My Polish wife and I own an apartment in Krakow that I have not seen for three years. We plan to be there from June 9 through July 29, partly so she can do volunteer work helping the refugees, as so many of our friends in that city are doing. When I wake in the middle of the night, which happens regularly these days, it occurs to me that Putin could be feeling quite desperate by then.
The more desperate Putin gets, the scarier this gets. No one will be surprised if he does a colossally horrific thing next. Give the Ukrainians all they need to deal with him.
A very good overview of the situation. I think Putin has boxed himself in. His ego wouldn't allow him to withdraw at this point som he has to achieve some sort of victory. The pressure f the big WW!!victory over the Nazi's celebration on May 9 is a big factor too. Meanwhile, as has been pointed out the killing, the torture of innocent civilians goes on. A hard to read article "Thank You For Not Killing Us" in the NY Times details some of this in just one town: Here is a snippet: "....Village women had begged Russian commanders for permission to evacuate, and the Russians seemed to agree. So on March 12, a group of older men, women and children piled into 14 cars and slowly began to drive to what they thought would be safety.
“All of us had white flags and we had permission,” said Valriy Tymchuk, a shopkeeper, who drove a minibus in the convoy.
But then Russian armored personnel carriers swiveled their turrets toward them, villagers said. A shell ripped into the first car. And then another. And then another.
The convoy turned into a fireball.
Tymchuk said he saw a family of four, including a young child, trapped in their car and engulfed in flames. Many of the singed cars are still on the road. The charred bones of that child are still in back seat, Tymchuk said. What appeared to be pieces of bone were scattered among the blackened metal and heaps of ash.
Next to the cars lay two dead dogs, their fur singed.
Tymchuk barely escaped after his minibus was hit and shrapnel sliced into his face.
He shook his head when asked why he thought the Russians did this.
The level of atrocity is unconscionable. This brutality is, apparently, normal for the Russian military going back all the way to World War II. Ukrainians used to think of Russia as their sister country: close neighbors and friends. Goodbye to that. Now Ukraine is shunning and spurning Russia and its language.
So true, Andrew, no words can possibly express the sadness for the people in Ukraine and the tremendous suffering both mental and physical because of one one who apparently has no soul. This is that entire article by the way: . https://www.yahoo.com/news/thank-not-killing-us-143015338.html
First, welcome back. You two make the worst job on the planet look less horrific. Putin is scary because he's always been scary. He does kill at will, anyone, his own included. His cruelty and brutality are now exposed to all but whoever only has access to one media outlet, his. There is proof from a Russian soldier's phone call to his wife that the Russians bombed the Russian village on the Ukraine border. On purpose. Then of course they blame the Ukrainians for it. Ukraine also has access to a very powerful facial recognition they're using to identify dead Russians left behind on the ground. I'm not sure it's such a good idea because it could backfire, but they then send these images to the mothers, wives and families. I'm sure after they've seen what the Russians have done to their friends and families, there's a satisfaction to this. Most people I know believe Putin will do some horrendous nuclear thing. The worse his position, the louder and more threatening he becomes in word and deed. My prayer is we're sending Ukraine all they need to defeat him beyond his ability to continue to control the message "back home." His poll numbers have gone up dramatically. Give Ukraine the weapons and enough they can wrap this up. And yes, the Russian soldiers are afraid of their own.
How do you deal with a saber-rattling, increasingly desperate madman who is losing face and losing in battle? I believe you have to do it with strength, unity, and resolve.
Make it clear that any escalation will be meet with proportional retaliation. He can't be allowed to use a "tactical" nuke without getting punched in the face. It's the only thing that's ever worked with bullies. Take out a Russian military base with the same size nuke. Then negotiate.
You wrote: "He can't be allowed to use a "tactical" nuke without getting punched in the face."
With our "eyes in the sky" I would imagine we know exactly where his bunker is located. I can't think of a better face to punch than the one in that hideout.
Putin is a bully and it’s passed time he should be strung up by his own people—short of starting a nuclear war, it is the only way Russia can “save face” and back off: Scapegoat Putin.
Let it be a lesson to the Trumpanzee DEPLORABLES, if they are able to extrapolate that far while beating their bibles and rallying around confederate flags.
Thanks for all your effort. Best i can do is give money, which i have to the Rotary Foundation. And, I installed outside my house a garbage can festoomed with posters of pootin's face and labelled POO TIN, so all my neighborhood dog walkers have a place to deposit thoer shit bags. I'ld attach a photo if i could.
I am praying fof the demise of Putin and his allies before he gets to pushing that red button to release nuclear weaponry. It is obvious his soldiers who kill and rape innocent children have no heart. Their souls were never in their systems. A wonderful scenario would be if Putin is captured or killed, Koch industries would be dead pressed on pulling out of Russia and Trump and his ilk would receive a blowing dagger to their racing spree of demolishing democracy. I agree with Ellen Massey that the intelligence community know where Putin is hiding underground. They can target him and scare the crap outta him by playing their own Russian Roulette. It should be done sooner than later!
When I read this: "Dmitry Medvedev...posted...: “If Sweden and Finland join NATO, the length of the alliance’s land borders with the Russian Federation will more than double...will have to be strengthened. Russia will seriously strengthen the grouping of land forces and air defense, deploy significant naval forces in the waters of the Gulf of Finland...” - I couldn't help but think that Putin as a child probably never read "The Three Little Pigs."
Perhaps Dmitry should be looking for new spin material, as these homes of bricks in Ukraine, Sweden and Finland are no doubt preparing for the big bad wolf to fall down their chimneys. Certainly, they shouldn't fear any sitting target vessels in their waters.
Yes, he has suffered losses because of his hubris and the incompetence of his intelligence and military. PLUS the fighting spirit and capabilities of the Ukrainians. But, now we are in a new phase. The one where the not quite caged rat has figured out what he has been doing so far is not working.
My fear is his decision to withdraw the majority of his forces to the East means he plans a major campaign of scorched earth there. HIs supply lines will be shortened. He can resupply and refuel; from bases inside Russia and, yes, he will use terror tactics to punish any Ukrainian citizen who resists including mass killing and rape of women and children. This rat is not going to go away without exacting a lot more revenge .
So, here are some questions I would like answered or at least addressed by someone like Lucien who has the contacts, knowledge and insight on the subject.
1. What will be NATO's response if he, indeed, resorts to use of a tactical nuclear weapon? Ukraine gave up its nukes a dozen years ago with the promise from Russia and the West said surrender would be accompanied by assurances of security.
2. In any offensive /action in the East how can the Ukrainians compensate for major Russian control of the air space over the battlefield. So long as Russia controls the air their tactical fighters can operate with impunity against the Ukrainians on the ground. Stingers can only do so much.
3. What will we and NATO do if Putin decides to strike supply bases in NATO nations which are the logistic resources Ukraine needs to sustain resistance?
Putin has already started a “scorched earth” policy. His bullying has resulted in threat against Norway and Sweden—he isn’t so stupid to open two frontlines. Bullies have to be collared like the rabid animals they are. This is what happens when limits aren’t placed upon bullies at the start: They escalate their threats.
“Bullies have to be collared like the rabid animals they are. This is what happens when limits aren’t placed upon bullies at the start: They escalate their threats.”
There are lots of articles around now about what the Ukrainians have, what Russia weaponry was built by them and so on and so forth. Very interesting stuff. They made the stuff work better and they've been busy learning how to fight since 2014. Good thing.
These are chilling. You can see the thing spurting along looking for just the right spot to decimate the tank. If those guys can see that from inside, that must be the most terrifying thing ever. Very interesting.
The interesting threat to the U.S. who announces loudly what it's sending, which must be scary to Putin because his threats go up to everyone. It's worked for a long time. The world went and sat back in their assigned seats every time Putin threatened and here we are today. What are we to make when the Russian Embassy in Washington doesn't understand quite the threat "unexpected consequences," for disobeying or annoying Putin. It would be nice to see Trump, who in the last couple of days complimented Putin again, and Putin go hand in hand off into the great sunset soon, together again.
i'm concerned that with russian retreat from the Kyiv area, that leaves the main target open to devastating attack whether it be carpeting with massive munitions, or nuclear bombs.
President Zelenskyy would be prudent to take caution for continuity of his government and safety of his people.
There's so much to worry about our "David" against this malicious, murderous, toxic Goliath. I believe Putin will do anything, the worse the more appealing to him.
Putin has shown himself to be incapable of seeing where all of this is going. It's like we're rewitnessing Adolf Hitler shrieking at his generals as the Allies closed in on him. I see the same dynamic happening all over again.
That little démarche that Putin lodged with the State Department is a tell, like a spoiled brat threatening everyone around him if he doesn't get his way. He's threatening 'consequences' to the United States (oooh, we're supposed to be SO scared!) that he won't identify because he can't pull it off. Al least he cannot be sure his henchmen will follow through on.
Detonating a nuclear weapon is an act of war against the world. He has to know that. Once that happens, he's done. His own people will kill him.
I concur with your assessment, Lucian. Putin will be bloodied again but when that happens, and he still presses on with his destroy-Ukraine-at-all-costs campaign, he's only got one more card to play: tactical/battlefield nuclear weapons. Let's not deny the fact that it's becoming more likely he'll use them. What then? Does the West/NATO finally step in and say "enough"? If so, how would that be done so Putin stops his terror campaign? Sanctions hurt but they don't seem to be doing much to stop Putin. Frankly, I'd like to see some "direct action" by some of NATO's top-flight Special Operators. Plausible denial of these ops by NATO would drive Putin absolutely nuts and possibly get some of his "inner circle" to finally toss his ass into Lefortovo.
I have no doubt that our spooks and the SAS are on the ground. Maybe some in Russia and Belarus.
So far they seem quite effective in helping triangulate the eradication of Russian generals. I hope this continues. However the sad fact is the leaderless conscripts are murderers and simply an armed force of chaos matches their Air Force and navies high skills at murdering civilians and total incompetence facing opposing armed forces.
It is bad news for Putin because any conflict with NATO means nukes on day three. So he can escalate and cut and run.
The world hasn’t come to grips with that unthinkable strategy yet.
Unfortunately the civilized world is not going to believe it until it happens. The Saudi Prince of course probably feels safe so nuclear exchange is all right with him,while shoveling money to the trump clan do they can dig deeper bomb shelters.
What I notice about spin and disinformation in this case: the Russian version never lied. Fire broke out on board ship. The fire spread to ammunition, which caused more damage as the ammo exploded. Everyone had to be evacuated. Cause of the fire being investigated.
Well, the fire was caused by two Ukrainian cruise missiles. Chances are they were targeting the ammunition storage on the ship, but even if they weren’t, the explosion hit the ammo depot anyway. Probably the only lie is that they are investigating. Probably nothing to investigate, or at least only a cursory investigation, into what happened on board the Moskva. The big investigation likely is turning out to be, “How the hell did Ukraine acquire (or put into service operational) cruise missiles, how many more do they have, where are they situated, and what is their range and their capabilities.”
Any half-baked story to hide the fact that Ukraine scored a big hit on a major vessel.
I’m surprised they even bothered to report the damage to the ship. They could’ve just tried to cover up the whole thing. In war, countries do that all the time, and Ukraine is probably doing it as well.
The steely inhumanity of this culture’s leadership is unparalleled. Leaving dead soldiers behind. Bringing mobile crematorium to the Ukraine to cremate Russian soldiers to hide their numbers. NKVD units, during the past, behind military battles to prevent their soldiers from retreating. Is it any wonder they have a morale problem? Their military is operated like a torture chamber. Lenin. Stalin. Now Putin, just the latest in a line of brutal cold-hearted thugs. This country is a horror show.
My Polish wife and I own an apartment in Krakow that I have not seen for three years. We plan to be there from June 9 through July 29, partly so she can do volunteer work helping the refugees, as so many of our friends in that city are doing. When I wake in the middle of the night, which happens regularly these days, it occurs to me that Putin could be feeling quite desperate by then.
The more desperate Putin gets, the scarier this gets. No one will be surprised if he does a colossally horrific thing next. Give the Ukrainians all they need to deal with him.
It's scary indeed, but all I have to do is think "What if 45 were still president?" and I start breathing normally again.
A very good overview of the situation. I think Putin has boxed himself in. His ego wouldn't allow him to withdraw at this point som he has to achieve some sort of victory. The pressure f the big WW!!victory over the Nazi's celebration on May 9 is a big factor too. Meanwhile, as has been pointed out the killing, the torture of innocent civilians goes on. A hard to read article "Thank You For Not Killing Us" in the NY Times details some of this in just one town: Here is a snippet: "....Village women had begged Russian commanders for permission to evacuate, and the Russians seemed to agree. So on March 12, a group of older men, women and children piled into 14 cars and slowly began to drive to what they thought would be safety.
“All of us had white flags and we had permission,” said Valriy Tymchuk, a shopkeeper, who drove a minibus in the convoy.
But then Russian armored personnel carriers swiveled their turrets toward them, villagers said. A shell ripped into the first car. And then another. And then another.
The convoy turned into a fireball.
Tymchuk said he saw a family of four, including a young child, trapped in their car and engulfed in flames. Many of the singed cars are still on the road. The charred bones of that child are still in back seat, Tymchuk said. What appeared to be pieces of bone were scattered among the blackened metal and heaps of ash.
Next to the cars lay two dead dogs, their fur singed.
Tymchuk barely escaped after his minibus was hit and shrapnel sliced into his face.
He shook his head when asked why he thought the Russians did this.
“They are zombies,” he said....."
This…tore into my heart. 🥹😢🤬
The level of atrocity is unconscionable. This brutality is, apparently, normal for the Russian military going back all the way to World War II. Ukrainians used to think of Russia as their sister country: close neighbors and friends. Goodbye to that. Now Ukraine is shunning and spurning Russia and its language.
Unfortunately I can't find the sad emoji button,just wanted to thank you for sharing that info fromnthe New York Times article.
So true, Andrew, no words can possibly express the sadness for the people in Ukraine and the tremendous suffering both mental and physical because of one one who apparently has no soul. This is that entire article by the way: . https://www.yahoo.com/news/thank-not-killing-us-143015338.html
First, welcome back. You two make the worst job on the planet look less horrific. Putin is scary because he's always been scary. He does kill at will, anyone, his own included. His cruelty and brutality are now exposed to all but whoever only has access to one media outlet, his. There is proof from a Russian soldier's phone call to his wife that the Russians bombed the Russian village on the Ukraine border. On purpose. Then of course they blame the Ukrainians for it. Ukraine also has access to a very powerful facial recognition they're using to identify dead Russians left behind on the ground. I'm not sure it's such a good idea because it could backfire, but they then send these images to the mothers, wives and families. I'm sure after they've seen what the Russians have done to their friends and families, there's a satisfaction to this. Most people I know believe Putin will do some horrendous nuclear thing. The worse his position, the louder and more threatening he becomes in word and deed. My prayer is we're sending Ukraine all they need to defeat him beyond his ability to continue to control the message "back home." His poll numbers have gone up dramatically. Give Ukraine the weapons and enough they can wrap this up. And yes, the Russian soldiers are afraid of their own.
Always with the nukes.
How do you deal with a saber-rattling, increasingly desperate madman who is losing face and losing in battle? I believe you have to do it with strength, unity, and resolve.
Make it clear that any escalation will be meet with proportional retaliation. He can't be allowed to use a "tactical" nuke without getting punched in the face. It's the only thing that's ever worked with bullies. Take out a Russian military base with the same size nuke. Then negotiate.
You wrote: "He can't be allowed to use a "tactical" nuke without getting punched in the face."
With our "eyes in the sky" I would imagine we know exactly where his bunker is located. I can't think of a better face to punch than the one in that hideout.
Amen!!
How many times have I pictured precisely that.
In the picture of Pootin that Lucian chose for this post it appears that Putie’s brain has exploded (unless that’s a giant pizza).
Pizza brain. That about sums it up. Ty shee-rah.
Thanks for this column Lucian as you contend with unpacking boxes, lifting, toting and all the attendant horrors of moving.
Putin is a bully and it’s passed time he should be strung up by his own people—short of starting a nuclear war, it is the only way Russia can “save face” and back off: Scapegoat Putin.
Let it be a lesson to the Trumpanzee DEPLORABLES, if they are able to extrapolate that far while beating their bibles and rallying around confederate flags.
Thanks for all your effort. Best i can do is give money, which i have to the Rotary Foundation. And, I installed outside my house a garbage can festoomed with posters of pootin's face and labelled POO TIN, so all my neighborhood dog walkers have a place to deposit thoer shit bags. I'ld attach a photo if i could.
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
😄😄
let´s cross fingers....
I am praying fof the demise of Putin and his allies before he gets to pushing that red button to release nuclear weaponry. It is obvious his soldiers who kill and rape innocent children have no heart. Their souls were never in their systems. A wonderful scenario would be if Putin is captured or killed, Koch industries would be dead pressed on pulling out of Russia and Trump and his ilk would receive a blowing dagger to their racing spree of demolishing democracy. I agree with Ellen Massey that the intelligence community know where Putin is hiding underground. They can target him and scare the crap outta him by playing their own Russian Roulette. It should be done sooner than later!
When I read this: "Dmitry Medvedev...posted...: “If Sweden and Finland join NATO, the length of the alliance’s land borders with the Russian Federation will more than double...will have to be strengthened. Russia will seriously strengthen the grouping of land forces and air defense, deploy significant naval forces in the waters of the Gulf of Finland...” - I couldn't help but think that Putin as a child probably never read "The Three Little Pigs."
Perhaps Dmitry should be looking for new spin material, as these homes of bricks in Ukraine, Sweden and Finland are no doubt preparing for the big bad wolf to fall down their chimneys. Certainly, they shouldn't fear any sitting target vessels in their waters.
Yes, he has suffered losses because of his hubris and the incompetence of his intelligence and military. PLUS the fighting spirit and capabilities of the Ukrainians. But, now we are in a new phase. The one where the not quite caged rat has figured out what he has been doing so far is not working.
My fear is his decision to withdraw the majority of his forces to the East means he plans a major campaign of scorched earth there. HIs supply lines will be shortened. He can resupply and refuel; from bases inside Russia and, yes, he will use terror tactics to punish any Ukrainian citizen who resists including mass killing and rape of women and children. This rat is not going to go away without exacting a lot more revenge .
So, here are some questions I would like answered or at least addressed by someone like Lucien who has the contacts, knowledge and insight on the subject.
1. What will be NATO's response if he, indeed, resorts to use of a tactical nuclear weapon? Ukraine gave up its nukes a dozen years ago with the promise from Russia and the West said surrender would be accompanied by assurances of security.
2. In any offensive /action in the East how can the Ukrainians compensate for major Russian control of the air space over the battlefield. So long as Russia controls the air their tactical fighters can operate with impunity against the Ukrainians on the ground. Stingers can only do so much.
3. What will we and NATO do if Putin decides to strike supply bases in NATO nations which are the logistic resources Ukraine needs to sustain resistance?
Putin has already started a “scorched earth” policy. His bullying has resulted in threat against Norway and Sweden—he isn’t so stupid to open two frontlines. Bullies have to be collared like the rabid animals they are. This is what happens when limits aren’t placed upon bullies at the start: They escalate their threats.
“Bullies have to be collared like the rabid animals they are. This is what happens when limits aren’t placed upon bullies at the start: They escalate their threats.”
The Russian embassy can't blame American weapons shipments for the sinking of the Moskva -- aren't Neptunes made in Ukraine?
yes the Neptune is a home-grown Ukrainian missile based on, and improved upon, an older Soviet missile
There are lots of articles around now about what the Ukrainians have, what Russia weaponry was built by them and so on and so forth. Very interesting stuff. They made the stuff work better and they've been busy learning how to fight since 2014. Good thing.
yes
here's a good one on a woman gov'mt rep who joined the resistance and used Ukr's homegrown anti-tank missile Stugna-P👇
https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-using-its-antitank-missile-stugna-p-against-russian-armor-2022-3#aoh=16501250096095&_ct=1650125206791&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&_tf=From%20%251%24s&share=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.businessinsider.com%2Fukraine-using-its-antitank-missile-stugna-p-against-russian-armor-2022-3
Footage of results (via Twitter) https:/twitter.com/uafreesky/status/1505252385224073223
These are chilling. You can see the thing spurting along looking for just the right spot to decimate the tank. If those guys can see that from inside, that must be the most terrifying thing ever. Very interesting.
The interesting threat to the U.S. who announces loudly what it's sending, which must be scary to Putin because his threats go up to everyone. It's worked for a long time. The world went and sat back in their assigned seats every time Putin threatened and here we are today. What are we to make when the Russian Embassy in Washington doesn't understand quite the threat "unexpected consequences," for disobeying or annoying Putin. It would be nice to see Trump, who in the last couple of days complimented Putin again, and Putin go hand in hand off into the great sunset soon, together again.
i'm concerned that with russian retreat from the Kyiv area, that leaves the main target open to devastating attack whether it be carpeting with massive munitions, or nuclear bombs.
President Zelenskyy would be prudent to take caution for continuity of his government and safety of his people.
There's so much to worry about our "David" against this malicious, murderous, toxic Goliath. I believe Putin will do anything, the worse the more appealing to him.
Putin is NATO's best recruiter.
You got that right Leigh
Putin has shown himself to be incapable of seeing where all of this is going. It's like we're rewitnessing Adolf Hitler shrieking at his generals as the Allies closed in on him. I see the same dynamic happening all over again.
That little démarche that Putin lodged with the State Department is a tell, like a spoiled brat threatening everyone around him if he doesn't get his way. He's threatening 'consequences' to the United States (oooh, we're supposed to be SO scared!) that he won't identify because he can't pull it off. Al least he cannot be sure his henchmen will follow through on.
Detonating a nuclear weapon is an act of war against the world. He has to know that. Once that happens, he's done. His own people will kill him.
I concur with your assessment, Lucian. Putin will be bloodied again but when that happens, and he still presses on with his destroy-Ukraine-at-all-costs campaign, he's only got one more card to play: tactical/battlefield nuclear weapons. Let's not deny the fact that it's becoming more likely he'll use them. What then? Does the West/NATO finally step in and say "enough"? If so, how would that be done so Putin stops his terror campaign? Sanctions hurt but they don't seem to be doing much to stop Putin. Frankly, I'd like to see some "direct action" by some of NATO's top-flight Special Operators. Plausible denial of these ops by NATO would drive Putin absolutely nuts and possibly get some of his "inner circle" to finally toss his ass into Lefortovo.
I have no doubt that our spooks and the SAS are on the ground. Maybe some in Russia and Belarus.
So far they seem quite effective in helping triangulate the eradication of Russian generals. I hope this continues. However the sad fact is the leaderless conscripts are murderers and simply an armed force of chaos matches their Air Force and navies high skills at murdering civilians and total incompetence facing opposing armed forces.
It is bad news for Putin because any conflict with NATO means nukes on day three. So he can escalate and cut and run.
The world hasn’t come to grips with that unthinkable strategy yet.
Unfortunately the civilized world is not going to believe it until it happens. The Saudi Prince of course probably feels safe so nuclear exchange is all right with him,while shoveling money to the trump clan do they can dig deeper bomb shelters.
What I notice about spin and disinformation in this case: the Russian version never lied. Fire broke out on board ship. The fire spread to ammunition, which caused more damage as the ammo exploded. Everyone had to be evacuated. Cause of the fire being investigated.
Well, the fire was caused by two Ukrainian cruise missiles. Chances are they were targeting the ammunition storage on the ship, but even if they weren’t, the explosion hit the ammo depot anyway. Probably the only lie is that they are investigating. Probably nothing to investigate, or at least only a cursory investigation, into what happened on board the Moskva. The big investigation likely is turning out to be, “How the hell did Ukraine acquire (or put into service operational) cruise missiles, how many more do they have, where are they situated, and what is their range and their capabilities.”
Any half-baked story to hide the fact that Ukraine scored a big hit on a major vessel.
I’m surprised they even bothered to report the damage to the ship. They could’ve just tried to cover up the whole thing. In war, countries do that all the time, and Ukraine is probably doing it as well.
And the Russian version was sure to insert "no one died," but there are other reports that that's most likely not true.
👍👍
The steely inhumanity of this culture’s leadership is unparalleled. Leaving dead soldiers behind. Bringing mobile crematorium to the Ukraine to cremate Russian soldiers to hide their numbers. NKVD units, during the past, behind military battles to prevent their soldiers from retreating. Is it any wonder they have a morale problem? Their military is operated like a torture chamber. Lenin. Stalin. Now Putin, just the latest in a line of brutal cold-hearted thugs. This country is a horror show.
Amen.