For now, links to reports from the Associated Press, National Public Radio, and Reuters, followed by commentary from the Moscow Times and Indian Punchline; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA and AMERICAS entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM
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A gloomy mood hangs over Ukraine’s soldiers as war with Russia grinds on, by Samya Kullab | AP KYIV — A gloomy mood hangs over Ukraine’s soldiers nearly two years after Russia invaded their country. Discontent among them — once extremely rare and expressed only in private — is now more common and . . . READ MORE . . .
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Ukrainians worry over wavering U.S. and EU support as Christmas approaches. Reported by Joanna Kakissis and Michael Martin | NPR As Ukrainians prepare to celebrate Christmas according to the Western calendar for the first time, they fear the support of their biggest allies – the U.S. and the European Union – is wavering. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.
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Ukrainian troops face artillery shortages, scale back some operations — commander, by Oleana Harmash and Tom Balmforth | Reuters. Frontline Ukrainian troops face shortages of artillery shells and have scaled back some military operations, Tavria operational group commander, Brig. Gen. Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, said today. He called the shortage a “very big problem” and said the drop in foreign military aid was having an impact on the battlefield. “The volumes that we have . . . READ MORE . . .
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The Gaza war has convinced Russia it was right all along, by Nikita Smagin | The Moscow Times The conflict in the Middle East is the perfect crisis for Russia, which is reaping a whole host of political benefits. The confrontation between Israel and Hamas has not only . . . READ MORE . . .
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Putin: ‘Odessa is a Russian city,’ by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline At the year-end news conference last Thursday lasting four hours, Russian President Vladimir Putin made some key remarks on the conflict in Ukraine which throw light on the likely trajectory of the war through 2024. To be sure, Russia will not accept a “frozen conflict” that falls short of realising the objectives he had laid out . . . READ MORE . . .
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MAY BE CONTINUED