An Observer at A Black Sea Town … with highlighting imposed by The Editor, Thuppahi
I thought Ukraine was doing well – so says Peter Jennings writing in The Australian yesterday. Jennings claimed Putin was “fighting for his survival” and talked about Zelensky’s “astonishing fighting spirit”; that Putin has been defeated in every war aim; that Ukraine will never come under Russian control; and that Putin’s “strategic leadership has been stunningly incompetent”. Yes, Ukraine has held up well.
But Jennings forgot to mention the only reason Ukraine is still in the game is became the US have bankrolled the war to the tune of over $120 billion, while EU countries have provided a further $120 billion in military assistance – in total, over $200 billion worth of weapons and military assistance going from the West to Ukraine. By comparison, Russia’s military budget is around $66 billion a year, a shoestring budget in comparison to the military budget of the US.
Jennings has no understanding of Russia’s strategic, tactical and operational objectives in this war, because viewed in these terms, we can see Russia is achieving its goals. If he was correct in his assessment, then why is Russia advancing on four fronts in the east of Ukraine? Why has Ukraine failed to break through Russian defensive lines? Why has Ukraine lost over 290 tanks, 18,000 soldiers and roughly 7,000 armoured vehicles? If Ukraine has an “astonishing fighting spirit”, as Jennings claims, then why is Ukraine suddenly “war-weary and begging for more help from the West? $220 billion dollars of weapons pumped into Ukraine and they are still begging for more help.
So, here is an appeal to all your guys in the West. Don’t forget to pay your taxes this year cause Zelensky is depending on it – so too is Russia.
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NOTE:
Peter Jennings in The Australian, …. 13 July 2023, https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/with-eye-on-beijing-its-urgent-we-step-up-support-for-kyiv/news-story/46fbb2147acd7b7fb7d10b3ce57ac1b1
Penny Wong & Richard Marles watch Australian Def-Force troops train Ukrainian recruits —Pix by Jacquelin Marnay
I totally Agree with you. Ukraine is doing well because of the support from the US and EU. Putin is adversely affected by the war in Ukraine. There is no doubt about that. He is hoping for help from China, but China is more concerned with foreign trade.
I wouldn’t characterize the Ukrainian’s loss of close to 500,000 men as “doing well”. It’s all over bar the shouting. Ukraine has lost this war and will be forced to concede territory back to it’s Russian overlords. The Americans started this through the Maidan uprising and a manufactured coup in 2014. Putin is finishing it in 2023/24. I would stress that Russia hasn’t as yet gone into “war” mode. If that was the case Zelensky would be dead and Kiev would be a pile of rubble. Putin’s generals have created an impregnable defence line along a 1,000 kilometre line of contact. The much anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive curated by NATO has failed miserably. Zelensky will be forced into an unconditional surrender. Western media live in hope, false hope.