despite four days of the heaviest aerial bombardment of Ukraine since the beginning of the war, the Russian attacks have failed. Those cruise missiles that were not shot down by the defenders did not hit any targets of high military or political value.
As is true with the efforts of many state legislatures to change the face of public education in America. DeSantis leads this effort with Turning Point USA and founder Charlie Kirk. And also curriculum development by Hillsdale College being forced into every level of public schools in Florida.
Started to comment but the upheaval in my stomach is preventing rational thought. Teaching has always been a tough job and has now become a focus/flash point for those spewing political and faux-religious vitriol on a time-honored profession. Heartsick for the kids and my former colleagues.
I hear you. Tough time for teachers. Most that I talk with are holding the line. It is against everything they know to allow indoctrination of children for political and authoritarian gain. Public education as the common good is on the ballot in November. All that believe that must vote.
THE YARD PUNK IS FAILING. Oh, yes, that's good; it's the next best news until Putin is dead.
As for his recent accomplishments, here's a glimpse:
In October 2022 the U.N. listed 7.6 million Ukrainian refugees across Europe, including 2.85 million in Russia—many of the latter were sent there by Russian occupiers and were subjected to a “filtration” process with credible reports of war crimes emerging, including evidence of executions and torture.
'The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) verified a total of 6,221 civilian deaths during Russia's invasion of Ukraine as of October 9, 2022. Of them, 396 were children. Furthermore, 9,371 people were reported to have been injured. However, OHCHR specified that the real numbers could be higher.' (Statista)
'Rape and sexual assault attributed to Moscow's forces in Ukraine are part of a Russian "military strategy" and a "deliberate tactic to dehumanise the victims", UN envoy Pramila Patten told AFP in an interview.'
- women are held for days and raped, when you start to rape little boys and men, when you see a series of genital mutilations, when you hear women testify about Russian soldiers equipped with Viagra, it's clearly a military strategy," she said.
- it is clearly a deliberate tactic to dehumanise the victims."
- .according to gathered testimonies, the age of the victims of sexual violence ranges from four to 82 years old,".
- many cases of sexual violence against children who are raped, tortured and kept hostage,"
'The latest strikes are part of longstanding attacks on Ukrainian culture. Since February 24, UNESCO has recorded damage to 210 cultural sites in Ukraine including museums, monuments and libraries.'
My husband Mark’s family left Odessa, Ukraine in 1922 to escape the persecution of Jews. He was born in Odessa just a few months before they left the country. Their goal was the same as the migrants knocking on America’s doors right now, survival.
I am grateful to TC for providing us with this summary of Putin’s collisions with the Ukrainian military, the Ukrainian people, NATO and the US, along with his errors of judgement. I am taking this liberty to expose some of the impact THE YARD PUNK is having on Ukraine.
‘BUCHA, Ukraine — One woman was badly beaten and shot through the eye. Another, held captive by Russian soldiers, was found in a cellar, shot in the head. An 81-year-old grandmother was discovered hanging in her garden, perhaps killed, perhaps driven to suicide.’
‘They were three victims among hundreds during the Russian occupation of Bucha in the spring. Bucha, a suburb of Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, quickly became the main focus of atrocities by Russian soldiers before they withdrew from the area.’
‘The crimes gained worldwide attention. But these women were unknown, their deaths unseen and unexplained.’ (NYTimes)See gifted link below.
‘This week, dozens of Russian missiles and Iranian-made kamikaze drones struck power plants and substations, cutting electricity, heat and hot water in many cities and forcing factories in some areas to temporarily close.’
‘Ukrainian President Voldomyr Zelensky said the attacks struck energy facilities in 12 regions and Kyiv, the capital, over the course of two days.’
‘Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the threat of future power cuts during winter would exacerbate the challenges faced by city residents struggling to cope with Ukraine’s intense cold.’
'The attacks on infrastructure had little impact on the battlefield in the east and south where Ukraine’s military is carrying out a counteroffensive. The purpose of this week’s strikes across the country, according to Mason Clark, a senior analyst with the Institute of War that has tracked the conflict since the start of the invasion, is fear.'
“The Kremlin is still dead set on thinking they can intimidate the Ukrainian population into surrendering,” he said. (WAPO) See gifted link below the one for the NY Times
According to Timothy Snyder the difficult part to prove when it comes to genocide is normally the intension. In the case of Putin's Russia the intension to erase Ukraine and Ukrainians has been stated over and over again. The labelling of forced deportations as "recreational trips" will not help in the coming trials. At this stage it is even questionable weather it is convincing to the home audience.
This is one time the Russians' pathological indifference to the welfare of their own troops and people will come back to bite them. Putin will find that the past tactics of overwhelming enemy forces with sheer numbers won't work if you no longer have the population to support the wastage. As for the Kerch bridge, there has been one report that the truck bomb was not the work of the Ukrainians but disaffected Russians - five of the eight people arrested for this attack are Russians. Putin has exposed the Russian army as a paper tiger, except for the nukes, but the recent UN vote on Russia's invasion shows Russia no longer can intimidate other nations into following its lead..... Couple that with the continuing demographic slide and economic damage from the sanctions, and it is clear that Putin will be long remembered in Russian history, but not in the way he might want.....
The Ukrainian intelligence service has privately taken responsibility - the work of special forces. But the public ambiguity let the Russians go arrest who they did. And that will just sow more disaffection among their population. So, a win-win.
Whether it's a bombardment of missiles or bombardment of ugly words and threats, democracy is getting run through a gauntlet of challenges. The yard punk and his orange accomplice are doing their damndest to maintain/exert authoritarian control over "their" beloved countries. They will get their comeuppance and it won't be pretty for them.
The reference to Russia pausing the conscription is either a lie or a hint that the Punk is scaling back his ambitions out of necessity. He also could quietly continue to harvest his people and deny it.
I wonder which will come first:
- a horrific and desperate attempt by Putin to turn the tide?
- or an internal struggle within Russia that will remove the "Punk who failed"?
I am driven to speculate about future consequences for Russia and all things Russian.
Putin has driven his country in the direction of the tyrants of the 20th century. The analogies mount by the day. War crimes trials allowed for a reckoning and a dispensation of justice, of a sort, for Germany and Japan, and those countries were allowed back into the community of nations. (Although China has never forgiven Japan.) There will be no war crimes trial for Russia. I wish there could be, and there may be some Hague trials in absentia, maybe in person some day if a colonel or two stupidly take a vacation in Cannes in a decade or do. But a true war crimes trial of sufficient scope to extirpate guilt is not on the horizon because NATO will not be invading Russia.
So what follows? A second Cold War? It won’t be a “war” because we know now that Russia cannot credibly threaten one. What happens if Russia is simply read out of the community of nations? A perpetual spoiler nation looking for opportunistic alliances to keep itself relevant? One could argue that’s the role Russia has always assigned itself. I wish I had a conclusion, but all I have are questions.
A Russian term for juvenile delinquents who grew up in their version of "the projects" - guys like Putin, only he didn't end in prison like his gangmates then.
You can see how desperate Putin has become - he KNOWS he cannot win, and he is trying to delay the inevitable public reckoning as long as possible by destroying Ukraine's infrastructure. He has apparently used up 2/3 of his supply of precision guided missiles in this war, and that leaves Russia vulnerable to other conflicts - he is going through Russia's defense supplies and leaving little if anything for the entire rest of the country. Most of their military production of advanced weapons has stopped because they cannot get the advanced electronics and computer components needed to build them. Russia is now issuing T-62 tanks from the 1970s because they have lost so many of the later and better models. We are seeing the unmasking of a paper boogeyman.....
Your posts about Russia are quite informative, TC. It appears you put a lot of effort into pulling info together from what must be a variety of sources.
Of note to me here was the part about Russian 'law' forbidding the use of conscripts on 'foreign soil', and the machinations that make using them in Ukraine 'legal'. Sort of reminds one of some of the 'machinations' instigated and used by a certain political party and certain elements in our government here at home, does it not? (On that last, maybe you could read 'a certain court'?)
Thank you TC. Your last part about the Russification of Ukrainian children is chilling, and heartbreaking
So much damage when the young are targeted, right out of Hitler’s playbook.
As is true with the efforts of many state legislatures to change the face of public education in America. DeSantis leads this effort with Turning Point USA and founder Charlie Kirk. And also curriculum development by Hillsdale College being forced into every level of public schools in Florida.
Their intentions are insidious.
🗽
I'm glad I don't have your profession there in FL.
Started to comment but the upheaval in my stomach is preventing rational thought. Teaching has always been a tough job and has now become a focus/flash point for those spewing political and faux-religious vitriol on a time-honored profession. Heartsick for the kids and my former colleagues.
I hear you. Tough time for teachers. Most that I talk with are holding the line. It is against everything they know to allow indoctrination of children for political and authoritarian gain. Public education as the common good is on the ballot in November. All that believe that must vote.
Unita! 🗽🙋🏻🙋🏼🙋🏽🙋🏿🙋🏾
THE YARD PUNK IS FAILING. Oh, yes, that's good; it's the next best news until Putin is dead.
As for his recent accomplishments, here's a glimpse:
In October 2022 the U.N. listed 7.6 million Ukrainian refugees across Europe, including 2.85 million in Russia—many of the latter were sent there by Russian occupiers and were subjected to a “filtration” process with credible reports of war crimes emerging, including evidence of executions and torture.
'The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) verified a total of 6,221 civilian deaths during Russia's invasion of Ukraine as of October 9, 2022. Of them, 396 were children. Furthermore, 9,371 people were reported to have been injured. However, OHCHR specified that the real numbers could be higher.' (Statista)
'Rape and sexual assault attributed to Moscow's forces in Ukraine are part of a Russian "military strategy" and a "deliberate tactic to dehumanise the victims", UN envoy Pramila Patten told AFP in an interview.'
- women are held for days and raped, when you start to rape little boys and men, when you see a series of genital mutilations, when you hear women testify about Russian soldiers equipped with Viagra, it's clearly a military strategy," she said.
- it is clearly a deliberate tactic to dehumanise the victims."
- .according to gathered testimonies, the age of the victims of sexual violence ranges from four to 82 years old,".
- many cases of sexual violence against children who are raped, tortured and kept hostage,"
'The latest strikes are part of longstanding attacks on Ukrainian culture. Since February 24, UNESCO has recorded damage to 210 cultural sites in Ukraine including museums, monuments and libraries.'
(France24.com)
The YARD PUNK cannot fail fast enough, but as TC reported his failures are piling up, faster and faster.
My husband Mark’s family left Odessa, Ukraine in 1922 to escape the persecution of Jews. He was born in Odessa just a few months before they left the country. Their goal was the same as the migrants knocking on America’s doors right now, survival.
I am grateful to TC for providing us with this summary of Putin’s collisions with the Ukrainian military, the Ukrainian people, NATO and the US, along with his errors of judgement. I am taking this liberty to expose some of the impact THE YARD PUNK is having on Ukraine.
‘BUCHA, Ukraine — One woman was badly beaten and shot through the eye. Another, held captive by Russian soldiers, was found in a cellar, shot in the head. An 81-year-old grandmother was discovered hanging in her garden, perhaps killed, perhaps driven to suicide.’
‘They were three victims among hundreds during the Russian occupation of Bucha in the spring. Bucha, a suburb of Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, quickly became the main focus of atrocities by Russian soldiers before they withdrew from the area.’
‘The crimes gained worldwide attention. But these women were unknown, their deaths unseen and unexplained.’ (NYTimes)See gifted link below.
‘This week, dozens of Russian missiles and Iranian-made kamikaze drones struck power plants and substations, cutting electricity, heat and hot water in many cities and forcing factories in some areas to temporarily close.’
‘Ukrainian President Voldomyr Zelensky said the attacks struck energy facilities in 12 regions and Kyiv, the capital, over the course of two days.’
‘Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the threat of future power cuts during winter would exacerbate the challenges faced by city residents struggling to cope with Ukraine’s intense cold.’
'The attacks on infrastructure had little impact on the battlefield in the east and south where Ukraine’s military is carrying out a counteroffensive. The purpose of this week’s strikes across the country, according to Mason Clark, a senior analyst with the Institute of War that has tracked the conflict since the start of the invasion, is fear.'
“The Kremlin is still dead set on thinking they can intimidate the Ukrainian population into surrendering,” he said. (WAPO) See gifted link below the one for the NY Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/15/world/europe/ukraine-bucha-women-russia.html?unlocked_article_code=TStlCLRoHPyQx5910i2vEdkSeXGvUe0XC-bHmlysrF8wxRQ2X4TxTJW_Kh9RsRH_Vv5ydlIM3CUKGi8L7C4XBLGGWlKy6eYeD_yTj8yPBp7iSpUMgtjj9HW-VzKbsz_hDHRzNuG6V-wp2uW2KIBeTAfe3fhqk4EjXQnsHrjA1ai-DyrxKZZRv9wImIt7gnfSDWNnEs7iHexjQUJD2_cXT7WsppUPm_k2UCmxzYmgyqXL_nRDhKKQtuqRH0N2aUbZOotoIiXu3_GPBz-1YVLjcHTk5nFC2v4jZBwlDQAt_a6v5b-rqwlUFcW7fQvFAA-Z23DTld-vffJJXgqn1D5yugCs4O3feXvFZQ&smid=share-url
https://wapo.st/3MBMXBC
😔
😣
According to Timothy Snyder the difficult part to prove when it comes to genocide is normally the intension. In the case of Putin's Russia the intension to erase Ukraine and Ukrainians has been stated over and over again. The labelling of forced deportations as "recreational trips" will not help in the coming trials. At this stage it is even questionable weather it is convincing to the home audience.
Thank you for this information. It is criminal and sadistic what the Russians are doing to the children.
This is one time the Russians' pathological indifference to the welfare of their own troops and people will come back to bite them. Putin will find that the past tactics of overwhelming enemy forces with sheer numbers won't work if you no longer have the population to support the wastage. As for the Kerch bridge, there has been one report that the truck bomb was not the work of the Ukrainians but disaffected Russians - five of the eight people arrested for this attack are Russians. Putin has exposed the Russian army as a paper tiger, except for the nukes, but the recent UN vote on Russia's invasion shows Russia no longer can intimidate other nations into following its lead..... Couple that with the continuing demographic slide and economic damage from the sanctions, and it is clear that Putin will be long remembered in Russian history, but not in the way he might want.....
The Ukrainian intelligence service has privately taken responsibility - the work of special forces. But the public ambiguity let the Russians go arrest who they did. And that will just sow more disaffection among their population. So, a win-win.
And chump is just waiting for a chance to arbitrate the conflict. Would be a good laugh if it didn’t make my blood run cold.
Russifacation….changing the “culture” of the indigenous people of Ukraine, ostensibly to passivize them into submission and fealty
Deja vu, America
Whether it's a bombardment of missiles or bombardment of ugly words and threats, democracy is getting run through a gauntlet of challenges. The yard punk and his orange accomplice are doing their damndest to maintain/exert authoritarian control over "their" beloved countries. They will get their comeuppance and it won't be pretty for them.
Thanks for this TC.
The reference to Russia pausing the conscription is either a lie or a hint that the Punk is scaling back his ambitions out of necessity. He also could quietly continue to harvest his people and deny it.
I wonder which will come first:
- a horrific and desperate attempt by Putin to turn the tide?
- or an internal struggle within Russia that will remove the "Punk who failed"?
"He also could quietly continue to harvest his people and deny it."
I am driven to speculate about future consequences for Russia and all things Russian.
Putin has driven his country in the direction of the tyrants of the 20th century. The analogies mount by the day. War crimes trials allowed for a reckoning and a dispensation of justice, of a sort, for Germany and Japan, and those countries were allowed back into the community of nations. (Although China has never forgiven Japan.) There will be no war crimes trial for Russia. I wish there could be, and there may be some Hague trials in absentia, maybe in person some day if a colonel or two stupidly take a vacation in Cannes in a decade or do. But a true war crimes trial of sufficient scope to extirpate guilt is not on the horizon because NATO will not be invading Russia.
So what follows? A second Cold War? It won’t be a “war” because we know now that Russia cannot credibly threaten one. What happens if Russia is simply read out of the community of nations? A perpetual spoiler nation looking for opportunistic alliances to keep itself relevant? One could argue that’s the role Russia has always assigned itself. I wish I had a conclusion, but all I have are questions.
As do we all. Those are all good points.
Sorry, but what's a yard punk?
A Russian term for juvenile delinquents who grew up in their version of "the projects" - guys like Putin, only he didn't end in prison like his gangmates then.
Had been wondering about that and meant to ask. Glad you clarified. Makes sense now.
You can see how desperate Putin has become - he KNOWS he cannot win, and he is trying to delay the inevitable public reckoning as long as possible by destroying Ukraine's infrastructure. He has apparently used up 2/3 of his supply of precision guided missiles in this war, and that leaves Russia vulnerable to other conflicts - he is going through Russia's defense supplies and leaving little if anything for the entire rest of the country. Most of their military production of advanced weapons has stopped because they cannot get the advanced electronics and computer components needed to build them. Russia is now issuing T-62 tanks from the 1970s because they have lost so many of the later and better models. We are seeing the unmasking of a paper boogeyman.....
Your posts about Russia are quite informative, TC. It appears you put a lot of effort into pulling info together from what must be a variety of sources.
Of note to me here was the part about Russian 'law' forbidding the use of conscripts on 'foreign soil', and the machinations that make using them in Ukraine 'legal'. Sort of reminds one of some of the 'machinations' instigated and used by a certain political party and certain elements in our government here at home, does it not? (On that last, maybe you could read 'a certain court'?)
Nailed. It.