Some things never change
That’s the front.
Meanwhile,civilians are being bombarded:
Snow fell in Kyiv and temperatures hovered around freezing on Sunday as millions in and around the Ukrainian capital struggled with disruptions to electricity supply and central heating caused by waves of Russian air strikes.
The cold weather is gradually pushing up the energy needs of consumers even as repair workers race to fix wrecked power facilities, grid operator Ukrenergo said.
Electricity producers are still unable to resume full power supply after Russia’s missile attacks on Wednesday and have no choice but conserve energy by imposing blackouts, it said.
“The consumption restriction regime is still in place due to a capacity deficit, which currently stands at around 20%,” Ukrenergo said on Telegram.
Moscow has targeted vital infrastructure in recent weeks through waves of air strikes that have sparked widespread power outages and killed civilians. Fresh strikes last Wednesday caused the worst damage so far in the nine-month conflict, leaving millions of people with no light, water or heat even as temperatures fell below the freezing point.
David Arakhamiya, the head of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s party, predicted Russia would carry out new infrastructure attacks this coming week and said the week could be “really difficult.”
Zelenskyy said on Saturday evening that there were restrictions on the use of electricity in 14 out of Ukraine’s 27 regions. The restrictions affect more than 100,000 customers in each of the regions, he said. Affected regions included the capital Kyiv and the surrounding region.
“If consumption increases in the evening, the number of outages may increase,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address, reiterating an appeal to citizens to save power.
Aaaaand:
In a preview of the intra-party battle ahead, far-right House Republicans, led by MAGA firebrand Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, vowed Thursday to fight against Ukraine aid.
She said, at a news conference with other members, that she’d introduced an effort to force a vote on a resolution requiring the Biden administration to provide all documents related to the security assistance that has already been appropriated to Ukraine.
The long-shot bid does not have buy-in from members of the Republican leadership, though they were given a heads-up about the news conference.
The far-right members also seized on House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy’s previous promise of no more “blank checks” to Ukraine, even though McCarthy later clarified he just wants to ensure greater oversight of any federal dollars.
“Is Ukraine now the 51st state of the United States of America and what position does Zelensky have in our government?” Greene said, referring to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“I will not vote for one more dollar to Ukraine,” added Rep. Matt Gaetz.
While the anti-Ukraine wing of the party only represents a fraction of the GOP, this group could have leverage in a razor-thin majority.
This is why Joe Biden has proposed 37 billion more in funding for Ukraine to be passed in the lame duck session:
A coalition of more than a dozen powerful conservative groups is pressing lawmakers to delay consideration of any additional aid to Ukraine until the new Congress is sworn in next year, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: It’s an early indication of the pressure Republicans are expected to face from some of their most influential grassroots allies to use a House majority as a bulwark against the flow of American aid money to Ukraine.
Driving the news: In a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) obtained by Axios, the conservative groups urged the House leaders “not to rush through another large assistance package for Ukraine during the lame-duck session.”
“Any new aid package to Ukraine should be thoroughly debated, examined, and voted on in the 118th Congress,” they wrote.
The organizations represented in the letter include Americans for Prosperity, the Heritage Foundation, FreedomWorks, Conservative Partnership Institute, America First Policy Institute and several groups within the Koch network.
The big picture: The letter specifically targets a potential aid package in the lame-duck session but represents the broader and growing opposition to Ukraine aid embodied by the “America First” foreign policy sentiment promoted by the conservative grassroots.
It argues that sending more aid “disregards the fiscal constraints facing this country,” that other NATO allies aren’t contributing their fair share and that the Biden administration hasn’t set clear enough end goals for the war.
“We understand the desire to help the people of Ukraine. They are the victims of a brutal and immoral Russian invasion,” it says. “However, do not negate the responsibility of the United States Congress to place American interests first and foremost when shaping U.S. foreign policy.”
The backdrop: Republicans in Congress have been souring on the idea of approving more aid to Ukraine, raising the specter of stinginess from GOP leadership despite ongoing support from many members of the conference, Axios reported last month.
The erosion in support from lawmakers correlates with a growing sentiment against aid among Republican voters in opinion polls.
In contrast with his Senate counterpart, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has suggested that Ukraine wouldn’t get a “blank check” if his party controlled the House.
Yes, but: The results of last Tuesday’s midterms were a blow to candidates who are solidly in the isolationist wing of the party.
Many House candidates who voiced opposition to Ukraine aid, such as John Gibbs of Michigan, Karoline Leavitt of New Hampshire and J.R. Majewski of Ohio, lost their races after underperforming more establishment Republicans.
It wasn’t a total loss, however: two senators who have been firm supporters of Ukraine aid, Sens. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio), are set to be replaced by Republicans who have expressed far greater skepticism.
What they’re saying: Incoming House Republicans who spoke with Axios expressed a diverse array of opinions on Ukraine funding.
“I don’t think there’s any problem with raising questions about oversight or accountability or whether or not the Biden administration has a plan,” said Mike Lawler of New York, “But I think we need to continue to support Ukraine.”
Zach Nunn of Iowa said in an interview: “One of the greatest national security threats to the United States is what’s happening at our Southern border. … So before you start asking for more money, show up for work, do your job.”
“Personally, I don’t think that we should be funding Ukraine,” said Cory Mills of Florida.
There is a very large and powerful braindead faction in the US House and they are going to have Kevin McCarthy by the throat for the next two years. They could easily use this as a cudgel and he is weak enough (and his daddy Trump hates Ukraine enough) that they could easily hold up funding and the coalition could fall apart. They must secure the funding to get Ukraine through this horrible winter in the lame duck.