First, links to reports from the Associated Press, National Public Radio, Reuters, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. Then, from the Columbia University alumni periodical, a link to a Russian-American’s account of her decision to start a podcast. — MCM
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Ukraine combs mass burial site, says Russia ‘leaves death,’ by Vasilisa Stepanenko | AP IZIUM, Ukraine — Ukrainian authorities were expected to begin recovering bodies Friday from a mass burial site in a forest recaptured from Russian forces, a delicate task that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said would help show the world “what the Russian occupation has led to.” The site, containing hundreds of graves, was discovered close to Izium after a rapid counteroffensive by Ukrainian forces retook . . . READ MORE . . .
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UN wants to send team to investigate mass grave found in Ukraine’s Izyum. From AFP. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights‘ office said today it wanted to send a team to Izyum to verify Ukrainian allegations that a mass grave had been found after recapturing the city from Russia.”Our colleagues in Ukraine are following up on these allegations, and they are aiming at organising a monitoring visit to Izyum to determine . . . READ MORE . . .
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U.S. sends new military aid for Ukraine to boost momentum, by Lolita C. Bald or and Matthew Lee | AP WASHINGTON — The Biden administration announced Thursday it will send another $600 million in military aid to Ukraine, as the U.S. rushes more weapons to fuel Kyiv’s counteroffensive that has reclaimed large stretches of the embattled country and forced Russian troops to retreat. The White House said it was the 21st time that the Defense Department has pulled weapons and other equipment off the shelves to deliver to Ukraine. READ MORE . . .
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Ukraine made recent battlefield gains. How will Putin retaliate? Reported by Michele Kelemen | NPR Ukraine’s battlefield victories are a reason for celebration. But could it could also usher in another dangerous phase — with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin lashing out in other ways. Click HERE to listen and, tomorrow, read.
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Ukrainian ballet dancer Oleksandr Shapoval is killed on the battlefield. Reported by Elizabeth Blair | NPR One of Ukraine’s leading ballet artists is being remembered as a “courageous romantic” after being killed on the battlefield. The National Opera of Ukraine announced, with “indescribable sadness,” the death of Oleksandr Shapoval, one of the company’s former principal dancers and a teacher at Kyiv State Choreographic College. Shapoval died Monday at the age of 48 “under enemy mortar . . . Click HERE to listen and read.
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Russian parliament to consider summoning defence minister. From Reuters. LONDON — Russia’s lower house of parliament will consider summoning Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu to face questioning in a closed session, senior lawmaker Sergei Mironov was cited as saying by Kommersant newspaper on Thursday. It is virtually unknown for the State Duma to summon a defence minister to account for himself. However . . . READ MORE . . .
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IAEA report on Zaporozhye nuke plant does not specify who shelled it — Russian envoy. From Tass. VIENNA — The report of IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi on the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant does not mention from which side the plant was shelled, this is the weakest and most problematic part of the document, Russian Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov said on Thursday in a speech to the IAEA Board of Governors. “Strange as it may seem, the report lacks any mention . . . READ MORE . . .
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Raising my voice for Ukraine, by Marsha Udensiva-Brenner | Columbia Magazine There’s no shortage of stories that need to be told: The Columbia alumna who’d spent months in Ukraine caring for her dying mother only to return to the U.S. two weeks before the invasion. The student in the Slavic-languages department who’d been finishing his dissertation and planning a wedding in Kyiv when Russia invaded. The former faculty member . . . READ MORE . . .
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TO BE CONTINUED