For today, links to 10 reports: from Kyiv Post, Agence France-Presse, the Kyiv Independent, the Associated Press, Reuters, and Tass, and via Consortium News to a WBAI radio conversation; other published material is accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA and SYRIA entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM
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Russian forces hoist flag in Kurakhove, threatening key Ukrainian logistics hub, by Alisa Orlova | Kyiv Post Russian military on Saturday reportedly raised the flag of the Russian Federation on the administration building in Kurakhove, a city in the Pokrovsky district of Ukraine’s Donetsk region. READ MORE . . . Click HERE and HERE for reports from AFP and the Kyiv Independent.
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40 tank cars destroyed: Ukrainian forces wreck Russian fuel train in Zaporizhzhia, by Alisa Orlova and Kateryna Zakharchenko | Kyiv Post Ukraine’s Security Service and defense forces struck a significant blow to Russian logistics in the occupied territories of Zaporizhzhia on Saturday, SBU sources said. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from the Kyiv Independent.
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Zelensky rejected opportunity to discuss Christmas truce with Orban, Hungarian minister claims, by Martina Sapio | The Kyiv Independent President Volodymyr Zelensky has “forcefully but politely” rejected a call from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to discuss a Christmas ceasefire, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó claimed today. READ MORE . . .
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FROM DEC. 14 Ukrainian drones strike Russia as Kyiv reels from consecutive massive air attacks. From AP. KYIV — Ukrainian drone strikes on southern Russia killed a 9-year-old boy and set fire to a major oil terminal, officials said Saturday, the day after Moscow launched a massive aerial attack on its neighbor that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said was . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Reuters.
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Russian forces down Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter jet — top brass. From Tass. MOSCOW — The Russian military downed a Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter jet in the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said today in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .
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FROM DEC. 14 Ukraine replaces commander as Russia advances fast in the east. From Reuters. KYIV — Ukraine’s military leadership has replaced the commander overseeing defenses in the eastern Donetsk region where Russian forces are making swift advances, a military official said on Saturday. READ MORE . . .
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FROM DEC. 14 Listen: The two puppets. Joe Lauria of Consortium NWes and former CIA analyst Larry Johnson join Randy Credico’s “Live on the Fly” over-the-air radio program on WBAI in New York to discuss events in Syria and Ukraine, and the roles of the U.S., Israel and Turkey. How controllable is Abu Mohammad Jolani? Click HERE for audio.