Friday, December 23, 2022

Ukrainian Narrative Continues To Morph Ugly

Death And Destruction In Ukraine
If the "Ukrainian narrative" was not ugly enough, it continues to work its way farther to the dark-side. It is debatable how long the American people will buy the line that funding the war in Ukraine will result in a good outcome. Someday, what is happening in Ukraine may be looked back upon as a horrible blunder, lie, and misstep largely orchestrated by America and the "Obama/Biden political machine."

Sadly, US senator Bernie Sanders on Tuesday agreed, due to fairly intense pressure from the White House, to withdraw the so-called ‘Yemen War Powers’ resolution from a vote in the Senate. The crucial bill would have restricted US military involvement in war-torn Yemen and reasserted Congress’ war-making authority. As a footnote, the word was put out that President Joe Biden would most likely veto the bill passed if it passed. White House officials said the bill “could complicate the effort to back Ukraine in its war against Russia.” 

Recently, in a phone call, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky "thanked" President Joe Biden for the "unprecedented defense and financial assistance that the U.S. provides to Ukraine." that of course did not stop him from asking for billions more. So far the total that has been either proposed, pledged, or enacted exceeds a mind-boggling $100 billion. With every billion dollars representing roughly three dollars for every man woman and child in America, this means it has already cost each of us around 300 dollars. When you consider how many people, such as children and those barely getting by don't share in this burden, the amount placed upon each taxpayer soars. Much of this money has been doled out with little oversight.

It is important to remember that under Biden's tutelage this "conflict" has become not so much about defending Ukraine but ending Putin and Russia. It is not about the people of Ukraine but much more. The Ukrainian people and much of Europe have become mere pawns in a game. Unfortunately for the Biden camp, for all the money being poured into this "theater" it would be naive to think Putin will not achieve his goals or come out of this conflict the victor. 

Even as this is being written, Ukraine is bracing for yet more Russian attacks on its energy infrastructure. Ukraine has accused Moscow of intentionally unleashing additional suffering on the population headed into Christmas. Its Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said, "Russian terrorists will do everything to leave Ukrainians without electricity for the New Year." Currently, around 80% of the Kiev area appears to be without electricity for the second day in a row.

The only thing growing as fast as the cost of Biden's proxy war is the ego of Ukraine's President Zelensky. This has become more apparent by the day as the attention-seeking comedian media star turned politician pushes his way onto the center of the world stage. Zelensky is constantly appearing at major public events to make appeals for aid. These include the Grammys and Cannes Film Festival. This is when he's not busy addressing the G7, the European Parliament, or an UN-sponsored event.  

Pro-war advocates even arranged for Zelensky to give a 30-minute long speech before Congress, foreign leaders seldom get this opportunity. During the speech, he was frequently interrupted by spontaneous standing rounds of applause from US lawmakers as he vowed: "absolute victory" over Russia. With events like this taking place, it is little wonder Time magazine recently named Zelensky and The Spirit Of Ukraine as person of the year. There are, however, signs global audiences are tired of hearing Ukraine's President Zelensky ask for more money. His message is steeped in propaganda. This could be the chief reason the formal request for Zelensky to talk about "world peace" before the kickoff to the World Cup final, was recently denied. 

The Biden administration along with Ukrainian officials have been shocking the world with claims of how well things are going on the battlefield." This has gone to the point where NBC News reports that the White House now calculates that the Ukrainian armed forces are capable of retaking the Crimean Peninsula. Administration officials are using this as a reason Congress still needs to fund Ukraine. Those promoting and encouraging such an offensive move ignore the danger it may cross Moscow’s "red lines" and increase the possibility of nuclear weapons being used.

Chart Source: Center for Strategic and International Studies

Still, with many Americans distracted by the holidays, few are paying attention to just how much money we are spending supporting Ukraine. The visual aid above helps clarify the distinction between what has been proposed and enacted. The additional "proposed" billions that are shown in the above chart have at this point been approved with the recent passage of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023. Approving the current request would bring the total amount approved to $104 billion in less than a year. 

To the chagrin of many Americans, the war in Ukraine continues to grind on. The ramifications of the Biden proxy war extend far past spending. It includes using presidential draw-down authority to pull hundreds of millions in weapons and anti-air missile systems from American stockpiles. Biden's newly announced pledge to send Patriot missiles to Ukraine means we may be short weapons if a problem comes up somewhere else.

This is why NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg commenting on the state of Russia-West relations said "Even if the fighting ends, we will not return to some kind of normal, friendly, relationship with Russia. Trust has been destroyed." He claimed that NATO sought to build positive relations with Russia immediately after the Cold War - despite the fact it expanded to Russia's doorstep soon after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

For now, the idea this conflict will rapidly end has been placed on the back burner. This could be because many people are benefiting from the spending. To the warmongers, this is because we have not done enough. Those of us advocating the antiwar position view this as an unnecessary proxy war and that we have no business there. This extends to the position we should do everything we can to bring hostilities to an end.

Some of us take the position that this was all set in motion by the U.S. choreographed coup in Kiev eight years ago under the Obama Administration. It would be hard to overstate the significance those events played in creating the situation currently before us. Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger is one of those calling for urgently finding a path of negotiated settlement to the war in Ukraine. He warns the entire world is in danger as nuclear-armed superpowers inch closer to a disastrous confrontation.

A huge factor in keeping truthful information about what is happening is held hostage by propaganda. The situation on the ground in Ukraine may be far different than we in America are being led to believe. Recently the Russians have altered their strategy in reaction to reality but not because they are in dire straits. An argument can be made that Russia's pullback from some Ukrainian territory was strategic and that by pulling back they have sucked the Ukrainian troops into a meat grinder where they have suffered massive casualties.

Michael Vlahos and Douglas Magcregor got together recently in the library of the Army-Navy Club, Washington, D.C., to reflect on the war in Ukraine; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhA1yofpkMg It appears Putin has been to the front to confirm that Russian troops are prepared for a winter offensive. This is the type of warfare in which Russia excels. When it comes to fighting on the ground in cold weather, it has been said that Russia invented winter. It certainly does not look like a pleasant winter for the people of Ukraine, and for that, they can thank Biden. 

 

Minor Footnote; Added 12/30/22,  I highly recommend the following video that was recently released. While I consider it slightly biased, it gives a picture of a rather unexciting end to this conflict. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FU8N-CxkIRM

 

 (Republishing of this article welcomed with reference to Bruce Wilds/AdvancingTime Blog)

13 comments:

  1. You know it's bad when Neocon Henry Kissinger is calling out the current Neocon's. The US and NATO needs war and that's why Washington keeps sending Zel billions. I'm getting the impression from yesterdays Press Conference when Zelensky arrogantly said the Billions we've paid is not enough and he needs more.

    Why would he say that? I interpret that as he's saying you guys want a war with Russia? Then pay me, damn it.

    The bottom line is, the West needs a war with Russia and they won't stop until it's World War III. which some already think has long ago started. The West needs a global conflict because the global monetary system is collapsing. They need a cover to distract the masses around the world when everything collapses under its own weight.

    Perhaps is wasn't a good idea to continue borrowing from the future with NO intention of ever paying it back. ;)

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  2. I'm not a fan of Zelensky or Ukraine, and I'm not happy about the USA getting involved in yet another foreign war.

    However, I don't think some folks critical of our support of Ukraine have considered the main reason behind our support, which is this:

    We have to set an example for any country which is considering invading or attacking another country. We have to demonstrate that any country which does this will suffer heavy economic sanctions and will pay a very high price in lives and money for its belligerence. China, North Korea, and Iran are now on notice that if they decide to do what Russia did, they will suffer as well. It is well-known that China wants to take over Taiwan, but I'm betting that after they see what the consequences have been for Russia they are having second thoughts.

    A 100 billion, or even a few hundred billion, is a small price to pay to serve as a deterrent and lessen the chances that other countries will commit military aggression against their neighbors.

    I don't like this situation any more than the critics of our support for Ukraine, but it has to be done. We can't just sit idly by and let Russia get away with this with no consequences.

    I agree that it is dangerous to continue escalating this war, and it's time to seek a peace treaty requiring concessions on both sides.

    Even Henry Kissinger has said it's time to negotiate a peace deal.

    I don't buy into the theory that our govt. wants a major war. This would ruin the economy and put us in real danger of nuclear retaliation. No one in their right mind would want this.

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  3. Dave, you have not been looking into why Putin would invade Ukraine and expose Russia to sanctions and isolation in the world. You may have lived through or read about the Cuban Missile crisis of 1962. Then, the USSR placed nuclear missiles in Cuba, right on the doorstep of the US. The US blocked Cuba to stop Soviet ships from going to Cuba. The world thought it was on the verge of all-out nuclear war. Eventually, cooler heads prevailed and Russia backed down. The price was the withdrawal of US missiles from Turkey.

    Fast forward to the break-up of the USSR. Russia requested that NATO not extend beyond its current eastern boundary. NATO agreed and promptly broke that promise, bringing many of the former Soviet satellite countries, such as Poland, into NATO. In 2014, the US engineered a coup in Ukraine to remove a pro-Russian government and install a pro-Western government. They then hinted that Ukraine would be invited to join NATO.

    Ukraine is sort of a fake country. Some parts are claimed by Poland, some by Romania and some by Russia, Internally, it is split into a Russian speaking east and a largely Ukrainian west. After the coup, the east revolted and open warfare broke out. Peace was sort of established by the Minsk agreement. However, Merkel let the cat out of the bag when she admitted the Minsk agreement was only for the purpose of giving Ukraine time to build up forces enough to take on Russia, By the time Putin's SOM began, Ukraine had the largest armed forces in Europe. Tanks, men, vehicles, aircraft - they were a formidable force.

    Putin's war aims, at least at the outbreak, was to restore the Russian speaking oblasts back to Mother Russia and to demilitarize Ukraine. However, his operation was poorly executed and stalled as it ran into fierce Ukrainian opposition.

    As in WW2, Russia regroups, changes its tactics and carries on fighting. Currently, it is using its 5:1 advantage in artillery to grind down the Ukrainian forces. We’ve been told, endlessly, that Russia is running out of missiles and ammunition. The contrary is true. It is NATO and Ukraine that are running out. Russia has air superiority and its kamikaze drones and cruise missiles are destroying Ukraine’s electrical distribution system and its industrial base. Rebuilding eastern Ukraine will cost more than the west will be willing to pay.



    Russia's aim is to destroy the Ukranian military and it is doing this using artillery, drones, guided missiles and air power. Ukraine is trying to recover territory. Russia is letting them do it, cutting off their resupply routes and then pounding them with drone guided artillery. I'm guessing the Russians are losing one KIA to Ukraine's ten. Russia has no need to negotiate with the West. It will reduce western Ukraine to an agricultural backwater and incorporate Russian speaking eastern Ukraine back into Mother Russia. To do that, according to Doug Macgregor, Russia has amassed 540,000 troops, 1,500 tanks, 100's of other armored vehicles and huge numbers of aircraft and drones. Come winter, this force will roll over Ukraine. Then, talks, maybe.

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    1. Actually, I do somewhat understand how we got to this point. The "west", being NATO but primarily the USA and UK, kept pushing NATO further east into former USSR-controlled nations. The USA has troops stationed in Romania and Bulgaria, and ballistic missile defense systems in Romania. The USA also overtly interfered in Ukrainian politics in order to oust pro-Russia presidents and likely other govt. officials. These are certainly provocative actions.

      You are right that Ukraine has never historically been a nation or country, but that doesn't really matter to me because it officially and legally became a country in 1991.

      It does seem that some folks in Western govts, like the neocons, actually want a war with Russia. My theory is that neocons need an enemy, and now that Americans are sick and tired of our military adventures in the Middle East, they have to find an arch nemesis elsewhere. What better enemy than Russia with its former KGB thug dictator Vladimir Putin?

      I understand also that Ukraine violated the Minsk Agreement and didn't really allow the Donbas to have its promised autonomy. I've read some accounts that the Ukrainians have been oppressing the people of the Donbas for years. Putin wanted to ride to the rescue and liberate his Russian people in eastern Ukraine.

      The problem is that Russia has brutally attacked civilian targets. They didn't limit themselves to only attacking military targets. Putin made a huge mistake in how this "operation" was carried out. He also underestimated the strength of the Ukrainian military with all the help they're getting from Europe and the USA.

      Although I think we've done the right thing in punishing Russia for its aggression, I also think it's time to end this war. Unfortunately, the dangerous neocons and foolish Ukrainian leaders like Zelensky don't seem to want it to end.

      You may be right that Russia gets its act together and brings the full force of its military to bear and ultimately conquers eastern Ukraine. That doesn't mean that we should sit back and passively allow it to happen with no consequences. Remember that China is watching...

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    2. Dave2020, Thanks for your continued input.

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  4. Dave, are you getting your information from CNN, MSNBC or any of the Major Networks? If so, they will lead you astray. It's not as it appears. Ukraine is doing to Russians what our Press says Russia is doing to Ukraine. It is all a lie to start WW3. It is the United States and not Ukraine who is at War with Russia. Putin merely reacted because he had NO choice. The US with Luland and McCain overthrew the elected Ukrainian government in 2014. That started the whole mess we are in. Please, educate yourself, Dave.

    Here's a Tweet from Max Blumenthal:
    "After months in Ukraine training soldiers, Ret Col Andrew Milburn of @TheMozartGroup mercenary firm gets sauced on camera & spills the beans: Ukraine is a "corrupt, f##ked-up society" run by "f##ked-up people"

    Ukrainian soldiers "kill dudes who surrendered," commit "atrocities" pic.twitter.com/MhKljQwQpq
    — Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) December 26, 2022

    Or you can listen to Retired US Army Col Douglas MacGregor when he was recently interviewed by Judge Andrew Nepolitano.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4WIdDStqeE

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    1. Again, Rod, it looks like you're either not understanding what I wrote or you're just not reading it.
      I know that the USA and NATO have been provoking Russia for years. I also know that many neocons actually would like for NATO, which would be 90% USA of course, to go to war with Russia. They're just looking for an excuse. These folks are blinded by their ideology and reckless in their rhetoric and actions, as a war with Russia would tank the economy, get thousands of NATO soldiers killed, and may lead to non-nuclear Russian missile attacks on European and American cities. Then, if things escalate, we could have a nuclear exchange and then it's lights out for us all.
      I certainly don't trust the Ukrainian govt. any more than I trust my own govt. There is a lot of propaganda out there surrounding this conflict.
      Russia committed a military invasion of another country, attacked civilian targets and killed thousands of civilians, not to mention destroying their homes and infrastructure. If someone did that to us, you'd hate them, too.
      If you choose to believe the extreme and fringe theories about the Ukrainian conflict, like Nazis and such, then that's your prerogative.

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    2. Really Dave, are we going the conspiracy theory route, again? Regarding Ukrainian Neo-Nazi's, that is not a conspiracy theory but a fact. Look up the Ukrainian Azov Regiment. They are Ukraine's far right fringe group. Guess who met with that group? Uh hmm, Lindsey Graham and John McCain.

      Our own former military personnel knows what the Azov regiment is to Ukraine. Retired US Army Colonel Douglas MacGregor has called them out in the past.

      Here's a quick lovely YT video of McCain and Graham meeting up with the Azov's in Ukraine.
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yOP-xApwW4

      But ignoring the facts that the United States is in bed with crazed lunatics is also your prerogative. The US created ISIS after it toppled Iraq. We denied and ignored them until they became a problem. Sheesh Dave, come on. Let's drop the flag and stop chanting U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A.

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  5. Ukrainians would love nothing more than to see every Russian in the world, dead. They have an evil hatred towards Russians and according to reports, they are committing evil atrocities towards Russians living in Ukraine.

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  6. The other thing no one mentions in the US or Western Press, is that Ukraine harbors and supports Neo-Nazi's. That is a bonifide fact because John McCain met with them before and during the color revolution in 2014. The United States and this is well known which is part of the Clinton archives, they want to destroy Russia. That is the end goal of the Neocons in Washington.

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    1. The problem is how to resolve this conflict with so many people unwilling to "settle" in a no-win situation.

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  7. That is precisely the point I was trying to make to Dave 2020. At this point no one wants peace. They all want war. The only person to offer an olive branch for negotiations was, yup you guessed it Vlad Putin. That was quickly shot down by Zelensky or should we say the US Neocons.

    We need to understand that the monetary system is collapsing. It' is something Dave 2020 r=doesn't want to accept. Currently, Klaus Schwab is offering a jubilee to everyone involved by resetting the system. "You Will Own Nothing And Be Happy". It is the Great Reset that is pushing everyone towards a global war.

    We are now watching the US Gov't having to come up with 1.7 trillion dollars to keep the government running. Once upon a time it was a couple of million, then tens of million, then hundreds of million, then it jumped to billions. Now we are in the trillions. It is something Egon Von Greyerz the founder of Matterhorn Asset Mgmt warned about, that the US debt would go parabolic. We have arrived at that point. The last I read, it now takes roughly 1 trillion dollars to service the yearly US debt on interest alone.

    Politicians kept borrowing from the future with NO intentions of ever paying it back. What we are now witnessing is a collapse of Bretton Woods.

    This is why this everyone in the West is pushing for a global war.

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  8. Dave, in the future please do proper research and avoid the conspiracy theory attacks. Let me help you out once last time. The Neo Nazi's in Ukraine is not a conspiracy theory. They are a "terror group". They have been known to crucify captured Russian Soldiers on a cross. Those pictures which I will not share but you can find them on the internet are available.

    The facts are, besides retired US Military personnel acknowledging the existence of the AZOV group (Ukraine's version of ISIS). The Polish PM back in 2017 warned Ukraine about this group. He recently warned Ukraine about this same fringe element working within Ukraine.

    "Polish Leader Warns Ukraine To Stop the Neo-Nazis"
    https://archive.schillerinstitute.com/news_briefs/2017/02/07-polish_leader_warns/plw.html

    "Poland PM to remind Ukraine that glorifying Bandera unacceptable"
    https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/poland-pm-to-remind-ukraine-that-glorifying-bandera-unaccept

    The facts are this is why Putin had NO choice but to go into Ukraine because it was AZOV that was persecuting and killing innocent Russian citizens in the Donbas region.

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