For all the breathless reports of Russia’s war on Ukraine, it is unclear who is gaining advantage. This is in part because both sides are fighting the war with propaganda as well as with missiles, and it is hard to sort out what is real and what is not. Indeed, image and reality may merge, since images often shape what later becomes real. So, for example, the many stories of Ukrainian resistance feed that resistance, while the stories of Russian failures hurt morale.
What a momentous day to celebrate Heather! Thank you for the reminder, Gailee, and I would like to celebrate you as well and all the other wonderful women on Heather's substack!
I haven't been around long enough to have full herd status, but I can say that, from the very first of HCR's essays I read, both my knowledge and my frame of mind have shifted radically. My days begin now, not with the terrible anxiety of the dense text and black headlines of the NYT but with my morning reading of these well-researched and thoughtful commentaries, a mug of chai latte, a glance at one more publications, and on toward lunch and a second reading of HCR. I am unspeakably grateful to have found this. Thank you all.
Roswell (north metro Atlanta). How lovely you grew up in deep woods. When I lived in NY, I had a very rustic cabin on four wooded acres on a small lake, and went there almost every weekend except just once a month in the winter. I hated to have to sell it and leave, but I suspected I'd never be back, which turned out to be the case, but it was a very important, beautiful part of my life. Where are you now?
Thank you Gailee! It’s a pleasure to celebrate Heather today and every day. Gratitude to you, Heather. You make an amazing and positive difference, every day.
Can't think of a better woman to celebrate on this day. But then again, we all need to celebrate each other for our own courage and fight in these times.
With gratitude to Heather and all the women here and especially to you, Ally, holding the fort in Eugene. As for Gangrene and Gunslinger Barbie, they are an embarrassment to womankind.
Agree 💯%, Gailee! What a wonderful celebratory acknowledgment of Heather. She is brilliant! Her illumination of confusion and chaos is extraordinary. We are blessed to have her and this fantastic community. I feel like you all are a lifeboat and she is the beacon above stormy seas.
Hello from khmelnitsky enroute to Lviv and polish border. Tanya and I are well. Lucky is with his friend Vitalik and happy as can be. Слава Україні.
Get those mig fighters here now. Russians are killing our civilians at a great rate. They must not get supplies and must be driven back from the cities
Thank you Allen, for letting us know you and your family are safe. As for the military supplies, I agree. The US and EU must become the arsenal of Ukraine.
What a blessing to hear that you and Tanya are well! We have all been thinking about you and wondering how you are faring. I wish I were in charge of the mig fighters -- they'd all be there now! Be well and be safe❣️
Thank you Allen, for this report. Holding you and Tanya in our thoughts as you head west. You have become a symbol to me of the bravery of all Ukrainians.
Thank you, Allen, for checking in! This has made my day knowing you all are safe. Everyone on here is with you in spirit and we continue to hope, pray, and support Ukraine. Fingers crossed for more aid and materiel where it is needed!! The logistics are daunting, but they're trying to work it out. Keep hope alive!
Слава Україні! Blue and yellow, sky and sunflowers. Know that we're all with you. Stay safe! Send a line like this when you can. Stay safe - I said that before, here it is again.
The NYT photographer who took the photo of the mother and her two children and the family friend who were killed yesterday by mortar fire said today that she watched mortar explosions "walk" down the street to where the people were. That means there was a Russian Forward Observer who had them in sight and was correcting the fire to bring it down on them. Given the range of mortars (which are solely designed for killing/wounding people with shrapnel), he had to be able to see they were civilian non-combatants. Which means the mortaring was deliberate - a war crime.
It's not just the Russian military that is "Potemkin" - the entire country is. That's been true a long time. I remember seeing a Russian ship at sea 60 years ago, the usual Soviet "rust bucket" (they still are today) and I remember thinking to myself, "People who have that little self-respect, that they let their ship go like this - *they* are a threat?"
MoDo actually said something in the Times I agree with (Shocking, I know, but true): Putin is a guy who's five foot six, arguing that he's really five foot eight.
I really look forward to Russia being strangled. Maybe to the point it breaks apart, which is entirely possible.
TC, I hope you and Heather are right in your relatively upbeat assessments of Russia's weaknesses and the effectiveness of the West's countermeasures, which would seem to bode ill for Putin, who may be short of stature, but makes up for it with a certain grit, determination, sureness of self and bloody-mindedness as he follows his dream.
But what about his nukes? Can he order missiles to be launched on short notice, even without broad agreement in the upper ranks of the Russian military? Would the missiles hit their targets? Can we shoot them down or do we have to respond in kind? Are we sure he isn't crazy enough to use them? In the event, do we have a reasonable response planned that would not necessarily result in the extinction of our species (and most others I imagine) if he decided to test the water with a "little" tactical nuke?
To be honest, I think I already know the answers to most of these questions, and I am not reassured.
You're right to not be reassured. I am sure he has done what Trump wanted to - placed "fellow believers" in the top command ranks, so he can likely do what he wants with the nukes.
What would be the point in hiding you’re Yacht in the Maldives if your leader brings Nuk war to you’re country ? He’s been isolated all thru the Pandemic. Caught a news clip where he and someone are sitting at the very ends of this 30 ft table. Brings ‘ Distancing to a whole new level. He’s dangerous because he’s a scared, paranoid, insecure, isolated, little big mouth that has destroyed the fortunes of his “ Yes People “. Wonder if he has a food taster ? Hahaha !
In an interview, Fiona Hill said she had many times been with Putin. Once they sat beside each other at a dinner. He didn't eat or drink anything. Imagine living with that level of paranoia!
You know how much they like to use poison, no wonder he’s worried, when all of the dust settles and the insipid imbecile that we had for president starts to default on the debts he owes to the Russians, he’ll have to be very careful with what he eats. 😎
Can’t ❤️this, Dick, but yes! Chump should be constantly looking over his shoulder and probably is. Maybe Melanie (😁) will be the supplier of a nice drug that will, oh let’s say, be in his Big Mac.
The collapse of the ruble is welcome but could have the unfortunate side effect of making repayment of debts owed to Russians cheap (unless the contracts require repayment in a more stable currency, which is likely, I guess).
Live by the Novichock, die by the Novichock and just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you - never were platitudes working better for a politician.
Never discount divine intervention. Events and developments appear which are unforeseen and unforeseeable, sourced by intense human desire and prayer, as just one possibility, and by other means. The conscious mind, the rational mind, in its ignorance of how the mystical unknown operates, disdains or neglects to acknowledge the mechanics of manifestation.
When all else fails, prayer helps some people, not everyone. Is the unmoved mover moved by prayer? I do not pretend to know, though I suspect no human mind, whether ignorant, conscious, rational or magical really knows very much about the mechanics of manifestation. We're a clever species in many ways, but we're just tiny specks at large in the Universe.
“We're a clever species in many ways, but we're just tiny specks at large in the Universe.”
Precisely. But more to the point of divine intervention, we don’t know what we don’t know. If you read widely and keep an open mind, you will find a multitude of stories about completely inexplicable things that nevertheless are facts and happened.
Don’t get put off by use of the word “prayer.” I should have said, “… Intense human desire, for example through prayer,…“. You and I are not religious men, the religious concept of prayer means nothing to us. But prayer is, if you extract it from its superstitious religious connotations, an expression of desire, of the need for wish fulfillment. If that desire is super intense, it can produce actual physical events. Tottering grandmothers have lifted incredibly heavy things off a loved one, something they could never do otherwise, only in the intensity of a life-threatening situation.
Yes, no human mind understands fully how magic works, how manifestation happens. However, magic happens. Miracles happen. The unforeseen can appear at a moments notice, and often does. In a weekend, just to provide one very weak example, Germany completely revamps its foreign policy and domestic policy re: military.
All I am saying is this: never discount divine intervention. $1 million can descend into your life in an instant. You just don’t know what is about to happen in any moment.
I'm not, and it has never been an issue for me, though I sometimes envy those who do believe, as there can be comfort in religious belief (or suspension of disbelief, as the case may be). I see death as a conundrum with no good or easy answer. Of course, I am open to being proven wrong about this.
On the ground, Russians are no good on offense. They never have been. They are great on defense. They know how to suffer. They are great improvisers who can keep a space station running using paper clips and Bobby pins. When everyone else has given up, a Russian is just getting started. And they all know that (pronounce each syllable as a word in English )”rah/SEE/ah sue/ma/SHED/she dome” -Russia is a madhouse. None of this is worth anything on offense, not on the ground. It will be decided in the air. Can they turn Ukraine into Syria. Meanwhile where are those soviet era MIGs coming from Sweden? Not that any young Ukrainians could fly them, but there must be some geezer pilots around with mild heart conditions who could pop some nitroglycerin and head out for the real wild blue yonder shouting the Ukrainian word for kamikaze.
I’m with you. As much as I want to believe (and pray) Ukraine will succeed, I am skeptical, especially when Putin tells Macron “No matter what”. But I’ll keep a positive heart and keep hoping.
Well, it seems our leaders are, for now, not as sure of this as you are. If Putin threatens to use nukes, should we call his bluff? This is not 7-card stud stud on a Saturday night.
H.A., Putin has both rattled his saber and invaded Ukraine. Two weeks into this war, despite ample evidence that NATO forces could make short work of it and send the Russians packing, the West has limited it's response to resupplying the Ukrainians with light anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons and applying pretty strong economic sanctions on Russia. Biden and others have said repeatedly that they have no desire to engage Russia directly on the field of battle. Implicit in this is that Putin has scared Biden and everyone else who understands the stakes in this confrontation. We are all scared of nuclear war, including Biden. No one knows what Putin would do if he is backed into a corner. He may be crazy. We do not know. You do not know.
But he's a madman for whom mass murder and mayhem is a bedtime story. I would not put anything beyond him. We do not have the calculus of his behavior because he is not rational.
You are the only person I have read or heard express such confidence about what Putin will do in terms of employing his nuclear arsenal, H.A. Do you also know what the Russian military will do while in control of nuclear power plants in Ukraine?
Nuclear power plants in Ukraine are one of the only "cards" Putin will be holding if he is in danger of being toppled. My biggest fear is that his incompetent military and incompetent energy "department" will not know how to deal with problems that are sure to arrive if Russia takes control of all the nuclear power plants in Ukraine. The world may already be in the nuclear "jackpot" and not know it, although I am sure the nuclear power plants are front and center in Washington think tanks today.
An agreement on nuclear plants in Ukraine is urgently needed, the U.N. nuclear agency says.
March 7, 2022, 10:09 a.m. ETMarch 7, 2022
1:04
'I.A.E.A. Officials Raise Concerns Over Ukrainian Nuclear Facilities
The International Atomic Energy Agency raised concerns over the operations of nuclear power plants in Ukraine and urged for an agreement between Russia and Ukraine on safety and security.CreditCredit.../Associated Press
Concerns are rising over the operations of nuclear power plants in Ukraine without concrete agreements between Russia and Ukraine on safety and security, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said on Monday, adding that his agency, the nuclear watchdog of the United Nations, was working urgently to facilitate a meeting with the two parties.'
'There has been no release of radiation, he said, and the agency is remotely monitoring nuclear material there. Still, problems, including staffing and supply issues, have arisen at nuclear plants in Kharkiv, Mariupol and other places. If the plants can’t get access to equipment, normal operations could be difficult to sustain.'
“We should not be losing time,” the agency’s director general, Rafael Mariano Grossi, told reporters in Vienna on Monday, adding that the agency was getting reports from the Ukrainian nuclear regulator. “Almost every day there is a new episode.”
“All of these are indications — more than indications, confirmations — that we cannot go on like this,” Mr. Grossi said. “There has to be clear understanding and clear commitments not to go anywhere near nuclear facilities when it comes to military operations.”
'Russian representatives rejected an initial offer from the agency to meet at the Chernobyl nuclear plant, Mr. Grossi said, adding that the agency was communicating with Ukrainian representatives. He said the agency had not ruled out sending support personnel to the plants.' (NYTimes)
The difference between Kazillionaire Putin and normal Kazillionaires is that his wealth is 100% dependent on his remaining in power. He will never be able to flee Russia and live Snoop's "The Fine Life". Therefore he will most certainly use nuclear weapons the minute he is 100% certain that he will be ousted from power. Analogy questions: (1) Would Hitler in bunker have used nuclear weapons if they had been available? (2) Same question re Saddam? Totally apples-to-apples.
That photo on the front of NYTIMES yesterday was devastating. Later my son explained that he’s trying to o deal with his anxiety about fear of nuclear war. We’re all trying to do the best we can in terms of everyday life. Emerging from the pandemic into the new reality of Purim’s evil aggression seems like a cruel joke.
I heard a quote today, attributed to Lenin: “decades go by without a day’s worth of changes, then days go by with a decade’s worth of changes.” Meanwhile, a lesson for Putin from earl weaver, former manager of the Baltimore Orioles, who once said, “what counts is what you learn after you know it all.”
“ I heard a quote today, attributed to Lenin: “decades go by without a day’s worth of changes, then days go by with a decade’s worth of changes.” Meanwhile, a lesson for Putin from earl weaver, former manager of the Baltimore Orioles, who once said, “what counts is what you learn after you know it all.”
desperado, I have a question for you. Would you be so kind to explain for me the lower-casing of names of people, like Earl Weaver to earl weaver? I’ve been wondering about this practice for a few months, and I have not been able to find any information by googling about it. Also, I notice that you capitalize the names of Lenin and Putin.
The capitalization is done by the email writing app. it is not intentional. I write everything without caps and the app on my iPad capitalizes some things. I wish I could turn this feature off. Until I know how, I will capitalize in the usual way, since I can see that it might be misleading to leave it to the app. On my iMac there is no such feature, and that is what I am more used to. I do find that the shift key slows everything down when writing rough drafts, informal emails and internet posts. But I guess I should start using the one on my iPad.
No need to concern yourself. I have just been curious if there is intent or meaning. If the only thing going on is technology and saving time, so be it, that does not concern me. Continue to do whatever is easiest for you.
The ICC is investigating. They cannot go into Russia to arrest Putin or any others convicted by the international court, but it would limit their movements to countries that are non-signature to the courts authority. And provide additional volume to international outrage.
You are exactly right TC, there was a forward observer telling the mortar team how he wanted them to adjust their fire, that is SOP for using a mortar. I have been in several mortar “showers”, it’s a miracle that I lived through them, they are designed to kill people, they don’t dig a hole in the ground, they splash like a water balloon, a very deadly one. Any one not below the surface of the ground or behind something solid like a concrete barrier, had little chance. The Russians absolutely were trying to kill those unarmed innocents, hopefully the Ukrainians have sent them to the hell they so richly deserve.
As to their being a Potemkin country, a very good friend of mine was shooting a film about Siberian Tigers 🐅 in Russia years ago, when he returned he told me that we had nothing to worry about regarding the Russians, because they didn’t know how to make a toilet work. 😎
That toilet touch at the end was the best way to get down on Putin. He's using Russian soldiers as cannon fodder and has turned their armaments against the Ukrainian people. How about toilet twins, one for Putin and one for Trump - a Royal Flush, Dick?
Of course Siberia is a vast and sparsely populated place, perhaps to the point where one might easily find an isolated and scenic squatting place out in nature on most days. As a former backpacker, I appreciate these things. Toilets are a luxury. Of course, I wouldn't want to meet a Siberian Tiger at an awkward moment...
Dick, are you aware what percentage of humanity has no access to clean running water, much less sit-down toilets? I recommend "The Big Necessity: The Unmentionable World of Human Waste and Why It Matters" by Rose George, publ. Metropolitan Books 2008. An unexpectedly good read.
Anyway, I'm not sure there is any comforting or otherwise meaningful connection between flying nukes and flush toilets.
The Russian Army and Putin personally will never recover from the stain of targeting civilians. Never. The entire world was already on the side of Ukraine, but now the disgust rises to a different order of magnitude, a higher order of revulsion.
Experienced public Russian toilets around 2006. You pay the attendant for how many sheets of stiff t.p. you want. There are instructions not to flush the t.p., but put it in the open can. The plumbing pipes weren’t capable of handling it. In a modern hotel it would be what we call normal. In daughter’s Soviet-era apartment building there was yearly maintenance of pipes when all water was shut off for a few days.
Humanitarian & journalist contacts of mine in #Kyiv are bracing for severe assault on city w/in 48 hours. If you or loved ones are there pls understand the risks/ urgency: Unless you're prepared to fight & potentially die defending her, flee #Kyiv now. Time is of the essence.
If you're planning to stay in #Kyiv, though, be prepared to lock down for the assault. Here are some tips from friends working on ground there now in the humanitarian sector:
♦️Stock as much food as possible.
♦️Store as much water as possible. Fill bottles w/ water from bathtub now bc water might be shut off soon.
♦️Prepare candles & flashlights/ torches.
♦️Tape & secure windows as much as possible to prevent fragmentation of glass.
♦️Prepare ear protection for everyone especially kids
♦️Prepare things to distract kids from sound of explosions like music, toys & games (breaks my heart writing this 😔)
♦️Prepare large white sheet to drape from window to signal peaceful intentions
♦️Use that sheet if Russian troops are advancing into your neighborhood & write "civilians injured within" in Russian on door to flat/ entrance to your home
♦️Store power banks (electricity, like water, might be cut off)
♦️If you're caring for sick or injured ppl, keep wound dressings as sterile as possible. Keep patients' catheter clean. Sterilize w/ alcohol or boiled water & soap wash to prevent infection/ sepsis
And that is exactly what I think will happen. Russia (as we know it today) will disintegrate and be absorbed by surrounding nations leaving only a small core which will only be a second rate regional power. China comes out the big winner with the control of the far Eastern provinces. Think natural resources to make China largely self-sufficient.
"The NYT photographer who took the photo of the mother and her two children and the family friend who were killed yesterday by mortar fire said today..."
NYT's Neil Macfaraquhar's 5 am ET Update this morning has the NYT close-up Irpin photo credited to NYT's Lynsey Addario who also witnesed the civilian targeting tactics. Lynsey has 20 years of experience.
“ It's not just the Russian military that is "Potemkin" - the entire country is. ”
This piece of Heather’s is the single best written description of this war out there, until an even better one comes along. The first paragraph, about image and reality, is particularly excellent.
Russia is a nation run by a criminal enterprise. It is a police state. The government of Russian society is also an exercise in Orwellian brainwashing and mind control.
How Putin Controls Russia
(exceptional 1.25 hr. podcast, coming from a man who almost never listens to them)
If every day you are hunting, as I am, for an explanation of why and how this war came to be, this podcast will help satisfy a good deal of that craving.
Let's talk about the elephant in the room (and no, this time I'm not referring to the GOP). Nuclear weapons. There are devices that are labelled "tactical nuclear" weapons. The phrase "tactical nuclear" is certainly an oxymoron since it escalates to strategic nuclear weapons so fast. President Obama went after control of nuclear weapons by controlling the materials needed to make bombs -- uranium and plutonium. That sounds like a very smart idea. We've now had two examples of countries with autocratic narcissistic untrustworthy Presidents with the nuclear button at their fingertips -- the United States and now Russia. Thousands of Ukrainians are being sacrificed to save the world from annihilation. In that rules-based world, one rule needs to be no nukes. After all there is no planet B. We, the People of the World, all of us this time.
I hope somehow we can get MiGs to Ukraine, fast. Thank you Dr. Richardson.
Now that Putin's blatant cruelty and Russia's entrenched corruption are revealed as catastrophic failure, I wonder how our right wing culture will process it? They are so deeply committed to cruelty as strength and so sure that "woke" is weak.
I'm not expecting a broad epiphany but hoping for maybe some confusion and dampening of their momentum. 🙏
I have been stymied in my communication with my family members… they’ve abandoned reason. These are the “end times” and there’s no backing away from that sacred cliff. And as far as voting? They will vote straight R… no need to even know who/what those people are.
That whole concept of embracing the "end times" has me baffled. I can understand it cognitively, by explanations of a lifetime of conditioning, but still...
Ally … it falls in the bucket of “the sacred word of God” … which they believe remains whole and uncorrupted since it was given. Thus … it’s weird. My sisters tell me that we’ve been lied to about everything and apparently NASA is one of the most atrocious liars, because the earth is actually flat (did I mention both of my sisters are college educated) But cannot fathom that books that have been in existence for thousands of years have been altered neither a dot nor a tittle, through translations and centuries. It’s incomprehensible.
I just think that with all these hypocritical opportunistic fair-weather Trump-supporting politicians finding their creative ways to distance themselves from a stance that is no longer politically advantageous to them, even if only to attack the Dems in other ways, it has to change the landscape, and maybe (maybe) break open a path for moderates to come back in.
For the record, though, I do get stuck on the "moderate Republican" politician. I cannot imagine being a Republican of conscience and not having switched parties at some early point in Trump's reign. But whatever: If they can start to take back their party, that will help us.
But you're not alone...the Bernie supporters, unless I misunderstood you -- they are there, yes? I'm in a "blue" state -- Connecticut. But if I drive five miles away, out of New Haven in the right direction, I'm in Trumpland. It's scary. Geographically, most of CT is Trumpland. Numerically -- over 40% voted for Trump in 2016; 39% in 2020.
Yeah … Trumpland made all red seas scary. I have two cars. My “summer” car is a little purple Fit … clearly a hippie mobile. I’ve almost been run off the road twice by big old pickups… I didn’t drive it last summer. I’m getting it tuned up in preparation for this summer … and getting out my big girl panties.
Oh, man. I've never put a bumper sticker on a car in my 39 years of driving. But I now have a Stacy Abrams bumber sticker that I am going to put on my car. But I am scared about it even here. But almost run off the road?! WTH?
Well… I‘ve lived here my whole life. Of course I have likeminded friends. Want to hear something wacko? Some of those Bernie supporters voted for Trump… I mean, how??
I actually support ranked choice voting for the ability to widen the field, eliminate parties and make representation align more closely with the voters.
My sisters graduated from Purdue and one of them went on to get a JD from Cooley Law School in MI. They’re smart women… I donot understand this impasse.
If I remember Purdue is in Indiana. As rabid as the basketball fans are there, so are politics rabidly Republican. I don’t think rabies vaccination helps those poor souls who have been afflicted chronically. Don’t discuss politics or religion and love them like naughty children. Sisters are for life. Trumpets fade in the dusk. Besides, my big sister was not nearly as smart as I gave her credit for even if she did have to explain the math to me.
But I think that confusion and division in Republican leadership will have to affect voting in ways we cannot yet predict. Maybe not as much as we wish, but, if things continue as they are with this division, I wonder if it will open the way for more moderates to be elected again. Do you think that's possible?
Maybe your family members are not the best examples...and I may be talking about a minority of Republican voters (and Democrats who've gone all in for Trump), but perhaps it could be enough of a minority to make a difference with, say, holding the House in 2022, which is, here at home, what I worry about most right now.
Oh I haven’t given up hope. I live in a state that “enjoys” a Republican super majority. Here’s what I know about these people. Most are “good” people. They picked a party years ago, usually for one or two issues… abortion, firearms, and/or smaller government. That’s it. And they’ve voted straight R their whole life. Not paying attention to anything that would disrupt their narrative or belief that they were on the side of right. I doubt my state will change their views. Interestingly, we did get a huge turn out for Bernie. And I wish someone could explain to me how we went from that moment to a super Republican majority, but here we are. I also think, here in my state, the deaths from Covid have made closely contested matches possible wins for Dems. But, we’ll have to see how that plays out. There’s a lot of violent rhetoric against Dems…accompanied with little critical thinking.
Several have mentioned the shattering photograph on the front page of the NYT yesterday. Let's mention the photographer by name: Lynsey Addario. In an interview she said she was 30 ft. away from the mortar blast. Her work, along with every other reporter on the ground, has been as dangerous as it is important. CNN's Clarissa Ward is another woman who raises the bar for all combat journalists.
Laura, thank you for saying her name: Lynsey Addario has great courage and her documenting this war is important for all of us. The world must see what’s happening. The faces and names of victims. The destruction of a country. The families torn apart. The fear. Photographers and reporters are heroes.
It’s possible to be that close to a mortar blast 💥 and survive, if she was between where they fired it and where it landed, much of the shrapnel on that side would have been directed towards the ground, also she might have been in a lucky spot with the shrapnel wizzing all around her and not getting hit, I have lived through both and consider the last 50 years of my life to have been a miracle.
From video I've seen on tv, she was across a wide street and mostly behind a cinder-block wall. You can see her emerge saying "Shit, shit, shit...." as she focused her camera across to where the family was killed and shot photos continuously.
There is a really interesting magazine published in London, England, called The Economist. Its been published since 1843. The purpose of the magazine is to take part in “a severe contest between intelligence, which presses forward, and an unworthy, timid ignorance obstructing our progress.”
The current issue is focused on the assault by Russia on Ukraine.
There are repercussions that Putin almost certainly did not factor in. Here is the briefest summary of some.
Moscow-on-Thames/Londongrad is history. Russian money is too hot to handle. The era of Russian money is over.
And then there is Boris Johnson who will not allow any Ukrainian refugees into England unless they can prove they have immediate family already living there.😩
Europe is more unified than its been for many years. “A continent often hobbled by its own propensity to squabble has found a common voice. European institutions more typically absorbed by the harmonization of phone-charger regulations have found themselves plotting the best way to get fighter jets to the Ukrainian air force”
Germany.” A special Sunday session of parliament February 27th started with a tradition-defying standing ovation for the Ukrainian ambassador. By the time Mr. Scholz was done with his speech … defense spending would be quickly raised to NATO’s target of 2% of GDP.” Two new gas-import terminals will be built. “What Olaf Scholz announced was the biggest sea-change of German policy since reunification”
Sweden and Finland are rethinking NATO.
The EU budget will be used to fund weapons purchases for the first time.
Hungary could have derailed EU sanctions with its veto but did not. Plus it is willing to accept war refugees from Ukraine.
Less reliance on Russia meaning more investment in renewable sources of energy, more gas and coal storage facilities, more LNG terminals. Make the EU energy independent.
Thank you! The things you can learn on here. I just found The Economist on "Libby", my library app. I am a retired Ag Economist, who can no longer justify paying for a subscription.
I'm reading notices from the Economist as well. Last issue also invited readers to comment. So, I wondered why there is so little mention of the climate action as an existential threat to Putin. Since long before he was a president he had the idea of "making Russia great again" by using their position in fossil fuels. This has been accentuated also by the finding of massive amounts of oil and gas in Central Asia. Ironically, today's news: this war has really made it urgent to free Europe from fossil fuels, along with Russian import.
Of course Finland and Sweden have to rethink Nato, the only reliable thing about Russia is that it has no respect whatsoever for smaller nations. Lavrov complemented Finland and Sweden for "serving peace" with staying out of Nato, now we know he was just thinking of having easy prey. Still hope we can avoid nukes on Swedish territory.
Just listened to Pres. Zelenksy addressing the British Parliament in which he quoted/paraphrased Winston Churchill, saying "We will fight in the air, on the sea, in the forests & the fields....". May the Parliament overrule Johnson regarding accepting Ukrainian refugees.
And so do you, Allen. Thank you for your updates. I scroll through the hundreds of comments every day to look for news about how you are doing. It is a relief to read this morning that you and Tanya are okay and making your way to Lviv. I can’t even imagine the terror you all must feel, yet you persist with courage and determination. The world is surrounding you with a golden shield of love and wishes for peace. Adding more weaponry, including aircraft, migs & tanks, to all those good wishes is essential and the public pressure is high to continue supplying Ukraine with essential weaponry.
This morning, one small piece of news is that Biden said: “We're banning all imports of Russian oil and gas and energy. That means Russian oil will no longer be accepted at U.S. ports, and the American people will deal another powerful blow to Putin's war machine."
"...[I]t is hard to sort out what is real and what is not. Indeed, image and reality may merge, since images often shape what later becomes real."
What I can sort out for now is that your words, Heather, are a guiding light through this unbearable cacophony that is war. Without you unraveling and sifting through the melee of threads, I wouldn't know which realities or images to believe. Of the sheer cruelty of the Russian soldiers, sadly, I have no doubt!
It'll be interesting to see how many of the GOP mafia and their henchmen have availed themselves of Russian coffers ...
Not all of the Russian soldiers are mindlessly cruel. How many of you have seen the captured Russian Lt. Col., a conscripted police officer, in his 9-minute comments in a press conference? In brief, he says they were lied to, told that they were going to war games, not to invade Ukraine. Lawrence O'Donnell/The Last Word. Tried to find a link at MSNBC but only found this: https://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/watch/mcfaul-captured-russians-have-no-explanation-for-why-they-re-in-ukraine-134823493719 The Russian Lt. Col. is in the center of the 3 but, unfortunately, the clip doesn't include his actual comments.
When I was referred to LFAA and HCR by a wise and perceptive friend, I realized that HCR and her smart use of SubStack was a game changer in the media world. Then, I found Tim Snyder, and that was further confirmation. When Biden’s grandkids and his people in communications wisely arranged the interview with HCR, and the two of them used the time so wisely, it was the first time that I felt some hope that mainstream media and FOX News might be on their way to the bush leagues. I know it’ll be a long slow journey, but people are going to begin getting their information from forums like this one for fifty bucks a year and not from main stream media outlets trying to sell us crap. We’re witnessing a change in how smart people’s analysis and points of views are distributed and consumed.
Interesting assessment. I have heard arguments that platforms (SubStack being the most frequently mentioned, Medium as another) are what is killing print journalism. I disagree with that assessment; what has killed print journalism is the digital age and the reallocation of advertising sources. We are left with "what sells" rather than "what is".
“For all the breathless reports of Russia’s war on Ukraine, it is unclear who is gaining advantage.”
“The first casualty of war is the truth.”
Somebody famous said that, and I believe it.
The truth as I see it is that Vladimir Putin has made a series of fatal miscalculations that may well bring him down in the end. The tragedy is in how many will be murdered and displaced in Putin’s struggle to survive.
Give what you can to the people helping Ukrainians.
Have found ways to donate to Ukranians that are using their own or getting vehicles to assist in getting people over borders to refuge and to other points of transport. These people have little access to money and donations are buying fuel. Also…another donation to World Central Kitchen and Chef Jose Andrés. They have made thousands and thousands of meals. https://donate.wck.org/give/236738/#!/donation/checkout
Christine Georgia and I have made another donation to Jose Andres and his remarkable World Central Kitchen. He is feeding many Ukrainian evacuees in Poland and elsewhere and has established links to restaurants within Ukraine. Chef Andres has selflessly responded to hunger crises in many areas. He is my candidate, along with President Zelensky, for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Yes to World Central Kitchen! That is who we are donating to in support of Ukraine. People cannot be strong in mind, body and spirit if they are starving.
There is much to be said and Heather says most of it today. If I may be so bold, I have to add that there is some surprise but otherwise not so much. Targetting civilians, that is, terror and indiscriminate use of military assets on nonmilitary targets are classic Russian tactics when the plan doesn't go well. That is precisely what they did in Afghanistan and in the end were driven out with their tails between their legs. One might think they had learned something, but apparently not. So at this point in the war, it's a David and Goliath story. The other kids on the playground see that Goliath isn't much of a tough guy after all and begin to defend themselves.
If this was all there was to it, you can easily predict the result. In this case, Putin's army can do damage for sure, but against a well-prepared, equipped, trained, and motivated foe. It's only a matter of time for Russia to be hung out to dry.
In the case of Russia, however, that becomes the most dangerous situation that could be. Putin has already put his nuclear forces on alert. So the very next concern is how much more can be done without pushing him over the edge. President Biden is balancing on the thinnest of high wires.
With all the talk of an off ramp for Putin, no one seems to mention the obvious: declare a glorious victory including generous aid to newly subservient Ukraine. It would be a total lie, but that’s never been a barrier for him. The stated goal was to protect ethnic Russians. Announce they are now successfully protected. Send the army back to Russia and be done
I agree that would be one sensible course of action, but from Putin's point of view, I suspect it's too late for that. I suspect saving face is a now a priority.
Yes. Classic Nixon-Kissinger. Face saved, hands washed. Dodge the bullet. He gets to be a hero. Oh, oops, what about the blood under the bridge? What about the financial ruin of his cronies. He might have to initiate a little purge as well. But isn’t that the Russian way? Kill off his close cohorts?
I would hope that there could be a way to save the millions who may starve to death as a result of Putin’s megalomania. Sadly, that would require a Putin 180 degree about face, which is not consonant with his malignant character.
At least 2 million women and children have fled Ukraine and many more are endeavoring to flee amidst fraudulent Russian ‘cease fires.’ As major urban centers are bombarded, civilians are being killed, power and water are cut off, and food for millions is becoming exceedingly scarce.
On a scale of modern callous cruelty, Putin and Hitler rank by far the worst, sharing Stalin’s historical top spot.
Nothing of this humanitarian magnitude since 1945 has occurred in Europe except, perhaps, the draconian relocation of millions of German speakers from Sudetenland and parts of Poland to a devastated Germany. Even then, there was no bombing or shelling and the Allies and international relief groups sought to ameliorate some of the personal hardships.
Not so with Putin, who seemed nonplused, so far, as he kills thousands of civilians, destroys urban centers, and constricts the evacuation of women and children. This. Indeed may be his Gotterdammerung.
Putin can not believe his ridiculous pronouncements that a ‘special military operation’ is simply moving against neo-Nazis and other low lifes in Ukraine. He has escalated to a brutal campaign of destruction that could require a decade-long reconstruction program.
In the interim, what possibilities are there for massive humanitarian relief? Would Putin ever allow the United Nations, the Red Cross, the World Central Kitchen, and others NGOs to initiate a gigantic Berlin-Airlift-operation to save millions from starvation? [Stalin deliberately starved to death 3-6 million Ukrainians in the early 1930s, as he confiscated their grain to pay for machinery for his Five Year Industrial Plan.]
I was nonplussed by your use of 'nonplussed' until I looked up the definition(s). Numbers 1 & 3 fit my understanding of the meaning but, then... there's definition #2.
News that the Kentucky retirement system was the 2nd largest shareholder in a Russian bank shouldn't surprise you either. The Courier -Journal was reporting the minor percentage of funds still remaining in Russian financial assets. Oh boy....
It would be wonderful if you could start including in your discussions of the Russian invasion the names of the generals directing the fight, the ones taking the fight to the civilian population of Ukraine. IMHO - they need to be made visible to the world at large. Putin, certainly a villain, is no alone.
Let's see & hear the Biden administration get out in front of Republican propaganda in the same way. It's not that difficult to see Republican false flags and attacks coming before they are launched. Nor to do the same with FOX. We could have predicted how Republicans would use, abuse and acuse using covid19. Spread the disease via misinformation, like Russians bomb Ukraine, and blame Democrats for not doing enough. The script for every bad actor is the same.
Jennifer Rubin of the WaPo does a great job describing how the GOP is reacting to the war, and of course, blaming Biden whenever they can. (This is a gifted article.) https://wapo.st/3tykFik
David, great idea. And it would not take the CIA to forecast the talking points. Every morning I hear the talking points from Trumpist family members and neighbors. There is already a huge civilian corps that can tell the Pres and Dems what is coming just based on this grassroots intel.
Heather, I want to celebrate you today, International Women´s Day. You are a national treasure. I am reading this on March 8th. where I live.
What a momentous day to celebrate Heather! Thank you for the reminder, Gailee, and I would like to celebrate you as well and all the other wonderful women on Heather's substack!
As all of you are for me. xoxoxoxoxo
Fifth! Thank you, Heather, for all you do, and to all of us who comprise Heather's Herd.
I haven't been around long enough to have full herd status, but I can say that, from the very first of HCR's essays I read, both my knowledge and my frame of mind have shifted radically. My days begin now, not with the terrible anxiety of the dense text and black headlines of the NYT but with my morning reading of these well-researched and thoughtful commentaries, a mug of chai latte, a glance at one more publications, and on toward lunch and a second reading of HCR. I am unspeakably grateful to have found this. Thank you all.
Dean Robertson, I like your self-blurb and welcome you here to enjoy thoughtful discussions based on Heather's incomparable research and perspective.
Thanks, Mim. Where are you in Georgia? I grew up in some beautiful deep woods about 60 miles from Atlanta
Roswell (north metro Atlanta). How lovely you grew up in deep woods. When I lived in NY, I had a very rustic cabin on four wooded acres on a small lake, and went there almost every weekend except just once a month in the winter. I hated to have to sell it and leave, but I suspected I'd never be back, which turned out to be the case, but it was a very important, beautiful part of my life. Where are you now?
💕🏆🏆💕
Amen!
I second this! You are truly a guiding light in these troubling times
Thank you Gailee! It’s a pleasure to celebrate Heather today and every day. Gratitude to you, Heather. You make an amazing and positive difference, every day.
Can't think of a better woman to celebrate on this day. But then again, we all need to celebrate each other for our own courage and fight in these times.
Well said. I'd like to add my celebration of the Professor, as well as us women here and beyond. Except for two repulsive representatives.
With gratitude to Heather and all the women here and especially to you, Ally, holding the fort in Eugene. As for Gangrene and Gunslinger Barbie, they are an embarrassment to womankind.
You mean the two howler monkeys?
As well as the Dem Senator from AZ!
Her, too.
Yep.
Oh, my! Who CAN you mean?
Lol
😝
Yes, Yes! A celebration of Heather and all of Heather’s Herd! And all women! (almost!) Here, Here! Hear! Hear! Together we make a difference.
Third!
Fourth!
27th!
Several millions!
Morning, Lynell! I agree and salutations to you as well as all the other wonderful women on this post!
Morning, Ally, and back at you...Sunflower seeds to all who dare to cross our path!
Happy to share this day with you, Wonderful Alexander!
our guiding light to understanding what got our country to where it is and an awesome woman all the way around
Agree 💯%, Gailee! What a wonderful celebratory acknowledgment of Heather. She is brilliant! Her illumination of confusion and chaos is extraordinary. We are blessed to have her and this fantastic community. I feel like you all are a lifeboat and she is the beacon above stormy seas.
“Her illumination of confusion and chaos is extraordinary.” The perfect description of a truly extraordinary teacher.
Indeed💜
Perfect tribute!
Amen!
Hello from khmelnitsky enroute to Lviv and polish border. Tanya and I are well. Lucky is with his friend Vitalik and happy as can be. Слава Україні.
Get those mig fighters here now. Russians are killing our civilians at a great rate. They must not get supplies and must be driven back from the cities
Allen and Tanya! Thank you for update. We are all thinking of you and the Ukraine people daily! Safe passage and Light!
Thank you Allen, for letting us know you and your family are safe. As for the military supplies, I agree. The US and EU must become the arsenal of Ukraine.
What a blessing to hear that you and Tanya are well! We have all been thinking about you and wondering how you are faring. I wish I were in charge of the mig fighters -- they'd all be there now! Be well and be safe❣️
A blessing to hear from you, Allen. Hoping you and Tanya continue safely to the border. Stay well. We’re with you.
Thank you Allen, for this report. Holding you and Tanya in our thoughts as you head west. You have become a symbol to me of the bravery of all Ukrainians.
Thank you, Allen, for checking in! This has made my day knowing you all are safe. Everyone on here is with you in spirit and we continue to hope, pray, and support Ukraine. Fingers crossed for more aid and materiel where it is needed!! The logistics are daunting, but they're trying to work it out. Keep hope alive!
Hello, and goodnight here! 👍🙂 glad to see you are all safe ❤️
So glad to hear from you Allen! I hope your journey is safe and that you and yours are soon reconnected with Lucky!
Allen, I'm so glad to know you and Tanya are safe. Safe journey.💙🌷
Wonderful to hear from you, Allen.
Thank you for reporting in. Godspeed.
Ви найкраща новина дня! (You are the best news of the day!) Safe travel for Allen and Tanya.
Allen, it's good to hear from you and know how and where you are. We are watching. Yes Ukraine needs those migs NOW. Safe travels to you and Tanya.
Слава Україні! Blue and yellow, sky and sunflowers. Know that we're all with you. Stay safe! Send a line like this when you can. Stay safe - I said that before, here it is again.
So glad to hear from you. Think of you all every day. Continued safety to Poland. We are all with you and Tanya.
Thank you Allen. Thank you! Stay safe. Take good care.
The NYT photographer who took the photo of the mother and her two children and the family friend who were killed yesterday by mortar fire said today that she watched mortar explosions "walk" down the street to where the people were. That means there was a Russian Forward Observer who had them in sight and was correcting the fire to bring it down on them. Given the range of mortars (which are solely designed for killing/wounding people with shrapnel), he had to be able to see they were civilian non-combatants. Which means the mortaring was deliberate - a war crime.
It's not just the Russian military that is "Potemkin" - the entire country is. That's been true a long time. I remember seeing a Russian ship at sea 60 years ago, the usual Soviet "rust bucket" (they still are today) and I remember thinking to myself, "People who have that little self-respect, that they let their ship go like this - *they* are a threat?"
MoDo actually said something in the Times I agree with (Shocking, I know, but true): Putin is a guy who's five foot six, arguing that he's really five foot eight.
I really look forward to Russia being strangled. Maybe to the point it breaks apart, which is entirely possible.
TC, I hope you and Heather are right in your relatively upbeat assessments of Russia's weaknesses and the effectiveness of the West's countermeasures, which would seem to bode ill for Putin, who may be short of stature, but makes up for it with a certain grit, determination, sureness of self and bloody-mindedness as he follows his dream.
But what about his nukes? Can he order missiles to be launched on short notice, even without broad agreement in the upper ranks of the Russian military? Would the missiles hit their targets? Can we shoot them down or do we have to respond in kind? Are we sure he isn't crazy enough to use them? In the event, do we have a reasonable response planned that would not necessarily result in the extinction of our species (and most others I imagine) if he decided to test the water with a "little" tactical nuke?
To be honest, I think I already know the answers to most of these questions, and I am not reassured.
You're right to not be reassured. I am sure he has done what Trump wanted to - placed "fellow believers" in the top command ranks, so he can likely do what he wants with the nukes.
What would be the point in hiding you’re Yacht in the Maldives if your leader brings Nuk war to you’re country ? He’s been isolated all thru the Pandemic. Caught a news clip where he and someone are sitting at the very ends of this 30 ft table. Brings ‘ Distancing to a whole new level. He’s dangerous because he’s a scared, paranoid, insecure, isolated, little big mouth that has destroyed the fortunes of his “ Yes People “. Wonder if he has a food taster ? Hahaha !
In an interview, Fiona Hill said she had many times been with Putin. Once they sat beside each other at a dinner. He didn't eat or drink anything. Imagine living with that level of paranoia!
You know how much they like to use poison, no wonder he’s worried, when all of the dust settles and the insipid imbecile that we had for president starts to default on the debts he owes to the Russians, he’ll have to be very careful with what he eats. 😎
Can’t ❤️this, Dick, but yes! Chump should be constantly looking over his shoulder and probably is. Maybe Melanie (😁) will be the supplier of a nice drug that will, oh let’s say, be in his Big Mac.
The collapse of the ruble is welcome but could have the unfortunate side effect of making repayment of debts owed to Russians cheap (unless the contracts require repayment in a more stable currency, which is likely, I guess).
Live by the Novichock, die by the Novichock and just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you - never were platitudes working better for a politician.
👍
The man’s a Nut Job. And no I can’t.
According to Fiona Hill, the people with yachts are not the most inner circle of ideological "yes" men
So I guess then their reward is just to live another day ?
I've heard Putin's grandfather was cook for Stalin 1931-33, so I guess thinking of food tasting is in the family; and imagining being Stalin too.
Or we can hope some of the fellow believers - close to him - wakes up and switches him off.
Looks like we will have to rely on divine intervention...
Never discount divine intervention. Events and developments appear which are unforeseen and unforeseeable, sourced by intense human desire and prayer, as just one possibility, and by other means. The conscious mind, the rational mind, in its ignorance of how the mystical unknown operates, disdains or neglects to acknowledge the mechanics of manifestation.
Thank you, Roland.
When all else fails, prayer helps some people, not everyone. Is the unmoved mover moved by prayer? I do not pretend to know, though I suspect no human mind, whether ignorant, conscious, rational or magical really knows very much about the mechanics of manifestation. We're a clever species in many ways, but we're just tiny specks at large in the Universe.
“We're a clever species in many ways, but we're just tiny specks at large in the Universe.”
Precisely. But more to the point of divine intervention, we don’t know what we don’t know. If you read widely and keep an open mind, you will find a multitude of stories about completely inexplicable things that nevertheless are facts and happened.
Don’t get put off by use of the word “prayer.” I should have said, “… Intense human desire, for example through prayer,…“. You and I are not religious men, the religious concept of prayer means nothing to us. But prayer is, if you extract it from its superstitious religious connotations, an expression of desire, of the need for wish fulfillment. If that desire is super intense, it can produce actual physical events. Tottering grandmothers have lifted incredibly heavy things off a loved one, something they could never do otherwise, only in the intensity of a life-threatening situation.
Yes, no human mind understands fully how magic works, how manifestation happens. However, magic happens. Miracles happen. The unforeseen can appear at a moments notice, and often does. In a weekend, just to provide one very weak example, Germany completely revamps its foreign policy and domestic policy re: military.
All I am saying is this: never discount divine intervention. $1 million can descend into your life in an instant. You just don’t know what is about to happen in any moment.
I would like to be a believer!
I'm not, and it has never been an issue for me, though I sometimes envy those who do believe, as there can be comfort in religious belief (or suspension of disbelief, as the case may be). I see death as a conundrum with no good or easy answer. Of course, I am open to being proven wrong about this.
I’m not religious. That would be easier. I’m just hoping.
I hope not, because that's one thing that's definitely not happening...
All those loyalists in Putin’s army turn out not to be so good at fighting, and not so good at maintaining their equipment.
On the ground, Russians are no good on offense. They never have been. They are great on defense. They know how to suffer. They are great improvisers who can keep a space station running using paper clips and Bobby pins. When everyone else has given up, a Russian is just getting started. And they all know that (pronounce each syllable as a word in English )”rah/SEE/ah sue/ma/SHED/she dome” -Russia is a madhouse. None of this is worth anything on offense, not on the ground. It will be decided in the air. Can they turn Ukraine into Syria. Meanwhile where are those soviet era MIGs coming from Sweden? Not that any young Ukrainians could fly them, but there must be some geezer pilots around with mild heart conditions who could pop some nitroglycerin and head out for the real wild blue yonder shouting the Ukrainian word for kamikaze.
I’m with you. As much as I want to believe (and pray) Ukraine will succeed, I am skeptical, especially when Putin tells Macron “No matter what”. But I’ll keep a positive heart and keep hoping.
Putin will not resort to nuclear warfare.
Where is the value in owning a country that’s a radioactive wasteland?
Plus tactical nuclear weapons are used where there is a great concentration of the enemy, or a large fleet; not in street fighting.
Conventional weapons are sufficient to turn Ukraine into a smoking pile of rubble.
Well, it seems our leaders are, for now, not as sure of this as you are. If Putin threatens to use nukes, should we call his bluff? This is not 7-card stud stud on a Saturday night.
A threat is much different from a use.
Putin can rattle his saber as loud as he cares to see who he can scare.
Biden didn’t scare.
H.A., Putin has both rattled his saber and invaded Ukraine. Two weeks into this war, despite ample evidence that NATO forces could make short work of it and send the Russians packing, the West has limited it's response to resupplying the Ukrainians with light anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons and applying pretty strong economic sanctions on Russia. Biden and others have said repeatedly that they have no desire to engage Russia directly on the field of battle. Implicit in this is that Putin has scared Biden and everyone else who understands the stakes in this confrontation. We are all scared of nuclear war, including Biden. No one knows what Putin would do if he is backed into a corner. He may be crazy. We do not know. You do not know.
But he's a madman for whom mass murder and mayhem is a bedtime story. I would not put anything beyond him. We do not have the calculus of his behavior because he is not rational.
You are the only person I have read or heard express such confidence about what Putin will do in terms of employing his nuclear arsenal, H.A. Do you also know what the Russian military will do while in control of nuclear power plants in Ukraine?
Nuclear power plants in Ukraine are one of the only "cards" Putin will be holding if he is in danger of being toppled. My biggest fear is that his incompetent military and incompetent energy "department" will not know how to deal with problems that are sure to arrive if Russia takes control of all the nuclear power plants in Ukraine. The world may already be in the nuclear "jackpot" and not know it, although I am sure the nuclear power plants are front and center in Washington think tanks today.
An agreement on nuclear plants in Ukraine is urgently needed, the U.N. nuclear agency says.
March 7, 2022, 10:09 a.m. ETMarch 7, 2022
1:04
'I.A.E.A. Officials Raise Concerns Over Ukrainian Nuclear Facilities
The International Atomic Energy Agency raised concerns over the operations of nuclear power plants in Ukraine and urged for an agreement between Russia and Ukraine on safety and security.CreditCredit.../Associated Press
Concerns are rising over the operations of nuclear power plants in Ukraine without concrete agreements between Russia and Ukraine on safety and security, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said on Monday, adding that his agency, the nuclear watchdog of the United Nations, was working urgently to facilitate a meeting with the two parties.'
'There has been no release of radiation, he said, and the agency is remotely monitoring nuclear material there. Still, problems, including staffing and supply issues, have arisen at nuclear plants in Kharkiv, Mariupol and other places. If the plants can’t get access to equipment, normal operations could be difficult to sustain.'
“We should not be losing time,” the agency’s director general, Rafael Mariano Grossi, told reporters in Vienna on Monday, adding that the agency was getting reports from the Ukrainian nuclear regulator. “Almost every day there is a new episode.”
“All of these are indications — more than indications, confirmations — that we cannot go on like this,” Mr. Grossi said. “There has to be clear understanding and clear commitments not to go anywhere near nuclear facilities when it comes to military operations.”
'Russian representatives rejected an initial offer from the agency to meet at the Chernobyl nuclear plant, Mr. Grossi said, adding that the agency was communicating with Ukrainian representatives. He said the agency had not ruled out sending support personnel to the plants.' (NYTimes)
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/07/world/europe/iaea-nuclear-plants-ukraine.html
Yes.
Put yourself in Putin’s shoes. Where is the value in creating a nuclear wasteland in the country you want to occupy?
Ukraine is adjacent to Crimea and Russia. Does Putin want nuclear waste or fallout to spread there?
Of course not.
It is not possible to put myself in Putin's shoes or head as you apparently can. All the best to you.
The difference between Kazillionaire Putin and normal Kazillionaires is that his wealth is 100% dependent on his remaining in power. He will never be able to flee Russia and live Snoop's "The Fine Life". Therefore he will most certainly use nuclear weapons the minute he is 100% certain that he will be ousted from power. Analogy questions: (1) Would Hitler in bunker have used nuclear weapons if they had been available? (2) Same question re Saddam? Totally apples-to-apples.
That photo on the front of NYTIMES yesterday was devastating. Later my son explained that he’s trying to o deal with his anxiety about fear of nuclear war. We’re all trying to do the best we can in terms of everyday life. Emerging from the pandemic into the new reality of Purim’s evil aggression seems like a cruel joke.
It may not have been an Ancient Chinese Curse, but "may you live in *interesting* times" is still a curse.
I heard a quote today, attributed to Lenin: “decades go by without a day’s worth of changes, then days go by with a decade’s worth of changes.” Meanwhile, a lesson for Putin from earl weaver, former manager of the Baltimore Orioles, who once said, “what counts is what you learn after you know it all.”
Yeah, we are living inside Lenin's quote right now.
“ I heard a quote today, attributed to Lenin: “decades go by without a day’s worth of changes, then days go by with a decade’s worth of changes.” Meanwhile, a lesson for Putin from earl weaver, former manager of the Baltimore Orioles, who once said, “what counts is what you learn after you know it all.”
desperado, I have a question for you. Would you be so kind to explain for me the lower-casing of names of people, like Earl Weaver to earl weaver? I’ve been wondering about this practice for a few months, and I have not been able to find any information by googling about it. Also, I notice that you capitalize the names of Lenin and Putin.
The capitalization is done by the email writing app. it is not intentional. I write everything without caps and the app on my iPad capitalizes some things. I wish I could turn this feature off. Until I know how, I will capitalize in the usual way, since I can see that it might be misleading to leave it to the app. On my iMac there is no such feature, and that is what I am more used to. I do find that the shift key slows everything down when writing rough drafts, informal emails and internet posts. But I guess I should start using the one on my iPad.
No need to concern yourself. I have just been curious if there is intent or meaning. If the only thing going on is technology and saving time, so be it, that does not concern me. Continue to do whatever is easiest for you.
So, who prosecutes war crimes that all the world can see? Do we have to wait for the shooting to stop before war crimes are charged?
The ICC is investigating. They cannot go into Russia to arrest Putin or any others convicted by the international court, but it would limit their movements to countries that are non-signature to the courts authority. And provide additional volume to international outrage.
Nor could they do anything about the U.S. war crimes in Iraq. The only effect was to keep “W” and Cheney in the U.S. for a while.
Ty.
I have the same question. What good is it that Putin is accused of war crimes? He clearly isn't going to show up at the world court willingly.
Send him a summons taped to a smart bomb.
That was what Putin said to Ukraine peace talks.
Good question.
You are exactly right TC, there was a forward observer telling the mortar team how he wanted them to adjust their fire, that is SOP for using a mortar. I have been in several mortar “showers”, it’s a miracle that I lived through them, they are designed to kill people, they don’t dig a hole in the ground, they splash like a water balloon, a very deadly one. Any one not below the surface of the ground or behind something solid like a concrete barrier, had little chance. The Russians absolutely were trying to kill those unarmed innocents, hopefully the Ukrainians have sent them to the hell they so richly deserve.
As to their being a Potemkin country, a very good friend of mine was shooting a film about Siberian Tigers 🐅 in Russia years ago, when he returned he told me that we had nothing to worry about regarding the Russians, because they didn’t know how to make a toilet work. 😎
That toilet touch at the end was the best way to get down on Putin. He's using Russian soldiers as cannon fodder and has turned their armaments against the Ukrainian people. How about toilet twins, one for Putin and one for Trump - a Royal Flush, Dick?
😂
🪠
Where’s the lever I would happily pull it
Aha! So that explains the reversion to trenches in the south of Ukraine.
Of course Siberia is a vast and sparsely populated place, perhaps to the point where one might easily find an isolated and scenic squatting place out in nature on most days. As a former backpacker, I appreciate these things. Toilets are a luxury. Of course, I wouldn't want to meet a Siberian Tiger at an awkward moment...
Dick, are you aware what percentage of humanity has no access to clean running water, much less sit-down toilets? I recommend "The Big Necessity: The Unmentionable World of Human Waste and Why It Matters" by Rose George, publ. Metropolitan Books 2008. An unexpectedly good read.
Anyway, I'm not sure there is any comforting or otherwise meaningful connection between flying nukes and flush toilets.
The backsides of tragedies do provide places and information too often out of sight and mind. Thanks, David.
The Russian Army and Putin personally will never recover from the stain of targeting civilians. Never. The entire world was already on the side of Ukraine, but now the disgust rises to a different order of magnitude, a higher order of revulsion.
Experienced public Russian toilets around 2006. You pay the attendant for how many sheets of stiff t.p. you want. There are instructions not to flush the t.p., but put it in the open can. The plumbing pipes weren’t capable of handling it. In a modern hotel it would be what we call normal. In daughter’s Soviet-era apartment building there was yearly maintenance of pipes when all water was shut off for a few days.
This post from a friend in Tbilisi brought back memories from WWII in Europe.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10159599190419651&id=569659650
Posted by one of my contacts:
Humanitarian & journalist contacts of mine in #Kyiv are bracing for severe assault on city w/in 48 hours. If you or loved ones are there pls understand the risks/ urgency: Unless you're prepared to fight & potentially die defending her, flee #Kyiv now. Time is of the essence.
If you're planning to stay in #Kyiv, though, be prepared to lock down for the assault. Here are some tips from friends working on ground there now in the humanitarian sector:
♦️Stock as much food as possible.
♦️Store as much water as possible. Fill bottles w/ water from bathtub now bc water might be shut off soon.
♦️Prepare candles & flashlights/ torches.
♦️Tape & secure windows as much as possible to prevent fragmentation of glass.
♦️Prepare ear protection for everyone especially kids
♦️Prepare things to distract kids from sound of explosions like music, toys & games (breaks my heart writing this 😔)
♦️Prepare large white sheet to drape from window to signal peaceful intentions
♦️Use that sheet if Russian troops are advancing into your neighborhood & write "civilians injured within" in Russian on door to flat/ entrance to your home
♦️Store power banks (electricity, like water, might be cut off)
♦️If you're caring for sick or injured ppl, keep wound dressings as sterile as possible. Keep patients' catheter clean. Sterilize w/ alcohol or boiled water & soap wash to prevent infection/ sepsis
And that is exactly what I think will happen. Russia (as we know it today) will disintegrate and be absorbed by surrounding nations leaving only a small core which will only be a second rate regional power. China comes out the big winner with the control of the far Eastern provinces. Think natural resources to make China largely self-sufficient.
"The NYT photographer who took the photo of the mother and her two children and the family friend who were killed yesterday by mortar fire said today..."
The CBS News interview (after short commercial):
https://www.cbsnews.com/video/photographing-russias-war-atrocities-in-ukraine/#x
NYT's Neil Macfaraquhar's 5 am ET Update this morning has the NYT close-up Irpin photo credited to NYT's Lynsey Addario who also witnesed the civilian targeting tactics. Lynsey has 20 years of experience.
Saw it. Avoid it.
“ It's not just the Russian military that is "Potemkin" - the entire country is. ”
This piece of Heather’s is the single best written description of this war out there, until an even better one comes along. The first paragraph, about image and reality, is particularly excellent.
Russia is a nation run by a criminal enterprise. It is a police state. The government of Russian society is also an exercise in Orwellian brainwashing and mind control.
How Putin Controls Russia
(exceptional 1.25 hr. podcast, coming from a man who almost never listens to them)
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-american-life/id201671138?i=1000552390702
If every day you are hunting, as I am, for an explanation of why and how this war came to be, this podcast will help satisfy a good deal of that craving.
From your lips...
But will China still claim them as best buds…
Let's talk about the elephant in the room (and no, this time I'm not referring to the GOP). Nuclear weapons. There are devices that are labelled "tactical nuclear" weapons. The phrase "tactical nuclear" is certainly an oxymoron since it escalates to strategic nuclear weapons so fast. President Obama went after control of nuclear weapons by controlling the materials needed to make bombs -- uranium and plutonium. That sounds like a very smart idea. We've now had two examples of countries with autocratic narcissistic untrustworthy Presidents with the nuclear button at their fingertips -- the United States and now Russia. Thousands of Ukrainians are being sacrificed to save the world from annihilation. In that rules-based world, one rule needs to be no nukes. After all there is no planet B. We, the People of the World, all of us this time.
And a giant elephant it is. There will always be some runt with delusions of alpha. No nukes should be the only rule. Knew that way back.
No nukes! The Doomsday clock is ticking. 100 seconds to midnight. https://thebulletin.org/2022/03/bulletin-science-and-security-board-condemns-russian-invasion-of-ukraine-doomsday-clock-stays-at-100-seconds-to-midnight/?utm_source=ClockPage&utm_medium=Web&utm_campaign=DoomsdayClockMarchStatement
It has been 100 seconds since 2020. I'm expecting them to lower it any time now.
Don’t forget Kim!
I hope somehow we can get MiGs to Ukraine, fast. Thank you Dr. Richardson.
Now that Putin's blatant cruelty and Russia's entrenched corruption are revealed as catastrophic failure, I wonder how our right wing culture will process it? They are so deeply committed to cruelty as strength and so sure that "woke" is weak.
I'm not expecting a broad epiphany but hoping for maybe some confusion and dampening of their momentum. 🙏
It will divide them. As Liz Cheney put it : "the Putin wing of the Republican party" Well, the world is watching.
I have been stymied in my communication with my family members… they’ve abandoned reason. These are the “end times” and there’s no backing away from that sacred cliff. And as far as voting? They will vote straight R… no need to even know who/what those people are.
That whole concept of embracing the "end times" has me baffled. I can understand it cognitively, by explanations of a lifetime of conditioning, but still...
truth be told, the “End of Times” comes for everyone”. It’s called “Death”. The embroideries on that fact are done to soften the blow.
Ally … it falls in the bucket of “the sacred word of God” … which they believe remains whole and uncorrupted since it was given. Thus … it’s weird. My sisters tell me that we’ve been lied to about everything and apparently NASA is one of the most atrocious liars, because the earth is actually flat (did I mention both of my sisters are college educated) But cannot fathom that books that have been in existence for thousands of years have been altered neither a dot nor a tittle, through translations and centuries. It’s incomprehensible.
I just think that with all these hypocritical opportunistic fair-weather Trump-supporting politicians finding their creative ways to distance themselves from a stance that is no longer politically advantageous to them, even if only to attack the Dems in other ways, it has to change the landscape, and maybe (maybe) break open a path for moderates to come back in.
For the record, though, I do get stuck on the "moderate Republican" politician. I cannot imagine being a Republican of conscience and not having switched parties at some early point in Trump's reign. But whatever: If they can start to take back their party, that will help us.
Also, I am a total fish out of water. I’m not a moderate Dem. I’m a full on Progressive.
But you're not alone...the Bernie supporters, unless I misunderstood you -- they are there, yes? I'm in a "blue" state -- Connecticut. But if I drive five miles away, out of New Haven in the right direction, I'm in Trumpland. It's scary. Geographically, most of CT is Trumpland. Numerically -- over 40% voted for Trump in 2016; 39% in 2020.
Yeah … Trumpland made all red seas scary. I have two cars. My “summer” car is a little purple Fit … clearly a hippie mobile. I’ve almost been run off the road twice by big old pickups… I didn’t drive it last summer. I’m getting it tuned up in preparation for this summer … and getting out my big girl panties.
Oh, man. I've never put a bumper sticker on a car in my 39 years of driving. But I now have a Stacy Abrams bumber sticker that I am going to put on my car. But I am scared about it even here. But almost run off the road?! WTH?
Well… I‘ve lived here my whole life. Of course I have likeminded friends. Want to hear something wacko? Some of those Bernie supporters voted for Trump… I mean, how??
Ahh, I was wondering about that. That is....where do I start. Depressing and frightening.
I actually support ranked choice voting for the ability to widen the field, eliminate parties and make representation align more closely with the voters.
Tell me Carla. I live in Idaho. Trump is the living god of my imbecile relatives. They too have college degrees, obtained in Idaho.
My sisters graduated from Purdue and one of them went on to get a JD from Cooley Law School in MI. They’re smart women… I donot understand this impasse.
If I remember Purdue is in Indiana. As rabid as the basketball fans are there, so are politics rabidly Republican. I don’t think rabies vaccination helps those poor souls who have been afflicted chronically. Don’t discuss politics or religion and love them like naughty children. Sisters are for life. Trumpets fade in the dusk. Besides, my big sister was not nearly as smart as I gave her credit for even if she did have to explain the math to me.
But I think that confusion and division in Republican leadership will have to affect voting in ways we cannot yet predict. Maybe not as much as we wish, but, if things continue as they are with this division, I wonder if it will open the way for more moderates to be elected again. Do you think that's possible?
Maybe your family members are not the best examples...and I may be talking about a minority of Republican voters (and Democrats who've gone all in for Trump), but perhaps it could be enough of a minority to make a difference with, say, holding the House in 2022, which is, here at home, what I worry about most right now.
Oh I haven’t given up hope. I live in a state that “enjoys” a Republican super majority. Here’s what I know about these people. Most are “good” people. They picked a party years ago, usually for one or two issues… abortion, firearms, and/or smaller government. That’s it. And they’ve voted straight R their whole life. Not paying attention to anything that would disrupt their narrative or belief that they were on the side of right. I doubt my state will change their views. Interestingly, we did get a huge turn out for Bernie. And I wish someone could explain to me how we went from that moment to a super Republican majority, but here we are. I also think, here in my state, the deaths from Covid have made closely contested matches possible wins for Dems. But, we’ll have to see how that plays out. There’s a lot of violent rhetoric against Dems…accompanied with little critical thinking.
Several have mentioned the shattering photograph on the front page of the NYT yesterday. Let's mention the photographer by name: Lynsey Addario. In an interview she said she was 30 ft. away from the mortar blast. Her work, along with every other reporter on the ground, has been as dangerous as it is important. CNN's Clarissa Ward is another woman who raises the bar for all combat journalists.
Laura, thank you for saying her name: Lynsey Addario has great courage and her documenting this war is important for all of us. The world must see what’s happening. The faces and names of victims. The destruction of a country. The families torn apart. The fear. Photographers and reporters are heroes.
It’s possible to be that close to a mortar blast 💥 and survive, if she was between where they fired it and where it landed, much of the shrapnel on that side would have been directed towards the ground, also she might have been in a lucky spot with the shrapnel wizzing all around her and not getting hit, I have lived through both and consider the last 50 years of my life to have been a miracle.
From video I've seen on tv, she was across a wide street and mostly behind a cinder-block wall. You can see her emerge saying "Shit, shit, shit...." as she focused her camera across to where the family was killed and shot photos continuously.
You can learn more about Lynsey in her book. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/312770/its-what-i-do-by-lynsey-addario/
There is a really interesting magazine published in London, England, called The Economist. Its been published since 1843. The purpose of the magazine is to take part in “a severe contest between intelligence, which presses forward, and an unworthy, timid ignorance obstructing our progress.”
The current issue is focused on the assault by Russia on Ukraine.
There are repercussions that Putin almost certainly did not factor in. Here is the briefest summary of some.
Moscow-on-Thames/Londongrad is history. Russian money is too hot to handle. The era of Russian money is over.
And then there is Boris Johnson who will not allow any Ukrainian refugees into England unless they can prove they have immediate family already living there.😩
Europe is more unified than its been for many years. “A continent often hobbled by its own propensity to squabble has found a common voice. European institutions more typically absorbed by the harmonization of phone-charger regulations have found themselves plotting the best way to get fighter jets to the Ukrainian air force”
Germany.” A special Sunday session of parliament February 27th started with a tradition-defying standing ovation for the Ukrainian ambassador. By the time Mr. Scholz was done with his speech … defense spending would be quickly raised to NATO’s target of 2% of GDP.” Two new gas-import terminals will be built. “What Olaf Scholz announced was the biggest sea-change of German policy since reunification”
Sweden and Finland are rethinking NATO.
The EU budget will be used to fund weapons purchases for the first time.
Hungary could have derailed EU sanctions with its veto but did not. Plus it is willing to accept war refugees from Ukraine.
Less reliance on Russia meaning more investment in renewable sources of energy, more gas and coal storage facilities, more LNG terminals. Make the EU energy independent.
More and more businesses abandoning Russia.
And this article was just about Europe.
Putin will live to regret his decision.
Glory, and crap on Boris, and Nigel if you can find which rock he is under.
Agree about the Laughing Hyena. A rock in every port. Nowhere to be seen until he suddenly appears somewhere like tfg's meeting with schoolboys, or...
Folks with online library accounts (Overdrive, etc.,) should be able to access the Economist and other fine publications without firewall limitations.
That’s where I get mine. A great, well funded, local library.
As well as National Geographic, Popular Mechanics, American History, British History, New Science, the Food Network magazine, and a few others.
Support your local library.👏🏻
Thank you! The things you can learn on here. I just found The Economist on "Libby", my library app. I am a retired Ag Economist, who can no longer justify paying for a subscription.
Just got the app. Thanks!
(Sweden)
I'm reading notices from the Economist as well. Last issue also invited readers to comment. So, I wondered why there is so little mention of the climate action as an existential threat to Putin. Since long before he was a president he had the idea of "making Russia great again" by using their position in fossil fuels. This has been accentuated also by the finding of massive amounts of oil and gas in Central Asia. Ironically, today's news: this war has really made it urgent to free Europe from fossil fuels, along with Russian import.
Of course Finland and Sweden have to rethink Nato, the only reliable thing about Russia is that it has no respect whatsoever for smaller nations. Lavrov complemented Finland and Sweden for "serving peace" with staying out of Nato, now we know he was just thinking of having easy prey. Still hope we can avoid nukes on Swedish territory.
Just listened to Pres. Zelenksy addressing the British Parliament in which he quoted/paraphrased Winston Churchill, saying "We will fight in the air, on the sea, in the forests & the fields....". May the Parliament overrule Johnson regarding accepting Ukrainian refugees.
Thank you for this excellent summary. It is infuriating that Britain and the US allowed, accepted, encouraged the inflow of Russian money for so long.
Money talks.
😢
HCR DOES A GREAT JOB OF UPDATES
And so do you, Allen. Thank you for your updates. I scroll through the hundreds of comments every day to look for news about how you are doing. It is a relief to read this morning that you and Tanya are okay and making your way to Lviv. I can’t even imagine the terror you all must feel, yet you persist with courage and determination. The world is surrounding you with a golden shield of love and wishes for peace. Adding more weaponry, including aircraft, migs & tanks, to all those good wishes is essential and the public pressure is high to continue supplying Ukraine with essential weaponry.
This morning, one small piece of news is that Biden said: “We're banning all imports of Russian oil and gas and energy. That means Russian oil will no longer be accepted at U.S. ports, and the American people will deal another powerful blow to Putin's war machine."
Wishing you continued safe travels, Allen.
"...[I]t is hard to sort out what is real and what is not. Indeed, image and reality may merge, since images often shape what later becomes real."
What I can sort out for now is that your words, Heather, are a guiding light through this unbearable cacophony that is war. Without you unraveling and sifting through the melee of threads, I wouldn't know which realities or images to believe. Of the sheer cruelty of the Russian soldiers, sadly, I have no doubt!
It'll be interesting to see how many of the GOP mafia and their henchmen have availed themselves of Russian coffers ...
Not all of the Russian soldiers are mindlessly cruel. How many of you have seen the captured Russian Lt. Col., a conscripted police officer, in his 9-minute comments in a press conference? In brief, he says they were lied to, told that they were going to war games, not to invade Ukraine. Lawrence O'Donnell/The Last Word. Tried to find a link at MSNBC but only found this: https://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/watch/mcfaul-captured-russians-have-no-explanation-for-why-they-re-in-ukraine-134823493719 The Russian Lt. Col. is in the center of the 3 but, unfortunately, the clip doesn't include his actual comments.
Good morning,
When I was referred to LFAA and HCR by a wise and perceptive friend, I realized that HCR and her smart use of SubStack was a game changer in the media world. Then, I found Tim Snyder, and that was further confirmation. When Biden’s grandkids and his people in communications wisely arranged the interview with HCR, and the two of them used the time so wisely, it was the first time that I felt some hope that mainstream media and FOX News might be on their way to the bush leagues. I know it’ll be a long slow journey, but people are going to begin getting their information from forums like this one for fifty bucks a year and not from main stream media outlets trying to sell us crap. We’re witnessing a change in how smart people’s analysis and points of views are distributed and consumed.
Interesting assessment. I have heard arguments that platforms (SubStack being the most frequently mentioned, Medium as another) are what is killing print journalism. I disagree with that assessment; what has killed print journalism is the digital age and the reallocation of advertising sources. We are left with "what sells" rather than "what is".
“For all the breathless reports of Russia’s war on Ukraine, it is unclear who is gaining advantage.”
“The first casualty of war is the truth.”
Somebody famous said that, and I believe it.
The truth as I see it is that Vladimir Putin has made a series of fatal miscalculations that may well bring him down in the end. The tragedy is in how many will be murdered and displaced in Putin’s struggle to survive.
Give what you can to the people helping Ukrainians.
Have found ways to donate to Ukranians that are using their own or getting vehicles to assist in getting people over borders to refuge and to other points of transport. These people have little access to money and donations are buying fuel. Also…another donation to World Central Kitchen and Chef Jose Andrés. They have made thousands and thousands of meals. https://donate.wck.org/give/236738/#!/donation/checkout
Christine Georgia and I have made another donation to Jose Andres and his remarkable World Central Kitchen. He is feeding many Ukrainian evacuees in Poland and elsewhere and has established links to restaurants within Ukraine. Chef Andres has selflessly responded to hunger crises in many areas. He is my candidate, along with President Zelensky, for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Agree 1000%.
Yes to World Central Kitchen! That is who we are donating to in support of Ukraine. People cannot be strong in mind, body and spirit if they are starving.
done, thanks Christine
Did it a few days ago.
Thank you so much for sharing. Charity navigator gives it a score of 100, a four star rating.
Done.
Donated; thanks for the recommendation!
Thanks, Christine. Subscribers, WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN for UKRAINE, see link below.
https://wck.org/news/chefs-for-ukraine
https://www.unicefusa.org/stories/unicef-children-are-bearing-brunt-intensifying-crisis-ukraine/39481?utm_content=Ukraine3&ms=cpc_dig_2021_Ukraine3_20210801_google_Ukraine3_delve_None&initialms=cpc_dig_2020_Ukraine3_20210801_google_Ukraine3_delve_None&gclid=Cj0KCQiAmpyRBhC-ARIsABs2EAoaWDY35A0KMghhHljFvaujvEho10zyo1cFcNXAj8K2f_-ZdENUOR4aAqLVEALw_wcB
Thank you.
There is much to be said and Heather says most of it today. If I may be so bold, I have to add that there is some surprise but otherwise not so much. Targetting civilians, that is, terror and indiscriminate use of military assets on nonmilitary targets are classic Russian tactics when the plan doesn't go well. That is precisely what they did in Afghanistan and in the end were driven out with their tails between their legs. One might think they had learned something, but apparently not. So at this point in the war, it's a David and Goliath story. The other kids on the playground see that Goliath isn't much of a tough guy after all and begin to defend themselves.
If this was all there was to it, you can easily predict the result. In this case, Putin's army can do damage for sure, but against a well-prepared, equipped, trained, and motivated foe. It's only a matter of time for Russia to be hung out to dry.
In the case of Russia, however, that becomes the most dangerous situation that could be. Putin has already put his nuclear forces on alert. So the very next concern is how much more can be done without pushing him over the edge. President Biden is balancing on the thinnest of high wires.
With all the talk of an off ramp for Putin, no one seems to mention the obvious: declare a glorious victory including generous aid to newly subservient Ukraine. It would be a total lie, but that’s never been a barrier for him. The stated goal was to protect ethnic Russians. Announce they are now successfully protected. Send the army back to Russia and be done
I agree that would be one sensible course of action, but from Putin's point of view, I suspect it's too late for that. I suspect saving face is a now a priority.
Yes, and this is so scary.
Yes. Classic Nixon-Kissinger. Face saved, hands washed. Dodge the bullet. He gets to be a hero. Oh, oops, what about the blood under the bridge? What about the financial ruin of his cronies. He might have to initiate a little purge as well. But isn’t that the Russian way? Kill off his close cohorts?
UNSPEAKABLE EUROPEAN HUMANITARIAN TRAGEDY
I would hope that there could be a way to save the millions who may starve to death as a result of Putin’s megalomania. Sadly, that would require a Putin 180 degree about face, which is not consonant with his malignant character.
At least 2 million women and children have fled Ukraine and many more are endeavoring to flee amidst fraudulent Russian ‘cease fires.’ As major urban centers are bombarded, civilians are being killed, power and water are cut off, and food for millions is becoming exceedingly scarce.
On a scale of modern callous cruelty, Putin and Hitler rank by far the worst, sharing Stalin’s historical top spot.
Nothing of this humanitarian magnitude since 1945 has occurred in Europe except, perhaps, the draconian relocation of millions of German speakers from Sudetenland and parts of Poland to a devastated Germany. Even then, there was no bombing or shelling and the Allies and international relief groups sought to ameliorate some of the personal hardships.
Not so with Putin, who seemed nonplused, so far, as he kills thousands of civilians, destroys urban centers, and constricts the evacuation of women and children. This. Indeed may be his Gotterdammerung.
Putin can not believe his ridiculous pronouncements that a ‘special military operation’ is simply moving against neo-Nazis and other low lifes in Ukraine. He has escalated to a brutal campaign of destruction that could require a decade-long reconstruction program.
In the interim, what possibilities are there for massive humanitarian relief? Would Putin ever allow the United Nations, the Red Cross, the World Central Kitchen, and others NGOs to initiate a gigantic Berlin-Airlift-operation to save millions from starvation? [Stalin deliberately starved to death 3-6 million Ukrainians in the early 1930s, as he confiscated their grain to pay for machinery for his Five Year Industrial Plan.]
I was nonplussed by your use of 'nonplussed' until I looked up the definition(s). Numbers 1 & 3 fit my understanding of the meaning but, then... there's definition #2.
Nonplussed, adjective
1. Bewildered; unsure how to respond or act.
2. Unfazed, unaffected, or unimpressed.
3. Filled with bewilderment.
Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
Now are you plussed?😀
You and others may be amused by this article. https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/nonplussed
In a major tangent, I spotted this link at the bottom of the above page. https://www.merriam-webster.com/time-traveler/
Convicted staffer of Rand Paul - part of Putin wing of GOP?
News that the Kentucky retirement system was the 2nd largest shareholder in a Russian bank shouldn't surprise you either. The Courier -Journal was reporting the minor percentage of funds still remaining in Russian financial assets. Oh boy....
Holy Schitt.
Correction: misleading information on significance of holdings: "Ky. teacher pension program responds to false Russian investment claims – 89.3 WFPL News Louisville" https://wfpl.org/ky-teacher-pension-program-responds-to-false-russian-investment-claims/
It would be wonderful if you could start including in your discussions of the Russian invasion the names of the generals directing the fight, the ones taking the fight to the civilian population of Ukraine. IMHO - they need to be made visible to the world at large. Putin, certainly a villain, is no alone.
Let's see & hear the Biden administration get out in front of Republican propaganda in the same way. It's not that difficult to see Republican false flags and attacks coming before they are launched. Nor to do the same with FOX. We could have predicted how Republicans would use, abuse and acuse using covid19. Spread the disease via misinformation, like Russians bomb Ukraine, and blame Democrats for not doing enough. The script for every bad actor is the same.
Jennifer Rubin of the WaPo does a great job describing how the GOP is reacting to the war, and of course, blaming Biden whenever they can. (This is a gifted article.) https://wapo.st/3tykFik
Sure wish the NYT would create compact 'gift' links instead of the long paragraph of gobbledegook.
Yet, then you wouldn't get to use gobbledegook, Judith!
David, great idea. And it would not take the CIA to forecast the talking points. Every morning I hear the talking points from Trumpist family members and neighbors. There is already a huge civilian corps that can tell the Pres and Dems what is coming just based on this grassroots intel.
Great idea but would the intelligence guys be involved?