Putin Enacts ‘Forcerendum’ and Illegally Annexes Four Ukrainian Oblasts;

Free World Denounces Action; Zelenskyy Demands Instant NATO Accession

Despite global warnings against annexing Ukrainian territory, Russian führer Putin enacted on September 30 the “forcerendum” he ordered in eastern Ukraine and announced that he is illegally annexing Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts – one-fifth of Ukraine.

The international community condemned this move while the United States declares a stricter set of sanctions against the country and its leaders. As Putin was seizing Ukrainian land, a Russian missile attack on Zaporizhzhia left 25 civilians dead and about 50 wounded, including children. Putin warned that any attack on these Ukrainian region could result in a tactical nuclear reply by Russia.

In reply to Russia’s criminal seizure of Ukrainian land, President Zelenskyy said Ukraine is applying “under an accelerated procedure” to become a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

“It is here, in Ukraine, that the values of our Euro-Atlantic community have obtained real vital energy,” Zelenskyy said in a pre-recorded video message. “The strength of the nation that fights for freedom, and the strength of the nations that help in this fight.” He said that “de facto,” Ukraine had already “completed our path” to NATO.

“Today, Ukraine is applying to make it de jure. Under a procedure consistent with our significance for the protection of our entire community, under an accelerated procedure,” he said.

The European Union’s top diplomat has condemned Russian shelling on a civilian convoy in Zaporizhzhia early Friday, calling the bombardment a “heinous attack.”

“Another heinous attack by Russia on civilians: this time a humanitarian convoy bringing vital help to people living in the non-government controlled areas of Zaporizhzhia,” Josep Borrell tweeted.

The EU “condemns this appalling attack in the strongest possible terms. Those responsible will be held accountable,” Borrell added.

The White House said in a strongly worded statement that the United States would never recognize this seizure of Ukrainian territory.

“The United States will never recognize Ukrainian territory as anything other than part of Ukraine. Russia’s referenda are a sham – a false pretext to try to annex parts of Ukraine by force in flagrant violation of international law, including the United Nations Charter. We will work with our allies and partners to impose additional swift and severe economic costs on Russia. The United States stands with our partners around the world – and with every nation that respects the core tenets of the UN charter – in rejecting whatever fabricated outcomes Russia will announce. We will continue to support the Ukrainian people and provide them with security assistance to help them defend themselves as they courageously resist Russia’s invasion,” the White House said.

On Wednesday, the Biden administration announced $1.1 billion in additional security assistance for Ukraine. The upcoming aid package, the 22nd such installment, brings U.S. commitment to more than $16.2 billion since Russia’s invasion on February 24.

The Biden Administration announced new economic sanctions on hundreds of Russian officials and entities in response to the Kremlin’s illegal annexation of four regions of Ukraine.

The new sanctions target several front companies outside of Russia that were created this year to help major Russian military suppliers evade the sanctions they had already faced.

The new designations also expand sanctions on top Kremlin officials to include their wives and adult children. After seven months of war and economic sanctions, these revisions offer a window into what U.S. officials believe is working.

The Treasury Department named 14 international suppliers that assisted Russia’s military supply chains. It also imposed designations on 109 members of Russia’s State Duma and 169 members of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation.  

Also new is the addition of Elvira Sakhipzadovna Nabiullina, Russia’s central bank governor and a former advisor to Putin. Since 2013, she has overseen its efforts to protect the Kremlin from Western sanctions after Russia illegally seized Crimea in 2014, according to the Treasury Department.

The newly sanctioned family members are the relatives of members of Russia’s National Security Council. They include Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin’s wife and two adult children, along with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu’s wife and adult children.

Condemnations also were heard on Capitol Hill.

Congressmen Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ) today condemned Russia’s illegal annexation of sections of Ukraine and Putin’s newest threats against Ukraine and the United States. Rep. Pascrell’s Ninth District in New Jersey is home to one of the largest Ukrainian American communities in the U.S.

“The so-called liberations Russia talked about today are worth less than the blood-drenched papers they’re signed on,” said Pascrell, a member of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus. “These lands are a part of a Ukraine. I will not accept Russia’s latest illegal annexations and rigged referenda. Vladimir Putin’s rabid speech today was the ramblings of a depraved, desperate dictator. He is losing the war he started and he knows it. Putin and the Russian state have committed countless atrocities and war crimes. The butchery of innocent Ukrainians is on Putin’s hands. For years – for decades – Putin has bullied and swaggered his way to survival. Neither brave Ukrainians nor Americans will be cowed by his threats.

“Ukraine is fighting a war for the survival of their freedom – and winning. America must continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Ukraine and give her the resources she needs to expel the Russian criminals. That is why I was proud to vote in favor of over $54 billion in direct support for Ukraine and will be honored to support an additional over $12 billion for Ukraine today. God bless the brave Ukrainians! Slava Ukraini!”

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe also condemned Russia’s illegal annexation of Ukrainian territory, calling it a “blatant violation of the fundamental rules of international law, OSCE principles, and the UN Charter.”

Putin’s “unacceptable” action on Friday “eviscerates the principle of territorial integrity, which is at the core of the OSCE’s founding principles and the international order,” the statement read.

“This action by the Russian Federation, which includes military mobilization and irresponsible nuclear threats, will only lead to greater escalation of conflict, putting further millions of lives at risk and causing more senseless human suffering,” it said.

The European Union said it “will never” recognize the Kremlin’s “illegal annexation,” describing the move as a “further violation of Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.” The bloc said it will also step up sanctions against Moscow and provide Ukraine with support “for as long as it takes.”

EU Council President Charles Michel dismissed Moscow’s illegal annexation, while EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Putin’s illegal annexation “won’t change anything.”

“All territories illegally occupied by Russian invaders are Ukrainian land and will always be part of this sovereign nation,” she tweeted Friday.

Latvian Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš said the country “strongly rejects the illegal annexation by Russia,” calling the move “a shameless violation of Ukrainian sovereignty.”

Lithuania’s President Gitanas Nausėda said in a post on Twitter that “Russia is undermining rules-based international order,” describing Moscow’s illegal annexation of occupied Ukrainian regions as “null” and “void.”

Biden: Russia’s Atrocities in Ukraine Make Blood Run Cold;

Zelenskyy: Ukraine Demands Punishment for Russian Crimes

Finally, in the aftermath of seven months of Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine, thousands of killed and raped civilians, indiscriminate slaughter of innocent people going about their daily chores, killing and rape of children, bombardment of homes the world has heard the message that Russia is a criminal state, a terrorist – and taken it to heart

With September the annual ritual of speeches by United Nations member-states begins in the hall of the General Assembly on the eastside of Manhattan. After hearing blistering denunciations of Russia and its führer Putin by President Joe Biden and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other national leaders, the United Nations top human rights body itself admitted that there is evidence of war crimes in Ukraine following Russia’s invasion nearly seven months ago. It seems the officials have believed the photos and stories that have been circulating the world since Bucha last spring.

Additionally, the Associated Press reported this week that after global hesitancy the tide of international opinion appears to be decisively shifting against Russia, as the number of non-aligned countries, even small southern hemisphere ones, are joining the United States and its allies in condemning Moscow’s war in Ukraine and its threats to the principles of the international rules-based order. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of this week as the 77^th General Assembly got under way, much of the international community spoke out against the conflict in a rare display of unity at the often fractured United Nations.

The panic-laden national conscription of 300,000 Russians ordered by Putin as well as Ukraine’s military victories against Russia are contributing to political problems at home for him, reported CNN.

Biden at the United Nations

President Biden, in his address, strongly denounced Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as having “shamelessly violated” United Nations principles during a speech on Wednesday hours after Putin threatened to use nuclear weapons against Europe and Ukraine.

“Russia has shamelessly violated the core tenets of the UN charter — no more important than the clear prohibition against countries taking the territory of their neighbors by force,” Biden told the UN General Assembly. “If nations can pursue their imperial ambitions without consequences, then we put at risk everything this very institution stands for.”

In a roughly 30-minute speech, he said that the war in Ukraine was about “extinguishing Ukraine’s right to exist as a state … and Ukraine’s right to exist as a people,” calling out Putin for making “irresponsible nuclear threats.”

“Whoever you are, wherever you live, whatever you believe, that should make your blood run cold,” Biden continued.
Ridiculing a recent speech by Putin about Ukraine’s history, Biden said “Putin’s own words make his true purpose unmistakable. Just before he invaded, Putin asserted — and I quote — Ukraine was ‘created by Russia’ and never had, quote, ‘real statehood.’”

Pointing out the global effort to help Ukraine, Biden said Russia’s atrocities in Ukraine are “why 141 nations in the General Assembly came together to unequivocally condemn Russia’s war against Ukraine.  The United States has marshaled massive levels of security assistance and humanitarian aid and direct economic support for Ukraine — more than $25 billion to date. 
“Our allies and partners around the world have stepped up as well.  And today, more than 40 countries represented in here have contributed billions of their own money and equipment to help Ukraine defend itself.”

Despite the massive military assistance to Ukraine that has had a positive impact on Ukraine’s ability to push back Russian invaders, Biden highlighted the true bravery on the front lines: “Every victory won on the battlefield belongs to the courageous Ukrainian soldiers.  But this past year, the world was tested as well, and we did not hesitate. 
“We chose liberty.  We chose sovereignty.  We chose principles to which every party to the United Nations Charter is beholding.  We stood with Ukraine.

“So, we — each of us in this body who is determined to uphold the principles and beliefs we pledge to defend as members of the United Nations — must be clear, firm, and unwavering in our resolve. 
“Ukraine has the same rights that belong to every sovereign nation.  We will stand in solidarity with Ukraine.  We will stand in solidarity against Russia’s aggression.  Period.”

Ukraine’s President at the UNGA

Embattled but undaunted Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has earned the highly touted attribute of not being a national leader who has turned tail and ran, in his inimitable no-holds-barred manner of talking declared that a crime has been committed against Ukraine and his country demands punishment for the perpetrator.

Zelenskyy stated dramatically in an unusual televised presentation: “The crime was committed against our state borders. The crime was committed against the lives of our people. The crime was committed against the dignity of our women and men. 

“The crime was committed against the values that make you and me a community of the united nations.

“And Ukraine demands punishment for trying to steal our territory. Punishment for the murders of thousands of people. Punishment for tortures and humiliations of women and men. 

“Punishment for the catastrophic turbulence that Russia provoked with its illegal war and not only for us, Ukrainians, but for the whole world.”

Due to the war in Ukraine, Zelenskyy did not travel to New York to address the other 193 countries so this approach had to be subjected to a vote. Seven countries opposed this form and Zelenskyy took them to task for their snub.

“It was a vote not only about the format. It was the vote about principles. Only seven countries voted against: Belarus, Cuba, North Korea, Eritrea, Nicaragua, Russia and Syria,” the president of Ukraine said.

“Seven. Seven who are afraid of the video address. Seven who respond to principles with a red button. Only seven. One hundred and one, and seven.”

To refresh the delegates’ memories, Zelenskyy reminded that Ukraine did not provoke this war as Putin has been claiming. “We held 88 rounds of talks in various formats to prevent this war, just from the beginning of my presidency until February 24 this year,” he said.

Adhering to international principles, he continued by noting that “Ukraine showed strength on the battlefield, using its right to self-defense in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter. And no one will reproach us now or in the future with weakness or inability to fight for ourselves, for our independence.”

But punishment was rightly on Zelenskyy’s mind.

“And this is the first item of our peace formula. Comprehensive item. Punishment. 

“Punishment for the crime of aggression. Punishment for violation of borders and territorial integrity. Punishment that must be in place until the internationally recognized border is restored. Until the aggression stops. And until the damages and losses for the war are fully compensated,” he said.

Sanctions against Russia, a strict full package of personal restrictions, are a given.

Zelenskyy also insisted on depriving Russia of delegation rights, removal of the right of veto, if it is a member of the UN Security Council.

Sanctions should not only be applied to officials but also to citizens of the aggressor state who should not be allowed to travel to foreign countries. Depriving them of visas should compel them to fight against the aggression of their own state. Zelenskyy added that they should be punished for abetting the evil of their country.

“A special tribunal should be created to punish Russia for the crime of aggression against our state. This will become signal to all ‘would-be’ aggressors, that they must value peace or be brought to responsibility by the world,” he said. “Ukraine will appeal to the UN General Assembly to support an international compensation mechanism.”

Zelenskyy demanded that Russia should be forced to pay for this war with its assets, which also constitutes punishment, adding “this is one of the most terrible punishments for Russian officials, who value money above everything else.”

The Ukrainian president also insisted that the global body do a better job of protecting human life.

Noting the recent exhumations in Izyum, Zelenskyy said: “The bodies of women and men, children and adults, civilians and soldiers were found there. 445 graves. 

“There is a family that died under the rubble of a house after a Russian airstrike – father, mother, 6- and 8-year-old girls, grandparents. There is a man who was strangled with a rope. There is a woman with broken ribs and wounds on her body. There is a man who was castrated before the murder, and this is not the first case.

“Ask, please, the representatives of Russia why the Russian military are so obsessed with castration. What was done to them so that they want to do this to others?”

Repeating that for Ukraine the war a war for life. “That is why we need defense support – weapons, military equipment and shells. Offensive weapons, a long-range one is enough to liberate our land, and defensive systems, above all, air defense. And we need financial support – to keep internal stability and fulfill social obligations to our people,” he said.

Russia’s war against Ukraine has also taught the world that the third item of his peace formula is restoring security and territorial integrity. “Look at how many elements of global security Russia has undermined with its war – maritime safety, food safety, radiation safety, energy safety and safety from weapons of mass destruction,” he said.

Regarding radiation safety he said, “Russian radiation blackmailing is something that should concern each and every one of you, because none of you will find a vaccine against radiation sickness.”

Summarizing the points of his peace formula, Zelenskyy reiterated:

• punishment for aggression; 

• protection of life; 

• restoration of security and territorial integrity; 

• security guarantees; 

• and determination to defend oneself.

“This is the formula of crime and punishment, which is already well known to Russia. And this is the formula of justice and law and order that Russia has yet to learn. As well as any other potential aggressors.

“What is not in our formula? Neutrality.”

He said that global neutrality in the face of aggression will not save mankind from the ravages of a war that Ukraine is facing.

UK at UNGA

British Prime Minister Liz Truss on Wednesday accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of making “saber-rattling threats” to cover his failed invasion of Ukraine, as she told the United Nations that its founding principles were fracturing because of aggression by authoritarian states.

Responding to a statement from Putin that he was mobilizing reservists and would use everything at his disposal to protect Russia — an apparent reference to his nuclear arsenal -- Truss accused the Russian leader of “desperately trying to justify his catastrophic failures.”

“He is doubling down by sending even more reservists to a terrible fate,” the speech said. “He is desperately trying to claim the mantle of democracy for a regime without human rights or freedoms. And he is making yet more bogus claims and saber-rattling threats.”

“This will not work. The international alliance is strong – Ukraine is strong,” said Truss, who addressed the U.N. on the same day Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the global gathering by video.

Unity against Leader of Evil Empire

Returning to the earlier point about the growing coalition against Russia, Secretary of State Antony Bliken observed, “We hear a lot about the divisions among countries at the United Nations. But recently, what’s striking is the remarkable unity among member states when it comes to Russia’s war on Ukraine. Leaders from countries developing and developed, big and small, North and South have spoken in the General Assembly about the consequences of the war and the need to end it.

“Even a number of nations that maintain close ties with Moscow have said publicly that they have serious questions and concerns about President Putin’s ongoing invasion.”

Regarding war crimes, the experts from the Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, mandated by Human Rights Council earlier this year, have so far focused on four regions – Kyiv, Chernihiv, Kharkiv and Sumy. In their most extensive findings so far, they cited testimonies by former detainees of beatings, electric shocks and forced nudity in Russian detention facilities, and expressed grave concerns about executions the team was working to document in the four regions.

“Based on the evidence gathered by the commission, it has concluded that war crimes have been committed in Ukraine,” Erik Mose, the commission’s chairman, told the Human Rights Council.

“We were struck by the large number of executions in the areas that we visited. The commission is currently investigating such deaths in 16 towns and settlements,” Mose said. He didn’t specify who or which side in the war allegedly committed the killings.

Commission investigators visited 27 towns and settlements, as well as graves and detention and torture centers; interviewed more than 150 victims and witnesses; and met with advocacy groups and government officials, Mose said.

He said an unspecified number of Russian soldiers were found to have committed crimes of sexual or gender-based violence – with victims ranging in age from 4 to 82 years old.

Evidently, in the wake of these revelations and accusations, Russia will now supersede Nazi Germany as the greatest war criminal in the history of mankind.

As I’ve said in the past, the words of support as strong as they are present but Russia is also present. Its brutal, inhuman war against Ukraine is present. Ukrainians are being killed. The longer the words of support are being bandied about, the longer Ukrainians will suffer, the longer their children will be raped and killed.

When will the international community of free nations unitedly and forcibly move against Putin and defeat Russia?

98% Believe in Ukraine’s Victory over Russia

Norman Vincent Peale, the well-known American Protestant clergyman and author best known for popularizing the concept of positive thinking, preached “Believe you can, and you can. Belief is one of the most powerful of all problem dissolvers. When you believe that a difficulty can be overcome, you are more than halfway to victory over it already.”

Up until about six months ago, Ukrainians were facing in a wanton war the supposed second strongest army in the world, the armed forces of Russia. Since then, after getting their battle orientation, confidence, esprit de corps, and Western arms, the Armed Forces of Ukraine and auxiliary citizens’ defense units have managed to push back the Russian invaders. With the persistent effectiveness of the infantry, precision sorties by fighter jets and helicopters, as well as accuracy of the multiple launch rocket systems, Ukrainian fighting men and women managed to inflict battlefield significant damage on the Russian armed forces as well as destroy numerous munition warehouses and a few airfields on temporarily occupied Crimea.

They have killed more than 44,000 enemy invaders (including a historical number of generals and senior officers), 1,890 tanks, 234 aircraft, 15 warships and a host of other military equipment.

This has not only buoyed the enthusiasm and belief in victory among Ukrainian soldiers, but also of the people, who have been subjected to untold acts of violence and bestiality by the Russian invaders.  

According to a recent poll, conducted by the Rating Sociological Group on behalf of the Center for Insights in Survey Research of the International Republican Institute on June 27-28, 98% Ukrainians believe in Ukraine’s victory over Russia, and 91% approve of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s job performance.

When asked if they believe Ukraine will win the war, 98% replied yes.

One percent of respondents said that they did not believe in Ukraine’s victory and another 1% said they were undecided.

In an earlier poll, conducted in April, 97% of Ukrainians said they believed in Ukraine’s victory.

When asked whether Ukrainians approve of President Zelenskyy’s performance, 59% said they strongly approved and 32% that they somewhat approved of it. Overall, 91% of respondents approve of the president’s performance. Only 2% of respondents strongly disapprove and 5% somewhat disapprove of it.

Meanwhile, 88% of respondents strongly approve and 10% somewhat approve of the actions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, with a total of 98% respondents approving of the army’s performance.

Support for NATO membership has increased in recent months. Seventy-two percent of Ukrainians would back joining NATO if a referendum were held today. That is a jump of 13 percentage points from a poll conducted in April.

The poll also shows that a large majority of Ukrainians do not believe they will cede any territory to the Russian invaders: 64% say that after the current war, Ukraine will maintain all territories within its borders that were internationally recognized in 1991. Another 14% say that Ukraine will regain territory under their control prior to Russia’s February 24 invasion.

A unique united national trifecta: the people, the military and the government. On to victory!

Russia – Terrorist State; Russians – War Criminals

Was it difficult in May 1945 to convince the world that Nazi Germany was a terrorist state, the perpetrator of murder on a mass scale, of genocide? Was it difficult then to denounce its leaders, Adolf Hitler and the other Nazi officials, supporters and common Germans as war criminals?

You would think that the past nearly six months have persuaded the global community that Russia has been perpetrating the most heinous crimes against the Ukrainian nation, crimes condemned by all civilized nations that set it apart on a bloodier level than Nazi Germany?

The world has been witnessing Russia’s unrelenting war in Ukraine since February 24 that was to end in a couple of days. It hasn’t been a war between opposing armies because Russia soon came to its painful realization that its army can’t match the Ukrainian army and its soldiers can’t be regarded as combatants. They’re cutthroat killers. The world beheld Russian invaders’ total disregard for human life, the lives of innocent women, men and children. The shocking atrocities uncovered in Bucha and Irpin, the annihilation of the port city of Mariupol, the seizure of prisoners of war and later their execution, and the latest manifestation of Russian butchery with missile attacks on civilian targets in Kremenchuk and Vinnytsia can only be described as genocide perpetrated by Russian terror– the pre-meditated intent to kill all Ukrainians, to eradicate them from human memory along with their houses of worship, museums, historical landmarks, and language.

Moscow’s war of aggression against Ukraine continues to cause carnage and untold suffering among the people. By all accounts, Russia and Russians can only be equated with terrorists and terrorism.

Last month, a bipartisan duo of senators called on the Biden Administration to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism in response to its invasion of Ukraine, saying they would push Congress to pass a bill issuing the designation “whether or not” it had President Joe Biden’s support.

Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said the designation should be made either by the President or Congress, with both of them saying Biden must intensify pressure on Russian President Putin and continue aiding Ukraine amid the ongoing invasion.

“I hope the President will decide to adopt this stance voluntarily and he hasn’t taken it off the table on the state-sponsored terrorism,” said Blumenthal of Connecticut.

Graham of South Carolina said he wants the Biden administration to engage with Congress in designating Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism but said Congress is “willing” to advance legislation calling for the designation regardless.

Senate Resolution 623 cites the following points:

• Chairperson-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Zbigniew Rau stated that actions of the government of the Russian Federation in Ukraine against innocent civilians and civilian infrastructure is “state terrorism”;

• President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine called for the world to acknowledge the Russian Federation as a terrorist state;

• The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (parliament) has appealed to Congress to encourage the Department of State to recognize the Russian Federation as a state sponsor of terrorism noting that “the Russian Federation has for years supported and financed terrorist regimes and terrorist organizations, including being the main supplier of weapons to the Assad regime in Syria and supporting terrorists in the Middle East and Latin America, organizing acts of international terrorism, including the poisoning of the Skripal family in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the downing of a civilian Malaysian airliner and other acts of terrorism”;

• The armed forces of the Russian Federation have committed numerous summary executions against innocent civilians and have attempted to cover their atrocities with mass graves across Ukraine

It concludes by stating that the Government of the Russian Federation, at the direction of President Vladimir Putin, is sponsoring acts of terrorism; and it calls on the Secretary of State to designate the Russian Federation as a state sponsor of terrorism.

A House version designating the actions in Ukraine as acts of genocide was introduced by Reps. Steve Cohen (D-TN) and Joe Wilson (R-SC). Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine continues to cause carnage and untold suffering. In nearly six month of war, the Kremlin aggressors have killed thousands of innocent civilians and injured thousands more.  H.Res.1205, recognizes Russian actions in Ukraine as a genocide, explicitly condemns the genocide of Ukrainians and “supports tribunals and international criminal investigations to hold Russian political leaders and military personnel to account for a war of aggression, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.”

So what doesn’t the world understand? The Senate and House of Representatives support it. So does House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, along with Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian Parliament, and the former captive nations of Russian subjugation.

But Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken is not so sure.

As pressure has mounted on Blinken to formally declare Russia a state sponsor of terrorism, a label currently reserved for North Korea, Syria, Cuba and Iran, he is resisting a move that could force him to sanction U.S. allies that do business with Russia and might snuff out the remaining vestiges of diplomacy between Washington and Moscow. And the Secretary State knows about Russia’s crimes, he has condemned them and strongly supports Ukraine in its war of survival against Russia.

According to the State Department, finding that Russia is a state sponsor of terror — a label that agency officials refer to as the “nuclear option” — would result in more sanctions on Russia’s battered economy, including penalties on countries that do business with Moscow. It would also waive traditional legal barriers that prevent private citizens from suing foreign governments for damages, potentially including the families of American volunteers killed or injured while fighting Russia in Ukraine.

The pain and suffering of Ukrainians, of the parents of children raped and killed in their presence, deserves greater attention and sympathy.

Also, Putin has publicly opposed the designation of state sponsor of terrorism and threated retribution against America if it goes through with congressional resolutions.

Overseas, Latvia’s parliament declared Russia a state sponsor of terror. Latvia’s unicameral parliament, known as the Saeima, approved a resolution noting that Russia has supported and financed terrorist regimes and organizations for years. The Saeima used as examples Moscow’s support for the Assad government in Syria shooting down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014 and the poisoning of British intelligence agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in 2018.

The Latvian statement said Russia has now used “similarly ruthless, immoral, and illegal tactics in Ukraine, as it uses imprecise and internationally banned weapons and ammunition” on civilians. It also cites reports from human rights groups and international observers, which have documented atrocities committed by Russian forces against Ukrainian civilians, “including torture, rape, killings, and mass detentions of civilians.”

Latvian lawmakers said Russia uses “suffering and intimidation as tools in its attempts to demoralize the Ukrainian people.” They recognize these acts against civilians “committed in pursuit of political aims as terrorism and Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism and calls on other like-minded countries to express the same view.”

They also called on the European Union and the West to “urgently intensify and implement comprehensive sanctions against Russia, as well as call on European Union member states to immediately suspend the issuance of tourist visas and restrict the issuance of entry visas to citizens of the Russian Federation and Belarus, among other measures.”

Enough debating. A war such as the Russo-Ukraine War of 2014-22 hasn’t been seen in Europe in decades if not longer. If you’re still hedging, recall the image of little Liza, the autistic girl who was killed in a Russian missile attack on Vinnytsia while pushing her stroller next to her mother.

Russia and Russians must be declared sponsors of state terrorism for all ages.

147 Days since Russia invaded Ukraine – Keep Your Eyes on the Ball

It has been 147 days since Russia for the countless time invaded Ukraine. However, this latest in a long line of unprovoked imperial conquests against Ukraine has been an expected attack awaiting a date.

Russia’s war has evolved into the epitome of international terrorism that seeks to kill unarmed, innocent Ukrainian men, women and children rather than to destroy military targets. In these few months, Russia launched 3,000 rockets from land and sea against civilian targets across the country, abruptly awakening frightened and unsuspecting Ukrainians while instantly killing the unfortunate ones.

The Ukrainian nation at great cost to itself has attracted global support in its existential war against Russian invaders that without remorse have brutalized, raped and killed young girls and their mothers.

You may think that Russia is fulfilling its manifest destiny of invading, occupying and subjugating Ukraine but the bloody truth is that Moscow is hell bent on annihilating Ukraine and Ukrainians from the face of the earth and humanity’s memory. Its pillaging murderers rape and kill women of all ages in order to deprive the Ukrainian nation of future generations of Ukrainian patriots. Certainly that constitutes war crimes and genocide.

Russian invaders are destroying all vestiges of Ukrainian culture – the heart and soul of the nation: churches, libraries, theaters, schools and universities and literature to prove in their little minds that Ukraine and Ukrainians never existed.

However, Ukrainians, across all walks of life, easterners and westerners, Orthodox and Catholics, Jews and Muslims, professionals and farmers, men and women, young and old, have united in fulfilling one single immovable, supreme national mission – defeat Russia and expel it from Ukraine.

HIMARS, M270s and Howitzers

US and allied, notably the former captive nations, support for Ukraine is welcome and the arrival of the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and howitzers is having the anticipated effect – Russian armed forces and military installations are being deservedly destroyed on a daily basis, bringing terror to Russian invaders. Along with Russian hardware and cannon-fodder Russians, Ukrainian military prowess is also eliminating Russian generals and other high-ranking commanders at a fast pace. Miserable Russian conscripts are doing everything they can to avoid fighting in Russia’s losing war in Ukraine. Allied generals and admirals agree that in recent weeks Ukrainian armed forces have shown their ability not only to stand up to Russian invaders but to repel them as well.

The HIMARS systems supplied by the US and similar M270s from Britain have significantly bolstered the Ukrainian military’s precision-strike capability. The HIMARS and M270 have a longer range, a much better precision and a faster rate of fire compared with Soviet-designed Smerch, Urahan and Tornado multiple rocket launchers used by both Russia and Ukraine.

The truck-mounted HIMARS launchers fire GPS-guided missiles capable of hitting targets up to 80 kilometers (50 miles) away, a distance that puts them out of reach of most Russian artillery systems. The mobile launchers are hard for the enemy to spot and can quickly change position after firing to escape airstrikes.

The Ukrainian military so far has received a dozen HIMARS and several M270 systems, and it already has used them to successfully target Russian ammunition and fuel depots in eastern Ukraine, essential for supporting Moscow’s offensive. On Wednesday, Ukrainian forces used HIMARS to hit a strategic bridge in the Russia-occupied southern region of Kherson.

Nations that experienced Russia’s hospitality as captives are lining up behind the United States with military, humanitarian and moral support. In Poland, a prime ally, the Ateneum ensemble of the Stefan Jaracza Theater of Warsaw, in a dramatic contemporary performance urges the global community to extend its hand to Ukraine. And then it says, borrowing from Ukraine’s national anthem, Ukraine has not perished so long as we are a family.

That conviction will keep Ukraine as well as Europe alive.

In recent weeks, at least since the arrival of military armament and supplies, the combined efforts of all Ukrainian Armed Forces, the National Guard and Territorial Defense have been successful in striking major victories against the Russians, something that the mainstream media in the United States has shied away from noting. Negative even irrelevant stories about Ukraine are creeping into their news reports. Yes, they are covering Russia’s war against Ukraine but now they are pointing out how the Russian army is holding back Ukrainian advances.

The overall coverage has shown correspondents’ definite lack of knowledge about Ukraine and what is happening and why. Contrary to the main character of Alfred Hitchcock’s “Foreign Correspondent” Huntley Haverstock, whose USA-based street-smart sense helped him successfully solve foreign intrigue in Europe, in today’s Ukraine that kind of a reporter is a babe in the woods. He or she is genuinely trying to cover the war from the victim’s point of view but an intrinsic lack of knowledge of Ukrainian history and culture places them at a disadvantage. At times, Russia’s propaganda clouds even their best efforts.

Unless the tide dramatically changes in Ukraine’s favor very soon, the lessons of this war will answer the ubiquitous question of how long and what will happen. Ukraine and Ukrainians will persevere in their fight for freedom against Russian belligerence but will the world? Will boredom consume its leaders?

Does the international community have the determination – the true grit – that was eloquently described by Britain’s Winston Churchill in his inaugural on May 13, 1940, when he said: “We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and of suffering.”

Preparing not only his nation’s mobilization against Nazi Germany the also Europe’s, Churchill stated it plainly that the mission is to fight against the enemy and ultimately defeat it. Here’s how it would sound today if President Zelenskyy voiced his exact sentiments:

“You ask, what is our policy? I can say: It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy. You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: It is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival. Let that be realized; no survival for Ukraine, no survival for all that Ukraine has stood for, no survival for the urge and impulse of the ages, that mankind will move forward towards its goal. But I take up my task with buoyancy and hope. I feel sure that our cause will not be suffered to fail among men. At this time I feel entitled to claim the aid of all, and I say, ‘Come then, let us go forward together with our united strength.’”

There can be no other conclusion. There can be no other solution. There cannot be any discussion of surrendering Ukrainian land to Russia as a compromise for the sake of peace for as Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir quaintly pointed out about the stupidity of compromise: “To be or not to be is not a question of compromise. Either you be or you don’t be.” You either exist or don’t exit, live or die.

Attempted derailment in Washington

Ukraine’s victories of late have understandably enraged the mastermind of this foolhardy invasion, the Russian führer Vladimir Putin. Apparently he has tolerated long enough the world’s support that Ukraine has enjoyed as well as its battlefield triumphs so now it is time to derail it. Whether or not Congresswoman Victoria Spartz (R-IN), who was born in Ukraine, is part of an anti-Ukrainian conspiracy in Washington is not primarily important but the timing and delivery of her recent critical attack against President Biden and President Zelenskyy’s handling of the Russian war was unfortunate if not treasonous. The actual target of her condemnation was the head of Zelenskyy’s administration Andriy Yermak, who has been castigated by Ukrainians and non-Ukrainians for many months. Their claim is that he is Moscow’s mole in Kyiv. So why raise this issue now rather than earlier, at the beginning of the month or even months ago? Because the White House and Congress are currently solidly in Ukraine’s corner and arming it against Russia. Fortunately her diversion has not worked and by now it’s a dwindling memory. US military aid for Ukraine is helping Kyiv win the war while its absence would surely help Moscow defeat Ukraine. The focus must only be on defeating Russia. Everything else can be dealt with after Ukraine’s victory and Russia’s capitulation.

More distractions

If Russia weren’t enough nowadays, the Associate Press published on July 20 a story stating that Ukraine graft concerns resurface as Russia war goes on. Again, why now? Why did a bored editor assign this story to someone now? The issue was known months and years ago. Yes, Ukraine has corrupt officials. But so does the United States. American newspapers and TV programs across the political spectrum are filled with stories about some form of graft, corruption and election fraud across the country.

Corruption in the United States is apparently at its worst in almost a decade, according to a new global report released by Transparency International. Advocates attribute the drop to declining trust in democratic institutions and poor oversight of pandemic-related financial aid. According to group, 44% of Americans believe that corruption is pervasive in the White House, up from 36 per cent in 2016 and almost 7 out of 10 people believe the government is failing to fight corruption, up from half in 2016.

The University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics recently released a survey which found over half of its respondents agreeing that the government is “corrupt and rigged against me.” Conducted by a Democratic and Republican pollster, the survey is another sign of Americans' growing distrust in established institutions.

The Washington Post revealed that the six most corrupt states are New York, Illinois, Louisiana, Alabama, New Jersey and Rhode Island.

None of this has really tarnished America’s reputation in the world or its ability to help beleaguered peoples while downtrodden from all corners of the world still risk everything to arrive at these shores. Beating on Ukraine about the shoulders because of corruption is meant to divert attention from Ukraine and the necessity of defeating Russia.

“Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.”

 

Genocide in Ukraine

In 1932-33 Soviet Russia committed genocide in Ukraine by starving to death 7 million Ukrainian men, women and children. Today Putin’s Russia is committing genocide in Ukraine by wantonly bombing Ukrainian cities and raping and killing women and young girls. No difference.

US Senators Jim Risch (R-ID), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Ben Cardin (D-MD), chair of the U.S. Helsinki Commission and author of the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, today led Senators Roger Wicker (R-MS), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) were not sidetracked yesterday in introducing a resolution recognizing Russia’s actions in Ukraine, which include forced deportations to Russia and the purposeful killing of Ukrainian civilians in mass atrocities, as constituting a genocide against the people of Ukraine. The senators introduced the resolution shortly after Ukraine’s first lady, Olena Zelenska, delivered an impassioned plea directly to Congress.

“There is no question that what Russia is doing in Ukraine is a genocide,” said Risch. “If you could walk the streets of Kyiv, Irpin and Hostomel like I did last month, and listen to the stories of what the Russian soldiers have done, this is a genocide. The international community is documenting the many Russian abuses that constitute war crimes across Ukraine. It’s time the United States and the world recognize it as such.”

This resolution:

• Condemns Russia for committing acts of genocide against the people of Ukraine;

• Calls on the United States, along with NATO and EU allies, to support the government of Ukraine to prevent further acts of Russian genocide against the Ukrainian people; and

• Supports tribunals and international criminal investigations to hold Russian political leaders and military personnel accountable for a war of aggression, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.

Ukraine’s First Lady Addresses Congress

In a moving and personal address to the US Congress that helped keep the world’s eye on the issue, Olena Zelenska, wife of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said she is speaking as a mother and daughter not as the wife of an official as she implored Congress to give Ukraine more weapons to defeat Russia. In a presentation that included photos of killed children, including well known Liza, and families, Zelenska asked for weapons to protect Ukrainian homes and defend against Russian terrorists. She pleaded for more US air defense weaponry to fend off the Russian military so it does not kill children in their strollers, Zelenska said: “Russia kills, America saves.” Noting that since this unprovoked war began Russia has rained 3,000 rockets on Ukrainian civilian targets, ripping apart towns, building, families and people. Ukraine is grateful for America’s supportive stand, she said.

Holodomor Repeat

It’s harvest season in Ukraine and farmers are sweeping across wheat fields in their annual ritual of gathering the crop and converting it into edible food for Ukrainians and other consumers. Russia is complicating the process by burning and otherwise destroying the fields. This not only is a problem for Ukraine but for the world. Ukraine, for ages known as the breadbasket of Europe, in 2020, it exported $4.61 billion in wheat, making it the fifth largest exporter of wheat in the world. At the same year, wheat was the third most exported product in Ukraine. Not only is Russia destroying the crop on the ground but it is also hijacking it in Ukrainian seaports. Yes, this could lead to a catastrophe for Ukrainian consumers but with a dearth of wheat around the world hunger will also cast its painful tentacles in near and distant towns. Russia knows how to create such a deadly famine. It did so in 1932-33 when it seized wheat from Ukrainian farmers and starved to death 7 million Ukrainian men, women and children. The only way to stop this from happening in 2022 is to defeat Russia now.

Captive Nations Proclamation 2022

Continuing a tradition begun by President Eisenhower in 1959, President Biden issued his proclamation recognizing the struggle of captive nations, which originally focused on Communist Russian subjugation but now on Putin Russian aggression. In the statement, Biden specifically referred to Ukraine by noting: “As Russia relentlessly wages its brutal and unprovoked war against the people of Ukraine, our Nation has led a global response to hold Russia accountable and denounce its inhumanity and its contempt for international law.  We honor the valor and sacrifice of the people of Ukraine, who have reminded the world through their courage of the universal yearning for freedom.  We will continue to stand with them as they defend their country, their liberty, and their democracy.”

Everyone wants Russia’s war against Ukraine to end soon and hopefully everyone wants Ukraine to defeat Russia. Only that outcome will save Ukraine, Europe and the world. So keep your eyes on the ball.

In aftermath of Russia’s Bombing of Civilians, Zelenskyy Asks UN: ‘Why?’

Russia has continued its murder of Ukrainian men, women and children for more than four months. Some have explained this deadly, criminal onslaught as Moscow’s retribution for the free world’s support for Ukraine, for the G7 and NATO’s commitment to help Ukraine fight Russian invaders as long as it takes.

While some news media focus on covering Russia’s war in Ukraine by citing Moscow officials and Ukraine’s losses, others do report on Ukrainian victories, destruction of Russian tanks and artillery, and elimination of Russian invaders.

However, none can overlook the massive killing of innocent civilians, going about their daily chores in the midst of Russia’s invasion.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy again brought Ukraine’s case against Russia to the United Nations on June 28 by asking why Russia is still allowed to take a seat in the hallowed halls of the Security Council and General Assembly while its hands are covered with Ukrainian blood and its mouths are filled with ludicrous denials of its complicity.

Indeed. How can the free world and a few neutral countries share the same space with a cold-blooded murder and rapist and not feel any qualms, anger or hatred?

Zelenskyy reproached the UN member-states for tolerating the presence of Russia in the world body. He said the representative of “a terrorist state, Russia (purposefully written in the lower case) “and this flag do not deserve to be among you, as there are no representatives of other terrorists among you.”

The Ukrainian delegation has on numerous occasions raised the point that terrorist Russia should not be a member of the United Nations and that, formally, Russia was never accepted as a member-state.

While noting that there is no UN legal definition of “terrorist state” accepted by all members, Zelenskyy accused Russia of behaving in such a manner. “But this war that Russia is waging against Ukraine demonstrates not only the meaning of this notion, but also the urgent need to enshrine it legally - at the United Nations level - and to punish any terrorist state,” he said.

The Ukrainian president cited the following recent examples of bloodshed against Ukrainian civilians:

• Take a look at the events of just a few days in Ukraine – a few of the 125 days of Russia’s full-scale war of aggression against our state. On Saturday, June 25, 62 Russian missiles hit our cities. On Sunday, June 26, 10 more missiles. In particular, one of them - on a residential complex in the capital of our state, in Kyiv. Three floors of the house were destroyed. Another rocket exploded in the yard of an ordinary kindergarten.

• On Monday - June 27 - a missile strike on Kremenchuk. The person who gave the order could not have been unaware that he was directing the rocket to the regular shopping center - one of many shopping malls that exist in any country in the world. The list of dead 18 people - as of this hour, there may be, unfortunately, more; more than 50 people were injured, dozens more - on the list of missing persons.

• Yesterday, the Russian army also struck civilians standing in line for water with rocket artillery. It was in the city of Lysychansk, Luhansk region. Ordinary people. None of them were military. Just a line, waiting for water! Eight people were killed, including a 15-year-old boy named Danilo. The oldest among the dead was 68 years old. And I want you to hear now the names of four women killed by this blow: Victoria, Irina, Elena and Lyudmila.

• Kharkiv sustains severe russian strikes almost on a daily basis. Only yesterday, 9 people were killed and 29 were wounded, including five children. I want you to know their names: Oleh, 8 years old; Hryhoriy, 9 years old; Artem, 10 years old; Mykhailo, 11 years old; Hlib, 12 years old. It was a russian artillery strike at ordinary residential buildings.

• Today at 5 A.M. Russian army struck Mykolayiv and the city of Ochakiv, Mykolayiv region. In Ochakiv three people were killed. A 6-year-old girl named Eva. A man named Magomet was 76 years old. And a woman named Galyna, 50 years old. Among the wounded –a child, a boy, he is only 3 months old, he was born after the beginning of this full-scale Russian invasion, his name is Volodymyr, and his condition is very heavy - he is in intensive care. Once again: a child, a 3-month-old child.

• Two more missiles hit the city of Slavyansk in the Donbas, in the long-suffering Donbas, which Russia has been mocking since 2014. 2 Russian missiles struck the Odesa region just a few hours before my address to you, to the UN Security Council. There has been a strike at Dnipro, a city in central Ukraine. One of the missiles destroyed a car maintenance station – not a military station, but a regular car service ...

Zelenskyy asked: “And I have a question for you, ladies and gentlemen: ‘Who does NOT agree that this is terrorism?’ If in any part of the world any organization, just as Russia kills Ukrainians, would kill any peaceful civilians, it would definitely be recognized as terrorism. Such an organization would become an enemy to all humankind. Therefore, what is punished at the level of concrete criminals and criminal organizations should not go unpunished for a state that has become a terrorist.”

The Ukrainian commander in chief, who has inspired not only his nation to fight for their country but also the international community to support Ukraine’s righteous battle, told the diplomatic audience that the members of the UN Security Council, according to the UN Charter have “the primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security.”

However, Russia has miserably failed in this mandate.

“Although Russia violates the fundamental principles of the United Nations and the international legal order, it has not yet been held accountable at the global level. This country still remains present in the UN bodies and even enjoys the privileges of the seat it holds - the seat of a permanent member of the UN Security Council, which Russia holds only because of the short-sightedness of Cold War-era politicians,” Zelenskyy said.

The UN must do everything in its power to stop Russia from murdering Ukrainians, Zelenskyy urged.

“Russia must be brought to justice for terrorism, otherwise it can expand terrorist activity to other European and Asian countries – the Baltic States, Poland, Moldova, Kazakhstan – many nations have heard threats from Russian officials and state-affiliated propagandists,” he continued.

The UN already has a “toolbox” with which it can deal with terrorists like Russia, so it must take advantage of it, Zelenskyy said.

“It is necessary to deprive the Russian delegation of the opportunity to manipulate the UN. It is necessary to make it impossible for Russia to stay in the Security Council as long as its terror continues. It is mandatory to create a Tribunal to investigate everything that the Russian military has done against Ukrainians. And it is necessary to give a legal definition of the term ‘state terrorism’ at the UN level. All of Russia’s actions must receive a legal assessment - and global sanctions for disrupting the international legal order,” he concluded.

How can the United Nations claim to support global peace, security and development when its member-states collectively and some individually shun their responsibility to fulfill that mandate? Expel Russia from all UN bodies and agencies.

The Dangers of Boredom due to ‘Long-Drawn Trials’

Winston Churchill’s salient quote about finishing the job during World War Two has been making the rounds recently. And rightly so.

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy and other Kyiv officials have been imploring the free world to give the Armed Forces of Ukraine weapons, with which, they believe, they can defend themselves but also defeat Russia. Esprit de corps they have in abundance. The latter goal is believed to be the guarantee of regional and global peace and stability.

“Give us the tools, and we will finish the job,” Britain’s wartime prime minister said on February 9, 1941.

I decided to research this quote, not that I doubted anyone, but to ascertain his other pearls of wisdom. Indeed, in the rather lengthy missive, Churchill wrote in the final paragraph:

“Give us your faith and your blessing, and, under Providence, all will be well. We shall not fail or falter; we shall not weaken or tire. Neither the sudden shock of battle, nor the long-drawn trials of vigilance and exertion will wear us down. Give us the tools, and we will finish the job.”

Yes, the tools – the arms – that Britain and the allies needed to defeat Hitler’s Nazi Germany were important. And the free world gave them the tools. Today, a wide range of arms, delivered in quick sequences, are also needed for Ukraine to defeat Putin’s Russia.

But in Churchill’s admonition, there are other words that are also vital in helping Ukraine and the free world defeat Russia’s blundering but massive military: “Neither the sudden shock of battle, nor the long-drawn trials of vigilance and exertion will wear us down.”

Those words boil down to staying the course, discipline, not being disillusioned by battles, believing in the mission and the outcome, evading frustration, boredom and exhaustion.

On September 20, 2016, I wrote in my blog that the free world’s boredom will be its and Ukraine’s downfall – Russia’s war against Ukraine that precipitated its seizure and occupation of Crimea and two eastern Ukrainian oblasts had entered its 31st month. Europe and the free world were showing more and more signs of frustration, boredom and exhaustion.

Today, less than fourth months after Russia again invaded Ukraine some 110 days ago there are also signs of boredom and exasperation that lead to ridiculous conclusions. Sadly, interest in the war against Ukraine is waning among people who are used to quick, happy endings.

Russia is continuing its unsustainable military campaign against sovereign Ukraine with its disillusioned regular army as well as its murderous mercenaries. Moscow is pursuing its latest display of unbounded imperialism as it strives to annihilate all elements of Ukraine and the Ukrainian nation. However, nothing is working as quickly and effectively as Putin had hoped for so the Russian war drags on. Cities and towns are destroyed, civilians are killed, women and girls are raped, and more than 7 million Ukrainians have been turned into refugees. Russia’s goal is not re-subjugation but rather extermination.

First Weeks of War

In the early weeks of the war, the mainstream American and non-American media genuinely showed interest in the war and Ukraine’s fate. They sent reporters to Ukraine and from broadcast centers in Lviv covered the bombings and battles and expressed surprise at the Kyiv’s ability to withstand Moscow’s military machine. They saw an attention-grabbing David vs. Goliath or good-against-evil story. Week after week, with the proliferation of reporters in Ukraine and the growing impatience of news producers and editors demanding new angles, the stories began to reflect Moscow’s claims or unnamed sources rather than Kyiv’s statistics or points of view. For example, while Kyiv reports that a dozen Russian generals have been killed in the war – a record for such a short time – the outside world reports that only four have been killed, “according to unnamed sources.” Or they simply overlook major victories because of their astonishment. The incredulous press covered the infamous 40-mile long tank column that was heading to Kyiv for days and days only to be destroyed by Ukrainian troops along with the daily coverage.

One major drawback faced by the foreign press covering the war is ignorance. Lack of knowledge about the players in Ukraine, the terrain, the language, a basic who’s who, which means that accessing and interpreting accounts of what is happening is challenging. Consequently, the reporters, who need to file stories regularly, go to official sources. The lack of subject matter experts has also led to some confusing or misleading journalism.

At an online seminar on this topic in London, www.journalism.co.uk reported, Dr Laura Pérez Rastrilla from Complutense University, Madrid, “noted that many Spanish media commentators were not experts on the Ukrainian language, culture or society. In many cases, ‘experts’ mispronounce city names. She questioned whether news audiences have been getting the most reliable information.”

For Ukrainian journalist Nataliya Humenyuk participating in this event, the biggest mistakes made by international media came during the years before the war, either through limited or misinformed reporting on Ukrainian issues. She also said that from her perspective, the “most untold story” from the war was the continuation of many elements of society alongside the conflict – in other words “life goes on.” It is enough to look at figures from border crossings which have shown that in recent weeks, more people have returned to Ukraine than have left the country as the situation returns to fragile stability, particularly in Kyiv, she said.

“There is still a functioning parliament and civil society, with political diversity. It is still an extremely functioning society even during war and this is the most untold and covered story,” said Humenyuk.

She said that these forgotten perspectives were crucial to Ukrainians who do not want to be portrayed only as victims and who want solidarity rather than compassion.

The sheer shock of Ukrainian soldiers’ ability to stop the marauding, massive Russian army, once regarded to be number two in the world, has left producers, editors, generals and government officials scratching their heads. Reporting about the unimaginable has contributed to disbelief and doubt in the minds of news consumers, whose attention span can be counted in minutes if the stories disappear.

Over the past almost four months, Ukrainian soldiers and people have thwarted Putin’s effort to topple their government, execute their leaders, seize Kyiv and occupy much of the country. Much to the chagrin of Moscow and surprise of Washington and London, Zelenskyy didn’t turn tail and run, leaving his people to fight for themselves. He became the historic national leader at a desperate time – a 21st century Winston Churchill, as he mobilizes his nation to fight the Russian aggressor and rallies the free world to Ukraine’s cause.

But the world maybe tiring of having to deal with Ukraine. Russia’s war against Ukraine has tested European leaders’ patience beyond their limited thresholds of tolerance. However, the free world’s irrepressible, gaping yawn will endanger Ukraine but it will also pave the way to Europe’s demise at the hands of a belligerent Russia.

Former US secretary of State Henry Kissinger was the first to astonish many when he urged a couple of weeks ago that the outcome of Russo-Ukraine War must not humiliate Putin and Russia. A chastened Russian fuhrer may launch nuclear missiles against everyone. Others have blatantly opined that Kyiv should surrender its eastern territory to Moscow in an effort to quench its imperial aggression.

Ukraine fatigue and let’s resolve this at all costs is collectively dangerous. This perilous attitude from Ukraine’s fair-weather free world allies will merely lead to ongoing strife, insecurity, instability and wars like in the Middle East. Feeding this hungry bear will only make it hungrier.

No Return to Normal

As for those that want to resume so-called normal relations and not to humiliate Putin and Russia, Linas Linkevičius, former Lithuanian minister of foreign affairs and a staunch supporter of Ukraine, has been an outspoken critic of the free world’s political myopia. In an article in EurActiv he chastised the free world for paying too much attention to not provoking Russia. Linkevičius warned about the dangers of acting in a “pragmatic and responsible manner” with Russia, which will not bear the expected fruit.

“With Russian actions in Georgia, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, areas of the sovereign country were occupied. The protests of the international community, NATO and the EU were forgotten within several months and the ‘pragmatic and responsible’ position had the upper hand, i.e. cooperation with Russia was going on as usual. Russia did not ask for anything; it was the West that took the role as usual because ‘isolation is harmful, not profitable,’ etc.,” Linkevičius wrote.

Polish President Andrzej Duda, another ardent ally of Ukraine, reproached the doubters who favor discussions by asking would they have supported negotiating with Adolph Hitler.

The war is not over so the free world must continue to ensure that the Kremlin’s aggression fails and that Ukrainian army forces a Russian retreat and achieves victory over Moscow. Defeat of Russia is the only guarantee for regional and global peace and stability.

Battles now rage in the northeastern part of Ukraine from around the country’s second city of Kharkiv, continue through separatist-held cities of Donetsk and Luhansk and reach westward to Kherson, forming a land bridge linking the peninsula of Crimea with the Donbas region. The fighting is intense with Ukrainian soldiers are engaged in village to village, street to street battles against Russian invaders. The war in Donbas is becoming a prolonged bloody war of attrition which, according to news rooms, is boring. Recent fighting has focused around Severodonetsk, which means North Donetsk, an industrial city. The status of victories changes quickly with the news media unable to stay on top of current conditions but strangely they always report that the Russians have seized one town or another, rarely stating that Ukrainian soldiers have re-captured a town, or destroyed a garrison, or overrun an enemy battalion. But Newsweek did so recently: “Missiles Rain down on Russian Tank Column.”

Putin’s plans for a victory parade in Kyiv have evaporated. The morale of the Ukrainian nation did not dissipate and is as strong as ever. Zelenskyy is rallying the nation and visiting the wounded. Ukrainian troops, equipped with modern anti-tank weaponry delivered by the US and its allies, have devastated Russian armored columns; Ukrainian missiles sank the guided-missile cruiser Moskva, the pride of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet; and Ukrainian aircraft stayed in the air, against the odds. Exciting events that were underplayed. Still some media outlets, feigning neutrality, objectivity and equal time, have been citing Russian sources in their news reports.

Russia’s offensive and Ukraine’s defense in the east is playing out as international media attention on Ukraine recedes somewhat from the headlines. Thankfully, the Ukrainian flag still appears on every page one of The New York Post. And, ironically, short of an elusive Russian victory, Putin is counting on the world getting tired of the war and focusing on inflation, the price of gasoline or other shortages. He may also be counting on short diplomatic attention spans.

It should be noted that a victory will give Putin the opportunity to fulfill what Soviet Communists and tsars failed to accomplish – destruction of the Ukrainian nation, seizure of Ukrainian land and global domination.

The US and its allies have given billions of dollars in weapons to Ukraine. Europe has taken in millions of people displaced by the war. And despite some malcontents, there has been unprecedented unity in post-World War II Europe in imposing sanctions on Putin, his junta and Russia. But as good as sanctions are they’re insufficient and unity is fraying.

No War-Fatigue Compromise

President Zelenskyy has chafed at Western suggestions he should accept some sort of compromise. Ukraine, he said, would decide its own terms for peace. His wife, Olena Zelenska, told Robin Roberts of ABC’s Good Morning America that surrendering Ukrainian territory would be like surrendering freedom.

“The fatigue is growing, people want some kind of outcome (that is beneficial) for themselves, and we want (another) outcome for ourselves,” Zelenskyy said.

French President Emmanuel Macron was met with an angry backlash after saying that although Putin’s invasion was a “historic error,” world powers shouldn’t “humiliate Russia, so when the fighting stops, we can build a way out together via diplomatic paths.” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said such talk “can only humiliate France and every other country that would call for it.”

European leaders’ palpable fear of Putin will result in a global catastrophe of an ongoing war that would destabilize the region for generations.

Fortunately, the United States is firmly in Ukraine’s corner. In a New York Times essay on May 31, President Biden assured Kyiv, “I will not pressure the Ukrainian government — in private or public — to make any territorial concessions.”

As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine grinds into its fourth month, officials in Kyiv have expressed fears that “war fatigue” could erode the West’s so far unified resolve to help Ukraine push back Moscow’s aggression and perhaps even defeat it. Russia is showing signs that it quietly recognizes its military inferiority and is determined to wear down the West. It is now building its strategy on the assumption that Western countries will get tired and gradually begin to change their militant rhetoric to a more accommodating one.

In the face of that, the free world must stay the course in supporting Ukraine not only for the country’s sake but for the free world’s as well.

More than 30 of America’s experts and national security professionals issued a joint statement earlier this month on this topic.

“Over the past three months, the Ukrainians have thwarted Vladimir Putin’s effort to topple their duly elected government, take Kyiv and occupy much of the country. The battle is not over, however, so the West must continue to help ensure that the Kremlin’s aggression fails and that Ukraine forces a Russian withdrawal or achieves a negotiated outcome on terms acceptable to Ukrainians,” they wrote.

The group includes:

General Philip Breedlove, US Air Force, Retired; 17th Supreme Allied Commander Europe; Distinguished Professor, Sam Nunn School, Georgia Institute of Technology;

Ian Brzezinski, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Europe and NATO Policy;

General Wesley K. Clark, US Army, Retired; 12th Supreme Allied Commander, Europe; Senior Fellow, UCLA Burkle Center;

Ambassador Paula Dobriansky, Former Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs, US Department of State;

Natalie A. Jaresko, Former Minister of Finance of Ukraine; Chairperson, Aspen Institute Kyiv; Distinguished Fellow, Eurasia Center, Atlantic Council;

Nadia McConnell, President, US-Ukraine Foundation;

Ambassador Michael McFaul, Former US Ambassador to Russia; Director, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University;

Ambassador Kurt Volker, Former US Ambassador to NATO and US Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations; Distinguished Fellow, Center for European Policy Analysis;

Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, Former US Ambassador to Ukraine; and others.

“No one wants direct confrontation with Russia, but helping Ukraine to defend its land and freedom is in the West’s security interest. While the United States and NATO must certainly take into account Russian nuclear capacity, they should respond calmly and not be intimidated.

“This unjustified war has a clear aggressor — Russia — and a clear victim — Ukraine. The West should aim to see that the Kremlin’s aggression fails and that Ukraine prevails on the battlefield or achieves an outcome that Kyiv can accept,” they concluded.

Yes, Ukraine needs tools from all of its allies to finish the job – the job of saving Ukraine and defeating Russia. But that will be impossible if the free world doesn’t stay the course through the long-drawn trials of vigilance and battles.