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Thousands of foreign mercenaries killed in Ukraine, the fate of Syrian Kurds, and the impeachment of South Korea's president. These stories topped the headlines in Monday’s newspapers across Russia, according to TASS News Agency.
Izvestia: Amid military failures, Ukraine banking on foreign mercenaries
About 6,500 foreign mercenaries have been eliminated in the zone of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine. Overall, militants from 110 countries have participated, with the majority coming from Poland, the US, and Georgia, Yulia Zhdanova, acting head of the Russian delegation to the Vienna talks on military security and arms control, said. However, their influx has been steadily dwindling due to significant losses and the complexity of combat.
"To date, about 800 foreign fighters who participated in combat on the side of the Ukrainian army as mercenaries have been found guilty. The Investigative Committee is working on these cases, and we are proceeding from the fact that all those responsible for the crimes committed will be held accountable," the diplomat noted.
Additionally, mercenaries are frequently more effective than Ukraine’s own troops, who have already realized that they are merely fighting for US’ interests, military expert Viktor Litovkin told Izvestia. Moreover, the foreigners, knowing the language, are frequently engaged in operating Western armaments.
"The mercenaries are in charge of complex hardware, for example, the HIMARS MLRS or the Patriot air defense systems; they are also servicing warplanes. The Ukrainians do not know military-technical English, so they are unable to manage these systems," Litovkin explained.
The large-scale engagement of mercenaries is not only related to the need to operate Western weapon systems but also to the shortage of Ukrainian military personnel. A tough mobilization campaign continues in Ukraine, with men being forcibly conscripted in public and dispatched to the frontlines.
However, soldiers with low morale either surrender or desert en masse. Since the onset of Russia’s special military operation, over 63,000 criminal cases of desertion have been opened in Ukraine, Russian First Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Dmitry Polyansky reported in August.
Vedomosti: What will happen to Syrian Kurds after Assad’s fall
Kurdish armed formations in Syria, part of the pro-US Kurdish-Arab Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) coalition, seek to initiate talks with new authorities in Damascus to discuss the Kurds’ role in the political process following the toppling of Bashar Assad, SDF head Mazlum Abdi told the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). To this end, he has called on the US government to facilitate this dialogue.
In theory, Damascus is ready to grant autonomy to the local Kurds but not in the current administrative form and only in regions densely populated by Kurds, said Kirill Semenov, an expert at the Russian International Affairs Council. According to Semenov, this autonomy will not resemble Iraqi Kurdistan because, unlike Iraq, the Kurdish population in Syria is geographically dispersed.
The Syrian Kurds aim to reach an agreement with Damascus to safeguard their rights in the country amid the lull in combat and the looming threat posed by the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army, said Ikbal Durre, an associate professor at Moscow State Linguistic University.
According to the expert, Ankara is firmly opposed to including the SDF and the People's Defense Units (YPG) in any potential participation in a future Syrian government.
In his view, another significant obstacle to resolving the Kurdish issue is the ideological divide between the SDF and the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham movement (banned in Russia). Moreover, these ideological differences extend to the radical and moderate Islamists who are currently in control of Damascus. "While these divisions were less pronounced during the struggle against Assad, this does not mean they will remain dormant now. It is still far too early to talk about pacifying Syria," he added.
Vedomosti: South Korean president impeached for attempt to introduce martial law
South Korea’s National Assembly impeached the country’s President Yoon Suk Yeol on December 14 following his December 3 decision to declare martial law. This outcome was achieved on a second attempt when members from the opposition Toburo Democratic Party were joined by several representatives from the ruling People Power Party who had abstained from voting on December 7. Their stance was partially influenced by the president’s December 12 speech, in which he reiterated that his decision to declare martial law—briefly enforced before being overturned by parliament—was necessary to defend the nation, and he refused to resign.
By declaring martial law, Yoon committed political suicide, said Ilya Dyachkov, an associate professor at the Department of Oriental Studies at Moscow State Institute of International Relations. Essentially, the president has now lost almost all support, except from small fringe youth groups. Supporting him publicly could bring political risks in the future, the expert asserted, emphasizing that pressure on the South Korean leader will continue regardless.
A serious conflict is escalating between the ruling conservative People Power Party and the opposition Democratic Party, said Konstantin Asmolov, a leading researcher at the Korean Studies Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of China and Contemporary Asia. The conservatives aim to delay the transfer of power by leveraging criminal investigations against Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party, to block him from taking office. Meanwhile, the Democrats are focused on securing their leader’s electoral victory to dismiss or stall ongoing cases against him.
Nezavisimaya Gazeta: Georgia elects partially recognized president
Mikheil Kavelashvili has been elected Georgia’s new president, securing 224 out of 300 electoral votes. Of those, 211 were cast by members of the ruling Georgian Dream party. However, the international community is hesitant to congratulate the republic on electing its new president, with some even branding his victory as illegitimate. EU foreign ministers are set to discuss developments in Georgia on December 16.
Political scientist Nika Chitadze told Nezavisimaya Gazeta that while street clashes have subsided in recent days, they have not ceased entirely.
"So far, the international community has not recognized Kavelashvili as Georgia’s president, and opponents of Georgian Dream are trying to capitalize on this situation. The European Union’s foreign ministers may address this issue during their meeting on December 16. Additionally, it cannot be said that the government has strengthened its domestic position. For instance, on the evening of December 14, the authorities planned to light a Christmas tree in front of the parliament, but the opposition disrupted the event," Chitadze explained.
Rossiyskaya Gazeta: Oil companies halting projects on developing renewable energy
European oil companies are cutting back or suspending their projects in renewable and hydrogen energy. This is mainly being done under the pretext of optimizing spending. The same companies that, just three or four years ago, proclaimed the end of the fossil fuel era and removed the word "oil" from their logos are now making contradictory statements and are clearly unwilling to relinquish the hydrocarbon market to their competitors.
According to Konstantin Simonov, Director of the National Energy Security Fund, US oil and gas companies were initially highly skeptical of the climate agenda and actively resisted it, while in Europe, it took on an almost religious significance. By now, the situation has dramatically shifted.
This does not mean that the energy transition has been entirely abandoned, said Natalya Churkina, an analyst at the Institute for Complex Strategic Research. According to her, the climate agenda will remain relevant in Europe. However, the risks facing European industry due to reduced access to energy resources make finding a balance between economic and climate goals increasingly urgent.
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