I pity the poor Ukrainians

The Ukrainian government is increasingly desperate, and is doing desperate things.  

In spite of its apparent victory in Kherson, its actions are the actions of a nation with its back to the wall.  

Its only hope is to drag the United States and other NATO allies into a wider war.

Those are the reasons behind the Ukrainian strikes on Russia territory, the assassination of Darya Dugina, and the bombardment of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.  

By the way, it’s interesting that in a Google search, almost every link to the last item was to the absurd claim that the Russians bombarded the Zaporizhzhia plant themselves while their troops were occupying it, and only one to any source that questioned it. 

This is almost as absurd as the claims that the Russians blew up their own Nordstream pipe lines, but both are unquestioned in the mainstream U.S. and allied news media.  This shows the power of American propaganda.  But I digress.

The Ukrainians and their American supporters take comfort from the Ukrainians’ bloodless occupation of part of Kherson city.  But it seems clear that the Russians are regrouping for a counterattack when their newly-mobilized troops are in place and the ground is frozen.

I agree with this assessment of the ground war by Larry Johnson, a veteran of the CIA and the State Department’s Office of Counterterrorism.

Fact one — Ukraine’s economy is in tatters and there is no viable path to restore what it was on February 24, 2022. 

Fact two — Ukraine is totally dependent on Western aid to keep its army in the field. 

Fact three — Ukraine does not have a viable air force and cannot provide close air support to its front line troops. This means any Ukrainian advance on the ground is dependent on the limited armor and artillery units still intact.

Fact four — Ukraine’s ability to produce electricity and power is being steadily degraded and there is no short-term solution to keep the lights on.

Fact five — Russia has not committed its front line forces and high tech weaponry to the fight.

Fact six — Russia’s economy is strong despite Western efforts to sunder it.

Fact seven — Russia is economically self-sufficient.  It does not need foreign exports to sustain its industrial base but the world does need critical products and minerals that only Russia produces.

Fact eight — Russian factories are operating 24/7, producing essential military equipment and technology to keep its forces in the fight.

Fact nine — Russia can mobilize and train new troops on its own territory without fear of attack from Ukraine.  Ukraine cannot.

The announced Russian goals of the invasion were to protect Russians living in Ukraine, to force Ukraine to leave the NATO alliance and to “demilitarize” and “denazify” Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin evidently intends to achieve those goals through force.  Demilitarization and denazification are to be achieved by inflicting maximum casualties on Ukrainian military forces while minimizing Russian casualties.

I feel sorry for the Ukrainians.  Whether or not the war continues is not their choice.

As a nation, they are at the mercy of the United States, the NATO alliance and international organizations dominated by the United States not only for military support, but to finance the normal operations of their government.   

The U.S. government and other NATO governments are perfectly willing to sacrifice thousands of young Ukrainian men in a war of attrition against Russia.  And after they have fought to the last Ukrainian, maybe fight to the last Pole or Rumanian.

I would never deny that Ukrainians have a right to defend their right to be a free, self-governing, sovereign nation.  

That right does not depend upon whether Stepan Bandera was a nice person, or whether they meet International Monetary Fund requirements for their economy, or whether their sense of national identity is centuries old or only decades old.  And it certainly doesn’t depend on my opinions one way or the other.

Their right to independence arises from their love of country and their willingness to stand by it.

For whatever it’s worth, which is very little, I wish them well.  But they’re not a sovereign nation now.  If they had a sovereign nation, their government wouldn’t have fired a prosecutor just because Joe Biden, when he was Vice President, told them to.

Yes, I feel sorry for the Ukrainians.  I don’t see any path to a good ending for them.

LINKS

Milley Says Chances of Ukrainian Military Victory ‘Not High’ by Dave DeCamp for Antiwar.com

Russian strikes devastate Ukraine’s infrastructure by Jen Kirby for Vox [Added 11/20/2022]

If You Think the United States Is Ready for a Conventional War With Russia, Think Again by Larry Johnson for Son of the New American Revolution.

Opening the Floodgates for the Profiteers of War by Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J.S. Davies for Consortium News.

Ukraine’s Epic Fail at Manufacturing a False Flag by Larry Johnson for Son of the New American Revolution.

How a lightly-sourced AP story nearly set off World War III by Conor Echols for Responsible Statecraft.

Top Zelensky adviser threatens war with Iran by Alexander Rubinstein for The Grayzone.

The Stage Is Set for US Combat Troops in Ukraine by Mike Whitney for The Unz Review.

Ukrainian soldiers announce massacre of civilians in Kherson by Thomas Roper for Anti-Spiegel.  

Blowback: Italian police bust Azov-linked Nazi cell planning terror attacks by Alexander Rubinstein for The Grayzone.

Washington’s Whoppers on the War in Ukraine by Ted Galen Carpenter for the Cato Institute.

Maps Not to Die For by David Stockman for Antiwar.com.

Is Ukraine Just the Beginning? by Ted Snider for The American Conservative.

Blame the Deep State for Carnage in Ukraine by George D. O’Neill for The American Conservative. [Added 11/19/2020]

Tags: War in Ukraine