Ukraine faces winter of political discontent at key juncture of war

Frictions emerge within leadership as troops face grinding battles on three fronts

KHERSON, Ukraine As Ukraine steps up efforts to press for more military support for its conflict with Russia, political frictions have emerged at a critical moment for the country.

President Volodymyr Zelensky and the commander of Ukrainian forces, General Valery Zaluzhny, have been at odds. Mr Vitali Klitschko, the popular Mayor of Kyiv, has suggested that Mr Zelensky made mistakes in failing to prepare for the war.

And the opposition leader, Mr Petro Poroshenko, was on Dec 1 blocked by the authorities from leaving for a trip abroad that he said was aimed at lobbying for more military support.

The political frictions in Ukraine come as the country enters its second winter of full-scale war with Russia and the public braces itself for more attacks on cities and infrastructure, while its troops face grinding fighting on three fronts.

A counteroffensive summer failed to produce a hoped-for breakthrough against Russian defences on the south-eastern front, and while Ukrainian troops have gained some success in the south and against Russian naval forces in the Black Sea, they are suffering sustained attacks in the east.

As the military campaign has run into difficulties, criticism has started to rise within Ukraine's political leadership.

Gen Zaluzhny, the commander of Ukrainian forces, wrote in a paper recently that the war was in a stalemate and would stay that way unless Ukraine received increased and more technologically sophisticated military equipment.

Mr Zelensky swiftly chastised the general and denied that the war was in a stalemate.