For today, links to reports from Tass, the Associated Press, Reuters, the Moscow Times, and Agence-France-Presse; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. — MCM

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Iran’s supports peace initiatives on Ukraine. From Tass. DUBAI — The Iranian authorities welcome all initiatives aimed at political settlement of the Ukrainian conflict, including the relevant talks planned in Saudi Arabia, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanani Chafi says. On Saturday, the Wall Street Journal quoted sources as saying that Saudi Arabia plans to hold peace talks on Ukraine in Jeddah on Aug. 5 and 6. According to the newspaper, key officials from 30 countries will attend the meeting. Russia has not been invited. The EU, the UK, Poland and South Africa have confirmed their participation, and White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan is also expected . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian ballistic missile strikes kill at least 5 people in Zelenskyy’s hometown in central Ukraine, by Felipe Dana | AP  KYIV — Russian ballistic missiles slammed into an apartment complex and a university building in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih today, killing five people and wounding 64 others as the blasts trapped residents beneath rubble, Ukrainian officials said. One of the two missiles destroyed a section of the apartment building between the fourth and ninth floors . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine reports fierce fighting in northeast. From Reuters.  A senior Ukrainian official reported heavy fighting in the northeast of the country on Sunday, with Kyiv’s forces holding their lines and making gains in some areas. Russia’s military said it had halted Ukrainian forces in . . . READ MORE . . .

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4 killed in shelling of occupied Donetsk, Kremlin-backed authorities say. From the Moscow Times.  At least four residents of the Russian-occupied Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine were killed in Ukrainian shelling today, Kremlin-backed officials said. Three people were killed in the city of Donetsk and one in Horlivka to the north, according to . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia says has imtensified attacks in Ukraine. From AFP. Moscow has intensified strikes on Ukrainian military infrastructure in response to attacks on Russian-controlled territory, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said today. “Against the background . . . READ MORE . . .

First, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. Then, a link to commentary from the Kyiv Post. — MCM

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An overnight drone attack on Moscow injures 1 and temporarily closes an airport. From AP. Three Ukrainian drones attacked Moscow early this morning, Russian authorities said, injuring one person and prompting a temporary closure of traffic in and out of one of four airports around the Russian capital.It was the fourth such attempt at a strike on the capital region this month and the third this week, fueling . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia says it brought down three Ukrainian drones attempting to attack Moscow, by Andrew Osbornreuters  * Russia accuses Ukraine of new drone attack on Moscow * Says all three drones shot down or forced to crash * Nobody hurt, minor damage to two buildings – mayor | MOSCOW — Russia’s Defence Ministry said it had brought down three Ukrainian drones early on Sunday that had been trying to attack Moscow. The area is known for its modern high-rise towers and one of the buildings damaged was home to three Russian government ministries as well as . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia says thwarts Ukraine attack on Crimea involving 25 drones. From AFP. Moscow said today its forces had thwarted a Ukrainian attempt to attack Russia-annexed Crimea with 25 drones overnight,“Sixteen Ukrainian UAVs were destroyed by air defence fire,” the Russian defense ministry said, referring to unmanned aerial vehicles.“Another nine . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian Navy to receive 30 combat ships this year — Putin. From Tass. ST. PETERSBURG — Russia persistently builds up the might of its Navy that will receive 30 combat ships of various classes this year alone, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on the occasion of Russia’s Navy Day today. “Today Russia confidently implements its large-scale objectives of the . . . READ MORE . . .

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Solutions need to be found for Ukraine grain exports, by Timothy Ash | The Kyiv Post  Various explanations have been given as to the Russian decision to pull the plug on the Black Sea Grain Corridor deal, ranging from . . . READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

First, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, Tass, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. Then, commentary from Consortium News. — MCM

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Moscow blames Kyiv for attacks in south Russia as Kremlin forces hit Ukrainian buildings, by Felipe Dana and Jim Heintz | AP  KYIV— Russian forces today struck the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro and pounded a key village in the southeast that Ukraine claimed to have recaptured in its grinding counteroffensive, while Moscow accused Kyiv of firing two missiles at southern Russia and wounding . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine uses North Korean rockets to blast Russian forces, Financial Times reports. From Reuters. Ukrainian soldiers were observed using North Korean rockets that they said were seized by a “friendly” country before being delivered to Ukraine, the Financial Times reported today. Ukraine’s defense ministry suggested the arms were captured from the Russians, the newspaper said. READ MORE . . .

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Russian army says struck Ukraine command post in Dnipro. From AFP. Russia said today its forces struck a command post in Ukraine’s Dnipro with high-precision weapons Friday after Kyiv said a missile hit an apartment block there, wounding nine people. READ MORE . …

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Russian air defenses intercept two upgraded Ukrainian S-200 missiles – Defense Ministry. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian air defenses intercepted two S-200 air defense missiles upgraded to hit ground targets in the past 24 hours, as well as seven Storm Shadow cruise missiles and two HIMARS rockets, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Lt. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said in a briefing today  According to him . . . READ MORE . . .

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Isolated by the West, Putin hosted a summit for leaders from Africa in St. Petersburg. Reported by Scott Simon and Charles Maynes | NPR At a time of increasing isolation for Russian President Vladimir Putin on the world stage, he just concluded a summit with leaders from Africa. Click HERE to listen and, later read.

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A resident of Odesa, Ukraine, describes life amid Russian missile and drone strikes. Scott Simon of NPR speaks with a resident of Odesa, Ukraine about what the last several days — and nights — have been like, under repeated attack from Russian missiles and drones. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Requiem for NATO’s nightmare, by Scott Ritter | Consortium News Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky emerges as a tragic figure in the unfolding drama that is the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. He was asked to sacrifice the lives of his countrymen in order to be seen by the U.S. and NATO as worthy of joining their club. But when the sacrifice did not produce . . . READ MORE . . .

First, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, Tass, and the Kyiv Post; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. Then, two articles of opinion and a monologue of opinion. — MCM

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Russia says a Ukrainian drone was shot down outside Moscow. From AP. A Ukrainian drone was shot down early today outside Moscow, Russia’s defense ministry said. It was the third drone strike or attempt on the capital region this month. The Ministry said the incident took place in the Moscow Oblast, a region that surrounds but doesn’t include the city . . . READ MORE . . .

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In Ukraine, land mines left by Russian forces pose a deadly threat, by Gerry Doyle, Han Huang and Jackie Gu | Reuters  As Ukrainian forces slowly push ahead with their 2023 counteroffensive after more than a year of shifting battle lines, the country’s military and civilians face a deadly problem: land mines, potentially hundreds of thousands of them. There are new, advanced types that can . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia ‘carefully’ examining African proposals to end Ukraine conflict: Putin. From AFP. “We respect your initiatives and we are examining them carefully,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said today, the second day of a Russia-Africa summit in Saint Petersburg. “Previous mediation initiatives . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine loses 3,000 servicemen in attacks on Staromayorskoye village in Zaporozhye area. From Tass. MELITOPOL— The Ukrainian armed forces have lost more than 3,000 people in attempts to seize the village of Staromayorskoye in the Zaporozhye area since the beginning of the June offensive, Vladimir Rogov, chairman of the ‘We Are Together with Russia’ movement, said. According to him . . . READ MORE . . .

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‘Our south. Our guys,’ by Pete Shmigel | The Kyiv Post  Ukraine has taken back the village of Staromaiorske in the western Donetsk region and may have made territorial gains south of Orikhiv in western Zaporizhzhia. President Volodymyr Zelensky posted footage on Thursday showing that Ukrainian forces were inside Staromaiorske in the western Donetsk region following heavy fighting in . . . READ MORE . . .

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Who can give security guarantees to Ukraine? by Moon of Alabama | Popular Resistance / Educate!  A main question for Ukraine since it became an independent state was who or what could potentially guarantee its security. In the first years after 1991 the Ukrainian government thought that it could secure itself. It had inherited some Soviet nuclear weapons and . . . READ MORE . . .

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Opera buffa in Ukraine, by Seymour Hersh | Substack  The noisy public split in late June between Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the paramilitary Wagner Group, and Russian President Vladimir Putin captured the hearts and minds of  . . . READ MORE . . .

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No choice but to end the war. Scott Ritter speaks on the Ms. Phoepe podcast. Former U.S. Marine Corps intelligence officer, former United Nations weapons inspector and current Ukraine war pundit likens Russian President Vladimir Putin to U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt for peacetime and wartime greatness. Click HERE for 15-minute video.

First, links to reports from the Moscow Times, the Kyiv Post, Tass, Agence France-Presse, Reuters, the Associated Press, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. Next, links to two commentaries by a Washington Post columnist published around July 10 and around July 19. Then, a July 21 PBS news release about a Frontline documentary the network, followed by related July 14 commentary from the Berkshire Eagle. NOTE: This is the second of two entries today. — MCM

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Former U.S. official shares details of secret ‘track 1.5’ diplomacy with Moscow, by Cameron Manley | The Moscow Times  Secret diplomatic talks are ongoing between former senior U.S. national security officials and high-ranking members of the Kremlin, a former U.S. official directly involved in the talks has confirmed. Earlier this month, NBC first reported the existence of these back-channel discussions, which involve former U.S. officials engaging in discreet exchanges with the Kremlin, as well as a meeting with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in an effort . . . READ MORE . . .

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Odesa missile attack: One dead after yet another overnight Russia strike. From the Kyiv Post. At least one person has died in Odesa after Russia launched another overnight missile and drone attack against the Ukrainian port city. The Ukrainian military said two Kalibr missiles and eight kamikaze drones were used. Odesa’s regional governor said: “A civilian guard born in 1979 died as a result of . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia’s Battlegroup South repels attacks of Ukrainian assault groups in three directions. From Tass. MOSCOW — The units of Russia’s Battlegroup South repelled the attacks of the assault groups of the Ukrainian armed forces in the directions of Lisichansk, Aleksandr-Kalinovsk and Soledar-Artyomovsk, the head of the group’s press center Vadim Astafyev says. According to him, artillery . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia says hit Ukrainian air fields, Western arms storage sites. From AFP. Russian forces struck “airfields, control and deployment centres of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, assembly shops and storage sites for naval drones as well as for missiles, weapons and military equipment received from European countries and the United States,” the defence ministry said today. READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine counteroffensive is moving, U.S. says while pledging support, by Trevor Hunnicutt and Kanishka Singh | Reuters  WASHINGTON — Ukraine’s counteroffensive is “not a stalemate” even if it is not progressing fast enough, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said on Wednesday. He said Washington would “make sure that they [Ukrainians] have the kinds of tools and capabilities they need to . . . READ MORE . . .

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Bluffing or not, Putin’s declared deployment of nuclear weapons to Belarus raises tensions. From AP. Sometime this summer, if President Vladimir Putin can be believed, Russia moved some of its short-range nuclear weapons into Belarus, closer to Ukraine and onto NATO’s doorstep. The declared deployment of the Russian weapons on the territory of its neighbor and loyal ally . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian journalist Mikhail Zygar discusses Putin, Zelenskyy and the war in Ukraine. Leila Fadel  of NPR speaks with Russian journalist Mikhail Zygar about his book on Putin, Zelenskyy and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Amid promising signs in Ukraine, uncertainties abound, by David Ignatius | The Washington Post  The NATO alliance is stronger than ever before; its ally Ukraine is slowly advancing on the battlefield and receiving more weapons every week; and Russia is in disarray at home. Yet . . . READ MORE . . .

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The West feels gloomy about Ukraine. Here’s why it shouldn’t, by David Ignatius | The Washington Post  A gloomy mood has been gathering this summer about the war. Partly, it’s a matter of perceptions: The Ukrainian counteroffensive . . . READ MORE . . .

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Documenting the siege of Mariupol. A news release from PBS. Now playing in select theaters and coming to PBS this fall, “20 Days in Mariupol” is an unflinching, first-hand account of the early days of Russia’s invasion of the port city of Mariupol, which remains under Russian occupation to this day. Ukrainian-born director and journalist Mstyslav Chernov and his colleagues from the Associated Press were . . . READ MORE . . .

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An unflinching look at seemingly endless suffering in Ukraine, by Leonard Quart | The Berkshire Eagle  This month, Frontline is showing “20 Days in Mariupol” on PBS. Mstyslav Chernov — a Ukrainian videographer, photographer, photojournalist, filmmaker, war correspondent and novelist — directed the documentary that traces the Russian siege of the port city of Mariupol that began in March 2022 in all its horrifically violent and intimate detail. Mariupol is . . . READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED

Links to two articles of commentary from Consortium News. The first is excerpted from its author’s forthcoming book. The second was first published on July 19 by Declassified UK.  NOTE: This is the first of two entries today. — MCM

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The U.S. press, spooks, and the Senate’s Church committee, by Patrick Lawrence | Consortium News  On Jan. 9, 1953, the Washington Post published an editorial we can read all these years later as a murmur amid silence. It was a blunt worry about what the Central Intelligence Agency, five years old at the time, was getting up to. On page 20 of that day’s editions, the newspaper stood with the objectors, viewing the agency’s activities as “incompatible with a democracy.” Dead quiet followed. Nothing more was published on the topic. READ MORE . . .

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BP’s wars, coups & dictators, by Mark Curtis | Declassified UK / Consortium News Declassified recently revealed that BP has pumped Iraqi oil worth £15 billion since the U.K. and U.S. militaries invaded the country in 2003. Governments in London and Washington long denied the Iraq war was about oil. Yet BP returned to the country in 2009 after a 35-year absence and was awarded a significant interest in Iraq’s largest oil field. Something similar happened in Libya following another U.K. military intervention in 2011. READ MORE . . .

First, links to reports from Reuters, Agence France-Presse, the Associated Press, Reuters, Tass, National Public Radio, and the Kyiv Post; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. Finally for today, two articles of commentary from Indian Punchline, the first via Consortium News; these were initially published last Friday and yesterday. — MCM

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U.S. military aid for Ukraine for first time includes Black Hornet spy drone, by Mike Stone and Patricia Zengerle | Reuters WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Defense announced $400 million in additional security assistance for Ukraine on Tuesday, including air defense missiles, armored vehicles and small drones. The new aid package will include for the first time U.S.-furnished Black Hornet surveillance drones made by Teledyne FLIR Defense, part of . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ex-U.S. Marine, once imprisoned in Russia, injured fighting for Ukraine.  From AFP. A former U.S. Marine who spent more than two years in a Russian prison was injured fighting in Ukraine, the State Department said Tuesday. Trevor Reed, who was released by Moscow in an April 2022 prisoner swap, has been sent to Germany for the treatment of unspecified injuries . . . READ MORE . . .

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On their own front line, Ukraine’s surgeons treat waves of soldiers since the counteroffensive began, by Samya Kullab | AP  DNIPRO, Ukraine — A surge of wounded soldiers coincides with the major counteroffensive Ukraine launched in June to try to recapture its land, nearly one-fifth . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian forces liberate Sergeyevka community in Krasny Liman area. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian forces liberated the settlement of Sergeyevka in the Krasny Liman area over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Defense Ministry spokesman Lt. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said on Tuesday. “In the course of . . . READ MORE . . .

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U.S. and Europe search for new Ukraine export routes after Russia leaves grain deal. Reported by Michele Kelemen | NPR Russia withdrew from a deal that allowed Ukraine to export its goods to world markets despite the war. The U.S. and Europe have been working on alternative routes, though the options are limited. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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NATO just watches as Russia attacks Danube port 200 meters from Romania, by Stefan Korshak | The Kyiv Post  Russia on Monday launched a wave of kamikaze drone strikes against freight-handling facilties in the Ukrainian Danube River port cities of Izmail, Reni and Kali, blasting holes in silos, setting tons of stored grain on fire and ruining port equipment. The drone raid marked the first time in Russia’s seventeen-month old war on Ukraine that the Kremlin  attacked Ukrainian riverine ports, in an expansion and escalation . . . READ MORE . . .

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Nobel Laureates from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine unite to get Ukraine more weapons. Reported by Michele Kelemen | NPR  Nobel Laureates from Ukraine, Belarus and Russia are in Washington to talk about their work and the war in Ukraine. Click HERE to listen and read.

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NATO and the perilous Black Sea, by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline / Consortium News  NATO’s Vilnius Summit Communique on July 11 forecast that the alliance is gearing up for a vastly enhanced presence in the Black Sea region, which has been historically a Russian preserve. It goes without saying that NATO has been working on a new maritime route in the Black Sea for some time already. This is a serious development, as . . . READ MORE . . .

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Glimpses of an endgame in Ukraine, by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline  The fog of war is lifting and the battle lines are becoming visible. At an authoritative level, candid discussion . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to reports from Agence France-Presse, the Associated Press, Reuters, and Tass ; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. — MCM

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Russia to raise maximum age for compulsory military service. From AFP. Russian lawmakers today backed legislation increasing the maximum age limit to 30 for compulsory military service, over a year into the Kremlin’s Ukraine offensive. The bill comes as . . . READ MORE . . .

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UN watchdog says land mines are planted around nuke plant occupied by Russia, by Felipe Dana | AP  KYIV — The U.N. atomic watchdog says its staff at Ukraine’s Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant report seeing anti-personnel mines around the site as Kyiv pursues a counteroffensive against the Kremlin’s entrenched forces after 17 months of war. “Having such explosives on the site . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine reports small advances against Russian forces. From Reuters. KYIV — The Ukrainian military today reported making small advances against Russian forces in parts of southern Ukraine and south of Bakhmut in the east. The counteroffensive launched early last month has been slower than widely expected, but . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia says thwarted naval drone attack on Black Sea patrol vessel. From AFP. Russia said today it had repelled a drone attack overnight on a military patrol boat in the Black Sea, where tensions have been building after Moscow exited a deal protecting Ukrainian grain exports. An official said conventional weapons onboard were used to destroy . . . READ MORE . . .

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U.S. to send up to $400 million in military aid to Ukraine, officials say, by Lolita C. Baldor and Matthew Lee | AP  WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is sending up to $400 million in additional military aid to Ukraine, U.S. officials said Monday. The package includes missiles for the High-Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS), Stingers, Javelins. howitzer artillery rounds and Stryker armored . . . READ MORE . . .

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Kremlin rules out return to grain deal at present moment. From Tass. MOSCOW — Coming back to the grain deal is now impossible, since its conditions regarding Russia have not been met, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said today. When asked . . . READ MORE . . .

For now, a link to commentary from the Free Press, followed for context by links to two recent Associated Press news stories and, via the Greanville Post, video commentary by a political analyst; other dispatches from the three organizations may be accessed by clicking on their names below. NOTE: This is the second entry today. — MCM

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Hunter Biden and the ‘deep state,’ by Eli Lake | The Free Press  For Donald Trump’s most dedicated fans, the latest revelations from the FBI and IRS about Hunter Biden suggest a darker force at work: the Deep State. For them, the deep state functions like an invisible force that controls our country on behalf of an oligarch class. This kind of deep state is a paranoid fiction. But a more nuanced version of this concept does exist. It is the secret part of our government and it. . . READ MORE . . .

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IRS whistleblowers air claims to Congress about ‘slow-walking’ of the Hunter Biden case, by Farnoush Amiri and Lisa Mascaro | The Associated Press WASHINGTON — House Republicans raised unsubstantiated allegations on July 19 against President Joe Biden over his family’s finances as they summoned IRS whistleblowers to testify publicly for the first time about claims the Justice Department improperly interfered with a tax investigation into Biden’s son Hunter. Lawmakers heard from . . . READ MORE . . .

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First, links to reports from the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, Tass, the Kyiv Post, Reuters, and the Moscow Times; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. Then, an essay from Beyond the Curtain. — MCM

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Russia says Moscow and Crimea hit by Ukrainian drones while Russian forces hit Ukraine’s south, by Felipe Dana and Dasha Litvinova | AP  KYIV — Russian authorities accused Ukraine of launching a drone attack on Moscow early today that saw one of the aircraft fall near the Defense Ministry’s main headquarters, while the Russian military unleashed new strikes on port infrastructure in southern Ukraine. Separately, a Ukrainian drone struck an ammunition depot in Russian-annexed Crimea, forcing . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia warns of ‘tough retalliatory measures’ to drone attacks.  From AFP. The Russian Foreign Ministry said today that drone attacks in central Moscow and annexed Crimea could warrant a harsh response, after Ukraine claimed an attack on the capital. Russian officials said earlier that Ukrainian drones hit two buildings in Moscow and an ammunition depot in Crimea, the . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian air defenses destroy 35 Ukrainian drones over past day — Top brass. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian air defense forces intercepted a rocket of the U.S.-made HIMARS multiple launch rocket system and downed 35 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Defense Ministry spokesman Lt. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said today. “Air defense capabilities . . . READ MORE . . .

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Kyiv: ‘Drone attacks on Moscow will continue and increase in scale,’ by Maryna Shashkova | The Kyiv Post  Drone attacks such as the ones that struck Moscow early this morning will “continue and increase in scale,” Ukrainian military intelligence has told Kyiv Post. The Russian capital was rocked by two explosions after a drone crashed in Komsomolsky Prospekt, near the defense ministry, while another hit . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine reports more advances in south, battles rage in east, by Olena Harmash | Reuters KYIV — The Ukrainian military has retaken over 12 square km (4.6 square miles) of territory in southern Ukraine in the past week in their counteroffensive against Russian forces, Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said today. Maliar said the advances . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia loses record $253 bln in wartime capital flight. From The Moscow Times. A record $253 billion has been pulled out of Russia since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Russian Central Bank said today. The net capital outflow from Russia starting February 2022 and ending last month was calculated . . . READ MORE . . .

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Trinity’s shadow, by Edward Curtin | Behind the Curtain  The English dramatist Harold Pinter, in his Nobel Address, put it bluntly: “You have to hand it to America. It has exercised a quite clinical manipulation of power worldwide while masquerading as a force  for universal good. It’s a brilliant, even witty, highly successful act of hypnosis.” Nothing could be truer.  When in 2014 the U.S. engineered the coup in Ukraine . . . READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED