To begin, links to reports from teleSUR, Agence France-Presse, and Reuters; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. –MCM

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Progress in reparations for victims of dictatorships in Bolivia. From teleSUR. SUCRE — Minister of Justice Iván Lima, highlighted said Sunday that Bolivia is making progress in the integral reparation to the victims of the military dictatorships of the 1964-1982 period with the signing of a National Agreement. The General Treasury of the Nation will assume 80% of the resources that were not covered in the reparation of victims in 2004, in addition to the 20% that was disbursed in 2006. In this sense, President Luis Arce paid tribute to . . . READ MORE . . .

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Lula against Bolsonara’s unification of religion and state in Brazil. From teleSUR. Brazilian presidential candidate Lula da Silva criticized politicians who use faith as a political platform. His position was expressed at a time when his rival, President Jair Bolsonaro, carries out such practices to attract voters. Lula, the Workers’ Party candidate, said demagogy has many forms, and one of them is the opportunistic use of people’s faith to gain followers. “I defend the secular state. The state should not have religion and churches should not have political parties”, said . . . READ MORE . . .

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Pope ‘concerned’ after Nicaraguan bishop detained. From AFP. Pope Francis said Sunday he was “concerned” by rising tensions between the state and the Catholic church in Nicaragua, two days after bishop and regime critic Rolando Alvarez was detained. Francis said he was following “closely with concern and sorrow” the situation in Nicaragua, amid a worsening standoff between the Church and a government accused of increasing authoritarianism. I would like to express my . . . READ MORE . . .

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Lula: No need to fell a single tree to boost Brazil farm output, by Lisandra Paraguassu | Reuters SAO PAULO — Brazil’s presidential frontrunner Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said today his country did not need to cut a single tree to plant more soybeans, sugarcane or raise cattle as he vowed to restore law enforcement in the Amazon rainforest to curb deforestation. His remarks came as Reuters reported last week that advisors to the leftist former president were proposing subsidized “green” farm loans to spur planting of soybeans and corn on open pasture and reduce deforestation in the Amazon. “If the world . . . READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED

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

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Turkey doubles Russian oil imports, filling EU void. From Reuters. MOSCOW — Turkey doubled its imports of Russian oil this year, Refinitiv Eikon data showed today, as the two countries are set for broader cooperation in business and especially energy trade in the face of western sanctions against Moscow. Trade between Turkey . . .READ MORE . . .

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Moscow says Ukraine behind death of Kremlin ideologue’s daughter. From AFP. Russia’s FSB security services said today that Ukraine was behind a car bombing in the outskirts of Moscow that killed the daughter of hard-line Russian ideologue Alexander Dugin. Dugin — an outspoken ultranationalist intellectual and a vocal supporter of the Kremlin’s offensive in Ukraine — is thought to have been the likely target of the attack. . . . Daria Dugina was killed Saturday when a bomb placed in a Toyota Land Cruiser went off as she drove on a highway some 40 kilometers (25 miles) outside Moscow. READ MORE . . .

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FSB solves Darya Dugina’s murder, masterminded by Ukrainian secret services. From Tass. MOSCOW — The murder of Russian journalist Darya Dugina has been solved, Russia’s federal security service FSB has said. It was prepared by Ukrainian secret services. The perpetrator — a citizen of Ukraine identified as Natalia Vovk — escaped to Estonia, the FSB’s public relations center stated. “As a result of urgent detective measures, the federal security service has solved the murder of Russian journalist Darya Dugina, born in 1992,” the FSB stressed. The special service found that “the crime was prepared and committed by Ukrainian secret services.” Its perpetrator was identified as a citizen of Ukraine, Natalia Vovk, born in 1979. . . . READ MORE . . .

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EU mulls military training for Ukrainian forces: Borrell. From AFP The European Union will debate the launch of a major training operation for Ukrainian forces in neighbouring nations, the bloc’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said today. The proposal will be discussed next week at a meeting of EU defence ministers in Prague, Borrell told a press conference in Santander, in northern Spain. “I hope it will be approved,” he added.

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Humanitarian groups prepare to send winter help to Ukrainians. Ayesha Rascoe of NPR speaks with Corus International Chief Humanitarian Officer Tamara Demuria about the need for aid in Ukraine as winter approaches. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Kyiv hosts a different kind of parade to celebrate Ukraine’s Independence Day. Reported by Julian Hayda | NPR  Ukraine’s independence day celebrations won’t have the usual fanfare as Russia persists in its invasion. Aug. 24 marks the day when Ukraine’s parliament vowed to separate from the Soviet Union in 1991. The date this year will also mark six months since the war began. Perhaps the most striking departure from past festivities . . . Click HERE to listen and read.

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‘Time stopped’: Ukrainians long to go home as war drags on, by Vanessa Gera and Kirsten Grieshaber | AP  WARSAW, Poland — As the war reaches the sixth-month mark Wednesday, many refugees are facing the sad realization that they will not be going home soon, if they have homes to return to at all. . . . Many wouldn’t feel safe yet, even in areas under Ukrainian control. So they are biding their time, waiting for the end of a war that shows no signs of ending soon, longing for home and refusing to . . . READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

First, links to reports from Reuters, the Associated Press, Tass, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. Then, from Global Research, what role has ownership of Ukrainian grain farmland played in that country’s politics? — MCM

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Daughter of Russian ideologue killed in suspected car bomb attack. From Reuters. The daughter of an ultra-nationalist Russian ideologue who advocates Russia absorbing Ukraine was killed in a suspected car bomb attack outside Moscow, Russian state investigators said today. Darya Dugina, daughter of prominent ideologue Alexander Dugin, was killed on Saturday evening after a suspected explosive device blew up the . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russians down Ukrainian drones in Crimea as war broadens, by Paul Byrne and Joanna Kozlowski | AP  KYIV — Russian authorities reported shooting down Ukrainian drones Saturday in Crimea, while Ukrainian officials said Russian forces pressed ahead with efforts to seize one of the few cities in eastern Ukraine not already under their control. The Russian military also . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukrainian troops open fire on Zaporozhye NPP, critical facilities undamaged – authorities. From Tass. MELITOPOL, Ukraine — Ukrainian forces again opened fire on the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant on Saturday using West-supplied weapons, but critical facilities were not damaged in the attack, the civil-military administration of Energodar city, home to the NPP, said. . . . There are no immediate reports about casualties among . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia’s war at 6 months: A global economy in growing danger, by Paul Wiseman and David McHugh | AP  MECKENHEIM, Germany — Six months after Russia invaded Ukraine, the consequences are posing a devastating threat to the global economy . . . . Gas is not only much more costly, it might not be available at all if Russia completely cuts off supplies to Europe to avenge Western sanctions, or if utilities can’t store enough for winter. Germany may have to impose gas rationing that could cripple industries from steelmaking to pharmaceuticals to commercial laundries. . . . High food prices and shortages, worsened by the cutoff of fertilizer and grain shipments from Ukraine and Russia that are slowly resuming, could . . . READ MORE . . .

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A look at Ukraine, 6 months into its war with Russia. Reported by Joanna Kakissis | NPR  An update on the war in Ukraine and a look at how life in the city of Odesa has changed. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Ukraine’s rail system is working overtime to keep people and goods moving. Reported by Eleanor Beardsley | NPR  With airlines shut down and many of the country’s road’s destroyed, Ukraine’s train system has been both the literal and figurative lifeline for the country. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Whose grain is being shipped from Ukraine? America’s GMO agribusiness giants to take control of Ukraine farmland, by F. William Engdahl | Global Research A great humanitarian uproar in recent weeks demanding the safe shipping of Ukrainian grain to ease a hunger crisis in Africa and elsewhere is deceptive on many levels. Not the least is who owns the land on which the grain is grown and whether that grain is actually illegal GMO patented corn and other grains. A corrupt . . . READ MORE . . .

A brief bit of news. Andy Steele talks with an apple-cheeked structural engineer who seems to be making headway inside his professional association in New Mexico. — MCM

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Seth McVey to present on WTC 7 and Twin Towers to the New Mexico Structural Engineers Association. From AE911Truth. We have some great news to share about one of our highly dedicated volunteers! Structural engineer Seth McVey, one of the youngest members of AE911Truth’s Project Due Diligence, was recently appointed to the board of directors of the New Mexico Structural Engineers Association. . . . Along with his appointment to the board, Seth was invited to give two presentations to the organization’s membership. The first . . . Click HERE to read more and listen to a five-minute chat.

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MAY BE CONTINUED

First, links to two explainers. In the first, a Berkshire Eagle columnist who reported for other news organizations for a dozen or so years while domiciled in Moscow and Kyiv elaborates on worldwide energy repercussions of the war. In about a thousand words, James Brooke summarizes realities that include perilous nuclear brinkmanship. (It appears not to be paywalled against non-subscribers to the Eagle.) The other is a National Public Radio report on another, not quite as major, economic consequence of the war. Then, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, and Tass; other stories are accessible by clicking on their names below. — MCM

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Putin throws Europe into energy crisis, by James Brooke | The Berkshire Eagle If firewood prices rise this autumn in the Berkshires, blame Vladimir Putin. . . . [And] in the world’s increasingly integrated energy economy, Europe’s ballooning oil and gas prices will drag up prices in the U.S. With British and German home electricity bills expected to double this winter watch your National Grid and Berkshire Gas bills. READ MORE . . .

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Russia’s war in Ukraine pushes Ukrainian steel production to the brink. Reported by Jason Beaubien | NPR  Iron and steel production remains Ukraine’s second-leading industry after agriculture. And prior to the Russian invasion this year, it was a major supplier of iron ore to Turkey, China and parts of the European Union. While the war with Russia has raised serious international concern about getting Ukraine’s vast production of wheat, corn and sunflower oil . . .to global markets, the invasion has been even more devastating to the country’s metalworks. Exports of bulk iron ore, for instance . . . have stopped entirely from Ukrainian ports. Click HERE to listen or read.

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Russian shelling, Ukrainian airstrike reflect broadening war, by Paul Byrne and Joanna Kozlowska | AP  KYIV — Russian forces stepped up their battle to seize one of the dwindling number of cities in embattled eastern Ukraine not already under their control while continuing to fire on towns and villages in the country’s north and south, Ukrainian officials said today. Russian shelling collapsed balconies and blew out windows in the southern region of Mykolayiv, injuring at least nine civilians, authorities said.  . . . Reflecting the broadening frontlines of the nearly 6-month war in Ukraine, a Ukrainian airstrike hit targets in the largest Russian-occupied city in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, according to . . . READ MORE . . .

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Blasts, fresh drone attacks rock Russian-held areas far from Ukraine war front, by Tom Balmforth and Max Hunder | Reuters * Half of Russia’s Black Sea aviation wiped out – Western official * Kyiv coy over incidents in Crimea and Russia * Ukraine fears Russia will decouple nuclear plant from grid * Washington prepares more military aid for Kyiv | KYIV — Russia reported fresh Ukrainian drone attacks on Friday evening, a day after explosions erupted near military bases in Russian-held areas of Ukraine and Russia itself, apparent displays of Kyiv’s growing ability to pummel Moscow’s assets far from front lines. The latest incidents followed huge blasts last week at an air base in Russian-annexed Crimea. In a new assessment, a Western official said that incident had rendered half of Russia’s Black Sea naval aviation force useless in a stroke. Russia’s RIA and Tass news agencies, citing a . . . READ MORE . . .

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European gas prices soar on planned Nord Stream closure. From AFP. European gas prices soared to a new record high at the close of trading on Friday after Russia’s Gazprom announced that the Nord Stream pipeline would be closed for maintenance at the end of the month. The Dutch TTF Gas Futures contract jumped to a closing high of 257.40 euros ($258.30) amid fears of winter energy shortages after Gazprom said deliveries via the Nord Stream pipeline would be halted from August 31 to September 2 due to maintenance work.

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UN working to overcome obstacles to exports of Russian food, fertilizers – Guterres. From Tass. ANKARA — It is crucial for global markets to ensure unimpeded exports of agricultural products from Ukraine and Russia, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at a news conference with Turkish Defense Ministry Hulusi Akar today. . . . In addition, he said that the United Nations is working with the United States and European Union to overcome “a certain number of obstacles” to Russian food and fertilizers, “which are not subject to sanctions,” reaching global . . . READ MORE . . .

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

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High-level talks in Ukraine yield little reported progress, by Derek Gatopoulos and Suzan Fraser | AP  LVIV, Ukraine — Turkey’s leader and the U.N. chief met in Ukraine with President Volodymr Zelenskyy on Thursday in a high-powered bid to ratchet down a war raging for nearly six months. But little immediate progress was reported. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would follow up with Russian President Vladimir Putin, given that most of the matters discussed would require the Kremlin’s agreement. READ MORE . . .

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The United Nations wants to avoid a nuclear disaster in Ukraine. Reported by Leila and Frank Langfitt | NPR  U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is in Ukraine where he is calling for the Russian and Ukrainian armies to back away from a nuclear power plant over fears of a nuclear catastrophe. Click HERE to listen and, tomorrow, read.

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Zelensky rules out any ‘peace’ without Russian troop withdrawal. From AFP. LVIV, Ukraine — President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday ruled out peace with Russia unless it withdraws its troops from Ukraine, speaking after talks with his Turkish counterpart, and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. Zelensky told reporters he was “very surprised” to hear from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Russia was “ready for some kind of peace“, adding: “First they should leave our territory and then we’ll see”.

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Russia deploys hypersonic missiles to its Baltic exclave, by Vladimir Isachenkov | AP  MOSCOW — The Russian military said Thursday that it has deployed warplanes armed with state-of-the-art hypersonic missiles to the country’s westernmost Baltic region, a move that comes amid soaring tensions with the West over Moscow’s action in Ukraine. Russia’s Defense Ministry said three MiG-31 fighters with Kinzhal hypersonic missiles arrived . . . READ MORE . . .

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U.S. dooming EU to hunger, cold, isolation in bid to cling to power, says Duma Speaker. From Tass. MOSCOW — The United States seeks to maintain its “power over the world” by damaging European countries and actually dooming them to isolation, Russian State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said toiday. . . .”Washington has condemned Europe to hunger, cold and isolation. . . . Washington is ready to do everything to maintain its power over the world, sacrificing . . . READ MORE . . .

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How a journalist and an aspiring writer in Ukraine grew while working on a news site. Reported by Gregory Warner | NPR  A local journalist in small town New York and an aspiring writer in Eastern Ukraine discovered they had a lot more to learn from each other than either expected. Click HERE to listen and read.

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From bomb shelter to dorm room: Ukrainian students find refuge at U.S. colleges, by Rose Horowitch | Reuters On March 31, about a month after Russia invaded Ukraine, Hlib Burtsev won a spot at Brown University for this fall. The Ivy League school extended an offer for him to join its summer session and paid for his food, flights and housing because of the war in his country. . . . More than 120 U.S. universities have efforts to help Ukrainian students, according to a survey of 559 schools by . . . READ MORE . . .

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Pro-Kremlin Rapper Unveils Starbucks’ Russian Successor. From the Moscow Times. Stars Coffee, the renamed former Starbucks chain, opened its first coffee shop in central Moscow on Thursday. Co-owners Timur Yunusov, a famous pro-Kremlin rapper known as Timati, and restaurateur Anton Pinskiy, presented the new brand with a logo that closely resembles the iconic Starbucks siren. The siren has been replaced by a woman wearing a Russian headdress called a kokoshnik instead of a crown. READ MORE . . .

Please Listen to These Two

By Mark Channing Miller

A salubrious interview took place last October (2021) between James Corbett of The Corbett Report and his guest Mark Crispin Miller of News From Underground.

I discovered it while deleting old email messages. One not deleted is labeled “Excellent conversation about the power of Propaganda.” It reads as follows.

“Hello Friends, This is one of the best discussions I have yet heard  on the whole issue of propaganda, culminating in our current topsy-turvy world, between James Corbett and Mark Crispin Miller (who has taught propaganda courses for many years at NYU). In my opinion, an extremely intelligent & in-depth analysis, and highly worth your watch (about 50 minutes). Blessings, Jane.” 

She provided the link.

Jane is right. After listening, I unexpectedly recalled a sketch the great stand-up comic Shelley Berman did on vinyl. It could be titled, “Man In Office Calls Woman and Gets Her Two-Year-Old Daughter.”

He asks in a standard way for Mrs. ____. Kid hangs up. Redialing, he tries something like, “Hello, I’d like to speak with your mother. Is she . . .?” Kid hands up. Next call, he softens his voice and says (perhaps), “Hi, it’s me again. Is your mother there by any chance?” Click. Finally: “Is your mah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-my there?” Kid hangs up.

Trying for an adult conversation in person on some subjects, including Covid-19, can elicit a similar response. Kid hangs up, no matter how old. At one point, Corbett and Miller lament the passing of an age before skilled propagandists became so adept at shaping minds — before so many started slavishly believing government and media authorities.

Case in point: I offered a physician friend my copy of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s The Real Anthony Fauci. A week or so later I asked how he liked it. He didn’t start it, he said, noting an enthusiastic blurb on the cover by Tucker Carlson of Fox News.**

At any rate, HERE is the interview. It’s titled “How to Disarm Propaganda – Mark Crispin Miller on #SolutionsWatch.” Readers who find it intriguing are likely to like other content on The Corbett Report and click in. Perchance to chip in. 

A few quotes:

From Miller, “The media system is concentrated to an unprecedented degree. There are very few, corporate owners of the media. They are all dominated by the same commercial interests, which bribe in the form of advertising revenues. And as the media has become more concentrated, and more unipolar, it has also become closer to government.”

From Corbett: “Be ever willing to move out of your comfort zone.”

From Miller, on the Covid-19 phenomenon: “The most successful psy-op in human history.”

From Miller: “Oh absolutely, humor is essential, especially because the topics we grapple with are so dark.”

Miller: “What sources do you trust, and why? The sources one trusts tend not to be too doctrinaire.”

Miller or Corbett: “You don’t hector people with counter-arguments.”

Miller: “Scripture tells us it’s a waste of time to argue with a fool.”

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* This entry was edited for minor errors on Aug. 20.

** Carlson’s plug: “Bobby Kennedy is one of the bravest and most uncompromisingly honest people I’ve ever met. Someday he’ll get credit for it. In the meantime, read this book.” It is several lines above one by Mark Crispin Miller, which reads: “The story of Fauci’s rise and reign is really all about the absolute corruption of our major institutions — government, medicine, academia, and (above all) the press — by Big Pharma (and the Gates Foundation). Those of us who really do believe in science now have this book to help rid the world of that corruption.”

First, links to reports by Reuters, Agence France-Presse, the Associated Press, Tass, the Moscow Times, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. Then, a link to and essay — overlooked last March, when it was first posted.*  — MCM

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Ukraine says fighting ‘deadlocked’ ahead of visit by U.N. chief, by Natalia Zinets | Reuters * U.N. chief to meet Zelenskiy in Lviv today * Seven die in Russia attack on Kharkiv – emergency service * Ukrainian forces rout Russian attack in Kherson | KYIV — Ukrainian forces said today they had beaten back a Russian attack in the southern region of Kherson, while the death toll from Russian shelling of Kharkiv city in Ukraine’s northeast climbed as the nearly six-month war grinds on without let-up. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan later today in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv. They will discuss . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia strikes Kharkiv ahead of Erdogan, UN chief meeting with Zelenskyy. From AFP. KYIV — Russian strikes battered the northeast Ukraine region of Kharkiv today, killing at least five people, hours ahead of the first face-to-face meeting between the Turkish and Ukrainian leaders since the start of the war. Moscow meanwhile denied it had deployed any heavy weapons at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine where a recent escalation in fighting has increased fears of a nuclear disaster. The head of the Kharkiv region . . . READ MORE . . .

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Former UN chief Ban urges world to remember Bucha victims, by Derek Gatopoulos and Evgeniy Maloletka | AP  BUCHA, Ukraine — Former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on the world Tuesday to honor civilians who were killed when Russian ground forces tried to invade Ukraine’s capital and eventually retreated from the area surrounding Kyiv. Ban . . . visited Bucha, a city northwest of the Ukrainian capital where hundreds of civilians were found dead after the Russian withdrawal in late March. “It’s hard to express my feelings. It’s a horrendous atrocity. It’s a crime against humanity and (those responsible) should . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia not deploying heavy firepower at or near Zaporozhye plant, says top brass. From Tass. MOSCOW — No heavy Russian weapons are being deployed at or near the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov reported today. . . . Konashenkov said the nuclear plant was guarded only by security patrols. “The Russian armed forces are taking all the necessary measures to guarantee the . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia appoints new Black Sea Fleet commander — state media. From the Moscow Times. A new commander has been appointed to the Russian Black Sea Fleet, state news agency RIA Novosti reported Wednesday citing military sources. If confirmed, the removal of Igor Osipov and the elevation of Viktor Sokolov would be one of the most major Russian military reshuffles since the invasion of Ukraine began . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine’s ambulance crews, many of them volunteers, put their lives on the line. Reported by Brian Mann | NPR  The crews are working on the front lines to save soldiers wounded by Russian forces. For medics who are volunteers with little training, the danger and emotional costs are high. Click HERE to listen and, tomorrow, read.

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How billionaires picked Putin as ‘Russia’s Pinochet,’ by Greg Palast | BuzzFlash / gregpalast.com Vladimir Putin did not arrive from outer space on an abalone shell. Putin went from the virtually unknown Deputy Mayor of Saint Petersburg to Russia’s President and potentate by winning a weird competition organized by Russian billionaire Boris Berezovsky who sought a . . . READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

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* Investigative journalist Greg Palast is often shown in a hat, but not one to be confused with the “funny” headwear of Russian and Ukrainian Orthodox prelates, which he has discussed along with other causative factors of the war. 

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

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Zelensky, Erdogan, Guterres To Meet Thursday In Ukraine. From AFP. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan and UN chief Antonio Guterres will meet in Ukraine on Thursday, the United Nations announced. “At the invitation of President Volodymyr Zelensky, the secretary-general will be in Lviv on Thursday to attend a trilateral meeting . . . READ MORE . . .

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Action wanes at U.N. to isolate Russia almost six months into Ukraine war, by Michelle Nichols and Emma Farge | Reuters UNITED NATIONS/GENEVA — On a June night under the chandeliers of Russia’s United Nations mission in New York, dozens of U.N. ambassadors from Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and Asia attended a reception to mark the country’s national day — less than four months after its forces invaded neighboring Ukraine. The crowd of ambassadors illustrated the difficulties facing Western diplomats in trying to sustain international resolve to isolate Russia diplomatically . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukrainians flee grim life in Russian-occupied Kherson, by Hanna Arhirova, by Hanna Arhirova | AP  KYIV —Kherson, located north of the Crimean Peninsula that was annexed by Moscow in 2014, was the first city to fall after Russia’s invasion on Feb. 24. The port remains at the heart of the conflict and Ukraine’s efforts to preserve its vital access to the sea. For Russia, Kherson is a key point along the land corridor from its border to the peninsula. Volodymyr Zhdanov and others who made the hazardous journey to escape from the region . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian Foreign Ministry slams media allegations of Russia stealing power from Zaporozhye NPP. From Tass. MOSCOW — The Wall Street Journal’s allegations of Russia stealing electricity from the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant expose its failure to see the cause-effect relationships, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The ministry pointed to a Wall Street Journal article, which alleged, citing analysts, that Moscow was trying “to reroute power to occupied territories, Russia and even export markets, where the price of electricity is surging.” “The wild conclusion is that such ‘expropriation’ on the part of Russia . . . READ MORE . . .

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What it was like as family of Ukrainian prisoners of war waited for news after blast. Reported by Joanna Kakissis | NPR The families of Ukrainian soldiers imprisoned by Russian forces have embarked on a desperate search for information after a deadly explosion at the prison where the soldiers are kept. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Russians scramble for visas as EU mulls travel restrictions, by Anastasia Tenisheva | The Moscow Times Russians are racing to try and obtain European visas as some countries impose travel restrictions and fears grow that the European Union could ban Russian tourists from the bloc in response to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. The number of applications for  . . . READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

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

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Explosions shake Russian-held Crimea, Ukraine hints at role, by Natalia Zinets | Reuters  * Ammunition store explodes in latest Crimea blasts * Ukraine and Russia trade blame for shelling near nuclear site * Food aid leaves Ukrainian port for Africa | KYIV — Explosions rocked an ammunition depot and disrupted trains in Russian-annexed Crimea today, the latest such incident in a region Moscow uses as a supply line for its . . . READ MORE . . .

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Explosions refocus war in Ukraine on Russian-annexed Crimea, by Paul Byrne | AP  KYIV  — The world’s attention on the war in Ukraine today turned anew to Russia-annexed Crimea, where two separate fires, including one with massive explosions, injured at least two people and forced the evacuation of around 2,000 residents. The second incident in a week in Crimea raised increasing questions about whether Ukrainian forces managed to hit the peninsula. Videos . . . READ MORE . . .

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Munitions depot fire in Crimea’s north continues, regional leader reports. From Tass. SIMFEROPOL  — A blaze that was triggered by an ammunition depot blast in the Dzhankoi district of Crimea continues, peninsula head Sergey Aksenov said on his Telegram channel today. “I am in the village of Azovsky, Dzhankoi district, where . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian Army says munitions explode at Crimea depot. From AFP. Russia said today that a fire had set off explosions at a munitions depot in Crimea, a week after a series of similar blasts at an airbase in the peninsula annexed from Ukraine. The defence ministry said in a statement that a fire erupted around 6:15 am local time (0315 GMT) at a temporary military storage site near the village of Mayskoye in the Dzhankoi district, causing . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukrainians express worries over conscription following Russia’s invasion. Reported by Ashley Westerman | NPR  After Russia’s invasion, Ukraine announced martial law in February and issued a travel ban, so most men couldn’t leave the country. Many have since felt trapped and worry they’ll be drafted to fight. Click HERE to listen and read.

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TO BE CONTINUED