Back Story Newsletter
Good morning,
Fighting In Ukraine
I feel I have to tell you, don’t be fooled by those who champion a win or loss in Ukraine, as in Ukraine is winning currently and that’s how the story ends.
I don’t think we know that completely, and Russia’s army while losing ground, and even withdrawing in some areas around Kyiv, is not loosening its grip in the South and East.
On the ground Mariupol is destroyed. The pictures are stunning, and if you want any evidence of war crimes carried out by Russian forces it’s here, where under that rubble, in the dust and in the shadow of burned out buildings, humans are still hiding somewhere trying to get food and water, and somehow survive until they can be evacuated.
It’s inhuman what happened on the ground in Mariupol, where video posted by Russian forces themselves showed troops firing randomly on buildings where we’re told 170 thousand people still huddled because there simply were no evacuation routes that were safe. Mariupol is largely being abandoned now to Russia, as it turns to dust.
Ukraine’s President Zelenskiy says he has been in touch with fighters there and told them to leave to save themselves. And so expect an announcement in the next few days the city has fallen to Russia.
Any citizens allowed to leave Mariupol have been forced by Russian soldiers to go to Russia which has caused outrage internationally. It’s essentially a mass kidnapping and relocation.
As talks between Ukraine and Russia are set to begin today in Turkey, Zelenskiy said "Our goal is obvious — peace and the restoration of normal life in our native state as soon as possible”.
"Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity are beyond doubt. Effective security guarantees for our state are mandatory," he said.
Zelenskiy has previously indicated he is "carefully" considering a Russian demand of Ukrainian "neutrality” and he pledged Ukraine would not seek nuclear weapons.
That’s what President Putin wanted before the war was launched isn’t it? Fact is no one knows Putin’s goal in Ukraine, including himself, because he has never clearly stated it.
Russia seems to want to destabilize and cut Ukraine in half, annexing parts of it in the South and East. And after bravely fighting Russia to a stalemate in many parts of the country, why would Ukraine agree now to that especially this land corridor in the South along the Sea of Azov to Crimea?
Driving Ukraines consideration is the need to regroup and rearm and to stop the destruction, but if a ceasefire would allow Russia to do the same and relaunch toward major cities it has so far failed to claim, so a cease fire now could be a critical error.
U.S. President Biden who has called Putin “a butcher” and at the end of his speech from the Royal Castle in Warsaw, Poland, on Saturday said “for God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power” clarified his statement yesterday saying “no” he was not calling for regime change.
Observers think that’s a vital clarification, because Biden’s wish for Putin to disappear is different than a call for regime change, which would allow Putin to claim he’s fighting for Russia’s existential survival and allows him to use any means of attack in Ukraine.
I think it’s all chicken soup, because Putin will do as he pleases in Ukraine, lying about means and motives, as he was trained to do as a KGB agent. And, Lying as he did on the eve of the invasion claiming intelligence indicating an attack was imminent was an anti Russian creation by the West. Putin lies and that’s who he is.
Biden’s comment simply and boldly stated what so even many Russian’s themselves feel about Putin who has crippled his country for decades to come, by this bloody war in Ukraine that has displaced 10 million of people and killed untold civilians.
Inside Russia the interview with President Zelenskiy by Russian TV stations was banned by the Kremlin. Zelenskiy gave a roughly 90-minute interview on March 27 to Meduza and the Russian TV station Dozhd, daily Kommersant, and YouTube channel Zygar. None of it has been aired inside Russia.
Airing Zelenskiy calling for peace, would erode the Kremlins messaging to Russians that the Ukrainians President is the one refusing a ceasefire. Which is as we all know false.
Russians are now experience big increases in food pricing, and shortages of goods. My friend in Moscow says “all sorts of items are in shortage, things like cat and dog food which were largely imported”.
It seems trivial and hardly worth mentioning shortages of goods given what Ukrainians are experiencing. But that friend who also largely watches Kremlin programmed TV news also told me they are now seeing “real news” by watching videos on their phone. There is a slow awakening in Russia that a real war is being fought and its a devastating invasion of a neighbouring country.
Try to have a good week everyone. I’ll be in touch.
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Dana