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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