total of 9,907 people have been force to leave their homes in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, the regional governor said. READ MORE . . .

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Zelensky expects Russian offensive in northeast Ukraine to intensify.   From AFP. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday he expects Russia to step up its offensive in the northeast and warned Kyiv only has a quarter of the air defenses it needs to hold the front line. READ MORE . . .

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Ukrainian drones hit military facilities in Russia, Crimea amid Russian claims of over 100 drones downed. From the Kyiv Independent. Ukrainian drones attacked several military facilities in Russia and occupied Crimea in the early hours of Friday, according to a source from the Security Service of Ukraine. READ MORE . . .

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Russian air defenses down four Hammer air bombs, two HARM missiles over Belgorod Region. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian air defense today downed four Hammer air bombs and two HARM missiles over the Belgorod Region, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement. “The Kiev regime’s attempt to use . . . READ MORE . . .

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What Russia’s latest military offensive means for Ukraine. Scott Simon of NPR talks with strategic studies professor Phillips O’Brien of the University of St. Andrews in Scotland about the significance of Russia’s latest military offensive in Ukraine. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Ukraine’s divisive mobilization law comes into force as a new Russian push strains front-line troops, by Samya Kullab and Joanna Kozlowska | AP  KYIV — A divisive mobilization law in Ukraine came into force today, as Kyiv struggles to boost troop numbers after Russia launched a new offensive that . . . READ MORE . . .

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Putin rejects Macron call for Ukraine ceasefire during Olympics. From AFP. Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested on Friday that Moscow would not comply with calls for a ceasefire in Ukraine during the Summer Olympics, pointing to . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukrainian president rejects French leader’s idea of Olympic truce. From Tass. PARIS — Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has rejected French leader Emmanuel Macron’s idea of a truce during the upcoming Paris Olympic Games in an interview with Agence France-Presse. Zelensky said an Olympic truce would . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 17  Russian guided bombs kill three, injure 28 in Ukraine’s Kharkiv. From Reuters.  KYIV — Russian guided bombs killed at least three people and injured 28 in the northeastern Ukraine city of Kharkiv on Friday, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said. The strikes on Ukraine’s second largest city have become more intense in recent months, hitting . . . READ MORE . . .

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

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For the children of Gaza, war means no school — and no indication when formal learning might return, by Wafaa Shurafa and Sam Mednick | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza — Since the war erupted Oct. 7, all of Gaza’s schools have closed — leaving hundreds of thousands of students without formal schooling or a safe place to spend their days. Aid groups are scrambling to keep children off the streets and their minds focused on something other than . . . READ MORE . . .

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Amid war, what does the future of education look like in Gaza? Leila Fadel of NPR speaks with UNICEF’s Ricardo Pires about the destruction of Gaza’s education system and its effect on children there. Click HERE to listen and read.

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As Israel says it will send more troops into southern Gaza, millions run out of food. Steve Inskeep of NPR speaks with Philippe Lazzarini, the commissioner general of the UN’s lead agency for aid to Palestinians, about the international response to a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Trucks are rolling across a new U.S. pier into Gaza. But challenges remain to getting enough aid in, by Lolita C. Baldor and Jon Gambrell | AP  WASHINGTON — Trucks carrying badly needed aid for the Gaza Strip rolled across a newly built U.S. pier and into the besieged enclave for the first time today as Israeli restrictions on border crossings and heavy fightinghindered the delivery of food and other supplies. The shipment . . . READ MORE . . .

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The first trucks carrying aid to Gaza roll off temporary floating pier. Reported by Steve Walsh | NPR  After months of preparation, the U.S. military is opening a floating pier to deliver humanitarian aid to people in Gaza. No U.S. troops will go ashore in Gaza. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Fierce fighting in northern Gaza as Israel defends itself in World Court, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi | Reuters  CAIRO — Israeli forces battled Hamas fighters in the narrow alleyways of Jabalia in northern Gaza today in some of the fiercest engagements since they returned to the area a week ago, while in the south militants attacked tanks massing around Rafah. At the World Court in The Hague, Israel asked . . . READ MORE . . .

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Hezbollah introduces new weapons and tactics against Israel as war in Gaza drags on, by Bassem Mroue | AP  BEIRUT — The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah this week struck a military post in northern Israel using a drone that fired two missiles. The attack wounded three soldiers, one of them seriously, according to the Israeli military. Hezbollah has regularly fired . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 16  Democratic divide on Gaza war, campus protests hurting Biden, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds, by Jason Lange and James Oliphant | Reuters  WASHINGTON — Democrats are deeply divided over President Joe Biden’s handling of both the war in Gaza and the U.S. campus protests against it, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll found, fraying the coalition that he relied on four years ago to defeat Republican Donald Trump. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for a look at poll from ScheerPost.

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FROM MAY 16  U.S. House votes to force weapons shipments to Israel, rebuking Biden, by Patricia Zengerle | Reuters  WASHINGTON — The Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill on Thursday that would force President Joe Biden to send weapons to Israel, seeking to rebuke the Democrat for delaying bomb shipments as he urges Israel . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 15  Interior Dept staffer becomes first Jewish Biden appointee to publicly resign over war in Gaza, by Ellen Knickmeyer | AP  WASHINGTON — An Interior Department staffer on Wednesday became the first Jewish political appointee to publicly resign in protest of U.S. support for Israel’s war in Gaza. Lily Greenberg Call, a special assistant to the chief of staff in the Interior Department, accused . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for a look at the AP report from Antiwar.com.

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FROM MAY 16  Israel’s top leaders are divided over the handling of the war in Gaza. Reported by Jackie Northam | NPR  A war of words has erupted among Israel’s top leadership over the government’s handling of the war in Gaza. The country’s military chief and prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu have been trading barbs. Click HERE to listen and read.

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

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Putin says Russia wants a buffer zone in Ukraine’s Kharkiv but has no plans to capture the city, by Illia Novikov | AP  KYIV — Russian President Vladimir Putin said today during a visit to China that Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region aims to create a buffer zone but that there are no plans to capture the city. The offensive launched May 10 opened a new front and . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine braces for heavy battles as Putin says Russia carving out ‘buffer zone.’ From Reuters. KYIV — Ukraine’s top commander warned today of “heavy battles” looming on the war’s new front in the northeasterN Kharkiv region as Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow was carving out a “buffer zone” in the area. Russian forces . . . READ MORE . . .

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Novorossiysk port, oil depot hit in overnight attack, by Abbey Fenbert | The Kyiv Independent  Drones and missiles struck an oil refinery and seaport in the Russian city of Novorossiysk in today’s early hours, causing explosions and power outages, the Russian Telegram news channel Astra reported. Local residents said they heard . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia extended front line by 70 kilometers in Kharkiv Region, Syrsky says, by Kateryna Zakharchenko | Kyiv Post  Russian troops have extended the front line of active combat operations by almost 70 kilometers in the Kharkiv region to force Ukraine to use additional brigades from the reserves, according to Ukraine’s Armed Forces (AFU) Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky. Due to complications . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia takes control of more land than Ukraine in 2023 counteroffensive — newspaper. From Tass. WASHINGTON — The Russian Armed Forces have taken control of more land in their recent operations than Ukraine regained in its 2023 counteroffensive, The Washington Post writes. The article is particularly based on . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 16  Russian President Putin makes first trip since inauguration to critical ally China. Reported by Charles Maynes and John Ruwitch | NPR  President Putin starts his first foreign trip of this new term: a two-day visit to China to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Here’s the significance of this trip and what we can expect from it. Click HERE to listen and read.

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

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Israel moves in on north Gaza Hamas stronghold, pounds Rafah without advancing, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Ari Rabinovitch | Reuters  CAIRO / JERUSALEM — Israel’s tanks pushed into the heart of Jabalia in northern Gaza today, facing anti-tank rockets and mortar bombs from militants concentrated there, while in the south, its forces pounded Rafah without advancing, Palestinian residents and militants said. READ MORE . . .

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U.S. military says Gaza Strip floating pier project is completed, aid to soon flow as Israel-Hamas war rages on, by Lolita C. Baldor | AP  WASHINGTON — Officials are poised to begin ferrying badly needed humanitarian aid into the enclave besieged over seven months of intense fighting in the Israel-Hamas war. The final, overnight construction sets up a complicated delivery process more than two months after . . . READ MORE . . .

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After Israelis mark their independence, Palestinians recall their displacement. Reported by Hadeel Al-Shalchi | NPR  After Israel marked its 76th Independence Day, Palestinians mourn what they call the ‘Nakba,” or Catastrophe, amid increasing death and displacement in Gaza.We hear voices from the West Bank.  Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM MAY 15  Williams College students dismantle their encampment and will meet with board of trustees, by Sten Spinella | The Berkshire Eagle  WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Almost two weeks after beginning a protest demanding that Williams divest its endowment investments from weapons manufacturers supplying Israel, participants on Tuesday took down their tents, having won two scheduled meetings with at least 19 college trustees. Click HERE to read article with subscription to Berkshire Eagle.

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

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Ukraine says it has checked Russia’s offensive in a key town, but Moscow says it will keep pushing, by Illia Novikov | AP  KYIV — Ukrainian units locked in street battles with the Kremlin’s forces in the key northeastern Ukraine border town of Vovchansk have halted the Russian advance, military officials in Kyiv claimed today, though a senior Moscow official said . . . READ MORE . . .

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Zelenskiy visits embattled Kharkiv region as Russia presses in border areas. From Reuters.  KYIV — President Volodymyr Zelenskiy travelled to the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv today, describing the battlefield situation in the region as “extremely difficult” but under control, as Russia . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine accuses Russia of detaining, killing civilians in Kharkiv region. From AFP. Ukraine today accused Russia of detaining and killing civilians in the border town of Vovchansk in the northeastern Kharkiv region, where Russian forces launched a ground assault last week. Interior  Minister Ihor Klymenko said . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian forces are trying to take Ukrainian village 30km from Kharkiv, says RIA. From Reuters. MOSCOW — Russian forces are preparing to try to take a village called Lyptsi located about 30 km (19 miles) north of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, according to a Russian-installed official quoted by Russia’s RIA state news agency. READ MORE . . .

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Belbek arsenal hit: Russian bomber weapons depot reportedly damaged, by Alisa Orlova | Kyiv Post  A weapons depot at the Belbek airfield, the main base of Russian military aviation in Crimea, suffered significant damage in today’s early hours, following a long-range missile attack, according to reports by Atesh partisans. The strike led to . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian cluster munition attack on Kharkiv Oblast injures 5, including Vovchansk official, by Kateryna Denisova | The Kyiv Independent  Russian forces attacked a village of Vovchansk community in Kharkiv Oblast with cluster munitions today, injuring five people, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said. Among those injured . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia, China praise dialogue as best form of settling Ukrainian crisis — statement. From Tass. BEIJING — Russia and China emphasize the importance of dialogue as the optimal form of settlement of the Ukrainian crisis while respecting the principle of indivisibility of security, according to a joint statement on deepening the partnership signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 15  Blinken ends Ukraine trip with promise of U.S. help as Russia goes back on offensive. Reported by Michele Kelemen | NPR  Secretary of State Antony Blinken ended his trip to Ukraine by promising U.S. help to push Russian troops out. But the lengthy debates in Washington over aid to Ukraine has impacted the battleground. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Biden officials raise concerns about Russian momentum – NYT. From Kyiv Post. The White House is worried that Russia has figured out how to counter many of the weapons the U.S. has sent to Ukraine, the New York Timesreported on Tuesday, citing American officials. Biden administration . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 14  Red Square tank speaks volumes of Russia’s growing shortages of military equipment, by James Brooke | The Berkshire Eagle  A lone World War II-era T-34 tank clanked across the cobblestones of Moscow’s Red Square on May 9, passing a triumphant banner proclaiming “1945 2024 Victory!” It begged the question: Where are the others? Click HERE to read with Berkshire Eagle subscription.

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

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Fighting intensifies between Israel and Hamas-led militants in north and south Gaza, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi | Reuters  CAIRO — Gun battles between Israel and militants from Hamas, Islamic Jihad and smaller Palestinian factions intensified overnight into some of the fiercest in months in both northern and southern Gaza, both sides said today. Israeli tanks . . . READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  Gaxa fighting worsens, Israel asks why armed men at UN site, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi and James Mackenzie | Reuters  CAIRO / JERUSALEM — Israeli troops battled militants across Gaza today, including in the southern city of Rafah that had been a refuge for civilians, in an upsurge of the war. Antagonism between Israel and the United Nations worsened as the Israeli army sought an explanation for . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 14  Biden administration is moving ahead on $1 billion arms package for Israel, AP sources say, by Seung Min Kim, Ellen Kickmeyer and Zeke Miller | AP  WASHINGTON — The Biden administration has told key lawmakers it is sending a new package of more than $1 billion in arms and ammunition to Israel, two congressional aides said Tuesday. The administration . . . READ MORE . . .

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Palestinians across the Middle East mark their original ‘catastrophe’ with eyes on the war in Gaza, by Joseph Krauss, Abby Sewell and Samy Magdy | AP  JERUSALEM — Palestinians across the Middle East today are marking the anniversary of their mass expulsion from what is now Israel with protests and other events at a time of mounting concern over the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. The Nakba, Arabic for “catastrophe,” . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 14  Hospitals in Gaza are near collapse despite protections under international law. Reported by Juana Summers, Sarah Handel and Jonaki Mehta | NPR  Juana Summers talks with Leonard Rubenstein of Johns Hopkins University about the unprecedented Israeli attacks on hospitals in Gaza, and what international law could do to protect them. Click HERE to listen and, later, read

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FROM MAY 12  Israel ‘has gone to war against the entire Palestinian people’: Sanders, by Olivia Rosane | Common Dreams / ScheerPost   “Any objective observer knows,” independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders said Sunday, “Israel has broken international law, it has broken American law, and, in my view, Israel should not be receiving another nickel in U.S. military aid.” This was in response to a U.S. State Department report released Friday. READ MORE . . .

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

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Blinken announces $2 bn aid to Ukraine, affirms Kyiv’s right to decide on striking targets within Russia. From Kyiv Post. In day two of a visit to Kyiv, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken today announced the release of a further $2 billion in military aid for Ukraine, part of a larger $61 billion package. Addressing the contentious issue of strikes on Russian territory, Blinken said . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia claims advances on 2 fronts during Blinken visit to Kyiv, by Stanislav Doshchitsyn | AFP  Russia said today its forces had pushed deeper into the Kharkiv region and also captured the symbolic town of Robotyne further south, one of the only prizes of Ukraine’s underwhelming counteroffensive last summer. Moscow’s advances on two fronts point to the critical shortages . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukrainian troops pull out of some areas and Zelenskyy postpones foreign trips amid Russian offensive, by Matthew Lee and Illia Novikov | AP  KYIV — Ukrainian forces withdrew from some areas of the country’s east and battled Russian troops in others today, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy postponed all his upcoming foreign trips. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in Ukraine, sought to reassure the ally of continuing American support, announcing a $2 billion arms deal — most . . . READ MORE . . .

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Zelenskiy postpones foreign travel, Russian infantry enters Ukraine border town, by Yuliia Dysa and Tom Balmforth | Reuters  KYIV —President Volodymyr Zelenskiy postponed all foreign travel as the battlefield situation continued to deteriorate today and Kyiv said Russian infantry had entered the northeastern border town of Vovchansk in Kharkiv region. The capture of the town would be Russia’s . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia says downed Ukrainian drones, ATACMS missiles. From the Moscow Times. Russian air defense systems have intercepted dozens of Ukrainian drones and U.S.-supplied ATACMS missiles overnight and early this morning, Russia’s Defense Ministry said. The attacks caused . . . READ MORE . . .

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General Staff: Russian forces ‘partially pushed out’ from Vovchansk, by Martin Fornusek and news desk | The Kyiv Independent  Ukrainian forces repelled Russian attacks in the Vovchansk direction in Kharkiv Oblast and “partially pushed out enemy forces from the town,” the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces said today. The Defense Ministry said earlier today that . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian air defenses down several projectiles near Sevastopol, Belbek airfield. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian air defenses have downed several projectiles over the sea near Sevastopol and near the Belbek airfield, the city’s Governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 14  Blinken tells Ukraine U.S. aid will make a difference against Russia’s offensive. Reported by Joanna Kakissis | NPR  KYIV, Ukraine — In an unannounced visit to the Ukrainian capital, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said part of a U.S. aid package has arrived and more is on it way, which will “make a real difference” against Russia’s offensive. Click HERE for article and audio of related interview.

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FROM MAY 10  Countdown begins for Russia’s summer offensive, by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline  Receiving bad news activates the desire to make sense of chance processes, and in turn, activating this desire enhances the tendency to dislike bearers of bad news. In the current churning around the Ukraine war . . . READ MORE . . .