First, links to reports from National Public Radio, the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, Reuters, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. Then, a link to a writer’s commentary in the Kyiv Post. — MCM
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Ukraine’s counteroffensive is finally underway. Reported by Greg Myre and Tom Bowman | NPR Ukraine’s long-awaited counteroffensive is underway. Many wonder how successful it will be in pushing back Russian forces, but U.S. defense officials are calling the war a marathon, not a sprint. Myre and Bowman talk yesterday with Ari Shapiro. Click HERE to listen and read.
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African leaders visit Russia to discuss their peace plan with Putin, after Ukraine trip, By Jamey Keaten | AP KYIV — Russian President Vladimir Putin torday is set to host a group of African leaders who have traveled to Russia on a self-styled “peace mission” the day after they went to Ukraine. Seven African leaders — presidents of Comoros, Senegal, South Africa and Zambia, as well as Egypt’s . . . READ MORE . . .
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Ukraine won’t have ‘easy path’ to join NATO: Biden. From AFP. The United States won’t make special arrangements for Ukraine to join the NATO military alliance, President Joe Biden said today, despite Russia’s invasion. “They’ve got . . . READ MORE . . .
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Russian missile kills two in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, governor says. From Reuters. KYIV — Kharkiv regional governor Oleh Synehubov revised the death toll from a Russian missile strike on a small Ukrainian village in the east to two people today. He initially said four people were killed as a Russian anti-tank guided missile hit a car driving towards the village of Huriyv Kozachok which is near the border with Russia. Ukraine . . . READ MORE . . .
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Ukrainian army loses 235 men south of Donetsk, near Zaporozhye – top brass. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian forces destroyed up to 40 Ukrainian troops and two Gvozdika motorized artillery systems in the Kherson area over the past day during the special military operation in Ukraine, Defense Ministry spokesman Lt. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said today. The Ukrainian army lost up to 235 men south of Donetsk and near Zaporozhye in one day, he said. READ MORE . . .
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Russian defense minister says more tanks needed in Ukraine. From AFP. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu today called for more tanks to be manufactured “to meet the needs of Russian forces” in Ukraine after Kyiv launched a counteroffensive with Western arms. Shoigu, who visited a military factory in western Siberia, stressed the need “to maintain the increased production of tanks” and better . . . READ MORE . . .
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Russia says repelled drones targeting oil refinery. From AFP. Russia today said it had destroyed three drones in an overnight targeting an oil refinery in the southern border region of Bryansk, as Ukraine pursues its counteroffensive against Russian forces. READ MORE . . .
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Are Western businesses with Ukraine or enablers of Russian aggression? by Nataliya Popovych | The Kyiv Post At the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, some western businesses demonstrated swift and early exits from the tarnished Russian market, putting human values over profit. Yet the majority of western firms such as Austria’s Raiffeisen Bank, Germany’ Metro AG and France’s Auchan remained. According to data . . . READ MORE . . .