First, links to reports from Tass, Agence France-Presse, National Public Radio, the Associated Press, the New York Post, and the Moscow Times; for others, click on their initials below. Next, links to (1) some of the Moscow Times articles authored or co-authored by the journalist arrested in Russia yesterday on suspicion of espionage, (2) this week’s Wall Street Journal article co-authored by the journalist, and (3) commentary from Fortune magazine on his arrest. Then, a link to commentary from Truthout, recommended by Consortium News. Finally for today, a link to a column from the Los Angeles Times. — MCM
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Comparing Beijing, Minsk ideas of peace settlement in Ukraine inappropriate – Kremlin. From Tass. MOSCOW — It will be inappropriate to compare the two sets of ideas for a peace settlement in Ukraine, proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said today. Earlier in the day, Lukashenko called for declaring truce in Ukraine “without the right to move and regroup troops on both sides and without the right to move . . . READ MORE . . .
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Belarus says ready to host ‘strategic’ Russian nuclear arms. From AFP. Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko said today he was ready to host “strategic” Russian nuclear weapons after his ally President Vladimir Putin announced plans to station tactical nuclear weapons in the ex-Soviet country. “If need be, Putin and I will decide and . . . READ MORE . . .
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Russia sends bombs as Ukraine marks grim Bucha anniversary, by Elena Becatoros and Hanna Arhirova | AP BUCHA, Ukraine — Russia used its long-range arsenal to bombard anew several areas of Ukraine today, killing at least two civilians and damaging homes as Ukrainians commemorated the anniversary of the liberation of Bucha. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Bucha, a town near Kyiv, stands as a symbol of the atrocities the Russian military . . . READ MORE . . .
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Russia detains a Wall Street Journal reporter on claims of spying. Reported by Michele Kelemen | NPR Russia on Thursday detained a U.S. journalist working for The Wall Street Journal, accusing him of espionage. Evan Gershkovich was reporting in the city of Yekaterinburg when he was detained. Click HERE to listen and read.
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Russia detains U.S. citizen working for Wall Street Journal’s Moscow bureau. Reported by Charles Maynes | NPR An American journalist has been arrested in Russia and accused of espionage. It’s the first time an American correspondent has been accused of spying since since the Cold War. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.
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Russia arrests Wall Street Journal reporter on spying charge. From AP. Russia’s security service arrested an American reporter for The Wall Street Journal on espionage charges, the first time a U.S. correspondent has been detained on spying accusations since the Cold War. The newspaper denied the allegations and demanded his release. Evan Gershkovich, 31, was detained in Yekaterinburg, Russia’s fourth-largest city, about . . . READ MORE . . .
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Who is Evan Gershkovich, the WSJ reporter arrested in Russia? by Emily Crane | The New York Post Evan Gershkovich is a U.S. national who was raised in New Jersey. He is the son of Soviet Jewish immigrants who currently live in . . . READ MORE . . .
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Moscow Times articles authored or co-authored by Evan Gershkovich. For links to some of the articles under the now-detained journalist’s byline or shared byline, written while a reporter for that newspaper, click HERE.
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Russian military to draft 147,000 new recruits in spring call-up. From the Moscow Times. President Vladimir Putin on Thursday signed an order allowing Russia’s Defense Ministry to enlist 147,000 men for their compulsory military service in the upcoming spring call-up. The number of draftees to be called up this year marks an increase of 12,500 compared to last year’s recruitment figures. The Defense Ministry will . . . READ MORE . . .
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Russia’s economy is starting to come undone, by Georgi Kantchev and Evan Gershkovich | The Wall Street Journal As the war continues into its second year and Western sanctions bite harder, Russia’s government revenue is being squeezed and its economy has shifted to a lower-growth trajectory, likely for the long term. The country’s biggest exports have lost major customers. Government finances are strained. The ruble is down over 20% since November against the dollar. The labor force has shrunk. Uncertainty has curbed business investment. “Russia’s economy is entering . . . READ MORE . . .
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Putin can’t handle the truth: Why American journalist Evan Gershkovich must be freed, by Jeffrey Sonnenfeld | Fortune Early Thursday morning, Putin’s hatchet men abducted and arrested Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich who had the courage to shine a spotlight just this week on how “Russia’s economy is starting to come undone,” closely tracking the findings of my team over the last few months on the implosion of the Russian economy. This courageous journalist, an American citizen, now faces 20 years in Russian hard-labor prisons after merely telling the truth about . . . READ MORE . . .
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The ICC’s selective prosecution, by Marjorie Cohn | Truthout A little more than one year after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), announced that its Pre-Trial Chamber had issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova and Maria Lvova-Belova, commissioner for children’s rights in the Office of the President of the Russian Federation, for the commission of war crimes in Ukraine. While the U.S. celebrates the arrest warrant against Putin, it has pressured the ICC to refrain from prosecuting Israelis and Americans. There is a double standard . . . READ MORE . . .
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Role reversal on foreign policy: Is it permanent? by Nicholas Goldberg | Los Angeles Times Once upon a time, the roles were reversed. Democrats were, if anything, skeptical of foreign intervention. Many, especially the liberals and progressives, saw war as inhumane, policing the world as folly and the Pentagon as bloated. Republicans were more unabashedly hawkish — willing to flex U.S. military muscle and project power in support of . . . READ MORE . . .