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

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Zelenskyy hosts Western leaders in Kyiv as Ukraine marks 2 years since Russia’s full-scale invasion, by Susie Blann | AP  KYIV — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed Western leaders to Kyiv today to mark the second anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion, as Ukrainian forces run low on ammunition and weaponry and foreign aid hangs in the balance. He posted a video from the Hostomel airfield together with several European Union leaders, saying . . . READ MORE . . .

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European leaders in Kyiv pledge to back Ukraine on war anniversary, by Olena Harmash and Angelo Amante | Reuters  KYIV — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen vowed that Europe would back Ukraine until it was “finally free” as she and three other Western leaders arrived in Kyiv to show solidarity. The prime ministers of Italy, Canada and Belgium — Giorgia Meloni, Justin Trudeau and Alexander De Croo . . . READ MORE . . .

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What lies ahead after two years of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Reported by Scott Simon, Charles Maynes and Joanna Kakissis | NPR  When Russia invaded Ukraine, it expected a quick fight, like its 2014 annexation of Crimea. Two years in, the war grinds on. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Ukraine claims drone strike on major Russian steel plant. From the Moscow Times. Ukraine said today it hit one of Russia’s largest steel plants with a drone strike on the second anniversary of Moscow launching its invasion. Russia reported a fire in the huge Novolipetsk factory in the western Lipetsk region, with images showing a huge . . . READ MORE . . .

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Kiev loses 425 troops near Avdeyevka over past day — Russia’s top brass. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian forces struck Ukrainian army units near Avdeyevka in the Donetsk People’s Republic, killing and wounding roughly 425 enemy personnel over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry said today in a bulletin. Details of this and other combat actions that happened over the past week . . .READ MORE . . .

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Generation of fire: Young Ukrainians forced to survive first, plan for future later, by Kate Tsurkan | The Kyiv Independent  “The past two years have flown by. It’s hard to keep up with everything that has happened,” said Larysa, 18, who has been living in Vienna, “so . . . READ MORE . . .

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What Feb, 24, 2022, means for us – Tsikhanouskaya, Kasparov, Aslund, Kurkov. From Kyiv Post. Prominent political, business and military people, analysts and journalists have shared their thoughts on what this somber date means for them and for all of us. The Post published four others’ views yesterday.  SVIATLANA TSIKHANOUSKAYA: “On Feb. 24, 2022, we entered a new reality. Illusions that . . . READ MORE . . .

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The U.S.’s role in conflicts abroad is coming under debate in American politics. Scott Simon of NPR talks with Stephen Walt, a foreign policy expert at Harvard University, about engaging abroad versus staying on the sidelines. It’s a debate roiling American politics. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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

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Netanyahu seeks open-ended control over security and civilian affairs in Gaza in new postwar plan, by Wafaa Shurafa and Bassem Mroue | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israel seeks open-ended control over security and civilian affairs in the Gaza Strip, according to a long awaited postwar plan by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It was swiftly rejected today by Palestinian leaders and runs counter to Washington’s vision for the war-ravaged enclave. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel’s Netanyahu presents first official post-Gaza war plan. From Reuters. JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has presented a “day after” plan for Gaza, his first official proposal for when the war in the Hamas-run Palestinian territory ends. According to the document, presented to members of Israel’s security cabinet on Thursday, Israel would . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel plans to build 3,300 new settlement homes. It says it’s a response to a Palestinian attack, by Julia Frankel | AP  JERUSALEM — Israel plans to build more than 3,300 new homes in settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank in response to a fatal Palestinian shooting attack, a senior Cabinet minister, Bezalel Smotrich, said late Thursday. The decision is bound to . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM FEB. 21  Rape and sexual assault took place during Hamas attack, Israeli association says, by Melanie Lidman | AP  TEL AVIV — The Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel on Wednesday said it has found evidence of “systematic and intentional” rape and sexual abuse during the Hamas attack on Oct. 7 that ignited the war in Gaza. The report said the attacks were more widespread . . . READ MORE . . .

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Hamas says it is awaiting new truce proposal from mediators’ talks with Israel, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Bassam Masoud | Reuters  Hamas wrapped up ceasefire talks in Cairo and is now waiting to see what mediators bring back from weekend talks with Israel, an official from the terrorist group said today, in what . . . READ MORE . . .

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UN rights chief deplores ‘entrenched impunity’ in Israel-Hamas war. From Reuters.  The United Nations human rights chief, Volker Turk, said today that perpetrators of gross human rights violations in the conflict between Israel and Hamas must be held accountable. “The entrenched impunity that OHCHR [the UN rights agency] has reported on for many years cannot . . . READ MORE . . .

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

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Biden slaps sanctions on 500 targets involved in Russia ‘war machine,‘ by Beiyi Seow | AFP  U.S. President Joe Biden today announced sanctions on more than 500 targets in Russia on the second anniversary of the Ukraine invasion. The sanctions, described by the Treasury Department as . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian drone strike on Ukrainian regions kills four, Kyiv says. From Reuters. KYIV — Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian regions in the south and east killed four people overnight and damaged residential and commercial buildings, officials said today. Ukrainian air defences shot down 23 out of . . . READ MORE . . .

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Kremlin follows up Medvedev call for Odesa to rejoin Russia with drone strike killing three, by Stefan Korshak | Kyiv Post  Former Russian president Dmitriy Medvedev on Thursday said all Russians love the Ukrainian city of Odesa and hope and pray for its return to the Russian fold. Later the Kremli hit the Black Sea port with kamikaze drones, killing three residents including a child. Medvedev is currently deputy head of the ARussia’s National Security Council. READ MORE . . .

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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is in Ukraine to meet Zelenskyy as U.S. aid hangs in the balance, by Mary Clark Jalonik | AP  WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is in Ukraine today to try to reassure President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other officials that Congress will deliver another round of U.S. aid, even as a package that would provide $60 billion is stalled in the U.S. House. Schumer’s surprise trip . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM FEB. 22  ‘Our reserves will run out:’ Ukrainian artillery sounds alarm on Western shell shortage, by Francis Farrell | The Kyiv Independent  DONETSK OBLAST – Over winter, Russian forces have been on the offensive in the area, pushing past the ruined Bakhmut towards the Ukrainian stronghold of Chasiv Yar. Assaults on Ukrainian positions are carried out on a daily basis, but the shells lined up in the storage racks of a U.S.-built . . . READ MORE . . .

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Emboldened in Ukraine, Russia marks patriotic holiday.  From AFP. President Vladimir Putin today hailed Russia’s “heroes” fighting in Ukraine on the eve of the second anniversary of the Kremlin’s offensive, with Moscow bolstered by gains against ammunition-starved Ukrainian troops. His message came on Russia’s Defender of the Fatherland Day patriotic holiday, which . . .READ MORE . . .

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Putin will continue destruction if he ‘does not pay the price’: Biden.  From AFP. U.S. President Joe Biden said today that fresh sanctions imposed on Russia will force President Vladimir Putin to pay “an even steeper price” for his war in Ukraine and the death in prison of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. “They will . . . READ MORE . . .

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As Russian troops advance, Kharkiv residents are determined to stay in the city. Reported by Joanna Kakissis | NPR  Two years since Russia’s invasion, the Ukrainian border city of Kharkiv prepares for a long war by building entire school systems underground. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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What Feb. 24, 2022, means for us – Garton Ash, Dickinson, Bociurkiw, Hodges. From Kyiv Post. In connection with the second anniversary of Russia launching its all-out war against Ukraine, we have invited a number of prominent political, business and military people, analysts and journalists, to share their thoughts on what this somber date means for them and for all of us. Here is the first group. READ MORE . . .

For today, links to a report and two discussions, all from Consortium News, and to an article from ScheerPost; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (UKRAINE and GAZA entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) – MCM

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U.S. reinforces grand Assange deception, by Joe Lauria | Special to Consortium News  On the second and final day of Julian Assange’s High Court hearing, barristers for the United States wove a delusory tale in which journalism is espionage, First Amendment rights are stripped from foreigners on U.S. soil and a government hunting a dissident journalist who revealed its secret crimes is lauded as a beacon of democracy. However, . . . READ MORE . . .

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Watch: Reporters’ roundtable on Assange Day 2. Taylor Hudak of AcTVism Munich hosts Matt Kennard, journalist at Declassified UK; Dustin Hoffman, parliamentary assistant at the European Parliament; Richard Medhurst, independent journalist and commentator; Professor Richard Werner, economy at Linacre College, Oxford University; and journalist Mohamed Elmaazi, to discuss Julian Assange’s hearing at Britain’s Supreme Court on Wednesday. Click HERE to watch and listen.

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Watch: CN Live! — ‘Assange’s last stand?’ Joe Lauria and Elizabeth Vos of Consortium News are joined by journalist Chris Hedges, The Duran editor Alexander Mercouris, and CN Live! executive producer Cathy Vogan on Thursday to discuss Julian Assange’s two-day hearing at the High Court. (Former UK diplomat Craig Murray, originally scheduled to take part, was unable to.) Click HERE to watch and listen.

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Julian Assange’s grand inquisitor, by Chris Hedges | Original to ScheerPost  LONDON — The prosecution for the U.S., which is seeking to deny Julian Assange’s appeal of an extradition order, begun by the Trump administration and embraced by the Biden administration, grounded its arguments on Wednesday in the dubious affidavits filed by a U.S. federal prosecutor in the Eastern District of Virginia, Gordon Kromberg. READ MORE . . .

 

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

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An attempt by UK lawmakers to vote on a cease-fire in Gaza descended into chaos, by Jill Lawless | AP  LONDON — UK lawmakers called Wednesday for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war — but only after dozens walked out of the House of Commons in protest at how the vote was handled. Lawmakers had been debating three separate resolutions related to . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel hits Gaza’s Rafah; Hamas chief’s trip raises truce hopes, by Ibraheem Abu Mustafa, Nidal Al-Mughrabi andDan Williams | Reuters  RAFAH, Gaza Strip / CAIRO / JERUSALEM — Israeli bombs on Rafah flattened a mosque and destroyed homes in what residents called one of their worst nights yet, while the Hamas chief was in Cairo for talks Gazans hope could bring a truce in time to head off a full-blown assault on the city. READ MORE . . .

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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