A brief respite : On Russia’s Orthodox Christmas truce in Ukraine
Russia’s temporary truce should be the basis for a lasting solution
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to observe a 36-hour ceasefire on the front line in Ukraine comes at a time when his troops are struggling to cope-with a series of battlefield setbacks and mounting casualties . The Kremlin’s version is that it ordered the ceasefire, from Friday noon till Saturday midnight, as Orthodox Christians in both countries celebrate Christmas on January 7. Ukraine has questioned Russia’s sincerity, saying the Kremlin would use the pause in fighting to replenish and rearm its forces and move more soldiers to the line of contact . Yet, if observed by both sides, this would be the first ceasefire on the entire front line since the war began on February 24 last year. Mr. Putin’s move appears more like a sign of weakness than any serious push for peace. On New Year’s day, Russia lost at least 89 soldiers when Ukraine targeted the eastern city of Makiivka where hundreds of troops were temporarily stationed . In Bakhmut, the eastern city that has been under attack for six months, Ukraine says its troops pushed back the Russians.
Russia, which made some territorial gains in the early phase of the war, has been struggling to build battlefield momentum ever since Ukraine, armed and bankrolled by the collective West , started its counter-offensive in late August. Ukraine recaptured swathes of territories from Russia, including much of the Kharkiv Oblast in the north-east and Kherson city in the south. Faced with battlefield setbacks, Gen. Sergey Surovikin, the new commander for the war, changed strategy — he redirected the offensive focus towards Donetsk, started building stronger defence lines across the vast front line, and launched a heavy bombardment campaign targeting Ukraine’s critical energy infrastructure . The air strikes have partially damaged Ukraine’s energy grid and disrupted power and water supplies to millions, but they have not changed the ground reality . If Ukraine survives winter, fighting could pick up pace . The U.S. and Germany have already announced that they would send Patriot missile systems to Ukraine. The U.S., France and Germany would also be sending armoured vehicles, to better prepare Kyiv for the coming land war. Cornered in the war theatre , Mr. Putin might come under enhanced pressure to escalate the conflict. But continuing this war will be costly for all sides. If the ceasefire holds for 36 hours, Mr. Putin should extend it further and seek dialogue , without preconditions , with both Ukraine and its backers in the West. The temporary truce should be the beginning of a lasting one.
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Seek (verb) – try, attempt, endeavour, strive प्रयास करना
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Pace (noun) – speed, rate, swiftness, quickness गति
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Host (noun) –A person, place, or organization that holds and organizes an event to which others are invited. मेज़बान
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Critical (adjective) –crucial, vital, essential, of the essence, all-important
महत्वपूर्ण
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Troop (noun) – A group of soldiers
सेना
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Lasting (adjective) – continuing to exist for a long time or forever
स्थायी
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Armed (adjective) – carrying a gun or other weapon; involving weapons
हथियारबंद, सशस्त्र
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Escalate (verb) – increase rapidly; soar, surge, intensify, worsen
बढ़ना
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Momentum (noun) – impetus, energy, impulse, speed, velocity
गति
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Respite (noun) – a short period of rest from something that is difficult or unpleasant; stoppage
राहत, विराम, स्थगन
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Orthodox Christmas (noun) – relating to the Orthodox Church. The Orthodox Church recognises January 7th as the day that Jesus was born.
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Truce (noun) – an agreement to stop fighting for a period of time
(अस्थायी) युद्घविराम
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Observe (adjective) – comply with, abide by, obey, follow, adhere to
पालन करना
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Ceasefire (noun) – an agreement between two groups to stop fighting each other
युद्घ-विराम
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Front line (noun) – a place where opposing armies face each other in war and where fighting happens
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Cope with (verb) – deal with, handle, manage, tackle, contend with
से निपटना
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Battlefield (noun) – Battleground, arena, frontline, field, theater of war
लड़ाई का मैदान
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Setback (noun) – problem, difficulty, issue, hitch, complication, upset
नाकामयाबी, झटका
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Mount (adjective) – gradually increasing, rising
बढ़ते
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Casualty (noun) – A person hurt or killed in a war or other destructive event
हताहत
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Kremlin (noun) – a citadel within a Russian town; it is often also used metonymically to refer to the government of the Russian Federation.
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Question (verb) – To raise question over or on something
सवाल उठाना
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Sincerity (noun) – honesty, genuineness, integrity, seriousness
ईमानदारी
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Replenish (verb) – refill, fill, restock, restore, top up
भरना
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Rearm (verb) – provide with a new supply of weapons; upgrade, reequip
फिर से शस्रसज्जित होना
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Push (noun) – Try, attempt, endeavour
प्रयास
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Station (verb) – put on duty, post, position, put in, assign to
तैनात होना
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Push back (phrasal verb) – To resist, oppose, or protest something.
पीछे धकेलना
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Bankroll (verb) – support (a person, organization, or project) financially.
आर्थिक रूप से समर्थन करना
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Collective (adjective) –relating to all people as a group; common, combined, joint
सामूहिक
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The West (noun) – it refers to U.S and other European Countries
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Recapture (verb) – recover (something taken or lost).
पुनर्ग्रहण करना
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Swathe (noun) – a broad strip or area of something
विशाल क्षेत्र
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Oblast (noun) – an administrative division or region in Russia and the former Soviet Union, and in some constituent republics of the former Soviet Union.
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Strategy (noun) – plan of action, approach, tactic
रणनीति
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Offensive (noun) – attack, assault, invasion, onslaught, incursion
आक्रामक
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Donetsk (noun) – A city, the administrative centre of Donetsk Oblast, in the Donbas region, in eastern Ukraine.
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Defence (noun) – something that protects somebody/something from something, or that is used to fight against attack
बचाव
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Launch (verb) – start, begin, commence, initiate, embark
शुरू करना
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Bombardment (noun) – bombing, attack
बमबारी
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Campaign (noun) – movement, operation, fight, drive
अभियान
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Infrastructure (noun) – The infrastructure of a country, society, or organization consists of the basic facilities such as transport, communications, power supplies, and buildings, which enable it to function
. बुनियादी ढाँचा, अवसरंचना
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Air strike (noun) – air attack
हवाई हमला
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Energy grid (noun) – an interconnected network for electricity delivery from producers to consumers
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Ground reality (noun) – practical situation; reality of the situation
जमीनी हकीकत
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Survive (verb) – live, endure, continue, continue to exist
झेलना
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Pick up (phrasal verb) – increase, become stronger, accelerate
तेज होना
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Patriot missile defence system or Patriot battery (noun) – Patriot which stands for “Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept of Target” – is designed to counter and destroy incoming short-range ballistic missiles, advanced aircraft and cruise missiles.
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Armoured vehicle (noun) – tanks, armoured cars, assault guns, self-propelled guns, infantry fighting vehicles (IFV), and armoured personnel carriers (APC).
बख्तरबंद वाहन
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Kyiv (noun) – Capital of Ukraine
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Corner (verb) – To get a person or an animal into a position from which he/she/it cannot escape
(किसी व्यक्ति या जानवर को) घेर लेना; फँसाना
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War theatre (noun) – the area of air, sea and land that is directly involved in war
युद्धक्षेत्र, रणक्षेत्र
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Enhanced (adjective) – increased, augmented
बढ़ा हुआ
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Conflict (noun) – Battle, fight, war, struggle, skirmish, clash, encounter
संघर्ष
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Dialogue (noun) – conversation, talk, communication, interchange, discourse
बातचीत, संवाद
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Precondition (noun) – Condition, requirement, necessity
पूर्व शर्त
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Backer (noun) – Patron, supporter, upholder, defender
समर्थक
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Line of Contact (noun) – "line of contact" refers to the demarcation between two or more given armies, whether they are allied or belligerent
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Counter-offensive (noun) – an attack made in response to one from an enemy, typically on a large scale or for a prolonged period.
जवाबी कार्रवाई