Ukraine Always Get What You Want

If the FSB is so anti-Ukraine war, perhaps a couple of its spooks can find their way into Putin’s dacha and take care of business.

 

I can’t imagine the logistics and expense of hauling that stuff a few thousand miles, especially if the troops doing that have no morale.

 

Or of staging 100,000 - 150,000 on the border for 4 to 6 weeks.

 

I find it odd that the U.S. and NATO countries will give Ukraine a lot of cash and toys and intelligence but still sits on the sideline.

This is a real-life game of Risk with a lot of dice rolling over one country. It's like the world is making Ukraine prove itself.

 

From the article Azrael linked a page or two back:


"Once Biden came in, there was a lot of hope that he’d become involved in the peace process. That he’d really put some pressure on the Kremlin to make progress. By this point, Germany and France weren’t really seen as our partners anymore. Merkel was seen as a Putin understander. I don’t know if that’s fair, but that was the perception.

But now the US was back, it was going to fight for democracy again, and—well, here we are. We’re literally fighting for democracy. And here was a person in Biden who knew a lot about the country. We had a lot of hopes for that. That he would move the peace process along, that he would help move some of our reforms along.

But now . . . I listened to the State of the Union yesterday, and Biden said again that the US was not going to fight in Ukraine. It just drives me nuts. We’re fighting. Look at Kharkiv. I mean, thank you for the Javelins, they’re great, but our boys are the ones who have to take them to the front lines. And this America, which is so jacked up and powerful, and has so much technology, is sitting and watching as Ukraine bleeds. How does that feel? Are you comfortable? You’re supposed to be people who battle for values, for freedom. And what are we fighting for? For freedom. You’re the one who have a Statue of Liberty. You’re sitting on your asses. We’re told, “Oh no, there’s going to be a nuclear war, it’s so scary.” But what, you think if you don’t intervene, the nuclear threat will recede? No! It’ll be stronger! Because he’ll swallow us up, and then he’ll be one-on-one with you. So maybe you should stop that danger here? They didn’t stop it in 2008—when he rode his tanks to Tbilisi and back. Nothing happened. Nothing. Do you remember any sanctions from 2008? There weren’t any. They swallowed it. If he’d been hit on the nose for that, 2014 wouldn’t have happened. But then he didn’t really suffer for 2014, either. There were sanctions but the Russians saw that it wasn’t too bad."

 

World War III does no one any good, Ukrainians least of all.

 

These are Ukrainian troops staging a re-enactment of a famous painting of a moment in Ukrainian history.

From the painting's Wiki entry:

"Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks depicts a supposedly historical tableau, set in 1676, and based on the legend of Cossacks sending an insulting reply to an ultimatum from the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Mehmed IV.

"According to the story, the Zaporozhian Cossacks (from "beyond the rapids", Ukrainian: za porohamy), inhabiting the lands around the lower Dnieper River in Ukraine, had defeated Ottoman Empire forces in battle. However, Mehmed demanded that the Cossacks submit to Ottoman rule. The Cossacks, led by Ivan Sirko, replied in a characteristic manner; they wrote a letter, replete with insults and profanities. The painting exhibits the Cossacks' pleasure at striving to come up with ever more base vulgarities.


Sultan Mehmed IV to the Zaporozhian Cossacks: As the Sultan; son of Muhammad; brother of the sun and moon; grandson and viceroy of God; ruler of the kingdoms of Macedonia, Babylon, Jerusalem, Upper and Lower Egypt; emperor of emperors; sovereign of sovereigns; extraordinary knight, never defeated; steadfast guardian of the tomb of Jesus Christ; trustee chosen by God Himself; the hope and comfort of Muslims; confounder and great defender of Christians – I command you, the Zaporogian Cossacks, to submit to me voluntarily and without any resistance, and to desist from troubling me with your attacks.

— Turkish Sultan Mehmed IV


The Cossacks' reply came as a stream of insulting and vulgar rhymes:


Zaporozhian Cossacks to the Turkish Sultan!

O sultan, Turkish devil and damned devil's kith and kin, secretary to Lucifer himself. What the devil kind of knight are thou, that canst not slay a hedgehog with your naked arse? The devil shits, and your army eats. Thou shalt not, thou son of a whore, make subjects of Christian sons. We have no fear of your army; by land and by sea we will battle with thee. Fuck thy mother.

Thou Babylonian scullion, Macedonian wheelwright, brewer of Jerusalem, goat-fucker of Alexandria, swineherd of Greater and Lesser Egypt, pig of Armenia, Podolian thief, catamite of Tartary, hangman of Kamyanets, and fool of all the world and underworld, an idiot before God, grandson of the Serpent, and the crick in our dick. Pig's snout, mare's arse, slaughterhouse cur, unchristened brow. Screw thine own mother!

So the Zaporozhians declare, you lowlife. You won't even be herding pigs for the Christians. Now we'll conclude, for we don't know the date and don't own a calendar; the moon's in the sky, the year with the Lord. The day's the same over here as it is over there; for this kiss our arse!

— Koshovyi otaman Ivan Sirko, with the whole Zaporozhian Host"

 

Actually, World War III does everyone good. If it's going to happen it may as well and probably has.

"We're committed to helping Ukraine defend itself" Biden said 25 seconds ago with the Finland president.

Uh-huh, sure, committted.

 

You find it odd that other countries don't want to have their own people killed. And further escalate the risk of WW III.

Huh.

 

It's a fine line. The Ukrainian people will pay a heavy cost, that's been a certainty since Russia began moving troops. But it's still a fine line. And yes, I'm as uncomfortable as hell about it.

 

Per Kasparov, WW III has already begun.

The question now is what are we willing to do about it.

 

Is Kasparov fighting?

I just love how people here are itching to get our people killed. And perhaps many many more.