* Russian forces have recaptured much of the hard earned land from the Ukrainian troops
* Congress continues to be more reluctant on granting more aid to Ukraine.
* Zelensky's troops were reportedly forced out of Madvika in retreat after long months battle.
Russia has recaptured land which had been hard won by Ukrainian troops at the peak of the summer counter offensive after making progress in the southern village of Robotyne. With their counter offensive stalled, Ukrainian forces are now back sliding in many fronts. Besides Robotyne in the South, they are also struggling in the east having all but retreated from the town of Madvika which is deepening their challenges.Kyiv is increasingly worried that that it's military will need more resources to keep it in the fight after Washington announced last Wednesday that it will be releasing the remaining congress approved packages of military aid available to Kyiv. The Kyiv forces are accepting that without American ammunition, they are slowly starting to lose territory that was hard won this summer.
For weeks now, reluctance by the congress to send assistance for Ukraine as the war stretches into another new year has delayed Washington's plans to send Kyiv more military aid. Congress declined last week to again pass $50 billion security package for Ukraine pushing back negotiations to next year although some aid could still flow from a security programme overseen by the Pentagon. The Biden administration is now tapping into the last field of funds approved by the congress after a $250 million package was announced on Wednesday which includes air defence systems, anti aircraft as well as anti tank missiles. The ammunition comes at a precarious moment for Ukraine as it faces a resilient adversary without certainty of help from its chief military backer.
The White House officials have emphasized Moscow's extensive battle field losses in Ukraine including 87% of its invasions era forces according to U.S estimates.But Russia has proved more capable of withstanding far reaching western sanctions than the U.S and her officials had hoped. Military production is on the rise and Moscow is also receiving help from North Korea and Iran. For Ukraine, an ammunition shortage is constraining frontline operations, potentially foreshadowing more dire military challenges in the year ahead. There has also been an emergence of political fissures after nearly two years of national following the invasion with the Kyiv mayor accusing Zelensky of being authoritarian. Meanwhile Putin has seized on Ukraine's difficulties saying that western aid is coming to an end little by little.
