we can civilly disagree. I honestly don’t care had the Russians taken over Ukraine. Well not that I don’t care, just that dead American marines and soldiers to stop russia from taking over Ukraine is a hard pass for me. Another hard pass for America “leading” by sending our kids to fight and die in these wars and our billions/ trillions to be siphoned off for other purposes other than it’s original misguided intent. This latest boondoggle to send an amount equal to the Russian defense budget for a year for this war, with no oversight. 3rd hard pass. Does it suck for Ukraine? Yes. Am I ok sending my neighbors kid to die for Ukraine. Hell no
We can indeed disagree with civility. Unlike what can be the norm in Too Hot, my intent in arguing (at least on this issue ) is not to mock an opposing view but genuinely to persuade. And I can understand the points you made if the war in Ukraine was in a vacuum with no additional consequences for the world. But I think Russia is not done, and neither is China. We have an opportunity now to facilitate Russia’s defeat before the war goes global, before the food and fuel crises go catastrophic, and without putting troops on the ground. But, yes, there would be some risks. In my estimation, the risk of not acting decisively now is greater.
Ukraine Has Received 10% of Arms Requested: Defense Ministry Ukraine has received just 10 percent of the weapons it requested from the West to help fight off the Russian offensive, the deputy defense minister said Tuesday. “From what we said we need, we got about 10 percent,” Anna Malyar said in televised remarks, saying the West should speed up its delivery schedule. “No matter how hard Ukraine tries, no matter how professional our army is, without the help of Western partners we will not be able to win this war.” There should be “a clear timeframe” for such deliveries as every delay cost Ukraine dearly and risked more territory falling into Russian hands. “We need to know clear deadlines because every day there’s a delay, we’re talking about the lives of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians,” she said.
Had Russia rolled over Ukraine I would be more inclined to agree with you. But after getting beat-up pretty well by the pee-wee, I'm not sure they are going to be itching to take on the Champs anytime soon.
this is my take as well. The Russians have exposed themselves as woefully unprepared to take on any adversary with air power. The ONLY reason the Russians are slowly taking territory is the shift to long range artillery. That would not be a threat Vs US or western forces and those exposed pieces would be taken off the battlefield in short order. You could make a legit argument that Russians are far less of a threat now than before they invaded Ukraine and certainly not worthy of American lives.
sorry to hear that IceQueen. You hadn’t posted for awhile so wondered if you were ok. I’m sure that makes work difficult if you stare at a monitor for hours. I hope you continue to recover and take care.
Well, as I said, not as you would mean it. In fairness, our country is not even going “all out” in the informational aspect of our support, and that is the softest of soft power. Never mind in terms of military pressure (which does not even necessarily mean, as I’ve pointed out, putting steel on Russian foreheads).
Sorry to hear about your health issues @icequeen_ and I hope you get well soon. I believe I can say that you are a beloved one of the community regardless of politics and we are all hoping and praying for a speedy recovery.
A couple weeks old, but don't think it was posted here. Ukraine removed its top human rights official, stating that her descriptions are too graphic and that the accounts are unverifiable. Human rights groups charge that the removal was politically motivated, with opposition group alleging that it stems from her claim that the anti-oligarchg law is unconstitutional. Why Ukraine's human rights chief Lyudmila Denisova was dismissed | DW | 03.06.2022 "He also accuses her of having focused too much on media work, and on describing sexually motivated crimes in gratuitous detail as well as the raping of children in occupied territories. However, some of these accounts, he said, had not been verified, which had harmed Ukraine's reputation and distracted media attention from other, proven crimes and problems." ... Many Ukrainian journalists and human rights activists were outraged when they read Denisova's detailed descriptions on her Facebook account. "Sexually motivated crimes during wartime are a tragedy, but they should not be the subject of a kind of 'chronicle of scandal'," an open letter penned by 140 activists, media professionals, lawyers, psycologists and other public figures stated. ... Politicized office? Many signatories of the letter nevertheless take issue with Denisova's sudden dismissal. "We as human rights activists doubt [Denisova's] competence and independence," says Tetiana Pechonchyk, who heads Kyiv's human rights organization ZMINA. "Four years ago, we protested against the politicization of her nomination; but what is happening now is totally arbitrary and damages the office of Ukraine's human rights chief." The Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) and its European partners have also spoken up. A letter penned by them to parliamentary speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warns her dismissal could "severely disrupt the important work that needs to be done in these times of conflict." The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine says Denisova's removal "violates international standards."
From the Russian perspective, the operations in Donesk region is not a battle of territory. It is a battle of how fast the Russians can destroy the Ukrainian army using artillery.
Get well Ice Queen - You have been my "Go-To" for the Ukranian conflict. Thank you for those efforts and your other great posts on many topics!
Eva Bartlett writes about 3 weeks she spent in Donetsk in 2019. Snipers using American guns hide around every corner to shoot innocent children and adults. They shell schools while children are in class. Under Zelensky it became worse, every day. 10/16/2019, "Under Fire from Ukraine and Misperceived by the West, The People of the DPR Share Their Stories," Eva Bartlett, Mint Press News
Do you think Neville Chamberlain thought his actions would prevent WW2? Do you wish he were here to manage this situation?
Two American fighters have been captured by the Russians and are currently awaiting their death sentence. Execution-Happy Russia Snatches American Fighters in Ukraine