Ahead of a New Russian Offensive in Ukraine
A Brief Summary of the War and Where It Is Going
As the balloon distraction and hysteria winds down, the corporate media has still refused to cover the Biden administration’s bombing of the Nord Stream pipelines, which is an act of war against NATO-ally Germany and enemy Russia. Tensions with China, over the balloon’s encroachment of American territory, seem to be simmering down to some extent, and the EPA’s cover up of the East Palestine, Ohio train derailment and toxic chemical release by BlackRock/Vanguard-connected Norfolk Southern smells a bit fishy (pun intended). On Monday, President Joe Biden made a surprise visit to his de facto ally Volodymyr Zelensky to assure him that more economic sanctions against Russia were in the works and that increased weapons and supplies were on the way. This comes just before the first anniversary of Vladimir Putin’s invasion, and the anniversary of the February 21st recognition of the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics is upon us. Will these anniversaries spark a renewed escalation in the conflict, as some experts predict? We will find out by Friday.
This war began in 2014 when the Obama administration (thank you, Victoria Nuland) assisted in the overthrow of the democratically-elected government under Viktor Yanukovych, who was forced to flee Kiev when protesters took control of the city and pressured lawmakers to vote him out of office (in a false impeachment, which did not meet the requirements under Ukrainian law or involve an actual trial). During the chaos, Russian troops seized Crimea, and after the Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts declared independence from Ukraine, the new government, under Petro Poroshenko, decided to launch an Abraham Lincoln-style campaign to force the breakaway regions back under its unitary state. Ukrainian nationalist and fascist militias, such as the Azov Battalion, were integrated into the Ukrainian National Guard, and they wreaked havoc and committed acts of terror against the Russian-speaking populations in the east (the Right Sector also had influence within the Ukrainian political scene). The people of Donetsk and Luhansk largely just wanted to be left alone, but Poroshenko’s and Zelensky’s governments would not honor the principles set forth by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence.
The Minsk Agreements, which included a compromise to allow for federal-like autonomy of the two oblasts, failed to accomplish anything of merit (Ukraine and the West were never really interested in granting Donetsk or Luhansk self-rule status), and the conflict continued as a proxy war between the Western-supplied government in Kiev and the Russian-backed oblasts in the Donbass. The fighting began to intensify ahead of Russia’s overt invasion of Ukraine on February 24th, 2022, and there was evidence that the Ukrainian government was about to launch a major offensive to finally end the rebellion (or, at least that is the point of view of Russia and the people of the Donbass). Once Russian troops crossed that line, Western weapons, equipment, and money started pouring into the coffers of Zelensky, who quickly became a fan of conscription, censorship, and disinformation, to the tune of tens of billions of dollars (aid had been in place prior to this but to a lesser extent). Ironically (or perhaps not so much), the Western sanctions meant to harm Russia backfired and caused economic and financial difficulties for the citizens of the United States and Europe, while Russia’s economy has remained largely unaffected. Finally, after several months (and really years), a German official admitted that NATO is at war with Russia (it is not simply a proxy war).
Even though Russia is “losing” on the battlefield (as has been pounded into our heads by the corporate media), most analysts now believe that the Donetsk Oblast city of Bakhmut will end up succumbing to the Russians, and there is renewed fear of a spring offensive that will see Russia gaining territory that it had been losing over the fall and winter. If Russia is losing so badly, why is there such anxiety of a new Russian offensive and a push for pumping in new weapons, vehicles (like tanks and fighter jets), and money into Ukraine? I thought Ukraine was good enough as is to keep Russia at bay. Perhaps the inconsistency in the reporting means that there is more going on than what we are being shown (like perhaps Russia is not as weak as is portrayed, and this is really a corporate welfare project for the military-industrial complex).
Despite what President Biden suggested, he was, indeed, battling with Vladimir Putin in rhetorical speeches, using language such as, “unwavering” support, “Kyiv stands strong,” and American assistance would be for “as long as it takes.” Of course, in addition to military aid, the United States will be offering things to Ukraine that it will not even provide to Americans, like food, water, medicine, schools, hospitals, and pensions (if Ukraine is going to be receiving welfare checks from American taxpayers, perhaps the Ukrainians should start paying taxes to their Uncle Sam to help fund some of it, just like we have to do). Regardless, Biden’s speech in Warsaw, Poland was a copycat event of Putin’s speech that called out the West for trying to destroy Russia (from actions taken, this is a reasonable conclusion). After which, Biden said (predictably) that he was not seeking the annihilation of Russia. Yet, the economic sanctions, the destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines and other infrastructure, and the continued unconditional flow of weapons and money into Ukraine would suggest otherwise.
If Biden intends to support Ukraine forever or until Kiev is able to win the war, he is ultimately committing American troops to die on behalf of Zelensky’s corrupt and authoritarian regime. At a certain point, Russia, which has been patient and limited in response to infrastructure destructions of Russian property and American weapons and intelligence being used against Russian soldiers, will eventually ramp up its actions; and direct war between the United States and Russia will erupt. In fact, Russia has issued a warning to the United States to withdraw its weapons and soldiers from Ukraine and halt intelligence sharing with that country, but do we expect any type of diplomacy from Washington? Putin, in his speech, declared that Russia will suspend the New START (a nuclear-arms-control treaty), thus prohibiting inspectors from gaining access to Russian nuclear facilities during the remainder of the war. This opens the door to the possibility of a nuclear exchange. The only way out of this is a peace deal (a neutral compromise that can appeal to both sides), but Biden and Zelensky do not seem interested in this arrangement (they clearly want the war to rage on).
In a statement this week, Zelensky advised that World War III would occur if China aligns itself with Russia in this conflict, and this comes after China announced that it might start sending weapons to its ally for the invasion effort. China has been growing closer to Russia for the last several years, so it is no surprise that Beijing helped stabilize the Russian economy through oil purchases, as well as potentially shared intelligence with the Wagner Group and supplied nonlethal aid. Although Iran has already armed Russia with drones, Secretary of State Antony Blinken is threatening China with consequences if it sends weapons to Putin’s troops. Of course, the United States and its puppet NATO allies are allowed to supply weapons to any country or group that they please, but if an enemy of the United States assists another enemy, it will cause a world war (almost literally).
Hypocrisy is nothing new in American foreign policy, but Russia and China refused to condemn or take action against North Korea for launching a Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile in response to American-South Korean exercises in the region (the UN Security Council needed an unanimous vote). It is becoming increasingly clear that the axis powers of China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea are on the verge of clashing with the allied powers of the United States, the European Union (largely through NATO), Saudi Arabia, Israel, Japan, South Korea, and Australia (India, Pakistan, Turkey, Brazil, and Argentina might be wild cards). Cold War II; which has included the expansion of NATO since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the arms races between the United States and Russia and China, cyberwarfare and spying campaigns and engagements online and in space, and militarization and patrols of the South China Sea by the China and the United States; seems to be fading away into World War III. The previous idea of “mutually assured destruction” was never a plausible theory, just like the “war to end all wars” never prevented World War II. If we do not demand that the major players in global politics take the diplomatic route, the conclusion of the World War trilogy is just in its initial stages.
Thank you for reading, and please check out my book, The Global Bully, and website.