For today, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, National Public Radio, the Kyiv Post, the Kyiv Independent, and Tass, and to analysis from Reuters; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date and a PAYNE entry are HERE and HERE.) — MCM
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Putin readying for long war with West with reshuffle: Ukraine security chief. From AFP. A reshuffle in Russia’s security apparatus suggests the Kremlin is preparing for a long war in Ukraine and standoff with the West, Kyiv’s new security council chief Oleksandr Lytvynenko said today. “This suggests . . . READ MORE . . . Scroll down for related analysis from Reuters.
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Ukraine’s Zelenskyy says his army is locked in ‘fierce’ border battles amid a Russian assault, by Illia Novikov | AP KYIV — Ukrainian troops are locked in intense battles with the advancing Russian army in two border areas, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday, while the death toll from a Russian apartment building collapse blamed on Ukrainian shelling rose to 15. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for later AP report.
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Russia widens Kharkiv front in Ukraine with small assault groups, governor says, by Yuliia Dysa and Olena Harmash | Reuters KYIV — Moscow’s troops entered Ukraine near its second city, Kharkiv, on Friday, opening a new, northeastern front in a war that has for almost two years been largely fought in the east and south. The advance could . . . READ MORE . . .
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Woman killed in Ukrainian drone strike on Russia’s Kursk Region. From AFP. A Ukrainian drone strike in western Russia’s Kursk region has killed one woman and injured three others, regional authorities said today.“Today . . . READ MORE . . .
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Battles rage in Ukraine’s northeast region amid Russia’s cross-border assault. Michel Martin of NPR talks with retired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, ex-director of European Affairs for the National Security Council, about whether the Russian troop push is a turning point in the war. Click HERE to listen and read.
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Intense fighting near Vovchansk, Russian troops gain tactical ground. From Kyiv Post. The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported ongoing battles for the border town of Vovchansk in the Kharkiv region, with Russia achieving tactical success. “The enemy deployed significant forces, up to five battalions,” it said, and “is disregarding”losses of more than 100 soldiers in one day in that sector alone. READ MORE . . .
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Civilians flee Vovchansk under Russian bombardment as ground offensive on Kharkiv begins, by Francis Farrell | The Kyiv Independent VOVCHANSK, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine — The glide bombs arrive in groups of three. Their flight can be heard from far away, but only in the last second before impact is it clear where one will hit. Click HERE for article, maps, and video.
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Kharkov authorities acknowledge advance of Russian troops. From Tass. MOSCOW — Oleg Sinegubov, the head of the military administration of the Kharkov Region, has acknowledged the expansion of the frontline and linked the failures of the Ukrainian troops to the delay in Western military aid. “Essentially,” he said in an interview with Sky News, “the frontline is expanding as the enemy . . . READ MORE . . .
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Russia’s surprise defence minister Belousov; economist out to boost war budget, by Guy Faulconbridge, Darya Korsunskaya and Andrew Osborn | Reuters MOSCOW / LONDON — With zero military experience, Andrei Belousov, a wiry white-haired economist and Orthodox churchgoer who enjoys rock climbing, seems an odd pick to be Russia’s new defence minister at a time . . . READ MORE . . .