Stop feeding the Dragon; Putin is not invincible
My input into this piece is that Putin claiming Ukraine is on par with Italy going to the UN to reclaim the Empire of Trajan
Now for the great work done by Alexandra Chalupa
Stop Feeding the Dragon; Putin Is Not Invincible?
Here is an inconvenient truth for the Kremlin that is supported by history and what some western officials still need to understand:?
There is no “off ramp” for Putin. His time is coming to an end.
The good news:
1. Courage Wins, Cowardice Kills?
Ukraine has risen as the world’s beacon of hope, showing that you must stand your ground when defending against Putin.?
Putin and western leaders made a routine mistake that they failed to learn from in 2004 or 2013-2014, leading up to Putin’s war escalation 19 days ago - they always underestimate the unbreakable spirit of Ukrainians. This time, they not only underestimated the Ukrainian people but Ukraine’s president and Ukraine’s battle-tested military, one of the most strategic and strongest forces in the world after dealing with 8 years of Putin’s war.?
Imagine if President Zelenskyy had listened to the horrific advice from the U.S. to flee Kyiv before the escalation began? That would have handed Putin a victory and crushed morale. Sure, it would have allowed the West to continue enjoying Putin’s blood money and sacrificed a few other non-NATO states, but forget about ever having a safe election again in a western country and other certain hybrid warfare retaliation that would inevitably follow from the emboldened terrorist occupying the Kremlin as he paraded such victories.?
Instead, Zelenskyy held his ground and is the model of courage, a war-time commander who fearlessly and elegantly leads while packing a strong punch - he stands his ground, doesn’t flinch, and refuses to back down. As a result of the courage of Ukrainians and their leader, they have inspired thousands of the most seasoned and skilled military veterans from around the world to join Ukraine’s Foreign Legion - more than 3,000 Americans signed up within days of the invitation to join Ukrainians protecting their land and the free world from Putin. Many have told journalists they’re finally proud to serve in a war that matters and makes a difference for humanity.?
What kind of message do American Members of Congress send Ukraine when they advocate for Putin to save face and have an off ramp? A devastating one no better than their colleagues - past or present - who promote Kremlin wartime disinformation against Ukraine. Don’t try to sell that as diplomacy and put a bow on it - it’s 100% cowardice, and wrong.
2. Putin’s Corruption Cost Him the War
The most corrupt dictators who rule through terrorizing their loyal inner circle of enablers, learn truth the hard way.?Putin has spent more than two decades building a criminal regime so corrupt and that operated off of pumping fear, including murdering powerful figures once loyal to him, that he did not seem to realize he was set up to lose the war against Ukraine that a month ago he was confident he could win within 72 hours.?
Russian defense industry oligarchs and FSB (the successor of the KGB) tried to warn him not to go to war. They used a variety of excuses why it was not a good idea, including how it would result in sanctions that would tank Russia’s economy, which is true. But they also hid something - there were so many Putin-loyal Russian government officials?stealing from the coffers, including using war fuel reserves for yachts that cost $1.5 million to refuel, hiding money in off shore accounts, etc., that they failed to update their military equipment or properly train their forces. There was no strategy put in places to wage a longer term war. Russian tanks and vehicles ran out of fuel, weak Russian soldiers surrendered in great numbers; and almost as many Russian deaths have been recorded in less than three weeks as were lost by the Soviets over a ten year period in Afghanistan leading up to the collapse of the Soviet Union.?
In fact, the head of Ukraine’s Prevention Corruption agency sent a “thank you” letter to the Russian Defense Minister for being so corrupt that it had weakened Putin’s ability to properly wage war on Ukraine, and included receipts of photos showing equipment in very poor condition. Instead of a thoughtful war strategy that can win, his is massive destruction and brutal killings of civilians - to shock, scare, and cause damage until he gets his way and to coverup up for his regime’s lethal failures and military weakness.?A bull can cause a lot of damage in a china shop but that doesn’t mean it’s going to come out alive. He knows this - it’s why he trusts no one, and keeps firing and imprisoning those he should be depending on at this time. He won’t even sit close to his closest advisors. That’s how scared he is of being killed.
3. A Successful War Abroad Needs Unity at Home.?
Putin is waging two wars at once - at home and abroad, a recipe for disaster. Russia is growing increasingly fractured by the minute. The economy is spiraling, the world has turned against it, the Ruble is worthless and the Russians refuse to open their stock exchange because it will crash.?
Censorship is at an all time high - Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook have been shut down, independent media censored, and protestors beaten and arrested. Even some state sponsored propagandists have turned on Putin on live television. There are unprecedented international efforts spamming Russian emails and phones with truth about his war, including heartbreaking images. Many Russian soldiers have illustrated they will gladly accept Ukraine’s financial bribes to surrender themselves and Russia’s military equipment, including tanks being hauled away by farmers.?
Every day, more and more Russians are feeling the pain of Putin’s illegal war. His propaganda is no match for their pain, the most clear proof of truth.?They no longer have access to some of their favorite western luxuries and are isolated, and their money is worthless; their freedom is non existent.?
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He has desperately tried to scare conscripts into serving in his disastrous war, including lying about birds from the U.S. and Ukraine attacking Russia with biological warfare. Even this didn’t work, forcing him to try to get foreign militants to help him. The ones sent from the Wagner group to assassinate Zelensky were killed, the Belarusians are doing damage by launching missiles at Ukraine but opposition against Putin’s puppet regime in Belarus is also growing increasingly stronger. He’s now trying to get 16,000 Syrians to fight in Ukraine and without basic familiarity about the country, culture, or language? That is going to be an explosive disaster that will lead to almost all of them slaughtered.?
What idiotic move did he make today? He asked China for help. China would gladly help taking Siberia off Russia’s hands and will play this opportunity to its advantage with the West, as it’s done in the past, but Xi sees the mess Putin is in and has no incentive to bail him out at great personal risk and as Putin worsens a food crisis by trying to destroy the breadbasket of Europe, as Ukraine is one of China’s top trading partners helping its 1.4 billion population address food security. Also, Mr. Imperial Russia, sure looks like a fool begging and pleading with China for help and asking it to be a criminal accomplice in his war crimes, and shows he’s willing to turn Russia into a vassal state like when Moscow first became relevant and rose to power as the tax extortionist for the Golden Horde. Ivan the Great must be turning in his grave, and powerful Russian nationalist must want Putin six feet under for this stunt that will backfire.?
4. Nuclear Terrorism Is Preventible?
Americans have a Cold War psyche that shuts down reasoning abilities when nuclear weapons are mentioned and Putin knows this and plays it to his advantage while putting the world at greater nuclear peril.?
First, as US intelligence agencies know, Putin no longer has access to nuclear codes - he’s been dealing with a coup as has been clear by all the Russian generals and intelligence officers imprisoned or fired and as he hides from one bunker to another and keeps a very long table distance from even his once most trusted cabinet members. He has as much power to launch nuclear warheads as Trump or Nixon did when they ordered them and were stopped by the Joint Chiefs.?
Putin does have the power to launch missiles and will continue doing so and with Ukraine’s skies remaining unprotected because Western leaders play into Putin’s strategy (as they have over too many years, especially in the U.S. since we lost John McCain), what Putin can do is cause a nuclear catastrophe by attacking one of four Ukrainian nuclear power plants and that would impact all of Europe and Russia and reach most parts of the world. We’ve already seen too close for comfort examples this past week. Do we want to leave Ukraine’s sky unprotected until he gets so angry about losing against Ukraine that he launches missiles at nuclear plants? Because that’s where this is heading if we don’t listen to the one world leader who is actually on the front lines protecting the free world from Putin and continues to please for resources to protect Ukrainian skies. Instead, we have idiotic statements coming out of the White House that translate to the Kremlin that it can do whatever it wants to Ukraine but NATO will be protected. This is what happens when Presidents are surrounded by Putin appeasers or people who don’t know how to communicate during war time.?
For those American leaders still clueless and who don’t understand that we are very much involved in this war and that our country’s future depends on its outcome, and that an off ramp will cause even more destruction and devastation later, it’s time to look for a new profession, one that doesn’t require a background in history and is less intellectually challenging.
The bigger issue we face is that those who want to desperately help Putin save face and provide him an off ramp, at what price are they willing to pay? Are they okay with him taking over Chernobyl and threatening nuclear terrorism every time he gets his way and at great cost of life to all who live in Europe and Russia? Because that’s what Ukraine is on the frontlines protecting us from.
Putin is 100% transactional and embolden through diplomacy, so which other countries will he be allowed to invade and take over since we know the more he’s appeased, the more aggressive and emboldened he grows? How many more people will he be given permission to slaughter outside of Ukrainians? Will these same American appeasers continue to offer him an off ramp for the devastation he’s caused in the United States through his American political hybrid warfare proxies, including those who tried to cause civil war and led an insurrection and fueled a terrorist attack on the nation’s Capitol? Should Donald J. Trump be provided an off ramp for his crimes too in case Putin threatens nuclear war and wants him to run for president again? Or will American leaders addicted to failed policies of appeasement wake up and either show a fraction of the courage President Zelensky continues to demonstrate or at least stay out of his way and stop helping Putin in the name of off ramp “diplomacy” with someone who has consistently proven he sees it as a green light to grow more aggressive??
Claims by Democratic Congresswoman Jackie Speier that Putin needs an “off ramp” makes as much sense as Italy having a busy day at the UN trying to reclaim its ancient territory.?
Putin’s regime will be tried at The Hague, but there is only one way to end this illegal war and genocide - Russians must take him out the Russian way.?
Anonymous issued the following message to Russians today:
“You are trapped behind an iron curtain of propaganda, with your government trying to keep you in the dark about the international deal, out of fear of what you might find out. Vladimir Putin’s regime is committing war crimes with its recent invasion of Ukraine, which has caused a huge refugee crisis and countless deaths. It is a terrible situation you have been placed in, but your only chance to prevent impending economic collapse and a potential world war is to act to resist the war and Putin’s regime. Putin has exposed the population to a sacrifice. At this point, the most peaceful way in which this conflict can end is for the people of Russia to rise up against Putin and remove him from power.”
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Alexandra Chalupa
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