Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

You come for women, you’re gonna get your ass kicked.

I see no possible difficulties whatsoever with this fool-proof plan.

Everything is totally normal and fine!!!

American history and black history cannot be separated.

Russian mouthpiece, go fuck yourself.

SCOTUS: It’s not “bribery” unless it comes from the Bribery region of France. Otherwise, it’s merely “sparkling malfeasance”.

Republicans: The threats are dire, but my tickets are non-refundable!

It’s easy to sit in safety and prescribe what other people should be doing.

Teach a man to fish, and he’ll sit in a boat all day drinking beer.

Do not shrug your shoulders and accept the normalization of untruths.

A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals

Tick tock motherfuckers!

We’re watching the self-immolation of the leading world power on a level unprecedented in human history.

Boeing: repeatedly making the case for high speed rail.

People really shouldn’t expect the government to help after they watched the GOP drown it in a bathtub.

This is dead girl, live boy, a goat, two wetsuits and a dildo territory.  oh, and pink furry handcuffs.

Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?

Republicans in disarray!

Trump should be leading, not lying.

Red lights blinking on democracy’s dashboard

Fundamental belief of white supremacy: white people are presumed innocent, minorities are presumed guilty.

That’s my take and I am available for criticism at this time.

The worst democrat is better than the best republican.

So it was an October Surprise A Day, like an Advent calendar but for crime.

You are here: Home / Foreign Affairs / War for Ukraine Day 929: Incredibly Alarmed!

War for Ukraine Day 929: Incredibly Alarmed!

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Three quick housekeeping notes. First, Rosie is still doing great as she enjoys her week off between treatments. Thank you for all the good thoughts, well wishes, prayers, and donations.

Second, last night’s request to take it down a notch or two in the comments was not directed at any specific person. We’ve all been a bit testy, for obvious reasons, and that was the driver of the request.

Third, today was Monday… So I’m going to just cover the basics, have something to eat, get cleaned up, and rack out.

As of 6:30 PM EDT/1:30 AM local time in Ukraine, the air raid alerts are spreading across Ukraine. Currently all of eastern and central Ukraine, minus Zaporizhzhia Oblast, are under air raid alert. There’s no indication of MiG-31s or Su-24s on the air raid alert warning maps. This is most likely another drone swarm.

The State Department is incredibly alarmed! I think this means we have to change the flashing warning lighting to puce.

Secretary Blinken is in London.

Will he discuss allowing the UK to lift restrictions on Ukraine striking russia with Storm Shadow missiles?

I just asked DoS Deputy Spox 👇🏻

“Support for Ukraine I expect to be a major topic of conversation when the Secretary has his govt to govt meetings tomorrow”

Incredibly alarmed should put the fear of something into the Quds Force and the Supreme Religious Authority. I’m sure they’re just quaking in fear in Tehran and Qom over the potential significant consequences. We’re not going to attack Iran. We’ve already levied every sanction imaginable possible on Iran and Iranian political, religious, and military elites. And the Iranians can close straits any time they like. Again, it would be better if they’d say nothing than continue to prattle away in a manner that is neither convincing, nor helping.

Here is President Zelenskyy’s address from earlier today. Video below, English transcript after the jump.

The Course of the War Directly Depends on the Quality of Logistics in Supply and Partners’ Fulfillment of All Promises – Address by the President

9 September 2024 – 19:42

Good health to you, fellow Ukrainians!

I held a meeting of the Staff. Several key issues were discussed. Protection of energy infrastructure from Russian strikes. Defense of our positions on the frontline. We thoroughly addressed the issue of artillery supply to the troops, including our “Bohdana” howitzers, and the provision of equipment to our brigades.

Regarding the energy sector, there are clear deadlines and requirements for each facility, both in terms of physical protection and air defense. We need the same clear approach to implementing all the necessary measures. Responsibility for this is entirely personal – both for the construction of protective structures and for the operation of air defense systems.

We are also working in detail on equipping our combat brigades and reserve brigades.

Separately today, Defense Minister of Ukraine, Umerov, delivered a report on the outcomes of the “Ramstein” meeting and his negotiations with partners. All agreements reached must be implemented as quickly as possible. What is needed in September must be delivered to our troops in September. What we agreed upon for the following months must also be delivered on time. The course of the war directly depends on the quality of logistics in supply and the fulfillment of all promises by partners.

There was also a detailed military report today from Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi, primarily regarding the Donetsk directions. I thank all our units on the frontlines for fully completing their tasks, steadfastly repelling Russian assaults and reclaiming our positions. This is important. Equally important is destroying as many of the occupier’s forces as possible. In the Pokrovsk and Kurakhove directions, the Russian army must lose as much combat capability as possible. Separately, the Commander-in-Chief reported on the defense in the Kharkiv region and on our active operations in Russia’s Kursk region. I am proud of all our warriors who, through their actions, are teaching Russia a clear lesson – where its land ends and where its neighbors’ begins.

And one more thing.

Today, I held several meetings with our international relations team. We are preparing the Crimea Platform Summit for September 11. The First Lady’s team is preparing a special diplomatic format – the Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen, which will also take place this week. Additionally, we are preparing new negotiations with partners to strengthen Ukraine, expand opportunities for our society, and bring us closer to a just peace. We remember the key goal – peace for Ukraine, for all of Ukraine, and for all our people.

I am grateful to everyone in the world who helps us!

Glory to Ukraine!

The reason:

Latvia:

The Russian drone that crashed in Latvia was Shahed kamikaze drone. Shahed fell in the region of the village of Gaigalava 90 km (60 miles) from the border with Belarus, from where it entered, according to a Latvian Defence Ministry statement on Monday. This is approximately 580km (360 miles) from the Ukrainian border.
https://reuters.com/world/europe/russian-drone-that-crashed-latvia-carried-explosives-latvian-military-says-2024-09-09/

While DC is incredibly alarmed, Latvia is categorically protesting!

Sweden:

Sweden announced the 17th military aid package for Ukraine worth SEK 4.6 billion ($450 million).
This package includes weapons and equipment to increase Ukraine’s defense capabilities at sea, on land, and in the air.

We are grateful to our Swedish partners for their unwavering support! Together, we are stronger.
🇺🇦🤝🇸🇪
@ForsvarsdepSv

@PlJonson

Germany:

As Ukraine and the German Chancellor discuss Ukraine’s Peace Formula and a diplomatic resolution to the war, a key element that must be addressed is securing guarantees against future Russian aggression. These can’t be just verbal or simply written promises: they need to be backed by something tangible. Without that, Ukraine will be left in an extremely vulnerable position, where Russia is likely to launch another, likely more successful, invasion. Since there’s no confirmation or even rumors of such guarantees being offered, these negotiations are unlikely to lead to anything meaningful.

Venice and Toronto:

We have a new world record!

Kharkiv:

Pokrovsk:

“‘During the war, Pokrovsk has become the administrative, political and logistical centre of the Donetsk region. Whoever controls Pokrovsk also controls the roads to the north and south,’ said Major Serhiy Tsehotsky, the press officer for Ukraine’s 59th Motorized Brigade, which is responsible for holding part of the frontline east of the city. He said Ukrainian defenders ‘will do everything possible to prevent the Russians from getting closer to Pokrovsk,’ but they are outnumbered four or five to one along much of the front.

after being told there were no more trains departing from the city – the station was being closed down…the nearest functioning train station, 113 kilometres to the west in the city of Pavlohrad.”
@markmackinnon

https://theglobeandmail.com/world/article-donbas-is-exposed-and-fearful-as-ukraines-push-into-russia-stretches/

“Serhiy Dobryak, the head of the city’s military administration, says that Russians target the city not just with ballistic missiles and multiple rocket launchers – they also now strike with guided bombs and even artillery, as the city is now within the range of those weapons too.

According to Serhiy Dobryak…the ratio of forces fighting in that direction is 10 to one in Russia’s favour.

During its latest attack, Russia hit a substation in Pokrovsk, leaving half the city without power. The strikes also disrupted water supplies.”
https://bbc.com/news/articles/cx29z3v919xo

From The BBC:

Fleeing the town she has lived in most of her life, Maria Honcharenko is taking just one small bag, and her two tiny kittens.

After stubbornly staying on in the east Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, the 69-year-old is now heeding advice and preparing to leave.

“My heart stops when I hear a bang,” she tells me, crying. She’s holding an old push-button phone where emergency contacts are saved.

The front line is less than 8km (4.9 miles) from Pokrovsk. Serhiy Dobryak, the head of the city’s military administration, says that Russians target the city not just with ballistic missiles and multiple rocket launchers – they also now strike with guided bombs and even artillery, as the city is now within the range of those weapons too.

“Look what Russians did to us. I worked here for 30 years and now I am leaving everything behind,” she says, breaking down in tears.

Volunteers help Ms Honcharenko to get on an evacuation bus. Trains no longer run here.

Pokrovsk is a key transportation hub. If it falls, then Russian forces will cut off one of the main supply routes in the region. This will likely force Ukraine to retreat from Chasiv Yar and the front line will move closer to Kramatorsk.

For Ukraine, this would effectively mean the loss of almost the entire Donetsk region, which the Kremlin has fought to capture since the beginning of their invasion.

The Ukrainian military admits that its incursion into Russia’s Kursk region failed to force Moscow to divert its troops from eastern Ukraine.

And some observers argue that this move, which certainly helped to boost morale among the soldiers, left the strategic supply route vulnerable to Russian attacks.

On Sunday, Russia claimed to have taken control of the village of Novohrodivka, just 10km from Pokrovsk. Kyiv has not commented but sources told the BBC that Ukrainian forces have retreated from there.

The space on the evacuation bus quickly fills up. A woman with a five-year old daughter climbs on board.

This is their second evacuation. The first time it was in 2022 when they fled from a border town after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

This city is clearly Moscow’s top priority. According to Serhiy Dobryak, the head of Pokrovsk’s military administration, the ratio of forces fighting in that direction is 10 to one in Russia’s favour.

During its latest attack, Russia hit a substation in Pokrovsk, leaving half the city without power. The strikes also disrupted water supplies.

The city is quickly becoming deserted. Just two months ago, 48,000 people were still living here. Today half of them have already left.

The bustling downtown with shops and supermarkets is eerily quiet. Banks, supermarkets and most cafes are closed. The hospital has been evacuated.

Outside the city, excavators are digging new trenches in the fields.

However, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Ukraine’s commander-in-chief says that the army has managed to stop the Russian advancement towards Pokrovsk.

Lt Col Oleh Demyanenko, a battalion commander of the 110th brigade, told the BBC that the front line on the northern flank of Russia’s assault on Pokrovsk had indeed been stabilised. However, Russian attacks are mostly focused on the southern flank, he says, where heavy battles are continuing.

One of the areas on that flank that Russians are trying to seize is Selidove, a small town south-east of Pokrovsk.

The BBC visited an artillery position of the 15th Brigade of the National Guard that defend this town. Relentless Russian attacks give them no respite.

“Prepare for action!” the unit commander Dmytro orders after receiving coordinates of a new target.

All crew members rush to an old American M-101 howitzer. This type of gun was used in World War Two. Now Ukrainians fire it to stop Russian attacks.The commander shouts “Fire!” and pulls the rope. The explosion is deafening. The gun is covered with smoke.

The fighting in his sector is very intense, says 31-year-old Dmytro.

“The enemy attacks in groups of up to 15 people, sometimes up to 60,” he said. “We fire up to 200 rounds a day [to repel them].”

This is a big change to last winter when big guns stayed silent for most of the day.

But the more they shell the Russian positions, the greater the risk of return fire. So, after each series of rounds, they head to a dugout to wait out Russia’s counter barrage.

And when they hear a loud thud in the distance, they go quiet. “A glide bomb,” one of the soldiers mutters.

It’s this weapon that they fear the most. It has a devastating effect and the gunners have nowhere to hide from it.

Dmytro gives an evasive answer when asked whether it would be more useful to use Ukrainian forces involved in the Kursk operation to defend the Donbas region instead. “Commanders have a better view to make strategic decisions,” he said.

More at the link!

Vodiane on the Pokrovsk front:

The defenders of Azovstal!

A Russian channel broadcast an interview with one of the Azovstal defenders who was taken by Russia as a prisoner of war. Volodymyr Tretyak, one of the founders of War Translated, posted a summary transcript.

WARNING!! WARNING!! GRAPHIC CONTENT!! WARNING!! WARNING!!

1/ I just watched a video of Ukrainian Azovstal defender Vadym Dzhafarov, who spent 8 months in a Russian prison. What he talks about is terrible; it is physical and mental torture daily. Please share this summary so that the world understands what kind of evil Russia is.Image
2/ “Our eyes were covered, and they took us somewhere from the prison in Olenivka. We were hoping for an exchange. But after I was hit hard in the jaw, I realized we were not being taken for an exchange.” 
3/ “When we arrived in Taganrog, we had to crawl from the truck to the cell. They beat us the whole way to the cell.” 
4/ “My blindfold fell off, and they beat me for that.” 
5/ “They gave me a choice: either they put a stick in me several times, or they hit me with a hammer on the head. I bowed my head, and they hit me with a hammer. I lost consciousness for a few seconds after those blows.” 
6/ “Ever since I said I was from Donetsk, they started beating me for that too, accusing me of betraying my own people in Donbas.” 
7/ “In Taganrog, they beat us for no reason, but they would add more for any minor thing. I accidentally looked the vertuhai [guard] in the eyes, and they beat me more for that.” 
8/ “The first time they beat me hard was during an interrogation about biolabs. The FSB was there, and at first, I thought they were joking, but they beat me severely and used taser. They asked me what viruses we were making in the biolabs at Azovstal. 
9/ I asked them if they had found the biolabs, and they said there weren’t any. I said, ‘Well, then,’ and they responded, ‘Do you think you’re the smartest?'” 
10/ “They tied me by my hands and feet to a horizontal bar.” 
11/ “We saw a guy and talked to him. He looked terrible. He pulled down his pants, and his penis and testicles were completely black. He said they beat him nonstop in the genitals. He had a trident tattoo on his chest.” 
12/ “They told me to pick up an imaginary phone, call my wife, and tell her how much I loved her. It was a joke for them. Sometimes they said it didn’t sound convincing and demanded that I act better.” 
13/ “I heard them go into the next cell every day and beat someone harshly. One morning, he called for help, and they carried him out. Later, I heard he had a stroke and died. His name was Vova. He had a small son.” 
14/ “When they moved us to another colony, they promised they were taking us home, but we knew we weren’t going home.” 
15/ “The commander was probably a racist; he paid attention to my last name, beat me, stripped me, and threatened to rape me. He told me I was handsome. He enjoyed beating me—it was obvious.” 
16/ “During roll call, a major kicked me in the back. Most of the guards there were scum.” 
17/ “They cut the boys with utility knives and even used an angle grinder.” 
18/ “Every day, boys are slowly dying. For them, Azovstal meant Azov, so they tortured us even more. Some didn’t even know it was a plant and thought Azovstal was a military unit.” 
19/ “They beat us until we memorized the Russian anthem and some ridiculous poem. They also forced us to sing Soviet songs like ‘Katyusha.'” 
20/ “A guard beat one boy to death. He was sick and couldn’t feed himself, and he needed help. They just beat him to death.” 
21/ “I know 100% that there were cases of rape—not sexually, but definitely with a stick.” 
22/ “There were a lot of slimy types. Sometimes, the sewer would overflow, and everything would be flooded with waste.” 
23/ “In the dining hall, you had to try not to smell anything because the stench was unbearable.” 

24/ “I want to tell everyone that you will be found no matter where you are. Everything will come back to you.”

end 

Source

I do not recommend watching the whole thing given the anti-Ukrainian, pro-Russian bias.

 

The Kursk cross border offensive:

That’s enough for tonight.

Your daily Patron!

There are no new Patron tweets or videos today. Here is some adjacent material from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.

Who’s a good robo-reconnaissence doggo?

Open thread!

Reader Interactions

20Comments

  3. 3.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Nukular Biskits: Fear. Fear of Putin’s red line threats. Fear of what happens if Russia comes apart at the seams. Fear of being unsure what happens if Putin and/or his government collapse.

  5. 5.

    Jay

    Михайло Подоляк
    @Podolyak_M
    11h
    It is well known (even to Russians) where NATO’s geographical borders lie today. But no one knows where #NATO’s… patience limit is. When will the theoretically most powerful military alliance in history actually be ready to defend its borders? This information of strategic value is being obtained by the Russians in their traditional way – through cynical reconnaissance and combat.

    Over the weekend, Russian UAVs violated NATO airspace twice during attacks on the territory of #Ukraine. The first one, a reconnaissance drone, reached #Latvia via #Belarus and crashed near the town of #Rezekne. The second, a #Shahed strike drone, was detected by Romanian Air Force fighter jets over their border, escorted through Romanian space, and followed the UAV as it took off to strike a target in Ukraine.

    The experiment was conducted and a clear result was obtained. Now the enemy knows that NATO will not respond to the violation of airspace by unmanned aerial vehicles and an attack on its territory that did not cause any casualties. It is easy to predict what will happen next – border violations by aircraft and possible “incidental attacks” with a small number of casualties.

    The Russians always use primitive “salami tactics”: discrediting NATO in seemingly insignificant incidents. They slowly escalate the conflict, trying to avoid activating Article 5 of the bloc’s mutual defense charter. The goal is to shake the confidence of individual members of the alliance, to make them think about separate agreements with Rf. And who can say that this plan is not working?
    Sep 9, 2024 · 1:14 PM UTC

    https://nitter.poast.org/Podolyak_M/status/1833131993803964697#m

    Logo
    Michael MacKay
    @mhmck
    Sep 8
    Not only did the Romanian air force not shoot down russian drones in their airspace, they escorted them with F-16s for over 100 km from Năvodari to the UA-RO international border so they could strike targets in Odesa region.
    Michael MacKay
    @mhmck
    Sep 8
    Romanian Ministry of National Defence spokesperson, General Constantin Spinu:

    “Two F-16 aircraft of the Romanian Air Force took off from Base 86 Aeriana Borcea to monitor the air situation. In the course of these events, the radar surveillance system identified and followed the route of a drone that evolved in the national airspace and that left the national territory towards Ukraine.”

    bucurestifm.ro/2024/09/08/dr…
    Michael MacKay
    @mhmck
    Sep 8
    Early notice of the violation of Romanian airspace by the russian terrorist state did not come from Romania’s military or from NATO. It came from the Ukrainian air force at 2:49 a.m. Romania time:

    “A group of strike UAVs violated the airspace of Romania.”

    https://nitter.poast.org/mhmck/status/1832825771682840850#m

  6. 6.

    Jay

    WarTranslated (Dmitri)
    @wartranslated
    3h
    Ahmad Bakhshayesh Ardestani, a member of Iran’s Parliamentary Committee on National Security and Foreign Policy, acknowledged that Iran has sent ballistic missiles to Russia, which it needs for attacks on Ukraine.
    He also reiterated that Tehran supposedly “has never been part of the conflict”, opposes the war, and “supports a political solution to resolve the differences between Russia and Ukraine to put an end to the conflict”.

    https://nitter.poast.org/wartranslated/status/1833254751787749544#m

    By now, everybody knows that The West is useless, a paper tiger.

  9. 9.

    Jay

    (((Tendar)))
    @Tendar
    6h
    Sweden’s latest military aid package for Ukraine is intriguing, because it contains in the first position the “Acquisition of materiel parts for the JAS 39 Gripen”, clearly teasing the potential delivery of the Swedish fighter jet.

    The whole package has a worth of SEK 48.1 billion, around $4.6 billion.

    Source: government.se/government-pol…

    https://nitter.poast.org/Tendar/status/1833212785997566303#m

  10. 10.

    Eolirin

    If Trump hadn’t pulled us out of the nuclear agreement with Iran we might have had some diplomatic leverage.

    As it stands, unless we’re willing to start bombing the Iranians, I don’t see what we have left to us other than covert actions.

    At best we can respond to this stuff by giving the Ukrainians more things they can use to hurt Russia with and removing restrictions on their use. That won’t affect the Iranians though, who get paid either way. And I’m not sure it’d dissuade the Russians either.

    I don’t see a way that this ends that doesn’t collapse Putin’s government or leave Ukraine a wasteland of rubble. At some point the West needs to come down on the side of a collapsed Russia and figure out how to secure any loose nukes instead of letting Ukraine be destroyed.

    It won’t stop there and we’ll end up with the same problem in the long term. Hopefully Harris wins and she starts making the right calls on this stuff.

  11. 11.

    Jay

    @Eolirin:

    while Putin’s control over the ruZZian Government might collapse, ruZZia’s not going to collapse. The Peoples Front, (Putin’s coelition) and United ruZZia have a succession list, and a firm grasp on the entire State Security orgs. Putin’s purges have of late moved more elements of the National Security State under his family’s and cronies control.

  12. 12.

    hrprogressive

    Never thought I’d see a time in my lifetime when the USA/NATO appeared to be completely unable to, you know, achieve any of their purported goals.

    Seems like a pretty ominous harbinger for a lack of global security and stability in the coming years.

  13. 13.

    wjca

    @Jay: while Putin’s control over the ruZZian Government might collapse, ruZZia’s not going to collapse.

    Relatedly, while Russia isn’t going to collapse, Russia’s military might be a different story.  And, from Ukraine’s point of view, a more important one.

  14. 14.

    Jay

    @wjca:

    ruZZia’s military might lose, might have to flee from Occupied Ukraine, but it will not collapse.

    In 1917, the Russian Military collapsed.

    Ruzzian soldiers refused to follow orders, elected their own “officers”, refused to fight, formed communist and socialist commitee’s, deserted en mass and eventually revolted.

    We are not seeing anything even hinting to any of that.

    Yes, post war, the ruZZian military might be useless as an offensive force for half a decade,

    ruZZian meat cubes are extorted, unpaid, tortured, raped, sent into human wave attacks and the most they do, is send a video appeal to Vlad. They are not going to revolt.

  16. 16.

    daveNYC

    @Adam L Silverman: Personally I also think there’s some band of idiots in the foreign policy space who are utterly convinced that this whole thing is just some weird Great Power overreach/mistake and that at any moment Russia will come to its senses and team up with the USA to contain China (or some such stupidity).

  18. 18.

    Another Scott

    ICYMI, Defense.gov – Austin and Brown press conference (from September 6):

    [Brown} The sum 50 nations here today are responsible for helping build Ukraine’s combat power for the past two and a half years. We cannot stop now. The challenge before us is that Ukraine needs help reconstituting their combat forces, engineering new ones between now and the next spring. We must build on the current momentum providing parts, equipment and training to sustain Ukraine’s fleet of supplied weapons systems.

    We must also help Ukraine build its own industrial base by unlocking technical specifications, pursuing co-production opportunities and providing key maintenance training. This will enable robust domestic production and sustainment capacity.

    Our continued support, combined with Ukraine’s indivisible determination to defend itself, sends a message to authoritarian regimes — they won’t win against a group of nations that stand for freedom and democracy.

    […]

    RYDER: Thank you. Our next question will go to Yuta Spangenberg [ph] ARD.

    Q: Mr. Secretary of Defense, hello. Ukraine is demanding permission from the United States to attack targets in deep Russia with long range weapons. What is your opinion on that?

    AUSTIN: What is my opinion on long range weapons? Yuta, what I have been focused on throughout is trying to help Ukraine be successful in this tactical fight, in this operational struggle to make sure that it can defend its sovereign territory and there’s a number of ways to accomplish that.

    We’ve said all along, Yuta, there’s no one capability that will in and of itself be decisive in this campaign. We had this discussion about tanks. We had this discussion about other capabilities and each time we point out that it’s not just one thing, it’s the combination of capabilities and how you integrate those capabilities to achieve objectives.

    So we’re going to remain focused on doing everything we can, Yuta, to ensure that they have what they need to be successful and to create the right dynamics on the battlefield that maybe creates some opportunities and that would help Ukraine better defend its sovereign territory. And they haven’t done so bad, Yuta. If you think about the fact that what I said earlier, this is the largest military in Europe that they faced. And when this conflict started, Ukraine didn’t have much of a military, much of an army to speak of, but they built capability over time, and they’ve been able to do that with the tremendous security assistance that allies and partners have provided them throughout.

    So I don’t believe that one specific capability is going to be decisive, but again, our approach to integrating things and to making sure that they have the right skill sets to employ those capabilities and those capabilities are linked to specific objectives.

    […]

    My take is that the US DoD continues to state, as they have from nearly the beginning, that they regard this war as a terribly long slog. (Recall Milley’s comments about him expecting the offensive being long and bloody and slow.)

    The generals seem to believe that this war will be won via logistics – meaning, in-country logistics. It’s a long slog.

    At least that’s how I understand their comments. They seem to be of the opinion that – short of VVP deciding to withdraw – there is no One Weird Trick. It’s a slog, it’s going to continue to be a slog, and the agonizing process of building up capabilities is what it will take to ensure Ukraine’s future as a free nation.

    Slava Ukraini!!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  20. 20.

    Another Scott

    @Gin & Tonic: SecDef doesn’t set US foreign policy – the President does.  Austin isn’t going to get ahead of Biden.

    Biden and Blinken and all the rest use the word “prevail”, which the dictionary says means (roughly) the same thing, AFAICS.

    I think they are trying to be diplomatic – meaning that Ukraine – not the USA – will decide how the war ends.  If Ukraine decides on some parameters different from the 1991 borders, then the US doesn’t want to be in a position where anything short of status-quo-ante is some sort of defeat for the US and NATO and the international order.  We’re supporting Ukraine, we’re not fighting Russia.

    As Adam reminds us, making statements that aren’t backed up are counter-productive.  The US is not a combatant here, so it shouldn’t be unilaterally defining all the parameters of how the war ends.

    I agree that it’s horrible and tragic that the war has lasted this long.

    My $0.02.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

Comments are closed.