For now, links to reports from the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, Reuters, Tass, National Public Radio, and the Kyiv Independent, followed by commentary from the Washington Post published last week; other articles are accessible by clicking on their sources’ names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date, so far, is HERE.) — MCM
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NEWER Ukraine unleashes more drones and missiles at Russian areas as part of its new year strategy. From AP. Russian air defenses downed dozens of Ukrainian drones in occupied Crimea and southern Russia today, officials said, as Kyiv pressed its strategy of targeting the Moscow-annexed peninsula and taking the 22-month war well beyond Ukraine’s borders. Air raid sirens . . . READ MORE . . .
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NEWER Russia offers to move border city residents after shelling. From AFP. Russia’s Belgorod region bordering Ukraine offered to move some residents from its capital to safety today, after Kyiv’s forces pounded the city with intense bouts of shelling. The offer came a day after overnight shelling wounded at least two people and knocked out glass from high-rise . . . READ MORE . . .
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Russia has used North Korean ballistic missiles in Ukraine and is seeking Iranian missiles, U.S. says, by Colleen Long and Aamer Madhani | AP WASHINGTON — U.S. intelligence officials have determined that Russia has acquired ballistic missiles from North Korea and is seeking close-range ballistic missiles from Iran as Moscow struggles to replenish supplies for its war with Ukraine, the White House said Thursday. Recently declassified . . . READ MORE . . .
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Ukrainian embassy in Italy slams planned conference on ‘Mariupol’s rebirth’. From Reuters. ROME — The Ukrainian embassy in Italy asked the city of Modena on Thursday to withdraw its approval for the use of a civic hall to host an event about Russia’s reconstruction of the war-wrecked city of Mariupol. Mariupol, a port city on the Sea of Azov in southern Ukraine, was the scene . . . READ MORE . . .
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Air defense systems take down Neptune anti-ship missile over northwestern Black Sea. From Tass. MOSCOW — Air defense systems today eliminated a Neptune anti-ship missile over the northwestern part of the Black Sea, the Russian Defense Ministry said. “An attempt by the Kiev regime was thwarted to carry out a terror attack on targets in the Russian Federation with the use of . . . READ MORE . . .
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How the fight in Congress over U.S. aid to Ukraine impacts Ukrainian soldiers. Leila Fadel of NPR talks with Ukrainian colonel and lawmaker Roman Kostenko about the realities his country faces on the battlefield as it continues to wait for funding from the U.S. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.
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FROM JAN. 4 Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.S. outlines consequences if Western funds end. Reported by Erika Ryan, Christopher Intagliata and Mary Louise Kelly | NPR Oksana Markarova, Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States, talks with NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly about the latest development in the war with Russia. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.
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10 Ukrainian books about Russia’s war available in English, by Kate Tsurkan | The Kyiv Independent Ukraine’s authors should have been able to dedicate their lives to honing their craft. Instead, many of them have stepped up to contribute to the war effort and fight back against Russian aggression. Like . . . READ MORE . . .
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FROM JAN. 1 Russia’s deadly new salvos challenge Congress to respond. The Washington Post. The Soviet Union designed the S-300, a mobile, surface-to-air defense weapons system, during the Cold War to hit incoming U.S. bombers or ballistic missiles. An S-300 can fire a projectile with a 293-pound high-explosive warhead, capable of stopping targets moving at more than 2,600 miles per hour. On Friday [Dec. 29], Russia unleashed 14 of these deadly devices, not defensively against airplanes or missiles, but . . . READ MORE . . .
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MAY BE CONTINUED