RUNNING UPDATES ON THE CONFLICT IN UKRAINE - 15.01.2024
Including geopolitical issues affecting the balance of power in the ongoing end game war to establish our common future, a closely monitored prison planet or tolerance for diverse modes of governance.
THE ROAD TO THE ULTIMATE CONCLUSION OF WORLD WAR III RUNS THROUGH HERE.
*** RUSSIA DAILY GROWS IN POWER - KIEV REGIME BECOMING WEAKER ***
“Ukraine. What is the truth...?
Why won’t western media tell both sides…?”
VIRTUALLY UNREPORTED ATROCITY IN LUGANSK, 2nd JUNE 2014
A lot has been said about atrocities in the western media claimed to have been perpetrated by the Russians, for example at Bucha and Mariupol among others. These assertions are conveyed on the say so of the Ukrainian authorities. How willing though are western news broadcasters to convey atrocities attributed to the Ukrainians? The following will I think provide the answer.
If anyone wonders if they are receiving accurate coverage of the conflict in Ukraine I would suggest watching the video below of an event which occurred on the 2nd of June 2014 and ask themselves if they recall hearing about it on any mainstream media news channel at the time.
The video is harrowing to watch. The bodies (five women and three men) are real. Yet across western media there was only one single news report that occurred a day later. This was from CNN and occurred only because a CNN team happened to be nearby at the time of the atrocity and so the network could hardly ignore it as all others so obviously did.
The video below shows the unvarnished truth that was not considered newsworthy in western mainstream news.
THE SINGLE WESTERN MSM REPORT ON THE LUGANSK ATROCITY, 3rd JUNE 2014
The video at the CNN link below is the crime scene sanitised by CNN, though played straight with honest reporting on the scene not playing things to Kiev’s tune.
(There was a time early in the war in the Donbass when CNN were not afraid to contradict the Ukrainian regime in Kiev.) Watch, because it's the first and last time you will see this.
5 women and 3 men died, all civilians.
Air attack on pro-Russian separatists in Luhansk kills 8, stuns residents.
COLLECTIVE WEST-UKRAINE <-> RUSSIA
Death of Gonzalo Lira, Crumbling Ukrainian Air Defenses, Growing Russian Military Capabilities.
US Journalist Gonzalo Lira Murdered by Ukraine.
Gonzalo Lira in memoriam.
Death of US Journo Lira Means Biden Jeopardizes American Lives From Ukraine to Mideast.
American journalist Gonzalo Lira's death in Ukrainian custody has indicated US citizens are in danger under the Biden administration, Wall Street analyst Charles Ortel told Sputnik.
The US State Department has confirmed the death of American citizen Gonzalo Lira, who was arrested and allegedly tortured in Ukraine.
His father, Gonzalo Lira, Sr. appeared on ex-Fox News host Tucker Carlson show on December 10 saying that his son had been detained and tortured by Ukrainian authorities since July for criticism of the Volodymyr Zelensky regime's policies.
Initially, Lira, who was residing in Kharkov at the time, inexplicably vanished on April 15, 2022. Several days later, the journalist revealed that he had been arrested and intimidated by the infamous Ukrainian Security Service (SBU).
Prior to his second arrest by the SBU Lira appeared on Twitter claiming that the US State Department was well aware of his situation but had not lifted a finger to protect him. Lira added that the second arrest in Ukraine could lead to his death. "Don't be indifferent to my fate," he implored.
"Lira’s tragic death is a chilling reminder that Biden and Democrats are killing Democracy inside and outside America right now, while gaslighting that Donald Trump may do so starting 20 January 2025," Wall Street analyst and investigative journalist Charles Ortel told Sputnik.
"Watching Zelensky suspend elections, jail his political opponents, suppress religion and now allegedly torture and then cause an American journalist to rot and die in prison for questioning Biden/Nuland war policies, one has to know that America’s foreign policies are wholly inconsistent with our founders’ ideals and, arguably in the case of Ukraine especially, impeachable offenses," the investigative journalist continued.
Ortel pointed out that Lira’s father "gave an eloquent plea" on Tucker Carlson’s new show to protect Gonzalo. Per him, the Biden administration set a dangerous precedent for neglecting Lira's case.
"Lira’s death is another in a long, continuing list of stains that Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and Antony Blinken have cast on America’s once honorable belief in the freedom of expression," the Wall Street analyst stressed.
Why Attack on Yemen Puts More American Lives in Danger
Still, what's happened to Lira is part to a broader trend, which is bigger than failing to protect an American citizen and journalist. According to Ortel, Team Biden's foreign policies have brought Americans in jeopardy not only in Ukraine, where hundreds of American volunteers have died in Washington's proxy war, but elsewhere in the world.
The most recent attacks by the US and the UK on Houthis in Yemen are fraught with a risk of a wider conflict where American blood could be spilled.
"Even Democrats are objecting to the headlong rush into widening war that Biden and Harris now prosecute even as Secretary of Defense Austin remains in limbo," Ortel said.
"Remember that Democrats castigated Saudi Arabia in the Trump era for waging war against Houthi rebels. Then, early in the Biden/Harris “Administration.” Houthi rebels were downgraded as a terror threat. Now, their tactics pose grave threats to shipping but remain quite difficult to stop without triggering ever wider war in the Middle East as well as blowback terror responses in America and in the United Kingdom which so far are the main actors dropping ordnance in Yemen."
Judging from latest polls American voters have grown skeptical about funneling billions of dollars in military aid into Ukrainian and Middle Eastern conflicts.
Per Ortel, "the mass of America’s electorate certainly does not support a policy of perpetual war". However, the US gargantuan military industrial complex is clearly benefitting from Team Biden's bellicosity and is a "potent force supporting politicians in both parties who condone and/or instigate conflicts and flashpoints around the world."
"In 2024, all Americans are much more vulnerable to looming dangers under feeble Biden and unhinged Harris than we were under the first Trump Administration," Ortel warned.
Biden's Disastrous Foreign Policy Record
One needs to remember that Joe Biden’s record on foreign policy was disastrous prior to 2021 and has been even worse since then, according to Ortel.
"Under President Biden, America’s rivals and enemies do not fear us and our allies, rightly, may not trust or respect us," he said. "In the power vacuum created by Biden’s shameful blunders, dangers loom large that will harm Americans of all political persuasions if voters and Democrats continue to let Biden and Harris have free reign conducting military operations and foreign policy."
Per the Wall Street analyst, one has to wonder whether the Biden-Harris Administration may be instigating wider war to distract from their horrible domestic policies that are crippling the US economy, surging inflation and fomenting racial divisions.
Death of US Journo Lira Means Biden Jeopardizes American Lives From Ukraine to Mideast.
ALEXANDER MERCOURIS: Rus Missiles Hit Kharkov, Kremlin Denies Ukr Claims A-50 IL22 Downed, Zelensky Plan Fails Davos.
ALEX CHRISTOFOROU: Germany, path to conflict with Russia. NATO needs Ukraine. Elensky to Davos. Biden upset with Bibi.
RAY MCGOVERN: Putin's Strategy in Ukraine and Taiwan.
Swiss Foreign Minister Urges Russia's Participation in Discussions of Ukraine Settlement.
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis on Sunday urged Russia's participation in conferences on the Ukraine settlement, saying that it was impossible to achieve peace in the region without negotiating its conditions with Moscow.
"We're not going to have a peace conference without Russia, this is not possible. However, we need to see how and when we can get Russia on board," Cassis said at the fourth meeting of national security advisers on Ukraine's "peace formula" in the Swiss city of Davos.
Representatives from 83 countries, including BRICS nations such as India, Brazil and Saudi Arabia, are participating in the discussions in Davos, he added.
Meanwhile, China is skipping the conference, the top Swiss diplomat said, stressing, however, the need to get the country engaged in the negotiations. Beijing can play a crucial role in the peace talks, given its close ties with Moscow, Cassis explained.
Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Russian and Ukrainian delegations have engaged in several rounds of peace talks since then, but the negotiations have ultimately reached an impasse. In October 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree stating that Kiev could not hold peace talks as long as Vladimir Putin was president of Russia.
In November 2022, Zelenskyy unveiled his 10-point peace initiative dubbed "peace formula." It included an all-for-all prisoner swap with Russia, security guarantees for Ukraine and a return to the pre-2014 borders. Moscow has continuously said it was open to peace negotiations as long as Kiev recognizes the territorial gains Russian forces have made since the launch of the special military operation.
Swiss Foreign Minister Urges Russia's Participation in Discussions of Ukraine Settlement.
Collective west fantasy world and its constant failure to assess Russia accurately.
Battlefield Ukraine - Update, Red Sea Crisis, Maldives vs India, Russian uranium in the USA, Davos...
Russia Destroyed NATO Underground Facilities In Kyiv and Two Ukrainian Factories.
In November 2023 alone, US bought more barrels than all other countries combined.
Ukraine admits to 'extremely difficult' F-16 challenges.
Kiev will struggle to operate both US-made and Soviet-era warplanes, an Air Force spokesman has admitted.
Ukraine will encounter difficulties maintaining the US-made F-16 fighter jets scheduled to arrive in the country later this year, a spokesman for the Air Force has acknowledged.
Speaking on national TV on Saturday, Yury Ignat said he was sure that Kiev would eventually switch from Soviet-era jets to Western warplanes, including F-16s and also the Swedish-made Gripen. Stockholm earlier said deliveries were possible, but that it would first have to be accepted into NATO.
However, according to the official, until the Ukrainian military transitions to new aircraft, it will face serious infrastructure challenges as it tries to maintain several types of jet simultaneously – even though infrastructure for NATO aircraft is relatively standardized.
“Different countries have one, or at most two types of planes. As of today, we have four types of Soviet-era planes. We want to take on the Western F-16s and more… It will be extremely difficult to maintain and operate different types of aircraft,” Ignat said.
Western countries announced the creation of a coalition to help Ukraine procure F-16 fighter jets and train its pilots to fly the advanced warplanes last year, with Kiev officials expecting the first deliveries in 2024. The Netherlands and Denmark have spearheaded the effort, promising to donate up to 61 planes of this type.
However, the Danish newspaper Berlingske reported earlier this month that the delivery of F-16s by Copenhagen would be delayed by up to six months. At the time, Ignat cautioned against making a “disaster” out of the report, urging the public to rely on official statements.
Russia, which has repeatedly condemned Western arms shipments to Ukraine, has warned that aircraft deliveries will not help Kiev drastically change the situation on the frontline, while vowing to destroy F-16s along with other foreign-supplied equipment.
In July, however, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called the upcoming deliveries a “dangerous development,” recalling that some modifications of the F-16 can carry nuclear weapons.
Ukraine admits to 'extremely difficult' F-16 challenges.
Ukrainian Commander’s Big Revelation Amid Russia War; ‘Most Soldiers Much Older…’ | Watch:
BILL O’REILLY: Israel, Ukraine, Biden/Trump, and America’s Decline.
Ukrainian army mostly ‘very old men’ – commander.
The average age of the soldiers is over 40, a senior military official says.
The average age of soldiers in the Ukrainian army is over 40 years old, Aleksey Tarasenko, commander of Kiev's 5th Assault Brigade, has claimed, adding that the military is in dire need of younger recruits.
Speaking to Espresso TV on Sunday, Tarasenko said it is “outlandish and perplexing” to hear that some people doubt the need for another mobilization.
“The military is eagerly awaiting fresh reinforcements because the situation in many units is critical in terms of personnel,” he explained. “Even those who do come often leave much to be desired. Mostly, these are men of a much older age with a multitude of problems that typically arise.”
The military desperately needs “young men” because those who joined the army at the very beginning of the conflict are mostly “gone,” he said, adding that the average age of the soldiers is over 40.
Tarasenko’s remarks came after the parliament asked the government for additional revisions of a much-debated bill that would lower the maximum draft age from 27 to 25, limit deferrals, and increase penalties for draft dodgers. Critics say the bill contains provisions that violate the constitution and pave the way for corruption.
Last month, President Vladimir Zelensky revealed that the army had requested the mobilization of between 450,000 and 500,000 people. Valery Zaluzhny, Ukraine’s top general, however, denied that the military asked for a specific number of new fighters.
Nevertheless, the situation prompted the authorities to consider options for replenishing battlefield losses, including the introduction of electronic call-up papers, and to explore the conscription of women.
The governor of Nikolaev Region, Valery Kim, warned at the time that conscripting half a million people “is not enough” and Ukraine needs to enlist at least 2 million.
Ukraine does not reveal its casualty numbers. According to Russia’s estimates, around 400,000 Ukrainian troops have been killed or wounded during the conflict, including 125,000 over the course of Kiev’s failed counteroffensive between early June and late November.
Ukrainian army mostly ‘very old men’ – commander.
Russian Artillery Raids enemy base - Huge Tank Explosion.
Russian Ministry of Defense showed a close-up of one and a half ton New Bunker Buster Guided Bomb.
Russia deploys 460 2S7 Pion and Tyulpan self-propelled guns in Ukraine.
Боец СВО ( Ответ западу ) 18 + Ненорм. лексика.
COLLECTIVE WEST <-> GLOBAL MAJORITY
MENU: Ruled by monsters.
Global rallies held in support of Palestinians.
China SAVES Argentina With Trade Lifeline As Historic Currency Collapse Worsens.
India's Neighbour Backs Gaza Genocide Case At ICJ; Colombia Wants Nobel Prize For S. Africa's Team.
French Soldier And History.
ISRAEL <-> PALESTINE-IRAN-SYRIA-IRAQ-LEBANON-YEMEN
PROFESSOR JOHN J MEARSHEIMER: Israel's Unsuccessful Legal Assertions at the International Court of Justice.
ALASTAIR CROOKE (EX UK AMBASSADOR): US Lured Into Battlescape in Gaza, Yemen and now Iraq.
RAY MCGOVERN (EX-CIA): Is CIA infiltrating & undermining the ICJ with anti-war "lawfare"?
COLONEL DOUGLAS MACGREGOR: Is Biden Starting a Regional War in The Middle East?
GEORGE GALLOWAY: INTERVIEW: Our man in the Hague.
US Destroyer attacked by Houthi anti-ship Cruise Missile in the Red Sea. US scrambles fighter jets.
DANNY HAIPHONG: Yemen just SHOCKED the World as US-UK Red Sea Military Operation FAILS Miserably.
The U.S. is Starting Another War to Distract from Landmark Case Against Israel.
The UK and US Attacks Yemen.
US, UK airstrikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen: Pro-Palestinian protesters rally at Cyprus airbase.
Palestinian Journalist CALLS OUT State Dept. Over Israeli WAR CRIMES.
British surgeon discredits Israeli claims it safeguards Gaza hospitals.
U.S. Navy Commandos 'Lost' Hunting Yemen-bound Iranian Weapons Near Houthi Territory | Report:
"Food Insecurity Left By Israel In Gaza Will Impact Generations For Decades To Come" | Dawar Butt.
Abu Obaida Says 'Crying' Israeli Soldiers Seen In Gaza As IDF Death Toll Rises; Slams Its Arms Claim.
Houthi Missiles Target U.S. Warship; Abu Obaida Warns West & Israel; Israeli President Heckled.
LARRY JOHNSON (EX-CIA): Strategic Conundrum: The United States' Positioning in the Red Sea.
RAY MCGOVERN (EX-CIA): Is CIA infiltrating & undermining the ICJ with anti-war "lawfare"?
BILL O’REILLY: Israel, Ukraine, Biden/Trump, and America’s Decline.
USA
Trump Gets MAJOR Win As Nikki Haley Gets Dragged by media.
EUROPE
Germany Descends into Economic & Political Chaos.
NON-ENGLISH NEWS
Rientro a Donetsk.
LIU SIVAYA: DIRECTO EXPERIMENTAL: probemos cosas nuevas.
MAPPING CHANNELS
SnowStorm | The West Gathers Forces | Iranian-Russian Defense Alliance | Military Summary 2024.01.15
The Russians Lost 2 Reconnaissance Planes Over The Sea Of Azov. Military Summary For 2024.01.15
[ Ukraine SITREP ] Day 689-690: RUSSIAN ZAPORIZHZHIA OFFENSIVE. RUSSIAN SIVERSK OFFENSIVE.
Krynki Difficulties | Ukraine Losing Its Dnieper Bridgehead.
Battlefield Ukraine Hammer of War.
VICTORY BELONGS TO RUSSIA: IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME
Each day that passes makes a conclusive Russian victory in the Donbass and beyond more certain. As Russia bolsters her forces, and weaponry, those of Ukraine decrease. Russian forces gain ready access to rest and recuperation as troop numbers increase. The increasingly exhausted and demoralised Ukrainian troops have an ever decreasing prospect of such respite. This situation is likely to bring them to complete breakdown as Russia unleashes the firepower of the more modern and advanced weaponry that is arriving with the newly mobilised Russian troops.
The various Ukrainian offensives are now weak when confronted by the reinforced Russian lines. A few futile efforts achieve quite miserable results before fire reigns down on the Ukrainian troops and they are forced back to their starting positions.
And now, all this being said, we have arrived at the wet, and later, freezing conditions where these pathetic Ukrainian forces will be subject to myriad forms of abject misery with death and injury all around them while they lie sodden or frozen, abandoned to their fate by Kiev.
The pitiable young and old of Ukraine have been frogmarched to their deaths as cannon-fodder while the bestial elites of the collective West urge their "president" to add more to their number there at the gates of Hell and their doom. We must feel for the majority of them as they are not the Nazis we revile, in most part they are decent men, fathers, sons, brothers, husband and uncles, who no doubt saw through the coup of 2014 for what it was. But sadly, their fate seems sealed.
Nothing will stop Russia now. Every factor favours them. Victory will be Russia's. In Donbass and beyond and in due course across the world.
Victory belongs to Russia: It is now only a matter of time.
UPDATES TO BE ADDED HERE AS AND WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS.
UPDATES TO BE ADDED HERE AS AND WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS.
UKRAINE INCREASINGLY RISKS COMPLETELY DISAPPEARING AS A VIABLE STATE
Ukraine is running out of time. Regimes since 2014 have put its entire existence at risk along with their western sponsors. They have together run the risk of Ukraine disappearing entirely from the world map.
Even before the start of the Ukrainian regime’s doomed offensive the losses in manpower and machines have been enormous. As Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission blurted out some twelve months or so ago, at the very least 100,000 Ukrainian troops had already died. In fact that figure, when including the severely wounded, is more likely to be more like 200,000 or above. In addition, almost every military vehicle of importance that Ukraine had prior to February 24th 2022 has been destroyed and those western weapons supplied are less reliable by far for the conditions on the battlefield or in terms of air defence.
After some five days of Ukraine’s offensive against Russian lines upwards of 5,000 Ukrainian troops had either died or been seriously wounded. In addition, hundreds of military vehicles, including many of the most recent additions to Ukraine’s armoury from western nations had been destroyed. Russia completely overpowered a Ukrainian army that is now mostly composed of forced conscripts and reservists. It is estimated that at least 125,000 Ukrainian troops either died or were severely wounded during the failed offensive.
The Ukrainians being sent now as cannon fodder to the front lines and made to face Russian lines are barely trained at all. The professional forces that Russia faced in the initial stages have been taken off the battlefield, killed or wounded. By comparison, Russia’s troops are highly trained, even the 300,000 extra troops that were ushered into the active forces had previously served and were given many months of refresher training to prepare them for this fight. It appears around 1,500 Russians are volunteering for military training each and every day now. Meanwhile in Ukraine men have to be dragged forcibly off the street for a week or two’s training before being sent to die on the front lines. The average time given to these raw recruits is four hours. *This estimate was given by a Ukrainian officer at the front.)
Russia is steadily grinding down the new, poorly trained Ukrainian conscripts along with the few remaining foreign volunteers and sheepdipped NATO troops that remain, frostbitten and exhausted who face them now. Young and old Ukrainians, mobilised by force and barely given two week’s training are largely innocent victims of the western powers who continue to push for some kind of “success” story no matter the cost in human lives or misery.
There was never truly any hope for the hapless Ukrainian caught up as pawns in the western game against Russia. Never any real hope for anything even remotely resembling a victory over Russia. This was a goal and cause that was hopeless from the start due to the vast differences in the resources each side could bring to bear.
Russia, in addition to all of the above has a powerful array of new weapons which can be used to devastating effect. Hypersonic missiles, glide bombs and a diverse range of drones that are being made ever more powerful and whose range is being worked on constantly and increased. Russia is applying ever more recently developed weapons as the conflict goes on, the most recent being a remotely operated mine laying device. This appears currently to be a chief cause of major destruction being inflicted upon Ukrainian military vehicles of all kinds.
The energy production capacity of Ukraine along with its air defence system are nearing total degradation and once complete Russia looks very likely to use its now 700,000-strong army to sweep all before it in some form of upcoming winter offensive.
The Ukrainian air defence system, apart from around Kiev, appears to have been rendered almost useless giving Russia virtual freedom of the skies. Even around Kiev Russia has degraded the air defence system, in recent times taking out at least two hyper-expensive Patriot systems.
You have to wonder what the Ukrainians are banking on right now. They can keep throwing men forward, mostly at this point barely trained for a month, usually less. Men up to the age of 70. Women too no doubt. And what will they achieve exactly? They might hold back the highly trained Russian military with its far superior artillery power and now extensive experience for a limited period. But that Russian military is firing between six and ten times as many shells on any given day in, day out basis, decimating Ukrainian troop numbers. Meanwhile the Ukrainian military is reduced to relying on FPV drones as their artillery shell supply has all but dried up.
Russia may soon mount her own offensive, no one knows Russian plans. Or, Russia may simply continue to grind down the Ukrainian army, moving forward incrementally before grinding down the next line of resistance, on and on..
So, what exactly can be achieved by Ukraine in these circumstances?
With the supply of money, machines and ammunition from the USA drying up and highly doubtful from this point on Ukraine will have to rely on handouts and supplies from the UK and EU. These nations have done what they could in the past to the best of their ability, however, their stockpiles are now largely empty and the resistance to endlessly supplying Ukraine is growing. Both Hungary and Slovakia now favour negotiations to end the conflict rather than endlessly fuelling it.
No matter which supposed 'game-changer' weapon was given to the Ukrainians the Russian military has still relentlessly ground on and we can be assured it will continue to grind on. This is because Russia HAS to do so... because its very sovereignty and security is at stake.
Barack Obama said years ago that Russia had, “escalatory dominance” and this is even more true today with the expanded military and enhanced weaponry she now has. Russia has an enormous capacity to wage war. Its industry is now even more geared up to destroy Ukraine than at any previous time. Russia is not going to lose this conflict. It cannot afford to and it has all the capacity it needs to win. Sooner or later Ukraine will crack.
Delay in negotiating a settlement by the Kiev regime will have the following consequences:
Even more Ukrainians will die.
Even more Ukrainian territory will be lost.
There is a third to add to these two. Ukraine is likely to be parcelled up into pieces, one protectorate taken by Poland, another by Hungary and a third by Romania. This would mean not only the virtual end of Ukraine as a viable nation but perhaps the removal of its name completely from the map of the world.
These are the realities. It seems the only reason they cannot be faced by those pushing for ever more war is that they cannot face the political humiliation of defeat. But that humiliation is coming... no matter what they do.
There is simply no way Russia will give up on the task of taking all the villages, towns and cities within the Donbass region. Too much hinges on this. During the battle for Bakhmut Ukrainian hospitals were receiving on average 150 casualties per day with amputations commonplace. Across the battlefield it has been estimated that Ukraine is losing between 500 and 1000 troops per day. This is not sustainable.
Russia is pounding Ukrainian defence positions to dust, mostly from a distance. It suits the Russian military high command to do so as the object is to eliminate as much of the Ukrainian military as possible, to put them into one "meat grinder"after another. The primary object overall is to eliminate as much of the enemy as possible, not necessarily to take territory.
Ukraine stands no chance of retaining anywhere much in the days and weeks ahead. Another 380,000 Russian troops have arrived in the rear with the very latest modern weaponry at their disposal. Russia is readying its military for the final period of fighting that will progressively hit Ukrainian positions, logistic centres, repair shops, warehouses, arms dumps and as can be seen in recent weeks, air defence, mercenary barracks, and (NATO) command centres.
There is no possible way Ukraine can do anything significant in response against the now expanded Russian forces... especially as its western sponsors are running extremely low on weapons and munitions. The fact that Russia has moved into economic growth while the western nations attacking it are increasingly going into recession is yet another factor spelling defeat for both the Kiev regime and its sponsors. Now, with a new hotspot having opened up in the Red Sea due to Houthi attacks on shipping heading to Israel the price of oil is moving steadily upward. This will mean even more cash for Russian state coffers.
Russia tried to find a peaceful way by which the mixed marriage Russian-Ukrainian population of eastern Ukraine could retain their language, pro-Russian culture and allegiances in the face of the president and government they by majority had elected being ousted by means of an insurrection. The people in that region of Ukraine had expected that change would come through the democratic process, not through a rioting mob. Nevertheless, Putin worked tirelessly for the best part of a decade to keep the Donbass region within Ukraine while seeking autonomy for it.
The events which took place on Maidan Square in Kiev shocked and horrified everyone in eastern Ukraine. They knew with confidence what was to come. They knew for instance that those who had taken power were those who had failed to secure their positions by democratic means. They knew also that their language, allegiances, pro-Russian culture and indeed their lives were at threat and that henceforth they and their children down the generations would never again experience the ability to reliably cast their vote and have the government they favoured be elected to power.
Thus Russia, finally, after seeking peace for all the years previously, was finally driven to take its current action, now approaching its second year. No one should be in any doubt that Russia will bring about the resolution of all issues it sought to solve for almost a decade previously. The determination to do this is overwhelmingly strong as the knowledge of how disastrous any other outcome would be for Russia drives them on. And drives them on with complete confidence in the ultimate outcome.
The best way forward now would be for both the Ukrainian regime and its western backers to cut their losses and resign themselves to the fact that Russia has won. They need to acknowledge this fact and begin negotiations that provide Russia with everything it asked for before this all began, something that the West precipitated by refusing to acknowledge that both Russia and the Russian-speaking people of the Donbass had every right to the same level of security that NATO was created to provide the nations of the collective west.
If the above is not embarked upon very soon by western leaders in recognition of the facts and inevitable outcome described then Ukraine may very well sink from history as a nation by disappearing completely as a viable state.
