We are approaching Ukraine’s second Christmas at war with Russia. Gone are the heady days and David and Goliath moments of tough and plucky Ukraine stunning the Russian bear and, against all odds and predictions, presumably turning the military tide on the aggressor.

Now the grim reality has set in. Russia has been badly bloodied but the conflict has frozen into the very stalemate which favors Moscow. A slugfest of attrition, where time stands still in the hell of a First World War-type battlefield, with a soundtrack of both thudding Russian artillery but upgraded to lethal drone strikes.

Ukraine’s much-heralded spring offensive which extended into summer should have been successful; it was sadly strategically underwhelming. This is not for lack of heroism or patriotism by the Ukrainian troops, but rather supply shortages, overstretched force commitments, wavering international support and now crisis overload since the Hamas terror attacks on Israel.

Part of the problem was that after Ukraine’s initial victories in early 2022, Western governments bought into the narrative that if Kyiv gets massive weapons transfers and munitions they will overcome a sloppy and poorly led Russian military. Proof seemed to be that since the Russians have taken........

© The Korea Times