President Biden’s stargey to not let Vladimir Putin Bull Shit his effort to put his foot on the Ukraine has been successful….
The Russian efforts to justify and lie their way on the Ukraine won’t work….
Putin’s overall effort is also doing something….
It’s stripped him of his ability to bee seen as anything else but who he is….
A man trying to get back the old Soviet Union….
Ganngster like….
And united the West by his OWN actions….
David Remnick: “Like many aging autocrats, Putin has, over time, remained himself, only more so: more resentful, more isolated, more repressive, more ruthless. He operates in an airless political environment, free of contrary counsel. His stagecraft — seating foreign visitors at the opposite end of a twenty-foot-long table, humiliating security chiefs in front of television cameras — is a blend of ‘Triumph of the Will’ and ‘The Great Dictator.’”
“But there is nothing comic in the performance of his office. As Putin spills blood across Ukraine and threatens to destabilize Europe, Russians themselves stand to lose immeasurably. The ruble and the Russian stock market have cratered. But Putin does not care. His eyes are fixed on matters far grander than the well-being of his people. He is in full command of the largest army in Europe, and, as he has reminded the world, of an immense arsenal of nuclear weapons. In his mind, this is his moment, his triumphal historical drama, and damn the cost.”
…
“Russian President Vladimir Putin is doing in days what decades of American prodding and pressure couldn’t: Getting Germany and other European nations to unite, expand defense spending and strategic thinking, and do more to protect themselves and others,” Axios reports.
“Putin calculated a divided America and Europe would make it hard to punish him for invading Ukraine. Instead, he’s spawned a new coalition of the willing that spreads from Europe, to U.S. companies, to Russians in the streets.”
…
President Joe Biden said his goal “from the very beginning” was to keep America’s allies on the same page, as Russian leader Vladimir Putin believed he could “split NATO” and proceed with his invasion of Ukraine without encountering much in the way of international resolve or resistance, Politico reports.
Instead, Putin is “producing the exact opposite effect that he intended.”
…
“The main Kremlin website and other Russian government websites were inaccessible Saturday amid reports of cyberattacks targeting Moscow in retaliation for its invasion of Ukraine,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
…
“President Vladimir Putin has ushered in a crisis for his country — in its economy and identity,” the New York Times reports.
“The Kremlin is hiding the reality of the country’s attack on Ukraine from its own people, even cracking down on news outlets that call it a ‘war.’”
“But the economic carnage and societal turmoil wrought by Mr. Putin’s invasion is becoming increasingly difficult to obscure.”
Note…
Unfortunately,despite the heroic resistance of the Ukrainians, Russia will likely prevail in this invasion.
The question then will be,what is the aftermath?
It appear’s that if Russia is looking to level the two main cities and grab some of the South of the country…
It depends on what you mean by “prevail”. If you mean that Russia will not only overthrow the current government, but will successfully install a puppet government of Putin, then I don’t agree. These people are willing to fight and die. Ukrainians will never accept a Putin puppet government.
And the Russian people will learn the truth about Ukraine from retuning Russian soldiers,
I believe that there is a greater chance that Ukraine will ultimately prevail than that Putin will survive this.
Long live Zelensky. Trump May hate him because he wouldn’t go after Hunter Biden, but he has far exceeded expectations and appears to be a great leader. And I expect that Biden will continue to excel too.
I simply mean that that a Ukraine as a country will survive….
Smaller , but more defiant …..
Well that remains to be seen.
If Ukraine as a country survives ,there will be a Russian friendly leader in charge or will Russia simply annex it as a state within the Russian Federation ?
Remember Putin told GW Bush years ago that Ukraine “isn’t really a country .“
There may emerge a Ukrainian Guerilla movement of some type ;however I think that is probably unlikely.
Do I see a truly independent Ukraine government surviving?No I don’t.
I disagree
On the surviving entity…….
The country will reach to the West
No one knows what will happen. But, here are some things that did happen.
The world (other than China) is united in opposition to Putin, and Biden played his quiet role in making it happen.
The EU Parliament just voted to move forward with Ukraine membership, not sure how that all works, but the vote alone is a stick in Putin’s eye.
When Switzerland breaks its century old neutrality to freeze Russian accounts then you know you have a problem.
I was told by the Trump loving relatives that this war was over before it even began. At least four times in the last four days we heard how the Capitol of the Ukraine was about to fall. Well, my relatives who live there keep me well informed, there will be no surrender.
Putin miscalculated, and even Condi Rice is impressed with how our Country, led by Uncle Joe Biden, has responded.
So, why everyone here is rushing to predict a victory for Mother Russia, I think we may see Putin get the full Mussolini treatment as his country’s economy collapses.
Our military and intelligent services are keeping the Ukraines fully informed of what Russia is doing. Right now, they are running out of gas.
Yes Indeed Keith…..
The Russian Army effor has proven to be ‘needy’…..
The Ukrainians have provedn to be tougher than anyone would think….
And Putin has done what no one could do….
Uniterd the West against aa common enemy’s action….
and had the Russian President hurt his own citizens lives…
From The Washington Post:
“A 40-mile-long column of Russian tanks and combat vehicles has “stalled” north of Kyiv, a senior U.S. defense official said Tuesday. The Russians appeared to be regrouping six days into their invasion of Ukraine while dealing with fierce resistance and fuel and food shortages.
The column effectively has not moved in a day, putting it about 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) north of central Kyiv.
About 80 percent of the combat power that Russia prestaged at the Ukrainian border is now committed to the war, up from just under 75 percent Monday, and the Russians are shelling Kyiv, the senior defense official said.
The United States has seen signs that Russian soldiers, especially young conscripts, did not know they were being sent into combat, the U.S. defense official said.”
I’d bet that at LEAST 30% of that convoy is NOT combat equipment, but food, water and fuel…..
In addition?
Not widely reported but there have been desertions of Russian troops that U point out are NOT professional soliders….
To add to our observations Keith?
The word from those who study the Russian military doctrine say they are a military that moves by train across their territory…..
Iy has them at a disadvantage to have to actually drive their vehicles so hard…..
Some of them are from a long distance from the Ukraine and have broken down
In military strategy?
Having a column of vehicles 40 miles long would avail an enemy a ‘target rich environment’ of sitting ducks to air attacks….
In addition?
All them vehicles lined u leave them open to the Ukraine forces with anti-Tank weapons
The Russian’s REALLY do NOT have their shit together
This is just a brut strength effort that still may not work….
Jack?
Another 2,000 troops going to East Europe NATO counties bringing the the total to 14,000 Biden has had to send…….
Probably be more ….
Biden was frank in acknowledging the tough road ahead for the Ukraine
I’m glad he’s on board for sending weapons and humanitarian aid there
I’m sure the Pentagon is helping in other ways,..
First Major Ukrainian City Falls Under Russian Control
The south Ukrainian city of Kherson has fallen under Russian control. The New York Times reported that mayor Igor Kolykhaev met with the Russian commander on Wednesday.
Kherson has a population of nearly 300,000. The New York Times reported that 10 armed Russian officers, including the local commander, met with the mayor, telling him they planned on creating a “new administration similar to those in two Russian-backed separatist enclaves in eastern Ukraine,” in the Times’ words..
TPM…..
In six days of fighting in Ukraine, Russian forces have seized territory in the county’s south and east but remain shut out of some major cities and the capital, Kyiv, prompting a ramped up effort to surround the city and an escalation of attacks on civilian infrastructure around the country….
More….