Russia’s War against Ukraine, US Elections and More
• Russia’s invasion and occupation of eastern Ukraine have caused a great deal of civilian death and destruction. Not only have
residential buildings and churches been targeted by Russian artillery, but
intense collateral damage has been experienced by the civilian population. This
has only been exacerbated by covid-19.
UN Human Rights
Coordinator in Ukraine Osnat Lubrani earlier this month drew attention
to the problems of 1.2 million vulnerable residents of Donbas who have been
facing a lot of adversity due to the ongoing covid-19 pandemic.
On International Day of Peace, Lubrani said in a
statement: “I want to draw attention to the unnoticed suffering of 1.2 million
vulnerable residents of Donbas who cannot get their pension payments, travel in
order to take care of sick relatives, or reunite with their loved ones. How
will they, those who have almost exhausted their resources, survive the seventh
winter of the conflict if there are severe restrictions on movement across the
demarcation line? Many of us find it challenging to adapt to the covid-19
pandemic. But its heaviest burden, which is further complicated by the armed
conflict, is borne by the most vulnerable people in eastern Ukraine who do not
have enough resources to adapt to this new reality.”
• Despite ersatz
peace negotiations, Ukrainian armed forces continue to face attacks every
day due to Moscow’s deceitful participation in the talks. On September
30, 11 hostile shellings were recorded in Donbas, one Ukrainian
serviceman was wounded. Since the beginning of the current day, the enemy has
opened fire once, according to the press service of the Joint Forces
Operation (JFO) HQ.
“Yesterday, on September 30, 11 violations of the ceasefire
by the armed forces of the Russian Federation were observed in the areas of
responsibility of Ukrainian brigades,” the statement said.
As the news media reported earlier, according to
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Ruslan Khomchak, “There is a full and comprehensive ceasefire
on the demarcation line in Donbas. Its introduction has significantly reduced
the enemy’s fire activity, but a possibility of the resumption of local
hostilities still remains.”
• Fortunately, due to enhanced intelligence gathering, the
General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine does not consider the threat of
large-scale offensive actions by illegal armed groups in Donbas likely,
said Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Serhii Korniychuk.
Korniychuk explained that in order to carry out any
offensive operations, the enemy has to form a strike group, deploy artillery at
the positions, and create a stockpile of ammunition and fuel. “Today, with the
means of intelligence that we have, it is impossible to hide anything like it.
Besides that, we have information that the enemy at the frontline is
understaffed,” he said, according to 112us.com.
• The Russo-Ukraine
War has been waging since 2014, with the invasion and annexation of Crimea
and then the invasion of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. Much to the chagrin of
Moscow and the surprise of the free world, Ukrainian soldiers have been able to
hold their own. In many cases, thanks to military support from the United
States and others, Ukrainian armed forces are containing the Russian invaders.
While materiel support is boosted by allied training, by now Ukrainian soldiers
can provide a high level of combat training to their free world counterparts being
the only standing army to engage the Russian army in a full-scale war.
• Indeed, there are obvious achievements except for the
talking part. Kyiv tends to shoot itself in the foot by making detrimental
agreements at the negotiating table or delegating Ukrainian representatives of
dubious character. Vitold Fokin comes
to mind. A remnant of the old guard that ran Moscow’s office in Ukraine, he and
the likes of Leonid Kuchma and
others should not be called upon to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine. They should
cower in the shadows and count themselves fortunate that Ukraine does not
practice lustration.
Fortunately, Fokin was fired. According to the Office of the
President of Ukraine, Fokin “deviated from a fair assessment of Russia’s
temporary occupation of Crimea, the city of Sevastopol, certain areas of
Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine.” Apparently he expressed opinions that
were not part of official policy. “Representing the state at any level is not a
chance for personal views and ambitions, it is an unconditional obligation to
implement the position of the state and the interests of Ukrainian people,” the
President’s office said.
• With four days left before the US Presidential Elections, the Democratic hopeful Joe Biden made a few heads turn by saying
that Russia is America’s greatest threat. Biden said in an interview last Sunday
that in terms of countries presenting a threat to the US, Russia tops the list.
“Well, I think the biggest threat to America right now in terms of breaking up
our – our security and our alliances, is Russia,” the former Vice-President
told “60 Minutes” correspondent
Norah O'Donnell, according to FoxBusiness. Biden added that Russian
President Vladimir Putin had been doing his utmost to spread disinformation
about him, DW reported.
We absolutely agree with Biden’s assessment but sadly the
entire campaign has been devoid of a discussion about Russian imperialism,
aggression and threat.
Moscow, on the other hand, did not take lightly to Biden’s
observation. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry
Peskov said he regrets that attempts are being made in the US to spread
hatred against Russia.
“It’s not right, we strongly disagree with that assertion,” Peskov
noted. “We can only regret that hatred against Russia is being spread this way
and our country is depicted as an adversary,” Peskov noted.
• For balance and fairness, during the last presidential
debate on October 22, President Trump
accused the Obama-Biden Administration of not actually helping Ukraine fight
Russian aggression. Trump said: “Because there has been nobody tougher to
Russia. Between the sanctions, nobody tougher than me on Russia. Between the sanctions
between all of what I’ve done with NATO. You know, I’ve got the NATO countries
to put up an extra 130 billion, going to $420 billion a year, that's to guard
against Russia. I sold — while he was selling pillows and sheets — I sold
tank busters to Ukraine. There has been nobody tougher on Russia than Donald
Trump. And I'll tell you, they were so bad. They took over the, the submarine
port. You remember that very well during your term, during you and Barack
Obama. They took over a big part of what should have been Ukraine. You handed
it to them.”
• Earlier this month, a rhetorical question was raised about
Lithuania’s steadfast support for Belarus’ opposition movement.
Apparently, Belarus’ dictator Alexander
Lukashenko and others have been offended by this so-called foreign
intrusion into the internal affairs of a neighboring country. Linas Jegelevicius in EuroNews
explained there are historical reasons for such a sign of support. He quoted Petras
Austrevicius, a Lithuanian MEP, the bond between Lithuania and Belarus is
linked to both having been under Soviet control. “We are well above the EU
average in that (supporting Belarus' opposition movement),” said Austrevicius. “But
our exuberance and involvement do not surprise me, as both Belarus and
Lithuania have always been very close – in terms of history, culture and the
economy.”
Jegelevicius added that another historical dimension to
the Belarus-Lithuania relationship is the link between national movements in
both countries around the time of independence from the Soviet Union.
Indeed, the former captive nations of the Russian
subjugation have a responsibility for each other. In order to safeguard their
nations for Moscow’s aggression, they not only have to be vigilant but also stand
up and defend their kindred nations. One noteworthy example of this is former
Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė’s
staunch advocacy of Ukraine’s independence.
This kind of mutual defense is the only protection against
Russian invasion.
• History Today
earlier this month posed an interesting question on its website: Could the
Soviet Union Have Survived? Without delving into its replies, the writers
believe there is a difference between the Soviet Union with its capital in
Moscow and today’s Russia with its capital in Moscow.
Simply stated, if the USSR had survived or collapsed and
given birth to the Russian Federation, everything would remain the same. Moscow
would still be spreading war throughout the four corners of the world, it would
still seek to re-subjugated Ukraine as it is doing, it would still be
subverting free world countries, and it would still be violating the human
rights of its citizens.
The simple truth is that Russia and Moscow are one and the
same since tsarist times through the Soviet Communist regime until now. That’s
the nature of the Russian beast – or bear.
• Russia is not only threating to re-subjugate the former
captive nations but it has also targeted other nearby countries. And they’re
feeling the menace.
Sweden announced
it will increase military spending by about 40% in the next five years and
double the number of people conscripted into its armed forces as
it aims to strengthen its defense amid growing tensions with Russia, the
government has said, according to Reuters.
The country, which is not a member of NATO but
enjoys close ties with the alliance, ran down its military forces after the
cold war to save money. “We have a situation where the Russian side is willing
to use military means to achieve political goals,” the Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist told reporters on
Thursday. “Based on that, we have a new geopolitical security situation to deal
with.” He said the new proposals would mean an increase in the military budget
of 27.5bn Swedish kronor ($3.10 billion) by 2025.
Our hope for a strong military-political bloc of former
captive nations and those feeling the threat today is growing in credibility.
• Latvia is also
not standing down with its defensive intentions. Its defense sector’s
objectives for 2021 will be modernization of the country’s army and enhancement
of its cybersecurity, according to the legislative draft on the 2021 state
budget, reported BNN news.
Defense Ministry’s main activities for 2021 include
sustainable development of the country’s armed forces in accordance with the
standing development plan and available funding. The ministry also plans to
secure necessary infrastructure solutions to ensure comprehensive development
for the armed forces by the continuing development of combat and support
capabilities and construction of related infrastructure.
Latvia’s Defense Ministry also plans to enhance the
country’s cybersecurity and national cyber protection capabilities to improve
protection against cyber attacks and reduce risks to digital security.
• A recent poll in Ukraine should make Moscow think twice
about continuing its war against Ukraine. The survey shows that 85% of Ukrainians feel themselves to be
patriots and 60% said they’re ready to take up arms to defend their
country. This is a slight increase from 2019 when the percentage was 56%.
• Ukraine declared its independence some 30 years and in
that time a new generation was born and grew into maturity. This demographic
cohort never new Russian oppression and subjugation except from books and the
stories of their parents and grandparents. Yet those men and women are proud to
take arms to defend the only native country that they know.
An article in EuroMaidan
Press highlights their deep commitment to Ukraine and its defense against
Russian aggression. The article was written by Dariya Bezruchenko and translated by Christine Chraibi. “In their fight for freedom and dignity, these
once-carefree young people have become mature men and women who clearly
understand why they’re fighting against Russian aggression. For them, it’s a truly
patriotic war of liberation,” Bezruchenko wrote.
Another soldier poignantly recalled: “One day in 2016, a
40-year-old soldier told me this: ‘We must defend our country and let the young
people stay home. They must be protected; they are the future of the country!’ However, I’ve met many young people on the
front line. They’re in their twenties, but they’re defending Ukraine’s right to
choose its own path without asking permission from its so-called ‘older
brother.’”
God bless Ukraine’s fighting men and women in this latest
war against Russian aggression.
• Ukraine has been reelected to the UN Human Rights Council – not that you’ve read about it. Strangely
reports in the news media about the latest composition of the council focused
on countries that were not elected such as Saudi Arabia and the dregs that were
elected Russia, China and Cuba. Ukraine, if at all mentioned, was written about
in the second half of the article.
“As in the previous three years, we will work together with
our partners to ensure that human rights take their rightful place. To remind
about the highest value of human life. To show that there are no ‘politicized’
and so-called ‘real’ topics. To reaffirm that New York and the Security Council
cannot be self-sufficient without Geneva and the Human Rights Council. Accordingly,
the security agenda is inseparable from the human rights agenda as lasting
peace, peaceful coexistence, and common prosperity is impossible without real
steps to strengthen human rights and the rule of law. It is especially true
against the background of how fundamental freedoms are violated in different
parts of the world,” First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Emine Dzheppar posted on Facebook.
At the same time, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba tweeted that Russia, “a
prominent human rights violator,” had also made its way to the UN Human Rights
Council due to lack of competition in the East Europe group.
Nonetheless, congratulations to Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya, permanent
representative of Ukraine to the UN, and his team. This posting will surely go
far in defending the rights of Ukrainians in Ukraine as well as Russian-occupied
Crimea.
• Russian President Putin has
called for an immediate, unconditional renewal of the last nuclear arms treaty between Moscow and Washington, pointing
out or threatening that his own country has developed new strategic weapons
that the United States does not have. Today’s unstable global climate does not
have to be further muddied by the Kremlin’s menacing behavior.
Reportedly Russian leader met virtually on Friday with
members of his security council and placed arms control high on his agenda.
After calling first on Foreign Minister Sergey
Lavrov to report on the progress of talks to extend the New Strategic Arms
Reduction Treaty (New START) before
it expires on February 4, Putin weighed in with his point of view on the
failing non-proliferation pact.
“It would be extremely sad if the treaty ceased to exist
altogether and were not replaced by another fundamental document of this kind,”
he said. Putin touted the success of the treaty and its 2010 and 1991
predecessors in preventing an all-out arms race between the top two nuclear
powers, but also took the opportunity to claim that the Russian arsenal has in
some ways surpassed that of the U.S.—something he was willing to address in a
new agreement.
“It is clear that we have new weapons systems that the
American side does not have, at least not yet,” Putin said, “but we do not
refuse to discuss this side of the issue.”
Whether Putin is bluffing or not, the US cannot be pushed
into a position of accepting his terms for a nuclear arms treaty. Verification
before, during and after is needed.
• Sorry to hear that Linas
Linkevičius, Foreign Minister of Lithuania, lost his mandate in the
parliament after eight years. He has been a faithful friend of Ukraine, a dynamic
voice in defense of Ukraine and the other former captive nations vs. Russian
aggression. Wherever he goes in the future, we’re sure he’ll remain just
supportive. Three cheers and thank you.
