Long day today...lots of news to absorb...herewith a few thoughts...
* Several retired American generals have been making the point today that Putin is in deep trouble in Ukraine. He thought this would be over in a few days, and didn't plan for an extended campaign. As a result, his army is running low on food, ammo, artillery shells, rockets, etc....while the Ukrainians have assembled, and are building, a well-equipped, highly-committed cadre of citizens who won't rest until the invaders are gone.
* Meanwhile, the Ukrainian army is having significant success. The New York Times reported on Monday that the world is watching the Russian military...and what Western leaders are seeing isn't impressive.
* From the NYT: "Ukraine's military, which is dwarfed by the Russian force in most ways, has somehow managed to stymie its opponent. Ukrainian soldiers have killed more than 3,000 Russian troops, according to conservative estimates by American officials."
"Ukraine has shot down military transport planes carrying Russian paratroopers, downed helicopters and blown holes in Russia's convoys using American anti-tank missiles and armed drones supplied by Turkey, these officials said, citing confidential U.S. intelligence assessments."
"The Russian soldiers have been plagued by poor morale as well as fuel and food shortages. Some troops have crossed the border with MREs (meals ready to eat) that expired in 2002, U.S. and other Western officials said, and others have surrendered and sabotaged their own vehicles to avoid fighting." Wow...just wow...
* The Russian people are slowly realizing what Putin has done. Their sons in Ukraine, and relatives living outside of Russia, have been able to inform them what's going on. They're terrified of Putin, of course, but how long can that last as sanctions begin to wear on them?
* Finally, I've been thinking about an American cemetery in Luxembourg. If you walked past this guy's grave tonight, I'll bet you could hear a voice saying, over and over again, "I told you so"....
Unfortunately and sadly, there is an undercurrent of ignorant hate in this country, and it manifests itself at times like this. It's happened many times before...
In downtown Baltimore during World War I, German Street was renamed Redwood Street. Schools had been bi-lingual because of the large German immigrant population here, but that was discontinued. Anti-German propaganda abounded. My great-grandfather, an immigrant who was a tailor, was arrested for expressing the opinion that the Kaiser wasn't really such a bad fellow. He was lucky. (See below article.)
And we won't even get into the anti-Japanese propaganda of World War II...
One of the HR folks in our office is a Russian woman. She's a naturalized citizen, married, nice lady...but she's been very quiet lately. I get it...
During World War I, U.S. Government Propaganda Erased German Culture : NPR.
Internment of German Americans - Wikipedia
The Anti-German Sentiment of World War I - Re-imagining Migration
More here: Defense Official Says Russians Reportedly Recruiting Syrian Mercenaries > U.S. Department of Defense > Defense Department NewsBut the Ruskies have asked the Syrians to loan some soldiers...bet that's real successful.
Yale prof compiles list of companies NOT boycotting Russia:
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Over 200 Companies Have Withdrawn from Russia - But Some Remain | Yale School of Management
Regarding the transfer of
jet fighters from Poland, etc.
I wouldn't be surprised if
an Aero Foreign Legion
occurred, that is mercenaries.
They could be paid by the
Comrades In Arms which
may already be within Ukraine.
Those with the knowledge....
Would/could these planes be used
to hit Russia's cruise missile sites.?
Or simply be used on Russian forces in Ukraine....
Those with the knowledge....
Would/could these planes be used
to hit Russia's cruise missile sites.?
Or simply be used on Russian forces in Ukraine....
Excellent news for Ukraine!
Poland has struck a deal with the United States to transfer all of its Russian-made MiG-29 fighter jets "immediately and free of charge" to a U.S. air base in Germany, a likely precursor to the jets being delivered to Ukraine.
The announcement Tuesday came after a week of back-and-forth negotiations about the transfer, and amid Russian warnings that delivering the jets to Ukraine would be seen as a provocation.
In a statement, the Polish Foreign Ministry said Warsaw "requests the United States to provide us with used aircraft with corresponding operational capabilities. Poland is ready to immediately establish the conditions of purchase of the planes."
Poland also called on other NATO allies that operate MiG-29 jets "to act in the same vein."
MSN