The war in Ukraine is entering a grotesquely brutal winter phase

Ukrainians are sending images of dead Russian soldiers to their friends and Jamilies back in Russia

- Robert Fox

UKRAINE’S immediate requirements in this, the ninth month of the war with Russia, were spelt out neatly this week by foreign minister Dmytro Kulebo. “In an nutshell: Patriots (missiles) and transformers are what Ukraine needs most,” he told Nato foreign ministers meeting in Bucharest.

The meeting confirmed the wish of Ukraine and Georgia to join Nato, first registered at a summit in April 2008. That led to a short, and still unresolved, conflict between Russia and Georgia later that summer.

The pledges given to Ukraine last Monday mean a long and deep commitment by Nato allies. It will require a shift in how they conduct military business, and for some a rethink of defence and security, especially for Britain.

In Ukraine the fighting goes on. Most alarming are the human casualties. Russia is now deliberately hitting civilian targets, electricity transformers and water and sewage services. Civilian Ukraine faces nationwide blackouts, hence the need for transformers, generators and small power plants, which are beginning to pour into the country.