With All Due Respect to Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, We Will Not ‘Shut Up’
www.19fortyfive.com
Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba recently delivered an unusually blunt criticism of Western analysts. Those who have argued Ukraine’s summer offensive has been “too slow,” the foreign minister exclaimed, should “shut up.” While Kuleba’s agitation is entirely understandable, the U.S. Administration has an obligation to unemotionally view the war as it genuinely is, not as we would wish it to be, and make decisions based on U.S. interests—which are not always identical with Ukraine’s interests.

This is one of the first mainstream articles that’s openly talking about the fact that US is not going to keep supporting Ukraine for “as long as it takes”

U.S. Administration has an obligation to unemotionally view the war as it genuinely is, not as we would wish it to be, and make decisions based on U.S. interests—which are not always identical with Ukraine’s interests.

It further admits that the offensive is a failure and Ukraine is unlikely achieve any significant gains regardless of what the west sends

The hard truth is that a sober analysis of both Ukraine’s three-month summer offensive and an assessment of the war overall leads to the conclusion not simply that the offensive is going “too slow” but that it appears unlikely to succeed. Arguably, it won’t matter how much time Kyiv is given, how many weapons it is provided, and how much ammunition the West delivers: completely evicting Russia from the territory it illegally seized appears to be a militarily unattainable aspiration.

There is finally an admission in the mainstream that prolonging the war simply results in more people dying and Ukraine losing more territory, an obvious fact that libs continue to dismiss and ridicule today

Without a change in policy, Washington’s approach is poised to condemn tens of thousands of additional Ukrainians to unnecessary deaths and reduce more Ukrainian territory to dust.

There’s finally an admission that Ukraine has at least 200k dead and wounded. While likely lower than the actual losses, it is a significantly higher number than what western media has been peddling up to this point

More critically, Ukraine has lost a conservatively estimated 200,000 soldiers killed and wounded, including tens of thousands who have had limbs blown off and an unknown – but likely massive – number of troops with post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries.

There’s also an admission that US inventory has dried up, and replacements will take years to produce

After the first 18 months of this war, the U.S. has contributed over two million artillery shells, thousands of tanks and other armored vehicles, and tens of thousands of anti-air and anti-tank missiles. Whatever slack there was in our inventories has long since evaporated. Though we have started the process of expanding our industrial capacity to produce more arms and weapons, it will be years before we catch up to demand. The fact is, we will have to diminish our own military capacity to provide Ukraine with what it needs, harming our own national security.

  • zephyreks [none/use name]@hexbear.net
    1·
    1 year ago

    Melted Siberian permafrost doesn’t make good agricultural land and people don’t need to be the same age to form relationships. People aren’t inelastic.

    You may also want to read more about the Euromaidan protests, their motivations, and their support: https://jacobin.com/2022/02/maidan-protests-neo-nazis-russia-nato-crimea

    Jacobin is a left-wing news outlet that’s generally considered to be factually accurate by American media.

    Or, you might consider that the US 4th PsyOps Group considers Euromaidan to be one of their great successes, as shown by a recent recruiting video and by their other promotional materials.

    • TranscendentalEmpire@lemm.ee
      11·
      1 year ago

      Melted Siberian permafrost doesn’t make good agricultural land

      Russia isn’t just permafrost my dude… there are plenty of different ecologies where crops would flourish, but the growing season is too short to do anything with.

      people don’t need to be the same age to form relationships. People aren’t inelastic.

      Somehow I don’t think importing millions of post menopausal babushkas into china will really help with the population crisis. You may not realize, but there is kinda an age limit on procreation.

      Euromaidan protests, their motivations, and their support:

      I think that you and this particular article are conflating the motivations of the far right members of the Maidan Revolution with the entirety of the movement and the following establishment government.

      Are their nazi and fascist in Ukraine, well yeah. Pretty much anywhere experienced Soviet or nazi occupation during ww2 is going to have reactionary paramilitary groups active in modern times.

      That doesn’t detract from the fact that there were legitimate reasons for the people of Ukraine to overthrow their corrupt leaders. And it doesn’t detract from the fact that the fascist and radical paramilitary groups aren’t running the country.

      I just don’t know why there are so many leftist tripping over themselves to do a character rehab on Russia. They are literally just a worse version of the US, crony capitalism and all.

      • zephyreks [none/use name]@hexbear.net
        1·
        1 year ago

        Russian arable land in the North is just not very productive. A longer growing season won’t offset the lost productivity that climate change will inflict in the South.

        You do realize that you don’t need to have a relationship with someone the exact same age as you, right?

        The article does address your points, for what it’s worth. Plus, as established by first party sources, Euromaidan was orchestrated by the US with extensive propaganda support… which to any degree detracts from what would otherwise seem to be legitimate reasons for overthrowing government.

        • TranscendentalEmpire@lemm.ee
          11·
          1 year ago

          Russian arable land in the North is just not very productive.

          Mostly due to climate, that and Russia’s refusal to invest in any agriculture outside of grain production.

          The changes in the south are the same changes pretty much everyone else is going to have to adapt too, floods, droughts, and fire. The only difference is the vast majority of other countries aren’t going to be able to expand northward.

          You do realize that you don’t need to have a relationship with someone the exact same age as you, right?

          No shit. My point is that women over 50 have an extremely hard time having children… Do you not know anything about menopause?

          which to any degree detracts from what would otherwise seem to be legitimate reasons for overthrowing government.

          Why? I don’t get how Russian interference in their neighbors election doesn’t detract from the previous governments legitimacy, but the US interference in the maidan uprising automatically detracts from the legitimacy of the new government?

          • zephyreks [none/use name]@hexbear.netEnglish
            2·
            1 year ago

            Russian soil in the North is inferior because it’s thin, has few nutrients, and tends to be acidic. Chernozem is Russia’s most productive soil and it’s predominantly concentrated in the south of the country. In fact, it’s the same soil that makes the Canadian Prairies so productive.

            Again, do you not understand that people don’t need to have relationships where ages match?

            What corruption (more than usual for Ukraine) was there in Poroshenko’s election? Weren’t there literally thousands of international observers for that election? Similarly, for Yanukovych’s election, where was the impact of this so-called interference? International observers were once again present and found no evidence of such wrongdoing. If you go back to 2004, the government had mechanisms to protect against explicit corruption (in case you forget, Yanukovych ended up losing that election in the re-run). Which of these governments are you calling illegitimate because of Russian electoral interference?

            • TranscendentalEmpire@lemm.ee
              1·
              1 year ago

              Russian soil in the North is inferior because it’s thin, has few nutrients, and tends to be acidic.

              Yes, which is not great for growing wheat to export. You can still rotate crops that will rehab the nutrients and pH of the soil. Which is more than what most countries will be able to do as their climate changes.

              Again, do you not understand that people don’t need to have relationships where ages match?

              Again, you said that the pairing the two would solve the population problems. I’m saying that the surplus of women that Russia has wouldn’t help because they are in an age bracket that can not reproduce. Yeah, they could be in a relationship, but not one that’s going to effect the population crisis.

              Can you explain how pairing an 18 year old Chinese man with a 60 year Russian woman is going to solve the population crisis?

              What corruption (more than usual for Ukraine) was there in Poroshenko’s election? Weren’t there literally thousands of international observers for that election? Similarly, for Yanukovych’s election, where was the impact of this so-called interference? International observers were once again present and found no evidence of such wrongdoing. If you go back to 2004, the government had mechanisms to protect against explicit corruption (in case you forget, Yanukovych ended up losing that election in the re-run). Which of these governments are you calling illegitimate because of Russian electoral interference?

              It’s funny that you have to caveat your criticism in such a way. “more than usual for Ukraine”, you can’t just say corruption, because of course there was. “where was the impact of this so-called interference?” So there was interference but it wasn’t impactful…

              You are not making an effort to be academically honest. Purposely repackaging my critique and specifying it to suit your argument. I didn’t say election, I said elections. As in whole government, not just the figurehead. Russia has politicians on payroll in every ex Soviet state, from local to state electorates.

              • zephyreks [none/use name]@hexbear.net
                1·
                1 year ago

                Ah yes, because crop rotation in the shit show that is northern soil would go so well. Where’s the evidence? Many Canadian soil science experts have written off the promise of boreal land: the soil would take decades if not centuries to rehabilitate.

                Meanwhile, you don’t seem to understand that even small age gaps create marginal imbalances that need to be filled, which (if filled by small age gaps again) leads to a knock-on effect down the population pyramid.

                Every government has corruption. Are you surprised by this? In an example that you will understand, US elections are horrendously corrupt because of rampant gerrymandering and no restrictions on corporate PAC donations. However, people still consider US elections to be “fair” and “just.” Ukraine’s elections have been no more corrupt than they usually are, which I proved to you and am happy to provide more sources for. To which point you… moved the goalposts with no evidence. At least put some effort into your argument, please.

                A lack of evidence is either a lack of intelligence or deliberate bad faith.

                • TranscendentalEmpire@lemm.ee
                  1·
                  1 year ago

                  Ah yes, because crop rotation in the shit show that is northern soil would go so well. Where’s the evidence? Many Canadian soil science experts have written off the promise of boreal land: the soil would take decades if not centuries to rehabilitate.

                  This has all been an argument about Russia needing Ukraine for food security, despite Russia being one of the largest grain exporters in the world. I’m sorry, I don’t think Canadian “soil scientists” are really going to substantiate that kind of reversal.

                  Meanwhile, you don’t seem to understand that even small age gaps create marginal imbalances that need to be filled, which (if filled by small age gaps again) leads to a knock-on effect down the population pyramid.

                  But we’re talking about a huge age gap between two different nations… not small age gaps within one society. Your age gaps need to be at least compatible, and preferably not thousands of miles away from each other to offset surplus.

                  Every government has corruption.

                  Again, you’re falsely equivocating the corruption that happens within a country, with corruption being imported by a neighboring country because they want something from you. It’s just like what the US does to Mexico.

                  Ukraine’s elections have been no more corrupt than they usually are, which I proved to you and am happy to provide more sources for.

                  You didnt actually give any sources, you just made statements. Here is an actual example of a source

                  While the interference did not live up to worst fears, numerous examples of it can be found in the kinetic, disinformation, and cyber realms over a period of months. Russia’s war with Ukraine and its occupation of parts of Ukraine’s territory constitute the most blatant interference, including the disenfranchisement of some 16 percent of the electorate living in Crimea and areas around Donetsk and Luhansk.

                  [

                  To which point you… moved the goalposts with no evidence

                  Pointing out that you made an assumption is moving the goal post?

                  here](https://kyivindependent.com/investigative-stories-from-ukraine-pro-russian-politicians-under-sanctions-in-us-eu-yet-not-in-ukraine-2/)

                  A lack of evidence is either a lack of intelligence or deliberate bad faith.

                  Lol, you say that after already making several unsubstantiated claims?

                  • zephyreks [none/use name]@hexbear.net
                    1·
                    1 year ago

                    Your source is… the Atlantic Council? The same institution that’s well known for being a US intelligence front?

                    The Atlantic Council’s six fellows this year come from the Department of State, CIA, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Navy, USIA, and the Congressional Research Service

                    • CIA-RDP88B004443R000100550001-3

                    The Stanford Internet Observatory, the University of Washington, the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab, and Graphika all have inadequately-disclosed ties to the Department of Defense, the C.I.A., and other intelligence agencies. They work with multiple U.S. government agencies to institutionalize censorship research and advocacy within dozens of other universities and think tanks.

                    • Sworn testimony as part of “The Censorship Industrial Complex,” given to the House Committee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government

                    The Atlantic Council consists of a bunch of warhawks keen on foreign interference:

                    STEPHEN HADLEY: If I were in my old job I would be thinking about lethal assistance – yes. But you know this is why you have a CIA, you know this is why you have covert action and I would be thinking – do we want to do it explicitly to send a message to Putin? Or do you want to do it covertly? You know I think we tend now to talk too much and act too little. And sometimes it’s good if weapons just start showing up on the battlefield.

                    Not to mention literally racist:

                    JAMES CLAPPER: And just the historical practices of the Russians, who typically, are almost genetically driven to co-opt, penetrate, gain favor, whatever, which is a typical Russian technique

                    Glad to know who I’m talking to, I guess. How’s the weather in Fort Briggs this time of year?