First, links to reports from the Associated Press, National Public Radio, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, Tass, and the Moscow Times; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials. Then, via Consortium News, a link to a report from Declassified UK. — MCM
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Russia’s military woes mount amid Ukraine attacks. From AP. Even as the Kremlin moved to absorb parts of Ukraine in a sharp escalation of the conflict, the Russian military suffered new defeats that highlighted its deep problems on the battlefield and opened rifts at the top of the Russian government. The setbacks have badly dented the image . . . READ MORE . . .
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Ukrainian troops keep up their counteroffensives in the country’s south and east. Reported by Leila Fadel and Kat Lonsdorf | NPR As Russia completed its controversial annexation of four occupied regions of Ukraine, the Ukrainian army is taking back some of that territory village by village. Click HERE to listen and, tomorrow, read.
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Nord Stream investigation finds evidence of detonations, Swedish police say, by Essi Lehto and Anna Ringstrom | Reuters * Swedish Security Service says ‘gross sabotage’ indicated * Investigation shows detonations at Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines * Russia says not asked to participate in investigation | HELSINKI/STOCKHOLM — A crime scene investigation of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines from Russia to Europe has strengthened suspicions of “gross sabotage” involving detonations, Sweden’s Security Service said on Thursday. . . . Europe, which is a facing an energy crisis in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, is . . . READ MORE . . .
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European Union adopts eighth package of sanctions against Russia, including oil price cap. From Tass. BRUSSELS — The European Union has adopted the eighth package of economic and individual sanctions against Moscow over the accession of four constituent entities to the Russian Federation, including the price cap on Russian oil and import bans worth 7 bln euro, the EU Council said in a statement today. “The agreed package includes . . . READ MORE . . .
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Zelensky Says Ukraine Must Win To Protect Europe. From AFP. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said today that his country must fend off Moscow’s invasion “so that Russian tanks do not advance on Warsaw or again on Prague”. Addressing a meeting in Prague of European heads of state convened by French President Emmanuel Macron, Zelensky also . . . READ MORE . . .
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Kremlin-Installed Official in Ukraine Slams Russian Military Leaders Over Mounting Losses. From the Moscow Times. A senior Kremlin-installed official in Ukraine’s partially occupied Kherson region lashed out at Russian military officials today, a rare example of full-throated criticism from an official as Moscow faces mounting military losses to Kyiv. “Many are saying . . . READ MORE . . .
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British intelligence predicted Ukraine war 30 years ago, by Phil Miller | Declassified UK / Consortium News When British intelligence warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin was about to attack Ukraine earlier this year, the spooks’ foresight won many plaudits. Yet their prediction mirrored a scenario Whitehall had long known might unfold. In May 1992, just six months after the Soviet Union broke up, Britain’s then Prime Minister John Major . . . READ MORE . . .