First, a link to an op-ed column from today’s Berkshire Eagle. Then, links to reports from National Public Radio, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, Tass, and the Moscow Times; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. — MCM

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Ukrainians now face ‘Kholodomor,’ or death by cold, by James Brooke | The Berkshire Eagle During the three-week gas shutdown by Russia’s Gazprom, hundreds of people in Ukraine and Eastern Europe froze to death. During this Thanksgiving and holiday season, please think about helping Ukrainians get through the winter. READ MORE . . .

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Russia strikes, Ukraine repairs, in a battle to survive the winter. Reported by Greg Myre | NPR  Russia dramatically stepped up its air campaign last month with waves of drones and missiles. In the latest barrage, Russia fired 70 cruise missiles on Wednesday. This knocked out electricity, heating and water in many cities and further damaged the already fragile power system. These basic services were steadily returning on Thursday and Friday. Ukraine said it shot down . . . Click HERE to listen and read.

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Freezing Ukraine gradually restores power after Russian strikes on grid, by Max Hunder and Tom Balmforth | Reuters * Thirty percent of Ukrainian power still out * EU vows to help Ukraine overcome energy shortages * Germany to recognise Soviet-era famine as genocide | KYIV — Ukrainian authorities on Friday gradually restored power, aided by the reconnection of the country’s four nuclear plants, but millions of people were still in the dark after the most devastating Russian air strikes of the war. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy pleaded with Ukrainians to use energy sparingly. “If there is . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian shelling kills 15 civilians in Kherson: City official. From AFP. KYIV: Russian shelling of the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson killed 15 civilians on Friday, officials said, as engineers across the country sought to restore heat, water and power to major cities. Throughout the country, Russian air strikes in recent weeks have brought Ukraine’s energy infrastructure to its knees as . . . READ MORE . . .

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Lavrov says Ukrainians will be liberated from neo-Nazi rulers. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said in a documentary aired today that Ukrainians deserve friendly relations with their Slavic brothers and will be liberated from neo-Nazi rulers. “The Ukrainian people . . . READ MORE . . .

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As winter sets in, Ukrainian battlefields show few signs of freezing, by James Beardsworth | The Moscow Times “Russia has big manpower potential after withdrawing from Kherson,” said Konrad Muzyka, a Poland-based defense analyst. “We’re looking at 150,000 to 200,000 Russian men currently being trained.” And . . . READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

Presented below, via Consortium News, is link to a discussion conducted this morning about the war and its contexts. The  introduction below begins about 7 minutes in, and the discussion itself begins at about 11 minutes in. Visitors can listen and watch by clicking HERE. — MCM

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Watch: CN Live! — ‘What’s next for Ukraine?’

In Moscow: Mark Sleboda, international relations and security analyst and U.S. Navy veteran in nuclear engineering; in New York State: Scott Ritter, former U.S. Marine Corps intelligence officer and U.N. weapons inspector; and in Canberra, Australia, Tony Kevin, retired Australian ambassador to Poland and diplomat in Moscow.  Hosts: Elizabeth Vos and Joe Lauria. Produced by Cathy Vogan.

The war in Ukraine began in 2014 as civil conflict when Russian-speakers in the east resisted a coup that overthrew a democratically elected president. The post-coup state launched a war against the resisters for eight years, which Russia entered nine months ago on Feb. 24.

It was an expansion of the war that could easily been prevented. A peace accord was never implemented by the Western-backed Kiev regime. Instead NATO armed and trained Ukrainian forces that included extremist groups, began amassing at the conflict line with the east, poised for an offensive Peace treaties Russia presented to the US and NATO that would have seen NATO deployments of troops and missiles in Eastern Europe rolled back were ignored even as Russia spoke of a technical-military response.

The U.S. got the invasion it wanted and needed. Without it, it could not have launched its economic, information and proxy war on the ground designed to “weaken” Russia. Make no mistake about it. This is a U.S. war against Russia. Ukraine is simply the stage on which it is being acted out.

However the war is not going according to U.S. plans. The economic war, intended to bring down the Russian government, has backfired with dire economic circumstances and growing popular discontent in the West instead.

The information war is being lost outside of territories controlled by the West – which comprises the vast majority of humanity. And the war on the ground is not being won.

But the war hasn’t gone according to Russian plans either. Moscow sought negotiations with Ukraine almost immediately upon entering the war. In March they had a deal in which Ukraine would remain neutral and Crimea would be recognized as Russian and Donbass as independent. But Western leaders, wanting to bleed Russia, scotched it.

A restrained invasion, insofar as invasions can be restrained, is now on the verge of a major Russian offensive. It is being preceded by widespread Russian strikes against power infrastructure, raising troubling questions about the effect on civilians.

Despite continuing propaganda that Ukraine is winning the war, Western leaders know what they are facing: freezing Ukrainians and Europeans and the looming Russian offensive. This had led to talks about talks to end the war but is it now too late?

Is Russia committed to reabsorbing all of Catherine the Great’s imperial conquests in Ukraine or will keeping Ukraine out of NATO, recognition of Crimea and Donbass as part of Russia and withdrawal of NATO’s forward deployments of men and missiles in Eastern Europe still be enough for Russia?

Is the U.S. and NATO still committed to a long war in the vain hope that it will bring down the Russian government?

In an abbreviated entry on Thanksgiving Day (U.S.A.), links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. Thanks for visiting. — MCM

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Bombed, not beaten: Ukraine’s capital flips to survival mode, by John Leicester and Hanna Arhirova | The Associated Press KYIV — Residents of Ukraine’s bombed but undaunted capital clutched empty bottles in search of water and crowded into cafés for power and warmth today, switching defiantly into survival mode after new Russian missile strikes a day earlier plunged the city and much of the country into the dark. In scenes . . . READ MORE . . .

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Weapons industry booms as Eastern Europe arms Ukraine, by Michael Kahn, Anna Koper and Robert Muller | Reuters * E.Europe arms companies step up production for Ukraine * Hope to find new markets as defence spends rise * Can produce and service Soviet-era and NATO-standard weaponry * Poland, Czechs among big suppliers of military aid to Kyiv * Industry’s history stretches from 1800s and through Cold War | PRAGUE/WARSAW — Eastern Europe’s arms industry is churning out guns, artillery shells and other military supplies at a pace not seen since the Cold War as governments in the region lead efforts to aid Ukraine in its fight against Russia. Allies have . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine says its energy system is teetering after Russian attack. Reported by Greg Myre | National Public Radio Russia attacked Ukraine’s energy system Wednesday as part of a continued effort that escalated Oct. 10. Ukrainian officials warn the energy system is teetering as the country enters winter. Click HERE to listen and read.

First, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, Tass, the Moscow Times, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. Next, links to a Nov. 6 article in the Wall Street Journal on reported negotiations between Washington and the Kremlin and, via Consortium News, commentary on that. Then, a link to a Washington Post column that appeared at the top of the Berkshire Eagle’s editorial page this morning. — MCM

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Power outages in Ukrainian cities, Moldova after new strikes, by John Leicester and Sam Mednick | AP  KYIV — Authorities reported power outages in multiple cities of Ukraine, including parts of Kyiv, and in neighboring Moldova after renewed strikes today struck Ukrainian infrastructure facilities. In several regions, authorities reported strikes on critical infrastructure. The city administration of Kyiv said three people were dead and three wounded there after a Russian strike hit a two-story . . . READ MORE . . .

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Some Russian commanders encouraged sexual violence, says lawyer advising Kyiv, by Joanna Plucinska, Anthony Deutsch and Stefaniia Bern | Reuters KYIV — There is evidence that Russian commanders in several instances were aware of sexual violence by military personnel in Ukraine “and in some cases, encouraging it or even ordering it,” according to an international criminal lawyer assisting Kyiv’s war crimes investigations. British lawyer Wayne Jordash . . . READ MORE . . .

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European Parliament passes resolution recognizing Russia as ‘state sponsor of terrorism.’ From Tass. PARIS — The European Parliament during a session in Strasbourg today adopted a resolution designating Russia as a ‘state sponsor of terrorism’, according to the text of the document published on its website. The session was broadcast live on the European Parliament’s . . . READ MORE . . .

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CIA tells Russians frustrated by Putin’s war: ‘We’re open for business.’ From the Moscow Times. The CIA is seeking to recruit Russian nationals angry with the course of Russia’s war in Ukraine, a senior official in the U.S. foreign intelligence ageny has said. According to The Wall Street Journal, which first reported . . . READ MORE . . .

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Georgians alarmed at the arrival of tens of thousands of Russian exiles. Reported by Joanna Kakissis | NPR  A small country bordering Russia and partly occupied by it is alarmed by the recent arrival of tens of thousands of Russian men fleeing conscription into the Ukraine war. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Senior White House official, Putin aides involved in talks on avoiding wider war, by Vivian Salama and Michael R. Gordon | The Wall Street Journal  WASHINGTON—President Biden’s top national-security adviser has engaged in recent months in confidential conversations with top aides to Russian President Vladimir Putin in an effort to reduce the risk of a broader conflict over Ukraine and warn Moscow against using nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction, U.S. and allied officials said. They said U.S. national-security adviser Jake Sullivan has . . . READ MORE . . .

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The back channel, by Scott Ritter | Consortium News According to The Wall Street Journal, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has been involved with a secretive “back channel” line of communication with top Russian officials as part of an effort by the United States and Russia to prevent the war in Ukraine from escalating into a nuclear conflict. Among . . . READ MORE . . .

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This year, give thanks to the Ukrainians. They’re fighting for our values, by Max Boot | The Washington Post  Thanksgiving is an American holiday; arguably the American holiday. But there is no reason that the objects of our gratitude have to be American, This year, I am grateful, above all, to the brave . . . READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED

Italian journalist Stefania Maurizi spoke Monday about her investigations into the Julian Assange case in her new book Secret Power: WikiLeaks and Its Enemies* at the Foreign Press Association in London. Consortium News provides the introduction below to the 70-minute discussion, which may be viewed HERE. Endorsements of the book, along with details of how to order copies, are HERE. — MCM

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Watch: ‘Secret Power’

From Consortium News

It is 2008, and Stefania Maurizi, an investigative journalist with a growing interest in cryptography, starts looking into the little-known organisation WikiLeaks. Through hushed meetings, encrypted files and explosive documents, what she discovers sets her on a life-long journey that takes her deep into the realm of secret power.

Working closely with WikiLeaks‘ founder Julian Assange and his organisation for her newspaper, Maurizi has spent over a decade investigating state criminality protected by thick layers of secrecy, while also embarking on a solitary trench warfare to unearth the facts underpinning the cruel persecution of Assange and WikiLeaks.

With complex and disturbing insights, Maurizi’s tireless journalism exposes atrocities, the shameful treatment of Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden, on up to the present persecution of WikiLeaks: a terrifying web of impunity and cover-ups.

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* The book was published on Nov. 4 in English by Pluto Press. Its original Italian edition came out in August 2021.

For now, links to reports from the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. Then links to reports from three overtly partisan sources. — MCM

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‘Stock up on blankets’: Ukrainians brace for bleak winter, by John Leicester | AP  KYIV — Rolling blackouts across Ukraine may continue through March, according to one of the country’s energy chiefs, as Ukrainians brace for a grim winter after weeks of relentless Russian strikes against its power grid. Sergey Kovalenko, CEO of private energy provider DTEK Yasno . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine detains ‘traitor’ who released Kherson prisoners. From AFP  Ukrainian investigators said today that a prison official in the recently liberated city of Kherson was suspected of committing treason for releasing inmates before the Russian army’s retreat on Nov. 11. Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) said that an official in charge of security at a local prison collaborated with the Russian . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine says it needs help shooting down Russia’s missile attacks. Reported by Greg Myre and Tom Bowman | NPR  Russia is hammering Ukraine with missile attacks, many aimed at electricity stations. Ukraine is shooting down many of these attacks but says it needs more help from the U.S. and NATO. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Aid to Ukraine is vital this winter as Russia keeps up its attack on infrastructure. Reported by Joanna Kakissis | NPR  As Russia’s bombardment of Ukraine’s infrastructure continues, the Ukrainian government is set to receive more than $4 billion in aid from the U.S. to help keep basic services running. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Update from Ukraine: Ruzzia lost almost half of their tanks in Ukraine, Bakhmut is a black hole. Reported by Denys Davydof | DenysDavydof24h Click HERE for video commentary from yesterday and HERE for other recent reports.

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In video: Russian crew won tank duel on Ukrainian front line. From South Front. Click HERE for that. Click HERE for other recent South Front reports.

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Day 272: Ukrainian Battle Map. From Ukraine News TV. Click HERE for Nov. 22 report and HERE for other recent reports.

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TO BE CONTINUED

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

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Cold and dark: Kyiv readies for ‘worst winter of our lives,’ by Yuras Karmanau and John Leicester | AP  KYIV — When the power is out, as it so often is, the high-rise apartment overlooking Ukraine’s war-torn capital feels like a deathtrap. No lights, no water, no way to cook food. And the risk of not being able to escape from the 21st floor in time should a Russian missile strike. Even when electricity comes back, it’s never on for long. “Russian strikes are plunging Ukraine into the Stone Age,” says . . . READ MORE . . .

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How Russia is weaponizing the Ukrainian winter. Reported by Nathan Rott, Claire Harbage and Hanna Palamarenko | NPR  IZIUM, Ukraine — Russia’s systematic and repeated attacks on Ukraine’s energy and heating infrastructure — the latest of which involved the heaviest missile strikes in a nearly nine-month war — have led to regular power outages in some of the country’s largest cities. In smaller towns like Izium . . . Click HERE to listen and read.

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Visual investigation details captive Russian troops’ deaths by shooting. From the Moscow Times. The New York Times said Sunday it has verified footage showing captive Russian troops being killed by Ukrainian forces as experts remain divided on whether the grisly episode constitutes a war crime or an act of self-defense. At least four drone and cellphone videos . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia’s ‘General Armageddon’ under pressure to deliver on battlefield after retreat, by Andrew Osborn and Mark Trevelyan | Reuters  * Top general argued for strategic but humiliating retreat * Russian forces left west bank of River Dnipro as a result * Russia war hawks rallied around General Sergei Surovikin * But he’s now under pressure to show battlefield results | LONDON — Russia’s leading war hawks rallied behind the humiliating decision for Moscow’s forces to retreat from the Ukrainian city of Kherson this month, but the commander who argued in favour of the move is now under growing pressure to prove it was worth it. Sergei Surovikin, nicknamed . . . READ MORE . . .

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IAEA inspectors will be given access to the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant strictly within their mandate — Rosenergoatom. From Tass. MELITOPOL — Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency will be given access to the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant after the shelling by Ukrainian troops strictly within their mandate, a top adviser at Russia’s Rosenergoatom nuclear power engineering company, said Sunday. He noted . . . READ MORE . . .

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Screams from Russia’s alleged torture basements still haunt Ukraine’s Kherson. Reported by Jason Beaubien | NPR  KHERSON, Ukraine — Just talking in Ukrainian could get them arrested and even tortured, residents say. Displaying a Ukrainian flag was . . . Click HERE to listen and read.

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The U.S. seized Russian oligarchs’ superyachts. Now, American taxpayers pay the price. Ayesha Rascoe of NPR speaks with Stephanie Baker, senior writer at Bloomberg News, about the complications involved in seizing and maintaining superyachts owned by sanctioned Russian billionaires. Click HERE to listen and read.

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MAY BE CONTINUED

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, via Consortium News, a link to a three-hour forum held this past week. — MCM

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Negotiating with Moscow would be capitulation – Ukraine presidency, by Ania Tsoukanova | AFP  The West’s attempts to persuade Ukraine to negotiate with Moscow, after a series of major military victories by Kyiv, are “bizarre” and amount to asking for its capitulation, a key adviser to the Ukrainian presidency told AFP. “When you . . . READ MORE . . .

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Kyiv’s mayor: Extraordinary, in extraordinarily tough times, by John Leicester | AP  KYIV — The body armor propped against a radiator, ready for use, the spent shell casing adding to clutter on his desk, the boxing memorabilia and the sign asking visitors to leave firearms at his door: All shout that this is the office of an extraordinary mayor, in extraordinarily difficult times. Other, more personal touches fill out the picture . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia trying to exhaust Ukraine’s air defenses, Pentagon official says, by Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali | Reuters | Reuters WASHINGTON, Nov 19 (Reuters) – Russia’s surge in missile strikes in Ukraine is partly designed to exhaust Kyiv’s supplies of air defenses and finally achieve dominance of the skies above the country, a senior Pentagon official said on Saturday. Russia has been hammering cities across Ukraine with missile strikes over the past week, in one of the heaviest waves of missile attacks since . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia accuses Ukraine of shelling Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant: army. From AFP. The Russian army today accused Kyiv of shelling the territory of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant that it controls in southern Ukraine. Kyiv “does not stop its provocations aiming at creating the threat of a man-made catastrophe at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant”, it said in a statement. Despite shelling on November 19 and 20, radiation levels “remain normal”, it added.

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Former Japanese PM says Zelensky has caused suffering to many Ukrainians – paper. From Tass. TOKYO — Former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori has censured Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky for having caused suffering to many of his fellow citizens, says an article published on the website of The Nikkei newspaper today. “Why is it . . . READ MORE . . .

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Forum: A path to peace in Ukraine. Co-sponsored by The People’s Forum and the ANSWER Coalition. Speaking in person or otherwise at this three-hour event in New York City: Noam Chomsky, Jill Stein, Vijay Prashad, Medea Benjamin, Brian Becker, Eugene Puryear and Claudia de la Cruz. Click HERE to listen and watch.

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MAY BE CONTINUED

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce. David Chandler is a retired high school physics teacher long active with others insisting that NIST’s reports on the three skyscraper collapses at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, are calculated fiction designed to obscure the truth of whatever happened there. — MCM

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A presentation, by David Chandler | davidchandler911 Accompanying his 13-minute video draft, Chandler writes: “It has been nearly 15 years since NIST released their final report on World Trade Center Building 7 (WTC 7).  This is a summary of my research on the demolition of the building and NIST’s deceptive Building 7 report.  This is a draft in preparation for my contribution to the documentary ‘Crime Scene to Courtroom.’” *  Click HERE to listen and watch.

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* The documentary is currently being filmed. Its makers, which include Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth founder and former CEO Richard Gage, are looking for “co-producers” (donors).

First, via Global Research, a link to an analysis that appeared on Nov. 11 on the Unz Review website. At last count it had garnered at least 777 comments, many about other comments. Next, links to reports from National Public Radio, the Associated Press, Reuters, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their names and initials below. — MCM

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The stage is set for U.S. combat troops in Ukraine? The Russian army’s ‘Kherson retreat,’ by Mike Whitney | The Unz Review There’s no doubt that the retreat from Kherson was a black-eye for the Russian Army. There’s also no doubt that the general who ordered the evacuation made the right decision. True, the optics are terrible, but optics don’t win wars. Strategy, valor and firepower win wars. Russian General Sergey Surovikin appears to grasp that fact, which is why he made the unpopular decision . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine hit with onslaught of air strikes while Russian troops retreat on the ground. Scott Simon of NPR speaks with New Yorker magazine staff writer Masha Gessen about Russia’s bombardment of Ukrainian cities and the possibility of a nuclear attack. Click HERE to listen and, later read.

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‘We survived’: Kherson comes alive after Russian withdrawal, by Hanna Arhirova | AP  “Even breathing became easier,” said Olena Smoliana, a pharmacist whose eyes shone with happiness as she recalled the day Ukrainian soldiers entered the city. “Everything is different now.” Kherson’s population has dwindled to around 80,000 from its prewar level near 300,000 . . . READ MORE . . .

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New UK MP Sunak visits Kyiv, pledges support. From Reuters. KYIV — Britain’s new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made his first visit to Kyiv today, pledging to continue the firm support for Ukraine that was a focus of policy under . . . READ MORE . . .

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Zelensky wants no talks in order not to acknowledge fact of Ukraine’s breakup – Medvedev. From Tass. MOSCOW — Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has no intention to hold talks with Russia, since it makes no sense without acknowledging the fact of Ukraine’s break-up, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said today. “Zelensky does not want any negotiations for quite obvious selfish reasons. Moreover, . . . READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED