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Letter to Russians

It is a difficult time.
Your country, under the direction of your leader, is massacring people in Ukraine.
Many of you who have protested the war are now in jail because of it.
I have just seen a video clip of a woman sneaking up behind the anchor of a news show in Moscow and showing a sign that said ‘No War’ in English and ‘Don’t believe propaganda. They lie to you here’ in Russian.
The woman, identified as Marina Ovsyannikova, had recorded a video before she interrupted the newscast. In the video she says, ‘What’s happening in Ukraine right now is a crime and Russia is the aggressor country.’ ‘It’s only in our power to stop this. Go to protests; don’t be scared. They can’t arrest us all.’
OVD-Info, a human rights organization who distributed the video made by Ms Ovsyannikova, said she had been taken to a police station.

By doing what she did, she dared a new law signed by Putin calling for a prison term of up to 15 years for people who knowingly disseminate false information about Russia’s armed forces.
Here’s the link to the article in the WSJ https://www.wsj.com/articles/woman-runs-onto-russian-tv-news-set-brandishing-antiwar-poster-11647292214?st=0hr2x6bdyabddwf&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
All of us – the world – thank you for your courage.

But how did we get to this point?
Your leader was allowed to stay in power too long.
The task of leadership is too complex to be entrusted to one person. All leadership needs to be open to criticism, whether warranted or not.
And those governed have a responsibility to ensure that happens.
Putin remained in power since 1999, because he persuaded others that there was no one else with his ability to lead Russia. But in the free world we’ve learned that even if someone is exceptional, they cannot remain in power for more than two terms, as in the US, or no more than a single longer term, say 5-6 years, as in other democracies.
Renewal is vital to free societies. Even if the successor to an exemplary leader is deemed of lesser quality than who preceded them.
That’s how important renewal is. It opens the door to new relationships and gives the governed a sense that corruption is less likely to happen.
We, the governed, have come to learn that corruption in government happens anyway.
To place limits on those who govern us is to accept that reality.

What we, the governed, should never lose sight of, is that we have power. But to keep it, it must be exercised. Otherwise, it atrophies.
Leaders like Putin learned that they could intimidate others into not speaking their minds.
And it started with small acts of intimidation, which then grew into larger ones.
It happens the same way everywhere.
And slowly, the governed lose their voice. Because of fear.
When we allow that to happen, then we are diminished as people.
We become smaller. And before long we will find an excuse for allowing ourselves to be smaller. And so we shrink.
Anytime you have given up on expressing your opinion, whether right or wrong, you give up something dear about yourself.
You give up the right every human being has to be unique.

A man like Putin clearly enjoys reducing the size of other human beings.
The thousands of Russian soldiers who have died in Ukraine didn’t have to die as they did, because there was no need for that war.
The thousands of Ukrainians who have died defending their land, didn’t have to die as they did.
And it can be traced to a man being allowed to remain in power.
It can be traced to many Russians – not all – choosing to relinquish their right to be themselves, the right to have a voice of their own.
Every Putin supporter is a person who has chosen to deny themselves the right to be their own person.
Why, because in their right mind, they would not consent to the indiscriminate killing of innocent human beings.
So all those Russians who support Putin are not in their right mind. They may think they are, but they are not, for long ago they chose to not pursue the path to becoming individuals with their own voice.

All dictators do the same thing. By various degrees of intimidation, they coerce others into giving up their own selves.
It happened in Russia as it happened in China. It happened in Syria, as it happened in Myanmar. It happened in Cuba as it happened in Nicaragua and Venezuela.
Every one of us has power.
But we have to choose to use it.
Every one of us, has the power of their mind and their voice.
The fate of mankind depends on speaking our voices.
Dear Russians, you can be an example to the world.
Just like your brothers and sisters in Ukraine.
And like you, Marina Ovsyannikova, a hero to all of us.
Thank you.

Oscar Valdes. Oscarvaldes.net, medium.com, anchor.fm, buzzsprout, apple and google podcasts

How Does This War End?

Photo by Mathias P.R. Reding on Pexels.com

Putin is holding the threat of nuclear confrontation as his answer to the West’s rallying behind brave Ukraine.
He desperately wants Ukraine and is willing to do anything.
Because he has such control over the Russian people, he believes they will tolerate the effects of the sanctions against him for starting the war.
But the pain he’s inflicting on Ukraine seems unreal.

We have heard of people in pain. In Myanmar, in Xinjiang province in China, in Syria, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Yemen, Venezuela.
But who had thought it would happen right next to Poland and Slovakia, Hungary and Romania?
Who had thought that one man would disrupt or end the lives of so many?
And that not a single shot triggered Putin’s wrath.
He is angry, he says, because the West is getting too close to him.
He is angry, we can discern, because he has been incapable of moving Russia to the top of the nations of this earth. So he falsely concludes that he is not getting his respect.
But what is there to respect?
That he has nuclear weapons capable of destroying millions of lives? Granted.
But what else?
He has a narrow mind and a lust for destruction.

It seems unreal, to see presidents and chancellors, foreign ministers and diplomats, all going to see narrow minded Putin to ask that he engage in substantial negotiations.
But the man does not budge. He wants Ukrainians to bow to him.
This morning he bombed a military installation near the border with Poland, killing 35, prompting the West to say that any hit to Poland or any NATO nation, even if not intentional, will trigger a full response.
Sadly, it could happen.
Meanwhile, the wave of Ukrainian refugees rushing to the West is now greater than 2.5 million and growing.
The number of casualties is probably in the thousands. The destruction of property rampant.

Ukraine is a big country, home to 44 million people. And it is being destroyed by the actions of one man, who makes decisions by himself. One man, who doesn’t have to answer to anyone.
And what use is the United Nations, when Russia’s or China’s vote in the Security council can block any action by it?
What is the point of that body? A pretense of dialogue?
No one seems to listen. Countries go there to parade their viewpoints but not to hear each other.

The sanctions the West is implementing will hurt Putin. Will hurt the Russian people most of all.
But will the Russian people rise against Putin?
Will they see him for who he is?
Putin is not afraid of a nuclear confrontation and that is his advantage.
We in the West, are afraid of a nuclear confrontation, and that is our advantage.
Preserving the collective work of humanity is important to us and not to Putin.

The question we must be asking ourselves is, why does humanity tolerate the rise of tyrants?
Why do we allow it?
Why does the rest of the world permit any tyrant, anywhere, to rule without the consent of the people?
Why can’t the rest of the enlightened nations of this earth act on behalf of humanity and join to depose those who rule through brutality?
What is the point of sovereignty in today’s world, if we must tolerate dictators who force their people into submission, and then use them to attempt to submit another nation?
What is the point of the United Nations today?
What is the point of someone like Assad in Syria, remaining in power (with Russia’s aid), or the generals in Myanmar (with Russia’s and China’s aid), or in any other dictatorship?
Why can’t there be more external pressures from the rest of the world to unseat these people?
Ukraine story is telling us that it must be so.

But how does this war end?
This war ends with Putin conquering all of Ukraine after a campaign that will leave hundreds of thousands dead and maimed. A nation scorched.
It ends with Europe being flooded with refugees but becoming stronger because of it.
This war ends with Russia becoming weaker and forcing their citizens to look at themselves and choose between remaining servile to Putin or daring to join with other nations in the march to freedom.
It ends with the world economy going into recession and Russia’s loss being the greater.
A stronger West would then have to look ahead and continue preparing for the inevitable confrontation with China, both economic and military.
Russia’s stated aims at the start of the invasion were two: regime change in Ukraine and the country’s demilitarization. They have not changed.
Given Putin’s behavior, I don’t see any point in the West’s continuing to reach out to him for a diplomatic solution. But it is up to the Ukrainian people, whose lives are being lost, to make that choice.
Meanwhile, we will continue to assist.
Is there a risk of a nuclear confrontation? Yes. For Putin is growing desperate.
But the West is ready.
So let us stick with the sanctions, and Ukraine’s heroic resistance will have marked a new beginning for the free world.

Oscar Valdes Oscarvaldes.net, medium.com, anchor.fm, buzzsprout, apple and google podcasts.

The War and Increasing Venezuela’s Oil Production

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has significantly altered the politics of oil worldwide.
With western sanctions being set to squeeze Russia, its price has jumped.
Now there’s an American willingness to lift sanctions on Venezuela’s main export product.
Mr Maduro, Venezuela’s dictator, ceased to be recognized by the US after his reelection in 2018 was deemed to be fraudulent by international observers.

In 2019, the Trump administration imposed harsh sanctions on Venezuela’s oil production and Maduro turned to Russia, China and Iran for help selling it.
However, as a result of the continuing political repression, a large portion of the talent required to maintain the oil industry fled the country.
Oil production took a dive and the country is now extracting a fraction of the output in years past, which averaged 2.3 million barrels per day over the previous 50 years, and was down to an estimated 760,000 barrels in 2021.
All sectors of the economy in Venezuela have been deeply affected by Maduro’s policies and approximately 6 million people have emigrated to neighboring countries. The suffering he’s inflicted on his compatriots is enormous.

Sobered, perhaps, by the extent of his atrocities, or simply in his attempt to survive their repercussions, Mr Maduro, even before the Ukrainian tragedy, had signaled to the US that he was willing to do business in exchange for the lifting of their sanctions.
And so the Biden administration recently sent a delegation to Caracas to meet with Maduro’s representatives.

There are obstacles to overcome.
Venezuela, which had been defaulting on a $60 billion debt for the last few years, has now offered assets, including oil reserves, to restructure such debt.
But it will take time for Venezuela to increase production.
One such obstacle is that their oil producing infrastructure is in a state of disrepair and would require considerable outside investments over several years to get it back to working order.
On the plus side, American companies have shown an interest in investing, though they would want legal safeguards, a tough issue in a country with the lack of an independent judiciary.
We can also anticipate that there will be political opposition to a deal. As part of the sanctions imposed in 2019, control of Citgo, the US operating refining subsidiary owned by Venezuela, was transferred to representatives of the opposition. They will likely want assurances, such as Maduro agreeing to the release of political prisoners and to holding free elections in 2024.

Venezuela needs to get back to producing oil. Their oil is heavy in sulfur and high in emissions, so it is a major contributor to global warming, which limits its attractiveness to investors.
The world still needs oil but there is a rush to improve the technologies to make solar, wind and hydrogen power our main sources, and to accept nuclear power as a transitional source.
So time is running out for oil.

It is sad to see how a country as rich as Venezuela has wasted the opportunities it was given.
I am reminded of the distinguished Venezuelan writer and thinker, Arturo Uslar Pietri, who once said, ‘We have to sow our oil’. As in, let’s use this precious but finite resource, to diversify and grow other industries.
Venezuela has plenty of human talent.
Its politics, however, have wasted it.

Oscar Valdes. Oscarvaldes.net, medium.com, anchor.fm, buzzsprout, apple and google podcasts

Mr Biden: Resist Pressure to Cut Off Oil Imports

Earlier, I was in favor of them. Now I am against such action.
The horror of the war keeps unfolding. The expectation in cutting off imports from Russia is that their economy will be so affected that Putin will back off.
But judging from his actions in Ukraine, he will not.
The Russian people will suffer, but he will not.
His oligarch friends will be inconvenienced but they owe Putin – knew that the good times wouldn’t last forever – and have made contingency plans.
Meanwhile, our economy and markets will keep deteriorating as inflationary pressures mount.

Together with our allies we’re doing a great deal for Ukraine. But Putin will not stop.
The damage to his reputation and Russia’s economy will be enormous but it will take time to set in.
I know you’re under pressure from many groups, including the president of Ukraine, to do more and more, but we have limits.
The horror of Putin’s actions will not be forgotten.
And the sanctions already imposed will have their effect, so long as we enforce them.
Unfortunately, Putin has the support of China, and they will offer relief to him.
That tells us a great deal about China and how to proceed with them in the future.
They are cut from the same cloth as Putin and, when the time comes, will try to do in Taiwan as the Russian is doing in Ukraine.

You have done an excellent job in building bridges among the free nations of this world but should set limits on assistance to Ukraine.
NATO has been firm about not agreeing to a No Fly zone over Ukraine.
Zelensky wants fighter jets, but how will you hand them over without Russia charging that we have become a co-combatant in the war against them?
The West and the rest of the world can get around everything Russia has to offer. We need to work on it but it can be done.
If we must rely on nuclear plants to reduce our dependence on oil, as technology for renewable sources and battery power grows, so be it. (Ukraine’s power supply is over 50% nuclear)
But as the war heats up, we can’t let Putin drag us down that road. He would love doing that.

So firm limits are needed. We must not appear desperate.
I read that we are now talking to Venezuela about making deals to enhance their oil production.
That would be good for Venezuela (who has ended up in bed with Russia, China and Iran and are now regretting it) and for us but sounding desperate is not a good bargaining position. The Maduro regime will need to make important concessions, such as freeing political prisoners and committing to free elections in 2024.
Same as with the nuclear deal that is presently being negotiated with Iran. Sensing that the West is desperate for their oil will backfire. We’ll end up with a lousy deal, with Russia taking advantage of the situation.

In Ukraine itself, despite their great bravery, the greater chances are that Russia will keep on with their savagery as they murder the population to achieve their aims.
One option is for Ukraine’s army and population to head to their western border and dig in.
That way they will have a steady source of supplies from the alliance – through their border with Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Moldova.
Better a divided Ukraine than no Ukraine at all. For now. Like with East and West Germany after World War II, it will take time to reunite.

The future of mankind is at stake.
We should not get dragged into a nuclear confrontation with Putin because the weight of his cruelty – and of those who support him – will eventually marginalize him. He will not last forever.
Let us stand firm against his crimes against humanity but be careful and patient.
Thank you for the good job and keep it up.

Oscar Valdes oscarvaldes.net, medium.com, anchor.fm, buzzsprout, apple and google podcasts

Afghanistan, Ukraine and Biden

He’s been widely criticized, for having pulled out of Afghanistan as he did.
He’s been blamed for signaling to Putin that the US would not commit to long term tasks. That America was eager to isolate.
If it hadn’t been for Afghanistan, they say, there wouldn’t have been the invasion of Ukraine.
Wrong.

Biden did what other presidents before him had not been willing to do. Face reality.
Afghanistan was unwinnable.
It could not be won with neighboring Pakistan sheltering and supporting the Taliban.
Previous administrations, both Republican and Democratic, had not made the choice. Demand that Pakistan cease supporting the Taliban or will not support you.
And so the hunt for Osama bin Laden, the man who ordered the 9/11 attack, took much longer that it should have.
The pullout from Afghanistan was messy but not messier than from Vietnam. But it had to be done. Biden deserves credit for it.

For one reason or another, during our 20 years in Afghanistan, we failed to elicit in Afghanistanis the will to build their nation. Over 2500 Americans died in that country, alongside others from allied forces.
It was very sad to see the country’s undoing, and the difficulties they’re now enduring.
But we had to leave. For now.

Ukraine is a vastly different story. Ukrainian nationals who had left the country to live elsewhere are returning to fight for their land.
President Biden has acted vigorously to pull together the EU-US alliance and Europe has responded.
The Ukrainian people are bearing the brunt of the struggle, fighting valiantly to defend their homeland. Volodymyr Zelensky, their leader, is fully committed to the task and will not surrender.

The Ukrainian bravery has awakened Europe from the denial they were living in, the false belief that they could somehow, through trade, dissuade the brutality of Russia.
Europe had seen it before – in Hungary in 1956, in Czechoslovakia in 68, twice in Chechnya, in the 1990’s and in early 2000s, then in Georgia in 2008 – and still they held out hope that Russian leaders could be depended upon. That it would be okay to rely on them for their oil and gas, their wheat, fertilizers and valued minerals. That the moneys from such purchases wouldn’t be used to finance the massacre of a neighbor’s people.
Even one of their former chancellors, Gerhard Schroder (1998-2005), became a Putin ally, the chairman of the Russian energy company Rosneft and a proponent of the Nord Stream pipeline to supply Germany with 40% of their energy needs.
Such denial was shared by subsequent German leaders with the consent of their people.

But now the Ukrainian nation has awakened Germans and all of Europe from their stupor and so they are owed a debt of gratitude.
The struggle for Europe and the West will not be over until Russia and its vassal nations become democratic countries.
It has fallen to Ukraine to shed the heroic blood that will mark the path to follow.
And then there will be China – for many sectors in the West are still in denial of that nation’s quest for supremacy.

Oscar Valdes. Oscarvaldes.net, medium.com, anchor.fm, buzzsprout, apple and google podcasts

Will There Be a Cease fire in Ukraine?

No.
Putin wants all of Ukraine.
The West will not send troops in to aid Ukraine, so for Putin it is only a matter of time.
And of adding up more casualties, mainly Ukrainian but also Russian.
He has made up his mind.
Bombing residences in Ukraine is part of the price. Killing men, women and children.
I’ve read he’s ordered that the relatives of fallen Russians receive a payment of $ 50,000.
How’s that supposed to make up for the loss of a life? When the reason for the fighting was something he invented owing to his fragile ego and dreams of empire.

He believes that Russia is being threatened, he tells us.
That other people’s quest for freedom is too unsettling for him to tolerate.
So he must act to squash the possibilities.
No matter the cost.
Meanwhile, there are nations in our world that see nothing wrong with the invasion.
Nations that are afraid to speak against it. Notably China, who instead blames the US for threatening Putin through NATO’s expansion.
India and Israel, also, have chosen to not upset Putin. And other nations in the Middle East which have business deals with Russia.
Geopolitical reasons they call it.
I am sure you can think of better words to describe such behavior.

The question now is, in the absence of a cease fire, and of the West sending in troops, what will happen on the ground?
At present Russian troops have advanced from the south as Kyiv, the capital and seat of government, is still holding.
But as stiff a resistance as the Ukrainians have mounted, and thousands of volunteers returning from abroad to fight for their land, the likelihood is that the Russian army will eventually prevail.

Advancing from the south and from the north Russians are likely to converge and make their way west to seal the border with Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania and so close off the entryway for weapons sent in from the western alliance. Unless a section of the Ukrainian army – while there is still time – changes strategy and relocates West before the Russian army gets there. That way they would be able to have the border with NATO members at their back – with their supplies flowing – and help them make a final stand against the invaders.
It could be they may hold that position longer than any other one in the country.
It could even lead to a divided Ukraine, which would be better than no Ukraine at all.

Oscar Valdes oscarvaldes.net, medium.com, anchor.fm, buzzsprout, apple and google podcasts

Putin to the West – Drop Dead

‘You keep complaining and putting sanctions on me, but I don’t care.
I want to be king of this space I now have and am expanding it.
I don’t believe in democracy.
I believe in me. In Vladimir. King Vladimir to you.
I have enough oil and gas and wheat and aluminum, platinum and palladium and nickel. We have it all. I don’t need you.
I have Russians under my control. Have managed, with great skill, to silence their voices, to keep them quiet so they won’t disturb my plans.
I haven’t asked them to kneel before me but maybe will one day soon.

There are a few dissenters, but I deal with them effectively and reduce them to mere nuisance. They are alive because of my charitable spirit.
I am one of the great leaders the world has ever known. But the West keeps calling me an autocrat. A despot.

I get no respect. Which is why I am forced to invade Ukraine.
It is your fault that I have invaded those poor souls. I love Ukraine. They are my brothers and sisters. My heart bleeds when I see the number of dead Ukrainians rising. Sometimes I even weep.
But then I remind myself that it is your fault. It is because of you that they’re dying. You have no shame and have forced my hand.

I am a peace loving man. Sure, I’ve had to kill thousands of people in Chechnya and Georgia in years past – and now in Syria too – but that was because they listened to you and wanted to be independent.
Independence from the great Russia is wrong.

I am a man with a very broad mind.
For instance, I have the greatest respect for Donald Trump, who always said, America First. Well, I’m doing the same thing. Russia First. I learned from him. And I know he has great respect for me. The other day, when I instructed my legislators to declare the Ukraine regions of Donetsk and Luhansk to be new republics under my authority, in preparation for my special military operation, he called the move a pretty smart one. In fact, I am inspired by his example. He was trying to end his alliance with Europe because they were not giving him enough respect.
That is exactly what I am doing now. Getting my respect back.

So, please understand. In invading Ukraine, I am doing a favor to mankind. Xi Jinping and China love me, too. They will help me overcome the sanctions because they love people and understand the damage the West is doing.
Sooner or later they will invade Taiwan to stop them from continuing down the wrong path of wanting to be independent. Xi Jinping will sacrifice his people to save the Taiwanese. And when they choose to do so, I will help them because they are helping me today.

And I will do everything possible to help Donald get back to being president. That way we can divide the world. One part for me – the King – one part for Xi – the prince – the other part for Donald, the other prince.
And working together we will end poverty and inequality and racism and crime and the human race will prosper and live happily ever after.
So long as everyone surrenders their dreams of being independent. That’s not so hard to do.
Long live dependence!’

Oscar Valdes oscarvaldes.net medium.com anchor.fm, buzzsprout, apple and google podcasts.

The Siege of Kyiv. Is There an Option?

Photo by Sima Ghaffarzadeh on Pexels.com

A large part of Putin’s invading army is on its way to encircle and squeeze Kyiv.
The Ukrainian Army and volunteers have fought bravely to defend their land but they are clearly outnumbered and outgunned by Russian troops.
Ukraine’s quest for freedom has galvanized the European Union and America and together they have shown admirable determination in coming to the assistance of the nation and frantically sending military hardware to help it fight the brutal intruder.
President Zelensky has courageously led his compatriots in standing up to Russia.

As I write these words, the Russian army has started to surround the Ukrainian capital.
There is no doubt that the residents of Kyiv will resist, but we should ask, should Zelensky and his war cabinet remain in the city?
While it is certain that Ukrainians will fight to the death, it is also certain that Putin will show no mercy. That is who he is. He will spare no effort to demolish his opposition. World opinion does not matter.
The slaughter of thousands of Ukrainians is about to happen.
With Kyiv encircled there will be no way to pass military equipment to the city’s defenders.
And, eventually, with the world watching, the city will crumble.
Thousands will likely die in the ordeal.

As glaring as that prospect is, many nations still resist denouncing Russia’s invasion, afraid of angering Putin. Among them India and Israel. The latter not summoning the chutzpa to stand up in support of a nation led by a president of Jewish origin.
While the West has unified against Russia’s aggression, it has stopped short of sending troops to Ukraine. Sanctions applied to Russia have been increasing and will do significant damage but Putin will find relief in trading with China.

At this point, the western section of Ukraine and its border with the EU remain under the government’s control.
Instead of suffocating in Kyiv, perhaps even perishing in it, a strategic option would be for the country’s leadership to relocate to the city of L’viv in the west and so keep marshaling the nation’s defense while getting reinforcements through its border with Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania.
The assistance from the West and the fierceness of Ukrainian fighters may combine to draw a boundary that the Russian troops may not be able to surmount. The outcome may end up being a divided Ukraine. In which case, in time, as in Germany, the West will clearly outdo the East.

The idea that the pain of the siege of Kyiv will stir the world into action is flawed.
It assumes that the pain of massacred Ukrainians will lead Putin to relent. It will not.
He is in to defeat not only Ukraine but the West. No matter the tally in casualties, Russian and Ukrainians. The horror the world has been witnessing won’t deter him.
He is who he is.
It will be up to the Russian people to keep him in power, or to depose him.

Oscar Valdes oscarvaldes.net, medium.com, anchor.fm, buzzsprout, apple and google podcasts

Momentum Has Changed in Ukraine

The West has shown surprising resolve in sanctioning Russia.
Ukrainians are fighting bravely for their land.
Protests against Putin are mounting worldwide.
The sight of a superior army attempting to trample over a smaller nation has raised the ire of humanity. It is the big bully murdering people with impunity. Soldiers and civilians alike.
And still he marches on, unrepentant, completely sure of himself, thirsty for even more blood.

He will not stop until Russia controls all of Ukraine, no matter what the cost in lives.
A man like him cannot live with defeat.
He has consented to talks with Ukraine in neighboring Belarus for the sake of appearances, but he will not cede ground and instead demand complete acceptance of his terms.
He lies constantly and apparently believes his lies too.
The West should not relent in the pressure it is applying on him.
Ukraine should make no concessions whatsoever.
Putin invented the reasons for this war and will have to pay for the blood he’s spilled.

The West should up the sanctions all the way, applying them in the energy sector by stopping the purchase of Russian oil and gas.
There is a good chance that, with the heroic resolve of the Ukrainian people and the assistance from the West, Putin will be pushed back and defeated.
Anything short of the complete victory he had in mind would be a political defeat for him, with repercussions of consequence at home.
Russia under Putin needs to be isolated.

There is the strong possibility that the Russian people will awaken from their stupor to realize the folly of being led by a man who is obsessed with amassing personal power. A man who, for the sake of his aggrandizement, does not hesitate to kill innocent people, whether Ukrainian or Russian.

He has been able to manipulate the Russian media to suit his ends but gradually the truth will surface and the Russian people will react.
But the West needs to keep up the pressure and increase it.
Cutting off purchases of Russian oil and gas would do so.

It will cost us too but the West has today a great opportunity to change the balance of power in the world.
With relentless pressure in the battlefield and in the markets, it could well be that Ukraine will become the graveyard of Putin’s dreams of grandeur.
Russia deserves far better than what Putin has delivered.
Fight on!

Oscar Valdes oscarvaldes.net, medium.com, anchor.fm, buzzsprout, apple and google podcasts.

Wake Up Russia!

Your leader is massacring Ukrainians.
By choosing to invade their country he has given license to kill innocent people.
Men, women and children.

Your country was not being threatened but your leader, who does as he pleases because few object, came up with the idea that he was being threatened and so he thought he must give the order to kill Ukrainians.
He could do so because most Russians have been silenced.
Silenced by fear.
All of us pay a price when we allow others to intimidate us.
That is why it is so important to respect free speech. To hold free elections.

But year after year of your leader being in power – since 1999 – the Russian majority has chosen to be quiet.
And now all of us pay the price. Not just you but Ukrainians and the rest of the world.
You are not alone in your passivity.
In China, a section of the country has cheered on the invaders, celebrating the killing of Ukrainians by your leader.
They too, like you, have yielded to fear for they have neither free speech nor free elections, but they cheer on invading Russian troops in the belief that by doing so they get to turn fear into courage.

Ukrainians know better. They know their freedom has a price. And in refusing to be governed by Moscow – refusing to have to answer to your boss – have put up an heroic resistance against a superior army and vowed not to yield.
Their president, Volodymyr Zelensky has been leading the effort. If he were ever to doubt that he had the strength to do so, he need only look to his grandfather who was a soldier in the Russian Army in World War II.
Ukrainians’ valor has marked this moment in history and the nation has become the pride of our world.

Because the murderous invasion of Ukraine has not gone according to plan and their people are fighting back, now your leader speaks of setting your nuclear forces in high alert.
But the West will not be intimidated. We will not stop sending arms to the Ukrainian resistance and one day they will be proud NATO members.
The pain inflicted by your leader will not be forgotten.

I know there is a core of dissenters in your country. That men and women with enormous courage have chosen to defy your leader and have suffered or have been killed or exiled because of it.
But the number of dissenters must grow. The protests have to increase.
The abuses of a man who does not listen to his people must be challenged.

For a nation to thrive there must be an open dialogue with its leaders.
You need to fight to have that dialogue.
Look at Germany. Until a day ago it was unwilling to send arms to Ukraine. But protests mounted and they have now changed course. They have committed to aid brave Ukraine.
That dialogue has died in Russia and so your leader is free to do as he wishes.

Dear Russians, you could have that dialogue, too, but you must demand it.
So why don’t you stand up and joins us?
We welcome your contributions to humanity’s grand project – men and women’s eternal struggle to have a voice of their own and live with dignity.

Oscar Valdes. Oscarvaldes.net anchor.fm, buzzsprout, medium.com, apple and google podcasts.