Russia’s Geopolitical Ambitions Go Far Beyond Ukraine

Occasionally a dose of bitter cynicism can also teach a valuable lesson.

Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya, permanent representative of Ukraine to the United Nations, known for his hard-hitting condemnations of Russia’s aggression and its other forms of hostile behavior, recently resorted to mockery to hopefully right Moscow’s wrongs.

Speaking at the UN Security Council meeting on “Maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine” on January 16, 2025, Kyslytsya advised the member-states that the most productive way to react to Russians’ tantrums is to avoid matching the volume of their hysteria.

“We need to stay calm and carry on calmly explaining to them that they cannot and that they will not have what they want,” Kyslytsya said.

It’s like “101 Parenting, if you wish,” he quipped.

Would it be that the global community is merely dealing with an enfant terrible. But sadly, Russia is a maniacal culture dedicated to re-subjugating the former captive nations and annihilating as many of the peoples as possible beginning with Ukrainians.

The Ukrainian diplomat pointed this out when he said, “Russia’s geopolitical ambitions go well beyond Ukraine. For those who may have forgotten the ultimatums Russia issued before the invasion, I would remind their core demand: ‘NATO must revert to its 1997 borders.’ This is a point worth keeping in mind by some nations that joined the Alliance at a later stage.

“If we want to live in a safe and secure world, we must spare no effort to counteract Russia's aggressive imperialistic policies. The implementation of the concept of "peace through strength" is the only effective tool to stop the aggressor and ensure a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in line with the principles of the UN Charter.”

Kyslytsya repeated what has been understood by regional observers for many decades that for Ukraine this remains a war for survival.

As many Kremlin leaders have threatened, “This harsh reality was reconfirmed recently by one of Putin’s closest accomplices, Nikolai Patrushev, who expressed in an interview his hope that ‘Ukraine will cease to exist in 2025.’”

Kyslytsya continued: “Let me reiterate that this destructive ambition has guided Russian policy for decades. (Perhaps centuries – ID) It began with hybrid operations and economic pressure, escalated into the aggression in Crimea and Donbas, and culminated in the launch of the full-scale war in 2022.

“Statements like these, exposing the true intentions of the Russian leadership, deserve the utmost attention—particularly from those who refrain from contributing to efforts to hold the aggressor accountable, mostly – in exchange for short-term economic benefits.”

Amid UN debates, the war continues, missiles fly and Ukrainians die. “In satisfying its irrational Nazi-like hatred towards Ukrainians,” Kyslytsya said, “Russia particularly relies on terrorist missile attacks targeting civilian infrastructure. The latest one was carried out yesterday. In the depths of winter, the Russian target remains the same: our energy infrastructure. Yesterday Russia tried to hit gas facilities and critical energy systems essential for maintaining the everyday life of Ukrainian people.

To this end Russia launched 43 ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as 74 combat drones.

“At least 30 missiles and 47 drones were intercepted and Ukraine has managed to keep its energy system operational. At the same time, those missiles that reached their target caused damage and destruction that resulted in the disruption of electricity and heat supply in various regions. This again testifies to the urgent need to strengthen Ukraine’s air defense capabilities.”

The price tag for Russia is not cheap. Kyslytsya said since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, Russia has spent more than $18 billion on missile and drone strikes against Ukraine. “And Russia will persist with escalation as long as it has the financial resources to fuel this war,” he added. “Oil and gas revenues constitute the main source to this end. It is essential therefore to dry up these revenue streams by strengthening primary and secondary sanctions against Russia's economy.”

This is the sound reasoning behind the wide range of sanctions against Russian businesses and businessmen – to drain the Russian economy of every last ruble.

“Russia’s war budget for 2025 is 25% bigger than last year’s. If we want to stop the war, we should cut off Putin’s cash flow. Putin will start thinking about peace only when his inner circle tells him he is out of money,” he said.

However, in reality, Ukraine more than any other country wants peace but not peace at any price. That concept will not bring real and lasting peace at all but it “will just encourage the aggressor to continue violating international law, and not only in Ukraine.”

Kyslytsya said the diplomatic path to peace lies through the implementation of the Peace Formula. “We are also ready to consider other nations’ peace ideas that take into account the need to restore the territorial integrity of Ukraine, do not equate the victim with the aggressor, and are based on the principle of ‘nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.’ They can be discussed in the formats offered by the Peace Formula.”

Ukraine demands and needs geopolitical relationships and partnerships based on equality and respect, not arm twisting like we see coming from Washington, DC. The United Kingdon’s recent 100-year document is typical of what Ukraine deserves. During an unannounced trip to Kyiv, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged to put Ukraine in the “strongest possible position.”

“Our 100 Year Partnership is a promise that we are with you, not just today or tomorrow, but for a hundred years — long after this war is over and Ukraine is free and thriving once again,” he said in a post on X.

According to a UK government press release, the treaty will boost military collaboration on maritime security across the Baltic Sea, Black Sea, and Azov Sea in an effort to deter Russian aggression. The deal will also seek to advance the countries' scientific and technology partnerships in areas such as space and 30,000 drones, it said.

European countries and the former captive nations regard Russian threats seriously. Among them, Lithuania, has decided to raise its spending on defense to 5-6% of overall national economic output starting in 2026 due to the threat of Russian aggression in the region, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said last week.

With his pledge, the Baltic nation bordering Russia becomes the first NATO nation to vow to reach a 5% goal called for by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. It currently spends a bit over 3%.

Nausėda said the “historic decision” was taken by the State Defense Council on Friday. “The possibility of Russian military aggression is still real, but not imminent,” Nausėda told reporters after the meeting in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius. “We need to increase our efforts to strengthen defense and deterrence significantly, devoting more resources to this end.”

Nonetheless, with the war dragging on and a new President getting comfortable in the Oval Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy continues to emphasizes his country’s hope for sustained US support under the incoming Trump administration.

“We are waiting for the inauguration of the US president. I think the whole world is waiting because the United States is a strategic partner in global stability,” Zelenskyy said this week during a joint press conference in Warsaw with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, another close ally of Ukraine.

Zelenskyy described the US as “the largest donor supporting Ukraine in its war for survival against Russian aggression” and expressed optimism for deepened cooperation under the principle of “peace through strength.”

Ukrainians continue to scare the bee Jesús out of Russian cutthroats, who are violently scared of Ukrainian witches – vid’ma. So, Ukrainians named their latest fleet of heavy drone bombers Baba Yaga – euphemism for witches.

“Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble.”

Ukraine Delegation at UN Declares Russia Adopts Nazi Tactics

Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, claiming, among other things, that had embarked on its never-ending futile quest for Nazis. However, as to be expected, the prey turns out to be the hounds.

The widespread death and destruction that the Russian cutthroats have spread across Ukraine has correctly likened them to Nazis who also mercilessly shed blood across Europe some 80 years ago.

Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN Sergiy Kyslytsya, speaking on January 13, 2025, at the UN Security Council Arria-formula meeting on “Violations of international humanitarian law against Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilian detainees” bluntly compared Russian soldiers with Nazis.

“Russia in turn, has fully adopted the practices of the Third Reich – ranging from the annexation of sovereign territories and the razing of Ukrainian cities to the ground, to the deliberate execution of Ukrainian POWs and civilians,” Kyslytsya declared unequivocally.

The dreadful testimonies from the Ukrainian briefers that day or on earlier occasions have confirmed that the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Russia are not isolated incidents, but rather “systematic practices endorsed at all levels of Russian leadership,” the Ukrainian diplomat said.

“All Ukrainians are their targets, be they military or civilians, men or women, children or the elderly. Less than a week ago, on January 8, Russia again demonstrated its adherence to this inhumane modus operandi. Thirteen civilians were killed and 127 were wounded by the aerial bombs that Russia dropped on a crowded street of the city of Zaporizhzhia. As the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine reported, this heinous attack caused the highest number of civilian casualties in a single incident in almost two years,” he elaborated.

In addition to the indiscriminate murder of unarmed Ukrainian civilians, Kyslytsya pointed out that Russians are also killing Ukrainian soldiers who have surrendered and thus who should enjoy protection under international law.

Citing an incident on January 3, 2025, Kyslytsya recounted that in the village of Vremivka, Volnovakha district, Russian forces captured two Ukrainian servicemen, executed them at close range, and then fired additional shots to ensure their deaths. He said the Russians killed in cold blood 202 Ukrainian POWs but “the true number is likely much higher.”

Another humanitarian transgression of the Russian invaders is their incommunicado detention of Ukrainian civilians and military personnel that denies access to UN and ICRC representatives. “The ungrounded persecution and detention of civilians is a clear violation of international humanitarian law, and all such detained civilians must be unconditionally released,” Kyslytsya demanded.

“We urge the UN Security Council and all responsible Member-States to demand that Russia cease the torture and ill-treatment of Ukrainian POWs and detainees. Humanitarian and human rights mechanisms must be granted immediate and unrestricted access to ensure humane treatment and safe repatriation,” he added.

The Ukrainian delegation has previously brought to the Security Council’s attention how Russian recruits train to operate drones by targeting and killing innocent civilians in the streets of the city of Kherson. In Russian schools, war criminals are holding diabolical lessons for Russian children, “encouraging them to learn how to kill Ukrainians,” Kyslytsya said.

The Russian Foreign Ministry also not surprisingly joined this charade by training its diplomats across the globe, including in New York, to disseminate lies and maintain smear campaigns. “Producing fakes about Azov Brigade has been among the main tools of Russian propaganda since 2014,” he pointed out.

Kyslytsya said this is in stark contrast to realty created by this Ukrainian military unit: “The full-scale war has ultimately revealed the truth. Soldiers of the Azov Brigade were among the courageous defenders of Mariupol in 2022, staying in the besieged city and protecting its residents, who Russia killed on an industrial scale, until the very end.”

He demanded that “Russia’s open defiance of international law must end.” It is imperative for the international community and the UN member-states to ensure accountability for Russia’s crimes and justice for the victims, Kyslytsya added.

“That’s why, if Russian diplomats are truly eager to combat neo-Nazism, they might start by calling the Russian Ministry of Defense. They may ask, for instance, about the ‘Rusich’ unit, which operates as part of the Russian army. Its members openly embrace their neo-Nazi views and their commander Milchakov openly declares, ‘I’m a Nazi, I speak about it directly. [I] can even raise a hand [in Nazi greeting.]’”

Milchakov’s subordinates bear a striking resemblance to their commander, Kyslytsya continued. “They could play with a severed head of a prisoner, boasting about it in interviews, or post ads on social media seeking a ‘Crimean Tatar for ritual sacrifice’ and then brag about carrying out such a ritual.”

The Ukrainian diplomat astonishingly said that these are just some of many examples illustrating how war crimes and crimes against humanity have become standard practice for the Russian army.

Responsibility for this is inevitable, he concluded, and hopefully there will be hell to pay.

Ukrainians Fight on as Trump Sympathizes with Russia

As the world awaits the Inauguration of Donald J. Trump as the 47th President of the United States with his anti-Ukrainian views and bizarre foreign policy views in a few days, Ukraine’s position on the global stage is sadly trapped between active Russian aggression and bombings and an incoming Washington Administration that favors Ukraine’s age-old deadly enemy.

The international community has had to contend with Trump’s friendly tolerance of Russia’s Putin and cynical distaste for Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ukraine for months but now he has stunned and even offended nations around the world with his calls for seizing Greenland, taking over the Panama Canal Zone, turning Canada into the 51st state, and renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. These suggestions are enough to make even his supporters bristle with anxiety.

Fortunately, as the United States undergoes an almost Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde transformation, the Biden Administration, regardless of how exceptionally critical the New York Post’s Martin Gurri was of the 46th President a few days ago, the incumbent Administration has frequently stood up and gave Ukraine all of the arms and funds that it needs not only to defend itself from Russia’s invasion but hopefully to defeat or smother it in the words of Russian patriarch Kirill. Some may say that this policy angered Putin but in reality, it demonstrated to the world that the United States, true to its historical convictions, continues to unquestionably support Ukraine and the other former captive nations against ongoing Russian threats and aggression.

The U.S. announced this week that it is set to provide Ukraine an additional $500 million in weapons quickly pulled from its existing stockpiles as the Biden Administration works to get Kyiv in a stronger position before Trump takes office, US officials said.

The announcement is expected during Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s final trip to meet with the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, a consortium of about 50 partner nations that Austin brought together months after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 to coordinate weapons support.

The meeting on Thursday was the 25th and potentially last gathering of the US-led group, as the participating countries wait to see whether it will be continued under Trump.

“Our focus will be on maintaining momentum, delivering results, and sending a clear message: The international community stands resolute in its support for Ukraine,” Austin told reporters traveling with him.

The weapons are funded through presidential drawdown authority, meaning they can be pulled directly from US stockpiles. A senior defense official who briefed reporters traveling with Austin said the goal was to get those munitions into Ukraine before the end of the January.

To date the US has provided Ukraine about $66.5 billion in weapons assistance since Russia invaded nearly three years ago.

There is now a little less than $4 billion remaining in congressionally authorized funding for Ukraine and much of that is expected to roll over to the Trump administration to determine whether to continue the weapons support.

As Russia cynically adjusted its bombing routine from nighttime to daytime, killing at least 13 people and wounding 32 in southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, Donald Trump shocked Ukrainians and other law-abiding people by revealing that he tends to sympathize with the Russians rather than the Ukrainians – the proverbial raper rather than his victims.

Trump said earlier this month he sympathized with the Russian position that Ukraine should not be part of NATO, and he lamented that he will not meet Putin before his inauguration.

Speaking at a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Trump also blamed outgoing Democratic President Joe Biden for allegedly changing the US position on NATO membership for Ukraine.

“A big part of the problem is, Russia – for many, many years, long before Putin - said, ‘You could never have NATO involved with Ukraine.’ Now, they’ve said that. That’s been, like, written in stone,” Trump said. “And somewhere along the line Biden said, ‘No. They should be able to join NATO.’ Well, then Russia has somebody right on their doorstep, and I could understand their feelings about that.”

The new US commander in chief has again demonstrated his ignorance of Russia’s imperialistic posture vis-à-vis Ukraine that has existed for a millennia. Trump again showed that he is not aware or doesn’t care that without Ukraine’s accession to NATO Russia will forever threaten to incorporate it into its prison of nations and annihilate the nation. 

The so-called Russian orthodox patriarch, Kirill, standing next to his boss Putin, recently criticized the West for not accepting its so-called alternative path to civilized development.

Kirill, an enthusiastic backer of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and supporter of killing as many Ukrainians as possible, said Russia presents a challenge to powerful countries not because of its nuclear capabilities or strength, Kirill said. 

“They hate us because we are offering a different, alternative path of civilized development,’ he said. The West was in moral collapse, he said, but Russia showed the world how to blend science, culture, education and faith.

“Physically, they cannot really smother us, though they try through different types of slander and the creation of blocs of some sort intended to weaken Russia,” he said. “Nothing will work because God is with us.”

Well, at least the smothering part is correct.

Margus Tsahkna, minister of foreign affairs of Estonia, a staunch support of Ukraine, cautioned that Putin will aggressively pursue capturing all countries between Russia and the Atlantic Ocean if he isn’t stopped. 

“We have witnessed from the past what happens if Putin has an opportunity to continue, and he will continue anyway.

“I really hope that we don't need the years 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943 to finally understand that we could have a different situation. That's why I'm bringing this parallel with the Munich meeting in 1938.

“But I'm actually more positive that we can support Ukraine based on the understanding that Ukrainians are not fighting only for themselves and for us, but instead of us. I can say it as a former defense minister, because we saw in 2016-17, on the other side of our borders, 120,000 (Russian) troops ready to go within 48 hours. These troops do not exist anymore. They were sent to Ukraine. They are dead.

“So that's why I’m saying that you are fighting instead of us, and this knowledge is finally pretty widespread.”

As I was finishing this post, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that some 38,000 Russian troops have been killed or wounded fighting in Russia's western Kursk region since August, with Kyiv now launching a fresh offensive in the border region.

“We continue to maintain a buffer zone on Russian territory, actively destroying Russian military potential there,” Zelenskyy said in a statement posted Monday to the presidency’s website.

Monday marked five months since Ukrainian soldiers crossed into Kursk in a surprise summer 2024 offensive. This past Sunday, Ukrainian and Russian officials confirmed that Kyiv had launched a fresh offensive in Kursk, with fierce fighting reported in several villages.

All told, Russia has lost 803,100 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported on Jan. 9.

This number includes 1,430 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

According to the report, Russia has also lost 9,731 tanks, 20,221 armored fighting vehicles, 33,387 vehicles and fuel tanks, 21,765 artillery systems, 1,260 multiple launch rocket systems, 1,038 air defense systems, 369 airplanes, 331 helicopters, 21,813 drones, 28 ships and boats, and one submarine.

The human fatalities clearly indicate that Putin doesn’t care about Russian or Ukrainian lives so long as his demonic mission of subjugating Ukraine is fulfilled.

Russia’s Goal is to Erase all Ukrainians from Human Memory

Put aside Putin’s untrue explanations about why Russia again invaded Ukraine. In reality, Putin’s sacred mission is to annihilate all living Ukrainians from human memory.

This war of Russia’s that it’s been waging for more than 1,000 days has only one goal: to subjugate the people, turn future generations of Ukrainians into docile Russians, remove the border between Ukraine and Russia, and rub out all memory of a nation known as Ukrainian.

History is replete with examples of Moscow’s tsars, commissars or today’s dictators trying to do this.

It’s comparable to what Hitler hoped to do with Jews.

Since this latest iteration of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine began in February 2022, its brutality has been well documented. It has been detailed at the United Nations, international organizations, and the capitals of free-world countries.

Unarmed civilians have been summarily killed in their homes, churches, hospitals, schools; others on the street waiting for food parcels; children have been raped and murdered, or forcibly taken to Russia from their living or dead parents. The list of war crimes screams to high heaven for retribution.

The record also includes the sudden execution of Ukrainian soldiers who have been forced to surrender, thus becoming prisoners of war. None of this matters to Russian cutthroats.

Last week the BBC published an article detailing that Russia is executing “more and more” Ukrainian POWs.

You may recall the heartless fate of Ukrainian sniper Oleksandr Matsievsky, who was killed after digging his own grave while taking his last drag of a cigarette, and proudly declaring to his captors “Glory to Ukraine.”

The BBC observed that Oleksandr Matsievsky is one of many Ukrainian combatants who were killed in violation of international norms that protect prisoners of war. International humanitarian law, particularly the Third Geneva Convention, offers protection to prisoners of war, and executing them is a war crime.

The BBC wrote that in October on 2024, nine captured Ukrainian soldiers were shot dead by Russian forces in Kursk region. Ukrainian prosecutors are investigating the case including a photo showing half-naked bodies lying on the ground. This photo was enough for one of the victims, drone operator Ruslan Holubenko, to be identified by his parents. His frantic mother recognized her son by his underwear that she had bought for him.

“The list of executions goes on. Ukrainian prosecutors are investigating reports of beheadings and a sword being used to kill a Ukrainian soldier with his hands tied behind his back. In another instance, a video showed 16 Ukrainian soldiers apparently being lined up and then mowed down with automatic gunfire after emerging from a woods to surrender,” the article states.

Some of the executions were filmed by Russian cutthroats themselves, while others were observed by Ukrainian drones hovering above. The killings captured on such videos usually take place in woods or fields lacking distinctive features, which makes confirming their exact location difficult. BBC Verify said it has been able to confirm in several cases – such as one beheading – that the victims wear Ukrainian uniforms and that the videos are recent.

“The upward trend is very clear, very obvious,” Yuri Belousov, the head of the War Department at the Ukrainian Prosecutor-General’s Office, was quoted as saying.

“Executions became systemic from November last year and have continued throughout all of this year. Sadly, their number has been particularly on the rise this summer and autumn. This tells us that they are not isolated cases. They are happening across vast areas and they have clear signs of being part of a policy – there is evidence that instructions to this effect are being issued.”

Rachel Denber, deputy director of the Europe and Central Asia Division at Human Rights Watch, told BBC there is no shortage of evidence supporting allegations of Ukrainian prisoners of war being executed by Russian troops. According to her, impunity plays a key part, and the Russian army has some serious questions to answer.

“What instructions do these units have, either formally or informally from their commanders? Are their commanders being quite clear about what the Geneva Conventions say about the treatment of prisoners of war? What are Russian military commanders telling their units about their conduct? What steps is the chain of command taking to investigate these instances? And if higher ups are not investigating, or not taking steps to prevent that conduct, are they aware that they too are criminally liable and can be held accountable?” she ponders.

According to Human Rights Watch, since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022 the Russian forces have committed “a litany of violations, including those which should be investigated as war crimes or crimes against humanity.”

Keep these crimes in mind when next to encounter a Russian diplomat on the streets of New York or Washington, DC.

Soldiers or Civilians, ‘All Ukrainians Deserve to Die’ – Say Russians

You wouldn’t treat your own dog like this, but Russians have historically maligned Ukrainians like the Nazis did – regarding them as untermensch who deserve to die.

Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya, permanent representative of Ukraine to the United Nations, speaking in the Third Committee on December 17, 2024, about “Human rights situations and reports of special rapporteurs and representatives,” described the inhuman, horrific conditions facing Ukrainians in their own land as Russian cutthroats pursue their war against Ukraine.

Kyslytsya recounted to the representatives of the member-states one civilian’s description of how insecure the lives of everyday Ukrainians are: "They (the Russians) don’t care whether you’re a soldier or a civilian—what matters is that you’re Ukrainian, which means, in their eyes, you deserve to die." The Ukrainian diplomat pointed out that the woman, sharing her harrowing experiences of living under Russian occupation, is a resident of Rubizhne, a city in the Luhansk oblast of eastern Ukraine, situated on the left side of the Donets River.

“While she and her family were fortunate to escape to Ukrainian-controlled territory, her testimony reflects the grim reality faced by millions of Ukrainians in areas under Russian control,” Kyslytsya said. “This is not an isolated story. It is part of a well-documented and deliberate policy by Russia to terrorize and dehumanize Ukrainians.”

He cited another example from a brochure titled “Practical Recommendations to the Participant in Combat Actions” published on December 12, 2022, on the official website of the Russian Ministry of Defense under the title “Who Are Ukrainians?” 

“[…] Someday, … they [Ukrainians] will become Russians again. But for now, they are enemies—cruel and treacherous. This means that we need to beat them until they put their hands up, without stopping, until our victory,” he read.

Kyslytsya pointed out that these quotes highlight “the atmosphere of fear, repression, and lawlessness imposed on Ukrainians under Russian occupation.” Since 2014, when Russia seized the eastern regions of Luhansk and Donetsk, the temporarily occupied territories have become “zones of impunity, where gross human rights violations and war crimes are systematic and pervasive.”

Fortunately, he noted, unlike previous Russian wars against Ukraine, Russia’s war crimes in this one are thoroughly documented. 

“This extensive documentation will undoubtedly support the pursuit of justice and ensure that all perpetrators are held accountable. I therefore urge all alleged war criminals not to place false hope in evading responsibility, but to actively cooperate with investigations and provide their testimonies,” he said.

Reports from the United Nations, including the International Commission of Inquiry, and findings from other international monitors credibly document Russia’s widespread and deliberate perpetration of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and gross human rights violations and abuses.

“These include summary executions, enforced disappearances, torture, sexual and gender-based violence, and inhumane treatment of civilian detainees and prisoners of war,” Kyslytsya detailed, specifically pointing out that “These atrocities are not random acts of violence, but part of a calculated and systematic policy aimed at erasing Ukrainian identity—obliterating cultural and historical markers while forcibly indoctrinating those who remain.”

He explained that the Ukrainian civilian population has no recourse because those who “dare to oppose face arbitrary detention, torture, extrajudicial executions, and the additional threat of having their children taken away or deported to Russia.”

To offer some form of solace and help, Kyslytsya said the Ukrainian delegation is proposing a draft resolution titled “Situation of human rights in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, including the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.”

According to him, the resolution aims to maintain the General Assembly and the UN’s focused attention on the dire human rights situation and provide essential protection for those affected, particularly the thousands of Ukrainian children forcibly deported or displaced by Russia. It calls on the Russia to immediately and unconditionally return all Ukrainian children, including those unlawfully adopted or placed in foster care. Ukraine and its partners will continue to fight for the safe return of every child.

“The resolution serves as a practical tool for the UN for ongoing monitoring and reporting on the human rights situation in the temporarily occupied territory, providing a crucial mechanism for accountability,” he said.

However, Kyslytsya added, “the only way to guarantee full respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for the residents of these territories is their de-occupation from Russia. Restoring Ukraine’s territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders is not only a matter of justice for Ukrainians but also essential for European and global security.”

In other words, liberating Ukrainian lands currently held illegally by Russia and allowing the nation to live freely.

He thanked the 49 member-states that have co-sponsored the draft and called on all “responsible” member-states to stand with Ukraine by voting in favor of the draft resolution.

Despite the world’s hope for negotiations to end the war, in the words of the late Israeli prime minister Gold Meier, how can you talk to someone who wants you dead while you want to live.

Regional Security Alliance—Its Time has Come

Caught in the death throes of Russia’s historic unprovoked war against Ukraine with its concurrent threat against Europe, the ministers of defense and representatives of the Northern Group of European nations voiced their strong support for the establishment of a regional security alliance to fend off the real possibility of Russia’s invasion against them.

The government representatives meeting in Denmark reaffirmed on November 20 their steadfast support for Ukraine and their commitment to continue and develop Northern Europe’s military assistance to Ukraine and to strengthen industrial cooperation. The coalition includes representatives from the Baltic States, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Iceland, Britain, Germany, Poland, and the Netherlands.

According to their post-meeting statement, based on an assessment of Ukraine’s strategic challenges and current and future needs from the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Rustem Umerov and Minister of Strategic Industries Herman Smetanin, the ministers presented and discussed ways to enhance the military support to Ukraine.

The ministers agreed to reinforce and advance the military support to Ukraine, including through the involvement of Northern European and Ukrainian defense industries. The participants noted that this will further bolster Ukraine’s industrial and technological capacities as well as the potential of European defense industry. Participants reaffirmed that Russia, as it has demonstrated in Ukraine, remains the most significant and direct threat to Allies’ security.

Despite several false starts in the past decade, hopefully this effort will be finally successful. We have been advocating for the establishment of such a coalition since 2014, when we wrote about then Foreign Minister of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin’s idea of creating what he called a Coalition of Freedom.

Outraged by the Russian invasion of his homeland, Klimkin proposed the Coalition of Freedom to defend democracy and Western values in a troubled world. “It is about security for everyone,” said Klimkin. He opined that Ukraine is confronting a threat any nation can face, adding “we need a network of security.”

Klimkin added: "We are in the process of the fight for freedom, for European values and for Western values and we will definitely pull it off."

In February of 2022 Russia fulfilled its destiny and everyone’s fears of invading Ukraine.

Then in 2023 we cheered when the presidents of Poland, Andrzej Duda, Lithuania, Gitanas Nauseda, Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, convened a meeting in Lviv, on January 11, where they signed a joint statement of the presidents of the Lublin Triangle.

“The Presidents of Poland, Andrzej Duda, Lithuania, Gitanas Nauseda, Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. A joint statement of the presidents of the Lublin Triangle has been signed in Lviv today,” the Office of the President of Poland had said on Twitter.

This military, security and commercial agreement was certainly designed to safeguard the needs of the countries involved. The joint declaration signed by the presidents of Ukraine, Lithuania, and Poland following the second summit of the Lublin Triangle supports holding the Global Peace Formula Summit, creating a special international tribunal to prosecute Russia, giving Ukraine EU and NATO membership prospects, and continuing security assistance to Ukrainians. The task and goal of helping Ukraine in its war with Russia was placed high on the list of the agreement’s mission.

Earlier, the three x-captive nations of Ukraine, Lithuania and Poland announced the mobilization of the “Hetman Konstantyn Ostrohskiy” Lithuanian-Polish-Ukrainian Brigade (LITPOLUKR).

According to military media and the brigade’s website, this unit represents a new era of multilateral security cooperation in Europe. Lithuanian, Polish, and Ukrainian efforts to bolster European stability in the wake of Russia’s destabilizing invasion of Ukraine led to the creation of the unit in 2015.

The brigade’s website notes that each participating country contributes an infantry battalion, staff for the headquarters in Lublin, and specialized smaller units, to create a brigade between 3.5-4,000 soldiers.

One of the most vital contemporary security issues is the ongoing hostile global threat posed by Russia and its war against Ukraine. It has certainly boiled over from a two-country war to a significant regional war with the active participation of North Korea and arms supplier Iran. Some, among them Ukrainian Gen. Valery Zaluzhnyi, former commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, have said that humanity is witnessing the start of World War Three.

At the Denmark summit last week, the ministers emphasized that there can be no peace talks without Ukraine’s participation and they agreed to follow up urgently at a meeting in Ukraine in early 2025. They also discussed the threats and challenges to the security of Eastern borders of the alliance.

While most of the free world displays varying degrees of support for Ukraine, especially in view of Donald Trump’s election victory as the next President of the United States of America, the countries of Eastern Europe, the former captive nations of the Russian prison nations, maintain a strong unified position about the individual and collective danger of living on the border with Russia. They understand that by reason of geography and Russia’s historical, insatiable imperial appetite they are in daily jeopardy.

Furthermore, these countries’ leaders use every occasion to tell the world that the fate that has befallen Ukraine awaits other countries across Eastern Europe and beyond, including the United States. The x-captive nations have urged the West to stand up to Russia’s aggression and not surrender to or else Europe could descend into a major war for the first time since the end of World War II in May 1945 as we are witnessing now.

A regional mini-NATO, this latest security coalition, an updated Anti-Bolshevik Bloc of Nations (ABN), would noticeably promote and safeguard collective security against Russia.

World War Three is upon us Thanks to Russia

World War Three is upon us Thanks to Russia

Ukraine’s former military commander in chief said the direct involvement of Russia and Russian allies in their unprovoked war against Ukraine means that World War Three has officially begun.

“I believe that in 2024 we can absolutely believe that the Third World War has begun,” Gen. Valery Zaluzhny warned Thursday, November 21, according to Politico .

Ask anyone: who are the three greatest threats to world peace & security? Answer: Russia, Iran & North Korea. Who is fighting all three, tryin to save itself and the world? Answer: Ukraine.

Moscow is seeking to subjugate all of Ukraine, from the Polish border to the river Don, before the free world wakes up to its evil designs. Fortunately President Biden has approved Kyiv using long-range missiles against targets in Russia. Great Britain also actively supports this. But where are the others?

As with World War Two, an international alliance of free-world countries was needed to defeat Nazi Germany, so too today a global coalition is needed to defeat and subdue Russia. 

The free world must not lose Ukraine to Russia—again.