Ukraine Update #4
Paul Craig Roberts
It is difficult work to give an accurate account of events in Ukraine. The Western media is entirely useless, consisting of fake news reports of Russian atrocities, casualties, defeats, and endless meaningless threats from impotent Western “leaders.” Ukrainian news reports are even more ridiculous than the Iraqi ones during the US invasion. Moreover as the Ukrainian cities and remaining forces are encircled and trapped, the Ukrainian media cannot serve as news sources as they are also cut off. The Russians, unlike the Americans, do not conduct their wars on television and do not release much news. European governments have banned the scant news available on RT and Sputnik. The Russian defense ministry did announce that it has cost the lives of 498 Russian soldiers to encircle the Ukrainian forces. I attribute these lost lives to the constraints placed by the Kremlin on the Russian troops use of force. The Kremlin wants to win the war without killing the enemy.
All of the presstitute reports about mercenary armies and jet fighters being sent to rescue the Ukrainians is blatant nonsense. Volunteer armies are incapable of confronting Russian combat troops. Moreover, as Ukrainian air space and territory are under Russian control, any such forces or weapons have no possibly of reaching surrounded Ukrainians and would be destroyed in any attempted transit.
A quick Russian victory would serve the world by ending the conflict before some Western idiots can blunder into causing a wider war. It would also save Western governments from ridicule from their meaningless deprecations and impotent threats.
Russia’s deputy foreign minister Alexander Grushko understands the risks of delay in using maximum force to end the conflict. Delay allows time for the idiot NATO countries to try to organize an arms supply program for Ukraine. Grushko says such irrationality will lead to a wider war. He said that “there are no guarantees that incidents will not occur and escalate in an absolutely unnecessary direction.”
A quick victory prevents foolish Western intervention, dispels any appearance of irresolution and makes it clear to all that Russia means it when she says get off our doorstep, don’t tread on us. World peace and the avoidance of nuclear war at some future date requires that the idiot West understand that the game of treading on Russia is over. The most important function of the invasion is to make that lesson clear, not the denazification of Ukraine, although that is important.
The main obstacle to a quick end of the war is Lavrov and the Kremlin’s minimum force orders. Lavrov cannot keep from demonstrating the appearance of Kremlin irresolution by calling for negotiations, promising Ukraine that Russian demands are minimal, and reaffirming Russian security guarantees for Ukraine and the entirety of Europe. After demonstrating what can be interpreted as irresolution, Lavrov complains that “again, the Ukrainian team found some pretext to postpone these negotiations.” Someone should tell Lavrov that it is the loser, not the winner, who asks for negotiations. As I have often said, the Russians need to learn to shut up and to act decisively. If they don’t, their invasion will turn out to be a wasted effort by failing to establish that Russia means it when she designates red lines.