"Russia cannot afford to lose, so we need a kind of a victory. The stakes of the Russian elite are very high - for them it is an existential war." This April 2 statement on Russia's invasion of Ukraine by Kremlin insider Sergey Karaganov previewed the awful reality now unfolding.
Putin has no intention of stopping with Ukraine. Just yesterday, one of his generals admitted that the plan is to create a corridor into the Transnistria region of Moldova, another land bridge to Crimea. This is an all out land grab and who is to say where it stops?
Putin's propaganda machine has already called the 'conflict' a war with NATO to excuse the failed blitzkrieg plan and pull back from Kyiv. If the Russians are not successful in Donbas, we may see what happens when a desperate, humiliated dictator becomes trapped in a corner of his own making.
Ukrainians are fighting valiantly but also suffering in equal measure. The situation in Mariupol is as dire as it gets, combatants and civilians trapped in underground tunnels left to starve and die. I suspect this is what Putin envisions throughout the country, a starving, demoralized population. Thus far, Ukrainians have proved far more resilient than most in the West expected.
No one knows exactly how this will end but I tend to agree with Julia down thread: WWIII has already commenced. And Zelenskyy? The man has turned out to be an astonishing leader and prophet.
Very insightful, Ruth. We also have to recall another reason for Putin’s ego-centric attack on Ukraine 🇺🇦 The fact that Putin has been failing in his job for 20 years reflecting his inability to diversify the Russian economy away from being an an oil-centric supplier and failure to inspire innovation and creativity in Russian commerce, culture, and prevention of environmental degradation. He embodies what needs to be defeated so the human race can continue to achieve solutions to enhancing, not destroying, our world 🌎 Let us all remember this on April 22, Earth Day.
If this is a real "war against Western expansion," albeit it not yet said, has not WWIII already begun? We-the west, NATO, etc, continue to let Putin drive the narrative. No, we do not want a global conflict, but if Putin maintains his destruction of Ukraine, which country will be next? Poland? No matter how quickly the armaments get to Ukraine, it is not quickly enough if we are supporting them in a reactive fashion.
Why has Biden and the US/NATO been so weak and wobbly? Yes, some weapons have been delivered, but not nearly enough to help Ukraine either decisively win or at least push back Russian forces to the recognized border?
"The truth is Putin needs a victory" And under the category of 'I don't know it for a fact I just know its true' Trump, Trump world, many in the GOP and FOX are all secretly rooting for him to win as well. He is behind the effort to spread authoritarian subversion to all parts of western democracies including right here in the US through lies and conspiracy theories often involving false accusations of pedophilia. They've spent gazillions on money laundering and corruption to buy political influence within many democratic country's political systems. They've focused on interfering with elections in particular. Think Brexit and Trump's 2016 campaign headed by Paul Manafort etc.. Russian, Putin and the internet research agency are a case in point during 2016.
We're in a world wide battle for freedom and democracy vs. Putin's evil authoritarianism, which with its allies --Trump, Fox, and the GOP, has a powerful stronghold and influence in US politics.
NATO support of Ukraine is a tad better than the typical "thoughts and prayers" we offer to victims everywhere but that may well prove to be too little too late. Incrementalism is our MO and Putin no doubt included this as a key factor in his calculations. By the time we fully rise to the occasion, Ukraine may be irretrievable. A lot depends upon our ability and willingness to immediately break character in the theatrical sense and come out acting as our true selves. Or has that already happened?
A chilling comment you made on Morning Joe doesn’t bode well for Ukraine and international stability: “(Putin) has no moral code, humanitarian sentiments, signs of weaklings.”
Our drone pilots in Nevada kill (murder) terrorists all over the world to reduce risks to our troops on the ground but the men who terrorize the world are not high-value drone targets? Stalin 2.0 is horrifying for all of us.
And still, NATO allows the destruction of Ukraine. It is my belief that NATO decided the entirety of Ukraine was expendable at the onset of Russia’s buildup on Ukraine’s borders. After all, Ukraine isn’t ‘in’ NATO. It doesn’t matter that their request to join - years ago - was delayed and then ignored. They simply aren’t part of NATO and that nasty Putin began slinging about nuke threats so what was poor NATO to do? Actually help? Actually bolster Ukraine’s border before Putin invaded? Actually band together and stand up to a tyrant using threats, horrible threats for sure, but still threats to get what he wants? Actually stand with Ukraine with soldiers, air power, weapons and supplies so an entire people and their country aren’t utterly destroyed and wiped out? Of course not. After all, Ukraine isn’t in NATO. That’s not your fault but ours but still, so sorry Ukraine, we’ll cheer you on from afar. We’ll issue sanctions that may bite some but won’t even slow Putin down. We’ll all nod solemnly when discussing Ukraine’s bravery and go about our daily lives, remembering your once vibrant, beautiful country on some random day once a year that was set aside to recall a country that once existed.
In time other countries hostile to democracy - or America’s highly corrupt oligarchy/pseudo democracy - will use the exact same method to get what they want. All we have to do is sit back and wait. Putin proved it works. It will again.
Putin has no intention of stopping with Ukraine. Just yesterday, one of his generals admitted that the plan is to create a corridor into the Transnistria region of Moldova, another land bridge to Crimea. This is an all out land grab and who is to say where it stops?
Putin's propaganda machine has already called the 'conflict' a war with NATO to excuse the failed blitzkrieg plan and pull back from Kyiv. If the Russians are not successful in Donbas, we may see what happens when a desperate, humiliated dictator becomes trapped in a corner of his own making.
Ukrainians are fighting valiantly but also suffering in equal measure. The situation in Mariupol is as dire as it gets, combatants and civilians trapped in underground tunnels left to starve and die. I suspect this is what Putin envisions throughout the country, a starving, demoralized population. Thus far, Ukrainians have proved far more resilient than most in the West expected.
No one knows exactly how this will end but I tend to agree with Julia down thread: WWIII has already commenced. And Zelenskyy? The man has turned out to be an astonishing leader and prophet.
Very insightful, Ruth. We also have to recall another reason for Putin’s ego-centric attack on Ukraine 🇺🇦 The fact that Putin has been failing in his job for 20 years reflecting his inability to diversify the Russian economy away from being an an oil-centric supplier and failure to inspire innovation and creativity in Russian commerce, culture, and prevention of environmental degradation. He embodies what needs to be defeated so the human race can continue to achieve solutions to enhancing, not destroying, our world 🌎 Let us all remember this on April 22, Earth Day.
I wonder where Anatoly Chubais will go? What will he do?
If this is a real "war against Western expansion," albeit it not yet said, has not WWIII already begun? We-the west, NATO, etc, continue to let Putin drive the narrative. No, we do not want a global conflict, but if Putin maintains his destruction of Ukraine, which country will be next? Poland? No matter how quickly the armaments get to Ukraine, it is not quickly enough if we are supporting them in a reactive fashion.
Why has Biden and the US/NATO been so weak and wobbly? Yes, some weapons have been delivered, but not nearly enough to help Ukraine either decisively win or at least push back Russian forces to the recognized border?
"The truth is Putin needs a victory" And under the category of 'I don't know it for a fact I just know its true' Trump, Trump world, many in the GOP and FOX are all secretly rooting for him to win as well. He is behind the effort to spread authoritarian subversion to all parts of western democracies including right here in the US through lies and conspiracy theories often involving false accusations of pedophilia. They've spent gazillions on money laundering and corruption to buy political influence within many democratic country's political systems. They've focused on interfering with elections in particular. Think Brexit and Trump's 2016 campaign headed by Paul Manafort etc.. Russian, Putin and the internet research agency are a case in point during 2016.
We're in a world wide battle for freedom and democracy vs. Putin's evil authoritarianism, which with its allies --Trump, Fox, and the GOP, has a powerful stronghold and influence in US politics.
NATO support of Ukraine is a tad better than the typical "thoughts and prayers" we offer to victims everywhere but that may well prove to be too little too late. Incrementalism is our MO and Putin no doubt included this as a key factor in his calculations. By the time we fully rise to the occasion, Ukraine may be irretrievable. A lot depends upon our ability and willingness to immediately break character in the theatrical sense and come out acting as our true selves. Or has that already happened?
A chilling comment you made on Morning Joe doesn’t bode well for Ukraine and international stability: “(Putin) has no moral code, humanitarian sentiments, signs of weaklings.”
Our drone pilots in Nevada kill (murder) terrorists all over the world to reduce risks to our troops on the ground but the men who terrorize the world are not high-value drone targets? Stalin 2.0 is horrifying for all of us.
And still, NATO allows the destruction of Ukraine. It is my belief that NATO decided the entirety of Ukraine was expendable at the onset of Russia’s buildup on Ukraine’s borders. After all, Ukraine isn’t ‘in’ NATO. It doesn’t matter that their request to join - years ago - was delayed and then ignored. They simply aren’t part of NATO and that nasty Putin began slinging about nuke threats so what was poor NATO to do? Actually help? Actually bolster Ukraine’s border before Putin invaded? Actually band together and stand up to a tyrant using threats, horrible threats for sure, but still threats to get what he wants? Actually stand with Ukraine with soldiers, air power, weapons and supplies so an entire people and their country aren’t utterly destroyed and wiped out? Of course not. After all, Ukraine isn’t in NATO. That’s not your fault but ours but still, so sorry Ukraine, we’ll cheer you on from afar. We’ll issue sanctions that may bite some but won’t even slow Putin down. We’ll all nod solemnly when discussing Ukraine’s bravery and go about our daily lives, remembering your once vibrant, beautiful country on some random day once a year that was set aside to recall a country that once existed.
In time other countries hostile to democracy - or America’s highly corrupt oligarchy/pseudo democracy - will use the exact same method to get what they want. All we have to do is sit back and wait. Putin proved it works. It will again.
If ever destiny and fate was so very desperately needed to remove Vladimir Putin from his life on the Planet Earth it is now.