For today, links to seven reports: from the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, Reuters, the Kyiv Independent, Tass, Kyiv Post, and the Moscow Times, and to two articles of commentary from Indian Punchline; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (SYRIA and GAZA entries for this date are HERE and HERE, or scroll up. UKRAINE 3-28-25 entry is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM
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Ukrainians expect Russia to launch a fresh offensive to strengthen its negotiating position, by Samya Kullab | AP KYIV — Russian forces are preparing to launch a fresh military offensive in the coming weeks to maximize the pressure on Ukraine and strengthen the Kremlin’s negotiating position in ceasefire talks, according to Ukrainian government and military analysts. READ MORE . . .
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FROM MARCH 28 Putin calls for Zelensky’s removal, ‘finish off’ Ukrainian troops. From AFP. Russian President Vladimir Putin called Friday for a “transitional administration” to be installed in Ukraine, vowing that his army would “finish off” Ukrainian troops, in hardline remarks as U.S. President Donald Trump pushes for a ceasefire. READ MORE . . .
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FROM MARCH 28 Russia says it reserves the right to resume striking Ukrainian energy targets if Kyiv flouts moratorium, by Dmitry Antonov | Reuters MOSCOW — Russia reserves the right to withdraw from a U.S.-brokered moratorium on Moscow and Kyiv striking each other’s energy infrastructure if Ukraine continues to attack such targets, the Kremlin warned on Friday. READ MORE . . .
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FROM MARCH 28 Russia’s drone attack on Dnipro kills 4, injures 24, by Olena Goncharova | The Kyiv Independent The attack on Friday killed four people and injured at least 24 in the city of Dnipro, sparking a large fire at a hotel and restaurant complex as well as 11 private residences. Regional Governor Serhii Lysak said three of the wounded were in critical condition. READ MORE . . .
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Russian forces liberate Panteleymonovka, Shcherbaki — top brass. From Tass. MOSCOW — The Russian armed forces have liberated Panteleymonovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic and Shcherbaki in the Zaporozhye Region, the Defense Ministry said in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .
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Defense ministry lights the afterburner on air power, air superiority, by Christopher Stewart | Kyiv Post Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov has announced the creation of a separate vertical chain of command in the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff that will focus exclusively on aviation development. READ MORE . . .
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FROM MARCH 28 Verified Russian deaths in Ukraine war exceed 100K: sources. From the Moscow Times. Of those killed, according to an independent tally by the BBC’s Russian service and the Mediazona news website, nearly one-quarter were volunteer soldiers, while more than 16% were convicted prisoners and over 11% were . . . READ MORE . . .
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FROM MARCH 28. A détente struggling to be born, by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline Trump is prioritising and managing his political strings to achieve his overriding goal, which is a historic reset with Russia, a precondition for realising his vision of a new world order. Without ending the Ukraine war, he risks getting bogged down. READ MORE . . .
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India’s public diplomacy falls flat, by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline Never once did India show the courage to call out the collective West for fuelling a proxy war that threatened Ukraine’s existence. We kept quiet when Joe Biden and Boris Johnson undermined the Istanbul agreement in April 2022. READ MORE . . .
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