In the coming week, Russia marks Constitution Day.

An EU summit discusses Ukraine, energy, and expansion.

And the White House hosts the U.S. Africa Leaders Summit.

It's December 8, 2022, in time for the world next week. I'm Bob McMahon.

And I'm Jim Lindsay.

Jim, why don't we start in Russia?

Next Monday will be Constitution Day.

This commemorates the 1993 adoption of the Russian Constitution.

There are expected to be fireworks concerts. What's not

clear is how much they will be referencing the now nine to 10 month old war in Ukraine. What

should we be looking for on Constitution Day, Jim? Well, Bob, there are conflicting reports about

whether or not President Putin will make an address to the nation on Constitution Day. If he does,

the speech will almost certainly be about putting the best face forward on a terrible situation

for Russia. The war continues to go badly for the Kremlin. The Russian army is going backward,

not forward. Just this week, Ukrainian drones

at a Russian air base, more than 300 miles from Ukraine. Fuel tanks at another Russian air base,

some 80 miles from the Ukrainian border, were struck by Ukrainian drones. Now, none of these developments are militarily significant

in and of themselves, but what they signal is, is that Russia is not invulnerable. Russia is, in

fact, vulnerable to Ukrainian attacks. As we've discussed in the past, Putin is witnessing increasing dissent

at home. Now, some of the ultra-nationalists who wanted to do more to fight the world,

to go harder against the Ukrainians, seem to been brought back into the fold, in large

part by Putin's decisions to give even more power to military commanders.

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