Putin beats a hasty retreat after gas threats

March 30, 2022 (Updated April 1, 2022) Remember when a week ago the Kremlin threatened that all gas payments from "unfriendly countries" would have to be made in roubles? The fifth columnists in the West immediately picked up the wailing about how this is going to hurt us and how we have to tread very …

Negotiations and Performance Theater

Published on March 30, 2022 Another round of talks has been completed, this time in Turkey, and nothing much came of it. The Ukrainians said there was progress because the Russians progressed from delivering ultimatums outright to first pretending to listen and then delivering ultimatums. The Russians say no agreement is in sight although at …

War Update: Ukraine Destroys 4th Tank Division

March 29, 2022 Since Putin is such a history buff, I hope he enjoys that Poltava will no longer be remembered as a great Russian victory, but for the ignominious defeat of the vaunted 4th tank division -- the best equipped and prepared in the army -- by the Ukrainians. The Ukrainians have been fighting …

Putin and the Generals

In one of my previous posts, I noted that a recent briefing by the Russian Defense Ministry seems to indicate a shift in war aims: from regime change in Ukraine and indirect control of the entire country to occupation of Eastern Ukraine under the pretext of defending the newly minted "people's republics" there. I see …

The free press is failing the free world. Again.

There you have it: our pathetic, idiotic, navel-gazing, headline-chasing, click-bait obsessing, and borderline traitorous free press has done it again. Biden delivers the speech of the decade, and these cretins fall over themselves to deny its very essence (with hints about Biden's "senility"). "For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power!" Unscripted, heart-felt, and …

What’s happening with Russia’s war aims?

Presser by Russian Ministry of Defense. Relevant part is spin by Rudskoy (deputy chief of general staff). I will summarize his statement in all its Orwellian glory. Here's the video. Russia was forced into this war by continuing genocide in Eastern Ukraine. (Reality: on average 25 civilians killed per year during the last 3 years …

The Coming Destruction of Russia

It seems a bit odd to be writing this while 90% of Russian military capability is untouched, when they are digging in around Kyiv, when Kharkiv is still pounded hourly, and when Russian missiles have struck even distant Lviv. When 70% (or so the official sources claim) or Russians support Putin, and by extension, the …

Progress & Danger in Ukraine

Remember the prophetic words of retired Col. General Ivashov in his open letter as the Chair of the All-Russian Officers' Assembly? I didn't so it's worth re-reading. Cassandra, if there ever was one. Meanwhile, the war is going from bad to worse for Russia. Today, they claimed that the first phase of the special operation …

Russian General Leaves on Warship

Поехал с русским кораблем. Today, the Ukrainians said that they have killed the Russian general Yakov Rezantsev, the commander of the 49th army, and the architect of the barbarism in Mariupol. (If you are wondering what the sentence above means, it is "he went with the Russian ship", a reference to the famous Ukrainian retort …

Why Ukraine Was “Abandoned” on February 23

In a previous post, I explained why Putin was undeterrable and I talked a bit about resolve, and its dynamic nature. It seems worth elaborating a bit on this, especially for people interested in International Relations (IR) as practitioners, academics, or non-specialists. My goal is to establish a bit of theoretical grounding that might help …