Ukraine, 6-12-24

For today, links to seven reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, Tass, the Kyiv Post, National Public Radio, and the Kyiv Independent, and to commentary from PassBlue via ScheerPost; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

   

Russia fires more missiles and drones at Ukraine ahead of diplomatic efforts to stop the war, by Hanna Arhirova | AP  KYIV — Russian forces fired missiles and drones at the Kyiv region and five other areas of Ukraine in a nighttime attack, officials said today, ahead of several days of intense diplomatic activity around the war. Ukraine’s air force said it shot down 29 out of 30 air targets, including . . . READ MORE . . .

   

Russian air attacks cause industrial facility fire in Kyiv region, injure several. From Reuters. KYIV — Russia launched missile and drone attacks on Ukraine early today, causing a fire at an industrial facility, damaging residences and injuring several people across six regions, local authorities said. Ukrainian military said it shot down five out of six . . . READ MORE . . .

   

Battlegroup Dnepr inflicts defeat on two Ukrainian military brigades. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russia’s Battlegroup Dnepr has inflicted a defeat on two brigades of the Ukrainian armed forces in the Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions, with the enemy’s losses amounting to 80 troops, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .

   

U.S. to send second Patriot missile system to Ukraine. From Kyiv Post. The United States will soon send a second battery of the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system to Ukraine, the New York Times reports, citing senior American officials. The officials said the Patriot system will be transferred from Poland, where . . . READ MORE . . .

   

Russian barrage leaves Kyiv residents without power and water, by Anastasiia Malenko | Reuters  KYIV — Ukrainian authorities say the Russian spring attacks have taken out about half of the country’s generation capacity – 9,000 out of 18,000 Mwh — and that they have caused long-term damage that may mean power cuts for years to come. Some Kyiv residents . . . READ MORE . . .

   

Russia has destroyed half of Ukraine’s energy production. How is the country coping? Reported by Joanna Kakissis | NPR  The U.S. and Europe have pledged nearly $2 billion in aid for Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, which has been devastated by Russian strikes. That damage has caused rolling blackouts. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

   

Inside Ukraine’s prison recruitment efforts to bolster front-line troops, by Alexander Khrebet | The Kyiv Independent  ZHYTOMYR and KYIV OBLASTS — New Ukrainian legislation allowing military service for prisoners convicted of certain felonies, including manslaughter, offers a unique opportunity: parole in exchange for . . . READ MORE . . .

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The U.S. presidential candidates’ UN and foreign policy stances, by Laura E. Kirkpatrick | PassBlue / ScheerPost   On Nov. 5, American voters will choose their 47th president. Combined, the likely candidates, Joe Biden, a Democrat and the incumbent, and Donald Trump, a Republican former president and a recently convicted felon, have run seven times for the country’s highest political office. Though attracting little poll support, Robert Kennedy Jr., an independent . . . READ MORE . . .