For Marc Santora's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Though battered, depleted and repulsed from their initial drive to capture the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, Russian troops have used their superior artillery power to make new gains.
The surrender directive, issued late Monday, made the soldiers prisoners and ended the most protracted battle so far of the nearly 3-month-old Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Despite flawed planning, poor intelligence, barbarity and wanton destruction, Putin's forces have made significant gains on the ground.
The U.S. not only wants to thwart the Russian invasion but also aims to weaken Russia so that it can no longer carry out such military aggression anywhere.
On Friday evening, invading Russian soldiers threw a bag over the mayor of Melitopol's head and dragged him from his government office.
While the rapid spread of the omicron variant offers hope for "stabilization and normalization,” it comes with a heavy dose of caution, as many obstacles to taming the pandemic remain.
The level of destruction and loss of life in Gaza has underlined the humanitarian challenge in the enclave, already suffering under the weight of an indefinite blockade.
All pubs, restaurants and retail stores are already closed, school reopenings have been delayed, and public gatherings are forbidden.
Despite the exhaustion, a dangerous, uncontrolled surge of infections has arrived, and in parts of the world it is the worst of the pandemic so far.
Still reeling from the toll of nationwide lockdowns, government officials are finding that the public might not be so compliant the second time around.
