Post by jdv on Sept 9, 2022 12:38:20 GMT -5
THE UKRAINIAN military, bolstered by hundreds of millions of dollars worth of money & military aid from the USA has, against all expectations, kept Russia from taking over their country.
Now while the unquestioned support of Ukraine has always been a bit bizarre given their anti-democracy stance (their President long ago banned oppositional political parties), as well as their undeniable love of the old Nazi regime (several active units still wearing "SS" pins and the like), the pathetic "I stand with Ukraine!!!!!" flags have largely vanished from people's tweets and sigs, a sure sign that interest in the war as faded.
Yet the war rages on with the latest news today being that the Ukraine army retook the northeastern city of Balakliya on Tuesday, and may perhaps be preparing for a mini fall counter-offensive.
There's little real journalism coming from the region and when it does, it's immediately quashed if it's negative (like Amnesty International reporting that yes, the Ukrainian army was hiding in civilian neighborhoods to avoid be shelled by the Russians), there can be no doubt that things haven't gone as expected.
Of course, the Russians have never been particularly great on offense - when they finally rolled back Germany invaders it was only after massive loss in life & materials; when they were finally effective, it was because their army was (rightfully) fueled by an intense rage, a desire to strike back at Germany for all the pain it had inflicted, not because of any tactical genius. And even then, with the entire world against Germany, the Russians were still stymied at several points.
In any event, it's now crystal clear that the modern version of Russia's army has none of that same desire for war & revenge - they know they're the aggressors; they know the war is based on a whim of Putin and not by any legit reason.
While one can question the reasonableness of sending hundreds of billions of aid to a country that refused to join NATO while our own borders & big cities look increasingly like war zones themselves, there's little doubt that the Ukrainians, if nothing else, are tough.
But as the Russian gas & oil pipelines stay dry with winter fast approaching, I'm guessing there won't be too many people in France, Germany, and England wearing those Ukraine pins.
Which might be what old Vlad is counting on - Europe will be far more likely to forgive and forget Russia after 10,000 people have frozen to death.