Europe – Page 544 – Prologue Journal

Ukraine Investigates Deaths by Shelter as Russia Evacuates Border Towns

New York Times In Ukraine’s capital, residents struggled with the question of who was to blame for a shelter closed off to two women and a child. In Russia, the authorities described evacuations in a border region. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/02/world/europe/kyiv-shelter-russia-evacuations.html

Ukrainian Recruits, Wanting to Fight, Train in the U.K. for Counteroffensive

New York Times “We’re going to die, probably,” one recruit said bluntly, as he trained on Friday with several hundred others at a military camp in Yorkshire, England. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/02/world/europe/ukraine-counteroffensive-recruits-training-uk.html

Kaija Saariaho, Pathbreaking Composer, Is Dead at 70

New York Times She brought new colors to modernist music, sometimes using electronics, and became the first female living composer to have two operas staged by the Met. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/02/arts/music/kaija-saariaho-dead.html

Ukrainian Shelling in Russia’s Belgorod Region Forces Evacuations

New York Times ‘The conditions are quite difficult,’ the local governor of the region said on social media. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/02/world/europe/belgorod-russia-evacuations-ukraine-shelling.html

In Finland, NATO’s Newest Member, Blinken Details Russia’s ‘Failures’

New York Times A speech by the U.S. Secretary of State struck a triumphal tone, while also warning against a rush to short-term solutions to the war in Ukraine. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/02/world/europe/finland-nato-blinken.html

Ilya Kabakov, 89, Dies; Soviet-Born Artist Skewered Grimness With Wit

New York Times In often fantastical paintings, drawings and immersive installations, he explored the privations and indignities of the Soviet life he would flee, landing on Long Island. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/02/arts/ilya-kabakov-dead.html

Deborah Levy’s ‘August Blue’ Finds Fun in Doppelgängers

New York Times The author writes about “the body in the world.” In her new book “August Blue,” she explores the split self via the story of a woman confronted with her double. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/02/arts/deborah-levy-august-blue.html

After Mass Shootings in Serbia, Few Want to Give Up Their Guns

New York Times Two massacres have prompted the government to tighten already strict rules, but the nation’s gun culture is deep-rooted and complex. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/02/world/europe/serbia-shootings-gun-control.html

Blinken Finishes Nordic Trip in Finland, NATO’s Newest Member, Focused on Ukraine War

New York Times A speech by the U.S. Secretary of State celebrated an unexpected degree of Western unity and Ukrainian resolve, but included cautionary notes about what he suggested would be a long and difficult road ahead. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/02/world/europe/blinken-finland-nato-russia.html

Your Friday Briefing

New York Times Ukraine’s and Sweden’s bids to join NATO. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/02/briefing/ukraine-nato-pride-jerusalem.html