Your Friday Briefing: Russia Proposes a Short Cease-Fire
Also, Kevin McCarthy loses yet another bid to become House speaker, and the week in culture.
Putin, Vladimir V
Putin Prepares Russians for Long Fight Ahead
The Russian leader has dropped the pretense that life goes on as normal despite the war, evident in the Kremlin’s quick acknowledgment of mass casualties inflicted by Ukraine last weekend.
In Romania, U.S. Troops Train Close to Russia’s War, in Signal to Moscow
The deployment to a NATO country near the conflict in Ukraine is seen as a model of deterrence for a U.S. military that has recently stepped back from direct fighting.
Deadly Strike on Russians in Ukraine Exposes Moscow’s Military Failings
A Ukrainian attack with U.S.-made rockets may have left hundreds of casualties, and pro-war Russians accused their military commanders of repeating fatal errors.
Jailed Putin Critics in Russia Offer New Year Messages
Seasonal greetings from imprisoned opponents offered counterprogramming of a sort to the traditional end-of-year speech from President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia.
In Bucha, a Final Rampage Served as a Coda to a Month of Atrocities
Hours before Russian troops began withdrawing from the suburban town, a Russian soldier left a trail of blood and devastated lives in a last paroxysm of violence.
Russia Bombards Ukraine as Putin Calls Invasion a ‘Sacred Duty’
Explosions hit the capital, Kyiv, and other cities on the final day of a year shaped by Russia’s invasion. Flanked by soldiers, Vladimir V. Putin called the invasion a “sacred duty” of Russians.