Tag: Russia

What Is ISIS-K?

The other big news on Saturday….

By now most everyone who lives above ground has heard about the horrific terrorist attack in Moscow…..but for those that have been under a rock….

While firefighters continued to pull bodies from the rubble and put out the lingering flames Saturday after a terrorist attack at Moscow’s Crocus City concert hall, people came to the site to leave flowers and teddy bears in honor of the victims. Questions about how such an attack, which killed more than 100 people and injured more than 150, could happen were mixed with expressions of grief and concerns about the future.

Some Russians wondered about the Russian security forces’ inability to prevent the attack. “Why is it that they say that there were warnings from foreign security services, but our services were completely indifferent?” asked a woman in Moscow. “How can this happen in 2024?” Another woman pointed out that the government seems to concentrate on watching dissidents. “There are cameras everywhere that can trace opposition people going to a rally, and they are also stopped in the metro,” she said. “Does it mean that cameras are targeted on people who carry a book … but you can carry a bomb or a Kalashnikov, and that will be OK?”

The group that carried out this attack is known as ‘ISIS-K’….who are these barbaric bunch?

Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K), named after an old term for the region that included parts of Iran, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan, emerged in eastern Afghanistan in late 2014 and quickly established a reputation for extreme brutality.

One of the most active regional affiliates of the Islamic State militant group, ISIS-K has seen its membership decline since peaking around 2018. The Taliban and U.S. forces inflicted heavy losses.
But the United States sees the group as an ongoing threat. General Michael Kurilla, the commander of U.S. Central Command, told Congress last March that ISIS-K was quickly developing the ability to conduct “external operations” in Europe and Asia. He predicted it would be able to attack U.S. and Western interests outside Afghanistan “in as little as six months and with little to no warning.”
Attacks within the U.S. itself were less likely, he said.
 
The United States has said its ability to develop intelligence against extremist groups in Afghanistan such as ISIS-K has been reduced since the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country in 2021. The U.S. military has said it can see the “broad contours” of an impending attack, but does not have the specific detail it did previously.
 
(reuters.com)
This is not a ‘new’ group by any means….
 
U.S. intercepted communications confirming the group carried out twin bombings in Iran that killed nearly 100 people.
 
In September 2022, ISIS-K militants claimed responsibility for a deadly suicide bombing at the Russian embassy in Kabul.
 
The group was also responsible for an attack on Kabul’s international airport in 2021 that killed 13 U.S. troops and scores of civilians during the chaotic U.S. evacuation from the country.
 
More info will be passed on as it becomes available to people like me.
 
You now know as much as anyone else on this group.
 
I Read, I Write, You Know
 
“lego ergo scribo”
 

US Says ‘No’ To Ceasefire

I have a problem with this story….Russia offers ceasefire and the USA rejects it….(say what?)

Russia’s attempt to broker a ceasefire in Ukraine, along the current lines of control, was met with a firm rejection in Washington. US officials reiterated their stance, stating that they would only engage in talks with Moscow with Kiev’s consent.

According to Reuters, in late 2023 and early 2024, Russian intermediaries reached out to US officials seeking to establish a ceasefire. The Kremlin was hoping to freeze the fighting along the current lines of control. “The contacts with the Americans came to nothing,” an unnamed senior Russian official told the outlet.

Russian officials said some progress was made, and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan agreed to a call with his counterpart in the Kremlin. Putin’s adviser, Yuri Ushakov, suggested the idea of a ceasefire to Sullivan, but Sullivan refused to talk about Ukraine.

Putin has also suggested talks during public remarks, including in his interview with Tucker Carlson.

US officials speaking with Reuters said there was no formal contact with Russian negotiators and stressed that Washington would not engage in talks with Moscow without Kiev. However, some admitted that Russian officials had floated talks in an unofficial manner.

The Joe Biden administration has steadfastly refused to engage in talks with the Kremlin. Before the war in Ukraine broke out, Moscow sent Washington the outlines of a deal to prevent the war. A Biden admin staffer later acknowledged that the White House refused to negotiate with Russia on Putin’s top issues, including NATO military buildup in Eastern Europe and the alliance’s expansion to Ukraine.

During the first two months of the war, Moscow and Kiev engaged in talks hosted by US allies Turkey and Israel. Russian, Ukrainian, Turkish, and Israeli officials have all confirmed that a deal was nearly reached; however, the US and UK pushed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to forgo a deal with Putin.

Washington’s current refusal to talk with Moscow comes as the war is going poorly for Kiev, with Ukrainian forces losing significant territory to Russia in recent months. Additionally, Kiev lacks the manpower and ammunition to mount an effective defense.

(antiwar.com)

DC rejects this?

Sorry but since the death and destruction is taking place in Ukraine should they not be the ones to decide whether to accept or reject?

Or is Ukraine just a client state that we totally control?

I guess DC does not have to worry about Zelensky for he will do and say anything to keep US cash rolling in.

At what point does sanity creep into this saga?

Just wondering.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

What Are Putin’s Plans?

I know there are many that think Putin will finally give the word and launch a nuclear strike against the West…(personally I do not think he will but that is just my thought)….I read a couple of articles in recent days that I think some readers will find interesting.

Putin’s State of the Nation speech left some speechless…..

Russian leader Vladimir Putin has warned of the “destruction of all civilization” in a major threat to the West.

It has been just over two years since Putin first launched his invasion of Ukraine, and threats appear to be ratcheting up over the West’s support of the country and its army.

In his annual State of the Nation address, Putin gave his most chilling and explicit threat yet as he suggested nuclear weapons could be utilised causing the end of civilisation.

Putin suggested that sending NATO troops to fight in Ukraine “really risks a conflict using nuclear weapons, which means the destruction of all of civilisation”.

His comments come just days after French President Emmanuel Macron said he did not rule out sending Western troops to Ukraine.

Putin added: “They think this is some kind of game. They are blinded by their own superiority complex.”

Elsewhere in his speech, Putin warned the West against going to war with Russia, suggesting, “the consequences for potential invaders will be far more tragic” than in the past.

https://www.indy100.com/news/vladimir-putin-nuclear-weapon-threat

Threats yes….but where would he target….

The Pentagon, the Norfolk Naval Station, the Comfort Suites Kings Bay Naval Base Area, the Barksdale Air Force Base, the Whiteman Air Force Base, the United States Strategic Command, the VLF Array Lualualei Facility in Hawaii, the Kirtland Air Force Base, the 21st Force Support Squadron, the Warren Air Force Base, the Minot Air Force Base, the Hill Air Force Base, the Malmstrom Air Force Base, and the Naval Radio Station Jim Creek.

While Putin’s threat hinges upon the possibility of NATO and EU troops in Ukraine, an idea that was floated by French President Emmanuel Macron at the meeting between NATO and EU member states in Paris, several participants of the meeting refused to join the call to avoid drawing into a direct conflict with Russia.

Where Would Putin Strike in the U.S. After Threatening Nuclear Attacks?

An impressive list.

I am sorry but I think this was all so much chest thumping….for Putin knows the retaliation would be swift and destructive.

I may be wrong….but I hope I am not proven wrong any time soon.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

500,000 Dead And Maimed

Now that Ukraine has taken a backseat to the other ‘war’ across the pond the news seems to glaze over much of the reports coming out of that conflict.

Of course we in the West get the news when it is something dire that could push more money to start flowing again into Ukraine.

Like this recent report….

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned allies on Saturday that an “artificial deficit” of arms for his country risks giving Russia breathing space, highlighting the need for artillery and long-range weapons after his military chief said he was withdrawing troops from the eastern city of Avdiivka, “the first major gain Russian forces have achieved since May of last year,” reports the New York Times. Zelensky spoke to the Munich Security Conference, an annual gathering of security and foreign policy officials, per the AP. Ukraine is back on the defensive against Russia in the nearly two-year-old war, hindered by low ammunition supplies and a shortage of personnel. “Ukrainians have proven that we can force Russia to retreat,” Zelensky said. “We can get our land back, and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin can lose, and this has already happened more than once on the battlefield.”

See a report for the spending of more US dollars.

But let’s think about what has happened as a result of 2 years to basically total war in Ukraine.

As we approach the second anniversary of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, it’s worth reflecting on who bears the main responsibility for the subsequent “inter-imperialist US-Russia proxy war,” an epic slaughter that produced 500,000 deaths and injuries so far and more than 300,000 fatalities (exact figures are hard to come by).

As we approach the anniversary could all this death and destruction could have been avoided?

Yes it could have been.

The Ukraine War could have been averted if Ukraine’s Western tool of a president Volodymyr Zelensky had said just five words after being elected in 2019:  “Ukraine will not join NATO.”

Five words versus 500,000 casualties.

Think about that.

As Benjamin Abelow pointed out in his short, expertly crafted, and Noam Chomsky-endorsed 2022 bookHow the West Brought War to Ukraine, the standard Western narrative claiming that Putin is “an insatiable, Hitler-like expansionist who invaded Ukraine in an unprovoked land grab” is complete nonsense. The real cause of the February 2022 invasion that led to the war was the misguided and reckless policy direction taken by Washington and its imperial tool NATO over the last three decades.

500,000 Dead and Maimed in Ukraine, Enough Already

Sorry but it is time for peace….or there will be nothing left of Ukraine for Zelenskyy to rule….

The mass slaughter on both sides in this long battle was a measure of the strategic value of the city to both sides, but it is also emblematic of the shocking human cost of this war, which has degenerated into a brutal and bloody war of attrition along a nearly static front line. Neither side made significant territorial gains in the entire 2023 year of fighting, with a net gain to Russia of a mere 188 square miles, or 0.1% of Ukraine.

And while it is the Ukrainians and Russians fighting and dying in this war of attrition with over half a million casualties, it is the United States, with some its Western allies, that has stood in the way of peace talks. This was true of talks between Russia and Ukraine that took place in March 2022, one month after the Russian invasion, and it is true of talks that Russia tried to initiate with the United States as recently as January 2024.

https://original.antiwar.com/mbenjamin/2024/02/21/after-two-years-of-war-in-ukraine-its-time-for-peace/

Nobody cares about who has died or why just that Putin is being confronted and the US has a permanent bad guy to blame everything on.  Most people cannot see past their chest thumping bullsh*t.

At what point is enough enough?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Are Nukes In Space a Real Threat?

The blogosphere is a light with news and opinions on a new ‘threat’.

Recently a report came out the we had a ‘serious national security threat’….and of course I had to write and give my opinion….

Just a subtle reminder….

“A Serious National Security Threat”

I think it was a GOP ploy to game the system….but a smarter person than me had a different take on the news….

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson said he is “skeptical” of the threat posed by the development of a Russian anti-satellite capability in a recent interview on CNN.

“[I]n terms of destroying another satellite, like I said, there [are] already ways to do that. There are these… what they call kinetic kills, where you can take a missile, no explosives necessary at all, because the satellite’s already moving 18,000 miles an hour,” Tyson said in the interview with CNN’s Abby Phillip.

“All you have to do is get in its way, and the thing explodes,” Tyson continued. “Russia’s done it, China’s done it, we’ve done it, India has done it. So… and then you can target the satellite at will. If you’re stuck in orbit, you might not be near a satellite that you wanna take out. You have to wait until the orbits line up… just seems so inefficient. So, I’m just skeptical of how dangerous this thing can be, relative to everyone’s emotions attached to it.”

White House national security communications adviser John Kirby also said Thursday that the anti-satellite capability wasn’t “active” or deployed yet, but called Russia’s pursuit of it “troubling.”

“We’re not talking about a weapon that can be used to attack human beings or cause physical destruction here on Earth,” Kirby said. 

(thehill.com)

While Tyson is correct I still like my opinion better (of course I would) the timing of the announcement was suspect to aid in the passing of the multi-million dollar aid package for Ukraine (and Israel and Taiwan).

These slugs in Congress will try anything to con people into following their lead.

I’m finished now…..but I may return if news warrants more of my opinionated stuff.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Starlink Goes Russian

Surely you have heard of Elon Musk’s SpaceX….did you know the SpaceX also makes and sells the Starlink satellite dish system?

I bring this up because even with Western sanctions on technology the Russia soldier is buying up Starlink systems.

It’s not just a few Russian soldiers using SpaceX’s Starlink system here and there, according to the Ukrainian government. Instead, the country’s military intelligence chief claims that Russian military units are using “thousands” of Starlink dishes in occupied areas of Ukraine.  

The allegation comes from Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, who spoke to The Wall Street Journal about the threat of Russian troops using Starlink to communicate on the battlefield. 

The SpaceX technology was once exclusive to Ukraine, including the country’s military, becoming a vital way for the country to supply broadband on the frontlines. But according to Budanov, “Russian army units down to company level” have been buying Starlink dishes from Russian private vendors, who source the satellite technology from intermediaries. 

Budanov made the statements as Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense has been releasing audio recordings intercepted from Russian soldiers talking about using Starlink. In one recording, a Russian occupier mentions a convoy acquiring the Starlink hardware from Arab suppliers. In addition, a number of Russian vendors have been spotted openly selling Starlink units online, often for around $3,000 per dish. 

https://www.pcmag.com/news/ukraine-russian-soldiers-are-using-thousands-of-starlink-dishes

I have questions….like where is the Russian soldier getting that extra $3000 from….or is this a propaganda ploy by Ukraine to punish Musk for his half-ass comments about Russia?  Does Musk know about this or does the cash mean more to him? (Do not answer it is the later)

This is just another example of why I say sanctions are a worthless endeavor….there will always be someone that will get the sanctioned country the stuff they need……maybe Musk is doing just that.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

“A Serious National Security Threat”

I awoke yesterday to “a serious national security threat”….WTF?

Of course I had to dig to find out what was so serious.

Moments after the Senate bill to provide cash for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan went to the House a convenient threat was announced…. a “serious national security threat” is on the horizon….and as it were it is Russia.  The announcement was made by GOPer Mike Turner….

“I am requesting that President Biden declassify all information relating to this threat so that Congress, the Administration, and our allies can openly discuss the actions necessary to respond to this threat,” Turner continued.

That statement was followed a short time later by a letter from Rep. Jim Himes, a Democrat from Connecticut, who called the issue an “urgent matter” about “a destabilizing foreign military capability that should be known by all congressional policymakers.” But, again, Himes didn’t provide any details and only set off hours of speculation on Capitol Hill about what it could involve.

The intelligence reportedly involves “Russians wanting to put a nuclear weapon into space,” according to ABC News. If that seems relatively underwhelming, it gets even weaker when it’s clarified that Russia’s desire for nukes has nothing to do with dropping them from space onto targets on Earth. Apparently, Russia wants to put the nukes in space to “possibly use against satellites.”

(gizmodo.com)

Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH), chair of the House Intelligence Committee, made a vague public warning on Wednesday about an unspecified “serious national security threat,” prompting accusations that he did so to pressure the House to pass the $95 billion foreign military aid bill that just made it through the Senate.

US officials later told the media that the “unspecified threat was related to Russian space capabilities and a plan to develop a nuclear weapon that can target satellites.

Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) wrote a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) calling for an inquiry into Turner’s decision to release the information.

Ogles said Turner likely did so to bolster support for passing new aid for Ukraine and for extending Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which allows mass warrantless surveillance of Americans. Section 702 was due to expire but was extended by the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act until April 19.

A cryptic request that led to House Speaker Mike Johnson later assuring reporters there is “no need for public alarm” on the matter. Two Democrat representatives also said there’s no “imminent danger right now” and that “people should not panic,” Axios reports.

Seriously?

No one is for sure of anything that Russia is up to right now…..a lot of supposition little fact.

This whole thing is about wanting to scare the House into passing the massive aid package from the Senate.

Funny how that works.

It is all a game funded by special interests and dark money.

I say screw those countries and move on to something important like the cost of meds for Americans….especially seniors that live on a fixed income.

But that is just me!

I have a hard time taking anything that comes out of our Congress seriously.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

What If Russia Wins?

The news is pathetic these days….so how about a ‘what if’ thingy?

Russia has once again return to the airways thanks in part to Carlson and his silly interview with Putin.

The Senate just approved more cash for Ukraine, as if we have not given enough, but here is an idea….what if after all the aid money Russia still wins the conflict with Ukraine….what then?

Recently a secret German document was leaked which sets out the scenario….

A confidential document drawn up by the German Ministry of Defense (MoD) envisions how a possible escalation of the war in Ukraine could potentially develop. The hypothetical development involves Russia and NATO each gradually increasing troop build-up in eastern Europe until hundreds of thousands of troops face off against each other at the Suwałki Gap in June 2025—and leaves the outcome of the confrontation open.

Berlin’s exercise scenario, according to the German daily Bild, heavily relies on a set of assumptions that would all need to occur before further escalation, but each component of the chain of events is presented as the next logical step.

The scenario, titled “Alliance Defense 2025,” starts with Russia beginning a new wave of mobilizations by calling up an additional 200,000 recruits in February 2024, who then manage to weaken the Ukrainian positions along the line of contact in the next spring offensive.

In July 2024, Russia would then begin covert cyber-attacks and other forms of hybrid warfare on the West and East Central Europe in particular, while inciting Russian-speaking minorities in Baltic countries. The political crisis in the Baltics would eventually be used to justify a massive military exercise (similar to the one in 2021), called ‘Zapad 2024’ in September, involving at least 50,000 Russian troops in Belarus and western Russia.

Leaked German Defense Document Sketches out Russian War Scenario

After the German document was leaked Estonia had to make a case for more cash…..

“Russia has chosen a path which is a long-term confrontation,” the head of Estonia’s Foreign Intelligence Service warned Tuesday. Kaupo Rosin said Russia plans to double the number of troops it has stationed near its borders with NATO members in northern Europe, and the “Kremlin is probably anticipating a possible conflict with NATO within the next decade or so,” reports Reuters. The intelligence service predicted that Russia will double the 19,000 troops it has stationed near its border with Estonia and expand the number of troops on its 830-mile border with Finland, NATO’s newest member, USA Today reports

“We will see an increase in armed personnel carriers, tanks, artillery systems over the coming years,” said Rosin, who called for a counter-buildup of NATO forces. Estonia and the two other Baltic states, Latvia and Lithuania, boosted their defense spending to more than 2% of GDP, in line with NATO guidelines, after Russia annexed Crimea almost a decade ago, Reuters notes. Asked about Donald Trump’s remark that he would encourage Russia to do “whatever the hell they want” to alliance members that don’t spend enough on defense, Rosin said, “Such statements are never helpful.”

Estonia’s prime minister has been placed on a wanted list by Russia’s Interior Ministry, becoming the first leader on a list that includes dozens of officials from the Baltic states and Poland, the AP reports. Russian officials said Kaja Kallas was added to the list because of efforts to remove Soviet-era WWII monuments in Estonia. She slammed the move as a “scare tactic. ” Russia may believe that issuing a fictitious arrest warrant will silence Estonia,” Kallas said. “I refuse to be silenced–I will continue to vocally support Ukraine and advocate for the strengthening of European defenses.”

Let’s say Putin does do the silly and move on Western Europe….

a win for Russia against Ukraine would ‘undoubtedly’ result in the fall of NATO, ‘economic carnage’ for the West as well as the rise of foes including China, Iran and North Korea, retired US General Ben Hodges tells MailOnline.

At the crux of this is the fact that Russia and the Global South would see a Ukrainian defeat as a military loss for the West – it would show the world that NATO, led by the US, is capable of sacrificing a European nation in order to avoid a nuclear conflict.

And once autocrats realise that the US and the West are beatable, a nuclear war would be ‘inevitable’ and the world would be consumed in bloodshed, Danylyuk says in a terrifying prediction. 

Indeed, Danylyuk says the world will have been watching as Ukraine, which gave up the world’s third-largest arsenal of nuclear weapons in 1993, was defeated by Russia’s military amid daily threats of Moscow incinerating the country with nukes. 

And that would send a strong message: The only way for non-nuclear states to protect themselves against an attack by countries with nukes – like China and Russia – would be to have weapons of mass destruction of their own.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12992481/What-happens-Putin-WINS-Ukraine-Catastrophic-change-world-order-lead-fall-NATO-economic-carnage-inevitable-nuclear-war-autocrats-West-beatable.html

I think Russia may have a cyber capability but I do not think his army is so capable…..then there is the nuke thing….I really do not think Putin would use them for prevailing winds would put the fall-out in his backyard.

But what do I know, right?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

 

A Peace Formula For Ukraine

Davos, Switzerland is the location for the 4th round of peace formula talks between Ukraine and Russia.

Ukraine and Switzerland will host around 120 national security advisors on Sunday in the Swiss resort town of Davos, Switzerland’s foreign affairs department said, the latest in a series of meetings to rally support for Ukraine’s peace plan.

The meeting, taking place in the run up to the World Economic Forum which begins the following day, is the fourth of its kind and the biggest yet, following previous gatherings in Copenhagen, Jeddah and most recently in Malta in October.

Officials had hoped the meeting in Malta would lead to the setting of a date for a global peace summit to build a coalition of support for Ukraine’s 10-point peace plan, drafted by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in December 2022.

However, co-chairs limited themselves at the time to a joint statement referring to the participants’ commitment to just and lasting peace.

A top Kyiv official told Reuters in November that a summit to begin implementing the plan “might” take place in February 2024, with Ukraine fearing the war in Gaza is making it harder to win over diplomatic support for its blueprint for peace.

(usnews.com)

Just what is Zelenskyy’s plan?

Glad you asked I happen to have it right here…..

The plan calls for:

  • Radiation and nuclear safety, focusing on restoring security around Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, Zaporizhzhia in Ukraine, which is now Russian-occupied.
  • Food security, including protecting and ensuring Ukraine’s grain exports to the world’s poorest nations.
  • Energy security, with a focus on price restrictions on Russian energy resources, as well as aiding Ukraine with restoring its power infrastructure, half of which has been damaged by Russian attacks.
  • Release of all prisoners and deportees, including war prisoners and children deported to Russia.
  • Restoring Ukraine’s territorial integrity and Russia reaffirming it according to the UN Charter, which Zelenskyy said is “not up to negotiations”.
  • Withdrawal of Russian troops and the cessation of hostilities, the restoration of Ukraine’s state borders with Russia.
  • Justice, including the establishment of a special tribunal to prosecute Russian war crimes.
  • The prevention of ecocide, and the protection of the environment, with a focus on demining and restoring water treatment facilities.
  • Prevention of an escalation of conflict and building security architecture in the Euro-Atlantic space, including guarantees for Ukraine.
  • Confirmation of the war’s end, including a document signed by the involved parties.

A grand plan and a good place to start….but there will be sticking points……but if Russia is not part of this process then what damn good is it?

The problem as I see it….Western media seems to be trying to soften the blow with a Russian victory in this conflict.

The Wall Street Journal joined the flood of American mainstream media outlets, including The New York Times, Politicoand several others, in preparing the American public for a Russian victory.

The Wall Street Journal laid the psychological groundwork preparing the American public for defeat in Ukraine, despite the loss of Ukrainian lives and American dollars, with the line “Even if aid for Ukraine is renewed, it is essential to consider a realistic ending for the war.” It goes on to say that, though “Ukraine’s insistence on regaining all the territory Russia has seized since 2014 is understandable…events over the past year have made it clear that this goal can’t be achieved anytime soon.” The article concludes with the prescription that “Western leaders should explore” negotiations to end the fighting, calling it “a bitter pill” but “the only realistic path to a lasting peace in Europe.”

https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/wall-street-journal-sets-standard-for-irresponsible-journalism-in-ukraine/

With this happening will the complexion of any peace talks be tainted?

Zelensky’s plan requires a full Russian withdrawal from the territory it has captured since February 2022, Russia giving up Crimea, war crimes tribunals, and Russia paying reparations to Ukraine. Kyiv has no shot at implementing any aspect of the Peace Formula since its counteroffensive failed, and Ukrainian forces are now focused on defense and facing manpower shortages.

Plus where is America’s top diplomat, Blinken?

Whatcha think?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Ukraine: A New Direction?

Thanx to Israel we have not heard much about Ukraine and in case you are interested they are still fighting and dying.

Is it time for a re-think about the direction this war should take?

Let’s look at what has happened while you were busy writing glowing stuff about Israel…..

Ukraine’s top general, Valerii Zaluzhnyi admitted that the war with Russia was at a stalemate. In December, Republicans in the US House of Representatives torpedoed the Biden administration’s request for billions in new military assistance to Ukraine. At the European Union, Hungary vetoed desperately needed monetary assistance. President Biden’s mantra that the allies would support Ukraine “as long as it takes” became a pledge to support the country “as long as we can.” From Europe, a stalwart Ukraine supporter, Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis reported that “apparently as long as it takes means as long as we can agree.” Clearly, the time of magical thinking is over.
Ukraine’s startling early success in repelling the Russian attempt to take Kiev produced widespread euphoria. Russia’s military was exposed as incompetent and bumbling. The US mobilized its allies to provide arms and support and impose harsh sanctions on Putin. NATO was galvanized and expanded. Putin would be handed a defeat without NATO troop involvement. As the noxious Lindsay Graham put it, “Russians are dying” as Ukrainians fight “to the last person,” so aid to Ukraine is “the best money we’ve ever spent.” Sanctions would isolate and bankrupt Russia. China, Iran, North Korea and other adversaries would learn that aggression doesn’t pay. Putin might even be deposed and hauled before the International Criminal Court. In little more than a year, the US alone rushed $75 billion in largely military aid to Ukraine, a sum nearly as great as the entire annual Russian military budget.
(the nation)
Fight to the last man mentality has done little to secure a victory for Ukraine and the millions sank into this war by the US has done little to secure a victory….then what is the new direction?

The US and its European allies are quietly shifting their strategy in Ukraine from supporting Kyiv’s unrealistic goal of driving Russian forces out to encouraging a defensive posture with future negotiations in mind, POLITICO reported on Wednesday, citing US and European officials.

The US and its close allies have discouraged peace talks throughout the conflict, including in March and April of 2022, when a peace deal was on the table that would have left Ukraine territorially intact in exchange for the country’s neutrality, something that was recently confirmed by Ukraine’s lead negotiator.

Instead of pushing for peace, then-British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told Ukraine to keep fighting, and the US declared one of its war goals was to “weaken” Russia. Now, Moscow has made it clear any future peace deal must recognize the territory it has annexed as Russian. The New York Times reported on December 23 that Russian President Vladimir Putin has been signaling through diplomatic channels that he is open to a ceasefire that freezes the fighting along the current lines.

The POLITICO report said that US and European officials are discussing deploying Ukrainian forces in a defensive posture instead of continuing the failed counteroffensive.

The shift in strategy comes as both the US and Europe are struggling to come up with more funding for the proxy war. Part of the Biden administration’s long-term strategy is to help build up Ukraine’s own military-industrial complex so the country is not so reliant on foreign aid.

The Biden administration has not publicly outlined its shift in strategy, but there are signs that the US is thinking about winding down the proxy war. A mantra commonly repeated by US and NATO officials was that they would support Ukraine against Russia for “as long as it takes.” But when President Biden met with Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky earlier this month, he said the US would continue supplying Ukraine with weapons for “as long as we can.”

For his part, Zelensky still maintains his war aim is to drive Russian forces out of all the Ukrainian territory that’s been captured. Time Magazine recently spoke with an aide to Zelensky who said the Ukrainian leader “deludes himself” into thinking Ukraine can win. “We’re out of options. We’re not winning. But try telling him that,” the aide said.

(antiwar.com)

All that is needed now is a network of trenches on both sides and we can have a replay of World War One.

Anyone that knows history will tell how moronic that war was on so many levels.

The US just cannot come up with alternatives that will save the country of Ukraine and find a peaceful solution.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”