First, links to reports from Tass, Agence France-Presse, National Public Radio, the Associated Press, the New York Post, and the Moscow Times; for others, click on their initials below. Next, links to (1) some of the Moscow Times articles authored or co-authored by the journalist arrested in Russia yesterday on suspicion of espionage, (2) this week’s Wall Street Journal article co-authored by the journalist, and (3) commentary from Fortune magazine on his arrest. Then, a link to commentary from Truthout, recommended by Consortium News. Finally for today, a link to a column from the Los Angeles Times. — MCM

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Comparing Beijing, Minsk ideas of peace settlement in Ukraine inappropriate – Kremlin. From Tass. MOSCOW — It will be inappropriate to compare the two sets of ideas for a peace settlement in Ukraine, proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said today. Earlier in the day, Lukashenko called for declaring truce in Ukraine “without the right to move and regroup troops on both sides and without the right to move . . . READ MORE . . .

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Belarus says ready to host ‘strategic’ Russian nuclear arms. From AFP. Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko said today he was ready to host “strategic” Russian nuclear weapons after his ally President Vladimir Putin announced plans to station tactical nuclear weapons in the ex-Soviet country. “If need be, Putin and I will decide and . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia sends bombs as Ukraine marks grim Bucha anniversary, by Elena Becatoros and Hanna Arhirova | AP  BUCHA, Ukraine — Russia used its long-range arsenal to bombard anew several areas of Ukraine today, killing at least two civilians and damaging homes as Ukrainians commemorated the anniversary of the liberation of Bucha. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Bucha, a town near Kyiv, stands as a symbol of the atrocities the Russian military . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia detains a Wall Street Journal reporter on claims of spying. Reported by Michele Kelemen | NPR  Russia on Thursday detained a U.S. journalist working for The Wall Street Journal, accusing him of espionage. Evan Gershkovich was reporting in the city of Yekaterinburg when he was detained. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Russia detains U.S. citizen working for Wall Street Journal’s Moscow bureau. Reported by Charles Maynes | NPR  An American journalist has been arrested in Russia and accused of espionage. It’s the first time an American correspondent has been accused of spying since since the Cold War. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Russia arrests Wall Street Journal reporter on spying charge. From AP. Russia’s security service arrested an American reporter for The Wall Street Journal on espionage charges, the first time a U.S. correspondent has been detained on spying accusations since the Cold War. The newspaper denied the allegations and demanded his release. Evan Gershkovich, 31, was detained in Yekaterinburg, Russia’s fourth-largest city, about . . . READ MORE . . .

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Who is Evan Gershkovich, the WSJ reporter arrested in Russia? by Emily Crane | The New York Post  Evan Gershkovich is a U.S. national who was raised in New Jersey. He is the son of Soviet Jewish immigrants who currently live in . . . READ MORE . . .

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Moscow Times articles authored or co-authored by Evan Gershkovich. For links to some of the articles under the now-detained journalist’s byline or shared byline, written while a reporter for that newspaper, click HERE.

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Russian military to draft 147,000 new recruits in spring call-up. From the Moscow Times. President Vladimir Putin on Thursday signed an order allowing Russia’s Defense Ministry to enlist 147,000 men for their compulsory military service in the upcoming spring call-up. The number of draftees to be called up this year marks an increase of 12,500 compared to last year’s recruitment figures. The Defense Ministry will . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia’s economy is starting to come undone, by Georgi Kantchev and Evan Gershkovich | The Wall Street Journal  As the war continues into its second year and Western sanctions bite harder, Russia’s government revenue is being squeezed and its economy has shifted to a lower-growth trajectory, likely for the long term. The country’s biggest exports have lost major customers. Government finances are strained. The ruble is down over 20% since November against the dollar. The labor force has shrunk. Uncertainty has curbed business investment. “Russia’s economy is entering . . . READ MORE . . .

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Putin can’t handle the truth: Why American journalist Evan Gershkovich must be freed, by Jeffrey Sonnenfeld | Fortune  Early Thursday morning, Putin’s hatchet men abducted and arrested Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich who had the courage to shine a spotlight just this week on how “Russia’s economy is starting to come undone,” closely tracking the findings of my team over the last few months on the implosion of the Russian economy. This courageous journalist, an American citizen, now faces 20 years in Russian hard-labor prisons after merely telling the truth about . . . READ MORE . . .

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The ICC’s selective prosecution, by Marjorie Cohn | Truthout  A little more than one year after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), announced that its Pre-Trial Chamber had issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova and Maria Lvova-Belova, commissioner for children’s rights in the Office of the President of the Russian Federation, for the commission of war crimes in Ukraine. While the U.S. celebrates the arrest warrant against Putin, it has pressured the ICC to refrain from prosecuting Israelis and Americans. There is a double standard . . . READ MORE . . .

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Role reversal on foreign policy: Is it permanent? by Nicholas Goldberg | Los Angeles Times  Once upon a time, the roles were reversed. Democrats were, if anything, skeptical of foreign intervention. Many, especially the liberals and progressives, saw war as inhumane, policing the world as folly and the Pentagon as bloated. Republicans were more unabashedly hawkish — willing to flex U.S. military muscle and project power in support of . . . READ MORE . . .

 

This article is from TomDispatch and was recommended by GlobalResearch. Its author is a senior research fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. — MCM

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Congress has been captured by the arms industry

By William D. Hartung

On March 13th, the Pentagon rolled out its proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2024. The results were — or at least should have been — stunning, even by the standards of a department that’s used to getting what it wants when it wants it.

The new Pentagon budget would come in at $842 billion. That’s the highest level requested since World War II, except for the peak moment of the Afghan and Iraq wars, when the United States had nearly 200,000 troops deployed in those two countries.

$1 trillion for the Pentagon?

It’s important to note that the $842 billion proposed price tag for the Pentagon next year will only be the beginning of what taxpayers will be asked to shell out in the name of “defense.” If you add in nuclear weapons work at the Department of Energy and small amounts of military spending spread across other agencies, you’re already at a total military budget of $886 billion. And if last year is any guide, Congress will add tens of billions of dollars extra to that sum, while yet more billions will go for emergency aid to Ukraine to help it fend off Russia’s brutal invasion. In short, we’re talking about possible total spending of well over $950 billion on war and preparations for more of it — within striking distance, in other words, of the $1 trillion mark that hawkish officials and pundits could only dream about a few short years ago.

The ultimate driver of that enormous spending spree is a seldom-commented-upon strategy of global military overreach, including 750 U.S. military bases scattered on every continent except Antarctica, 170,000 troops stationed overseas, and counterterror operations in at least 85 — no, that is not a typo — countries (a count offered by Brown University’s Costs of War Project). Worse yet, the Biden administration only seems to be preparing for more of the same. Its National Defense Strategy, released late last year, manages to find the potential for conflict virtually everywhere on the planet and calls for preparations to win a war with Russia and/or China, fight Iran and North Korea, and continue to wage a global war on terror, which, in recent times, has been redubbed “countering violent extremism.” Think of such a strategic view of the world as the exact opposite of the “diplomacy first” approach touted by President Joe Biden and his team during his early months in office. Worse yet, it’s more likely to serve as a recipe for conflict than a blueprint for peace and security.

In an ideal world, Congress would carefully scrutinize that Pentagon budget request and rein in the department’s overly ambitious, counterproductive plans. But the past two years suggest that, at least in the short term, exactly the opposite approach lies ahead. After all, lawmakers added $25 billion and $45 billion, respectively, to the Pentagon’s budget requests for 2022 and 2023, mostly for special-interest projects based in the states or districts of key members of Congress. And count on it, hawks on Capitol Hill will push for similar increases this year, too. 

How the arms industry captures Congress

The $45 billion by which Congress increased the Pentagon’s budget request last year was among the highest levels on record. Add-ons included five extra F-35 jet fighters and a $4.7 billion boost to the shipbuilding budget. Other congressional additions included 10 HH-60W helicopters, four EC-37 aircraft, and 16 additional C-130J aircraft (at a cost of $1.7 billion). There were also provisions that prevented the Pentagon from retiring a wide array of older aircraft and ships — including B-1 bombers, F-22 and F-15 combat aircraft, aerial refueling planes, C-130 and C-40 transport aircraft, E-3 electronic warfare planes, HH-60W helicopters, and the relatively new but disastrous Littoral Combat Ships (LCS), referred to by detractors as “little crappy ships.”

The lobbying effort to prevent the Navy from retiring those problem-plagued ships is a case study of . . . READ MORE . . .

First, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, Tass, and the Moscow Times; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. Then, links to two reports on a Monday session of the United Nations Security Council on a Russia-sponsored resolution proposing a U.N.-led probe of the Nord Stream pipeline explosions last September; the Consortium News report links to a UN news release on the meeting. — MCM

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The war through Zelenskyy’s eyes, on train across Ukraine, by Julie Pace | AP  ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine — This week President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shuttled across the country on a 48-hour train trip to rally soldiers who are battling Russian forces — and, just as important, to buoy the communities often caught in the crossfire. In Zaporizhzhia, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) from the front lines, he came to see for himself the destruction from a Russian attack that . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine acknowledges Russian gains in Bakhmut; Moscow arrests U.S. reporter, by Pavel Polityuk | Reuters  * UN sets aside Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant security zone plan * Ukraine strikes behind front line in Russian-occupied Melitopol | KYIV — Ukraine said on Thursday Russian forces had made some gains inside the eastern battlefield city of Bakhmut, but at a heavy price in lives lost that has blunted Moscow’s offensive as Ukraine prepares a counterstrike of its own. In a potential escalation of Moscow’s diplomatic feud with Washington, Russia’s FSB security service arrested an American reporter for The Wall Street Journal, Evan Gershkovich, on suspicion . . . READ MORE . .

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Russian air defenses down Mi-8 helicopter in Ukraine operation, top brass reports. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian air defense forces intercepted a Ukrainian Grom-2 ballistic missile and shot down an Mi-8 helicopter over the past day during the special military operation in Ukraine, Defense Ministry spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov said today in a report that included details about battles in several areas of Ukraine. “Air defense capabilities shot down . . . READ MORE . . .

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U.S. says Russia stalled in Bakhmut ‘slaughter-fest.’ From the Moscow Times. General Mark Milley, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Wednesday in Washington that Russia has not made “any progress whatsoever” around Bakhmut in the last roughly three weeks. “It’s a slaughter-fest for the Russians,” he added. Fighting in recent months has concentrated on the eastern city of Bakhmut, with Kyiv saying . . . READ MORE . . .

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UN Security Council won’t probe Nord Stream blasts, by Michael Weissenstein | AP  UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. Security Council on Monday declined a Russian request to investigate the blasts on the pipelines that move natural gas from Russia to Europe under the Baltic Sea. Russia, China and Brazil voted in favor of the Russian request, but other Security Council members abstained or said another investigation was unnecessary. For a resolution to be adopted . . . READ MORE . . .

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UN Security Council rejects Nord Stream sabotage probe. From Consortium News. By a vote of three in favor — Russia, China and Brazil — and 12 abstentions, the United Nations Security Council on Monday refused to establish an independent U.N.-led investigation into the sabotage that destroyed the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines under the Baltic Sea last September. Click HERE to watch and listen to speakers at the meeting and read comments by some participants afterwards.

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MAY BE CONTINUED

First, links to reports from the Associated Press, Tass, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, the Moscow Times, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. NOTE: A Guardian report is linked in the Moscow Times article. — MCM

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Ukraine can’t falter in Bahkmut or Russia will ‘smell that we are weak,’ Zelenskyy says, by Julie Pace and Hanna Arhirova | AP  ON A TRAIN FROM SUMY TO KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned today that unless his nation wins a drawn-out battle in a key eastern city, Russia could begin building international support for a deal that could require Ukraine to make unacceptable compromises. He also invited the leader of China, long aligned with Russia, to visit. If Bakhmut fell to Russian forces,. . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian forces grinding down Ukrainian army in battle for Artyomovsk, says Wagner founder. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian forces are persistently grinding down the Ukrainian army with foreign mercenaries in the battle for Artyomovsk (called Bakhmut in Ukraine), Wagner private military company founder Yevgeny Prigozhin said today. “The battle for Bakhmut has practically destroyed the Ukrainian army today,” the Wagner press office quoted Prigozhin as saying on . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine hits Russian-held city deep behind front as talk of counteroffensive grows, by Olena Harmash | Reuters  * Melitopol is Russian logisitical hub in occupied south * UN nuclear watchdog chief to visit Zaporizhzhia plant * Number of Russian attacks declines sharply over past four weeks * Russia conducts exercises with its Yars missile system | KYIV Reuters) – Ukraine struck a railway depot and knocked out power in the Russian-occupied city of Melitopol deep behind the front line today amid growing talk from Kyiv of a counterassault against Russian forces worn out by a failed winter offensive. Melitopol is the base of the occupation administration in Zaporizhzhia, one of five Ukrainian provinces Russia claims to have annexed. Ukraine’s exiled mayor of the city confirmed . . . READ MORE . . .

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Putin says sanctions could have ‘negative’ impact on Russia. From AFP. Russian President Vladimir Putin said today that international sanctions imposed following Russia’s offensive in Ukraine could have “negative” consequences, after months of insisting Moscow was adapting to the new economic reality. “The sanctions imposed against the Russian economy in the medium term . . . READ MORE . . .

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Kremlin forecasts ‘long war’ with ‘unfriendly countries.’ From the Moscow Times. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov predicted a long-lasting hybrid war against Russia’s Western adversaries today after a media report revealed he had urged colleagues three months ago to brace themselves for a “forever war.” According to the report published by The Guardian on Tuesday, he warned members of Russia’s cultural and political elite at a New Year’s Eve dinner that the war would “take a very, very long time.” When asked today . . . READ MORE . . .

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After a Russian girl drew an antiwar poster, her dad faces defamation charges. Reported by Charles Maynes | NPR  In a small Russian town, a father and daughter have been separated by the state after she drew an antiwar poster in school. He was convicted of defaming the military; she’s now in an orphanage. Click HERE to listen and read.

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MAY BE CONTINUED

The article beginning below, under the byline of Russsa’s foreign minister, appeared four days ago in the Russian magazine Razvedchik, two days ago in the Venezuela-based Oronoco Tribune, and was linked today in the daily Popular Resistance selection. — MCM

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Russian diplomacy in a changing world

By Sergey Lavrov

It is a privilege for me to submit this article to Razvedchik news magazine and share with its readers my understanding of the current international developments, as well as Russia’s foreign policy priorities.

We live at a time of historic geopolitical shifts. “The change of eras is a painful albeit natural and inevitable process. A future world arrangement is taking shape before our eyes,” President Vladimir Putin said.

Today, the emerging multipolarity constitutes a key trend in international affairs, as I have noted on multiple occasions. New centres of power in Eurasia, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America have achieved impressive results in various areas, guided by their commitment to self-reliance, state sovereignty, and their unique cultural and civilisational identities. They have an independent foreign policy, which prioritises their core national interests. This puts in place objective factors for the emergence of a new multipolar world order — a more resilient, just, and democratic framework reflecting the natural and inalienable right of every nation to determine its future, as well as choose its own internal and socioeconomic development models.

By the way, there are politicians in the West who are beginning to come to terms with this reality, even if reluctantly. For example, President of France Emmanuel Macron has talked about the end of the Western hegemony in international affairs on multiple occasions, even if, truth be told, all this happened before he joined the ranks of the pro-Ukrainian coalition engineered by Washington for countering Russia. It is a separate matter that a correct diagnosis may not necessarily translate into practice or reshape foreign policy thinking based on the principles of international law, equal and indivisible security. On the contrary, the U.S.-led so-called collective West is doing everything to revive the unipolar model, which has run its course. They want to force the world to live in a Western-centric rules-based order that they invented themselves, while seeking to punish those who disagree with these rules, even if no one has ever seen them and they are nowhere to be found.

We never had any illusions as to who we are dealing with. It was clear to us that after the Cold War ended, Washington and its NATO satellites sought total hegemony and wanted to resolve their own development challenges at the expense of others. In the Euro-Atlantic, NATO’s aggressive eastward expansion became an integral part of this selfish policy, carried out despite the political promises that were given to the Soviet leadership not to expand NATO, as well as contrary to the commitments approved at the highest level within the OSCE [Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe] to refrain from seeking to reinforce one’s security at the expense of security of other states.

The OSCE and Russia-NATO summits adopted multiple resolutions proclaiming that no single group of states or organisation can bear primary responsibility for maintaining peace and stability in the region, or to view any part of the region as its sphere of influence, but these documents have been trampled upon. All these years, NATO has been moving in an opposite direction.

For years, the West persisted in its efforts to penetrate the post-Soviet geopolitical space and to build the so-called axis of instability along the Russian border. The United States and NATO countries have always viewed Ukraine as one of the tools they could use against Russia. To complete the transformation of our neighbouring state into an anti-Russia, the Western . . . READ MORE . . .

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

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Russia says Ukraine used U.S.-suppled rocket propelled bomb. From AFP. Russia says it has downed in Ukraine a long-distance rocket-propelled bomb recently supplied to Kyiv by the United States — a weapon seen as vital for a planned Ukrainian counter-offensive. The Defense Ministry said its forces had downed what it called a GLSDB guided rocket in the conflict zone, referring to a ground-launched small-diameter bomb which has a range of up to 150 kilometers (90 miles).

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Russian air defenses intercept GLSDB guided bomb for first time in Ukraine operation. From Tass. MOSCOW — In the past 24 hours, Russian air defense forces intercepted a GLSDB (Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb) smart munition for the first time during the special military operation in Ukraine, as well as 18 rockets of the HIMARS multiple-launch rocket system, Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov reported today. In addition, Russian air defense systems destroyed 12 Ukrainian unmanned . . . READ MORE . . .

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Relief workers are trying to help people leave a ruined city in Ukraine. Reported by Eleanor Beardsley | NPR There are still some 10,000 civilians in the Ukrainian frontline city of Bakhmut. Many have left and some live in a shelter in a nearby town where they share stories of survival and loss. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Poland, EU seek to boost munitions production. From AP. WARSAW — Officials from Poland and the European Union on Monday discussed artillery munitions manufacturing as part of a new, 2 billion euro ($2.2 billion) program to supply Ukraine in its war against invading Russian forces and to replenish Europe’s dwindling stocks. Days ago, Brussels announced a program to reimburse countries offering artillery ammunition to Ukraine from a 1 billion euro ($1.1 billion) fund. The program also . . . READ MORE . . .

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A Chinese drone for hobbyists plays a crucial role in the Russia-Ukraine war. Reported by Greg Myre | NPR  The drones cost around $2,000 or less. They’re easy to fly, widely available online and in electronics stores, and are hugely popular worldwide among civilians who fly drones in the park for fun. They’re also a hot commodity for troops on both sides of the Ukraine war. Click HERE to listen and read more.

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Mark Hamill lends ‘Star Wars’ voice to Ukrainian air-raid app, by John Leicester | AP  The intrusion of Hollywood science-fiction fantasy into the grim daily realities of war in Ukraine is a consequence of Hamill’s decision to lend his famous voice to “Air Alert” — a downloadable app linked to Ukraine’s air defense system. When air raid sirens start howling, the app , , .  READ MORE . . .

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Facial recognition is helping Putin curb dissent with the aid of U.S. tech, by Lena Masri | Reuters Since at least 2017 the Russian government has used thousands of facial recognition cameras to keep an eye on citizens. Now a Reuters review of more than 2,000 court cases shows these cameras have played an important role in the arrests of hundreds of protesters, most of them in 2021 after they joined anti-government demonstrations, court records show. But after Russia invaded . . . READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED

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 Bloomberg Opinion. — MCM

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Russian shelling of Ukraine city kills 2, wounds 29 people, by Karl Ritter | AP  KYIV — Two people were killed and 29 wounded today when Russian forces shelled the Ukrainian city of Sloviansk, in the partially occupied eastern Donetsk region, local officials said. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the attack as “terrorism.” Russia has . . . READ MORE . . .

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A steel plant ready for war shows hit to Ukraine’s economy, by Hanna Arhirova | AP  ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine — The damage to Ukraine’s metal industry has crippled a lucrative sector and key employer needed to support an economy cratered by war. Efforts to restore production and get goods moving again to customers worldwide will be crucial to helping the country rebuild. A pillar of the economy before the war, . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine planning response as battle shifts to ‘post-apocalyptic’ Avdiivka, by Dan Peleschuk | Reuters  * NATO slams Putin for ‘dangerous and irresponsible’ rhetoric * EU urges Belarus not to host Russian nuclear weapons * Avdiivka becoming ‘post-apocalyptic’, city shuts down -official * Russia downs Ukrainian drone south of Moscow, 3 hurt -ministry | KYIV — Ukraine’s ground forces commander said on Monday Kyiv was planning its next move after Moscow shifted the focus of its offensive from a flagging assault on the eastern city of Bakhmut to another town further south, described as post-apocalyptic. The Ukrainian military aims . . . READ MORE . . .

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2 dead, 28 wounded in shelling of Sloviansk: official. From AFP. Russian shelling of the eastern Ukraine town of Sloviansk today killed at least two people and wounded more than two dozen others, authorities said. Donetsk region governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said “administrative and office buildings, five high-rise buildings and seven private houses were damaged” in the attack. He also said another town in Donetsk region, Druzhkivka, . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine withdraws city workers from frontline town Avdivka. From AFP. A Ukrainian official in the battered frontline town of Avdiivka in the eastern Donetsk region said today municipal workers were being withdrawn, as Russian forces claim incremental gains nearby. “Avdiivka looks more and more like a scene from post-apocalyptic movies,” said the head of the town’s administration Vitalii Barabash. “Therefore, a difficult decision was made to evacuate … municipal workers, who . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukrainian troops fire chaotically in frontline zone, not ready to advance – DPR official. From Tass. MOSCOW — Ukraine’s armed forces are firing erratically in the Donetsk People’s Republic’s (DPR) frontline zone which indicates their lack of readiness to advance, Yan Gagin, an advisor to the DPR leader, said today. “The advance on Donetsk was announced, the advance on Crimea and Melitopol was announced but . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine’s survival ultimately could be decided by GOP, by Andreas Kluth | Bloomberg Opinion More than a year into Russia’s genocidal aggression against Ukraine, ask yourself two simple questions. How might events have unfolded if Donald Trump had still been US president, instead of Joe Biden? And, . . . READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED

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

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Putin says will deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. From AFP. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday he would deploy tactical nuclear weapons in neighbor and ally Belarus, bringing the arms to a country at the gates of the European Union. He also said he would deploy depleted uranium ammunition if Kyiv received . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine slams Putin plan to station Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus, by Dan Peleschuk | Reuters KYIV — A top security adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said today that Russian plans to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus would destabilise that country, which he said had been taken “hostage” by Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the decision on Saturday, sending  . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia ‘largely stalled’ in Bakhmut, shifting focus, UK says. From AP.  KYIV — Britain’s Defense Ministry said in its latest intelligence update that “Russia’s assault on the Donbas town of Bakhmut has largely stalled. This is likely primarily a result of extreme attrition of the Russian force.” READ MORE . . .

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About 70 Ukrainian military surrender in DPR in past two weeks, says source. From Tass. DONETSK — About 70 servicemen of the Ukrainian armed forces have laid down arms and surrendered to Russian forces in the past two weeks on the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), an officer from a region’s security agency told TASS today. According to . . . READ MORE . . .

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New Russian campaign tries to entice men to fight in Ukraine, by Dasha Litvinova | AP  TALLINN, Estonia — Advertisements promise cash bonuses and enticing benefits. Recruiters are making cold calls to eligible men. Enlistment offices are working with universities and social service agencies to lure students and the unemployed. As fighting grinds on in Ukrainian battlegrounds like Bakhmut and . . . READ MORE . . .

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The ‘Ukrainian Banksy’ has remained in Kharkiv despite Russian attacks. Reported by Eleanor Beardsley | NPR  Kharkiv was attacked but did not fall to the Russians. Thousands of residents fled, but one street artist — called the “Ukrainian Banksy” — remained and continued his work. Click HERE to listen and later, read.

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TO BE CONTINUED

First, links to reports from National Public Radio, Reuters, AFP, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. Then, a link to commentary from the Berkshire Eagle’s foreign affairs writer. — MCM

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The IMF’s $15.6 billion loan to Ukraine will be its first to a country at war. Reported by Scott Simon | NPR  The IMF’s new loan to Ukraine will be its first to a country at war. Scott Simon of NPR speaks with Scheherazade Rehman, professor at George Washington University, about the agreement’s significance. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Russia presses along Ukraine front after reports of Bakhmut slowdown, by Mike Collett-White | Reuters  * Fighting along Donbas front as Russia presses offensive * Kyiv says civilians killed in strike on shelter * Red Cross says civilians in Bakhmut at limits of survival * Biden and Trudeau reaffirm ‘steadfast’ support for Ukraine | NEAR KREMINNA, Ukraine — Russian forces attacked northern and southern stretches of the front in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region on Friday, even as Kyiv said Moscow’s assault was flagging near the city of Bakhmut. Click HERE for a summary of developments related to the war.

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Ukraine says ‘managing to stabilize’ battle for Bakhmut. From AFP. The frontline situation is “the toughest in the Bakhmut direction,” the head of Ukraine’s armed forces Valery Zaluzhny said late Friday. “Due to the tremendous efforts of the Defense Forces, we . . . READ MORE . . .

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Biden says China ‘hasn’t yet’ delivered arms to Russia. From AFP. U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday said he believed China has not sent arms to Russia after President Vladimir Putin’s forces invaded Ukraine. “I’ve been . . . READ MORE . . .

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Results of Xi Jinping’s visit to Russia matter, not Western reaction – Kremlin. From Tass. MOSCOW — It is the results of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Russia that matter, not the Western coverage that was predictably hostile, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday. “Undoubtedly, the most important . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia becomes China’s little brother, by James Brooke | The Berkshire Eagle  For hundreds of years, Moscow surrounded itself with satellite countries run by obsequious rulers. From the Soviet days, think of Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia and East Germany. Now, . . . READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED

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

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Inside Ukraine’s scramble for ‘game-changer’ drone fleet, by Max Hunder | Reuters  AeroDrone, which made crop-dusting drones prior to the war and now supplies Ukraine’s armed forces, makes unmanned aircraft that can carry up to 300 kilograms or fly up to several thousand kilometres in certain . . . READ MORE . . .

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Elderly Ukrainian helicopters pummel Russians from afar. From AP. DONETSK REGION, Ukraine — Each day, three Ukrainian Soviet-era attack helicopters might deploy three or four sorties to the front lines in the fight against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, says a commander. “We are carrying out . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia aware West putting pressure on countries who opted not to join sanctions – Kremlin. From Tass. MOSCOW — “It’s not news that the countries of the collective West headed by the U.S. are putting blatant, undue pressure on a slew of nations that choose not to join the illegal restrictions imposed against Russia,” Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said today. “Those countries themselves . . . READ MORE . . .

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