Hatred and Disdain for Russians Keeps Ukrainians Alive while Putin isn’t Changing his Game Plan

Russian führer Putin prides himself on bombing unarmed Ukrainian civilians everyday if President Volodymyr Zelenskyy refuses to acquiesce to Moscow’s demands by surrendering.

Many Ukrainian cities and towns from East to West, and North to South have felt Russia’s wrath. Men, women and children have been pulled from gutted apartment buildings, bodies have been removed from churches, schools, hospitals, supermarkets and train stations. With each relentless wave of drones and rockets the people’s stubbornness is not shattered along with the bricks and mortar but rather their spirit, willpower and unity have been reinforced.

A woman in Odesa, on the Black Sea coast, which has been the target of almost daily bombardments, observed to a reporter, “Honestly, do the Russians think these attacks will change anything? Our hatred and disdain for them have already reached a peak. That’s why we hold on.”

The city, home to one million residents, was plunged into near-complete darkness on December 13, with hundreds of thousands of residents left without electricity, while water and heating services became scarce.

“The emergency situation that arose as a result of the enemy's massive attack on the energy infrastructure has acquired the status of a state-level emergency,” Odesa Oblast Governor Oleh Kiper wrote on Dec. 17.

The story of determination, adaptation and defiance unfolds in this anecdote that I heard on social media: “They’re leaving us without electricity and lights. Idiots! In nine months there’ll be a million more banderite-nationalists in Ukraine. Glory to Ukraine!”

As Odesa and other cities and towns across Ukraine burn and the meaningless talks about how to end the almost four-year Russian war against Ukraine have slowed, Russian führer Putin and his gauleiters continue to offer their spin on their version of ersatz peace.  Depending on the reporter and what he or she heard at deadline, the long and the short of it testifies to Moscow’s unrelenting desire to press on with its conquest of all of Ukraine.

Putin emphasized on Friday, December 19, that Moscow’s troops were advancing across the battlefield in Ukraine and voiced confidence the Kremlin would achieve its goals militarily if Kyiv doesn’t agree to Russia’s unconditional terms in peace talks. However, there are enough reputable voices that contradict Putin’s ecstatic claim.

Speaking at his tightly orchestrated annual news conference that lasted about four and a half hours and revealed nothing new about the Kremlin’s war with Ukraine, Putin declared that Russian forces have “fully seized strategic initiative” and would make more gains by year’s end. However, international media report that Russian cutthroats have been forced back by Ukrainian soldiers near Kupiansk.

The news conference took place in the midst of back and forth peace proposals put forward by President Donald Trump and Putin. Despite the White House’s extensive diplomatic push, Washington’s efforts have run into sharply conflicting demands from Moscow and Kyiv. Though more often than not, Washington and Moscow have been on the same page regarding the demand that Ukraine, the victim, must surrender its land to Russia, the murderous aggressor and invader.

Inasmuch as Russia’s war against Ukraine has been faltering after almost four years with no triumphant victory for Russia in sight, the topic of Ukraine dominated this year’s highly choreographed faux news conference. Pundits opined that this could reflect the Kremlin’s desire to assuage the public after nearly four years of fighting by painting a bravura picture of the soldiers’ glorious victories for mother Russia.

Putin praised Trump’s peace efforts and reemphasized that Moscow was ready for a peaceful settlement that would address the “root causes” of the war, a reference to the Kremlin’s impossible conditions for a deal. Despite Trump’s misguided, historically erroneous conclusion that the war is being waged because both presidents hate each other, at this forum Putin had the opportunity to expound any lie that he wished to promote.

Putin told the audience that he has agreed to make “certain compromises” and “uneasy decisions” at the Alaska summit with Trump in August but again he didn’t elaborate.

However, he, the führer of the invading power, repeated his adamant demands that all the areas in four key regions of eastern Ukraine captured by his forces, as well as the Crimean Peninsula, illegally annexed in 2014, to be recognized as Russian territory. Trump and chief negotiator Steve Witkoff are amenable to Putin’s demand. Trump has even said that, after all, Russian soldiers fought for and seized that territory.

He has also insisted that Ukraine withdraw from some areas in eastern Ukraine that Moscow’s cutthroats haven’t captured yet.

President Zelenskyy has understandably publicly rejected all these demands.

The Kremlin has also insisted that Ukraine abandon its bid to join NATO and warned that it wouldn’t accept the deployment of any troops from members of the military alliance members and would view them as “legitimate target.”

Putin also has repeatedly said Ukraine must limit the size of its army and give official status to the Russian language — demands he has made from the outset of the conflict.

Putin rejected Western claims about Russian plans to attack European nations as “sheer nonsense” aimed at deflecting public attention from domestic problems. Nonetheless, the former captive nations of Russian subjugation are convinced that if Ukraine falls, their independence will also come to an end.

Putin particularly singled out NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte for his statements about the Kremlin’s aggressive intentions, pointing out Trump’s recently published national security strategy that doesn’t name Russia as a direct adversary. “How can you prepare NATO for a war with Russia if the main member of NATO doesn’t consider us as an enemy?” Putin insisted.

This omission by Trump shows how dangerously different his policies regarding Russia and the newly independent nations are from his predecessors of either party.

As it faces Russian assaults across the front line, relentless attacks on its energy facilities, the strikes against civilian targets and the murder of innocent men, women and children, Ukraine desperately needs cash infusions from its Western allies.

On Friday, December 19, European leaders agreed to provide a massive interest-free loan, but they failed to bridge differences with Belgium that would have allowed them to use frozen Russian assets to raise the funds.

The leaders tried to reassure Belgium, where most of the frozen assets are held, that they would protect it from any retaliation from Moscow if it backed the plan, but the leaders eventually opted to borrow the money on capital markets. Using Russian assets to help Kyiv would have amounted to “robbery,” Putin said.

Putin bragged to NBC news that he has done everything to end the war and the proverbial ball is in Ukraine’s court.

Allowing Russia to have a say in the matter of peace in Ukraine is immoral and unjust. With Trump and Witkoff parroting Putin’s demands and game plan, who is on Ukraine’s side? And Ukraine is on the verge of being raped and sacrificed again by the mighty champions of freedom and democracy.

Odesa, Ternopil, Kyiv, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia and other Ukrainian towns and cities will just have to burying their dead while waiting longer for peace to come to them.