For today, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, and National Public Radio, followed by commentary from Consortium News and, via CN, from Medium; other articles are accessible by clicking on their sources’ names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for today, so far, is HERE.) — MCM

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Hezbollah fires rockets at Israel in ‘initial response’ to killing of top leader from allied Hamas, by Bassem Mroue, Samy Magdy and Najib Jobain | AP  BEIRUT — Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia fired dozens of rockets at northern Israel today, warning that the barrage was its initial\l response to the targeted killing, presumably by Israel, of a top leader from the allied Hamas group in Lebanon’s capital earlier this week. The attack came a day after . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel, Hezbollah exchange fire across Lebanon border amid alarm over Gaza war spillover, by Ari Rabinovitch, Maya Gebeily and Simon Lewis | Reuters  JERUSALEM / BEIRUT — Lebanon’s Iranian-backed Hezbollah group said today it had fired rockets at Israel and its arch-foe said it had struck a “terrorist cell” in retaliation, as top U.S. and EU diplomats visited the region to seek ways to halt spillover from the war. Shortly after rocket sirens sounded across northern Israel, the . . . READ MORE . . .

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Women in Gaza are desperately in need of washrooms, privacy and pads. Reported by AYA BATRAWY | NPR  Hundreds of thousands of displaced women in Gaza are not only struggling to survive Israeli bombardment, but also have to contend with private struggles trying to find washrooms and pads. Click HERE to listen and read.

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How Israel leverages genocide with Hamas ‘massacres,’ by Gareth Porter | Consortium News  In the days after Hamas entered Israeli kibbutzim near Gaza on Oct. 7,  foreign press accounts of what happened have broadly reflected the Israeli interpretation of events of the deliberate slaughter and dismemberment of innocent civilians by Hamas fighters. A reconstruction of . . . READ MORE . . .

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South Africa emerges as moral giant on Gaza, by John Wight | Medium | Consortium News  The collective West will forever stand disgraced and exposed due to its blind support of Israel’s genocidal slaughte  of Palestinian civilians in Gaza since Oct. 7. What passes for governance in Washington, Berlin, Paris, London et al. has forced us all to bear witness to infanticide, high crimes and war crimes without end these past few months. Said . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links reports from the Kyiv Independent, the Kyiv Post, Agence France-Presse, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (GAZA entry for this date, so far, is HERE.) — MCM

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Ukraine military reports striking Russian arsenals in Crimea, cross-border raid inside Russia, by Alexander Khrebet and news desk | The Kyiv Independent  Ukrainian forces of the military intelligence agency, HUR, reported on Friday that its forces engaged in a cross-border raid on Russian positions in Belgorod Oblast and inflicted . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine’s air force confirms successful strike on Saky Airfield in occupied Crimea. From Kyiv Post. Ukraine’s pilots destroyed the control point of the Russian military at the Saky airfield, located in the occupied Crimea. Mykola Oleshchuk, Ukraine’s Air Force commander, has confirmed the successful strike. Reports of explosions in occupied Crimea, particularly in the area around the Saky airfield.  emerged . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia says downed 4 Ukrainian missiles over annexed Crimea. From AFP. Russia today said its military shot down four Ukrainian missiles over annexed Crimea overnight. The attack came a day after Moscow said it repelled a Ukrainian drone attack on Crimea, downing 36 of the . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian air defenses down Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopter in Kherson Region. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian air defense systems shot down an Mi-8 helicopter of the Ukrainian Air Force near the settlement of Tyaginka in the Kherson Region and intercepted four enemy cruise missiles over the past 24 hours, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. The ministry also said four cruise missiles and . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia curbs UN access at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. From AFP.  Russia confirmed Friday it had blocked the UN’s nuclear watchdog from accessing parts of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia power plant, but said the restrictions were for safety reasons. Officials from the International Atomic Energy Agency have been on the ground monitoring the plant since . . . READ MORE . . .

For now, links to reports from Reuters, the Associated Press, National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date, so far, is HERE.) — MCM

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Israeli defence minister outlines new phase in Gaza war, by James Mackenzie | Reuters  Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Thursday outlined Israel’s plans for the next phase of its assault on the besieged Gaza Strip and future scenarios for the day after the war ends. “In the northern region of the Gaza strip, we will . . . READ MORE . . .

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Hamas loses a leader in Lebanon but holds on in Gaza. From AP.  Israel appears far from achieving its goals of crushing Hamas and freeing an estimated 129 hostages still held in Gaza nearly three months after the group’s surprise cross-border attack and the Israeli government’s declaration of war. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says . . . READ MORE . . .

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What it was like at the burial of senior Hamas official and fighters in Beirut. Reported by Jane Arraf | NPR  In Beirut, thousands attend the funeral of the top Hamas official, assassinated in what some claim was an Israeli drone strike. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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TO BE CONTINUED

For now, links to reports from the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, Reuters, Tass, National Public Radio, and the Kyiv Independent, followed by commentary from the Washington Post published last week; other articles are accessible by clicking on their sources’ names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date, so far, is HERE.) — MCM

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NEWER  Ukraine unleashes more drones and missiles at Russian areas as part of its new year strategy. From AP. Russian air defenses downed dozens of Ukrainian drones in occupied Crimea and southern Russia today, officials said, as Kyiv pressed its strategy of targeting the Moscow-annexed peninsula and taking the 22-month war well beyond Ukraine’s borders. Air raid sirens . . . READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  Russia offers to move border city residents after shelling. From AFP. Russia’s Belgorod region bordering Ukraine offered to move some residents from its capital to safety today, after Kyiv’s forces pounded the city with intense bouts of shelling. The offer came a day after overnight shelling wounded at least two people and knocked out glass from high-rise . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia has used North Korean ballistic missiles in Ukraine and is seeking Iranian missiles, U.S. says, by Colleen Long and Aamer Madhani | AP  WASHINGTON — U.S. intelligence officials have determined that Russia has acquired ballistic missiles from North Korea and is seeking close-range ballistic missiles from Iran as Moscow struggles to replenish supplies for its war with Ukraine, the White House said Thursday. Recently declassified . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukrainian embassy in Italy slams planned conference on ‘Mariupol’s rebirth’. From Reuters. ROME — The Ukrainian embassy in Italy asked the city of Modena on Thursday to withdraw its approval for the use of a civic hall to host an event about Russia’s reconstruction of the war-wrecked city of Mariupol. Mariupol, a port city on the Sea of Azov in southern Ukraine, was the scene . . . READ MORE . . .

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Air defense systems take down Neptune anti-ship missile over northwestern Black Sea. From Tass. MOSCOW — Air defense systems today eliminated a Neptune anti-ship missile over the northwestern part of the Black Sea, the Russian Defense Ministry said. “An attempt by the Kiev regime was thwarted to carry out a terror attack on targets in the Russian Federation with the use of . . . READ MORE . . .

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How the fight in Congress over U.S. aid to Ukraine impacts Ukrainian soldiers. Leila Fadel of NPR talks with Ukrainian colonel and lawmaker Roman Kostenko about the realities his country faces on the battlefield as it continues to wait for funding from the U.S. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM JAN. 4  Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.S. outlines consequences if Western funds end. Reported by Erika Ryan, Christopher Intagliata and Mary Louise Kelly | NPR  Oksana Markarova, Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States, talks with NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly about the latest development in the war with Russia. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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10 Ukrainian books about Russia’s war available in English, by Kate Tsurkan | The Kyiv Independent  Ukraine’s authors should have been able to dedicate their lives to honing their craft. Instead, many of them have stepped up to contribute to the war effort and fight back against Russian aggression. Like . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JAN. 1  Russia’s deadly new salvos challenge Congress to respond. The Washington Post. The Soviet Union designed the S-300, a mobile, surface-to-air defense weapons system, during the Cold War to hit incoming U.S. bombers or ballistic missiles. An S-300 can fire a projectile with a 293-pound high-explosive warhead, capable of stopping targets moving at more than 2,600 miles per hour. On Friday [Dec. 29], Russia unleashed 14 of these deadly devices, not defensively against airplanes or missiles, but . . . READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED

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

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Gaza’s child amputees face further risks without expert care, by Arafat Barbakh, Maggie Fick and Emma Farge | Reuters  KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza — In bombed-out Gaza, a generation of child amputees is emerging as Israel’s retaliatory blitz after Hamas’ deadly Oct. 7 attacks has led to blast and crush injuries as explosive weapons tear through densely-packed high-rise housing blocks. Israeli authorities . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel’s Mossad chief vows to hunt down Hamas members a day after senior figure killed in strike, by Fadi Tawil, Tia Goldenberger and Sami Magdy | AP  JERUSALEM — The chief of Israel’s Mossad intelligence service vowed Wednesday that the agency would hunt down every Hamas member involved in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, no matter where they are. His . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JAN. 3  Protesters took over the streets in West Bank after the killing of Hamas official. Reported by Carrie Kahn | NPR  Palestinians condemned the killing of Hamas’s second in command in Lebanon Tuesday night. Hundreds took to the streets and shut down stores in the West Bank in protest. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM JAN. 1  The U.S. and Israel: An embrace shows signs of strain after Oct. 7, by Peter Baker, Edward Wong, Julian E. Barnes and Isabel Kershner | The New York Times  WASHINGTON — U.S. President Joe Biden was getting ready to leave the White House for an audacious flight to Israel to demonstrate solidarity after Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attack when suddenly the trip seemed to be falling apart before it even began. An explosion at a Gaza Strip hospital had . . . READ MORE . . .

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What will it take for Israel to affirm mission accomplished in Gaza, and end the war? Reported by Daniel Estrin | NPR  What will it take politically and militarily, for Israel to declare victory and end the war in Gaza? There is growing debate in Israel about what kind of victory is even achievable. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

For today, links to reports from Reuters, the Associated Press, the Moscow Times, and Tass, followed by a link to commentary from Indian Punchline; other articles are accessible by clicking on their sources’ names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date, so far, is HERE.) — MCM

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Putin offers citizenship to foreigners who fight for Russia. From Reuters. President Vladimir Putin issued a decree today allowing foreign nationals who fight for Russia in Ukraine to obtain Russian citizenship for themselves and their families. The order said people who have signed contracts during . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia and Ukraine exchange hundreds of prisoners of war in biggest release so far. From AP. Russia and Ukraine on Wednesday exchanged hundreds of prisoners of war in the biggest single release of captives since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. Ukrainian authorities said 230 Ukrainian prisoners of war returned home in the first exchange in almost five months. Russia’s Defense Ministry said that 248 Russian servicemen . . . READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  Ukraine says destroyed Russian warplane in Ural Mountains. From the Moscow Times.  Ukraine’s GUR military intelligence said today it had destroyed a Russian Su-34 fighter bomber deep inside Russian territory. Video published on the . . . READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  Ukrainian troops shell Belgorod with Olkha MLRS. From Tass. MOSCOW — Ukrainian troops have shelled the city of Belgorod using an Olkha multiple launch rocket system, damaging 20 private residences, six apartments, 12 economic infrastructure facilities and 13 vehicles, regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said. “Twenty private residential buildings sustained various types of damage, six apartments in apartment buildings, and 12 economic infrastructure facilities. Also . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM DEC. 29  Putin lifts the fog of war, by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline  Russia has gained the upper hand in the proxy war while the United States is struggling to recreate a new narrative. For Putin, this is a moment of triumph where he has no reason to take advantage of the fog of war in Ukraine, whereas, for President Biden, the . . . READ MORE . . .

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

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A Hamas leader is killed in an explosion in Beirut. Reported by Jane Arraf | NPR  AMMAN, Jordan — A senior official of the Palestinian militant group Hamas has been killed in what it believes to be an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon’s capital of Beirut, according to Hamas media networks. Saleh Arouri was one of the founders of Hamas’ military wing and a deputy chief of the group’s . . . Click HERE to listen and read.

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Gaza war extends into Beirut with killing of a Hamas leader, by Laila Bassam, Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Arafat Barbakh | Reuters  BEIRUT / CAIRO / GAZA — Israeli forces intensified their bombing of the Gaza Strip today and told civilians to leave a refugee camp in the north of the Palestinian enclave after the war stretched into Lebanon with the killing in Beirut of the Hamas deputy leader. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied that it killed Saleh al-Arouri in a drone strike in the Lebanese capital on Tuesday. But . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel on alert for possible Hezbollah response after senior Hamas leader is killed in Beirut strike, by Fadi Tawil and Samy Magdy | AP  BEIRUT — Israel was on high alert for an escalation with Hezbollah today after Saleh Arouri, one of the top leaders of the Palestinian Hamas, was killed in a strike in Beirut that was widely blamed on Israel and heightened the risk of a broader Middle East conflict. The strike in Hezbollah’s southern Beirut stronghold could . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel minister slams U.S. for condemning call for mass exodus of Gazans. From AFP.  Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has hit back at ally the United States over its criticism of his push for the transfer of Gazans out of the Palestinian territory. “The United States is . . . READ MORE . . .

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

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Russia says Ukraine attacks Belgorod region again with missiles and drones. From Reuters. Ukraine launched 12 missiles and several drones early today on Russia’s southern region of Belgorod, Russia’s defense ministry and local authorities said. There was no word of any casualties. Russia says 25 civilians including five children were killed Saturday in Ukrainian attacks on the region. READ MORE . . .

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Russia says its forces destroyed more than 50 Ukrainian servicemen in Kherson area. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian troops have destroyed more than Ukrainian 50 servicemen in the Kherson area over the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said. “Units of the battlegroup Dnepr, acting in cooperation with artillery, hit . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine is targeting Russian border regions, seeking to disrupt life and embarrass Putin. From AP. Russia said today it shot down 12 missiles fired at one of its southern regions bordering Ukraine, as Kyiv’s forces seek to embarrass the Kremlin and puncture President Vladimir Putin’s argument that life is going on as normal despite the 22-month war. The border city of Belgorod . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia shifts missile strikes from energy sector to military facilities — British Intel. From Kyiv Post. According to British intelligence reports, Russia has altered its strategy for large-scale strikes against Ukraine, shifting its focus from the energy sector to the defense industry. “Russian planners . . . READ MORE . . .

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

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Thousands of Israeli troops pulled from Gaza as combat focuses on Khan Younis. Steve Inskeep of NPR talks with ex-Middle East envoy Dennis Ross, of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, about Israel’s next steps after its decision to pull thousands of troops out of Gaza. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Fighting between Hamas and Israel rages on, Palestinian death toll passes 22,000, by Dan Williams, Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Arafat Barbakh | Reuters  JERUSALEM / CAIRO / GAZA — Israel said today its troops had killed dozens of militants in the north of the Gaza Strip in the past day, while its aircraft and tanks stepped up strikes in the south of the Palestinian enclave. Residents said heavy fighting was also raging in central areas, citing shelling by Israeli tanks of . . . READ MORE . . .

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Hamas chief says Israeli hostages to be released only under group’s ‘terms.’ From AFP. Talks are underway for the release of a dozen hostages held by Hamas, including six Americans, in return for a three-day ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, a source close to Hamas claims. “Talks revolve around . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel says it will defend itself against genocide accusations at world court filed by South Africa, by Wafaa Shurafa, Samy Magdy and Melanie Lidman | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — An Israeli official says Israel will defend itself against genocide accusations filed by South Africa with the world court. Eylon Levy, an official in the Israeli prime minister’s office, today accused South Africa of “giving political and legal cover” to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack . . . READ MORE . . .

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Palestinians in Lebanon’s Shatila camp share their feelings about the war in Gaza.Reported by Jane Arraf | NPR  In 1982, local militias allied with Israel killed hundreds in Lebanon’s Shatila camp. While much has changed in the camp in the last four decades, Palestinians still hold the memory. Click HERE to listen and read.

For today, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, Tass, and National Public Radio, followed by a link, via Popular Resistance, to commentary published in late December by Canadian Dimension; other articles are accessible by clicking on their sources’ names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date, so far, is HERE.) — MCM

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Russian missiles hit Ukrainian cities, killing 5 and injuring more than 100, Kyiv officials say, by Illia Novikov and Hanna Arhirova | AP  KYIV — Ukraine’s two largest cities came under attack today from Russian missiles that killed at least five people and injured more than 100, officials said. Four civilians were killed and 92 injured in the capital of Kyiv, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi claimed air defenses . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia pounds Ukraine with missiles and drones, five dead, by Olena Harmash and Tom Balmforth | Reuters  KYIV — Russia fired scores of missiles and drones at the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and the northeastern city of Kharkiv today, killing at least five civilians, wounding dozens and causing widespread damage, officials said. The third successive day of air strikes on Ukraine followed a warning by President Vladimir Putin on Monday that . . . READ MORE . . .

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Kyiv is in mourning after Russia’s large-scale aerial attack across Ukraine on Friday. Reported by Elissa Nadworny | NPR  Residents of Kyiv try and pick up the pieces of their lives once again following a weekend of missile attacks. Friday was the deadliest day for civilians in the city since the war began, killing 28. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Russian air defenses down 17 Olkha rockets over Belgorod Region — Defense Ministry. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian air defenses today destroyed 17 Olkha rockets over the Belgorod Region, the Defense Ministry said. Later Russian air defense destroyed five more Ukrainian Olkha rockets over the region. According to . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM DEC. 30, 2023. Next year in Ukraine, expect the unexpected, by Paul Robinson | Canadian Dimension / Popular Resistance  “No other activity is so continuously or universally bound up with chance,” wrote the great Prussian strategist Carl von Clausewitz in his book On War. To Clausewitz, war resembled a “game of cards,” full of uncertainty. Endless little things (“friction” in Clausewitz’s terminology) interfered in the best laid plans, rendering them null and void. There’s one . . . READ MORE . . .