Ukraine, Russia and the World
If it were not for the doddering old fool in the
White House and his clueless, ”woke” advisors, Ukraine would be in the EU and in
NATO, and we would not be seeing the first major land war in Europe since World
War II.
We would also be seeing an economically stable
law-abiding U.S. with a viable southern border, but that’s another story. Suffice it to say, this is what we get when
we are convinced by a corrupt and dishonest news media and their big tech accomplices,
to vote against someone’s personality, rather than acknowledging the stability of
the country. Some wise observer said,
“this is what you get when you elect a president by mail order”.
Contrast the idiot in the White House with a real
leader, President Zelensky of Ukraine.
When the U.S. offered to evacuate him, he replied, “I don’t need a
ride. I need more ammo”. You have to love the guy.
We need to pray for the innocent and hapless
civilians of warring countries, whose politicians led them there. Upwards of one million people are fleeing
Ukraine, mostly into southeastern Poland, from where my mother and paternal
grandfather emigrated in the early 20th century. I should have numerous relatives there, but I
don’t know any of them. I trust that these
relatives are among those offering help and succor to the Ukrainian
refugees. Polish TV shows people wearing
the blue and yellow flag of Ukraine and a lot of support of Ukraine and
condemnation of Putin.
When I was in Russia in September of 2017, Putin
had an approval rating of 80%. This
coincides with Russian polling that shows that he has averaged 79% approval for
the past 20 years. Russian polls also
show that Putin’s approval increased from 61% to 69% when he invaded
Ukraine. The 61% was because of Russia’s
poor economy, the effects of Covid and other economic factors. Experts feel that Putin’s approval will
decrease as Russia gets dragged into a Ukrainian guerilla war, which seems
increasingly likely
It seems that the Ukrainians take their heritage
seriously. Many Ukrainians are descended
from Scythians, and then Cossacks, both fierce fighters tracking back to
Genghis Khan and the Mongols. They are
led by Zelensky, who is Jewish, and apparently cut from the same cloth as Moshe
Dayan and other members of the fighting Israeli Haganah.
The heritage and resolve of the Ukrainians were
apparently overlooked by Putin, that maven of KGB intelligence. He also seems to have forgotten the million
or so Ukrainians who occupied Maidan Square in Kyiv in 2013-14, and effected
the overthrow of the pro-Russian Ukrainian president Yanukovych and his exile
to Russia.
One would have also thought that Putin would have
taken a lesson from the Soviets’ ill-fated invasion of Afghanistan in 1979-89,
where the Russians also fought an opponent fighting on their home turf.
Putin apparently looked at Ukraine president
Zelensky, whose background was an actor and comedian, at weak-kneed, senile old
buffoon, Joe Biden, and at new German SDU Chancellor Scholz, and expected easy
pickings. A four-pronged attack seemed a
bit of overkill and signaled a logistical challenge, but I guess that Putin
wanted to show off his newly reorganized, modern, military.
Realistically, if Russia chose to consolidate
their hold on Donetsk and Luhansk in the Donbas region, and perhaps a stronger
hold on Crimea, they would have already achieved these goals. Attacking and taking on the whole of the second
largest country in Europe in area (after themselves), with a population of some
45 million people, seems to be a bit excessive, and that is proving to be the
case.
More to the point is the strategic importance of
Ukraine as the southern buffer for Russia against the west. Finland serves this purpose in the North and
Belorussia in the center. A pro-Russian,
non-NATO Ukraine is needed by Putin in the southern part of Russia. To be noted is that Estonia and Latvia have
direct borders with Russia proper, and Lithuania borders Kaliningrad, the
little piece of Russia on the Baltic Sea.
When I was in the Baltics in 2017, all three countries expressed fear
even back then, and even though they are members of the EU and NATO, that Putin
would make a move to reabsorb them back into Russia.
Historical reasons for Putin’s designs on Ukraine
are that Ukraine is really Russian.
Kievan Rus, in ancient Ukraine was the seminal foundation of the Russian
nation. (Also Belarus and Ukraine). The
Ukrainian SSR was a founding republic of the Soviet Union. Perhaps more than other ex-Soviet republics,
Ukraine was “Sovietized” by Stalin by expatriating large numbers of ethnic
Russians to Ukraine.
To Putin’s consternation, as expressed by his recent
nuclear posturing and threats, Putin finds himself increasingly bogged down in
Ukraine, and an international pariah in the world. Sanctions against Putin and Russia have
proven to be much more than the usual empty verbosity. Cancelation of the Nord Stream 2 Pipeline by
Germany, exclusion of Russian banks from the SWIFT clearance system and other
real financial punishments by the EU (read Germany), the U.S., and others, are
having a real, not only a verbal impact on Russia.
Western Ukraine, and in fact, most of the country
except the far eastern part, has expressed time and again that it is European,
and wishes to be part of Europe.
Zelensky, right now, during cease-fire talks, is entreating for Ukraine
to join the European Union.
It really is time for the world to “put their
money where their mouths are” NATO or no NATO, to supply Zelensky with all “ammo”
he needs to repulse the Russian aggression.
Wearing symbolic blue and yellow Ukrainian flag paraphernalia is
fine. Stinger and Javelin missiles and other
military equipment is better. Let’s help
free Ukraine and make them part of Europe and the west, where they want to be,
and should be.
Ray Gruszecki
February 28, 2022
