Weird War III

If Russia has lost the war, why does Zelensky need more money?

Zelensky flew into Washington via Argentina to lobby for more money (that we don’t have) to keep his money-laundering machine in Ukraine going. I would not be surprised to learn he loaded his briefcases with money to hand out to the key congressional staffers who make all the decisions in DC.

The propagandists are telling us that the Russian Army is on the brink of collapse. They have been saying this since Russia invaded the country. I am pretty sure the German generals said the same thing at Stalingrad.

The New York Times reported, “The Russian push in eastern Ukraine this fall and winter was designed to sap Western support for Ukraine, according to a newly declassified American intelligence assessment.

“The drive has resulted in heavy losses but has not led to strategic gains on the battlefield for Russia, said Adrienne Watson, a spokeswoman for the National Security Council.

“Since the beginning of the war Russia has suffered from a staggeringly high number of losses, according to another newly declassified assessment shared with Congress. At the start of the war the Russian army stood at 360,000 troops. Russia has lost 315,000 of those troops, forcing them to recruit and mobilize new recruits and convicts from their prison system.

“Moscow’s equipment has also been crushed, according to the assessment. At the start of the war, Russia had 3,500 tanks but has lost 2,200, forcing them to pull 50 year old T-62 tanks from storage.

“The assessment says the Russian losses have reduced the complexity of Russia’s recent military operations in Ukraine.”

CNN reported, “Russia has lost a staggering 87% of the total number of active-duty ground troops it had prior to launching its invasion of Ukraine and two-thirds of its pre-invasion tanks, a source familiar with a declassified U.S. intelligence assessment provided to Congress told CNN.”

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If the Russian army is cooked, then what does Ukraine need to buy with our money? Coffins for the Russians? Body bags for them? Gold Stars for their mothers?

Ah, but those are questions the Russians want us to ask, our intelligence community says.

NYT said, “The White House is asking for $50 billion in additional security aid for Ukraine. But many conservative Republicans are skeptical about the country’s ability to win the war and want major changes in U.S. border security policy as part of a funding agreement.

“Ms. Watson said the push by Russia is related to the funding debates in Congress. The declassified intelligence assessed that Russia ‘seems to believe that a military deadlock through the winter will drain Western support for Ukraine,’ Ms. Watson said.

“Russia, Ms. Watson said, continues to have shortages of soldiers and weaponry but is pushing in Eastern Ukraine despite its losses with hope of gaining an advantage.”

Those crafty Russians are deliberately losing 315,000 of their 360,000 troops (according to our intelligence community) just to undermine our support for Ukraine.

But wasn’t this the same intelligence community that assured us that Hunter’s laptop was a Russian plant? Wasn’t this the same intelligence community that assured us Putin was in cahoots with Donald Trump so the FBI had to spy on The Donald? Wasn’t this the same intelligence community that assured us that President Trump took home nuclear codes and wanted to launch a nuclear war from Mar-a-Lago?

The party line since the beginning has been we must stop Russia in Ukraine or the rest of Europe, Cambodia and Australia will fall.

None of the experts, however, have disclosed just how Russians will wrest control of Europe from the Muslims who now run the place.

Biden and his appointees are threatening to send U.S. troops in if we don’t pay off Zelensky.

The Messenger reported, “Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned Congress Tuesday that if lawmakers fail to pass more aid to Ukraine that it very likely will lead to U.S. troops on the ground in Europe defending NATO allies in other countries Russia may target next.”

Washington’s expansion of NATO now commits our soldiers to die for (checks notes) Moldavia.

Russia invaded on February 24, 2022, and New Republic immediately (on that date) reported, “Make No Mistake — Russia Has Already Lost This War.”

The story said, “In going to war against Ukraine, Putin has tacitly acknowledged that Russia’s multiyear policy of coercion and bullying of Kyiv has failed. Russia’s hopes of keeping Ukraine in its sphere of influence without the use of military force have been dashed. The next few days and weeks will be ones of calamity and devastation. Our TV screens will be filled with the images of innocent civilians fleeing a Russian military onslaught and of Ukrainian soldiers who gave their last full measure of devotion. These will be tough to watch, as will images of a ‘victorious’ Putin preening around the Kremlin. But make no mistake — Russia has already lost.”

In November 2022, the Pentagon assured us, “Russia Suffers ‘Catastrophic Strategic Disaster’ in Ukraine.”

More than a year later, the beat goes on as Sonny and Cher once sang.

Zelensky went back to Washington to lobby for more money even as he and Washington insist that Russia is on the brink of defeat.

Politico reported, “The U.S. has declassified intelligence on the situation in Ukraine to bolster the Biden administration’s case that Congress should further support Kyiv, timing the release with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Washington.

“President Joe Biden is desperate to push a $111 billion assistance package, which includes at least $60 billion for Ukraine, through Congress despite Republican resistance. The newly public intelligence, released by the White House, will help Biden and Zelensky make their pitch on Tuesday.

“The U.S. assesses that Russia believes it is helped by a military stalemate with Ukraine that saps Western support for Kyiv, making its war easier to win. ‘Russia is determined to press forward with its offensive despite its losses,’ National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement. ‘It is more critical now than ever that we maintain our support for Ukraine so they can continue to hold the line and regain their territory.’

“Further American intelligence indicates the Western-backed Ukrainian campaign is having some success. More than 13,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded and over 220 combat vehicles destroyed along the Avdiivka-Novopavlivka axis in eastern Ukraine since October, Watson said. She added that the Kremlin’s forces continue to pound targets in eastern Ukraine including around Avdiivka, Lyman and Kupyansk.”

How many Ukrainians died?

Politico’s story does not say. American news outlets do not report how many Ukrainians die in this war, just Russian deaths get mentioned. I cannot tell if the censorship of the coverage of this war is voluntary but I suspect no one is asking the obvious question.

In the FAFO war in Gaza, the Israelis seem to be upfront about their casualties. The Pentagon also is forthcoming on the numbers of casualties the USA suffers in our various wars. But this war for democracy weirdly does not follow the precedence of openness.

I do see many Ukrainians are unwilling to fight for the motherland.

BBC reported, “BBC World Service’s investigation unit, BBC Eye, has revealed that nearly 20,000 Ukrainian men have used various routes to flee their country to avoid being drafted, following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

“The BBC Eye investigation, Ukraine’s Draft Dodgers, talks to some of the men who have escaped the war, as they explain their unique situations, their choices, and what they have gone through to get out of Ukraine and claim asylum in its neighboring countries. BBC Eye’s covert reporting identifies smugglers whose paid services are advertised on a messaging app.

“After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Ukrainian men aged 18-60 were banned from leaving the country unless they had an exemption. But BBC Eye has established — by requesting from Romania, Moldova, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia data on illegal border crossings — that 19,740 men illegally crossed Ukraine’s border into these neighboring countries between February 2022 and 31 August 2023.

“According to the Ukrainian authorities, out of the 21,113 individuals who were caught trying to escape the country, the majority — 14,313 — were attempting to walk or swim across the border, and the remaining 6,800 tried to use fraudulently obtained official paperwork stating exemptions.

“Ukraine’s 1,200 kilometer border with Moldova has become the most popular route out for these men: since the start of the war, over 11,000 have crossed illegally into this country. While some have simply walked across the border, other escapes have been dramatic. One video shows a man swimming across the Dniester river towards Moldova, with Moldovan border guards urging him across to safety.”

If 20,000 men (and I caution readers about the veracity of BBC) are unwilling to fight this war, why should we fund it?

Answer: corruption. This is a war to save the kleptocracy.

Biden is trying to force Israel to cease fire because it is winning its war but is opposed to a ceasefire in Ukraine. If only Israel hired Hunter to a million-dollars-a-year, no-show job.