For now, links to reports from Tass, the Associated Press, Reuters, and Agence France-Presse; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. Then, via Global Research, some military analysis and a map. — MCM

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Russia strikes Ukrainian Kherson battlegroup’s command staff with precision weapons. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian forces delivered a strike by seaborne precision weapons against the command staff of the Ukrainian battlegroup Kherson on the evening of April 28 during the special military operation in Ukraine, Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov today in a briefing. “In the Donetsk direction, . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian official: Ukrainian drones hit Crimea oil depot, by David Rising | AP  KYIV — A massive fire erupted at an oil depot in Crimea after it was hit by two of Ukraine’s drones, a Russia-appointed official there said today, the latest in a series of attacks on the annexed peninsula as Russia braces for an expected Ukrainian counteroffensive. Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Moscow-installed governor of Sevastopol, a port city in Crimea, said . . . READ MORE . . .

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Fire at Crimea fuel depot extinguished after apparent drone attack, governor says. From Reuters. — A fire at a fuel storage facility in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol, caused by an apparent drone strike, has been extinguished, the Moscow-installed governor there said today. “Open fire was extinguished in an area of 1,000 square meters,” Mikhail Razvozhaev said on . . . READ MORE . . .

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At least two dozen people in Ukraine were killed in Russian missile strikes. Reported by Joanna Kikissis | NPR  At least 24 people were killed in the central Ukrainian city of Uman Friday, as Russia fired missiles and drones at Ukraine. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Poland seizes Russian high school building in Warsaw; Moscow’s envoy says it is ‘illegal act’. From AFP. Poland today said it had seized a high school building near Moscow’s embassy in Warsaw meant for the children of diplomats, a move the Russian envoy called “illegal”. The spat over the 1970s multi-storey building, nicknamed the “spy nest” by Warsaw citizens, . . . READ MORE . . .

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Possible motives for the daily Russian missile attacks in Ukraine, by Don Hank |  Don’s Substack / Global Research Ever since the Russians started targeting Ukrainian sites with standoff . . . Continued below map supplied by GR.

missiles on October 10, 2022, I have been chronicling the strikes and sending the daily strike reports in translation, including the struck cities or oblasts, to my email group. I can confirm . . . READ MORE . . . 

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MAY BE CONTINUED

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

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Russian missile and drone attack in Ukraine kills 16 people, by Andea Rosa, Hanna Arhirova and David Rising | AP  UMAN, Ukraine — Russia fired more than 20 cruise missiles and two drones at Ukraine early today, killing at least 16 people, most of them when two missiles slammed into an apartment building in the center of the country, officials said. Three children were among the dead. The missile attacks included the first one against Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, in nearly two months, although . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia kills at least 12 in biggest Ukraine air strikes for nearly two months, by Sergiy Karazy | Reuters  * Russia carries out new wave of air attacks * Ukraine’s president condemns “Russian terror” * The attacks are the first on such a scale for weeks | KYIV — Russia hurled missiles at cities across Ukraine as people slept early today, killing at least 12 people in the first large-scale air strikes in nearly two months. The early-morning attacks were carried out as Kyiv prepares to launch a counteroffensive to try to retake Russian-occupied territory. In the central city of Uman, firefighters . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine says ready for offensive as preparations near end. From AFP. KYIV — Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said today his military was ready as preparations for a highly-anticipated offensive against Russian positions were drawing to a close. “In addition to being provided a weapon, it must be mastered. Equipment has been promised, prepared and partially delivered. In a global sense, we’re ready,” he said.

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Russian assault teams capture four urban areas in Artyomovsk, top brass reports. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian assault teams captured four urban areas in Artyomovsk and paratroopers provided support and immobilized enemy forces on the city’s outskirts over the past day during the special military operation in Ukraine, Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov said Thursday in a briefing. “In the Donetsk direction, the assault teams . . . READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

Last Friday night’s broadcast turned out to be the last on a major U.S. network for its star performer. Here, from Consortium News, is a link to some show and tell on that. — MCM

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Tucker Carlson tried to serve two masters, by Jonathan Cook | Consortium News  Yes, over the years Carlson played on white fears. But he also gave over his massive corporate platform at Fox News to some of the most critical and thoughtful independent journalists and pundits around. He also helped them grow their audiences and influence. Carlson exposed ordinary Americans to critical perspectives, especially on U.S. foreign policy, that they had no hope of hearing anywhere else — most certainly not from so-called “liberal” corporate media outlets. He did so while constantly ridiculing the media’s craven collusion . . . READ MORE . . .

First, links to reports from Agence France-Presse, the Associated Press, Reuters, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. Then, TWO MAPS used to illustrate M.K. Bhadrakumar’s article titled “Stalemate in an attritional war?” The first accompanied his writing as it appeared a week ago in India Punchline, and the second was used April 26 by Consortium News. (Ukraine’s unlabeled bordering countries in the second map are, counterclockwise from the north, Belarus, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Moldova and, again, Romania.) — MCM

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NATO allies send 1,500 combat vehicles, 230 tanks to Ukraine, by David Rising and Lorne Cook | AP  KYIV — NATO countries have delivered more than 98% of the combat vehicles promiseD to Ukraine amid its war with Russia, the military alliance’s chief said today, giving Kyiv a bigger punch as it appears poised to launch a counteroffensive. Additionally, member nations have sent Ukraine “vast amounts of ammunition” and also trained and equipped more than . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia digs in as Ukraine prepares to attack, by Tom Balmforth | Reuters  * Satellite images show vast Russian defences in Ukraine * Trenches and obstacles designed to repel counteroffensive * Main thrust of attack expected in Ukraine’s south | Thousands of Ukrainian troops have been training in the West to use different military assets on the battlefield in a combined way ahead of a counteroffensive Ukrainian officials say will come when its forces are ready. Satellite images of thousands of defensive positions inside both Russia and along Ukrainian front lines that show . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian forces wipe out four Ukrainian S-300 missile launchers in Kherson area. From Tass. GENICHESK — Russian forces destroyed four Ukrainian S-300 missile launchers and a Gepard motorized surface-to-air system in the Kherson area over the past day during the special military operation in Ukraine, a spokesman for the regional emergency services said today. “Yesterday, the strikes by Lancet loitering munitions . . . READ MORE . . .

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China says it will send peace envoy to Ukraine. From AP. BEIJING — Chinese leader Xi Jinping told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a phone call on Wednesday that his government will send a peace envoy to Ukraine and other nations, state media said, after Beijing said it wants to act as mediator in Russia’s war with the country. A government statement .  . . READ MORE . . .

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“Russia’s Fortification Line.”

 

Ukrainian oblasts annexed by Russia since 2014 (Crimea) and 2022 (others). The 2022 annexation creates the equivalent of a strategic land bridge between Crimea and Russia. (SyntaxTerror, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons).

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TO BE CONTINUED

First, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. Then, via Consortium News, an article by a former diplomat published last Thursday by Indian Punchline (each presentation has a difference map). Finally for today, via Popular Resistance, a link to a half-hour interview on The Watchdog, an online Internet program.— MCM

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China, Ukraine leaders speak for first time since war began, by David Rising and Joe McDonald | AP  KYIV — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he and Chinese leader Xi Jinping had a “long and meaningful” phone conversation today, their first known contact since Russia invaded Ukraine more than a year ago. The phone call lasted nearly an hour and was a significant . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine launching tech cluster to boost military capability, by Hanna Arhirova | AP  KYIV — The Ukrainian government is launching an initiative today to streamline and promote innovation in the development of drones and other technologies that have been critical during Russia’s war in Ukraine. It hopes to bring state, military, and private sector developers working on defense issues together into a tech cluster that would give Ukraine a battlefield advantage. “Considering the enemy that is right next to us and its scale .  . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia’s Lavrov warns EU becoming militarized now, like NATO, by Edith M. Lederer | AP  UNITED NATIONS — Russia’s top diplomat warned Tuesday that the European Union “is becoming militarized at a record rate” and aggressive in its goal of containing Russia. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said he has no doubts that there is now “very little difference” between the EU and NATO. Lavrov . . . READ MORE . . .

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Kiev plans to be fully prepared for EU accession in two years – prime minister. From Tass. ROME — Ukraine hopes to be “fully prepared” for EU membership in two years, Prime Minister Denis Shmygal said today. “We are certain that together with our allies we will implement an emergency reconstruction program that . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine stages raids across Dnipro River as counteroffensive looms, by Olena Harmash | Reuters  KYIV — Ukrainian forces based on the western side of the River Dnipro are frequently carrying out raids on the eastern bank near the city of Kherson to try to dislodge Russian troops, a regional official said on Tuesday.Russian forces have held the eastern side of the Dnipro near Kherson since retreating from the southern city in November after . . . READ MORE . . .

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Zaporozhye official terms constant Ukrainian attacks on nuke plant premises as ‘terrorism’. From Tass. MELITOPOL — Incessant attacks by Ukrainian troops on the territory immediately adjacent to the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) constitutes global terrorism, Yevgeny Balitsky, acting governor of the Zaporozhye Region, said today, on the 37th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear accident. He added that such a catastrophe . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine: Stalemate in an attritional war? by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline / Consortium News  In reality, Ukraine is haemorrhaging. It is in the nature of attritional wars that at some point, the weaker side breaks and thereupon, the end comes very fast. The attritional war in Ukraine may look “stalemated” but the clincher will be which side is inflicting the greater casualties. There is no question . . . READ MORE . . .

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The Ukraine kill list and weaponizing anti-Semitism, by Lowkey |  Mintpress News / Resistance Report  In an interview, academic and public intellectual David Miller sheds light on the British military’s involvement in propaganda and misinformation through the enigmatic 77th Brigade, which has been training Ukrainian special forces. The conflict of interest concerns raised by MP Tobias Elwood’s dual role as a member of parliament and part of the Ministry of Defense adds  . . . READ MORE . . .

First, links to reports from the Associated Press, National Public Radio, Tass, and Reuters; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. Then, via antiwar.com, commentary from Responsible Statecraft. — MCM

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UN chief and West berate Russia’s top diplomat over Ukraine, by Edith M. Lederer | AP  UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations chief and representatives from Western nations berated Russia’s top diplomat as he chaired a U.N. meeting Monday, accusing Moscow of violating the U.N. Charter by attacking Ukraine and occupying part of its territory. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov responded . . . READ MORE . . .

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2 killed, 10 wounded as Russian forces hit Ukrainian museum, by Hanna Arhirova | AP  KYIV — A Russian missile hit a museum building in a Ukrainian city on today, killing at least two people and wounding 10 others, part of a relentless barrage that comes as Ukraine is readying its forces for an expected spring counteroffensive. Ukrainian officials said the Russian military used S-300 air defense missiles to attack Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region, hitting . . . READ MORE . . .

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Thousands of Ukrainian and Russian soldiers have died in the battle for Bakhmut. Reported by Joanna Kakissis |  NPR  As Russia advances on Bakhmut, the loved ones of Ukrainian soldiers killed in the war’s longest battle mourn at an ever-growing cemetery in Kyiv, and pin their hopes on an imminent counteroffensive. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Russian forces thwart Kiev’s counteroffensive in Artyomovsk, top brass reports. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian assault teams continue fighting Ukrainian troops in the western areas of Artyomovsk and artillery, combat aircraft and paratroopers thwarted Kiev’s attempt to counter-attack on the flanks over the past day during the special military operation in Ukraine, Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov reported . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia’s new T-14 Armata battle tank debuts in Ukraine – State news agency. From Reuters. Russia has begun using its new T-14 Armata battle tanks to fire on Ukrainian positions “but they have not yet participated in direct assault operations,” the RIA state news agency reported on Tuesday, quoting a source close the matter. RIA said that the tanks have been fitted with extra protection on their flanks and crews have undergone “combat . . . READ MORE . . .

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Afghanistan watchdog: ‘You’re gonna see pilferage’ of Ukraine aid, by Connor Echols | Responsible Statecraft  In March, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) proposed legislation that would have created a special inspector general for Ukraine aid, which would have broad authority to track U.S. aid across all agencies involved in helping Ukraine. The effort failed in a 26-68 vote. According to Hawley, his proposal drew inspiration from the office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, which . . . READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED

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

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Top Russian diplomat arrives in New York – Foreign Ministry. From Tass.  MOSCOW — Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has arrived in New York, where he will participate today and tomorrow in UN Security Council sessions, according to Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. Lavrov, who was expected to hold a meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres today, invited the top diplomats of several countries, including US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, to participate in UNSC sessions chaired by Russia. The issue of . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia ‘will not forgive’ U.S. denial of journalist visas. From AP. MOSCOW — Russia said Sunday that the United States has denied visas to journalists who wanted to cover Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s trip to New York, and Lavrov suggested that Moscow would take strong retaliatory measures. “A country that calls itself the strongest, smartest, free and fair country has . . . READ MORE . . .

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China respects ex-Soviet states as sovereign nations – foreign ministry. From Reuters. BEIJING — China respects the status of the independent sovereign nations that emerged from the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Chinese foreign ministry said today, after Beijing’s envoy to Paris on Friday sparked a diplomatic storm by questioning their sovereignty. China’s foreign ministry . . . READ MORE . . .

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Wagner boss says forces won’t take any more prisoners in Ukraine. From AFP. The chief of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said his men fighting in the flashpoint eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut would kill rival soldiers and take no more prisoners. He was reacting to a Wagner-affiliated Telegram channel’s posting of an alleged recording of what it said were two Ukrainians deciding to shoot a Russian prisoner of war. READ MORE . . .

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Ukrainian troop positions spark counteroffensive speculation, by David Rising and Joanna Kozlowska | AP  KYIV — Ukrainian military forces have successfully established positions on the eastern side of the Dnieper River, according to a new analysis, giving rise to speculation Sunday that the advances could be an early sign of Kyiv’s long-awaited spring counteroffensive. The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank  . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian forces thwart Kiev’s counteroffensive in Artyomovsk, top brass reports. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian assault teams continue fighting Ukrainian troops in the western areas of Artyomovsk and artillery, combat aircraft and paratroopers thwarted Kiev’s attempt to counter-attack on the flanks over the past day during the special military operation in Ukraine, Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov said today in a briefing that included other . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia claims progress in battle for Bakhmut. From Reuters. Russia on Sunday said its forces had advanced in Bakhmut while a top Ukrainian commander said his troops were holding the frontline through the city, all but destroyed in some of the bloodiest combat of the 14-month war. However, Ukrainian Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi shared . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia says repels drone attack on Black Sea fleet. From the Moscow Times. Russian forces repelled a drone attack on annexed Crimea Monday night, the Russian-installed governor of the port of Sevastopol said. The report is in a Moscow Times collection of Ukraine war news items. READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED

Yesterday, April 22, was Earth Day. The last paragraph of a Berkshire Eagle column on another subject reads: “In recognition of Earth Day, why not make a pledge to perform one environmental or socially responsible act to save our planet?” The lines below are borrowed from an Internet site, chosen because they call humans’ attention to all sorts of things in nature undergoing drastic change on 21st-century Earth. — MCM

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Canticle 12 – A Song of Creation

Lines 1 through 16

Invocation

Glorify the Lord, all you works of the Lord, *
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

In the firmament of his power, glorify the Lord, *
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

I.   The Cosmic Order

Glorify the Lord, you angels and all powers of the Lord, *
O heavens and all waters above the heavens.

Sun and moon and stars of the sky, glorify the Lord, *
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

Glorify the Lord, every shower of rain and fall of dew, *
all winds and fire and heat.

Winter and Summer, glorify the Lord, *
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

Glorify the Lord, O chill and cold, *
drops of dew and flakes of snow.

Frost and cold, ice and sleet, glorify the Lord, *
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

Glorify the Lord, O nights and days, *
O shining light and enfolding dark.

Storm clouds and thunderbolts, glorify the Lord, *
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

II.  The Earth and Its Creatures

Let the earth glorify the Lord, *
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

Glorify the Lord, O mountains and hills,
and all that grows upon the earth, *
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

Glorify the Lord, O springs of water, seas, and streams, *
O whales and all that move in the waters.

All birds of the air, glorify the Lord, *
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

Glorify the Lord, O beasts of the wild, *
and all you flocks and herds.

O men and women everywhere, glorify the Lord, *
praise him and highly exalt him for ever. READ MORE . . .

 

First, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. Then, via Consortium News and Popular Resistance, an essay from Tom Dispatch. — MCM

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Unprepared for long war, U.S. Army under gun to make more ammo, by Marc Levy | AP  SCRANTON, Pa. — One of the most important munitions of the Ukraine war comes from a historic factory in this city, where tons of steel rods are brought in by train to be forged into the artillery shells Kyiv can’t get enough of — and that the U.S. can’t produce fast enough. It is at the vanguard of . . . READ MORE . . .

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France, Baltic states dismayed after China envoy questions Ukraine sovereignty. From Reuters. PARIS — The Baltic countries along with France are appalled by comments of the China’s ambassador to France on the sovereignty of former Soviet states like Ukraine. Ambassador Lu Shaye had said in an interview that “ex-USSR countries” including Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania “don’t have actual status in international law because there is no international agreement to materialize their sovereign . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian field engineers cleared German mines of Ukrainian army. From Tass. MOSCOW — Personnel of the engineer unit of the Western Military District detected and destroyed about 200 mines of German make, installed by Ukrainian nationalists in residential quarters of a settlement in the special military operation area, the Russian Defense Ministry says. “Ukrainian army units installed mines using remote mining systems produced by Germany in a settlement on . . . READ MORE . . .

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Spurring an endless arms race, by Michael Klare | Tom Dispatch On March 13th, the Biden administration unveiled its $842 billion military budget request for 2024, the largest ask (in today’s dollars) since the peaks of the Afghan and Iraq wars. And that’s before the hawks in Congress get their hands on it. Last year, they added $35 billion to the administration’s request and, this year, their add-on is likely to prove at least that big. What explains so much military spending? The answer offered by senior Pentagon officials and echoed . . . READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED

First, links to reports from National Public Radio, Politico, Tass, the Associated Press, Reuters, and the Moscow Times; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. Then, links to a Thursday report from the Washington Post and one from antiwar.com (published yesterday), both on Ukraine, Russia and Syria. Finally for today, a link to an op-ed column in today’s Berkshire Eagle by its foreign affairs writer.— MCM

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International officials meet in Germany to coordinate weapons deliveries for Ukraine. Reported by Scott Simon and Joanna Kakissis | NPR  Fighting continues in eastern Ukraine as regional and international defense officials meet in Germany to coordinate delivery of weapons and other equipment to Ukraine. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Ukrainian troops to begin training on U.S.-made tanks in next few weeks, by Lara Seligmann | Politico RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany — American-made Abrams tanks that Ukrainians will use for training will arrive in Germany in the next few weeks, allowing soldiers to begin learning to use the much-anticipated armor, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced on Friday. The 31 M1A1 Abrams tanks — a Ukrainian battalion’s worth — will . . . READ MORE . . .

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Berlin decides to expel Russian diplomats en masse, Moscow to mirror that decision – MFA. From Tass. MOSCOW — The German authorities have decided to massively expel Russian diplomats, thus Berlin is pursuing a course to destroy the entire range of Russia-Germany relations, the Russian Foreign Ministry said today. The diplomats promised to give a mirror response to Berlin’s . . . READ MORE . . .

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Minister: Ukraine will beat Russia in war of technologies, by Hanna Arhirova | AP  KYIV — As Ukrainian and Russian troops fight conventional battles on the front lines, Europe’s first major war of the internet age has also sparked a war of technology as both sides vie for the advantage with their drones and satellite communications. While the two sides . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian troops fighting in western Bakhmut, Wagner frets over Ukraine attack. From Reuters. MOSCOW, April 21 (Reuters) – Russia’s Defence Ministry said in a briefing on Friday that assault troops were fighting in western parts of Bakhmut, the last part of the embattled Ukrainian city still held by Kyiv’s forces. Ukrainian and Russian units have been battling for months over the eastern city, which . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia begins issuing digital military summons – Reports, by Leyla Latypova | The Moscow Times The authorities in several Russian regions are distributing digital summons to men of call-up age, according to media reports, less than a week after a radical overhaul of the country’s military draft system was signed into law by President Vladimir Putin. Previously . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian forces wipe out Ukrainian Akatsiya, Gvozdika howitzers in Kherson Region. From Tass. GENICHESK — The Russian armed forces destroyed the Ukrainian 2C3 Akatsiya self-propelled howitzer and the 2S1 Gvozdika self-howitzer on the right bank of the Kherson Region, the region’s emergency services said today. Earlier, the emergency services . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine planned attacks on Russian forces in Syria, leaked document shows, by Evan Hill and Alex Horton | The Washington Post  Ukraine’s military intelligence agency developed plans to conduct covert attacks on Russian forces in Syria using secret Kurdish help, according to a leaked top secret U.S. intelligence document. The introduction of a new battlefield — thousands of miles from the war in Ukraine — appeared designed to impose costs and casualties on Russia and its Wagner paramilitary group, which is active in Syria, and possibly . . .TO READ MORE may require subscription to Post . . .

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Leaked docs: Ukraine planned attacks on Russian forces in Syria, by Kyle Anzalone | antiwar.com Kiev’s military intelligence agency believed it could carry out attacks on Russian soldiers and Wagner Group forces in Syria, forcing Moscow to redeploy military assets from Ukraine. The story was reported by the Washington Post using documents released by Jack Teixeira. According to the Post, the plan never materialized as President Volodymyr Zelensky ordered an end to the planning in December. It appears that . . . READ MORE . . .

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For Ukraine, a new style of ‘Finlandization’? by James Brooke | The Berkshire Eagle  When Russia launched its blitzkrieg on Ukraine, Finnish popular support for joining NATO skyrocketed, hitting 85 percent last fall. Two weeks ago, Finland was admitted to NATO. Of the 31 countries to join NATO, Finland went through the fastest accession process in the treaty’s 74-year history. With Putin’s Moscow showing unremitting hostility to the West there is an enduring attraction to NATO’s Article Five self-defense clause — . . . READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED