I'm sorry but 80 year-olds are grabbing weapons and joining the fight. You ran away. I get that you're scared and have a family. But so are the people resisting in Kiev right now. I am not impressed by this story. This seems like what the woke in our country would do. The Ukrainian patriots have shown us another path. A brave and noble one. I would have preferred their story.
Kiev is hardly "leveled." I was watching the "shelling." Everyone had their lights on. Doesn't anyone find that a little strange? That if residential areas are afraid of being bombed, they would leave their lights on at night?
He went to Hungary. What happened to Hungary in 1956? Angry? Nope. Just disappointed that this is the story we get when Ukrainians are staying and resisting.
This man is helping his fellow countrymen reach safety. This is not a diminished role; it's a necessary one. Instead of sitting there and criticizing his actions, how about you think of ways you can help.
If I understood correctly, the author is not Ukrainian but American. True, he has been living in Ukraine and obviously has strong connections there, but it's not the same.
Too, it's not proper to judge someone's behavior so harshly with so little information. And publicly, at that.
And he certainly was eager to flee even while saying “ Fleeing my hometown. Again.” And seeing “ There was a massive crane and men building a checkpoint, cobbling together walls made of sandbags.These weren’t military people. Just local men who put on uniforms to protect their home.”
So it doesn’t take a great leap to figure this guy is a runner.
But we are free to do so. And if you read carefully what I wrote I simply said that this story was not impressive. Informative, yes but not impressive given the courage we see on display in Kiev.
Then that could, if the commenter chose, convey a coherent, intended message. In the USA, we are quite accustomed to being bullied into submission to praising the wrong things.
I agree. A Red Dawn fighter he is not. And trying to help men of 18-60 get out is ridiculous. So who will fight? And he didn’t have children so it was adults fleeing.
I don't think we can judge individuals for their decisions. They have to make the best decisions for them and their families. Those who are staying to fight are courageous, but staying isn't an option for everyone.
I said that I understood he was scared and worried for his family. But how about the citizens of Kiev who were equally scared and worried. But stayed and fought. I'd prefer to hear their stories.
Okay, that's fair. But this is just one story. Knowing this publication, they are probably going to cover the whole gamut of stories coming out of there. I also think it's really important to point out that they are showing courage in their own way too. They appear to be working very hard to get people to safety and provide resources. The fight happens on both sides of the border, and we need brave people everywhere. <3 Just my two cents.
I appreciate your take on it. We never know how we'll act under the circumstances but clearly the Ukrainians who stayed and fought are worthy of our admiration.
Truly. I’m in absolute awe of how much integrity, grit, and strength of character your average Ukrainian has. I’m sad to admit it, but I feel if something similar were to happen in the US, we’d crumple like a ball of tinfoil.
I think @Bruce Miller and others here have a point. It's certainly possible that the author made choices that were, shall we say, less than heroic. And heroism is a good thing. We should laud heroism and disdain cowardice. It's terribly presumptuous, though, to think we can plumb his character based on this narrow window, and even if we could, it's unkind to point it out; we should disdain cowardice in our thoughts and in our teaching, but focusing on other people's flaws is rarely a good thing.
I think that’s a good point to bring up as well. One thing that Viktor Frankl wrote in “Man’s Search for Meaning” was that it wasn’t the best of them that survived the concentration camps. The most selfless ones often died first. Many of the survivors participated in selfish acts and lived with awful guilt. I’m just grateful that I never had to walk in either of their shoes and make those choices.
I think we’re really quick to judge situations and people’s character through their reactions to the situation, but there are a lot of nuances, sacrifices, and imperfect solutions to all our options. And you’re right, all we can do is focus on our own courage and good actions. Focusing on others failings doesn’t make us better people.
True and we don't know if we'll be cowardly or selfish one minute and then heroic and selfless the next. But we laud heroism for a reason. As a teaching tool. Was Rosa Parks heroic or just tired and fed up? Or both? But she made a difference and is rightly lauded. I guess, at the very least, I ignited a lively discussion.
Can you really judge someone when you don’t know their full circumstances? What about the people who fled who are disabled? Who have small children or elderly parents? Who have been injured?
We are very lucky in the US that we can theorize, hypothesize, and judge people fleeing war zones when we ourselves are sitting very comfortably in our homes at a computer.
He just wrote an article about his circumstances. Didn't you read it? You said "I don't think we can judge individuals for their decisions. They have to make the best decisions for them and their families." I absolutely can judge someone's decisions. What if he decided robbing other families as he flees the country was best for him and his family? I would judge that as immoral. So your logic instantly collapses when you stop to think about it for a few moments. What if he made the decision to stay and fight while his wife and children flee, I would judge that as courageous. Again the logic here collapses immediately.
Well, I have risked my safety for others and served my community. So I do what I would do if my home was invaded by an oppressor. I would not run and hide. Again, that is the thinking of a person who has been protected by other people their whole life. You would flee a war if it came to your home, I would stay and fight for mine. We're made up of different stuff. This guy is no hero.
We absolutely can and should express what we think. We all judge all the time, but we often decide not to vocalize our thoughts so how about some honesty for a change?
And I think for now we can just be grateful we don’t have to make that decision for ourselves. It’s very easy to be brave in theory—less so in practice.
It might come sooner that you think. In any event it happens every day. How about the two security guards in New York City who locked the door when the poor Asian woman was being beaten? They could have tried to help her? Is getting a beating worse than living with knowing you did nothing? This stuff does matter.
Agree with Mr Daly. The only people who have the right to slam Eugene right now are ones who have answered a similar call in their own lives - as in had their community invaded and took up arms with no training. Calling him a coward isnt really useful.
No Bruce you didn’t and I apologize if it seemed I was misquoting you. Others have used that line or one close to it elsewhere in the comments and that is what I was referring to.
See my comment below. I acknowledged that. But you never know when you might have to face such a choice. And examples of people who fight - whether against Russian invaders, or the howling woke mob, are better examples, ne c'est pas?
I'm happy to have this story: the insight it offers, the first-hand witnessing it reflects. I'm more than willing to shelve my consumer preferences for a specific sort of war story, at least for the time being, and take what I can get--painfully aware as I am that all Ukrainians are suffering right now.
What engendered my comment was the earlier comment of 7C002 who observed:
"Wonderful story of courage, persistence, puck and luck. Thank you. " The article offered insight as you observed but it clearly was not a story of courage. Or pluck, which I think the commenter intended.
Bruce, I fled Cuba at age 9. My father was in a forced labor camp and we were all separated. The great privilege we have in the US is rarely having to make Sophie's Choice decisions.
Look what Eugene is doing:
"Since we’ve gotten to Budapest, we’ve been doing everything we can to help people get out. It started with friends, then friends of friends of friends. My wife and I both have large followings online and we are using them as best we can. My wife posted her phone number on her Instagram story, and has been getting diabetes medicine to hospitals in Ukraine, or water to families—whatever she can do. Hundreds of people in Europe have contacted me offering their apartments up to refugees, so I have been connecting them. A family of seven will sleep safely in Krakow tonight in a kind stranger’s apartment. "
Bruce all the cowards are coming out to criticize you because they would never have the guts ti risk their own safety for their country or to protect another person.
I had the exact same reaction "I'm an America who spends a lot of time playing poker in Ukraine, but I made sure to grab my crypto to split for the Coast! I was never in any danger, but I ran away anyway, and was totally surprised when actual Ukrainians stayed to fight, because my posse and I would never doing anything less than self-serving"
You are the a-hole who criticized this American getting out of danger. You are not Ukrainian? So Fucking What? You trash another citizen, you get it back in spades. Don't be a dick.
He called Kiev his hometown. Did you miss that? Again, not impressed with the tough talk behind a keyboard. You don't like that I criticized him? Fine, that's your right. But a lot of people apparently agree with me. So I'm not entirely off base.
He was born there, dick breath. Get it? Everyone has a "hometown" where they were born. It is not tough talk from me, dick breath. It is truth and ... You can't handle the truth.
If you think your opinions are validated by popularity rather than reason, you are likely a Woke boy , Kowtowing to the Progs of the world. Pathetic.
As do you. How about a little empathy for someone who is doing what he can to protect his family? Agree with Running Burning Man if you are so manly and judgmental get on a plane and put your money where your mouth is. Otherwise sit back on your comfy sofa and fantasize some more about how courageous you would be if you were in the situation.
You just had to wade in. He called Ukraine his hometown. He lived there and built a business there. I showed empathy in saying I understood he was scared. But his running has to be contrasted with Ukrainians who stayed to fight. Who also had businesses and families. Your adoption of the Running Child's argument about going to fight in Ukraine is foolish. Ukraine is not our country. We have no obligation to fight for Ukraine. But Mr. Katchalov did. And we can probably all agree that we have an obligation to support Ukraine by supporting sanctions and providing weapons.
I read that the Ukraine government is asking for foreign volunteers to join the fight. Have You already packed to go and follow the call? If not You shouldn't try to shame other people for not taking a gun. It's very easy to tell other people to grab a gun from the safety of Your own sofa in front of a screen. Once You're faced with the prospect of getting gunned down Yourself it's a completely different story.
You have no idea what sort of "living" this guy makes. So what if he is living there? You are truly a troll and a ... dick. Man up pussy boy. Head east and pick up a weapon. Oh, not wanting to do that? You are truly a pathetic being.
Mea culpa. I should not have engaged with him. I get that feelings are running high. I guess we're all more than beyond shocked that Putin would violate all civilized norms and carry us back to a more barbaric age.
Try reading the article. He built a business there as did his wife. He called it his hometown. Trolls are people who hide behind a keyboard. And don't have the courage to use their real names. But you reveal much in yours.....
FYI the Wall Street Journal has an article out today about native born Ukrainians streaming back into the Ukraine from around Europe to fight. So it would appear that Bruce is more in line with how humans behave when it comes to protecting ones home, and the dozens of "You wouldn't do that yourself" are projecting their own lack of courage on to other people. As I can only assume that people sharing that sentiment means they wouldn't lift a finger to protect their home from invasion.
That's a lot of hubris Bruce. You imply that YOU would take up arms and stay. I won't speculate on what I may have done, until you are in that situation, it's impossible to say. I won't criticize or belittle the choice of others.
Apparently, Biden is using The Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication to impose sanctions on Russia. This is called the nuclear financial option; in turn, Putin puts the Russian nuclear force on high alert! That’s what a weak feckless president does; force Putin to put his nuclear force on high, is the threat of nuclear holocaust enough for you?
Thank you for the post and perspective. As an American who frankly knows very little about Ukraine, I have been deeply moved and disturbed by this conflict. I can’t take my eyes off the news. I’ve been watching every video I can find.
I would like to believe that despite whatever political and ideological differences we may have, most of us can agree that this is an assault on our own way of life. I would like to believe that if it came to pass, I would stay and fight to preserve the freedoms that I once took for granted. Honestly I can't say for sure. I say that as someone who has served in times of conflict. That experience taught me that none of us are sure. At least not until the time comes. Kid yourself if you like. It doesn't matter if you're a patriot. It doesn't matter if you have family. It doesn't matter how many houses or cars you own. It doesnt matter how many guns you own for your defense or amusement. Death is the greatest equalizer of our hopes and fears.
Like others, I would love to hear from those who stayed to fight. Especially the bankers, doctors, politicians, tech workers, waiters, and many other everyday people who have likely never held a weapon before. But they're too busy acing the ultimate test of a free people. I support them and honor them and wish them the grace of God or good fortune that they may prevail. And I pray that their sacrifice free their children and own children from this burden.
Thank you. You said what I was trying inartfully to convey. We don't know what we would have done, but how about hearing from those who did stay? And there are many.
Beautifully said. I’m not sure what I would do. Humans want to live. I am human. I might choose to live and die heroically. I might run. If I did run I would be conflicted, probably holed up in a bar and Im sure I wouldn’t be writing personal essays. Also, Bruce, you might have stated your mind summarily but I think not inartfully
I sympathize with Mr. Katchalov and the many other civilians caught up in this horrific conflict, but I do not sympathize with Ukraine as a whole. The previous regime had an understanding with the Russian Federation regarding Nato and other thorny issues; when Zelensky took power, he moved to join Nato and to militarily oppose the Russian separatists in the east. This is what triggered the conflict.
Nato membership is unacceptable to Russia, and they will oppose it even at the cost of economic relations with the West, as they are making eminently clear. China, also interested in limiting the power of the West, is graciously underwriting the expedition by purchasing Russian wheat and oil/gas, in Euros rather than dollars.
Meanwhile, the entire world is watching the United States flounder, sputter, and essentially do nothing. The outcome of this debacle will be a diminished American influence in central Europe, as they realize that the Americans will not lift a finger.
The Chinese will be emboldened as well, though dire warnings of an imminent invasion of Taiwan are pure fantasy; even though Biden's team has apparently written off Taiwan as a necessary sacrifice to preserve the Biden family's investments, Taiwan remains a powerful, stubborn, and well armed country that would likely inflict huge casualties on a Chinese invader, and then there is the possibility that Taiwan possesses proto-nukes that they might choose to assemble and use. Japan has already warned China that such an action would be unacceptable, and it's hard to imagine Australia, Philippines, South Korea, Indonesia and Thailand just sitting by idly either.
What is emerging in the post-Ukraine world is a multi-polar power structure, with a shriveled United States, a newly aggressive Russia, a dominant China, and the rest of the world hoping they won't be China's next target.
This is bullshit. Putin is using the whole NATO thing as a pretext. If NATO had committed to never admitting Ukraine, he would have come up with a different pretext. And to his compatriots in Russian he gives completely different reasons for war: he claims that Ukraine has been "genociding" Russian-speaking population and needs to be "denazified". His official reason for the war includes "denazifying" Ukraine. This has nothing to do with NATO, and everything to do with his expansionist ambitions of rebuilding the Soviet Union. Also he cannot tolerate a democratic successful nation whose people are ethnically very similar to Russians because that would undermine his regime. I know both countries very well, speak both languages, and have been following their politics for a long time.
Glad to meet someone who is so familiar with Russia and Ukraine. Can you explain what you meant by "a democratic successful nation"? How exactly is Ukraine successful, on any level? They have a shrinking population, young people are desperate to get out, the government is corrupt and autocratic, and they do indeed treat the ethnic Russians poorly.
They do not treat ethnic Russians poorly. This is Russian propaganda. If they did you would now see ethnic Russians welcoming the Russian army with flowers and fireworks. Instead they are fighting in the Ukrainian forces (enthusiastically and fiercely). I know ethnic Russians (my former classmates) in Ukraine. They all support Ukraine in this war. Regarding democracy: Unlike Russia, Ukraine has free elections, as evidenced by the fact that their presidents don't remain in power for long. They do have freedom of speech, and their presidents are being constantly criticized by their media. Is it a perfect democracy? not at all. But it is in a completely different league than Russia. On the economic level, I agree with you they have not been doing well. But I do believe that as a free democratic West-aligned nation, that started fighting corruption in their midst, they have a potential, and this, together with their democracy, is what terrifies Putin.
Another point regarding treatment of ethnic Russians in Ukraine: they have elected a president who is not only Russian-speaking, but he could barely speak any Ukrainian before the elections (he took private lessons since and can speak it much better now). He was elected by overwhelming majority, so there is no animosity towards Russian-speakers. There is no way to tell ethnic Russians from ethnic Ukrainians by their looks, much of the population is of mixed ancestry. There's basically Russian-speakers or Ukrainian-speakers (and quite a few ethnic Ukrainians have Russian as their mother tongue). The claim of mistreatment of ethnic Russians does not hold water no matter how you look at it.
There was no intention to make Ukraine part of NATO, it was not something that was happening. Putin had a list of demands, among which rolling NATO back to where it was in 1991, so Ukraine not joining NATO was just one of them. I don't think it's even feasible to make a promise that Ukraine will never become a part of NATO, this is not how these things work, and as I said already Ukraine joining NATO was nowhere on the horizon. Rolling NATO back to 1991 is impossible.
We know today why we needed NATO: to protect the western world from Putin. I completely agree with ypu that the whole US campaign regarding Trump-Russia collusion, interference in elections etc was ridiculous. However, if you followed internal Russian politics you would notice that the US and the West were perceived as bitter enemies for much longer than that, and were blamed for all that's wrong with Russia. All Putin critics are immediately called "US puppets" etc. Also if you followed Russian internal politics you would see how insanely ruthless and sadistic Putin has been to dissidents or anyone who publicly voices even tiny opposition to the regime. Case in point: all people who demonstrated agains war in Ukraine in last couple of days got arrested. The poisoning of Navalny with Novichok, his arrest on made-up charges, murder of political dissidents, the list goes on and on, and this did not start in 2016. So no, Putin is like that not because of the demonization in IS. it's much deeper than that.
So Putin was "justified" by invading Ukraine on a wide scale and waging war against civilians? I was willing to hear his laments and claims and try to negotiate a mutually agreeable solution. Before Putin decided to become a war criminal. Hopefully this will be his Waterloo, with a rededicated NATO and weaker nations clamoring for membership because Putin has become all he appeared to be in our worst nightmares.
Where did I defend Putin? I only tried to explain his motivations which have been clear from the start. Putin has not changed; he has always sought the same goals and is methodically going about achieving them. Now as for Ukraine's stupidity and naiveté, I will call them out all day long; they could have forestalled this mess by negotiating. Instead, they chose to play the Europe card, but the Europeans weren't willing to play.
You sound like the type of person that blames domestic violence on the abused. Russia doesn't get to tell Ukraine what to do. That's how sovereignty works.
Why, yes, I do blame the victim! Always! How perceptive of you. [sarc]
Welcome to the real world, where countries are constantly telling each other what to do. China is literally ordering U.S. companies to fire employees who criticize the Communists -- and they're complying. That's some fuckery.
In the case of Ukraine, there's such a thing as common sense, and don't tug on the lion's tail (or the bear's, in this case). Do you also believe that Trump "colluded" with Russia?
It was Trump who threatened to withhold aid to Ukraine that Congress had already authorized, unless Ukraine announced they were going to investigate Hunter Biden.
This is the endless and absurd argument that somehow Russia is entitled to be a colonial empire and therefore can’t possibly tolerate a defensive organization too close to it. Russia had a perfect chance to be a normal, democratic, prosperous and peaceful country after the end of the Cold War - just like, say, the Czech Republic or Poland but with much richer natural resources.
But they blew it instead, because in Russia having an empire and putting your boot on other people’s necks sells better than freedom and democracy.
Think of Finland or Sweden - they never were NATO members but never felt threatened by NATO being next door. Why? How is Russia any different, other than their imperial obsession?
Or maybe, as Putin claims, the barbaric hordes of NATO, with those ruthless Baltic people at their front, is just waiting to invade and rape poor Mother Russia, while Sweden and Finland are not appetizing enough for them? Maybe the bloodthirsty French and Germans dream of obliterating little Russia, not to mention the Americans, who after their great victories in Iraq and Afghanistan are so eager to send their people to fight for new conquests?
And if this war-mongering NATO, hell-bent on destroying Russia is so dangerous, why didn’t it actually attack Russia in the ‘90s, when the Russian officers were unpaid for months and were selling their weapons to survive?
You certainly wouldn’t accept the US being told by Russia which alliances it is or is not allowed to join, but it’s OK for Russia to do it to other, smaller countries?
It is amazing to see how Putin’s mindset is shared by some Americans.
Someone needs to study some Russian history. And geography. Russia is not like Finland and Sweden. Russia is an Asiatic country that has suffered many brutal invasions over the centuries that have shaped its mentality. They are a deeply anxious and paranoid people and any infringement on their "near frontier" makes them nervous. Their history with Ukraine is complex and intertwined. In an ideal world, Russia would have become just another European capitalistic democracy, but then in an ideal world we would also have fairies and unicorns, too. Regarding "why didn't Nato attack Russia in the '90s": bear in mind that they have a huge stockpile of ICBM's that could destroy the world several times over.
I’ve spent the first three decades of my life in the Soviet Union and communist Eastern Europe; did you? Russia’s history is something I actually lived; where did you pick up yours? From the Internet and cable news?
Your amateur hour history lesson is that the Russians are “nervous”, so we have to respect their Lebensraum, carved on the backs of their smaller neighbors. Well, maybe Putin should have bought them a lot of Xanax, instead of spending hundreds of billions on rearmament; the Russians would have definitely been both happier and more prosperous.
But the idea that it’s all about NATO enlargement was eventually discarded by Putin himself, who came up a few moths ago with a non-negociable treaty (commonly known as ultimatum) asking among others that the US withdraw all its troops from all of Europe and Asia. Even more clear, he said just a few days ago that Ukraine is not really a country and it needs to be cleansed of its neo-Nazi government (headed by no other than a president of Jewish origin!). Maybe you should put more effort in reading Putin’s work.
The first enlargement of NATO in E Europe was done in 1999 - 23 years ago. The Baltic countries joined in 2004 - 18 years ago.
Tell me, with your deep knowledge of Russian history, how many times was Russia attacked by NATO in all those years? How many times did NATO post large threatening forces, like say, 150,000 soldiers at Russia’s border? How many times did tensions rise at the border because of menacing NATO activity? I could go on, but what’s the point; your Putinesque view of history is a caricature.
Ukraine is about the become the most popular nation on the planet. The outpouring of support is amazing to watch. The resolve of the citizenry is remarkable—the stuff of legend. #standwithukraine
To those calling this man a coward or criticizing him: I don't understand you. It's so easy to sit in the comfort of your homes, out of harms way, pontificating about what you would and/or wouldn't have done. NONE of you, even if you were Ukrainians, can be certain what you would have done. Read the article again, put yourselves in his shoes; understand the psyche of this man. He was 10 years old when his mother fled with him from Ukraine, in 1991. That's all he knows in a time of war. His mother fled with him. 31 years later, he fled with his wife. I doubt if it even occurred to him to stay and fight, especially because they left before it became mandatory for men his age to stay put. They left Ukraine on February 24th, BEFORE Zelenskyy and co issued orders for every man between the ages of 18 and 60 stay and fight, AND when the American Embassy had been telling Americans to leave for weeks.
When the order came from Zelenskyy, they were already more than halfway to Hungary. What would you have him do? Leave his wife at the roadside to find her way to Hungary and head back with the other men in the truck? They passed through and around numerous roadblocks to get to Hungary. Do you think they could have gotten back to Ukraine, now that the war was in full force, with so many borders and roads now closed for the duration of the war??? Think!!!
I thank him for his story. His wife paid her employees for two months in advance. How laudable! They are co-ordinating with many of the refugees to get them places to stay and helping with food and whatever else is needed. His path was to leave and help from the outside. Others were destined to stay and fight. Some to lose their lives, sadly. All their stories will be part of history. I don't respect him any less for the path he chose in a time of extreme stress and desperation.
As for you armchair supermen and women who fancy yourselves as Marvel heroes, continue having little sympathy or empathy for the hard choices some people make in times of war. May you never have war appear at your doorsteps so we all can see just how cowardly you would have behaved.
Former member of law enforcement here, I have risked my life for others. You are the one sitting safe protected by others and assuming we're all the same as you. I do know what I would do. You would run and flee if war came to your home. I would stand and fight for mine.
I'm sorry to the people of Ukraine, because my opinion is that this happened thanks to how badly divided America is and the absolute debacle of a presidential administration we have right now. Maybe i'm wrong and it would have happened if Trump was still in office, but I highly doubt it. It's easy for anyone to see that those in power are far more interested in going after their political opponents here at home than defending America or her interests. Hell they've practically made it racist just to say you love America. Putin and Xi are well aware of this, it has consequences. It's just too bad that the people of Ukraine have to pay for them.
I’m sure Trump telling Putin he would bomb the Kremlin if Russia invaded Ukraine had an impact. As did blowing up Iranian generals. But the greatest impact was probably from Trump disrupting our State Department’s ability to engage unimpeded in passive aggressive, manipulative, corrupt, and underhanded meddling.
A strongman respects strength and exploits weakness. But if you want to guarantee the strongman will go nuclear you confront him with weak people who are also snakes. So people who went to Harvard basically. Our permanent government.
There’s 10 year old girls holding guns in some of the pictures. There’s also groups going back in armed to the teeth. Your essay seems like it’s ridden with guilt and trying to explain away your leaving. Lots of American citizens died so you had the freedom to leave. Grab a German stinger and go back in. Do it for yourself. Might even be safer than Budapest.
I did some digging to see if the author was also a Ukrainian citizen but he’s a professional poker player? Why do we care about this guy? Seriously Bari, Kim Kardashian was bad enough, but poker players add nothing to the world and encourage others to lose their life savings. I’m unsubbing.
Even if you don’t admire the author, I see a ton of value in reading first – hand accounts from “citizen journalist“ on the scene. There’s much more value in this than reading a processed report from CNN or other main stream media. No one should unsubscribe just because they don’t admire this particular author.
Gotta love all the brave keyboard warriors chastising the author for not picking up a gun and fighting, as if they'd have the balls to do so if shit ever actually hits their fans. Boy, do we love to talk big from behind our comfortable, blue-screen anonymity. Real tough, guys, real tough.
Bro, delete your comment. You really just trivialized the challenges of keyboard warriors?!?! Bro, I was in the trenches in Gamergate and LITERALLY dozens of other trivial Twitter scuffles. I've watched as HUNDRED of my brothers in arms were BRUTALLY brought down by torrents of slurs and insults. I've LITERALLY stood head-to-head (figuratively) with LITERAL grammar-nazi's AND Neiman Marxists. What have YOU done?!
Yeah, think twice before insulting our honor! I would absolutely DESTROY YOU in a Discord chat! Do you even Reddit, bro?
Utter nonsense. It is fair game to criticize someone who chose the easy out. Not everyone can be brave but that's why we lionize the brave in our national histories. To set proper examples. So that, when the moment comes, people can make the right choice. Maybe someone who doesn't intervene when a woman is attacked on the subway is making the smart choice. But do we want to incentivize that choice? Or propagate it? Not in a decent society.
Given how "the woke" goblins evidently live rent free in some heads, the blowhards in these comments strike me as the type to turn-tail and run to a red state if their home state started getting a little too blue for their taste. A lot of folks talk big on the internet, but the minute shit gets uncomfortable or inconvenient, they chicken out and run for higher ground. This guy's city was blowing up and was invaded by foreign troops. Most of the big talkers on here calling him a coward would want to "bug out" to greener pastures because a city council meeting didn't go their way.
Thank you for this. I feel more connected with the people of Ukraine after having read it. The problem with most of us is our lack of general affinity with humanity as it has been replaced by myopic tribalism. But I was you in this story... reliving the same scenario in my own life.... even as it is not (yet) my life. And with that I just donated to causes to help the Ukrainian people as it now feels like I am also helping myself.
New video out of Ukraine shows a Russian tank running down and smashing a small car driven by a Ukrainian old man. These totalitarians are backed by evil people in a uniform. Like always, it will take brave and moral people in a different uniform to bring the evil people to justice.
The US Democrat totalitarians are just a few years away from doing similar things. If you don't believe that, I have some amazing swamp land to sell you for a good price.
I don’t respect this coward. He should have stayed to fight. That is your country you say? You’re a man, why did you run away with the women and childern? I’ve put my life on the line for my community and country. Yours needed you and you didn’t answer the call. Sometimes as men we have to knowingly go to our death in war. It is what it is. Nobody talks about the burden men shoulder anymore. Don’t run, have courage, go back and fight. Your city needs you.
I’m not going to bog down in the disgusting politics of everyone scrambling to give China Joe credit for uniting Europe and getting Germany to boost their military spending going forward. Obviously it was Putin invading a country that did that. Psychotic to claim otherwise.
All I will say as a non-interventionist conservative is that Poland needs to be converted into a goddam weapons depot right now.
Deal with the people who failed later. We all know who they are.
And yes, the fact that I follow a couple of Eastern European swimsuit models on Instagram has shaped my ability to grasp how horrifying this is. That city looks like my city. What the actual hell is going on.
When we heard that the government was handing out weapons to citizens who wanted them, we didn’t think anyone would get in line. But we’ve been told thousands of people are standing in line, old and young, to get these guns.
My first thought was you wouldn't have to stand in line to get weapons if you were already armed and prepared. I hope once they receive their weapon they know how to load it and handle malfunctions.
I assume that tomorrow we're going to hear a personal story from a "Russian separatist" (i.e., Russian-speaking Ukrainian) who lost a loved one in eastern Ukraine when the Ukraine government continued shelling that area and never really adhered to the Minsk cease-fire. Or maybe you'll do an article about the open presence of neo-Nazis on the Ukrainian government. Or maybe you'll print an article about the Maidan coup, where US "intelligence" helped overthrew a democratically elected government and put this government in power, handpicking its members. Or maybe you'll print an article on how when Germany was unified, the promise was made that NATO would never expand any further east. Or maybe you'll do an article on how Zelensky has jailed opposition journalists in Ukraine and turned his country into a US client state. Or maybe you'll do an article on how this "war" benefits US energy interests and deflects mightily from the problems here, which just seem to be coming to a head after two years of twisting "science," the CDC and FDA being politicized and bought out, and common people suffering while the wealthy grow wealthier and our "elites" don't obey their own rules. I can list a couple authors for you to contact: Aaron Mate or Max Blumenthal to start. Should I hold my breath? So is my subscription really worth it, or is "Common Sense" just more "Common Propaganda lite"?
And to hear Putin tell it, he's making war on neo-Nazis who are killing Russian speaking Ukrainians. Funny how I'm supposed to believe one is true and not the other. Mayhap our "leaders" were lying then and he's lying now.
That's Russian propaganda word for word. All of that is false. Seriously, neo-Nazis in Ukrainian government, with Jewish president? Do you actually really believe the stuff or you just write is because you are told to? How about Budapest memorandum that Russia signed which guaranteed Ukrainian territorial integrity?
Everyone seems to think that because the Leftists have been throwing the word "nazi" around at anyone they don't like, Putin is just following their bad example. But the reality is that neo-Nazis appear to be in bed with the current government of Ukraine, despite the fact that the president is Jewish.
Putin is already threatening Sweden and Finland and he has made the case for seizing Estonia Latvia etc. It doesn’t matter how bad you think Ukraine is. Not relevant.
I have no doubt that Tony Podesta and friends made this way worse, and disrupting their ubiquitous shystering by electing Trump is part of what forestalled this.
Doesn’t matter. Our fellow countrymen decided to reinstall those sacks of shit into power and now we have a serious problem.
And you know this how? Oh, yes, that's right, the same two-faced, warmongering US media and elite that got the globe into this mess. Europe isn't really hitting Putin where it hurts (oil). The banks won't be kicked out of SWIFT for 30 days, and even then it's select banks, not all Russian banks. Italy and Belgium don't want luxury goods sanctioned because they make money off Russia. So how worried is Europe about Russia moving beyond Ukraine? Answer, not really at all, or they would be acting differently. So I'll take Europe's actions over "media accounts" any day.
I believe zero things I see on the news. This has not cornered me into a position where I am totally discounting, as you are, the possibility (fact) that Europe is run by cowardly, pampered, utopian, capitulationists who still, like children, think a robust dialogue can bring peace with a multibillionaire psychopath who invades a city because his ancestors used to own it, or whatever, so why not kill a shitload of people.
That's the thing. I don't see any "good guys" in this fight, when it comes to leadership (although I feel sorry for those citizens of Ukraine who are genuinely innocent in this conflict). NATO countries have been quietly avoiding their defense responsibilities, while simultaneously complaining loudly about how evil the U.S. is.
Despite the media's hurry to dismiss Putin's use of the word "nazi," the reality is that neo-nazis are in bed with the government of Ukraine, regardless of the fact that the current president is Jewish. There is an entire official unit of the Ukrainian National Guard that is composed of neo-nazis.
It's worth noting that China is backing Russia in this endeavor. China will probably need the backup if they invade Taiwan, which seems all the more likely now that we have a China-friendly POTUS. I doubt that either Russia or China are afraid to reboot the Cold War with Biden as their U.S. opponent.
No, I don't support his "invasion." You people are sickening. I'm not a Putin apologist nor a closet communist. "Common Sense" would dictate that when we're talking the threat of nuclear war, it is not an either-or conversation. It's a how do we understand this and not get so emotionally overwrought that we can't find a way out that leaves the most people alive. And to do that, we need to hold Ukraine and the US elites accountable for their role in this.
Oh, it started way before that. I remember lies about a three-letter acronym (WMD) that led to a still-going occupation of a foreign country, much to their detriment and ours. You see, funny thing, I've seen this film before. So here's another three words for you: "mutually assured destruction." Think on those for a while, because our "leaders" sure as hell aren't. Maybe we should approach this with a practical nature, a whole lot of skepticism, and a very cool head. Because I don't know about you, but I don't have twenty years worth of food in a plush bunker in my backyard.
One man's "terrorist" is another man's "freedom fighter." If you're willing to say we "invaded" Iraq and Afghanistan, I'm willing to take my quotes off "invasion." But that becomes a serious complication for you. I am consistent. Stay the hell out of other places. Most other people on here are not. I can tell by their lack of knowledge of the situation and their black and white attitude. In their eyes, the US "liberates." We never, ever "invade."
The US did invade Iraq and Afghanistan in efforts to free these countries from vicious, murderous tyrants. Putin is forcing his army to invade Ukraine because he wants to impose his own murderous, vicious tyranny.
Um, and how has that worked out? And go look up "Odessa Massacre" on DuckDuckGo or "nazi ukraine" and the Azov battalion. Putin very much thinks he's "liberating" a group of people, or at least as much as we "liberated" the Afghanis and the Iraqis.
Hold elites accountable?? You literally just made the argument that you trust the judgement of elites because Italy still wants to sell loafers in Russia therefore that means Putin will not go any further because Italian elites are sharp and savvy.
Of course they think they can sell him loafers and negotiate peace. These are globalist, cuckold, utopian collectivist, dipshit simpletons. Their fancifulness does not guarantee Putin stops here.
I don’t want a war. I consider Ukraine lost and we should send them weapons and food so they can slow Putin down, stop him if we’re lucky, and degrade Russia’s position while we arm the rest of Europe to the teeth.
Why do you think Ukraine is lost? If the reports are correct, the Russians are demoralized, many are conscripts that have no idea why they are there, their supply lines are failing and with Putin talking about nukes from his redoubt in the Urals with his oligarchs surrounding him, it’s more than likely the oligarchs see him as a deranged threat and take him out. Because all the money in the world will be useless in nuclear winter.
Well it’s not that I think it’s lost for sure I just don’t want to send in forces. As I said we should have a conveyor belt of weapons set up for them.
Where we should send forces, and weapons, and everything, is to the surrounding countries, before it’s too late.
Jared Kushner walking in off the street and solving the Middle East was example 1A of how imbecilic our foreign policy establishment is. I’ve been saying since Afghanistan that we should be arming countries like this with assault rifles for every citizen and laser/heat missiles. You don’t need any of the big stuff. Just dare the occupiers to come in and make their life hell until they are forced to leave. They are doing this now in a scramble.
Need more global guerrilla prep. Give them a nice financing package on the purchase. Throw in the undercoating for free.
Max B? Clinton advisor Sydney's alt left conspiracy nut son and Assad, Iranian Mullah, Maduro shill? That Max? And as far as who the neonazi wing of the alt right supports in 2022, that would be Putin hands down.
I'm sorry but 80 year-olds are grabbing weapons and joining the fight. You ran away. I get that you're scared and have a family. But so are the people resisting in Kiev right now. I am not impressed by this story. This seems like what the woke in our country would do. The Ukrainian patriots have shown us another path. A brave and noble one. I would have preferred their story.
Bruce,
May your hometown never be levelled by invading Russians. The explosions might knock you down off your high horse.
To the author of this story: Peace be with you and your countrymen.
Kiev is hardly "leveled." I was watching the "shelling." Everyone had their lights on. Doesn't anyone find that a little strange? That if residential areas are afraid of being bombed, they would leave their lights on at night?
Truth hurt? When do you stop running? Or don't you?
I live in the suburbs of southeastern Pennsylvania. What the fuck would I need to run from, aside from angry little men named Bruce?
He went to Hungary. What happened to Hungary in 1956? Angry? Nope. Just disappointed that this is the story we get when Ukrainians are staying and resisting.
To be fair, I don’t think the ones who stayed to fight are available to write pieces for Bari at the moment.
😬😬😬
Maybe next month after Biden’s sanctions usher in utopia.
This man is helping his fellow countrymen reach safety. This is not a diminished role; it's a necessary one. Instead of sitting there and criticizing his actions, how about you think of ways you can help.
Bullshit. Fight the invaders. This is THEIR fight
Yes, great wishes. But Eugene has a responsibility
If I understood correctly, the author is not Ukrainian but American. True, he has been living in Ukraine and obviously has strong connections there, but it's not the same.
Too, it's not proper to judge someone's behavior so harshly with so little information. And publicly, at that.
He’s an American citizen now, but he was born in ukraine, lived there for 10 years, then came back. Bet he wouldn’t fight for America either.
You don't know that.
You don’t know that he would.
And he certainly was eager to flee even while saying “ Fleeing my hometown. Again.” And seeing “ There was a massive crane and men building a checkpoint, cobbling together walls made of sandbags.These weren’t military people. Just local men who put on uniforms to protect their home.”
So it doesn’t take a great leap to figure this guy is a runner.
He chose to make it public. Common sense chose to print it. It was fair game. And he provided all the information necessary.
If he has opened himself up to criticism, we're not obligated to criticize.
But we are free to do so. And if you read carefully what I wrote I simply said that this story was not impressive. Informative, yes but not impressive given the courage we see on display in Kiev.
And folks are free to point out what a loudmouth pussy boy you are.
"Folks" who hide behind phony names and computer screens like scared little boys. Please don't bother the adults.
Are we obligated not to? Is that a microaggression if we do?
Not that I know of, but I'm sure it's not a kindness.
Then that could, if the commenter chose, convey a coherent, intended message. In the USA, we are quite accustomed to being bullied into submission to praising the wrong things.
Mike...good point
Thanks.
I agree. A Red Dawn fighter he is not. And trying to help men of 18-60 get out is ridiculous. So who will fight? And he didn’t have children so it was adults fleeing.
This is not a profile in courage.
I don't think we can judge individuals for their decisions. They have to make the best decisions for them and their families. Those who are staying to fight are courageous, but staying isn't an option for everyone.
I said that I understood he was scared and worried for his family. But how about the citizens of Kiev who were equally scared and worried. But stayed and fought. I'd prefer to hear their stories.
Okay, that's fair. But this is just one story. Knowing this publication, they are probably going to cover the whole gamut of stories coming out of there. I also think it's really important to point out that they are showing courage in their own way too. They appear to be working very hard to get people to safety and provide resources. The fight happens on both sides of the border, and we need brave people everywhere. <3 Just my two cents.
I appreciate your take on it. We never know how we'll act under the circumstances but clearly the Ukrainians who stayed and fought are worthy of our admiration.
Truly. I’m in absolute awe of how much integrity, grit, and strength of character your average Ukrainian has. I’m sad to admit it, but I feel if something similar were to happen in the US, we’d crumple like a ball of tinfoil.
Don't be so sure. I think our fellow countrymen and women might surprise you. At least enough to make a difference.
Running away is NOT COURAGE!!
I think @Bruce Miller and others here have a point. It's certainly possible that the author made choices that were, shall we say, less than heroic. And heroism is a good thing. We should laud heroism and disdain cowardice. It's terribly presumptuous, though, to think we can plumb his character based on this narrow window, and even if we could, it's unkind to point it out; we should disdain cowardice in our thoughts and in our teaching, but focusing on other people's flaws is rarely a good thing.
I think that’s a good point to bring up as well. One thing that Viktor Frankl wrote in “Man’s Search for Meaning” was that it wasn’t the best of them that survived the concentration camps. The most selfless ones often died first. Many of the survivors participated in selfish acts and lived with awful guilt. I’m just grateful that I never had to walk in either of their shoes and make those choices.
I think we’re really quick to judge situations and people’s character through their reactions to the situation, but there are a lot of nuances, sacrifices, and imperfect solutions to all our options. And you’re right, all we can do is focus on our own courage and good actions. Focusing on others failings doesn’t make us better people.
True and we don't know if we'll be cowardly or selfish one minute and then heroic and selfless the next. But we laud heroism for a reason. As a teaching tool. Was Rosa Parks heroic or just tired and fed up? Or both? But she made a difference and is rightly lauded. I guess, at the very least, I ignited a lively discussion.
That is ridiculous decisions are exactly what you judge someone for.
Can you really judge someone when you don’t know their full circumstances? What about the people who fled who are disabled? Who have small children or elderly parents? Who have been injured?
We are very lucky in the US that we can theorize, hypothesize, and judge people fleeing war zones when we ourselves are sitting very comfortably in our homes at a computer.
He just wrote an article about his circumstances. Didn't you read it? You said "I don't think we can judge individuals for their decisions. They have to make the best decisions for them and their families." I absolutely can judge someone's decisions. What if he decided robbing other families as he flees the country was best for him and his family? I would judge that as immoral. So your logic instantly collapses when you stop to think about it for a few moments. What if he made the decision to stay and fight while his wife and children flee, I would judge that as courageous. Again the logic here collapses immediately.
Well, I have risked my safety for others and served my community. So I do what I would do if my home was invaded by an oppressor. I would not run and hide. Again, that is the thinking of a person who has been protected by other people their whole life. You would flee a war if it came to your home, I would stay and fight for mine. We're made up of different stuff. This guy is no hero.
It's great to know we have someone so omnipotent at the helm.
We absolutely can and should express what we think. We all judge all the time, but we often decide not to vocalize our thoughts so how about some honesty for a change?
Absolutely! Please try that out the next time you're asked "Do these pants make me look fat?" We're all interested to know how it works out.
Of course we judge people for their decisions. Are you crazy?? If I decide to put a billet in your head I will be judged. Please!!
And I think for now we can just be grateful we don’t have to make that decision for ourselves. It’s very easy to be brave in theory—less so in practice.
It might come sooner that you think. In any event it happens every day. How about the two security guards in New York City who locked the door when the poor Asian woman was being beaten? They could have tried to help her? Is getting a beating worse than living with knowing you did nothing? This stuff does matter.
Judge not lest ye be judged. Thank God that you're not forced to make a choice. YET.
Agree with Mr Daly. The only people who have the right to slam Eugene right now are ones who have answered a similar call in their own lives - as in had their community invaded and took up arms with no training. Calling him a coward isnt really useful.
I did not call him a coward. I simply observed that he fled to safety. Mr. Daly and I have no disagreement.
No Bruce you didn’t and I apologize if it seemed I was misquoting you. Others have used that line or one close to it elsewhere in the comments and that is what I was referring to.
No need to apologize. But I appreciate it. I should have been more judicious in my choice of words in any event.
But it’s true. Sorry
See my comment below. I acknowledged that. But you never know when you might have to face such a choice. And examples of people who fight - whether against Russian invaders, or the howling woke mob, are better examples, ne c'est pas?
I'm happy to have this story: the insight it offers, the first-hand witnessing it reflects. I'm more than willing to shelve my consumer preferences for a specific sort of war story, at least for the time being, and take what I can get--painfully aware as I am that all Ukrainians are suffering right now.
What engendered my comment was the earlier comment of 7C002 who observed:
"Wonderful story of courage, persistence, puck and luck. Thank you. " The article offered insight as you observed but it clearly was not a story of courage. Or pluck, which I think the commenter intended.
Bruce, I fled Cuba at age 9. My father was in a forced labor camp and we were all separated. The great privilege we have in the US is rarely having to make Sophie's Choice decisions.
Look what Eugene is doing:
"Since we’ve gotten to Budapest, we’ve been doing everything we can to help people get out. It started with friends, then friends of friends of friends. My wife and I both have large followings online and we are using them as best we can. My wife posted her phone number on her Instagram story, and has been getting diabetes medicine to hospitals in Ukraine, or water to families—whatever she can do. Hundreds of people in Europe have contacted me offering their apartments up to refugees, so I have been connecting them. A family of seven will sleep safely in Krakow tonight in a kind stranger’s apartment. "
Bruce all the cowards are coming out to criticize you because they would never have the guts ti risk their own safety for their country or to protect another person.
I hope and pray I would stand and not run
Most likely would depend upon whose side of the story you bought into. That, and the status of your resources.
I had the exact same reaction "I'm an America who spends a lot of time playing poker in Ukraine, but I made sure to grab my crypto to split for the Coast! I was never in any danger, but I ran away anyway, and was totally surprised when actual Ukrainians stayed to fight, because my posse and I would never doing anything less than self-serving"
Who is this jackass, anyway??
Oh, and let me now when you want to man up and travel there. I will find you a ticket. Poseur.
What a bullshit argument. I'm not Ukrainian. You have quite a big mouth behind the safety of a keyboard.
You are the a-hole who criticized this American getting out of danger. You are not Ukrainian? So Fucking What? You trash another citizen, you get it back in spades. Don't be a dick.
He called Kiev his hometown. Did you miss that? Again, not impressed with the tough talk behind a keyboard. You don't like that I criticized him? Fine, that's your right. But a lot of people apparently agree with me. So I'm not entirely off base.
He was born there, dick breath. Get it? Everyone has a "hometown" where they were born. It is not tough talk from me, dick breath. It is truth and ... You can't handle the truth.
If you think your opinions are validated by popularity rather than reason, you are likely a Woke boy , Kowtowing to the Progs of the world. Pathetic.
You're really quite a demented child.
Being a dick is being unwilling to help your country when it is being INVADED
As do you. How about a little empathy for someone who is doing what he can to protect his family? Agree with Running Burning Man if you are so manly and judgmental get on a plane and put your money where your mouth is. Otherwise sit back on your comfy sofa and fantasize some more about how courageous you would be if you were in the situation.
You just had to wade in. He called Ukraine his hometown. He lived there and built a business there. I showed empathy in saying I understood he was scared. But his running has to be contrasted with Ukrainians who stayed to fight. Who also had businesses and families. Your adoption of the Running Child's argument about going to fight in Ukraine is foolish. Ukraine is not our country. We have no obligation to fight for Ukraine. But Mr. Katchalov did. And we can probably all agree that we have an obligation to support Ukraine by supporting sanctions and providing weapons.
Fuck off. I hope all of us would fight to the death if USA was invaded. This is not our fight, but it was his
I hope we would too. But we aren't in the situation and you haven't. Easy to judge sitting on your comfy sofa eating Cheetos.
I read that the Ukraine government is asking for foreign volunteers to join the fight. Have You already packed to go and follow the call? If not You shouldn't try to shame other people for not taking a gun. It's very easy to tell other people to grab a gun from the safety of Your own sofa in front of a screen. Once You're faced with the prospect of getting gunned down Yourself it's a completely different story.
Bruce, have you run from building to building being shot at? Have you shot at it enemy combatant?
You do get that this fellow is an AMERICAN CITIZEN, don't you? Don't be a dick.
Capital letters no less. Unimpressive. He was an American citizen living in Ukraine and making a good living there.
You have no idea what sort of "living" this guy makes. So what if he is living there? You are truly a troll and a ... dick. Man up pussy boy. Head east and pick up a weapon. Oh, not wanting to do that? You are truly a pathetic being.
This kind of name-calling is not welcome on this blog.
Mea culpa. I should not have engaged with him. I get that feelings are running high. I guess we're all more than beyond shocked that Putin would violate all civilized norms and carry us back to a more barbaric age.
Try reading the article. He built a business there as did his wife. He called it his hometown. Trolls are people who hide behind a keyboard. And don't have the courage to use their real names. But you reveal much in yours.....
I agree you 100%. The article should have been subtitled "A Profile in Cowardice"
(I'm a US Army Veteran who believes in standing up for your country - even if its an adopted country)
Born in Ukraine, living in Ukraine. Should have helped his chosen country
FYI the Wall Street Journal has an article out today about native born Ukrainians streaming back into the Ukraine from around Europe to fight. So it would appear that Bruce is more in line with how humans behave when it comes to protecting ones home, and the dozens of "You wouldn't do that yourself" are projecting their own lack of courage on to other people. As I can only assume that people sharing that sentiment means they wouldn't lift a finger to protect their home from invasion.
So agree. Our woke would run, just like this
That's a lot of hubris Bruce. You imply that YOU would take up arms and stay. I won't speculate on what I may have done, until you are in that situation, it's impossible to say. I won't criticize or belittle the choice of others.
What a tragedy. Awful. This is what happens when we have a weak, feckless president.
Apparently, Biden is using The Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication to impose sanctions on Russia. This is called the nuclear financial option; in turn, Putin puts the Russian nuclear force on high alert! That’s what a weak feckless president does; force Putin to put his nuclear force on high, is the threat of nuclear holocaust enough for you?
The reason Vladimir has invaded Ukraine,
is to help Donnie Trump and the Republican Party!
Jahbulon, are you unhappy with me?
Very good!
Thank you for the post and perspective. As an American who frankly knows very little about Ukraine, I have been deeply moved and disturbed by this conflict. I can’t take my eyes off the news. I’ve been watching every video I can find.
I would like to believe that despite whatever political and ideological differences we may have, most of us can agree that this is an assault on our own way of life. I would like to believe that if it came to pass, I would stay and fight to preserve the freedoms that I once took for granted. Honestly I can't say for sure. I say that as someone who has served in times of conflict. That experience taught me that none of us are sure. At least not until the time comes. Kid yourself if you like. It doesn't matter if you're a patriot. It doesn't matter if you have family. It doesn't matter how many houses or cars you own. It doesnt matter how many guns you own for your defense or amusement. Death is the greatest equalizer of our hopes and fears.
Like others, I would love to hear from those who stayed to fight. Especially the bankers, doctors, politicians, tech workers, waiters, and many other everyday people who have likely never held a weapon before. But they're too busy acing the ultimate test of a free people. I support them and honor them and wish them the grace of God or good fortune that they may prevail. And I pray that their sacrifice free their children and own children from this burden.
Thank you. You said what I was trying inartfully to convey. We don't know what we would have done, but how about hearing from those who did stay? And there are many.
Beautifully said. I’m not sure what I would do. Humans want to live. I am human. I might choose to live and die heroically. I might run. If I did run I would be conflicted, probably holed up in a bar and Im sure I wouldn’t be writing personal essays. Also, Bruce, you might have stated your mind summarily but I think not inartfully
I sympathize with Mr. Katchalov and the many other civilians caught up in this horrific conflict, but I do not sympathize with Ukraine as a whole. The previous regime had an understanding with the Russian Federation regarding Nato and other thorny issues; when Zelensky took power, he moved to join Nato and to militarily oppose the Russian separatists in the east. This is what triggered the conflict.
Nato membership is unacceptable to Russia, and they will oppose it even at the cost of economic relations with the West, as they are making eminently clear. China, also interested in limiting the power of the West, is graciously underwriting the expedition by purchasing Russian wheat and oil/gas, in Euros rather than dollars.
Meanwhile, the entire world is watching the United States flounder, sputter, and essentially do nothing. The outcome of this debacle will be a diminished American influence in central Europe, as they realize that the Americans will not lift a finger.
The Chinese will be emboldened as well, though dire warnings of an imminent invasion of Taiwan are pure fantasy; even though Biden's team has apparently written off Taiwan as a necessary sacrifice to preserve the Biden family's investments, Taiwan remains a powerful, stubborn, and well armed country that would likely inflict huge casualties on a Chinese invader, and then there is the possibility that Taiwan possesses proto-nukes that they might choose to assemble and use. Japan has already warned China that such an action would be unacceptable, and it's hard to imagine Australia, Philippines, South Korea, Indonesia and Thailand just sitting by idly either.
What is emerging in the post-Ukraine world is a multi-polar power structure, with a shriveled United States, a newly aggressive Russia, a dominant China, and the rest of the world hoping they won't be China's next target.
This is bullshit. Putin is using the whole NATO thing as a pretext. If NATO had committed to never admitting Ukraine, he would have come up with a different pretext. And to his compatriots in Russian he gives completely different reasons for war: he claims that Ukraine has been "genociding" Russian-speaking population and needs to be "denazified". His official reason for the war includes "denazifying" Ukraine. This has nothing to do with NATO, and everything to do with his expansionist ambitions of rebuilding the Soviet Union. Also he cannot tolerate a democratic successful nation whose people are ethnically very similar to Russians because that would undermine his regime. I know both countries very well, speak both languages, and have been following their politics for a long time.
Glad to meet someone who is so familiar with Russia and Ukraine. Can you explain what you meant by "a democratic successful nation"? How exactly is Ukraine successful, on any level? They have a shrinking population, young people are desperate to get out, the government is corrupt and autocratic, and they do indeed treat the ethnic Russians poorly.
They do not treat ethnic Russians poorly. This is Russian propaganda. If they did you would now see ethnic Russians welcoming the Russian army with flowers and fireworks. Instead they are fighting in the Ukrainian forces (enthusiastically and fiercely). I know ethnic Russians (my former classmates) in Ukraine. They all support Ukraine in this war. Regarding democracy: Unlike Russia, Ukraine has free elections, as evidenced by the fact that their presidents don't remain in power for long. They do have freedom of speech, and their presidents are being constantly criticized by their media. Is it a perfect democracy? not at all. But it is in a completely different league than Russia. On the economic level, I agree with you they have not been doing well. But I do believe that as a free democratic West-aligned nation, that started fighting corruption in their midst, they have a potential, and this, together with their democracy, is what terrifies Putin.
Another point regarding treatment of ethnic Russians in Ukraine: they have elected a president who is not only Russian-speaking, but he could barely speak any Ukrainian before the elections (he took private lessons since and can speak it much better now). He was elected by overwhelming majority, so there is no animosity towards Russian-speakers. There is no way to tell ethnic Russians from ethnic Ukrainians by their looks, much of the population is of mixed ancestry. There's basically Russian-speakers or Ukrainian-speakers (and quite a few ethnic Ukrainians have Russian as their mother tongue). The claim of mistreatment of ethnic Russians does not hold water no matter how you look at it.
wrong thread?
There was no intention to make Ukraine part of NATO, it was not something that was happening. Putin had a list of demands, among which rolling NATO back to where it was in 1991, so Ukraine not joining NATO was just one of them. I don't think it's even feasible to make a promise that Ukraine will never become a part of NATO, this is not how these things work, and as I said already Ukraine joining NATO was nowhere on the horizon. Rolling NATO back to 1991 is impossible.
We know today why we needed NATO: to protect the western world from Putin. I completely agree with ypu that the whole US campaign regarding Trump-Russia collusion, interference in elections etc was ridiculous. However, if you followed internal Russian politics you would notice that the US and the West were perceived as bitter enemies for much longer than that, and were blamed for all that's wrong with Russia. All Putin critics are immediately called "US puppets" etc. Also if you followed Russian internal politics you would see how insanely ruthless and sadistic Putin has been to dissidents or anyone who publicly voices even tiny opposition to the regime. Case in point: all people who demonstrated agains war in Ukraine in last couple of days got arrested. The poisoning of Navalny with Novichok, his arrest on made-up charges, murder of political dissidents, the list goes on and on, and this did not start in 2016. So no, Putin is like that not because of the demonization in IS. it's much deeper than that.
So Putin was "justified" by invading Ukraine on a wide scale and waging war against civilians? I was willing to hear his laments and claims and try to negotiate a mutually agreeable solution. Before Putin decided to become a war criminal. Hopefully this will be his Waterloo, with a rededicated NATO and weaker nations clamoring for membership because Putin has become all he appeared to be in our worst nightmares.
Where did I defend Putin? I only tried to explain his motivations which have been clear from the start. Putin has not changed; he has always sought the same goals and is methodically going about achieving them. Now as for Ukraine's stupidity and naiveté, I will call them out all day long; they could have forestalled this mess by negotiating. Instead, they chose to play the Europe card, but the Europeans weren't willing to play.
I did not say you defended Putin. I was simply pointing out that he lost all claims when he launched an invasion that has killed civilians.
You sound like the type of person that blames domestic violence on the abused. Russia doesn't get to tell Ukraine what to do. That's how sovereignty works.
Why, yes, I do blame the victim! Always! How perceptive of you. [sarc]
Welcome to the real world, where countries are constantly telling each other what to do. China is literally ordering U.S. companies to fire employees who criticize the Communists -- and they're complying. That's some fuckery.
In the case of Ukraine, there's such a thing as common sense, and don't tug on the lion's tail (or the bear's, in this case). Do you also believe that Trump "colluded" with Russia?
It was Trump who threatened to withhold billions, not Biden.
Wrong. he and obama also withheld defensive weapons and sent MREs and blankets.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ez4xDZdNR6w
It was Trump who threatened to withhold aid to Ukraine that Congress had already authorized, unless Ukraine announced they were going to investigate Hunter Biden.
The President is not MIA. And Hunter has no role in the government.
A Trumpian fantasy. Zero evidence for this.
This is the endless and absurd argument that somehow Russia is entitled to be a colonial empire and therefore can’t possibly tolerate a defensive organization too close to it. Russia had a perfect chance to be a normal, democratic, prosperous and peaceful country after the end of the Cold War - just like, say, the Czech Republic or Poland but with much richer natural resources.
But they blew it instead, because in Russia having an empire and putting your boot on other people’s necks sells better than freedom and democracy.
Think of Finland or Sweden - they never were NATO members but never felt threatened by NATO being next door. Why? How is Russia any different, other than their imperial obsession?
Or maybe, as Putin claims, the barbaric hordes of NATO, with those ruthless Baltic people at their front, is just waiting to invade and rape poor Mother Russia, while Sweden and Finland are not appetizing enough for them? Maybe the bloodthirsty French and Germans dream of obliterating little Russia, not to mention the Americans, who after their great victories in Iraq and Afghanistan are so eager to send their people to fight for new conquests?
And if this war-mongering NATO, hell-bent on destroying Russia is so dangerous, why didn’t it actually attack Russia in the ‘90s, when the Russian officers were unpaid for months and were selling their weapons to survive?
You certainly wouldn’t accept the US being told by Russia which alliances it is or is not allowed to join, but it’s OK for Russia to do it to other, smaller countries?
It is amazing to see how Putin’s mindset is shared by some Americans.
Someone needs to study some Russian history. And geography. Russia is not like Finland and Sweden. Russia is an Asiatic country that has suffered many brutal invasions over the centuries that have shaped its mentality. They are a deeply anxious and paranoid people and any infringement on their "near frontier" makes them nervous. Their history with Ukraine is complex and intertwined. In an ideal world, Russia would have become just another European capitalistic democracy, but then in an ideal world we would also have fairies and unicorns, too. Regarding "why didn't Nato attack Russia in the '90s": bear in mind that they have a huge stockpile of ICBM's that could destroy the world several times over.
I’ve spent the first three decades of my life in the Soviet Union and communist Eastern Europe; did you? Russia’s history is something I actually lived; where did you pick up yours? From the Internet and cable news?
Your amateur hour history lesson is that the Russians are “nervous”, so we have to respect their Lebensraum, carved on the backs of their smaller neighbors. Well, maybe Putin should have bought them a lot of Xanax, instead of spending hundreds of billions on rearmament; the Russians would have definitely been both happier and more prosperous.
But the idea that it’s all about NATO enlargement was eventually discarded by Putin himself, who came up a few moths ago with a non-negociable treaty (commonly known as ultimatum) asking among others that the US withdraw all its troops from all of Europe and Asia. Even more clear, he said just a few days ago that Ukraine is not really a country and it needs to be cleansed of its neo-Nazi government (headed by no other than a president of Jewish origin!). Maybe you should put more effort in reading Putin’s work.
The first enlargement of NATO in E Europe was done in 1999 - 23 years ago. The Baltic countries joined in 2004 - 18 years ago.
Tell me, with your deep knowledge of Russian history, how many times was Russia attacked by NATO in all those years? How many times did NATO post large threatening forces, like say, 150,000 soldiers at Russia’s border? How many times did tensions rise at the border because of menacing NATO activity? I could go on, but what’s the point; your Putinesque view of history is a caricature.
Excellent post. And correct
Ukraine is about the become the most popular nation on the planet. The outpouring of support is amazing to watch. The resolve of the citizenry is remarkable—the stuff of legend. #standwithukraine
The next time anyone says "Why do you need so many rounds?" let's use this as exhibit A.
Please make a note that the only thing giving Ukraine a chance of surviving is their nationalism, which appears to be fairly hardcore.
To those calling this man a coward or criticizing him: I don't understand you. It's so easy to sit in the comfort of your homes, out of harms way, pontificating about what you would and/or wouldn't have done. NONE of you, even if you were Ukrainians, can be certain what you would have done. Read the article again, put yourselves in his shoes; understand the psyche of this man. He was 10 years old when his mother fled with him from Ukraine, in 1991. That's all he knows in a time of war. His mother fled with him. 31 years later, he fled with his wife. I doubt if it even occurred to him to stay and fight, especially because they left before it became mandatory for men his age to stay put. They left Ukraine on February 24th, BEFORE Zelenskyy and co issued orders for every man between the ages of 18 and 60 stay and fight, AND when the American Embassy had been telling Americans to leave for weeks.
When the order came from Zelenskyy, they were already more than halfway to Hungary. What would you have him do? Leave his wife at the roadside to find her way to Hungary and head back with the other men in the truck? They passed through and around numerous roadblocks to get to Hungary. Do you think they could have gotten back to Ukraine, now that the war was in full force, with so many borders and roads now closed for the duration of the war??? Think!!!
I thank him for his story. His wife paid her employees for two months in advance. How laudable! They are co-ordinating with many of the refugees to get them places to stay and helping with food and whatever else is needed. His path was to leave and help from the outside. Others were destined to stay and fight. Some to lose their lives, sadly. All their stories will be part of history. I don't respect him any less for the path he chose in a time of extreme stress and desperation.
As for you armchair supermen and women who fancy yourselves as Marvel heroes, continue having little sympathy or empathy for the hard choices some people make in times of war. May you never have war appear at your doorsteps so we all can see just how cowardly you would have behaved.
Former member of law enforcement here, I have risked my life for others. You are the one sitting safe protected by others and assuming we're all the same as you. I do know what I would do. You would run and flee if war came to your home. I would stand and fight for mine.
Some of us are combat veterans and yes, I'm judging the fuck out of him for his cowardice.
Amen
I'm sorry to the people of Ukraine, because my opinion is that this happened thanks to how badly divided America is and the absolute debacle of a presidential administration we have right now. Maybe i'm wrong and it would have happened if Trump was still in office, but I highly doubt it. It's easy for anyone to see that those in power are far more interested in going after their political opponents here at home than defending America or her interests. Hell they've practically made it racist just to say you love America. Putin and Xi are well aware of this, it has consequences. It's just too bad that the people of Ukraine have to pay for them.
I’m sure Trump telling Putin he would bomb the Kremlin if Russia invaded Ukraine had an impact. As did blowing up Iranian generals. But the greatest impact was probably from Trump disrupting our State Department’s ability to engage unimpeded in passive aggressive, manipulative, corrupt, and underhanded meddling.
A strongman respects strength and exploits weakness. But if you want to guarantee the strongman will go nuclear you confront him with weak people who are also snakes. So people who went to Harvard basically. Our permanent government.
Yep.
It would have happened and Trump would have cheered him on, as he is doing now.
Nope.
There’s 10 year old girls holding guns in some of the pictures. There’s also groups going back in armed to the teeth. Your essay seems like it’s ridden with guilt and trying to explain away your leaving. Lots of American citizens died so you had the freedom to leave. Grab a German stinger and go back in. Do it for yourself. Might even be safer than Budapest.
I agree, the author has not guts or grit.
Better be careful Richard or the Running Burning Man might have a hissy fit, stomp his little foot and call you names, too.
I did some digging to see if the author was also a Ukrainian citizen but he’s a professional poker player? Why do we care about this guy? Seriously Bari, Kim Kardashian was bad enough, but poker players add nothing to the world and encourage others to lose their life savings. I’m unsubbing.
Even if you don’t admire the author, I see a ton of value in reading first – hand accounts from “citizen journalist“ on the scene. There’s much more value in this than reading a processed report from CNN or other main stream media. No one should unsubscribe just because they don’t admire this particular author.
Gotta love all the brave keyboard warriors chastising the author for not picking up a gun and fighting, as if they'd have the balls to do so if shit ever actually hits their fans. Boy, do we love to talk big from behind our comfortable, blue-screen anonymity. Real tough, guys, real tough.
Bro, delete your comment. You really just trivialized the challenges of keyboard warriors?!?! Bro, I was in the trenches in Gamergate and LITERALLY dozens of other trivial Twitter scuffles. I've watched as HUNDRED of my brothers in arms were BRUTALLY brought down by torrents of slurs and insults. I've LITERALLY stood head-to-head (figuratively) with LITERAL grammar-nazi's AND Neiman Marxists. What have YOU done?!
Yeah, think twice before insulting our honor! I would absolutely DESTROY YOU in a Discord chat! Do you even Reddit, bro?
🤣
Well done! That was classic.
Utter nonsense. It is fair game to criticize someone who chose the easy out. Not everyone can be brave but that's why we lionize the brave in our national histories. To set proper examples. So that, when the moment comes, people can make the right choice. Maybe someone who doesn't intervene when a woman is attacked on the subway is making the smart choice. But do we want to incentivize that choice? Or propagate it? Not in a decent society.
Given how "the woke" goblins evidently live rent free in some heads, the blowhards in these comments strike me as the type to turn-tail and run to a red state if their home state started getting a little too blue for their taste. A lot of folks talk big on the internet, but the minute shit gets uncomfortable or inconvenient, they chicken out and run for higher ground. This guy's city was blowing up and was invaded by foreign troops. Most of the big talkers on here calling him a coward would want to "bug out" to greener pastures because a city council meeting didn't go their way.
Thank you for this. I feel more connected with the people of Ukraine after having read it. The problem with most of us is our lack of general affinity with humanity as it has been replaced by myopic tribalism. But I was you in this story... reliving the same scenario in my own life.... even as it is not (yet) my life. And with that I just donated to causes to help the Ukrainian people as it now feels like I am also helping myself.
New video out of Ukraine shows a Russian tank running down and smashing a small car driven by a Ukrainian old man. These totalitarians are backed by evil people in a uniform. Like always, it will take brave and moral people in a different uniform to bring the evil people to justice.
The US Democrat totalitarians are just a few years away from doing similar things. If you don't believe that, I have some amazing swamp land to sell you for a good price.
I don’t respect this coward. He should have stayed to fight. That is your country you say? You’re a man, why did you run away with the women and childern? I’ve put my life on the line for my community and country. Yours needed you and you didn’t answer the call. Sometimes as men we have to knowingly go to our death in war. It is what it is. Nobody talks about the burden men shoulder anymore. Don’t run, have courage, go back and fight. Your city needs you.
If COVID has taught me anything, it is just how many people are willing to cower and sacrifice others to save their own life.
Amen
I’m not going to bog down in the disgusting politics of everyone scrambling to give China Joe credit for uniting Europe and getting Germany to boost their military spending going forward. Obviously it was Putin invading a country that did that. Psychotic to claim otherwise.
All I will say as a non-interventionist conservative is that Poland needs to be converted into a goddam weapons depot right now.
Deal with the people who failed later. We all know who they are.
And yes, the fact that I follow a couple of Eastern European swimsuit models on Instagram has shaped my ability to grasp how horrifying this is. That city looks like my city. What the actual hell is going on.
When we heard that the government was handing out weapons to citizens who wanted them, we didn’t think anyone would get in line. But we’ve been told thousands of people are standing in line, old and young, to get these guns.
My first thought was you wouldn't have to stand in line to get weapons if you were already armed and prepared. I hope once they receive their weapon they know how to load it and handle malfunctions.
Tap, Rack, Go (for pistols)
I assume that tomorrow we're going to hear a personal story from a "Russian separatist" (i.e., Russian-speaking Ukrainian) who lost a loved one in eastern Ukraine when the Ukraine government continued shelling that area and never really adhered to the Minsk cease-fire. Or maybe you'll do an article about the open presence of neo-Nazis on the Ukrainian government. Or maybe you'll print an article about the Maidan coup, where US "intelligence" helped overthrew a democratically elected government and put this government in power, handpicking its members. Or maybe you'll print an article on how when Germany was unified, the promise was made that NATO would never expand any further east. Or maybe you'll do an article on how Zelensky has jailed opposition journalists in Ukraine and turned his country into a US client state. Or maybe you'll do an article on how this "war" benefits US energy interests and deflects mightily from the problems here, which just seem to be coming to a head after two years of twisting "science," the CDC and FDA being politicized and bought out, and common people suffering while the wealthy grow wealthier and our "elites" don't obey their own rules. I can list a couple authors for you to contact: Aaron Mate or Max Blumenthal to start. Should I hold my breath? So is my subscription really worth it, or is "Common Sense" just more "Common Propaganda lite"?
Much of what you say is accurate. But Putin lost his right to a public hearing when he invaded and made war on civilians.
We made war on Baath party revanchists who were killing their fellow Iraqis.
And to hear Putin tell it, he's making war on neo-Nazis who are killing Russian speaking Ukrainians. Funny how I'm supposed to believe one is true and not the other. Mayhap our "leaders" were lying then and he's lying now.
I'm not defending it. Iraq was a mistake and the occupation was worse. But we did not target innocent civilians.
That's Russian propaganda word for word. All of that is false. Seriously, neo-Nazis in Ukrainian government, with Jewish president? Do you actually really believe the stuff or you just write is because you are told to? How about Budapest memorandum that Russia signed which guaranteed Ukrainian territorial integrity?
I think the Soviet desk at RT might have paid for a couple Bari W subs.
Try this article written in a Jewish publication. Yes, there are open neo-Nazis in Ukraine. https://jewishunpacked.com/can-ukraine-have-a-nazi-problem-with-a-jewish-president/ By the way, use DuckDuckGo and type "nazi ukraine" into a search. It's eye opening.
Everyone seems to think that because the Leftists have been throwing the word "nazi" around at anyone they don't like, Putin is just following their bad example. But the reality is that neo-Nazis appear to be in bed with the current government of Ukraine, despite the fact that the president is Jewish.
Thank you. Well said.
Putin is already threatening Sweden and Finland and he has made the case for seizing Estonia Latvia etc. It doesn’t matter how bad you think Ukraine is. Not relevant.
I have no doubt that Tony Podesta and friends made this way worse, and disrupting their ubiquitous shystering by electing Trump is part of what forestalled this.
Doesn’t matter. Our fellow countrymen decided to reinstall those sacks of shit into power and now we have a serious problem.
And you know this how? Oh, yes, that's right, the same two-faced, warmongering US media and elite that got the globe into this mess. Europe isn't really hitting Putin where it hurts (oil). The banks won't be kicked out of SWIFT for 30 days, and even then it's select banks, not all Russian banks. Italy and Belgium don't want luxury goods sanctioned because they make money off Russia. So how worried is Europe about Russia moving beyond Ukraine? Answer, not really at all, or they would be acting differently. So I'll take Europe's actions over "media accounts" any day.
I believe zero things I see on the news. This has not cornered me into a position where I am totally discounting, as you are, the possibility (fact) that Europe is run by cowardly, pampered, utopian, capitulationists who still, like children, think a robust dialogue can bring peace with a multibillionaire psychopath who invades a city because his ancestors used to own it, or whatever, so why not kill a shitload of people.
That's the thing. I don't see any "good guys" in this fight, when it comes to leadership (although I feel sorry for those citizens of Ukraine who are genuinely innocent in this conflict). NATO countries have been quietly avoiding their defense responsibilities, while simultaneously complaining loudly about how evil the U.S. is.
Despite the media's hurry to dismiss Putin's use of the word "nazi," the reality is that neo-nazis are in bed with the government of Ukraine, regardless of the fact that the current president is Jewish. There is an entire official unit of the Ukrainian National Guard that is composed of neo-nazis.
It's worth noting that China is backing Russia in this endeavor. China will probably need the backup if they invade Taiwan, which seems all the more likely now that we have a China-friendly POTUS. I doubt that either Russia or China are afraid to reboot the Cold War with Biden as their U.S. opponent.
Ms. Gajewski,
Will you go on record as supporting Putin’s invasion?
No, I don't support his "invasion." You people are sickening. I'm not a Putin apologist nor a closet communist. "Common Sense" would dictate that when we're talking the threat of nuclear war, it is not an either-or conversation. It's a how do we understand this and not get so emotionally overwrought that we can't find a way out that leaves the most people alive. And to do that, we need to hold Ukraine and the US elites accountable for their role in this.
Ms. Gajewski,
Why do you put invasion in “air quotes.” Is it an invasion or not an “invasion?”
Please expand - how should Ukraine be held accountable, in your mind?
I don't know. Did you call it an "invasion" when we stormed into Afghanistan and then Iraq, leaving hundreds of thousands dead?
Why the quotation marks around “invasion”? It IS an invasion. Right?
You may be observing the downstream effect of claiming Trump is a Russian spy and vaccines stop the spread.
Oh, it started way before that. I remember lies about a three-letter acronym (WMD) that led to a still-going occupation of a foreign country, much to their detriment and ours. You see, funny thing, I've seen this film before. So here's another three words for you: "mutually assured destruction." Think on those for a while, because our "leaders" sure as hell aren't. Maybe we should approach this with a practical nature, a whole lot of skepticism, and a very cool head. Because I don't know about you, but I don't have twenty years worth of food in a plush bunker in my backyard.
One man's "terrorist" is another man's "freedom fighter." If you're willing to say we "invaded" Iraq and Afghanistan, I'm willing to take my quotes off "invasion." But that becomes a serious complication for you. I am consistent. Stay the hell out of other places. Most other people on here are not. I can tell by their lack of knowledge of the situation and their black and white attitude. In their eyes, the US "liberates." We never, ever "invade."
The US did invade Iraq and Afghanistan in efforts to free these countries from vicious, murderous tyrants. Putin is forcing his army to invade Ukraine because he wants to impose his own murderous, vicious tyranny.
Um, and how has that worked out? And go look up "Odessa Massacre" on DuckDuckGo or "nazi ukraine" and the Azov battalion. Putin very much thinks he's "liberating" a group of people, or at least as much as we "liberated" the Afghanis and the Iraqis.
You seem to be quite emotionally overwrought.
Not to me--Lillia's arguments are pretty clear.
Forgive me for not wanting to starve to death in nuclear winter.
Hold elites accountable?? You literally just made the argument that you trust the judgement of elites because Italy still wants to sell loafers in Russia therefore that means Putin will not go any further because Italian elites are sharp and savvy.
Of course they think they can sell him loafers and negotiate peace. These are globalist, cuckold, utopian collectivist, dipshit simpletons. Their fancifulness does not guarantee Putin stops here.
I don’t want a war. I consider Ukraine lost and we should send them weapons and food so they can slow Putin down, stop him if we’re lucky, and degrade Russia’s position while we arm the rest of Europe to the teeth.
Why do you think Ukraine is lost? If the reports are correct, the Russians are demoralized, many are conscripts that have no idea why they are there, their supply lines are failing and with Putin talking about nukes from his redoubt in the Urals with his oligarchs surrounding him, it’s more than likely the oligarchs see him as a deranged threat and take him out. Because all the money in the world will be useless in nuclear winter.
Well it’s not that I think it’s lost for sure I just don’t want to send in forces. As I said we should have a conveyor belt of weapons set up for them.
Where we should send forces, and weapons, and everything, is to the surrounding countries, before it’s too late.
Jared Kushner walking in off the street and solving the Middle East was example 1A of how imbecilic our foreign policy establishment is. I’ve been saying since Afghanistan that we should be arming countries like this with assault rifles for every citizen and laser/heat missiles. You don’t need any of the big stuff. Just dare the occupiers to come in and make their life hell until they are forced to leave. They are doing this now in a scramble.
Need more global guerrilla prep. Give them a nice financing package on the purchase. Throw in the undercoating for free.
😂😂😂
Max B? Clinton advisor Sydney's alt left conspiracy nut son and Assad, Iranian Mullah, Maduro shill? That Max? And as far as who the neonazi wing of the alt right supports in 2022, that would be Putin hands down.
Yeah, on Jimmy Dore, another noted right-wing Trump supporter. (I can't roll my eyes that high.)