By virtue of its courage, its tenacity in the battlefield, Ukraine is becoming a NATO nation. The men, women and children who have died in their heroic quest Are clear testament that the proud nation Is becoming a NATO nation. As the world witnesses the atrocities committed by Russians, Day after day, Ukraine, with its valiant stand for their right to choose their destiny Is becoming a NATO nation. We will not be conquered! They cry out confidently. We will not surrender! They affirm with vigor, Even as the Russian missiles fly into their residences, their schools, their hospitals, While Putin, comfortably in Moscow, Reviews the damage. ‘Not enough!’ he says, ‘we need more. More dead, more wounded, more destruction, Until they come begging to me, kneel before me and plead for relief.’ But Ukrainians are not asking for an audience with the murderous man, They are asking for more and more weapons and support from the West, So they can fight on, So they can defend their land, A land which has now transformed itself into a symbol of freedom For the rest of the world, A symbol of freedom for all those peoples who now tolerate The repressive rule of their dictators, Nations like China and wherever else autocrats and despots live. Ukraine’s quest is for victory or death, And as they struggle on against the brutality that Russia embodies, They cover themselves with glory While Russia debases itself with shame. No more talk of neutrality! A nation that has bled so much cannot settle for a silent voice. They are risking it all, everything, for their right to be who they are. While in Russia, millions of people, Watching sheepishly on TV the version that Putin chooses to feed them, Afraid to question, Become accomplices in a grand massacre of fellow Slavs. Sooner or later, Putin, as he is defeated in the battlefield, Will choose to use chemical or nuclear weapons on the Ukrainian people, To exterminate them, With the consent of China – who has practice with genocide – and all the autocrats of this world, And the West will say NO! For Ukraine, with its grand affirmation of their right to be free, With all the death and damage they have endured, With all the valor they have shown, Has now become a NATO nation.
Oscar Valdes oscarvaldes.net, medium.com, anchor.fm, buzzsprout, apple and google podcasts
This threat has been made often since the start of the invasion, with Putin arguing that the West is using Ukraine as a proxy against him and his people. But it is Putin and Russia, who in assaulting Ukraine, are assaulting the West. If Ukraine had meekly said, ‘Oh yes, we really want to be like Russians, we love how you live, how you bow daily to your great leader, so go ahead Putin, we gladly surrender to you, too,’ then we wouldn’t be having this problem. But they did not. Instead, Ukrainians have sacrificed thousands of lives, endured immense destruction of what they have built, all for the sake of a future different than life under the Russian boot. Russia, except for those who have had the courage of dissenting, has become a symbol of brutality to the world. Whatever your contributions to the world, they now pale next to the pain and suffering you are willfully inflicting on others. How can you erase that from the conscience of our civilization? You cannot. And so it becomes your curse. Russia’s curse. If Putin or his foreign minister or whatever other stooge, repeats the threat that they may be forced to use nuclear weapons if the West continues to arm Ukraine, then we will deal with it. Because giving in to Russia in Ukraine is giving in to Russia anywhere. So the threat to use nuclear weapons becomes worthless. Knowing the intensity of Russia’s cruelty is good enough for us. We see it every day. We know you are capable of anything and that you don’t give a damn. We know you will fire those nuclear weapons and kill hundreds of thousands of people. All of Russia, exception made of those who have had the courage to dissent, are now part of an assault on the West and the rest of the world. Somehow, you, along with the Chinese, have come to believe that you are a gift to the rest of us. You are not. We have no desire to be like you. You are an example to no one. If you want the war to stop, you need to pull back into your territory. Rest assured that we will not go after you. But if you don’t, we will keep arming Ukraine, and whoever else is willing to resist you. And we will provide better weapons, even start sending planes, whatever it takes to defeat you. Because we don’t think your brutality will ever stop. It appears to not be in you to do so. The rest of the world will have to learn how to live without your oil and gas and other commodities. So we will invent. We will create. By now we know that if we give up in Ukraine, we will give up in Poland, or in Rumania or in Finland or Sweden or wherever else. So go ahead and make all the threats you want. We are ready for them. For we will keep arming Ukraine until we win this war.
Oscar Valdes oscarvaldes.net, medium.com, anchor.fm, buzzsprout, apple and google podcasts
I got there when people were already gathered at the burial site, a bright green hill filled with rows of tombs and their identifying plaques. The deceased would be getting one soon too. Prior to arriving, I had in mind that there would be a viewing of the corpse preceding the interment but there was not. Instead, the viewing was limited to seeing the coffin, properly set up to being lowered into the pit below at a later time. Two funeral home workers stood nearby. I met a friend whom I knew would be there, once again expressed my sympathy to the daughter of the deceased who, courteously, had come to greet us, chatted with another person who joined us and whom I hadn’t seen in years, and before long we were instructed to leave the cemetery and head out to attend the repast. That was the schedule. Before parting, I stepped up to the coffin, stood next to it and thought about the deceased. I patted the coffin. It was metal. Shiny reddish brown. Had the deceased heard my pat? I had known him for many years but weren’t close friends. Still, I had enjoyed his camaraderie and was very sad to hear of his death. I had sent in a floral arrangement in his honor and there it stood. While next to the coffin I said something to the deceased, thinking perhaps that he might take notice, that his senses were not completely gone. I imagined his face, his demeanor and thanked him for the moments we had shared. He had been ill for a while before dying and I had tried to see him but it was not possible. I asked my friend to take a photo of me next to the coffin. The attendees had mostly left by now, as instructed. I felt a bit rushed, as if wishing I be allowed to see the body being lowered into its final resting place. But that was what the family wanted. So my friend and I headed out in our separate vehicles to join the repast.
The event was held at a community center a short distance away. It was well attended. At the front of the room, a collection of photos of the deceased and his family showed in a video, to the soulful sounds of a saxophone. The organizer stepped up next to the screen, said a few words in the deceased’s honor and then told us of the manner in which the repast would be served. Start at the end of this row of tables, up this way, down the other and so forth, until all are served. After the meal, a time for the sharing of remembrances would follow. My friend and the acquaintance we had met at the burial site had got a table to ourselves. We ate and chatted a little, not just about the deceased. I spotted a man who looked much like the deceased, approached him and found out he was one of his several brothers. I shared some memories with him. Right after the meal, my friend said she wanted to leave and I decided to go too. I went up to the daughter of the deceased to say goodbye, thanked her and offered my assistance, should she need it in the future. As I made my way out I thought I was probably missing something but left anyway. Then on the drive back I started to feel grumpy. Uncomfortable. Sad. Impotent. My deceased friend had done what he had done and now it was all over. But there was something else that I couldn’t pin down. Was it about me? After all, time was running out. I was getting older. Life didn’t go on and on. The sight of the coffin, the chatting and the repast, the mournful air that hung over the whole affair had all been steps leading up to it. I got home but I was still feeling uncomfortable, so I went out for a walk. The unease lingered. Then I sat down to write.
At the funeral home’s entrance, I was handed a map showing me where to go. At the burial site there had been sad sentiments expressed. Memories exchanged. All nicely arranged and moving like clockwork. On the way home I had told myself that I would not be attending any more funerals, that I had had it. Maybe I would just donate my body to science and do away with the whole ceremony. Then I thought of the war in Ukraine. It was now 7 weeks long and there still was no clear sense of when it would end. People were dying every day. People of all ages, men, women and children. But had I grieved for them? Those war victims were physically far away but my friend’s funeral had brought them much closer. And as I wrote these words the emotions flowed and I wanted to cry for them, too, just as I had wanted to cry for my deceased friend. My friend had died at his home, surrounded by people who loved him. He had not died violently. And yet he reminded me of the plight of Ukraine and its countless victims. I could not separate the emotions. They just came. I have written many blogs about the war in Ukraine and, at times, I have been teary eyed as I wrote. But this time, as I cried for my friend, I cried for Ukraine, too.
Oscar Valdes oscarvaldes.net, medium.com, anchor.fm, buzzsprout, apple and google podcasts.
They sit across a long table, each at one end. They both have their arms resting on the table.
Z – We will not surrender. P – How many more people you think will be killed? Z – That’s up to you, isn’t it? P – If you put down your arms, there will be no more deaths. Z – But there will be no freedom. P – Explain to me what that means. Z – Letting people be who they wish to be.
Putin smiles dismissively.
Z – By your reaction I can tell you’ve never known it yourself. P – I can have what I want when I want. Z – At the expense of others. Others who have been too intimidated to revolt against you. P – They don’t revolt because they like what I give them. Z – Thousands of Ukrainians and Russians dead? Cities destroyed? Millions of people displaced? Is that your gift to your people? It will take us years to rebuild. I don’t think Russians are stupid. P – I see you spend much time reading American propaganda. Z – The Americans and you fought a long war against Nazi Germany. Now you say America is supporting a Nazi government in Ukraine and that I am a Nazi. Who do you really think believes that? Those who choose to believe such lies have no minds. So you, sir, have managed to make them dumb politically. It happens to people when they are not free to express themselves. When they’re not free to think. But all is not lost. I am sure one day there will be freedom in Russia. Just not under you.
Putin laughs.
P – But maybe under Alexei Navalny? Z – Yes. And you don’t have the guts to let him out of prison and run against you in free elections because he will beat you soundly. P (amused) – I have a very high approval rating… Z – From non thinking people, but Navalny is another matter. You’re so afraid of him that you tried to kill him. P – More American propaganda… Z – German doctors established you used a nerve agent against Navalny, nearly killing him. P – I did nothing of the kind. Navalny is in prison because of fraud he committed. And he will stay in prison. But let us not waste time on that. How is it that you think you can win a war against our superior army? Z – We will beat you because we are fighting for our lives. P – All of you? Z – The great majority of us. P – It is very sad… and very grandiose of you, to think you can stand up against me. Z – Is it sad and grandiose to fight for what you believe? P – There is still time… I can guarantee your safety and your family’s… but you must leave now. If not, I cannot promise anything. Z – We will not surrender. P – You say you are a comedian… but where is your sense of humor? Makes me wonder if you were any good. Z – Excuse me. I am the president of a nation at war. A nation that will beat your army and boot you out of our territory.
Putin shakes his head slowly, growing irritation barely disguised.
P – You are sadly mistaken to think I will let you win. Listen carefully. I do not like wasting my time. I cannot lose this war. My whole existence depends on it. And I have the guns for it. I have the planes. I have the bombs. I have my people willing to sacrifice for a greater Russia. Z – A greater Russia? P – Do not interrupt me.
They stare at each other for an instant.
P – So far, out of a sense of compassion for your people… Z – Compassion? P – Yes… Z – Compassion in Bucha? In Mariupol? In the bombing of a theater sheltering children, with clear markings saying so? P (angrily) – What is the matter with you? Can you not listen? Do you not understand how much more brutal I can be? Z – Oh, yes, I can. There is no end to how brutal you can be. P (Pausing briefly as he restrains himself) – Mr Zelensky, I am a patient man, but you are pushing me. Z – And you do not understand me. We will not surrender. P (more calmly) – I will do whatever it takes to win this war. Z – Whatever? P – Yes. Z – You will use nuclear weapons? P – If you force me to. Z – Force you to? P (frustrated) – Do you want me to flatten Kyiv… leave it uninhabitable from radioactivity? Do you want the same for Lviv… Kharkiv…? Do you want to have that on your conscience for the rest of your life? Z – My conscience but not yours? P – Not mine… for I have a great union to rebuild, a union of republics destroyed by careless leaders… and the task to build a greater Russia is worth every sacrifice. I have been planning for this a long time. And now is the moment, now that the Americans are in decline and that China is on the rise. And we will rise like them, too.
They stare silently at each other for an instant.
Z – I grant that Russia has a distinguished history in all fields of endeavors… except one… P – Which one? Z – Politics. In that area it’s been all about terror, misery, control and enslavement. You gave us the Czars… serfdom… then followed with communism, a form of systematized dehumanization and poverty. So, what is it you’re trying to rebuild? P (impatiently) – A union of republics to be feared by all in the world… Z – Feared… but not respected? P (sharply) – Stop being insolent! Z – You’re speaking to the president of a free nation. I am not one of your many puppets.
Tense pause.
Z – One thing is to have rockets, another to have economic development. You mention China. Just when do you plan to catch up? You have almost three times the population of South Korea but about the same GDP. Even though you are the 2nd largest oil producer in the world. What has gone wrong? P – We are distributing the wealth from our oil and gas and our wheat and aluminum and nickel… Z – Amongst your favorites… whom you have made ultrarich, but there’s not enough initiative in your people… not because they’re not talented, but because you have squashed it with your political and economic repression.
Putin frowns, a little lost.
Z – There’s no freedom in your land… and the lack of it has atrophied something in the Russian spirit. You set out to tame your people and you have won. P – Russians like having one leader… like the Chinese… Z – No, they don’t like it, they’re being forced to like it. But unlike you, the Chinese have had enough economic freedom to make their markets appealing to the west, although that is now changing. In your zeal to control others, you have damaged the development of Russian minds and hearts. With all your natural riches, your people have been underperforming in the world stage… and you like it that way. Now you want to do it to us.
Putin eyes Zelensky with disdain.
P – Do you think that the Americans will come to your aid if I drop nuclear bombs on you? Z – I do not know. P – They won’t. Z – You don’t know that. P – I have made it clear to them that I’m ready for a nuclear confrontation. Z – Yes, and president Biden made it clear to you that you cannot use chemical weapons on our people. Who knows what he’ll do if you do. P – His generals won’t let him. The business sector won’t let him. Congress won’t let him. Z – You don’t know that. With Taiwan they have a policy of ‘strategic ambiguity,’ to keep the Chinese guessing. So maybe with you they’re being deliberately ambiguous also. P – They wouldn’t dare. Z – I wouldn’t challenge them. P – Do you not see that they’re using you? Z – Using us? P – Of course. Using you to try and overcome their differences. And America wants Europe to buy oil from them instead of us. It’s all about the dollar. About expanding their markets and reducing ours. They don’t give a damn about you. It’s all a show. That’s what they’re good at. Deception. Show business. When the time comes, they’ll stab you in the back and hand you over to me. But I’m giving you a chance right now to surrender and come to our side and spare the lives of thousands of your people. Z (a faint smile) – If our defense of freedom has helped the west be more unified, I am proud of that. I am not naïve. The west has its problems, its contradictions, its injustices, but I can do battle with those so long as I have freedom. With you, I will be a slave. P – Idiot! How dare you! You are nothing! Ukraine is nothing! You mean nothing to the world and I will destroy you. Z (looking Putin in the eye, calmly) – Why are you so bent on our destruction if we mean so little? Why are you sacrificing so many Russian lives, if we are nothing?
Putin drops his face in his hand and rubs it slowly. He’s reached his limit. He looks up at Zelensky.
P – I’m giving you one last chance. You’ve been brainwashed by the west. I’m trying to help you. The future is ours… here in the east. And you can be part of it. America is dying and I can smell the stench. And so can China. We are extending our reach all over the world, Africa, Latin America, the Middle East… they like us in those countries. America’s corruption is massive. They talk about freedom but it’s all bogus. They just care about themselves… Z – And you care about Ukrainians? P (angrily) – Do not interrupt me! This is my last offer. Surrender now or you’ll pay with your life! Z – I do not believe a word you say. Sir, you are not a free man… you have never been one… for if you had, you wouldn’t have ordered your troops to come and slaughter us, you wouldn’t have asked young Russians to die because you felt threatened by having a democratic nation so close to you. And I do believe the west has welcomed us to their side. I know it in my heart. P – How naïve you are. I am sad to say that there will be no more peace negotiations. Ours is a fight to the death. Z – It’s been that way from the start. P- This is the last time we meet, Mr Zelensky, for you will pay with your life. Z – You may pay with yours. P (shaking his head, frustrated) – Still believing in those fairy tales about what the Americans and Europeans will do for you. Brainwashed you is what they’ve done. Z – Perhaps, but remember, just as we’re having to bury our brothers and sisters fallen in combat, so will your soldiers be returning to Russia in body bags. (and leaning forward on the desk) History, sir, will be kinder to me than to you. Good night.
They both rise and exit the room by separate entrances.
Oscar Valdes oscarvaldes.net, medium.com, anchor.fm, buzzsprout, apple and google podcasts
What seemed unthinkable at the start of this war, is now gathering strength. The distinct possibility that Ukraine can push back Russia and win the war. While Russia keeps lying to their people about the war, in the West, nations are coming together in support of the heroic behavior of the Ukrainian people. Volodymyr Zelensky, their president, has been untiring in his efforts to reach out to others soliciting support for the war effort. Russia, meanwhile, has seen many of their people leave the country and has now summoned the help of Syrian mercenaries to help with their invasion. The widespread killing of civilians at the hands of Russian soldiers is now a daily occurrence. None of which appears to disturb the mind of Putin. But let us not be fooled. Putin is afraid. Afraid that his forces are weaker than he thought, afraid that his troops lack the will to persevere in the conquest of Ukraine, afraid that fellow Russians will revolt against him, afraid that his flawed belief system and the lies he’s used to fool his people are now being exposed. How long can he keep up the farce? Not long.
Meanwhile, the West is coming together in realizing the enormous benefits of a Ukrainian victory, i.e, a profound shift in the political alignment of the world. Every effort we now make will make a difference. Putin has begun to retreat and will likely become dependent on China, a nation showing its true colors in its aversion for democracy and the suppression of free speech. Ukraine is on the vanguard of the contest between East and West. In their determination to not bow to Russian oppression they have become a shining symbol of what needs to be done to defend our liberties, and as such deserve our full cooperation. Their valor calls for all of us to make sacrifices in the defense and affirmation of our values. Circumstances have thrust them into the center of a battle that had been fought more quietly. Now it is fully in the open. China is an ally of Russia. It is an enemy of America and the West. It wants to use whatever the West can offer to gain further power and then turn around and use it against us. We, in the West, do not need China. We will not lose the hope that the Chinese people can one day rise, just as Ukrainians are now doing, and defeat their oppressive leadership and the lies they now tell. The Chinese leadership are no strangers to inflicting mass cruelty on their people, such as was carried out during the Cultural revolution under Mao Zedong in the 60s and is presently the case in their suppression of the Uyghur minority in Xinjiang province. Ukraine is now the battleground for freedom in our world. Let us support them with all we can.
Oscar Valdes oscarvaldes.net, medium.com, anchor.fm, buzzsprout, apple and google podcasts.
The Russo-Ukrainian war signals a turning point in the establishing of a new world order. In the face of atrocities, sacrifices must be made and people and nations need to take sides. Fence sitting won’t do. Not only are foreign volunteers stepping in to join Ukraine’s forces, but people from Belarus, Ukraine’s neighbor to the north, are now contributing to the effort. They have suffered the Russian oppression, as when their puppet president rigged the 2020 elections in his favor and then asked Putin to help him squash the protests that followed. Even invading Russian soldiers who have defected are now part of the Ukrainian resistance. The West is solidifying in its support of sanctions being imposed. Today the American senate unanimously approved removing from Russia and Belarus their most favored nation trade designation which then allows us to raise tariffs against their imports. The senate also backed the oil ban.
Now how can we get more arms to the Ukrainians? Russian forces are shifting emphasis to the eastern region to consolidate gains and regroup. But their intent is to take over all of Ukraine. Standing in their way is the fierce resistance of the Ukrainian army and the heroic support of their people. They need arms. We also understand the importance of limits to what we can do. As Putin is pushed back he is more likely to resort to both strategic and tactical nuclear weapons to use against the Ukrainian people. We cannot give him a reason to do so and draw us into nuclear confrontation which may lead to devastating consequences. But we can find ways to smuggle in arms that could be assembled in Ukraine. Say, take a large weapon, break it down into sections, smuggle it in through the western border, then let Ukrainians assemble it and put it to work. Maybe this could be done with those MIG jets that Poland was willing to donate. The advantage being that Ukrainians pilots are familiar with them. Having additional planes at their disposal could be a game changer. Meanwhile, China stands on the sidelines, unable to call an atrocity an atrocity, and certainly willing to help Putin escape the brunt of the economic sanctions. India’s leadership, too, has decided to do the fence sitting, never mind all the assistance they have got from the west. The world is dividing. Ukraine has veered West. They need all our help. Right now.
Oscar Valdes oscarvaldes.net medium.com, anchor.fm, buzzsprout, apple and google podcasts.
Something is wrong with an organization that allows Russia and China to hold veto power in the Security Council, even as they are clearly the offending nations. Russia, as it carries on with its cruelty in Ukraine, China, as it proceeds with its effort to suppress the Uyghur minority in Xinjiang province. The two nations work together to render that prestigious organization useless. While the plight of refugees, the mass killing of people and the destruction of property, clearly establish Russia’s inhumanity, their envoy to the United Nations goes on and on justifying Putin’s invasion, calling it necessary to rid Ukraine of Nazis sponsored by America and intent on destroying Russia. He goes on and on, in a calm demeanor, unaffected by the widespread evidence of his country’s behavior. And if any motion is put forward by any dissenting member nation of that council, the Russian envoy can simply use his veto power. Something is deeply wrong with the design of such organization for it is not doing what it’s supposed to do. It should be fixed or cease to exist.
The UN has yet to summon the clout to bring the warring parties to the table. The likelihood is that it will not. So Russia and China’s having veto power over any resolution proposed, renders it irrelevant. I have no doubt that the United Nations’ many efforts over the years have had considerable impact in many areas, but the plight of Ukraine tells us that it is time to redesign how power is wielded in that body or it must be replaced with a better designed entity. Is this the time for the nations of the West to initiate a boycott against it? To simply walk out and leave the representatives of Russia and China, Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and Myanmar, keep blabbering on until the lights are turned off? I think so. As we speak, the world is being divided into two opposing camps. One led by the free nations of this earth, the other led by Russia and China. So, in the face of the impotence of the present United Nations, this is the time to form a different organization, to include all those nations who wish to share in the ideals of democracy and free trade. Why should we tarry with the pretense that dialogue with the leadership of Russia and China is possible? There is no indication any attempt to do so makes any difference, so why waste our time?
Let us instead form a United Nations West so we can nurture and cooperate with each other. I have no doubt who will win in the end. The story of a divided Germany gives us the answer. Too bad the rest of the world has forgotten that lesson. Men and women are born to be free. The task of every government is to facilitate that all of us develop our potential as human beings. In the West we keep working at it, sometimes successfully and sometimes not, but we keep trying. In Russia and China, reigning autocracies are the preferred arrangement. Until one day their subjugated populations rise and demand their freedom. Like we are seeing in Ukraine. A United Nations West is a necessity. The spirit of Ukraine lives in all of us.
Oscar Valdes oscarvaldes.net, medium.com, anchor.fm, buzzsprout, apple and google podcasts.
Oh Hungary! You disappoint. You’ve reelected Viktor Orban as your leader for a 5th term as prime minister. Putin sent a congratulatory message. He needs friends these days and you obliged. Of course, the oil and gas he sells you is also helpful. We understand how difficult it is to deal with Putin, a small minded man with big weapons, but for you to be so quiet about his murdering Ukrainians, your neighbors, is difficult to understand. It wasn’t that long ago, in 1956, that the same Russians crushed your revolution, your call for freedom. But you’ve forgotten. I know you’ve fought many wars with the Russians and not won any, but isn’t Ukraine’s fight an inspiration? Something is happening there that is different. A new nation is being born. Ukrainians are tearing themselves apart from an oppressor that has chosen not to allow them the right to be who they wish. Oh Hungary, You’re entitled to your fears, But face them you must or you’ll forget what matters and leave it to others to decide for you. Helping Ukraine arm itself now is critical. They are not asking you to shed a drop of blood for them. They will do that. All they’re asking is for you not to let the fear of Putin silence your hearts. There is still time. Russia will never be the same again. The dead in Ukraine will never go away, their cities turned to rubble, the children without parents, the brave combatants offering their lives. Oh Hungary, look at the pictures, listen to their cries, it is the sight of a nation being born as it is being crushed. It is the sight of a nation’s courage changing our world. Oh Hungary, Speak out!
To the memory of Mike Kannas
Oscar Valdes oscarvaldes.net, medium.com, anchor.fm, buzzsprout, apple and google podcasts
A few days ago Mr Biden stated, at the end of a speech in Warsaw, that Putin ‘cannot remain in power.’ The statement set off a flurry of commentary, some of which held that he was calling for regime change in Russia. The White House promptly clarified that was not the case. The Kremlin dismissed the statement. Mr Biden has called Putin a war criminal. I believe he may have said, also, that the man was a murderer. Mr Macron, France’s president, quickly put in that saying those things interfered with diplomacy. Maybe. But I don’t think so.
All those things Mr Biden has said are true. Putin has targeted residential buildings, schools, theaters, hospitals, people in the streets, women, children. If that doesn’t make him a war criminal, then what does? He has unleashed his cruelty without provocation. In his defense, he’s told us that he and his beloved Russia are being threatened by Ukraine. Not threatened with weapons but by their desire to emancipate. It doesn’t take much to threaten Putin. A country next door willing to exercise its right to sovereignty and lean to the West was too much of a provocation. For Putin to sleep well at night, Ukraine needed to continue to live under the shadow of Russia. Under his boot. But Ukrainians had enough of it and they mounted a fierce resistance that has unified the West. From now on, in our hearts and minds, Ukraine is part of the West.
What troubles Putin is that the rebellious nation is so close to Moscow. And their show of defiance is likely contagious. Other territories under his boot, may want to go their own way. And so he felt a need to be cruel. To set an example. To oppress. To squash other human beings into submission. The more blood the better. Mr Biden had finished speaking with refugees from Ukraine when he made his speech in Warsaw. He was obviously moved by their pain, he told us himself. And so he responded, acknowledging their suffering. Putin, on the other hand, carries on as if it was just another day. But something is brewing under the surface. He knows his status in the world has been seriously diminished. Young Russians are leaving their land. Slowly, his authority is eroding, and it is doing so because of his inhumanity.
We’re all vulnerable to slide into acts of cruelty. More so if we choose to isolate ourselves. Which is what Putin has done. He’s a one man show in Russia. Everybody else must dance to his tune. Alexei Navalny, a prominent dissenter is now in jail for pointing out Putin’s flaws and just got his sentence extended. Opposition organizations are labelled terrorists and barred from civil discourse. By contrast, Mr Biden is open to criticism. He may sometimes not like the criticism he gets but he knows he has to work with it. The laws of this country require that he do so. I believe he is open to feedback from his team, a team which quickly came to his aid when he said Putin ‘cannot remain in power.’ No, his team added, the President was not calling for regime change in Russia. And yet, we all knew, that in his heart, that’s exactly what he was doing.
We all understand that it is up to the Russians to depose Putin. But the rest of us, every single one of us, also have a right to join in with Mr Biden and say that he ‘cannot remain in power.’ We have such right because the images of the pain and suffering inflicted by Putin are clear to all of us. And there may be more to come. In his desperation to push his boot onto the throats of Ukrainians, Putin may wish to use chemical or tactical nuclear weapons so he can finally overcome the courageous people fighting for their right to choose their own destiny. Perhaps Mr Biden’s views of Putin will damage negotiations for an end to the war. I don’t think so. And if the two men were ever to meet again, I believe Mr Biden would sit across him and discuss whatever needed to be discussed. And if Putin were to ask, ‘do you think I’m a war criminal?’, Mr Biden would answer, ‘Yes, I do. You are a war criminal. A murderer. It is a matter of record. The whole world knows it. Now, let’s talk about what we have to talk.’
Oscar Valdes. Oscarvaldes.net, medium.com, anchor.fm, buzzsprout, apple and google podcasts
The invasion will continue. I see no signs that Putin is about to relent. The mounting number of dead and maimed, the growing destruction in Ukraine, will not stop him. In his obstinacy – his unremitting cruelty – he is telling us that the West no longer matters to him. He is counting on China for support. And on all those other countries that have chosen to side with them. Putin’s actions are making clear the division in our world. On the one side China-Russia and their followers, on the other the West. Meanwhile, shortages will worsen, inflation will increase while economic growth will likely decrease. For now. But there’s always room for the unexpected.
Here’s Putin in his bunker on Sunday afternoon. Just the day before he addressed a stadium filled with his supporters. He spoke to them for five minutes and reminded them of the absolute necessity of invading Ukraine. That nation was threatening all Russians. He was forced to act. He is sitting at his desk. On the wall in front is an array of video monitors tracking the progress of the war. A bank of multi colored phones lies within easy reach. On one of the screens the image of President Zelensky appears. It is a clip of Zelensky’s address to the British parliament a few days earlier. The audio is muted. Putin has replayed it several times already.
‘To be or not to be, he told them. What a joke. This man, this… nothing… that’s what he is, nothing at all, believes he can defy me. But I will squash him. No, not that… that’s too easy. Instead, once I capture him, I will put him on trial for genocide against the Russian speaking people of Ukraine, and for being a Nazi. He says he’s Jewish, but I know he’s a Nazi. How dare that man become a symbol of bravery while I, me, yes, Vladimir Putin, after all I’ve done, become a symbol of cruelty to the world. But it’s all disinformation. All of it. I am right, everyone else is wrong. And I will kill, kill, kill until all of Ukraine is mine. Every corner of it. Biden calls me a war criminal. What does he know. I will join with China and together we’ll crush America. But first… yes, first… I must have all of Ukraine, dead or alive. I don’t care. My troops are now advancing again. And I’m firing more and more missiles, to destroy their towns and schools and hospitals. Everything that stands. He wants to talk, says Zelensky. But there’s nothing to talk. I’ve already made it clear that I need total surrender. Everything. And if he doesn’t surrender… if my army is not enough… then I’ll drop a bomb on Kyiv. A big, fat, nuclear bomb… and I’ll flatten that city. And I’ll demand an immediate unconditional surrender or I’ll drop a second nuclear bomb, on Lviv. And Russians will love me… and the Chinese too… yes… they all will. And we’ll start all over again in Ukraine. Like the Japanese did. In fact, I’ll help write their new constitution’.
Meanwhile, in a suburb of St Petersburg, in the basement of an apartment building, a group of Russian officers have gathered in a secret meeting that is now drawing to a close. There are seven officers gathered in a circle, facing each other. Three of them are women. The meeting was convened by officer Y7X – his code name – who now addresses the participants. Officer Y7X – ‘His actions do not represent the essence of our country. We invaded on February 24th and we have not even seized Kyiv. Instead, we’re killing civilians, women and children. How are we going to explain this to our heirs? How will our nation explain it to history? We are a strong and smart country. We were the first in space, we have made important contributions in the arts, in science, in industry, but under this man’s leadership we have come to worship weapons above all else and to lend support to dictators everywhere. We have lost our purpose’. Officer Y9G – ‘It is the moment to act. We’re all conscious of what’s at stake. And the personal risks we run’. Officer Y4M – ‘This may be the last time we see each other. But we have made our choices’. Officer Y5Z – ‘We may yet prevent the use of chemical weapons or worse, of nuclear ones’. Officer Y2Q – ‘The odds are against us succeeding, I believe we are all aware of that, and yet we know we must proceed. If we fail, we commit to not betraying each other’. Officer Y8H – ‘Conscious as we are that, should we fail, the actions we are about to take may never be made public’. Officer 76D – ‘And that neither our spouses nor our children will ever learn of them’. Now officer Y7X stands and holding up his clenched fist says, ‘For Russia!’ They all stand and repeat in unison. ‘For Russia!’ Each officer embraces every other member of the group and one by one, with intervals of a few minutes, leave their location.
Oscar Valdes oscar.valdes.net, medium.com, anchor.fm, buzzsprout, apple and google podcasts
Oscar Valdes 