For today, links to reports from Agence France-Presse, Tass, the Moscow Times, the Associated Press, Reuters, and the Kyiv Independent, and to commentary from the Kyiv Post and Foreign Affairs; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM
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Russian shelling of Kherson kills four, official says. From AFP. Russian shelling of the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson killed four people and injured one other person today, a local official said. Among the dead were two men aged 45 and 50 who were in a car, a woman on the street and a 60-year old man in the city centre, according to . . . READ MORE . . .
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Ukraine’s military loses up to 290 troops, four tanks in Donetsk area over past day. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian forces struck Ukrainian army units in the Donetsk area, killing and wounding up to 290 enemy troops over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry said today in a general briefing. READ MORE . . .
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Georgia says intercepted Ukrainian explosives sent to Russia. From the Moscow Times. Georgian security officials said today that they intercepted several explosives claimed to be from Ukraine and intended to be transported to the southwestern Russian city of Voronezh. Georgia’s State Security Service said the . . . READ MORE . . .
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Zelenskyy signals a shakeup of Ukraine’s military leadership is imminent at a critical point in war, by Illia Novikov and Samya Kullab | AP KYIV — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he is thinking about dismissing the country’s top military officer as part of a broader leadership shakeup, a possibility that has shocked the nation fighting a war to end Russia’s invasion and also worried Ukraine’s Western . . . READ MORE . . .
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Ukrainian troops near Bakhmut expect to fight until war ends, by Inna Varenytsia | Reuters NEAR BAKHMUT, Ukraine — Some soldiers in the east of Ukraine say they will have little choice but to fight until the war is over, despite attempts by the government in Kyiv to mobilise more troops to replace those serving long stints at the front. Draft legislation aimed at replenishing Ukraine’s depleted and . . . READ MORE . . .
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Reshuffling Ukrainian army leadership is up to Zelensky, Sullivan says, by Alexander Khrebet and news desk | The Kyiv Independent Responding to conflicting reports that President Volodymyr Zelensky is planning to dismiss his army chief, the United States government has told Ukraine . . . READ MORE . . .
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President Zelensky – time for clarity. From Kyiv Post. During almost two years of Russia’s all-out war against Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky has earned the reputation of being a great communicator. But in recent days . . . READ MORE . . .
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Russia’s adaptation advantage, by Mick Ryan | Foreign Affairs Throughout the war in Ukraine, Kyiv and Moscow have waged an adaptation battle, trying to learn and improve their military effectiveness. In the early stages of the invasion, Ukraine had the advantage. Empowered by . . . READ MORE . . .
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Spycraft and statecraft, by CIA Director William J. Burns | Foreign Affairs This year is likely to be a tough one on the battlefield in Ukraine, a test of staying power whose consequences will go well beyond the country’s heroic struggle to sustain its freedom and independence. As Russian President Vladimir Putin . . . READ MORE . . .