I've posted in the past about the Ukrainian 'theatre of war'.
...And I think it's getting to the point where Shakespeare is a better guide than Clausewitz.
Zelensky in his beseiged court in Kyiv seems ever more dependent on Budanov, scheming head of the palace guard, now staging a provocation in Belgorod that sidelines main rival Zaluzhny, favoured by main patron America.
As Stephen writes, any Zelensky 'strategy' is unclear, other than a high stakes game of daring the patron to openly contradict all their public rhetoric till now, and ditch their protégé of two winters past.
Budanov, among other interesting career episodes, went through psychiatric counselling at school, he was in direct contact with Prigozhin before the Wagner rebellion, and claims his wife was recently poisoned by Putin. He's supposedly Russia's public enemy no.1, and one might see Belgorod as psychotic revenge, though many commentators on seeing Budanova's weird photo suggested she might be suffering from Botox poisoning.
He claims responsibility for many previous provocations, including the Kerch bridge attack and many asassinations of internal and external enemies (perhaps including the senior Zaluzhny aide earler profiled by Stephen here).
If it weren't such a tragic mess, I'd order popcorn.
Whether or not Z has made a fatal mistake, and there is a good chance he has, without all that the US has pushed since 2014, a lot of lives would not have been lost.
My country is culpable, which is why it should pursue a neutralist foreign policy.
Recall that in the early days of the war, journalists huddled with people in the subway to await the Blitz a la London. Then...nothing. People went home or took advantage of EU generosity to leave. In an interview in March of last year with AP on a train heading to the front, Zenensky said people ignore air raid sirens . In fact, he, and the AP journalist, apparently weren't afraid that the Russians would bomb the train. The unscripted interview is worth reading. Speaking of trains, wanna visit lovely Kiev for a winter holiday? No problem. The webcam shows snow today, winter wonderland, and you can catch any of a dozen trains from Warsaw or nine from Berlin. Get online to book tickets and hotel accommodations too. That incompetent Putin has left the train stations intact!
Now, we all want to help Ukraine. The country's tourist industry is probably in the toilet. CNN, MSNBC, and the rest of the media could help. They could do stories directly from the train to Kiev, interview passengers, then check into hotels at bargain basement rates. Four stars for $30! If nervous Westerners want to know why Putin -- always Putin, never Russia--doesn't bomb Kiev, tell them he would like to, but Kiev's defenses are so good, he doesn't even try. Tell them Kiev is safer than Washington. Kiev could quickly become a tourist mecca, affordable to even cash-strapped Americans. This would be a real boost to the economy to get them off the US taxpayers dime. Just trying to help.
I've posted in the past about the Ukrainian 'theatre of war'.
...And I think it's getting to the point where Shakespeare is a better guide than Clausewitz.
Zelensky in his beseiged court in Kyiv seems ever more dependent on Budanov, scheming head of the palace guard, now staging a provocation in Belgorod that sidelines main rival Zaluzhny, favoured by main patron America.
As Stephen writes, any Zelensky 'strategy' is unclear, other than a high stakes game of daring the patron to openly contradict all their public rhetoric till now, and ditch their protégé of two winters past.
Budanov, among other interesting career episodes, went through psychiatric counselling at school, he was in direct contact with Prigozhin before the Wagner rebellion, and claims his wife was recently poisoned by Putin. He's supposedly Russia's public enemy no.1, and one might see Belgorod as psychotic revenge, though many commentators on seeing Budanova's weird photo suggested she might be suffering from Botox poisoning.
He claims responsibility for many previous provocations, including the Kerch bridge attack and many asassinations of internal and external enemies (perhaps including the senior Zaluzhny aide earler profiled by Stephen here).
If it weren't such a tragic mess, I'd order popcorn.
Whether or not Z has made a fatal mistake, and there is a good chance he has, without all that the US has pushed since 2014, a lot of lives would not have been lost.
My country is culpable, which is why it should pursue a neutralist foreign policy.
Recall that in the early days of the war, journalists huddled with people in the subway to await the Blitz a la London. Then...nothing. People went home or took advantage of EU generosity to leave. In an interview in March of last year with AP on a train heading to the front, Zenensky said people ignore air raid sirens . In fact, he, and the AP journalist, apparently weren't afraid that the Russians would bomb the train. The unscripted interview is worth reading. Speaking of trains, wanna visit lovely Kiev for a winter holiday? No problem. The webcam shows snow today, winter wonderland, and you can catch any of a dozen trains from Warsaw or nine from Berlin. Get online to book tickets and hotel accommodations too. That incompetent Putin has left the train stations intact!
Now, we all want to help Ukraine. The country's tourist industry is probably in the toilet. CNN, MSNBC, and the rest of the media could help. They could do stories directly from the train to Kiev, interview passengers, then check into hotels at bargain basement rates. Four stars for $30! If nervous Westerners want to know why Putin -- always Putin, never Russia--doesn't bomb Kiev, tell them he would like to, but Kiev's defenses are so good, he doesn't even try. Tell them Kiev is safer than Washington. Kiev could quickly become a tourist mecca, affordable to even cash-strapped Americans. This would be a real boost to the economy to get them off the US taxpayers dime. Just trying to help.
Zelensky AP interview: https://apnews.com/article/ap-zelenskyy-interview-ukraine-war-11de771129fb822f2cd58b443736e72f
Kiev webcam:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2gC37ILQmk
Comfortable night train from Warsaw; travel in comfort for your winter holiday in lovely Kiev: https://rail.cc/night-train/warsaw-kiev-d-68/397
Just trying to do my part to help strengthen democracy against Putin's brutal war!
Stephen,
Perhaps the real "fatal mistake" was made by Putin.