A Ukraine Miscellany (VIII): Sober and Sound Thinking Regarding Russia and Ukraine

https://www.counterpunch.org/2022/05/27/an-appeal-to-russia-haters/

This article raises several excellent points. The Ukraine War is being utilized by various interests as a means of distraction. The media could make quite a bit of hay out of an analogy with the Yemen War but has instead chosen to ignore it. And while the Ukraine War is highly destructive, the Yemen War has been far worse.

The linked article was written at the end of May. Since then the nature of the conflict has escalated significantly. The US/NATO continues to funnel large quantities of weapons into Ukraine and increasingly the weapons are of the variety that will enable Kyiv to launch counter-offensives into Russian territory.

The Russians deserve it some will say. They launched the attack. Perhaps striking their territory will drive them into retreat. The best defense is a good offense. Indeed these points make sense on a tactical level but they fail to take in the totality of what's happening. It's not just Ukraine counter-attacking against Russia. It's NATO. NATO is de facto at war with Russia which was the reason Moscow invaded in the first place. They were tricked into firing the first shot and as the plan was to move quickly (which failed), the subsequent frustration has turned the conflict into the very meat grinder Washington had hoped for. And while the world economy is ailing to some degree as a result of supply interruptions and instability, the truth is there are many people getting fabulously wealthy as a result of this war and the angst it generates. Instability and fear allow the speculators to artificially drive up prices and amplify an already extant inflationary trend. And weapons sales are up. The champagne bottles are being uncorked in board rooms and at private parties as the money is rolling in – and in defiance of the unstable stock market.

For Putin there's no easy way out of this and as such the strategy continues to change. Kyiv did not fall. Ukraine will not be conquered. Instead the goals have shifted toward the securing of the Donbass and Crimea – and perhaps Odessa and the Southern littoral – thus landlocking a rump Ukraine. We'll see if Moscow can even accomplish that.

In the meantime the reports are clear. US troops are on the ground – as advisors and intelligence operatives. They're helping with targeting, tactics, and logistics. These are special-ops troops, so they don't count as 'combat troops'. These are intelligence agents and there are reports of many ex-US soldiers who are acting as contractors for the US government. Basically they're unofficial operatives – soldiers with a veneer of civilian cover. This has been the case in the Donbass since 2014, but obviously the quantity of such operatives and the scope of their operations have increased significantly since February 2022.

The US has helped in the targeting of Russian ships and generals and now reports have come in that Washington plans to send fighter aircraft to Ukraine. The fear over sending Polish MiG's last spring seems to have passed. There is no pretense anymore. Biden the hawk helped to start the war but the madmen are now calling the shots.

The US wants to push Russia out of Ukraine – and prop up its highly corrupt government, one that is still riddled with scandal. It will plant heavy NATO weaponry in the country, continue to push in and toward Belarus, and in places like the Caucasus and Central Asia. It's also possible that a counter-invasion will take place into Russia itself. The threat of nuclear war is real as Russia will potentially move from being a nation trying to secure its interests into a nation that faces existential crisis – its overthrow, the threat and nightmare scenario it has not faced since 1941.

The West continues to insist that Russia won't negotiate. This is a blatant lie. What they mean is that Russia won't agree to pull out of Ukrainian territory – which would include the Donbass and Crimea, areas they will not surrender. Russia for its part would be happy to end the war but they want their guarantees and an acknowledgement of their interests in Donbass and Crimea. The war could end today but NATO doesn't want it to. It's full steam ahead and thousands more will die before it's over. Let's hope the nature of the war doesn't change and we end up talking in terms of millions. In the meantime every month or so a new atrocity is highlighted in order to rekindle the Help Ukraine campaign being waged by the media. One's heart goes out to the people in the warzone (and there are atrocities amid the lies) but it's obscene and absurd to funnel humanitarian aid into a country whose regime is being propped up by interests that want the war to continue. Such aid allows the regime to perpetuate the war under the aegis of public support. If unsupported the Zelenskiy regime may face public backlash and be forced to the peace table.

If you want to help the Ukrainians, fine, but don't do it through officially sanctioned US-government and Kyiv-connected means. How to do this? I don't really know. I support the suffering population but I will not support the Washington war narrative or the Zelenskiy government.

It's a catastrophe on every level. Persecution of Western-connected Christian groups will continue in Russia. The capitulation of churches in Ukraine will also continue. With conscription, where are the reports of Christian resistance? I'm sure the Watchtower is refusing but sadly I believe that Evangelical and Reformed churches are fully on board with the NATO agenda for their country and actively promote and participate in the war. Churches in the East have been torn apart by the struggles even before the invasion and the poison of nationalism has now entered these circles and seemingly dominates. It's tragic. And in Western Europe this has fostered other divisions that are also leading down very dark roads. Many Christians are drinking in the propaganda of one variety or the other. They either seem to be on board with the Washington-Brussels line or they're turning to the Far Right. And in their zeal to question all such globalist institutions and narratives (not in itself a bad thing), they are turning to dangerous forms of extremist ideology and politics – and will reap a whirlwind.

War spawns lies and monsters and they don't respect borders and even now the same madmen are plotting war with Beijing. And before these evil plans come to fruition other crises may emerge in connection to Iran and North Korea. These wars are games to them but their shockwaves are felt across continents and oceans. In the right environment fire can spread rapidly. Let's just say the world geopolitical scene is ripe for a firestorm. Clear thinking is needed but instead passion and delusion seem to dominate. Between the wars, economy, climate, politics, and the general decadence of Western society – it seems like the world is on fire.