Kind of amazing to witness the utter collapse of the incompetent Russian army and its commanders. It's no longer a question of "if" they will lose... but how long they will be forced to hold on and how many more men will Putin sacrifice in pursuit of his folly. The Ukrainians now have more equipment at their disposal that they have been trained on. Seems the scales will be tipping very much in their favor.

Time for Biden to come clean on Ukraine
The leaks appear to show that officials’ understanding of the war is at odds with their public statements, raising the specter of Vietnam.

TRADING WITH THE ENEMY Seymour Hersh
Amid rampant corruption in Kiev and as US troops gather at the Ukrainian border, does the Biden administration have an endgame to the conflict?

The Ukraine government, headed by Volodymyr Zelensky, has been using American taxpayers’ funds to pay dearly for the vitally needed diesel fuel that is keeping the Ukrainian army on the move in its war with Russia. It is unknown how much the Zelensky government is paying per gallon for the fuel, but the Pentagon was paying as much as $400 per gallon to transport gasoline from a port in Pakistan, via truck or parachute, into Afghanistan during the decades-long American war there.

What also is unknown is that Zelensky has been buying the fuel from Russia, the country with which it, and Washington, are at war, and the Ukrainian president and many in his entourage have been skimming untold millions from the American dollars earmarked for diesel fuel payments. One estimate by analysts from the Central Intelligence Agency put the embezzled funds at $400 million last year, at least; another expert compared the level of corruption in Kiev as approaching that of the Afghan war, “although there will be no professional audit reports emerging from the Ukraine.”

“Zelensky’s been buying discount diesel from the Russians,” one knowledgeable American intelligence official told me. “And who’s paying for the gas and oil? We are. Putin and his oligarchs are making millions” on it.

Many government ministries in Kiev have been literally “competing,” I was told, to set up front companies for export contracts for weapons and ammunition with private arms dealers around the world, all of which provide kickbacks. Many of those companies are in Poland and Czechia, but others are thought to exist in the Persian Gulf and Israel. “I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that there are others in places like the Cayman Islands and Panama, and there are lots of Americans involved,” an American expert on international trade told me.

The issue of corruption was directly raised with Zelensky in a meeting last January in Kiev with CIA Director William Burns. His message to the Ukrainian president, I was told by an intelligence official with direct knowledge of the meeting, was out of a 1950s mob movie. The senior generals and government officials in Kiev were angry at what they saw as Zelensky’s greed, so Burns told the Ukrainian president, because “he was taking a larger share of the skim money than was going to the generals.”

Burns also presented Zelensky with a list of thirty-five generals and senior officials whose corruption was known to the CIA and others in the American government. Zelensky responded to the American pressure ten days later by publicly dismissing ten of the most ostentatious officials on the list and doing little else. “The ten he got rid of were brazenly bragging about the money they had—driving around Kiev in their new Mercedes,” the intelligence official told me. (...)

‘It Hurts, Stop’: Russian Warmongers Celebrate Beheading Video of a Still-Alive POW

Russian dogs at work

Super post.  Nice to learn about the awakening in the Baltic/CEE region. Thanks.

As for you.. I am fully aware you are trying to push my buttons, manically trying to throw anything at me to get some kind of savage response. 
Sorry, not playing that game. Nor am I going to get into a pissing match with you about the relative benefits and crimes of the USA versus other great powers. Not into that game either. 
For all I know you could have lost loved ones family to US aggression which is fuelling your vitriolic hatred of US foreign policy. So I am not going to get into that fight with you either.

But what I will stick up for, and this is something you fully gloss over, is the right of CEE nations to self-determination and the freedom to contract with whoever they wish for their collective defence. These countries have suffered enormously from both Nazi Germany and then later, and for much longer, under Soviet occupation.
More recently, the last year has also exposed massive collusion on the part of the German government with Russia, completely at odds with its direct neighbours to the east. It's almost as though the spirit behind the Ribbentrop/Molotov still lives on. Worse still, there has been a lot of sympathy from old left-wingers in Europe generally for Russia's imperialist aims, which has made CEE countries feel even more insecure and totally perplexed as to why Russia deserves any kind of sympathy at all.

This is the history you appear to be completely ignorant of, or at best, wilfully ignoring. If you want a very eloquent Polish voice on Twitter, it's hard to find a better one than this guy. But there are lots of other sources if you cared to look.

I came to live in Germany in 1987 despite great resistance from friends and family back home. At the time, I thought  Germany is probably the least likely of any country on Earth to fall prey to fascism, at least not again so quickly. I still think that  and am heartened by some great thinkers here and the silent majority, who remain pretty decent when it comes down to it. But my respect for the country has taken a great knock after seeing the country's purposefully sluggish response to the invasion of Ukraine, the whole scandal surrounding Nordstream and the general sentiment in all German-speaking countries - and also Hungary - that exhibits some kind of understanding or even tolerance for Russian ambitions. Maybe it is the echo of days of empire past. Whatever it is, I don't share it.

So my problem with all those on the left who  support Russian aims and ambitions (and you appear to be one)  is their absolute disconnect between the basic ideals of socialism (some kind of distribution of wealth, equal opportunity, an intact welfare net and yes universality and the death of nationalism) and the reality of modern Russia. Modern Russia is not a socialist state in any form whatsoever. It has morphed into a corrupt mafia-style kleptocracy that has resorted to rabid nationalism and is destroying everything that was ever good about Russia. (Synder's address before the US Security Council was pretty spot on. The  people doing the biggest damage to Russia are its current leaders).

So, this is not a fight between capitalism and communism, no matter how much that old mantra might be hard-wired into your brain. It is a fight by an old imperial power that has lost out in the competition with modern open democracies. Its economy is smaller than that of South Korea for God's sake. It is a failed state and its leaders are in denial, to the extent that they are happy to drive their country to the wall before accepting the need for change. 

And tbh, the USA is not playing a leading role in this fight, no matter how much you would like to blame them for everything. For sure, the USA is going to pursue its own agenda and has massive resources, but Washington is not where the action is here. Nope, it is in the Baltic/CEE region, which is evolving before our eyes into a major force for freedom and open democracy. 

History evolves. It's about time you got up to speed with the changes.

Slava Ukraine

As for you.. I am fully aware you are trying to push my buttons, manically trying to throw anything at me to get some kind of savage response. 
Sorry, not playing that game. Nor am I going to get into a pissing match with you about the relative benefits and crimes of the USA versus other great powers. Not into that game either. 
For all I know you could have lost loved ones family to US aggression which is fuelling your vitriolic hatred of US foreign policy. So I am not going to get into that fight with you either.

But what I will stick up for, and this is something you fully gloss over, is the right of CEE nations to self-determination and the freedom to contract with whoever they wish for their collective defence. These countries have suffered enormously from both Nazi Germany and then later, and for much longer, under Soviet occupation.
More recently, the last year has also exposed massive collusion on the part of the German government with Russia, completely at odds with its direct neighbours to the east. It's almost as though the spirit behind the Ribbentrop/Molotov still lives on. Worse still, there has been a lot of sympathy from old left-wingers in Europe generally for Russia's imperialist aims, which has made CEE countries feel even more insecure and totally perplexed as to why Russia deserves any kind of sympathy at all.

This is the history you appear to be completely ignorant of, or at best, wilfully ignoring. If you want a very eloquent Polish voice on Twitter, it's hard to find a better one than this guy. But there are lots of other sources if you cared to look.

I came to live in Germany in 1987 despite great resistance from friends and family back home. At the time, I thought  Germany is probably the least likely of any country on Earth to fall prey to fascism, at least not again so quickly. I still think that  and am heartened by some great thinkers here and the silent majority, who remain pretty decent when it comes down to it. But my respect for the country has taken a great knock after seeing the country's purposefully sluggish response to the invasion of Ukraine, the whole scandal surrounding Nordstream and the general sentiment in all German-speaking countries - and also Hungary - that exhibits some kind of understanding or even tolerance for Russian ambitions. Maybe it is the echo of days of empire past. Whatever it is, I don't share it.

So my problem with all those on the left who  support Russian aims and ambitions (and you appear to be one)  is their absolute disconnect between the basic ideals of socialism (some kind of distribution of wealth, equal opportunity, an intact welfare net and yes universality and the death of nationalism) and the reality of modern Russia. Modern Russia is not a socialist state in any form whatsoever. It has morphed into a corrupt mafia-style kleptocracy that has resorted to rabid nationalism and is destroying everything that was ever good about Russia. (Synder's address before the US Security Council was pretty spot on. The  people doing the biggest damage to Russia are its current leaders).

So, this is not a fight between capitalism and communism, no matter how much that old mantra might be hard-wired into your brain. It is a fight by an old imperial power that has lost out in the competition with modern open democracies. Its economy is smaller than that of South Korea for God's sake. It is a failed state and its leaders are in denial, to the extent that they are happy to drive their country to the wall before accepting the need for change. 

And tbh, the USA is not playing a leading role in this fight, no matter how much you would like to blame them for everything. For sure, the USA is going to pursue its own agenda and has massive resources, but Washington is not where the action is here. Nope, it is in the Baltic/CEE region, which is evolving before our eyes into a major force for freedom and open democracy. 

History evolves. It's about time you got up to speed with the changes.

Slava Ukraine

As for you.. I am fully aware you are trying to push my buttons, manically trying to throw anything at me to get some kind of savage response. 
Sorry, not playing that game. Nor am I going to get into a pissing match with you about the relative benefits and crimes of the USA versus other great powers. Not into that game either. 
For all I know you could have lost loved ones family to US aggression which is fuelling your vitriolic hatred of US foreign policy. So I am not going to get into that fight with you either.

But what I will stick up for, and this is something you fully gloss over, is the right of CEE nations to self-determination and the freedom to contract with whoever they wish for their collective defence. These countries have suffered enormously from both Nazi Germany and then later, and for much longer, under Soviet occupation.
More recently, the last year has also exposed massive collusion on the part of the German government with Russia, completely at odds with its direct neighbours to the east. It's almost as though the spirit behind the Ribbentrop/Molotov still lives on. Worse still, there has been a lot of sympathy from old left-wingers in Europe generally for Russia's imperialist aims, which has made CEE countries feel even more insecure and totally perplexed as to why Russia deserves any kind of sympathy at all.

This is the history you appear to be completely ignorant of, or at best, wilfully ignoring. If you want a very eloquent Polish voice on Twitter, it's hard to find a better one than this guy. But there are lots of other sources if you cared to look.

I came to live in Germany in 1987 despite great resistance from friends and family back home. At the time, I thought  Germany is probably the least likely of any country on Earth to fall prey to fascism, at least not again so quickly. I still think that  and am heartened by some great thinkers here and the silent majority, who remain pretty decent when it comes down to it. But my respect for the country has taken a great knock after seeing the country's purposefully sluggish response to the invasion of Ukraine, the whole scandal surrounding Nordstream and the general sentiment in all German-speaking countries - and also Hungary - that exhibits some kind of understanding or even tolerance for Russian ambitions. Maybe it is the echo of days of empire past. Whatever it is, I don't share it.

So my problem with all those on the left who  support Russian aims and ambitions (and you appear to be one)  is their absolute disconnect between the basic ideals of socialism (some kind of distribution of wealth, equal opportunity, an intact welfare net and yes universality and the death of nationalism) and the reality of modern Russia. Modern Russia is not a socialist state in any form whatsoever. It has morphed into a corrupt mafia-style kleptocracy that has resorted to rabid nationalism and is destroying everything that was ever good about Russia. (Synder's address before the US Security Council was pretty spot on. The  people doing the biggest damage to Russia are its current leaders).

So, this is not a fight between capitalism and communism, no matter how much they old mantra might be hard-wired into your brain. It is a fight by an old imperial power that has lost out in the competition with modern open democracies. Its economy is smaller than that of South Korea for God's sake. It is a failed state and its leaders are in denial, to the extent that they are happy to drive their country to the wall before accepting the need for change. 

And tbh, the USA is not playing a leading role in this fight, no matter how much you would like to blame them for everything. For sure, the USA is going to pursue its own agenda and has massive resources, but Washington is not where the action is here. Nope, it is in the Baltic/CEE region, which is evolving before our eyes into a major force for freedom and open democracy. 

History evolves. It's about time you got up to speed with the changes.

Slava Ukraine

NoEnzzo to violent, bloody bull-shit:    

Why do you seem so indifferent to welfare of Germans and other Europeans?    

Transparency and accountability not your strong suit? 

 Medvedev has spoken:
Just in case anyone was in any doubt about Russia's true intentions.  NATO? Nope. That's not it.  "We need big great Russia".

WHY WILL UKRAINE DISAPPEAR? BECAUSE NOBODY NEEDS IT
1. Europe doesn’t need Ukraine. The forced support of the Nazi regime, by the American mentor’s order, has put Europeans into a financial and political inferno. All for the sake of bandera’s unterukraine, that even the snobby, insolent Polacks don’t take for a valid country, and time and again toss in the issue of its western areas anschluss. There’s a nice perspective ahead: to permanently put the nouveau-Ukrainian blood-sucking parasites on the decrepit EU’s arthritis-crippled neck. That’ll be the final fall of Europe, once majestic, but robbed off by degeneration.
2. The US doesn’t need Ukraine. True, the military and sanction campaigns are attempted for PR by political blabbermouths, who long ago attested to their impotence and imbecility. Average Americans don’t understand what “Ukraine” is, and where “it” is. Most of them won’t show this “power” on the map on the first take. Why won’t the US establishment focus on inflation and job issues, or emergencies in their home States, instead of a country 404, unbeknownst to them? Why does so much dough go across the ocean?
Sooner or later, they’ll ask for that. Then, storming of the Capitol in January 2021 would seem like scout games.
3. Africa and Latin America don’t need Ukraine. The hundreds of millions spent by US on pointless fights in Ukraine, could finance many development programmes for Latin American and African states.
Latin America is gringos’ backyard – that’s what they’ve been rubbing in for decades. Africa’s had its share of suffering from the genocide, and colonial dependence, imposed by former western slave traders. That’s why the people of African huts and Latin American favelas ask a very reasonable question: for their former suffering and present-day loyalty, why is somebody else rewarded – very, very far away?
4. Asia doesn’t need Ukraine. By Russia’s example, they see “colour” technologies at work to eradicate the largest competing powers. They understand what scenario the America-led collective West has for them if they disobey. “Help us to overcome Russia, and we’ll soon come to you”, the utterly brazen Western leaders tell them. Such gigantic countries as India, China, and other Asia-Pacific states face the big enough challenge of post-pandemic economic recovery, let aside the drugged clowns, with their whining for aid.
“We are not interested in you”, Asia tells their messengers, responding to the calls to support Ukraine and confine Russia. The country, geopolitically many times closer to Asian powers, the one that historically has proven itself a reliable strategic partner. Do Asian giants need such headache coming from former colonisers?
5. Russia doesn’t need Ukraine. A threadbare quilt, torn, shaggy, and greasy. The new Malorossiya of 1991 is made up of the artificially cut territories, many of which are indigenously Russian, separated by accident in the 20th century. Millions of our compatriots live there, harassed for years by the Nazi Kiev regime. It is them who we defend in our special military operation, relentlessly eradicating the enemy. We don’t need unterukraine. We need Big Great Russia.
6. Finally, its own citizens don’t need the Nazi-headed Ukraine. That’s why out of 45 million people there’re only some 20 million remaining. That’s why those who stayed want to leave for any place: the hated Poland, EU, NATO, to be America’s 51nd state. Joining the Antarctic with its pinguins will also be fine. As long as it’s quiet, and the food’s good. The ruling junta’s criminal ambitions forced Ukrainians to beg and roam around the countries and continents, searching for a better life. All that is for an obscure European perspective. Or rather, to let the harlequin in a khaki tricot and his band of thievish Nazi clowns to put the money stolen from the West into their offshore accounts. Would ordinary Ukrainians need that?
Nobody on this planet needs such a Ukraine. That’s why it will disappear

"Military analysts said the documents appear to have been modified in certain parts from their original format, overstating American estimates of Ukrainian war dead and understating estimates of Russian troops killed." A few more dead here and a few less dead there.   Kinda like Argentina fudging the GDP numbers, no?