Last year, Ukraine passed legislation shifting its Christmas celebrations in line with many Western dates – a step to further distance itself from traditions commonly observed in Russia. As 2023 drew to a close, Russia launched the biggest air attack on Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion. The intensity and frequency of the attacks — on the back of reports that the Ukrainian counteroffensive is stalling and that western backers of Ukraine are holding back billions in funding — marks a major turning point in the war. While it’s impossible to put an exact number on Ukrainian war losses, anyone who visits the military portion of the Lychakiv Cemetary in Lviv can see that its expanded to almost maximum capacity. Ukraine scored a big win last week when the EU approved sanctions against Russia’s largest diamond producer, Alrosa, and its CEO.

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Persons: Michael Bociurkiw, Odesa, Odesa CNN —, –, Oleksandr Gimanov, Olha, Radkevych, Anatolii Stepanov, Volodymyr Zelensky, who’ve, Armed Forces Valeriy, who’s, Zelensky, Vladimir Putin, Le Cosmopolite, ”, won’t, Putin, Kira Rudik, “ Organizations: Atlantic Council, Organization for Security, Cooperation, CNN, Odesa CNN, OSCE, Getty, Armed Forces, expats, “, European Union, Ukraine, Russia’s, EU, Holos Party Locations: Europe, Ukrainian, Odesa, Ukraine, Russia, AFP, Israel, United States, Russian, North Korea, Iran, Lviv, Kyiv, Belgium