Had enough yet

[mark blazejewski]

Ukraine: Different perspectives...

Should we trust our country’s leader when too often he has been the cause of crises occurring in our own country – speaking condescendingly to his own citizens, demonizing them, and calling them terrorists in the process.

Lee,

I offer not a different perspective, but raise some different questions.

During the 2022 Presidential campaign, did not Biden represent himself as one who would stand up to Putin?

"Vladimir Putin doesn't want me to be President. He doesn't want me to be our nominee."

"If you're wondering why—it's because I'm the only person in this field who's ever gone toe-to-toe with him."

Reference: https://www.newsweek.com/joe-biden-t...russia-1681266


On Monday, February 21, 2021, Putin annexed an eastern portion of Ukraine, but many are wondering why, at this point in time, the Biden administration's response to the invasion of Ukraine appears to be rather confused, if not tepid?

Does Biden really think that those sanctions are going to inhibit Putin?

Biden suggests sanctions against Russian oligarchs, but does those oligarchs include Putin himself?

Kind of odd for the self-proclaimed strong Putin antidote, and one who historically has vast "experience" in Ukrainian affairs, eh?

Did not the 2014 Ukrainian coup d'état occur during the Obama administration?

"...the new 'Cold War ’ between the U.S. and Russia did not start, as the Western myth has it, with Russia’s involvement in the breakaway of Crimea and Donbass from Ukraine, after Ukraine — next door to Russia — had suddenly turned rabidly hostile toward Russia in February 2014. Ukraine’s replacing its democratically elected neutralist Government in February 2014, by a rabidly anti-Russian Government, was a violent event, which produced many corpses. It’s presented in The West as having been a ‘revolution’ instead of a coup; but whatever it was, it certainly generated the ‘new Cold War’ (the economic sanctions and NATO buildup on Russia’s borders); and, to know whether it was a coup, or instead a revolution, is to know what actually started the ‘new Cold War’, and why. So, this is historically very important."

Reference: https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2018/06/0...up-in-ukraine/

Was not Biden President Obama's "point man" on Ukraine in 2014?

"No one in the U.S. government has wielded more influence over Ukraine than Vice President Joe Biden. As the Obama administration’s point person on Ukraine policy, he has rallied support for Kiev in the face of Russian military intervention and cultivated a personal rapport with its leaders. But he has delivered tough love as well, delaying financial aid more than once over concerns about rampant corruption."

Reference: https://foreignpolicy.com/2016/10/30...clinton-trump/

Does it not appear that Biden played a key role in the 2014 coup in the Ukraine?

Indeed, Biden was the Obama's point man on Ukraine:

“I said, ‘You’re not getting the billion.’ I’m going to be leaving here in, I think it was about six hours. I looked at them and said: ‘I’m leaving in six hours. If the prosecutor is not fired, you’re not getting the money,’” Biden recalled telling Poroshenko.

“Well, son of a bitch, he got fired. And they put in place someone who was solid at the time,” Biden told the Council on Foreign Relations event, insisting that President Obama was in on the threat."

Since that time, there is a significant school of thought that Biden may not have just been Obama's strong, virtuous point man on Ukraine, but, along with his son Hunter,may be a compromised actor, perhaps benefiting from a Ukrainian government.

"But Ukrainian officials tell me there was one crucial piece of information that Biden must have known but didn’t mention to his audience: The prosecutor he got fired was leading a wide-ranging corruption probe into the natural gas firm Burisma Holdings that employed Biden’s younger son, Hunter, as a board member."

Reference: https://thehill.com/opinion/white-ho...obe-is-revived

Perhaps there is a not-so-subtle reference and implied threat contained in Putin's words in his of February 21, 2022:

"Radical nationalists took advantage of the justified public discontent and saddled the Maidan protest, escalating it to a coup d'état in 2014. They also had direct assistance from foreign states. According to reports, the US Embassy provided $1 million a day to support the so-called protest camp on Independence Square in Kiev. In addition, large amounts were impudently transferred directly to the opposition leaders’ bank accounts, tens of millions of dollars. But the people who actually suffered, the families of those who died in the clashes provoked in the streets and squares of Kiev and other cities, how much did they get in the end? Better not ask.


They found it easy to force their will on the weak authorities, which were infected with the virus of nationalism and corruption as well and which artfully replaced the real cultural, economic and social interests of the people and Ukraine’s true sovereignty with various ethnic speculations and formal ethnic attributes."

Reference: http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/67828

Perhaps Putin is about to reveal some things about Obama, Biden, the ultra Left, the Globalists, the Neo Cons, America, the true significance of the Ukraine, the sabotaged Trump campaigns and administrations,, and what the few decades have been all about?

[buffy]

Great post Mark ^
An interesting, non-AmericanSpin explanation that came out yesterday 2/22/22...

[mark blazejewski]

Great post Mark ^
An interesting, non-AmericanSpin explanation that came out yesterday 2/22/22...

Thank you Buffy.

Just Musing:

Only as a "fun" side note, I have noted that some observed that Biden's remarks began at precisely 2:22 p.m., on Tuesday, February 22, 2022. (2-22-(TUESday)-2-22-2022.

But then, the first American landing craft engaged Omaha beach at 6:00 a.m., Tuesday, June 6, 1944; 6-6-6.

Wasn't September 11, 2001 a Tuesday also?

Yikes!!!

All of the fun numerology games aside, it does seem kind of odd, does it not???

[Lee Chowaniec]

Ukraine: Not a damn thing we can do about it now

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world...?ocid=msedgntp


To hurt Russia, the west has to punish itself

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world...?ocid=msedgntp


Does Biden still believe the existential threat to America’s democracy and freedom is voter suppression? Climate change?

[mark blazejewski]

"Radical nationalists took advantage of the justified public discontent and saddled the Maidan protest, escalating it to a coup d'état in 2014. They also had direct assistance from foreign states. According to reports, the US Embassy provided $1 million a day to support the so-called protest camp on Independence Square in Kiev. In addition, large amounts were impudently transferred directly to the opposition leaders’ bank accounts, tens of millions of dollars. But the people who actually suffered, the families of those who died in the clashes provoked in the streets and squares of Kiev and other cities, how much did they get in the end? Better not ask.


They found it easy to force their will on the weak authorities, which were infected with the virus of nationalism and corruption as well and which artfully replaced the real cultural, economic and social interests of the people and Ukraine’s true sovereignty with various ethnic speculations and formal ethnic attributes."

Reference: http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/67828

I repeat, perhaps the militarist dictator, and brutal thug Putin, is threatening to reveal some things about Obama, Biden, the ultra Left, the Globalists, the Neo Cons, America, the true significance of the Ukraine, the sabotaged Trump campaigns and administrations and what the few decades have been all about?

"But Ukrainian officials tell me there was one crucial piece of information that Biden must have known but didn’t mention to his audience: The prosecutor he got fired was leading a wide-ranging corruption probe into the natural gas firm Burisma Holdings that employed Biden’s younger son, Hunter, as a board member."

Reference: https://thehill.com/opinion/white-ho...obe-is-revived

Speaking of pre-Russian invasion Biden profits emanating from the Ukraine, wasn't this National Security actor one of those Deep State actors who eagerly jumped on the Trump Impeachment Bandwagon in 2019?

U.S. Security Official Vindman Testifies Ukraine Offered Defense Minister Post

The U.S. National Security Council's (NSC) expert for Ukraine has told the Democratic-led House of Representatives impeachment hearing he was offered the position of Ukraine's defense minister three times, a new revelation that came out as Republicans tried to undermine his key testimony.

Army Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman told the hearing on November 19 that Ukraine's then-national security chief, Oleksandr Danylyuk, asked him if he wanted to become the country's new defense minister when he visited Kyiv in May as part of the U.S. delegation attending President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's inauguration.

Vindman, who was born in the Soviet republic of Ukraine and speaks Ukrainian, served in the U.S. Army, including a stint in Iraq.

Reference: https://www.rferl.org/a/vindman-u-s-.../30281033.html

[buffy]

Putin was not happy about the new reality of former Soviet republics like Ukraine parting their ways from Moscow. But he was equally perturbed that millions of Russian-speaking people were left behind, stuck in countries like Ukraine, Lithuania and Kazakhstan under non-Russian states.

Putin and his predecessors were still keen on tightening their control over the Russian autonomous regions populated by non-Russian ethnic groups, from Chechnya to Tatarstan and others. They even waged brutal wars to crush separatist movements like the one led by Chechens two decades ago.

In 2008, Russia even attacked Georgia, a former Soviet republic, which became an independent state three decades ago. Moscow openly backed South Ossetians and Abkhazians, who rebelled against Tbilisi’s central authority. Since then, South Ossetia and Abkhazia have remained separatist-controlled regions with Russian assistance.

Putin pursues a similar policy to Moscow’s Georgia conduct, backing anti-Kiev Russian separatists when it comes to Ukraine. But most recently, Putin has signalled another invasion, deploying tens of thousands of troops across the Russia-Ukraine border.

But why does Ukraine matter so much to Russia? Here is a breakdown.

Kiev: the birthplace of Russia


Ukraine’s move toward the Western bloc in the name of having a democratic state has made the Russian establishment feel betrayed because Kiev’s national identity and history is much more linked to Russia than Turkic states in Central Asia and Baltic states in eastern Europe, which were also part of the Soviets.

Moscow’s ruling establishment feels so emotional because the first Russian state called Kievan Rus was established in Kiev 12 centuries ago. Even the name of Russia originated in the name of this loose confederation (Kievan Rus) of Eastern Slavic, Baltic and Finnic nations.

Rurik, the founding leader of the Kievan Rus dynasty, has been considered one of the godfathers of the Russian state. Interestingly, Rurik did not have Slavic origins, he had Viking blood in his veins.

“Little Russia”

Following Rurik, his successors embraced Orthodox Christianity under Byzantine influence, partly because Orthodox Slavs had largely populated their territories. As a result, Slavism and Orthodox Christianity have become the two dominant elements of the Russian identity.

In time, the Russian capital moved first to Saint Petersburg and later to Moscow, but the emotional presence of Kiev in the Russian heart has not changed much. Putin has continued to call Ukraine “Little Russia”, quoting a former Russian general, Anton Denikin.

"He says that no one should be allowed to interfere in relations between us; they have always been the business of Russia itself," the Russian president said in 2009, referring to ties between Ukraine and Russia.

In July, Putin wrote an article titled “On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians”, in which he argued that both nations are "one people", giving a long historical account of it.

Heavy Russian population in Ukraine

READ more HERE

ONE LAST QUOTE...

Feeling encircled by the West and "pro-democracy" movements from Ukraine to Georgia, Russia under Putin has countered with aggressive policymaking wherever it felt under pressure. Among others, Ukraine has a special importance due to its geography located between Eastern Europe and Russia.

[mark blazejewski]

Putin was not happy about the new reality of former Soviet republics like Ukraine parting their ways from Moscow. But he was equally perturbed that millions of Russian-speaking people were left behind, stuck in countries like Ukraine, Lithuania and Kazakhstan under non-Russian states.

Putin and his predecessors were still keen on tightening their control over the Russian autonomous regions populated by non-Russian ethnic groups, from Chechnya to Tatarstan and others. They even waged brutal wars to crush separatist movements like the one led by Chechens two decades ago.

In 2008, Russia even attacked Georgia, a former Soviet republic, which became an independent state three decades ago. Moscow openly backed South Ossetians and Abkhazians, who rebelled against Tbilisi’s central authority. Since then, South Ossetia and Abkhazia have remained separatist-controlled regions with Russian assistance.

Putin pursues a similar policy to Moscow’s Georgia conduct, backing anti-Kiev Russian separatists when it comes to Ukraine. But most recently, Putin has signalled another invasion, deploying tens of thousands of troops across the Russia-Ukraine border.

But why does Ukraine matter so much to Russia? Here is a breakdown.

Ukraine’s move toward the Western bloc in the name of having a democratic state has made the Russian establishment feel betrayed because Kiev’s national identity and history is much more linked to Russia than Turkic states in Central Asia and Baltic states in eastern Europe, which were also part of the Soviets.

Your post is a pretty good background tutorial regarding this mess in Ukraine.

Just a small point, and I think I am right on this, but is not the spelling change from "Kiev" to "Kyiv" very symbolic of the purported issue(s) behind the invasion?

Does not "Kiev" reflect Russian influence, while "Kyiv" embraces a more pure "Ukrainian" culture?

Straighten me out if I am wrong Buffy.

[buffy]

Your post is a pretty good background tutorial regarding this mess in Ukraine.

Just a small point, and I think I am right on this, but is not the spelling change from "Kiev" to "Kyiv" very symbolic of the purported issue(s) behind the invasion?

Does not "Kiev" reflect Russian influence, while "Kyiv" embraces a more pure "Ukrainian" culture?

Straighten me out if I am wrong Buffy.

All I can say is that my Ukrainian in-laws (may they RIP) always pronounced it as "Keev". I had no idea there were different spellings, but knew there was a different pronunciation "Key ev."

I liked this very short video...

[buffy]

Now that I think about it, my in-laws pronounced it pretty close to the guy in the video saying “Kiev” and, he confirms your post.

[mark blazejewski]

CLUELESS???!!!


The right hand doesn't know...

Published February 24, 2022 3:08pm EST


Biden says 'no-one expected sanctions to prevent anything from happening,' despite prior White House claims

Biden announced sanctions on Russia banks and export controls


President Biden on Thursday said that "no-one expected" sanctions imposed on Russia in response to its incursions into Ukraine to "prevent anything from happening" -- an apparent contradiction from prior White House messaging that emphasized the value of deterrence.

"No-one expected the sanctions to prevent anything from happening," Biden said. "This could take time and we have to show resolve so he knows what’s coming and so the people of Russia know what he’s brought on them, this is what this is all about."

"This is going to take time, it’s not going to occur…he’s gonna say ‘oh my God, these sanctions are coming, I’m gonna stand down."

...what the left hand is doing, eh?

But Biden’s claim that the sanctions were not expected to prevent Russia's actions was in stark contrast to past claims by the administration -- including his own vice president.

"The purpose of the sanctions has always been and continues to be deterrence," Vice President Kamala Harris said on Sunday, before the U.S. imposed sanctions.

Harris then noted that sanctions are a product of a "shared perspective among our Allies."

"And the Allied relationship is such that we have agreed that the deterrence effect of these sanctions is still a meaningful one, especially because…we still sincerely hope that there is a diplomatic path out of this moment," she said. "And within the context then of the fact that that window is still open although it is absolutely narrowing — but within the context of a diplomatic path still being open, the deterrence effect, we believe, has merit."

Reference: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/bid...e-house-claims

[Lee Chowaniec]

SWIFT and worldwide repercussions

Ejecting Russia from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) network could cripple Russia’s ability to trade with most of the world and deal a heavy blow to its economy.

But on Thursday, the United States and the European Union opted not to cut Russia off from SWIFT while leaving the door open to revisiting the possibility.
SWIFT is a network used by banks to send secure messages about transfers of money and other transactions.

More than 11,000 financial institutions in nearly 200 countries use SWIFT, making it the backbone of the international financial transfer system.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world...?ocid=msedgntp

The reason for the stock market bounce back can be attributed to Biden not mentioning SWIFT sanctions which would be devastating to an already spiraling domestic inflation problem EU and worldwide repercussions.

Worried? You should be! China is now holding U.S. as blame for Russia’s invasion. Several large economy countries are still not vested in supporting Ukraine.

[mark blazejewski]

I know that "History Repeats Itself" is something of a pesky cliché, but consider this:

Russia Failed Every Objective on Day One of Ukraine Invasion—U.K.

BY DARRAGH ROCHE ON 2/25/22 AT 4:33 AM EST

The U.K. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace has said Moscow failed to achieve its "main objectives" on the first day of its invasion of Ukraine as fighting continues and Russian forces threaten Kyiv.

Wallace told Sky News on Friday morning that the British government believed President Vladimir Putin intended "to invade the whole of Ukraine" but Russia was "behind its hoped-for timetable."

"Our assessment, as of this morning, is that Russia has not taken any of its major objectives," Wallace said.

After listening to this audio, now consider this:

What Ukraine Can Learn From Finland

In December 1939, a small country with a small military held off the vastly superior Soviet Red Army and avoided occupation by its larger neighbor.

[mark blazejewski]

After listening to this audio, now consider this:

What Ukraine Can Learn From Finland

In December 1939, a small country with a small military held off the vastly superior Soviet Red Army and avoided occupation by its larger neighbor.

My bad, here is the link:

https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/12/19...-soviet-union/

[mark blazejewski]

This Is All To Convenient, eh?

BRUSSELS, Feb 25 (Reuters) - NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Friday the alliance was deploying parts of its combat-ready response force and would continue to send weapons to Ukraine, including air defences, while saying that Russia was trying to topple the Ukrainian government.

Reference: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe...ys-2022-02-25/

NATO is now committed to resupplying the Ukrainians with air defense weapons.

Why in Hell were not adequate weapons prepositioned?

Does not NATO believe that the Russians will interdict the resupply weapons, much in the same way that Hitler opened fire on the 1940-1941 Atlantic convoys?

Would not such interdictions constitute an attack on NATO, and will not NATO be required to respond?

Such a response certainly contains the strong possibility of escalation, and I would not assume that cooler heads will prevail.

Nothing like ignoring the foreseeable.

[Lee Chowaniec]

Hang on Ukrainian freedom fighters. Your blood is not in vain!

If Biden’s sanctions aren’t effective in 30 days, he is really going to be mad and take Putin to the woodshed