It appears this “permission” granted to Ukraine for long-range strikes with US and UK missiles, which would seemingly necessitate US providing the satellite targeting data for the attacks, is little more than another lame negotiating ploy. Clown World clearly recognizes that it has lost the war, and is now simply trying to look strong in order to encourage Russia to settle for less than it might otherwise gain, as Simplicius breaks down a recent New York Times article.
The NYT piece is remarkable in its admissions. It says that Trump forcing Ukraine to give up land would look like a major defeat of the West, but no matter—the author writes it is necessary because Ukraine is being devastated and Putin has no reason to stop; finally reality dawns on them!
Despite flashes of spectacular success by Ukrainian forces, the Russian position has gradually strengthened, and there is no reason to expect Mr. Putin to lose the upper hand now. That may sound like defeatism, but it’s also realism. I believe it’s right to call Ukraine a proxy war, because I think it’s reasonable to conclude that the Biden administration has supported the war not only in deference to righteous Ukrainian determination to fight off Russia but also because the war was a chance to debilitate our enemy without directly engaging it. Now another cold winter bears down, and Ukraine’s electricity infrastructure is so bomb-wrecked that people are expected to endure daily blackouts of up to 20 hours through the dark and bitter months.
This bleak landscape contains the most extreme and tragic results of the power games that have been played out mercilessly on Ukrainian soil by greater powers. Both Russia and the United States have for decades exploited Ukraine’s internal divisions to undermine each other and jockey for regional influence, usually at the expense of ordinary Ukrainians.
The even bigger admission is the now naked truth that the war is in fact a proxy war, spurred on by NATO and the West. For the first time, MSM makes headway in acknowledging the West’s participation in the Ukraine’s exploitation, even if only by a halfway measure. The author even goes on to admit the Bush administration heavily backed the Orange Revolution of 2004, “shower[ing] the pro-Western groups with funding and training.”
This doesn’t mean that the Ukrainians won’t fire a few long-range missiles with US – or more likely, UK – assistance, probably at the Kursk pocket where the last vestiges of Ukraine’s best troops are being systematically eliminated in a vain attempt to hold on to some Russian territory as negotiating leverage. But Russia has sent a very clear signal that the time to surrender is now, as for the first time, it is striking hard at the electrical system that permits Western Europe to provide Ukraine with emergency electricity.
It finally happened—our questions on Russia and Putin’s resoluteness have been answered. After a nearly two-month hiatus of major long-range strikes on energy infrastructure, Russia struck back again last night with what’s again being called one of the largest strikes of the war, which not only reportedly utilized a fleet of 16 Tu-95s, but according to some sources even a wing of Tu-160s for the first time.
Protocol would have it that more systematic strikes like this would follow, weekly or so, for the winter campaign. Russian ISR would spend some time doing damage assessments then continue levying strikes on the areas which need further degrading.
Continuing the war at this point is simply irresponsible by any military perspective. The European governments that supported it have collapsed, the economies of the European governments that supported it are contracting – Volkswagen just closed three of its factories in Germany – and Russia is stronger in economic, political, military, and diplomatic terms than it was when the special military operation began. No amount of brave rhetoric or esoteric word magic is going to salvage anything positive from what was always a spectacularly stupid idea.
The age of the US military empire is over. It’s time to shut down the bases and bring home the troops to defend the borders and begin the mass repatriations that are so long-overdue. A nation that recognizes its imperial sell-by date and gives up its ambitions can still survive and thrive as a kingdom. See: Persia and Russia. An empire that refuses to admit that it is done eventually ends up being overrun by its former dominions. See: Great Britain.