First, links to reports by Reuters, Agence France-Presse, the Associated Press, Tass, the Moscow Times, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. Then, a link to and essay — overlooked last March, when it was first posted.* — MCM
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Ukraine says fighting ‘deadlocked’ ahead of visit by U.N. chief, by Natalia Zinets | Reuters * U.N. chief to meet Zelenskiy in Lviv today * Seven die in Russia attack on Kharkiv – emergency service * Ukrainian forces rout Russian attack in Kherson | KYIV — Ukrainian forces said today they had beaten back a Russian attack in the southern region of Kherson, while the death toll from Russian shelling of Kharkiv city in Ukraine’s northeast climbed as the nearly six-month war grinds on without let-up. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan later today in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv. They will discuss . . . READ MORE . . .
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Russia strikes Kharkiv ahead of Erdogan, UN chief meeting with Zelenskyy. From AFP. KYIV — Russian strikes battered the northeast Ukraine region of Kharkiv today, killing at least five people, hours ahead of the first face-to-face meeting between the Turkish and Ukrainian leaders since the start of the war. Moscow meanwhile denied it had deployed any heavy weapons at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine where a recent escalation in fighting has increased fears of a nuclear disaster. The head of the Kharkiv region . . . READ MORE . . .
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Former UN chief Ban urges world to remember Bucha victims, by Derek Gatopoulos and Evgeniy Maloletka | AP BUCHA, Ukraine — Former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on the world Tuesday to honor civilians who were killed when Russian ground forces tried to invade Ukraine’s capital and eventually retreated from the area surrounding Kyiv. Ban . . . visited Bucha, a city northwest of the Ukrainian capital where hundreds of civilians were found dead after the Russian withdrawal in late March. “It’s hard to express my feelings. It’s a horrendous atrocity. It’s a crime against humanity and (those responsible) should . . . READ MORE . . .
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Russia not deploying heavy firepower at or near Zaporozhye plant, says top brass. From Tass. MOSCOW — No heavy Russian weapons are being deployed at or near the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov reported today. . . . Konashenkov said the nuclear plant was guarded only by security patrols. “The Russian armed forces are taking all the necessary measures to guarantee the . . . READ MORE . . .
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Russia appoints new Black Sea Fleet commander — state media. From the Moscow Times. A new commander has been appointed to the Russian Black Sea Fleet, state news agency RIA Novosti reported Wednesday citing military sources. If confirmed, the removal of Igor Osipov and the elevation of Viktor Sokolov would be one of the most major Russian military reshuffles since the invasion of Ukraine began . . . READ MORE . . .
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Ukraine’s ambulance crews, many of them volunteers, put their lives on the line. Reported by Brian Mann | NPR The crews are working on the front lines to save soldiers wounded by Russian forces. For medics who are volunteers with little training, the danger and emotional costs are high. Click HERE to listen and, tomorrow, read.
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How billionaires picked Putin as ‘Russia’s Pinochet,’ by Greg Palast | BuzzFlash / gregpalast.com Vladimir Putin did not arrive from outer space on an abalone shell. Putin went from the virtually unknown Deputy Mayor of Saint Petersburg to Russia’s President and potentate by winning a weird competition organized by Russian billionaire Boris Berezovsky who sought a . . . READ MORE . . .
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TO BE CONTINUED
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* Investigative journalist Greg Palast is often shown in a hat, but not one to be confused with the “funny” headwear of Russian and Ukrainian Orthodox prelates, which he has discussed along with other causative factors of the war.