Bells, Bargains and a Christmas Test for Peace
As Zelensky signals fresh concessions to a US-led peace plan, our cultural soul - from Ukraine's Carol of the Bells to a digitised Santa - reminds the world what is truly at stake this festive season.
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine says he is ready to pull his troops back from areas of the eastern Donetsk region still under Kyiv’s control and turn those areas into a demilitarized zone as part of a possible peace deal with Moscow. The offer was the closest Mr. Zelensky has come to addressing the thorny territorial disputes in Donetsk that have repeatedly derailed peace talks, signaling his willingness to compromise after weeks of U.S.-mediated negotiations. But the proposal also hinted at the significant gaps that remain between Ukraine and Russia. Mr. Zelensky’s offer of a demilitarized zone came with a condition: Russia would have to pull its forces from an equivalent stretch of land in Donetsk. So far, the Kremlin has given no indication that it is willing to accept anything less than full control over the region. The proposal forms part of a revised 20-point peace plan that was drawn up by Ukraine and the United States in the past few weeks and that Mr. Zelensky presented to reporters in Kyiv on Tuesday. The blueprint covers a broad range of issues, from potential territorial arrangements to the security guarantees Kyiv wants to prevent future Russian aggression, as well as plans to rebuild the war-ravaged nation. Mr. Zelensky portrayed the plan as Ukraine’s best effort to end the war and said it was now up to Russia to decide how to respond. He said that the new draft was being presented to Russia by the United States, and that Kyiv expected a reply by Wednesday evening. The Ukrainian leader said the various points in the plan “largely reflect the joint Ukrainian American position.” But Kyiv and Washington did not reach an agreement on two sticking points: the fate of Ukrainian-held territory in Donetsk and control of a major nuclear plant currently occupied by Russia. On the second point, Kyiv offered to manage the plant jointly with the United States as a form of compromise. It remained unclear how the proposed Ukrainian concessions not yet accepted by the United States would be communicated by American officials to Moscow - NYT
Russian forces launched one of their largest drone assaults in weeks overnight, striking multiple regions across Ukraine and inflicting more damage to the country’s energy network. The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia deployed 116 attack drones early on December 24, nearly 90 of which were Iranian-made Shahed models. Ukrainian air defenses destroyed 60 drones, while 48 managed to hit targets in 19 locations, the military said. In Zaporizhzhya, home to Europe's largest nuclear power plant, at least four people were injured in a separate series of nighttime strikes that included three air raids, regional governor Ivan Fedorov said - RFE/RL
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Washington denied visas to five European citizens, including a former EU commissioner, for “censorship” of US social media. Thierry Breton was the architect of the EU’s Digital Service Act, which imposed stringent content moderation requirements on tech platforms. The US secretary of state said Breton and the four others were “radical activists… targeting American speakers and American companies.” The State Department is also taking aim at the UK’s Online Safety Act, which requires age verification on sites hosting adult material. Transatlantic tensions are high: Washington’s recently released strategy document seemed to disparage the US-Europe alliance, the two sides disagree over the route to peace in Ukraine, and President Donald Trump called European leaders “weak.” - Semafor
US President Donald Trump’s mass recall of ambassadors will leave Washington without top-level representatives in more than half the countries of sub-Saharan Africa, highlighting the White House’s shift away from the continent. Less than a year into his second term, Trump has upended US-Africa relations: His administration’s sudden cuts of aid to the continent have left dozens of countries struggling to get by, while his tariff regime has compounded the economic pressure on many. Nonetheless the Trump administration has vied to outcompete China on strategic projects in Africa, especially those focused on rare earths — key for the defense and tech industries — the vast majority of which are controlled by Beijing.
Almost 105 years after the death of one of Ukraine’s most enduring cultural legacies: - the Carol of the Bells - the Russians claim to have occupied the city which served as the base for the composer, Mykola Leontovych. Fighting has raged over Pokrovsk for more than 18 months. The Ukrainian army insists its forces are back in parts of Pokrovsk after withdrawal in November. Kyiv also says small groups of Russian soldiers are infiltrating to pose for pictures with flags for propaganda purposes, but don’t fully control the ruins. Leontovych did not — as widely believed — compose the carol in Pokrovsk but the city played a crucial role in the development of both his music and the patriotic Ukrainian politics that led to his persecution by the Russians and ultimately his murder by Soviet agents in 1921. Leontovych was based in Pokrovsk in the first decade of the 20th century, teaching at a music school and running a railway workers’ choir. He drew inspiration there from distinctively Ukrainian folk traditions, and he would later base the Carol of the Bells on a seasonal chant called Shchedryk. (Pokrovsk is dubbed the hometown of Shchedryk.) Larysa Semenko, author of the book “Our Silent Genius, Leontovych,” says that the Ukrainian political dimension to the Carol of the Bells was nothing new. “It was never just a Christmas song, but a Ukrainian cultural message to the world, a greeting card of the nation’s deep-rooted spirituality and resilience in the face of threat. The same threat our nation is fighting today.” Leontovych is widely seen as a hero who took on Russia with his music a century ago, just as Ukrainians today are turning to guns, shells and drones to preserve their national identity from devastation by Moscow. “Shchedryk, which was a hit and always played as an encore, enchanted Europe and America, and helped Ukrainians to declare their nation and state to the world, said Anatoliy Paladiychuk, researcher and author of the project “Kamianets Notes and Wings of Shchedryk.” In 1936, the American composer Peter J. Wilhousky wrote English lyrics, adapting Shchedryk into the version familiar in West as the Carol of the Bells for an NBC radio performance. Leontovych did not live to see this worldwide success. Under the pretext that they were fighting bandits, the Soviet secret service killed him in January 1921 in his parents’ house in the western region of Vinnytsia. Ukrainians only learned the truth about his death after the opening of Soviet archives in the 1990s. “Just like they do in occupied territories of Ukraine now, Russian authorities saw a threat in Ukrainian culture. That was the start of great terror against Ukrainian freedom fighters, politicians, and educators. Leontovych was one of many who were killed,” Semenko said - Politico
Santa Claus is coming to town — and he’s down with the digital age. The old Santa model consisted of a long line of tiny tots waiting for a camera, a chair and a photo op. The mall Santa still exists, but the modern Saint Nick also meets families where they are. Being Santa in 2025, says TikTok Santa sensation Corky Kinter, isn’t as much about “being so stuck in the red and white furry suit.” He tries to embody the spirit of Santa — and still dons the suit — to bring people together year-round. HireSanta.com, which brings Santa to his believers, still sees strong demand from malls, resorts and other large venues. But today, Santa interest also comes from private events, community festivals and even digital meetups. “When malls started closing and online shopping became the norm, families didn’t stop wanting the magic, they just stopped gathering in the same places,” Mitch Allen, HireSanta.com’s founder and “head elf,” tells Axios. Kinter, a retired rodeo clown goes live as Santa daily. There are plenty of adults who connect with Kinter too, fueling his mission to “bring out that inner child in all of us…I think we need to be connected more to that inner child. If we are, our imagination grows, we make things happen, we don’t stop creating wonderful things in our lives.” There are some other social media Santas and Mrs. Clauses. “There’s so many more people that need to have connections with genuine Santas, people that love what they’re doing,” he says. “It’s our passion to bring the Santa kindness and goodness.” Part of the magic of becoming a digital-age Santa, Kinter says, is connecting with younger generations — from his granddaughter, who has helped run his account, to young people who sometimes need a virtual shoulder to lean on. He’s not just Santa Claus but Santa Corky, who delivers prayers as well as presents, has to check his blood sugar, and sometimes cries on livestreams during a season when emotions run high. It’s the time of year when “we’re most vulnerable,” he says. Sometimes, that means Santa may listen to more than just a wish list of toys. And Kinter tells Axios that’s precisely the Santa he wants to be.
I think we need to be connected more to that inner child. If we are, our imagination grows, we make things happen, we don’t stop creating wonderful things in our lives - Kinter, a retired rodeo clown goes live as Santa daily
The journals….
Many thanks, Myx, for your comprehensive, highly informative, and concisely written global coverage. God grant you continued health and dedication as an honourable beacon of your profession. Greetings from AB/BC this Xmas holiday.
PS: The book title should have been
"Our SILENCED Genius Leontovych"