Russia Resorts to Rape as Military Strategy; If Cutthroats Can’t, They’re issued Viagra

A United Nations special envoy has accused Russia of using rape and sexual assault as part of its “military strategy” and “deliberate tactic to dehumanize the victims” in Moscow’s ongoing war in Ukraine.

We’ve been reading eyewitness accounts of this heinous crime against humanity ever since the Russian massacre in Bucha, north of Kyiv, in the early days of Moscow’s latest war against Ukraine. The testimonies about Russians raping girls, boys and women and then killing them sent shivers through people imbued with human feelings of compassion and revulsion.

While initially the news media and the UN classified the crimes as alleged, now they are out rightly accusing Russian uniformed cutthroats of committing such crimes and even declaring them acts of genocide.

Speaking to AFP, UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten, backed her claims by citing a UN report released in late September.

The report released by a panel of UN experts recently verified “more than a hundred cases” of rape or sexual assault incidents in Ukraine since February—when Russia launched its invasion that was to have lasted 2-3 days.

Another alarming aspect of this criminal act is that it revealed that the Russians were ridiculously unprepared for war against Ukrainians. They ran out of food necessitating scrounging for sustenance just as they quickly depleted their stocks of fuel, ammunition, weapons and even fighters. But the most ludicrous shortage was apparently stamina so the Russian military command issued their soon-to-be-KIA combatants Viagra tablets.

Patten claimed that the number of victims is likely to be higher than official figures, saying that sexual crimes are often “under-reported.”

“When you hear women testify about Russian soldiers equipped with Viagra, it’s clearly a military strategy,” Patten said in an interview with AFP on Thursday, October 13.

She said that the report verifies crimes against humanity committed by the Russian miscreants, and according to the collected testimonies, the age of the victims of sexual violence ranges from 4 to 82-year-old. “There are many cases of sexual violence against children who are raped, tortured and sequestered,” Patten said.

Her claims lend credibility to the repeated assertions made by Ukrainian politicians who spoke of numerous cases of sexual violence since Russia invaded Ukraine. In June, Kateryna Pavlichenko, Ukraine’s deputy minister of internal affairs, said that police received around 50 complaints of sexual crimes committed by Russian killers. Ukrainian officials are also investigating rape allegations in the Kharkiv region after Ukrainian forces recently recaptured the territory there.

I’m repeating this historical record for sake of the conclusion in the last line.

This monstrous crime has been condemned by the United Nations. “Sexual violence during conflict has proven highly effective in breaking the enemy's morale, particularly where women are raped in public, or where relatives are coerced into participating. Widespread and systematic sexual violence also hampers sustainable post-conflict recovery. It does so in at least three ways: first, it undermines social stability by destroying families and communities; second, the fear of sexual violence restrains women's mobility, leading them to retreat from economic activity, and causing girls to stay home from school; third, when perpetrators of sexual violence go unpunished, efforts to establish faith in the State's ability to protect its citizens and establish the rule of law, is seriously undermined.

“Security Council Resolutions 1820 and 1888 represent the UN commitment to addressing these issues. Resolution 1820 calls on parties to armed conflict, including non-State actors, to protect civilians from sexual violence, enforce military discipline, uphold command responsibility, and prosecute perpetrators.”

Concerned over the security of women and girls in situations of armed conflict, former United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice stated that rape was a crime that could never be condoned; yet, women and girls around the world had been subjected to widespread and deliberate acts of sexual violence. Chairing in June 2008 a thematic debate of the Security Council on women, peace and security, Rice said “we affirm that sexual violence profoundly affects not only the health and safety of women, but also the economic and social stability of their nations.”

The resolution, introduced by Rice, was a mechanism for bringing these atrocities to light. It also set the stage for the Secretary-General to prepare an action plan for gathering information on the desperate acts of sexual violence in situations of armed conflict and in turn periodically report to the Security Council.

The resolution called upon several important measures to protect women, noting that rape and other forms of sexual violence could constitute a war crime, a crime against humanity, or a constitutive act with respect to genocide. It stressed the need for the exclusion of crimes of sexual violence from amnesty provisions in the context of conflict-resolution processes. The resolution also called upon Member States to comply with their obligations for prosecuting persons responsible for such acts. In addition, it urged the Secretary-General and his Special Envoys to invite women to participate in discussions pertinent to the prevention and resolution of conflict and the maintenance of peace and security.

United Nations Security Council Resolution 1820 was unanimously adopted on June 19, 2008. It condemns the use of sexual violence as a tool of war, and declares that “rape and other forms of sexual violence can constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity or a constitutive act with respect to genocide.”

Unanimously, means by all members, including the so-called Russian Federation. Moscow lies again.

Read a previous post on this topic:

Mama, Why … Why Me, Plead Little Ukrainian Girls and Boys

https://thetorncurtain1991.blogspot.com/2022_05_01_archive.html

 

UN, EU & G7 Condemn Russia for Invading Ukraine While Supporting Kyiv in its Defense of Independence; PACE Joins Condemnation of Russia

The UN General Assembly passed today, October 12, a historic resolution by an overwhelming majority of member-states calling on countries not to recognize the four regions of Ukraine which Russia has seized, following the “forcerendums” held late last month, and demanding that Moscow reverse course on its “attempted illegal annexation.”

The results were 143 member-states in favor out of 194, with five voting against, and 35 abstentions. The countries who voted against were Belarus, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Nicaragua, Russia and Syria. A majority of those countries abstaining were African nations, alongside China and India. Among the surprises in support for Wednesday’s resolution were the “yes” votes from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other members of the Gulf Cooperation Council as well as Brazil.

Since Moscow launched its latest war against Ukraine in 2014 by invading and occupying Crimea and then Donetsk and Luhansk, the United Nations has adopted several resolutions which condemned Russia for its aggression against Ukraine. The 2014 resolution affirming Ukraine’s territorial integrity and declaring the referendum that led to Russia’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula illegal was adopted by a vote of 100-11 with 58 abstentions.

The resolution “defending the principles” of the UN Charter, pointed out that the regions of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia are temporarily occupied by Russia as a result of aggression, violating Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence.

The General Assembly automatically took up the resolution for debate, triggered by Russia’s use of the veto in the Security Council over its attempted annexation.

The resolution now passed in the Assembly, calls on all states, the UN and international organizations not to recognize any of Russia’s annexation claim and demands the immediate reversal of its annexation declaration.

The resolution welcomes and “expresses its strong support” for the continued efforts by the Secretary-General and Member-States, to de-escalate the current situation in search of peace through dialogue, negotiation and mediation.

The United Nations vote came three days after Russia launched a massive rocket attack against Ukrainian civilian residences in the wake of Ukraine’s destruction of the Kerch Bridge, Putin’s umbilical cord holding Crimea to Russia. Scores of civilians were killed in the attack on 15 cities and dozens of residential building were destroyed.

This escalation on the part of Russia was condemned by global organizations and Putin personally was warned not to threaten Ukraine and the world with nuclear Armageddon. The Russian dictator remarkably boasted the he had ordered the rocket attacks against civilian targets and promised to kill more Ukrainians.

Today’s remarkable vote at the UN General Assembly sends a powerful reminder to Russia that the overwhelming majority of nations of the world stand with Ukraine, in defense of the UN Charter, and in unyielding opposition to Russia’s latest ongoing war against Ukraine and its people. The world knows that Russia is a terrorist state and a perpetrator of war crimes and genocide in Ukraine.

The resolution underlined that territorial integrity is a central pillar of the United Nations, and Russia’s violent contempt for Ukraine’s national borders and sovereignty cannot and will not be accepted.  By adopting this resolution, the assembled nations made clear: they will not tolerate an attempt by any UN Member State to seize land by force.  The vote delivers a resounding rebuke to Russia for its aggression against Ukraine.

Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US Representative to the United Nations, said today: “The only way to bring peace is to stop this aggression, to demand accountability, to stand together with conviction, to show what we will not tolerate. So let us send a clear message today, colleagues: The United Nations will not tolerate attempts at illegal annexation. We will never recognize it. These United Nations will not tolerate seizing a neighbor’s land by force. We will stand up to it. These United Nations will not tolerate the destruction of the UN Charter. We will defend it.”

Russia’s UN ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, had appealed to the member-states to vote against the resolution, calling it “a politicized and openly provocative document” and denouncing its sponsors as “unscrupulous Western blackmailers.” He expressed regret the vote was not by secret ballot, as Russia sought. Nebenzia reiterated Russia’s claims the referendums were valid, saying “the populations of these regions do not want to return to Ukraine.”

The G7 nations of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States as well as the European Union, adopted on October 11 its own resolution supporting Ukraine and condemning Russia, in which it stated:

• The G7 firmly condemn and unequivocally reject the illegal attempted annexation by Russia of Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions in addition to the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol. We solemnly reiterate that we will never recognize this illegal annexation or the sham referenda that Russia uses to justify it.
• Russia has blatantly violated the principles enshrined in the UN Charter. They cannot and do not give Russia a legitimate basis to change Ukraine’s borders. We call upon all countries to unequivocally reject these violations of international law and demand that Russia cease all hostilities and immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its troops and military equipment from Ukraine.
• We have imposed and will continue to impose further economic costs on Russia, including on individuals and entities – inside and outside of Russia – providing political or economic support for Russia’s illegal attempts to change the status of Ukrainian territory.
• We deplore deliberate Russian escalatory steps, including the partial mobilization of reservists and irresponsible nuclear rhetoric, which is putting global peace and security at risk. We reaffirm that any use of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons by Russia would be met with severe consequences.

Without attempting to belittle these resolutions, it must be pointed out that while condemnation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its attempt to re-subjugate it in a revived prison of nations is a compelling move, the United Nations has no armed forces of its own to hasten Russia’s demise. However, it is hoped that these documents will inspire the free world to help Ukraine defeat Russia by joining the battle from the trenches, side by side with Ukrainian soldiers until the heathen racists are repelled back to their motherland.

UPDATE: The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, following an urgent debate on “Further escalation in the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine,” adopted on October 13 a resolution declaring the Russian Federation a terrorist regime, expanding the number of institutions that have condemned Russia for its war crimes, acts of genocide and terrorism. According to an Ukrinform correspondent, 99 out of 100 PACE deputies voted in favor of the document and one abstained.

Furthermore, the resolution recognizes complicity of Russian political parties that have previously voted for illegal decisions encroaching on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and other countries, “as groups and entities that facilitate terrorism.”

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.