Category: International Indigestion

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Russia Claims 1st Phase Done: Getting Ass Kicked

Slava Ukraini!

From CNN, “A top Russian general gave some of the most detailed public remarks to date on Russia’s military strategy in Ukraine, claiming on Friday that the ‘first stage’ of Russia’s military plan is now complete, with their primary focus now centered on eastern Ukraine. ‘In general, the main tasks of the first stage of the operation have been completed,’ Colonel General Sergei Rudskoy, first deputy chief of Russia’s General Staff, said in a Friday briefing. ‘The combat potential of the armed forces of Ukraine has been significantly reduced, allowing us, I emphasize again, to focus the main efforts on achieving the main goal – the liberation of Donbas.’”

The words of Colonel General Sergei Rudskoy would be comical if not for the tragic seriousness of Russia’s invasion and the ensuing war crimes committed by Russian soldiers in the name of chief war criminal Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin — Vladi for short. Nonetheless, if Russia claims round one is complete, then Ukraine is the clear winner. Let’s hope round two is a repeat of round one. Slava Ukraini!

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Israel in Bed with Putin

From Haaretz, “The State of Israel is exceptional among Western countries in that it has refrained from sharply condemning and imposing sanctions on Putin and the circle around him that are responsible for the war. … Israeli officials’ statements have, for the most part omitted the identification of who is actually attacking Ukraine, committing crimes against the Ukrainian people and against the stability of the international order. As if it were a natural disaster or an alien invasion from another planet. … Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ‘helped’ Putin upgrade his internal repression tactics, while spending time flattering him. … For example, every year on October 7, Netanyahu joined the queue of leaders of former Soviet republics calling Putin to congratulate him on his birthday. Netanyahu was so proud of their association that he put up giant election posters of himself and Putin side-by-side under the slogan ‘Netanyahu. A different league.’”

What an embarrassment! For a country that was literally founded as a result of genocide, the State of Israel would rather not take a stand against genocide happening in Ukraine at the hands of Russia. But what would one expect from a country that kept Putin-loving Netanyahu in office for 12 years? Astonishingly, a country born out of the ashes of a world war that fought one dictator — Hitler in case you’re not paying attention — continues to be in bed with another dictator — Putin in case you’re brain dead. Of course, this is all consistent with the likes that Israel has sucked up to in the past — traitor trump in case I have to spell out everything for you f***tards. Netanyahu, Putin, traitor trump. They are all of the same ilk, and it seems that Bennett is a bit squishy himself. Shame on Israel! Seriously! For a nation that claims never to forget, they seem to have amnesia.

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The West’s Wringing of the Hands After All

After four weeks of watching the Russian invasion of Ukraine go sideways and after Putin has decimated whole Ukrainian cities, my worst fears are coming into focus, as I had predicted all along: The West is standing on the sidelines wringing their hands. To be sure, America, NATO, the EU, and other Allied nations have been levying the harshest sanctions ever seen on Russia. Indeed, they are sending in weaponry to help support Ukraine’s defense. All of this is true enough, but given what everyone — except Russians — sees on TV or on a laptop, it’s become evident that the West is perfectly willing to sit on the sidelines wringing their hands. Entire cities are being razed, and the most the West can do is watch and admonish Putin. We are precisely in the pusillanimous position I knew the West would eventually settle into; I just f***ing knew it. As I have said many times before, Putin invaded primarily because he thought the West would let him get away with taking Ukraine, and, at this point, there has not been enough pushback from the West to convince him otherwise. While the war seems not to have progressed as initially envisioned, Putin is adjusting. I think he believes that if he can’t have Ukraine, then no one can, so he’s willing to lay waste to the entire country, and the West will let him do it because the West is f***ing weak. Now is the time if there is ever a reason for the West to step out of their NATO boundaries. Putin will never learn until the West punches back, but dare I say they never will. Oh, well. And we wonder why authoritarian nations are on the ascent in the world.

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Ukrainian Military Must Take No Prisoners

Slava Ukraini!

While there may be some value to the Ukrainian military obtained from Russian prisoners of war, I hope Ukraine has learned lessons from history; do not keep Russian prisoners of war alive and do not take prisoners in the first place. They are a drain on already strained Ukrainian resources, and any limited, ephemeral intelligence and propaganda value they derive from their captives cannot balance keeping and feeding them. While allowing Russian prisoners to literally phone home is a quaint propaganda tactic, I say it is better that the mothers and fathers of these soldiers should be left with the empty feeling of their sons having vanished in the war, especially since the Russian military has no interest in making sure their troops killed on the battlefield are repatriated back to their families. The greater value is that more Russian soldiers disappear in Ukraine, leaving a hole in Russians’ hearts.

Moreover, every Ukraine fighter’s primary — only — goal is to kill as many Russian soldiers as possible. Not to capture them. Not to allow them to retreat. Not to trade them. Their only directive should be to kill, kill, kill. I promise you that any Russian soldier allowed to escape or be released will be one more soldier who comes back to kill Ukrainian women, children, and the elderly. There is no such thing as mercy in war. War is merciless — a value Russia consistently dispenses, yet the West constantly eschews. War is the definition of kill or be killed. So, Russian P.O.W.s are out of the question. Take these Russian pawns off the chessboard once and for all. I wish I could say that I’m sorry for being so callous, but let’s face it — war is not for the weak. Any notion of chivalry in war is a fantasy. Russia is waging total war. Ukraine needs to respond in kind! I’m sure there are some Geneva Convention rules and such non-sense about soldiers who surrender. I’m not saying Ukraine should commit war crimes — I guess — but let’s just say Ukrainians should be in the mindset of fighting to the death — of every Russian invader. There should be no such thing as a surrendering Russian soldier.

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Frontline

Everyone should watch the Frontline show “Putin’s Road to War.” It was a timely video primer of Putin’s two decades in power. It was also a reminder of how the West has enabled Putin at every turn. To be honest, I think I was more livid at what past American and European leaders failed to do in response to every Putin action. I forgot some of the things Frontline detailed. Still, it was overwhelmingly obvious that the Putin character we see today and the actions he has taken in Ukraine were all wholly expected. Putin laid out his grievances before the entire world for all to hear and see nearly from the beginning of his presidency, namely, he lamented the fall of the U.S.S.R. and the rise of America and democracy. In response, the West ignored him and allowed him to threaten, bomb, poison, assassinate, and wage war without consequence long before he invaded Ukraine. No wonder Putin felt like Ukraine would be just one more consequence-free endeavor because the world singled to him for nearly two decades that it would be, just like every other time. Putin himself certainly paved the road to war, but the West installed and controlled the traffic lights, which have constantly been flashing green! I was reminded all over again of why I fear the West, in the final analysis, may not be up to the task to rid the world of Putin. The West fears him and more grievously the West fears standing up for democracy. I’m sorry to have to remind people, but democracy does not come without struggle. In fact, sometimes democracies need to go on the offensive — first.

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Indeed, It Is Not Enough

Accounting to the Atlantic Council, “[T]he United States, Europe, and their global partners should add to the impressive array of sanctions against Russia. Their impact thus far, according to the Council’s Brian O’Toole and Daniel Fried, ‘has been to flatten the Russian financial system, crash the ruble, spur a likely sovereign default, and probably move the Russian economy into a depression.’ Yet as Putin’s forces continue their attack, O’Toole and Fried provide a menu (in ascending order of impact) of potential next steps: expanding the sanctions against Putin’s cronies and subordinates; extending sanctions on more banks and key companies (they suggest Gazprombank, Russian Agricultural Bank, AlfaBank, Sovcomflot, Russian Railways, and the diamond company Alrosa); and blocking the Russian government by sanctioning all Russia-state-owned companies. And if all else fails, enacting a full financial embargo that would ban all transactions, exports, and imports with Russia. What’s not in doubt is that Putin will continue to escalate if more isn’t done to stop him. … Putin has lost: He will never be able to entirely pacify and occupy Ukraine, and he has done generational damage to the Russia whose power and prestige he was once determined to build. However, his opponents have not won: Saving Ukraine, and sustaining their newfound common cause, is the key to shaping the global future. What has been accomplished against Putin thus far is remarkable, but it is still insufficient [emphasis added].”

To be sure, the West’s response to Putin’s war has surprised everyone — most of all Putin. I, too, had believed that the West was (still is to a degree) too weak to stand up to authoritarian regimes after years of appeasing the aggression of Putin and other dictatorial governments. Even in America, the rise and sustained love-affair with authoritarian rulers — traitor trump — certainly does not assuage my agita that Americans are one election away from reversing everything Biden and the West are achieving to counter Russia in Ukraine. Recall, traitor trump and the RepubliKKKlan are openly hostile to Ukraine. As the Washington Post reported in 2016, “The Trump campaign worked behind the scenes last week to make sure the new Republican platform won’t call for giving weapons to Ukraine to fight Russian and rebel forces, contradicting the view of almost all Republican foreign policy leaders in Washington.” Today, this is still part of the official RepubliKKKlan platform: Don’t help Ukraine! Pay no attention to what RepubliKKKlans say or do in their criticism of Biden’s handling of Ukraine. Do not pay attention when RepubliKKKlans vote in favor of aid for Ukraine. They are all hypocrites, and when traitor trump returns to the White House, Ukraine will be readily delivered to Russia with a bow on it while all RepubliKKKlans will sign the “Welcome Back, Russia. We Missed You!” card. Actually, the true state of RepubliKKKlan beliefs regarding Ukraine resides in what Marjorie Taylor Greene says and does; she is the authentic barometer of RepubliKKKlan, MAGA moron, evil evangelical, and QAnon kook sentiment on Ukraine.

All that being said, the West must do more for Ukraine. The authors of the article I quoted above were absolutely correct; although Russia is losing the fight as the situation stands now, it does not mean Ukraine and the West are winning. I hope the West truly understands the gravity of this moment. Not only must they do more to support Ukraine, but they must realize they have to do more to counter the threat of Putin. Forcing a Russian withdrawal from Ukraine is not enough and it absolutely must not be the end game! Hell! F****ing! No! It is only the first step. Unfortunately, this is where the weakness of the West and liberal democracies cripple the world: Democratic nations fail to kick dictators while they’re down. The West should be willing to beat the sh*t out of Putin. Full stop! But, no. I have no doubt that if Putin comes to his senses — however unlikely — and decides to negotiate a peace settlement, then the West will do everything it can to help Putin back up and try to convince him to return to the world order as a “good” global citizen, reflecting, once again, a profound inability of the West to learn from even the most immediate history. Putin must be removed from power. Anything short of that is failing to do enough! Sadly, the West always falls short of doing the right thing — completely!

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Russian Military Incompetence

Slava Ukraini!

I was reluctant to attribute Russian failures in the first week of the war to their incompetence because I did not — and I still dare not — underestimate Russia’s capacity to be evil, for minimizing the enemy has always been a weakness of the West even as Putin demonstrated his true colors at every moment in history and currently. But now, I can confidently admit that I was wrong: The Russian military and its leadership really are a bunch of incompetent stooges. It does not mean they are no less dangerous. When the Russian military brass becomes frustrated with a losing strategy — as is the case here — they revert to the good old standby plan B: Bomb everything!

I never doubted Ukrainians’ capacity and desire to fend off the Russian invaders. That was never a question for me. I questioned how long it could last; I thought 4-6 weeks, but I think it can be indefinitely! More than anything, what has surprised me is the West’s cohesion and resolve to stand up to Putin. This is a first!

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Be Careful with MSM Interpretations, People

What I am about to write may come across as being a Russian apologist, but I assure you that it is not; it is, however, a blunt assessment that will not engage in wishful thinking and not underestimate the enemy as the MSM undoubtedly appears to be doing at every hour with every broadcast on the Ukraine war. If there is one thing MSM constantly pursues is quixotic interpretations of the military aspects of the war thus far, which is very dangerous because they are setting up the public for some unexpected and heavy disappointment. I am making no pronouncements about the outcome of the war. Ultimately, I think Russia will be mired in a persistent Ukrainian insurgence situation. Of course, the humanitarian coverage is just the opposite, and rightly so: Bleak and overwhelming. But to harp on the David vs. Goliath narrative, though compelling, wholly belies the reality. And all these former American military top brass on MSNBC and CNN engaging in schadenfreude over Russian perceived ineptness is also dangerous.

Some particularly frustrating examples include the following. That G.D. 40-mile long “stalled” convey. If I have to hear commentators suggest that Russia ran out of gas and supplies or Russia can’t get their act together, then I’m going to go f***ing postal. Has it ever occurred to anyone that perhaps they stopped intentionally? Actually, Secretary of Defense Bliken admitted that yesterday. They now believe Russia has paused to regroup and re-think their Kyiv strategy, which, of course, happens because nothing ever goes according to plan after the first shot. It probably says more about the state of the war, knowing that Russia feels emboldened to pause in plain sight since the convey remains unmolested. I haven’t seen any updated satellite images of destroyed and smoldering vehicles. That d*mn convoy remains just as it was days ago. (And as I update this post, new reporting reveals that Ukrainians are harassing the convoy and that they blew up a bridge, which is causing the Russian column to stall out, so Glory to Ukraine!)

Then there are those images of a few Russian soldiers looting a grocery store because the assumption is the Russian army can’t get food to their soldiers. I saw those images, and clearly, the amount of product they were taking could not feed a squad for more than a day. Who knows. Maybe Russians were stealing HoHos and Twinkies because I’m sure those are not standard ration issue.

Next, we move on to those images of Russian equipment abandoned on the side of the road, which is supposed to indicate that the military is outdated and in chaos. Of the thousands of pieces of military hardware, some of it is going to just f***ing breakdown. It means nothing about the overall Russian military. I promise you. Ukrainians are feeling the brunt of the 99 percent of all the remaining military equipment that is working just fine!

The problem with MSM reporting and experts “analyzing” the battlefield is that they use inductive reasoning to construct wrong conclusions. One incident of soldiers stealing food means Russia can’t feed the army. Vehicles stopped in convoy means the army ran out of gas. Equipment on the side of the road means the entire military apparatus is breaking down. Look! I am by no means defending Russia, but I want people to clear away all the happy talk and focus on the real problem: Russia is advancing, albeit slowly. It may not be the American military ideal of a military operation that should have been accomplished by now, but they are advancing. This has always been a fatal flaw with Americans and the West. They have underestimated Putin for decades, and they continue to do it at this very moment. This is why people need to wake up.

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This Is the Spear Tip and the Spear

Haaretz

From Haaretz, “A 40-mile convoy of Russian tanks and other vehicles threatened Ukraine’s capital Tuesday as an intense shelling attack targeted the country’s second-largest city, and both sides looked to resume talks in the coming days aimed at stopping the fighting. … The developments came as Russia finds itself increasingly isolated as a result of international condemnation and potentially backbreaking economic sanctions. Five days into the invasion, the Russian military’s movements have been stalled by fierce resistance on the ground and a surprising inability to dominate the airspace.” My first reaction is, why doesn’t Ukraine do something about it! But then I quickly understand that they can’t, unfortunately. To be sure, the Russian convey is a bunch of sitting ducks, but Ukraine does not have the military numbers to engage far beyond the capital center.

Many pundits and commentators have been analyzing Russia’s failures in these initial days of the war and the stiffer than expected resistance from Ukraine, which no doubt is true. We’re only on day six of this conflict, people. I fear Russia’s failures are less unintentional, in part, because Putin is engaging a rope-a-dop strategy. I think — and I’ve said this before — he wanted to see if Ukraine folded like a house of cards. That, of course, would have been the most preferred outcome — for Putin! — with little fighting, death, and destruction. No doubt that was extraordinarily unrealistic and likely reinforces the perspective that Putin is suffering from delusions of grandeur — aka dictator syndrome. The kid gloves are about to come off.

Putin has a long history of destroying cities and countries without regard to life and property, but let’s be clear about something. Putin wants to absorb Ukraine into his empire intact, not as a nation of rubble. The next phase of the war is to terrorize the population into submission if that can be done. I don’t think the plan was ever to “shock and awe” Ukraine; it has always been to wear the people (and the West) down with a vice grip. This will be the real test for NATO, EU, America, et al.: Can we maintain our resolve.