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Good morning,
Putin’s Obscene War
I start with the words of Ukrainian President Zelensky, because the statements from the President of Russia have become largely meaningless, and full of so many falsehoods it’s a distraction from reality.
As of last night, more than 1.5 million Ukrainians have been forced to flee Putins brutal invasion, prompting Zelensky to address his Nation accusing Russia of deliberate murder;
“We will not forgive, hundreds and hundreds of victims. Thousands and thousands of sufferings. And God will not forgive. Not today. Not tomorrow. Never. Instead there will be a day of judgement. I’m sure of it” said Zelensky.
The scenes are more disturbing by the day, including the mortar attack in Irpin on the edge of Kyiv yesterday that killed a family of four fleeing the war. Zelensky warned his nation to expect a renewed bombardment of major cities on Monday, as Russian forces regrouped and renewed their assault.
We haven’t seen scenes like these in Ukraine since World World 2, and the relentless onslaught of shelling and bombing cities has sent shock waves across Europe and around the globe.
Putins army has largely failed to execute its battle plan to quickly seize major cities, so it lumbers forward, using more and more atrocious means to attack, employing standoff weapons of artillery and cluster bombs that amount to war crimes when directed towards civilian populations.
The Ukrainians are fighting and winning battles, but to win the war they have to eliminate those attacks launched from 20 miles away, seeking the rocket platforms and artillery launches that hit relentlessly. That means striking back from the air but Russia has a huge air force, and unless there is a no fly zone, victory seems impossible.
Thus we hear constant calls for giving warplanes to Ukraine, and UAV’s, and increasing Ukraine’s anti aircraft abilities, but the U.S. and NATO allies are hesitating and time is short.
The U.S. has mounted a massive airlift of weapons to Ukraine delivering 17,000 anti-tank weapons in 6 days. But other countries have also supplied lethal weapons including France and the U.K. pushing them through Romania and Poland.
Russia meantime, is accumulating troops to attempt a storming of Kyiv it appears, say Ukrainian military statements.
The unprecedented sanctions are biting inside Russia forcing up food prices and even effecting spending as many credit cards companies have withdrawn. But people living there tell me food price increases are so far minor and they are able to transact with banks using domestic cards.
While many companies are leaving Russia, those staying have become social media targets with hashtags trending #BoycottCocaCola, #BoycottPepsi and #BoycottMcDonalds. Sanctions are not in place on oil exports yet, or big commodity sectors such as steel exports. And analysis shows a blanket sanction against all Russian goods could quickly plunge the World into a recession.
Behind the scenes many Russian’s are not returning to Moscow, disgusted with the war and worried they could become subject to a clamp down by security officials on anyone associated with foreign interests. Late last week foreign businesses were closing their offices and moving employees abroad to places like Dubai, because Russians can move there more easily.
Foreign media has largely shuttered its operations in Russia moving their journalists out of the Kremlins shadow including CBC, BBC, and many more removing our eyes and ears in Russia. But social media can’t be completely controlled.
Sunday there were anti-war demonstrations in more than 50 cities. Russia's interior ministry said 1,700 people had been detained in Moscow, 750 in St Petersburg and 1,061 in other cities. The numbers are likely larger than that but Putin’s police are fiercely silencing the voices of opposition.
Russia’s President has shown no sign he morally feels any responsibility for halting a war that is killing so many civilians, but that’s the Putin we know and recognize from the bombing of Grozny, Chechnya and the massive destruction by Russian airstrikes in Allepo, Syria. And that’s the military strategy that will level cities in Ukraine if its not countered.
In the coming months expect President Putin and his collaborators to be named as war criminals by the ICC, as crimes are easily documented in Ukraine. Putin’s statements on his intentions to erase an entire country are clear and as they play out in obscene violence, add up to genocide in Ukraine.