Ukraine, 5-17-23

First, links to reports from Tass, National Public Radio, the Associated Press, and Reuters; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. Finally for today, a link to an investigative report self-published by an investigative journalist on Substack. — MCM

   

Ukrainian spymaster calls for establishing 100-km demilitarized zone with Russia. From Tass. MOSCOW — Top Ukrainian intelligence official Kirill Budanov has proposed creating a 100-km-long demilitarized zone between Ukraine and Russia. “The question of ending the war [involves] the creation of a demilitarized zone; this is our goal,” the head of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate said. Further elaborating . . . READ MORE . . .

   

There are signs Ukraine’s spring counteroffensive may have already started. Reported by Leila Fadel and Joanna Kakissis | NPR  Ukrainian forces claim they’ve made advances in the battle for Bakhmut — a city in the east that Russia has been trying to capture for more than 10 months. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

   

G-7 leaders likely to focus on the war in Ukraine and tensions in Asia at summit in Hiroshima, by Adam Schreck | AP  HIROSHIMA, Japan — The symbolism will be palpable when leaders of the world’s rich democracies sit down in Hiroshima, a city whose name evokes the tragedy of war, to tackle a host of challenges including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and . . . READ MORE . . .

   

Ukraine denies Russia destroyed Patriot missile defence system. From Reuters. Ukraine denied today that a Russian hypersonic missile had destroyed a US-made Patriot missile defence system during an air strike on Kyiv. Russia’s defence ministry made the assertion Tuesday after an overnight air attack on the Ukrainian capital. Two US officials later said a Patriot system had probably suffered damage but . . . READ MORE . . .

   

Russia poised to decide if Ukraine’s grain deal survives. That’s a risk to global food security, by Jamey Keaten and Courtney Bonnell | AP  GENEVA — The United Nations is racing to extend a deal that has allowed shipments of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea to parts of the world struggling with hunger, helping ease a global food crisis exacerbated by the war Russia launched more than a year ago. The breakthrough accord . . . READ MORE . . .

   

Can Ukraine use Patriot defense systems to knock out Russian hypersonic missiles? From Reuters. Ukraine said on Tuesday that it downed six Russian hypersonic Kinzhal missiles in a single night, in what would be a major setback for Moscow’s efforts to develop an unstoppable next-generation weapon. Last week the U.S. military confirmed that Ukraine had shot down a Kinzhal missile using the U.S.-produced . . . READ MORE . . .

   

How well prepared is Ukraine for its expected counteroffensive? Reported by Ailsa Chang, Elena Burnett and Christopher Intagliata | NPR  Max Bergmann of the Center for Strategic and International Studies talks about Ukraine’s planned counteroffensive and what it will take to be successful. Click HERE to listen and read.

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‘I only operate’: A Ukrainian trauma surgeon has an all-consuming task during Russia’s war, by Illia Novikov and Vasilisa Stepanenko | AP  KYIV — As the lead trauma surgeon at a military hospital in Ukraine’s capital, Petro Nikitin has his hands deep in a war churning hundreds of kilometers (miles) away. The 59-year-old doctor’s work . . . READ MORE . . .

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The Ukraine refugee question, by Seymour Hersh | Substack A driving force for the quiet European talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been the more than five million Ukrainians fleeing from the war who have crossed the country’s borders and have registered with its neighbors under an EU agreement for temporary protection that includes residency rights, access to the labor market, housing, social welfare assistance, and medical care. An assessment published by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees reports that the estimate excludes roughly 3 million Ukrainian refugees who escaped from the war zone without a visa into . . . READ MORE . . .