The War In UKRraine Has Created a New ‘Axis of Evil’; RUssia Continues To TRY and Drive UKR From E. Bank of Dnipro River, 29 UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPTS; UKR Reports 99 Clashes with RUs, 17 Air Strikes on RU Positions; RU Loses 890 Soldiers, 16 Tanks, 23 Armoured Combat Vehicles Past 24hrs, LIVE UPDATES and MORE

The War in Ukraine Has Created a New ‘Axis of Evil’:

Russia is turning to Iran and North Korea for military supplies and diplomatic support.

Beaming at every turn, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un toured the jewels of Russia’s military industries in September. A guest of President Vladimir Putin, he gawked at the plant making Su-35 jet fighters, inspected a Russian Navy frigate and examined the Kinzhal missiles at the Vostochny spaceport.

Soon thereafter, trainloads of North Korean artillery shells started rolling to Russian troops in Ukraine—by American calculations, as many as one million munitions, or roughly three times what European nations had been able to supply in a whole year.

Another increasingly important partner of Russia, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, visited with Putin this month. Iranian ammunition and drones have played a major role in the Russian war effort. Now Raisi discussed the desired payback: sophisticated Russian aircraft and air defenses that would make it much harder for the U.S. or Israel to strike Iran and its nuclear program.

President George W. Bush used the term “axis of evil” to describe North Korea, Iran and Iraq in 2002, in his first State of the Union speech after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The idea was ridiculed by many at the time. But now an axis uniting Moscow, Tehran and Pyongyang has become a geopolitical reality—and with a revisionist and reckless Russia at its center, it poses a growing threat to the U.S. and its allied democracies.

“These countries are showing an excellent burden-sharing. And when it comes to Ukraine, there is an unholy alliance of these forces which have achieved a war economy, whereas we in the West are unable to achieve an increase in the production of ammunition,” said Roderich Kiesewetter, a German lawmaker and a former senior officer of the German General Staff.

This new axis is coalescing as the U.S.-led Western alliance is showing systemic cracks. Indispensable American aid to Ukraine has been stalled because of Republican opposition in Congress, and EU efforts to confront Russia have been sabotaged by Hungary. Neither the U.S. nor Europe has been willing or able to boost military production to match Russia’s recent growth in manufacturing ammunition and weapons.

China, another authoritarian power, is friendly to the burgeoning Russia-Iran-North Korea axis but has not joined it militarily—though it may do so in the future, if Western resolve flags. “The Chinese are watching: how do we behave? And our responses are vague and not corresponding to our needs,” said Artis Pabriks, a former Latvian defense and foreign minister who now heads the Northern Europe Policy Center, a think-tank. “We have deeply underestimated the impact of Russian aggression in Ukraine.”

A new acronym has already emerged in Washington to denote this autocratic lineup: the CRINKs, meaning China, Russia, Iran and North Korea. These countries have increasingly aligned their positions not just on Ukraine, but on other crises that pit them against the U.S., such as the war in Gaza.

Such diplomatic coordination shouldn’t be underestimated, said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a New Hampshire Democrat and a senior member of the Foreign Relations Committee. “Russia gives Iran and North Korea acceptance and credibility, and it’s also one of the things that China provides to Russia: that they are not alone in the international community,” she said. —>READ MORE HERE

Russians continue attempts to drive Ukrainian Armed Forces from eastern bank of Dnipro River: 29 attacks occurred – General Staff:

Over the past day, the Russians carried out 29 unsuccessful assault operations in an attempt to drive Ukrainian units from the left (eastern) bank of the Dnipro River.

Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook, information as of 18:00 on 20 December

Details: Over the course of the day, aviation of the Defence Forces struck 16 areas where Russian personnel, weapons and military equipment were concentrated and a Russian anti-aircraft missile system. Air defence assets destroyed one Kh-59 guided missile during the day.

Units from Rocket Forces and Artillery struck two areas where Russian personnel, weapons and military equipment were concentrated and also hit six Russian artillery pieces.

A total of 89 combat engagements took place during the day. The Russians launched five missile strikes and 31 air strikes and carried out 53 attacks from multiple-launch rocket systems on the positions of Ukrainian troops and populated areas. Unfortunately, Russian terrorist attacks have resulted in civilian casualties. Private houses and other civilian infrastructure were destroyed and damaged.

The operational situation on the Volyn and Polissia fronts remained unchanged. No signs of the formation of offensive groups were detected. Designated units of the Armed Forces of Belarus are performing tasks in the areas bordering Ukraine.

On the Sivershchyna and Slobozhanshchyna fronts, the Russians maintain a military presence in the border areas, conducting sabotage and reconnaissance activities, shelling settlements from the territory of the Russian Federation, and increasing the density of minefields along the state border of Ukraine. About 20 settlements came under Russian artillery and mortar fire, including Karpovychi in Chernihiv Oblast; Khotin, Kostiantynivka and Volfyne (Sumy Oblast); Veterynarne, Vovchansk and Budarky (Kharkiv Oblast).

On the Kupiansk front, Ukrainian defenders repelled 16 Russian attacks in the vicinity of Synkivka, to the east of Petropavlivka and Ivanivka (Kharkiv Oblast), where the Russians, supported by aviation, tried to break through the defences of Ukrainian troops. About ten settlements came under artillery and mortar fire, including Synkivka, Petropavlivka, Ivanivka and Berestove (Kharkiv Oblast). —>READ MORE HERE

Follow links below to +++++relevant+++++ and related stories:

+++++Russia-Ukraine News LATEST UPDATES: (REUTERS) (AP) (NY POST) and (WSJ)+++++

+++++Ukraine reports 99 clashes with Russian invasion forces, 17 air strikes on enemy positions+++++

+++++Russia loses 890 soldiers, 16 tanks and 23 armoured combat vehicles over past 24 hours+++++

Ukraine shoots down 34 out of 35 Russian drones – air force



Ukrainian forces destroy Russia’s Grad rocket launcher, ammunition depot on southern front



Russia has fired 7,400 missiles, 3,700 Shahed drones in war so far, Kyiv says



A deal on US border policy is closer than it seems. Here’s how it is shaping up and what’s at stake



Dutch minister: ‘If you don’t stop Russia now, they’ll go further. It’s not just Ukraine’



EU pays the final tranche of Ukraine budget support for 2023. Future support is up in the air



Ukrainian town faces tough winter, a year after driving out Russian forces



More men aged 18-60 have recently come back to Ukraine



Ukrainian town faces tough winter, a year after driving out Russian forces



More men aged 18-60 have recently come back to Ukraine



How Russian troops killed 3 unarmed teenagers in Ukrainian village



Most US voters support more weapons for Ukraine — but not Israel: poll



Authorities return restored golden crosses to the domes of Kyiv’s St Sophia Cathedral



Hungary’s Orbán says he agreed to a future meeting with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy



Ukraine lawmakers vote to legalize medical marijuana and help ease stress from the war with Russia



Ukrainian town faces tough winter, a year after driving out Russian forces

Source