Europe – Page 64 – Prologue Journal

Where Is Russia Finding New Soldiers? Wherever It Can.

New York Times From murder suspects to immigrants to a former Olympic gold medalist, Russia pressures those it thinks should fight in Ukraine. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/30/world/europe/russia-ukraine-war-soldiers.html

Monday Briefing

New York Times Jimmy Carter dies at 100. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/30/briefing/jimmy-carter-plane-crash.html

Amid Anti-Western Drift, Georgia Inaugurates a Conservative President

New York Times Even though a figurehead, Mikheil Kavelashvili occupies a symbolic role as the country moves further from the West and toward Russia and China. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/29/world/europe/georgia-president-mikheil-kavelashvili.html

Azerbaijan Blames Russia for Plane Crash and Rebukes Kremlin

New York Times The leader of Azerbaijan criticized the Russian response to the crash of a passenger jet that Azerbaijani officials said had most likely been hit by Russian air defenses. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/29/world/europe/azerbaijan-blames-russia-plane-crash.html

Elon Musk Doubles Down on Support for German Far-Right AfD

New York Times The world’s richest man, a key adviser to President-elect Donald Trump, ridicules critics over his backing of the German extremist party AfD, as Germany prepares for elections. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/28/world/europe/musk-support-for-german-far-right-afd.html

Michel del Castillo, 91, Dies; Child’s-Eye Chronicler of Concentration Camps

New York Times His first novel, “Tanguy,” published when he was 24, was a fact-based Holocaust story that one reviewer said “begins where Anne Frank’s diary ended.” https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/28/books/michel-del-castillo-dead.html

Kirsten Simone, Danish Ballet Star, Is Dead at 90

New York Times One of Denmark’s most authoritative ballerinas, she was a prominent figure in a country better known for its male dancers. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/28/arts/dance/kirsten-simone-dead.html

Putin Apologizes but Stops Short of Taking Responsibility for Kazakhstan Crash

New York Times President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia told the Azerbaijani leader, Ilham Aliyev, in a phone call, “that the tragic incident took place in Russian airspace.” https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/28/world/europe/kazakhstan-russia-azerbaijan-plane-crash.html

In Bomb-Scarred Cities, Risking Life and Limb to Get Civilians to Safety

New York Times The danger and hardship gets worse by the day for civilians in eastern Ukraine. Still, they resist leaving the places that have become their homes. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/28/world/europe/ukraine-civilians-aid-groups.html

At Lake Como, Monuments to a Brutal Regime Draw Tourists and Defenders

New York Times Giuseppe Terragni, the modernist architect, served Mussolini and fascism, but to many, the appeal of his buildings has outlived the taint of their history. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/28/arts/design/at-lake-como-monuments-to-a-brutal-regime-draw-tourists-and-defenders.html