For today, links to four reports: from Agence France-Presse, the Associated Press, and the Kyiv Independent, and to commentary from the Independent; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA and SYRIA entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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3 dead in Russian strikes on east, south Ukraine. From AFP. Three people were killed and more than a dozen wounded in Russian attacks on southern and eastern Ukraine over the past 24 hours, authorities said today. READ MORE . . .

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Biden is rushing aid to Ukraine. Both sides are digging in. And everyone is bracing for Trump, by Ellen Knickmeyer, Illia Novikov and Aamer Madhani | AP  WASHINGTON — The grinding war between Ukraine and its Russian invaders has escalated ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration, with President Joe Biden rushing out billions of dollars more in military aid before U.S. support for Kyiv’s defenses is thrown into question . . . READ MORE . . .

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Negotiations over the war in Ukraine could start ‘in the winter,’ Poland’s leader Tusk says. From AP. WARSAW — Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk said today that negotiations over the war in neighboring Ukraine could start “in winter,” as his country prepares to take over the rotating presidency of the European Union on Jan. 1. READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine won’t trade young soldiers’ lives for better weapons, Zelensky says, by Abbey Fenbert | The Kyiv Independent  Responding to pressure from U.S. officials and other Western allies to lower its draft age from 25 to 18 in order to mobilize more troops, President Volodomyr Zelensky said Monday that . . . READ MORE . . .

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What does Assad’s downfall mean for Russia and Ukraine? by Oleg Sukhov | The Kyiv Independent  As Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad’s regime collapsed in a matter of days, Russia’s influence in the Middle East appeared to wane. Preoccupied . . . READ MORE . . .