First, links to reports from National Public Radio, Reuters, the Associated Press, and teleSUR; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. Then, a link to a Harper’s Magazine piece on foreigners who came to fight in Ukraine as they appeared in early March. — MCM
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Russian forces have captured nearly all off Severodonetsk. Reported by Steve Inskeep and Greg Myre | National Public Radio Russia appears on the cusp of capturing Severodonetsk — a key Ukrainian city in the eastern part of the country. It’s a city that’s been at the center of the fighting for weeks. Click HERE to listen and, tomorrow, read.
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Germany risks recession as Russian gas crisis deepens, by Rachel More and Stine Jacobsen | Reuters * More Europeans activate first stage of gas crisis plans * Surging gas price adds to policymakers’ inflation headache * Slowing flows hinder efforts to refill storage for winter | BERLIN/COPENHAGEN — Germany faces certain recession if already faltering Russian gas supplies completely stop, an industry body warned today, as Sweden joined a growing list of European nations rolling out emergency plans to cope with a deepening energy supply crisis. European Union countries from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Adriatic coast in the south . . . READ MORE . . .
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Africa ‘taken hostage’ by Russia’s invasion, Zelenskyy says, by Cara Anna | The Associated Press NAIROBI, Kenya — “Africa is actually taken hostage” in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine amid catastrophically rising food prices, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the African Union continental body during a closed-door address on Monday. . . . [Many African nations] retain close ties to Russia. . . . Ukraine and the West hope to weaken those ties by emphasizing that Russia’s actions . . . READ MORE . . .
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SPIEF Signals Failure of Western Economic War against Russia. From teleSUR. The 25th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) concluding last week has signaled the failure of the unilateral sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States and other Western countries, analysts and government officials say. The forum . . . brought together political and business figures from over 130 countries, who shared their ideas on major challenges facing the world economy and offered . . . READ MORE . . .
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U.S. Mercenaries in Custody Reveal Corruption in Ukrainian Army. From teleSUR. American mercenaries Alexander Drueke, 39, and Andy Huynh, 27, who surrendered to Russian forces in Ukraine, referred to the corruption and disorganization within Ukrainian ranks in statements published by the RT news outlet. According to the Russian media, the detainees . . . were seized while on a reconnaissance mission to cover the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops near Kharkov. “We entered into combat with the Russian troops, the Ukrainians were retreating and they asked . . . READ MORE . . .
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Russian MoD: 50 Ukrainian Officers Killed in Long-Range Strike. From teleSUR. The Russian Defense Ministry announced on Sunday that more than 50 Ukrainian generals and officers were killed in a strike on a command center in the Ukrainian Dnipropetrovsk region. The Russian Ministry of Defense Spokesperson [said] that long-range, high-precision Kalibr missiles launched from the sea Saturday hit the headquarters of the Ukrainian forces near the village of Shiroka Dacha in the Dnipropetrovsk province, while the leaders of the Alexandria strategic operational group were holding a work . . . READ MORE . . .
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Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov’s Nobel Peace Prize medal auctioned for a record. From NPR. The $103.5 million will go to Ukrainian children displaced by the war. The editor in chief of a Russian independent newspaper was honored before the paper was forced to close by Vladimir Putin. Click HERE to listen and, tomorrow, read.
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A South Korean musician wins the prestigious Van Cliburn piano competition. From NPR. Six finalists competed in Fort Worth, Texas, in the competition, including two from Russia and one from Ukraine. An 18-year-old South Korean was the youngest to win in the contest’s 60-year history. Click HERE to listen and, tomorrow, read.
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Army of Shadows: Searching for the Ukrainian foreign legion, by Seth Harp | Harper’s Magazine My flight from Munich to Warsaw on March 13 was half-filled with English-speaking men in a motley assortment of store-bought paramilitary gear, cargo pants, and hiking boots. A faint odor of dirty laundry and stale cigarette smoke emanated from their general direction. One wore a cap that read IN MY DEFENSE I WAS LEFT UNSUPERVISED. They appeared to be anywhere from twenty to fifty years old, and looked like they might have been . . . READ MORE . . .
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TO BE CONTINUED