According to CNN, the referenda results are in! “Pro-Russian authorities have held so-called referendums in four regions of Ukraine over recent days and, while the votes are illegal and have been universally dismissed as ’a sham’ by Ukraine and Western nations, there are fears that they could create a pretext for a new, dangerous stage in the war. … The figures touted supposedly from 99.23% approval in the Donetsk People’s Republic (D.P.R.) to 87.05% in Russian-controlled Kherson. Officials in the Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) and Russian-held Zaporizhzhia also claimed nearly a universal verdict.”
Look here, f***tards! There is only one reason for Putin to hold these sham referenda: To escalate the war. Full stop! No one will recognize these elections as legitimate except the axis of evil nations (North Korea, Belarus, Syria, etc.). Nonetheless, Putin needs the pretext to pull out all the stops. He needs to claim that Ukraine is attacking sovereign Russian territory to escalate the war. And given the state of the Russian military, there is only one way to escalate the war: tactical nukes. I agree with Zelenskyy. Putin is not bluffing, and I also agree with Putin. The West will not escalate if he nukes the frontlines of the battlefield. N.A.T.O. and the U.N. will be paralyzed with inaction after being confronted with a situation too dire to contemplate and unique to history. If there is one thing the United Nations loves to do is debate and shame and then effectively do nothing, especially with Russia being a permanent security council member. Indeed, Western nations will not respond in kind, so what’s left? Bombing Russian positions in Ukraine? Nope. Send more hardware to Ukraine — to be nuked? Probably. Completely isolate Russia from the world economy? That would probably be the most effective move, but no, they won’t do that either because the world economy needs Russia’s energy since all nations have failed to address the climate crisis. Wow! Talk about Russia having suckered the globe into an addiction of its oil and gas. I’m surprised they haven’t been offering free oxycontin to the masses with every barrel purchased.
I also think Putin has been emboldened by recent election results in Sweden and Italy, where far-right governments have come to power. These events do not happen in a vacuum. Moreover, what do you think Russians will do when Putin unleashes nukes? Nothing. If anything, more will flee the country instead of fixing their rogue nation and ousting Putin. After the first nuke, I predict the West will negotiate peace with Russia ala the Czechoslovakia model, whereby Allied countries negotiated away that country’s sovereignty to the Nazis behind Czechoslovakia’s back. Because why not! It’s appeasement all over again but 21st century-style. Appeasement of the 1930s was to avoid another World War I. Appeasement in this century will be to stop another nuke from falling out of the sky. I think Putin is betting one or two nukes can win him a stalemate and the newly annexed Ukrainian territories. (I’d take that bet.) Of course, we all know where appeasement ended eventually. But fear not! Humanity always makes the same mistakes — repeatedly. And, fortunately, no one really cares because right now everyone is worried about inflation and their plunging 401K value — all brought about by Putin. Checkmate!