Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

When we show up, we win.

Bad news for Ron DeSantis is great news for America.

The Supreme Court cannot be allowed to become the ultimate, unaccountable arbiter of everything.

There’s always a light at the end of the frog.

Let’s delete this post and never speak of this again.

I’ve spoken to my cat about this, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.

Michigan is a great lesson for Dems everywhere: when you have power…use it!

Not so fun when the rabbit gets the gun, is it?

Seems like a complicated subject, have you tried yelling at it?

The republican caucus is covering themselves with something, and it’s not glory.

Democrats are back in array!

It’s always darkest before the other shoe drops.

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

You are so fucked. Still, I wish you the best of luck.

“The defense has a certain level of trust in defendant that the government does not.”

Ah, the different things are different argument.

After dobbs, women are no longer free.

Found liable for massive fraud, is required to post a massive bond, gets a break, then files a *fraudulent* bond!

… gradually, and then suddenly.

Tick tock motherfuckers!

Whoever he was, that guy was nuts.

We’re not going back!

If you are in line to indict donald trump, stay in line.

I did not have this on my fuck 2022 bingo card.

You are here: Home / Foreign Affairs / War for Ukraine Day 656: President Zelenskyy Goes to Washington

War for Ukraine Day 656: President Zelenskyy Goes to Washington

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Art by NEIVANMADE of a Ukrainian painted black and outlined in blood red kneeling in grief with hands covering the face surrounded by the bodies of Ukrainians killed by Russians on a grey background. "Russia Is Committing Genocide Right Now" is across the top center of the image.

(Image by NEIVANMADE)

President Zelenskyy travelled to Washington, DC today. While he has a meeting tomorrow with President Biden, today he met with the head of the IMF, a bunch of defense industry CEOs, and gave an address at National Defense University (NDU). NDU is made up of the National War College, the College of International Security Affairs (CISA), The Eisenhower School formerly known as the Industrial College of the Armed Forces (ICAF), and several other centers and schools. Here is his address to the faculty, staff, and students. Video below, English transcript after the jump.

Freedom must always prevail when challenged – speech by the President of Ukraine at the National Defense University of the United States

11 December 2023 – 22:23

Thank you very much! 

It’s a great honor to be here.

General Plehn – Mr. President of the National Defence University, thank you for your kind words.

I want to start by saying thank you, Secretary Austin. A huge man, a big friend of Ukraine. Thank you for your personal leadership during this time for supporting Ukraine and defending all the free world.

Chairman Brown, thank you for your vision and support.

And special thanks to you, Secretary Del Toro and Secretary Wormuth, for all your invaluable support to the Ukrainian Navy and Army. Thank you very much.

It’s a real honor for me to be and speak here at this University, known for its years of dedication to fine-tuning the defense of freedom. The world not just knows the names of those who’ve studied and taught here; it really feels the impact of the choices they’ve made or the guidance they’ve given as mentors. And if you look at it that way, Ukraine definitely deserves to be here – represented by our brave warriors, our people, and I believe, as equals. Ukraine has left its mark on the world – that’s something you can feel. It’s probably felt most strongly now in Moscow. And it’s going to keep being felt there even more so, until we tackle this enemy of freedom.

Ladies and gentlemen!

In many speeches and lectures given in places like this University, or similar ones, people often talk about “after the collapse of the Berlin Wall”. As soon as you hear that, you get what they’re talking about – the time period, the emotions, the leadership involved. And most importantly, it’s about how freedom spread like ripples in a pond through Central Europe, then Eastern Europe, and across the world.

The world really did change after that wall came down, starting a new era. They said it would be a time when freedom, human rights, democracy, and market economy would lead the way globally. And that wasn’t just talk. Nations that had been under the thumb for so long and could only dream of freedom started walking that path.

But, the ones who used to suppress freedom, they didn’t give up their dreams either.

Since 1989, freedom’s enemies got stronger, trying to turn their annoyance at freedom’s success into a comeback. They channeled funds into terrorism. Stirred up trouble. Spread hate and stoked the fires of local conflicts, trying to turn them into full-blown wars or at least freeze them like incurable tumors, stifling the freedom of nations. They brought back the nuclear scare. Every decade piled on more problems, and not one year in the last thirty-plus years was safe for freedom. 2022 turned out to be the year when one of the biggest enemies of freedom, with its all out, unjust, and unprovoked war, tried to smash everything built up since the Berlin Wall fell.

Russia’s war on Ukraine isn’t just about some old-fashioned dictatorship trying to settle scores, real or imagined. It’s not just Moscow trying to split Europe again. It’s Putin attacking that big shift that happened back in 1989.

He’s fighting Ukraine, but really, he’s up against all of free, united Europe. He’s wrecking everyday life in Ukrainian cities, but his real target is the freedom people enjoy from Warsaw to Chicago to Yokohama. He’s trying to make democratic countries lose hope, pushing the idea that dictatorships with a bit of market economy are winning this global face-off. This isn’t just about competing systems – Russia’s still got the means to mess with democracies worldwide. Putin’s got buddies in this – each one a threat to any free nation, to regional or global order, to human rights and democracy, be it HAMAS, Iran, North Korea or others. No accidents here – they’re all linked by their hate for freedom. Putin’s crafting his own ideology, and at its core is complete disregard for human life, for freedom, and for respecting any kind of borders – between countries, between people, even between truth and lies. He’s spreading this ideology, looking for allies even here in America. His weapon against you right now is propaganda and disinformation, but if he sees a chance, he’ll go further. Now, he’s shifting Russia’s economy and society onto what he calls “war tracks”. Sadly, he’s had time to do this. But the direction of these “war tracks” is clear – I’m sure you see it.

Russia is set on more than just Ukraine’s land, resources, or people. It won’t be satisfied with just a part of Ukraine, or even all of it. Ukraine is just a stepping stone for Russia, a way to act like that old empire that died in 1989, and to challenge the lead of freedom wherever the Russian tsar likes. Putin must lose – so that everyone else, who sees Russia’s war on Ukraine as his personal lecture at the so-called “University of Aggression”, gets the message loud and clear. Putin must lose!

And now, I want to share three points about Ukraine’s impact… The impact I started talking about at the beginning of my speech.

First point.

No matter what some tsars might want, anywhere in the free world you won’t hear phrases like: “after the collapse of Europe” or: “after freedom in Europe has fallen”. Because you’ll never hear: “after the fall of Ukraine”. We’re going to stop Russia right at the start of its global war against freedom. Right where the first front line is – on our land, in our skies, at our sea. Ukraine is the first front. But we’ve got to make sure – and we can make sure! – it doesn’t come to having a second or third front against freedom somewhere in the Baltic countries or another part of the world. When there’s a chance to defend one country’s freedom to avoid fighting in other lands – that’s what should be done. The current generation of free nations should learn from past battles in Europe. The destruction spread by dictatorships is too greedy, and it needs to be stopped right at the start.

I wanted to remind everyone that exactly on this day, December 11th, 82 years ago, the United States – with soldiers, officers, and generals – America’s sons and daughters, just like those present here now – had to join the continental war in Europe. Now, it’s without American boots on European ground defending freedom against Russia’s aggression. American Bradleys and HIMARS, 155-caliber artillery and ATACMS, Patriots, and F-16s can get the job done in Europe, exactly how global freedom needs it. The whole world is watching us, observing what destiny other free nations could face – to live freely or to be subjugated. Ukrainians haven’t given up and won’t give up. We know what to do. You can count on Ukraine, and we hope, just as much, to be able to count on you.

So, my second point is this.

There are two key things – confidence and security. They’re crucial for internal stability in countries and for international peace.

There’s no human community where evil hasn’t tried to take over at some point. Crime and terrorism are threats to any society. Aggressiveness and disrespect for freedom are, unfortunately, found in many parts of the world, and often hatred rules the streets and hearts. And there’s no defense against this, except for these two things – the confidence of those who believe in freedom and the security guaranteed by the defenders of freedom when they come together, cooperate, and uphold rules that are mandatory for everyone.

Together, we must uphold the rule of law, our institutions and alliances that protect democracy and ensure security, including NATO, so that nowhere in the world, not even in the darkest corner of the planet, is there a temptation to think some other order can dominate the world – other than freedom. America and all free nations need to be confident in themselves, in their strength, in their leadership, so that dictatorships doubt themselves and their power to undermine freedom. When the free world hesitates, that’s when dictatorships celebrate, and their most dangerous ambitions ripen.

Every one of you here understands what it means for a soldier to wait for munition. Waiting for weeks, months, without knowing if support will come at all… Every one of you with command experience knows what it means when instead of moving forward you’re just watching, waiting for ammo or equipment – while your enemy is satisfied and preparing for assaults. Any of you with a son or daughter in a combat zone just wouldn’t get it, if they were told that protecting lives could wait because there’s a little more debating. Let me be frank with you, friends. If there’s anyone inspired by unresolved issues on Capitol Hill, it’s just Putin and his sick clique. They see the dreams come true when they see the delays and scandals. They see freedom falling when the support of freedom fighters goes down. People like Putin shouldn’t even hope to conquer freedom. And we can show our children and grandchildren what real confidence is, as was shown to us… To us when in Berlin the great words were spoken: “Tear down this wall”. We need no-less confidence now than President Reagan had then.

I believe this is our common goals – that the security established after 1989 is fully restored and preserved; that freedom, as then, proves that, “when its boundaries expand in one country, freedom for all people expands”; and that next year, in 2024, the aggression of the current enemy of the free world begins to collapse, just like that wall. And we can make it real.

So, moving on to the third point, ladies and gentlemen.

Our actual achievements are something to talk about. Alongside with our partners, we’ve already accomplished more than anyone expected when Russia started this war. Ukraine is in a battle against a nuclear state and one of the biggest armies… But! Despite everything, we have already regained 50 percent of territory that Russia captured at the beginning of this war. God bless our warriors! We’re doing this under conditions where, unfortunately, the air superiority still remains with Russia. We’re building our air shield, including systems like the American “Patriot” which protect our cities from missile attacks. The Ukrainian economy has grown more than five percent this year. It’s not just a miracle; it’s the result of the courage of our warriors, our entire nation, and the crucial support from America, from other global democracies, from our partners. When cities are safe, freedom boosts the economy. We’re working with President Biden, and I am very thankful to him, so that Ukraine and the US can produce weapons together – necessary for protecting freedom. This will make Ukraine a beacon of confidence and security for all of Europe – for our now joint allies and partners. Ukraine won in the Black Sea. Now, the Russian Black Sea fleet is partially destroyed or hiding in remote bays. Thanks to this, we’ve resumed our maritime exports, including food exports, protecting dozens of nations in Africa and Asia from hunger and chaos. Next year, Ukraine will clear more shipping lanes. And by now it is not a secret that Ukraine’s response to Russian barbarism can shake the ground in the heart of Moscow – it’s a proof of our true strength. Plus, Ukraine is reforming its state institutions, even in wartime we’re fixing the system, to start negotiations with the EU about joining. We keep our promises. We make more strength.

Right now, amid fierce battles, our soldiers are holding positions on the front and preparing for further actions. We haven’t let Russia score any victories this year. Yes, Putin tries to create new problems. But our tactic isn’t just about waiting for what Russia will do; not just about adapting to the problems Putin creates; it’s about effectively solving problems – solving! – that’s the key to victory.

Tomorrow, in meetings with President Biden and in Congress, I’ll talk about what results we can achieve next year based on our achievements this year.

By pushing Putin back, we’ll strip his aggression of its meaning. Then he will no longer be able to deceive Russia, as if he personally and his war have a future. Expanding our capabilities in the sky, especially air defense on the front, will remove Russia’s air advantage. That’s solving one of our major problems. Almost no one believed we would win at sea, but now it’s a fact. We have to win the sky too. “Patriots” and electronic warfare, and drones, and jets – all this will help our forces move on the ground as needed. And itʼs crucial that politicians don’t even try to betray the soldiers because, just like weapons are needed for their defense, freedom always requires unity.

I’m confident that freedom can be stronger than any of its enemies. I believe we can be just as effective in defending freedom now as the free world was in 1989. I’m as confident today as I was on February 24th, when I told world leaders – Ukraine will fight, Ukraine will stand. I’m confident that freedom must always prevail when challenged.

I thank you, America, for your support! And I believe that one day at this University, not only those who studied Russia can give lectures, but also Ukrainians who defeated Russia.

Thank you for your attention! 

Cлава Україні!

For those of you marking Advent on your calendars this year.

Today, we’d like to thank our friends from 🇫🇷 @Armees_Gouv and 🇮🇹 @MinisteroDifesa
for their unwavering support for Ukraine. We are particularly grateful for strengthening our air defence capabilities with SAMP/T systems.

SAMP/T helps to protect key infrastructure objects and save Ukrainian people’s lives. Such systems can shoot down ballistic missiles.

Ukrainian children’s peaceful sleep is protected by our brave air defenders and Weapons of Victory such as SAMP/T.

#StandWithUkraine #UAMoDAdvent

Great Britain:

The UK (@DefenceHQ) and Norway (@Forsvarsdep) will co-lead a new Maritime Capability Coalition. The Coalition will offer a blueprint for the development of 🇺🇦 Navy.

The UK is providing:
◾️2 Sandown Class Mine Counter-Measure Vessels
◾️20 Viking Amphibious vehicles
◾️23 Raiding craft

We are grateful to our partners for their important contribution to Black Sea security!
🇺🇦🇬🇧🇳🇴

If you’re wondering what Russia is planning and thinking

I’m pretty confident what @carlbildt says about his conversations with people from Russian security agencies in Dubai is true.

I see a million reasons why they’d be obsessed with continuing the war against Ukraine up to the hypotherical taking of Kharkiv and Odesa, and the installment of a puppet regime in Kyiv.

War is the perfect time for skyrocketing careers and for unimaginable embezzlement of gargantuan funds.

Especially when it comes to military & state security mafia.

Especially when it comes to a war that essentially has no clearly stated realistic end goal or timeline.

The Kremlin needs war as such to go on for not admitting their failure in Ukraine — and thousands of jackals are more than happy to reap their profits from this giant venture, a supermassive black hole of money.

At some point, Russia’s war becomes a self-sustaining process in which even the lowest-ranking poor Russians are happy to kill and die for the monthly equivalent of an average American blue-collar salary.

That’s one of the reasons why Russia needs this war to go on until they can’t go on.

 

Kyiv:

Avdiivka direction:

Some grim reading in Illia Ponomarenko’s reporting from Avdiivka:

I’m with @moas_eu, a medical mission that ensures the evacuation of severely wounded Ukrainian troops in Donbas.

Ambulances rush in and out on the E50 highway in Ukraine’s east, along with endless fuel trucks and tank transporters, day and night.

Doctors, mostly trained Ukrainian anesthesiologists, take the wounded brought from the combat zone and stabilized at rear front outposts.

Avdiivka, the outskirts of Bakhmut… the flow of mutilated soldiers never stops.

The mission is to carry them alive all the way to the Mechnikov Hospital in Dnipro, the eastern front’s key medical facility.

That’s about 200 km along the roads of Donbas and then the highway to Dnipro.

Taking the guys to the big hospital alive is really a form of high art not only by doctors but also by ambulance drivers. There are specific driving modes for specific forms of severe injuries sustained by patients.

The first guy for the afternoon…a policeman. A landmine. The entire left leg ripped off, both arms severely damaged.

The guy is stable, but he requires urgent brain surgery handle.

There’s the strong smell of dried gore inside the vehicle.

Ambulances are pretty narrow. The guy’s severed leg wrapped in plastic rests on the floor just next to my feet and wavers slightly with the car’s movements.

Doctors apparently require that ripped-off limbs arrive at military hospitals along with patients who lost them.

Better just keep cool and don’t think about it.

It’s better to think about the badly wounded trooper and have good hope our docs in Dnipro will get him fixed… after many months of intense treatment, which will be followed by years of recovery and trying to get back to a fulfilling life after war.

Almost all of the MOAS patients are severe.

The last evacuation for my day comes at 4.45 am. Yet another ambulance rushed through the night to Dnipro via Pavlograd.

I look inside the compartment from the front seat next to the driver and feel shivers running down my spine.

The beard, the black curly hair, the body build. The soldier’s damaged eyes are covered with implements. And he looks frighteningly similar to a good friend of mine, a journalist turned military serviceman.

“Nah, he’s not the guy you asked about,” the ambulance’s doc said after he checked the soldier’s papers.

I now look through these pictures and really hope the guy will make it home alive — thanks to those ambulance docs and many others trying to tackle the giant toll of Russia’s abominable war on our country.

And more from Avdiivka:

Left bank of the Dnipro, Russian occupied Kherson Oblast:

Tatarigami has a new assessment across multiple fronts.

The current frontline dynamics reveal active attempts by Russian forces, particularly in the Kupyansk-Lyman direction, as well as the northern and southern areas of Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and Mariinka to improve their tactical situation.

Despite lacking overwhelming advantages and facing constraints in offensive capabilities, Frontelligence Insight anticipates that Russian forces might be able to achieve partial success in reducing the gains made by the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the summer and fall campaigns.

Frontelligence Insight also has acquired documents indicating that Russia has created Storm-V units. According to these documents, units will predominantly consist of fit-for-service convicts who have signed contracts with the Ministry of Defense. The recruitment priority for Storm-V is set for the Airborne Troops (VDV), although it appears that some motor rifle units will also incorporate Storm-V units. Presently, it remains unclear how these units differ from the existing Storm-Z companies.

Avdiivka

The overall situation for the Ukrainian forces has stabilized, as the Russian offensive appears to have reached its peak. Russian forces have lost eager to assault and the number of operational equipment has been severely reduced. Russians were also unable to develop their success in the industrial zone, south of Avdiivka.

At the same time, the logistical situation in Avdiivka has worsened for Ukrainian forces. Reports confirm that Russian forces are employing FPV drones with thermal/night vision cameras, complicating nighttime supply efforts. As a result, logistical challenges are persistent, despite the overall military situation stabilizing.

Mari’nka

The situation in Mari’nka is critical. Although specific details cannot be disclosed, our analysis indicates that the fall of Mari’nka is likely a matter of time. The collapse of Mari’nka can create operational opportunities for Russian forces toward Kurakhove and Vuhledar. If Russians will force Vuheldar defenders to retreat, they will be able to restore a crucial logistical railroad line, significantly reducing transportation times and enabling more mobile movements of units.

Bakhmut area

In the Bakhmut area, challenges persist as Russian forces continue to have limited and localized successes near Khromove and Klischiivka. While the majority of their attacks have been successfully repelled with incurred losses, the overall outlook is less than optimistic. There is a potential risk that Ukrainian defenders may cede some previously gained positions from the summer-fall campaign. Given the current circumstances, the likelihood of a substantial breakthrough or a collapse is low at the moment.

Spirne

In the Spirne area, for the past week, Russians continued to launch assaults with small tactical groups, experiencing losses without achieving any tangible results. The overall situation appears to be stable in this area of the frontline.

Lyman-Kupyansk area

Russian forces persist in pressing both the Lyman and Kupyansk directions. Currently, their efforts have not yielded significant results, and they have incurred tangible losses. Our analysis indicates that Russia currently views this direction as secondary. Despite this, continuous assaults persist in the Lyman and Kupyansk directions. If Russians find success in the Bakhmut area, we anticipate a potential intensification of pressure in the Lyman and Kupyansk directions.

Summary

The Armed Forces of Ukraine are facing challenges entering the harsh winter season, marked by a scarcity of artillery ammunition, fatigue following an extensive summer-fall campaign, the withholding of aid by the US Congress, and failure to deliver the necessary amount of ammo by European partners, among other factors. Despite the overall unfavorable situation for the AFU, we assess that Russian forces are unlikely to execute another army-level assault. Drawing insights from experience in Avdiivka, where substantial commitments of armored and infantry units yielded limited gains, we do not anticipate significant breakthroughs or defense collapses in the near term.

Given the present disposition and allocation of Russian resources, there is a likelihood of observing battalion, brigade, and corps-level operations aimed at enhancing tactical situations and reclaiming lost positions from the summer and fall of 2023. The success of these operations, if executed without depleting the newly formed units, could potentially set the stage for a larger spring offensive in 2024.

Despite the apparent grimness, the reality remains that Russian forces are unlikely to achieve a critical strategic shift in the war during the upcoming winter or even the spring. However, this does not diminish the urgency for both Ukraine and its allies to implement decisive measures to gain the upper hand.

If you find this analysis valuable, whether it’s positive or negative, please consider liking and sharing it. The visibility of the Ukrainian frontline coverage has decreased on the X. Our team, Frontelligence Insight, is actively involved in two significant projects. One of them, featuring satellite evidence showcasing the destruction of several hundred Russian vehicles in Avdiivka, will be released this week. Your support is appreciated; you can contribute via BuyMeaCoffee, linked in my bio, as we tackle multiple projects simultaneously and genuinely need your assistance.

The Polish-Ukrainian border:

The Polish-Ukrainian border is getting unblocked right now.
Let’s hope (and work for it!) that this becomes the beginning of the end of the rough patch we’re going through in this war.
We now pray for the U.S. Congress to make a historic decision and get back to what’s right soon.

 

For you logistics enthusiasts:

⚡️ VERIFIED TANK LOSSES – NOV 2023

Of the 5,551 tank losses indicated by Ukrainian field reports at the end of November, the @WarSpotting team has been able to verify 38% or 2,088 so far.

Overall, tanks made during the Soviet era are 49% of the verified losses, but 59% when we look at November.

See dashboard and the feed of @verekerrichard1 for further analysis.

#Ukraine

📈 https://lookerstudio.google.com/s/hgKZSiAqOcQ

 

That’s enough for tonight.

Your daily Patron!

There are no new Patron tweets or videos tonight, so here’s some adjacent material from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense:

Open thread!

Reader Interactions

38Comments

  1. 1.

    Harrison Wesley

    Adam, thanks for all this – I couldn’t find this information on my own.  I do have a question: the UK/Norway maritime project looks promising, but if the ships are going to serve in the Black Sea, won’t Turkiye have to agree to let them through?

  2. 2.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Harrison Wesley: I know that Ukraine has imported a bunch of small patrol boats overland through Poland. A bunch were being held up in that blockade that seems to finally be coming to an end.

  4. 4.

    japa21

    thousands of jackals are more than happy to reap their profits from this giant venture, a supermassive black hole of money.

    I take umbrage at this. I don’t think any of us are trying to reap profits (other than maybe Baud).

  6. 6.

    Alison Rose

    Zelenskyy’s speech was, as per usual, terrific. It kind of amazes me that he is able to keep doing this and sounding so thoughtful and wise and diplomatic, even when he must want to bang his head against the wall while in DC.

    And I will agree with him — Lloyd Austin is definitely a huge man. And a good one, it seems!

    Thank you as always, Adam.

  7. 7.

    RaflW

    Zelenskyy saying “America and all free nations need to be confident in themselves, in their strength, in their leadership” strikes me as at least a soft dig at the current Republican Party. One of the lines of attack that I wish Democrats would use is that what the GOP says these days is “It’s too hard. We can’t do both guns and butter. We aren’t up to the challenges of the 21st century.” IOW, Repubs are total wimps.

    I know Republicans are unembarrassable at this point. but this line of confronting the cretins is to change voters minds, not to dislodge the rump party from their destructive inaction

  9. 9.

    Geminid

    @Harrison Wesley: If the boats are coming from Norway, they might take a river/canal route across Central Europe and come out the Danube.

    I think that’s how the Vikings used to do it. They had to haul their boats overland some, but it still beat going all the way around Spain. The trading routes were already there.

  10. 10.

    frosty

    Adam – Zelenskyy’s speech to the National Defense University was brilliant and inspiring. I sincerely hope that it makes a difference in the Republican block of assistance to Ukraine but knowing what I know, I doubt that it will happen.

    I’ll send something on to my useless Congressman.

    Since I live in one of the swing states where maybe 100,000 votes nationwide will flip the Electoral College. I guess I’ll be knocking doors again, hopefully to put Scott Perry back on the street.

     

  16. 16.

    RaflW

    @frosty: Wow, there’s 5 declared Dem candidates for PA-10. Any insights into that, if you don’t mind? I see Perry’s at least somewhat tied into the GA election interference case. (If this isn’t the thread to go down that rabbit hole, that’s OK too)

  17. 17.

    Another Scott

    RollCall.com:

    As of last Thursday, the Pentagon said there was about $4.8 billion still available for the president to draw down for Ukraine, but as top Biden administration officials have said, there is no “magical pot” of money available when the authorities are exhausted.

    Slava Ukraini!!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  20. 20.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Alison Rose: He was Commander of 10th Mountain Division in Iraq in 2008. His call sign was Mountain. Both for customary and obvious reasons. I’m not tiny and when I met him when he visiting our command FOB he made me feel not large.

  23. 23.

    Elizabelle

    I am thinking of the shame some GOP who support Ukraine may be feeling while listening to Zelensky’s speech, and I am sure that some of them are.  How far their party has fallen.  Running interference for Putin.

    Look forward to what Presidents Zelensky and Biden have to say tomorrow.  Are Democrats (and sympathetic GOP) from Congress included in any of the events?

  24. 24.

    frosty

    @RaflW: I only know of 2 of the 5. Adam knows Mike O’Brien (I think from Carlisle) and that’s who I’m leaning towards. Shamaine Daniels gave Perry a good run in 2020 so she’s one of the ones I’m looking at.

  25. 25.

    Alison Rose

    @Adam L Silverman: Yeah, I mean, Zelenskyy is not a tall man so the difference will be exacerbated, but I’ve seen Austin with guys who are tall and beefy and he still dwarfs them, LOL.

    I’ve probably told the story here before about when I met Bill Walton, who is 7 feet tall, while I’m 5 feet. It’s quite an experience to be an actual adult and feel like an escapee from Munchkinland next to someone.

  28. 28.

    Jay

    Logo
    Anton Gerashchenko
    @Gerashchenko_en
    8h
    Ukrainian saber fencer, 2008 Olympic champion Olha Kharlan spoke out against the participation of Russian athletes in the Olympic Games and other international competitions in any status.

    She reminded that more than 370 Ukrainian athletes were killed after the full-scale invasion. Olga says: when “the whole world is watching the war, most countries support Ukraine and help us fight evil, and the IOC simply allows this evil to be part of the Olympic Games.”

    “It makes you want to yell and ask lots of questions: “Why is this so? Why do people who march in military parades, receive orders from murderous generals, have the right to be among the world’s elite of sports?” But it won’t help. Actions will help. We will do our best to get the athletes, the national committee, and other countries to join in to cancel this shameful decision. And the Paris Games will become a place of fair competition for a medal, not another foothold for Russia,” Kharlan said.

    On December 8, the International Olympic Committee decided to allow athletes from Russia and Belarus to participate in the 2024 Paris Olympics in a neutral status.

    📹: United24 on Russian athletes who endorse Putin’s politics

    https://nitter.net/Gerashchenko_en/status/1734285575459373114#m

  29. 29.

    frosty

    @Alison Rose: Your encounter was a little more impressive than my meet’n’greet with Fetterman: 5’4 vs 6’8.

    On my first real job, my boss asked me to introduce a new hire to everyone on the floor. We got a lot of stares – he was a black guy, 6’10”, former basketball player who blew out a knee.

    When I got back I asked my boss what gives? He said basically OMG I didn’t think about the visuals, I just figured you knew everyone and would be the best one to do the tour.

  32. 32.

    jonas

    The Ukrainians are up against such tough odds — it kills me to think of what’s going to happen if those fucking ghouls in Congress cut off aid. That said, almost two years into this and I guess I’m kind of shocked at Russia’s staying power, particularly with regard to men and machines. They seem to be able to throw an absolutely endless amount of manpower and tanks and drones and stuff into this fight, with no end in sight. Have we been very naive/misled about the size and depth of the Russian military? Because when this thing started, it seemed like they were going to have to tap out sooner rather than later just for want of basic equipment and troops.

  33. 33.

    Jay

    @jonas:

    for decades, what we were told about ruZZia was all focused on Moscow and Saint Petersburg.

    It was not ruZZian Mir, where nobody has heat, running water, toilets, and Mom’s are willing to enlist their kids to be meat cubes for a Lada, and guys are willing to become a “Z Stormtrooper” with 12 days training, for basically a US minimum wage and the chance to steal a fridge or a toilet.

    If they get documents.

  35. 35.

    strange visitor (from another planet)

    @jonas: i dunno about men and drones, but they’re sending into battle the dregs of their reserve tanks and IFV’s, equipment from the fifties and sixties. they’ve got SERIOUS problems.

    whatever happens next, the russians have shown that they are CLEARLY running out of top-of-the-line shit.

  37. 37.

    Jay

    @strange visitor (from another planet):

    the ruZZian’s are flying a lot more drones these days. They have an inexhausible array of meat cubes, and are getting more ammo, (low quality) than Ukraine. Then there is the air advantage.

    With out serious, continuous Western help, ruZZian can grind Ukraine down. That’s their goal, and the ReThug’s and Orban have given a major political boost to ruZZia continuing.

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