You may have seen the news of a naval incident between Ukraine and Russia in the Kerch strait, that separates Crimea from mainland Russia.
For those wondering if this is the reboot of the war in Ukraine, the answer is, unfortunately, yes. What's happening here is that Russia is supporting the rebels in Donbass to take the port city of Mariupol, that they've been trying to take over since the beginning of the war. This is of military strategic interest to Russia, another port where the Russian navy can operate. The attack will happen during the Christmas holidays.
This is also part of a bigger picture. At the same time, the Syrian government will re-take the last Southern part of Syria that is still not in their control, also with heavy logistic support from Russia. This is right next to Israel, and Assad wants to re-take the Golan Heights as well.
Effectively, US and NATO will have to choose whether to support Israel in keeping the Golan Heights, to help defend Mariupol, or some combination of the two. And diplomatic efforts are unlikely to get anywhere, with Nikki Haley leaving her post at the end of this year and no clear successor.
Thanks, Maria D. White. Great explanation. I always appreciate your more indepth explanations than a simple news story provides.
"Ukraine’s Parliament voted Monday to declare martial law in areas bordering Russia, responding to an attack a day earlier by Russian forces who fired on and impounded three Ukrainian naval vessels, leaving several sailors wounded.
The action by Parliament, which called it a “partial mobilization,” takes effect Wednesday morning, will last for 30 days and represents a further escalation of tensions between Russia and Ukraine.
So Ukraine just took out one third of the Russian bombing fleet. This is huge
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cgrg7kelk45t