As Congress approaches its last week before beginning Christmas recess, there are concerns that Ukraine may end up with insufficient weaponry going into the new year.

   The Washington Post just published an analysis of what went wrong with Ukraine’s counteroffensive. Though largely concurring, our take is that it was all about the training and still is.

   Moscow said the man’s curator was a Lithuania based Belarusian who it said worked for Ukrainian secret services.

   The US Congress has refused to authorise further financial aid and Hungary doesn’t want to discuss further EU assistance for Ukraine at the summit in December, as planned.

   The set of new initiatives includes the introduction of an electronic excise tax and a service for the customs clearance of cars through the Diia app.

   Of donor countries tracked by the study, only had committed new aid packages to Ukraine in the last three months, the smallest share since the start of the war.

   Russian State Duma Deputy reveals that the weapon used by the girl in the school shooting was registered to her father, a Bekas shotgun concealed in a tube.

   Evidence suggests that an acute shortage of spare parts following Western sanctions could be leading to Russian planes taking off with unsafe components.

   Having rejected Biden’s plan to send billion of aid to Ukraine, there are increasingly ominous signs rising out of Washington.

   Republican candidates for the party’s presidential nomination remain split on Ukraine, but that hardly matters in the grand scheme, with Trump on track for a primary landslide.

   Venislavsky said that the rationale behind his removal from the position of the presidential representative was his involvement in multiple military projects.

   Bloomberg’s report is another indicator that Western sanctions on Russian oil exports have not have worked as intended as revenues surpassed pre war levels despite the G price cap.

   Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused the White House of trying to scorch the money of American citizens in the furnace of the Ukrainian war.

   Top level meetings between Ukrainian and US government officials are happening in Washington, which will help foster cooperation between the two nations’ defense industries.

   With no end to the war or likelihood of release from service in sight, the number of Russian soldiers seeking a way out has increased sharply over the last few months.

   The head of the Black Sea region of Odesa also said for several hours drones attacked the Izmail port district, which has been key to exporting Ukrainian grain in recent months.

   Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense reveals another pre holiday surprise for the forces of its enemies on day of its Advent calendar in the run up to Christmas.

   A service in Ukrainian by the independent Orthodox Church of Ukraine has finally been held there after almost two centuries of Russian domination.

   Maria Zakharova dismissed the peace formula proposed by Zelensky, saying it has nothing to do with peace and is an array of ultimatums for Russia to justify continued military action .

   The Center for Countering Disinformation warns that a series of dubious articles planted in the foreign media and aimed at undermining the leadership of Ukraine is in the works.

   Hopes for Ukraine to reclaim its south and east from Putin’s forces faded in summer. Kyiv now confronts diplomatic challenges as support from key allies in the US and EU is questioned.

   The virtual G meeting, attended by Kyiv’s key allies, comes amid fears Western support for Ukraine could wane as it makes limited progress on the battlefield.

   Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.

   Zelensky appeals to G for unity; US charges four Russians with war crimes; AFU knocks down a chopper; New Russian AI aided drone unveiled; Forces trading places around Avdiivka

   State Department releases million in pre approved HIMARS and other munitions; About billion remains for Kyiv, Pentagon says; GOP holds out for immigration policy overhaul

   In Ukraine, Oleg Popov is called a legitimate target because he actively helped the Russians in the war.

   Why Trump loves Putin but hates Ukraine, and what shocking new information about Trump’s dealings in Ukraine have yet to be revealed.

   On the same day that Illia Kyva was killed in Moscow with small arms, Oleg Popov, a Russian backed politician in the occupied Luhansk People’s Republic was killed in a car bombing.

   Nepal has a long standing tradition of supplying Gurkha fighters to foreign services, from British and Indian armies to UN Peacekeepers. Now Kathmandu says they’re in Ukraine fighting on both sides.

   Though they receive less media coverage, the Chernihiv region north of Kyiv and the Sumy region in Ukraine’s northeast are the frequent targets of Russian saboteur attacks.

   A two day operation was carried out by law enforcement officers who executed searches in which weapons, ammunition, and explosives were seized.

   Orban seems set on dealing Ukraine a double whammy: he has warned that he will veto plans for the EU to give Kyiv a green light on EU accession, along with EUR bn in funding for .

   President Putin touched down in Abu Dhabi to hold talks with President Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who referred to Russia’s leader as his dear friend.

   Ukraine doesn’t have that many weapons that can score this kind of kill, and there are signs Kyiv plopped a modern anti aircraft missile battery somewhere the Russian air force wasn’t expecting.

   Serhiy Kolyada on Armed Forces of Ukraine Day

   Fears are growing that President Putin’s demand that the Ukrainian city of Avdiivka be taken before his end of year press conference will result in horrific casualty rates among mobilized troops.

   NBU eases FX restrictions.

   A Turkish owned arms manufacturer seems to be running a production line manufacturing badly needed mm shells for Kyiv is running according to a source.

   Among those included are three actors supporting the Wagner Group network and four operators of the so called shadow fleet’ vessels used by Russia.

   In Ukraine, because of the official switch this year from Old to New Calendar, St. Nicholas Day is celebrated on Dec. instead of Dec. . And Christmas will fall on Dec. rather than Jan. .

   US deploys team of experts to aid Cypriot investigations into accusations that its financial systems are helping the Russian elite to circumvent international sanctions.

   We bow our heads in remembrance of all the many heroes of the AFU who have sacrificed their lives for the cause of a free Ukraine and democratic world and our thoughts go out to their families.

   Kyiv has bolstered its air defence systems since with Western arms, but conceded that it needs more weapons to protect vulnerable regions.

   The Ministry of Defense publishes day five of its novel Advent countdown to Dec. , which was adopted by most Ukrainian churches as the official Christmas holiday.

   US Senate in disarray on Ukraine support and videolink with Zelensky cancelled.

   Experts warn that just as Putin’s fortunes have recovered in recent months, they could turn downward again especially on the battlefield.

   While corruption remains a significant issue within the country, recent scandals within the defense ministry did not implicate the military or financial aid received from Western nations.

   Kyiv Post sources claim that the attack had serious consequences, while Russia has downplayed the incident.

   Dzmitry Shautsou had been sanctioned for assisting the Russian president’s Children’s Rights Commissioner, Maria Lvova Belova, accused of enacting the deportations.

   Zelensky unexpectedly cancelled a planned videolink appearance with US senators on Tuesday in which he was to have appealed for continued funding.