Headlines

London, Dec.5 (DPnet).– UK Ministry of Defence believes 80,000 Russian soldiers are wounded or dead, while the US now believes that figure to be well over 100,000. On the other hand, up to 13,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since Russia invaded in February, according to Kyiv’s presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak. However, Ukrainian casualties are increasing at this point and authorities report that between 100 and 200 of its forces are dying a day on the battlefield during the recent counteroffensives (shown in yellow on the map).

The Russians fled from the Kherson region, across the river, going northeast along the river to the bridges upstream. The Ukrainians followed behind them and tried to cut them off before they could cross the river, causing many casualties of personnel, armored vehicles and other war materials.

That 100,000 number of casualties by the US estimate will increase over the next few days after Russian troops are totally expelled from Kherson city and its surroundings, including the Russian-occupied town of Kakhovka, on the east bank of the Dnipro River. We're seeing the Russian Dunkirk and the Ukrainians are trying to beat them "to the beach" i.e. up to the Black Sea.

Special report: Voice to the youth: Political participation in the EU and beyond. ←click here

Nov.28.– The EU is stepping up its efforts to promote civic engagement and political participation with a new initiative targeting young people in third countries through its Youth Action Plan.

The plan was first presented in October by the EU Commission in a bid to “increase the voice and leadership” of young people in decision-making within the bloc’s external action for 2022-2027.

This Monday (28 November), the EU Council agreed on conclusions on the new initiative and called on the Commission, the EU external action service and member states to “mainstream meaningful youth participation and engagement in international fora and at multilateral, regional, country and local level”.

Nov. 12.– The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and the EU’s national Economic and Social Councils discussed at their annual meeting the integration of people fleeing the war in Ukraine, the EU’s open strategic autonomy and enhancing the EESC’s role following the Conference on the Future of Europe.

European organised civil society can and must contribute to providing an effective answer to the EU’s current geopolitical challenges, such as the integration of people fleeing the war in Ukraine and the need for a strategic autonomy.

Former Soviet states have become unlikely defenders of the rule of law.

Oct. 26.– In too many places around the world, freedom is denied. In theocracies such as Afghanistan and Iran, women lack the right to dress as they please. In countries from Myanmar to Sudan, juntas rule. And Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president, has not only launched a lawless war against his neighbour, Ukraine, but clamped down further on his own people’s rights. Yet there are bright spots too—and some of these can be found on Mr. Putin’s doorstep (see chart).

This can be seen in a report published on October 26th by the World Justice Project, a charity based in Washington, DC. It draws on tens of thousands of responses from legal practitioners, local academics, and household surveys to produce the Rule of Law Index, a ranking of 140 countries and jurisdictions according to a series of indicators: constraints on government powers, the absence of corruption, fundamental rights, and criminal and civil justice.