A high-ranking Ukrainian official vowed his country would retake the regions annexed by Russia. The Kremlin has pledged to defend the territories it acquired on Friday with Moscow’s full arsenal of weapons.
In an interview with Politico, Mykhailo Podolyak an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, "[f]or our plans, [Russia’s annexation] doesn’t matter. We will protect our land using all our forces." The nation "should liberate all its territories," He added.
From September 23-27, Russia organized a vote in four regions of Ukraine under Moscow’s control. After announcing the referendums in the Donbas republics and two southern Ukrainian oblasts, top Russian officials said the newly annexed territory would be treated as the rest of the homeland. Russian President Valdimir Putin recently suggested he could deploy nuclear weapons to defend his country.
It appears likely Kiev and its Western allies will attempt to conquer the regions that are now claimed by Moscow. The White House has already greenlit Ukrainian attacks on the Crimean peninsula, a region of Ukraine that was annexed by Russia in 2014.
Some Western observers believe Putin is bluffing. "Ukrainian attacks on Crimea and even strikes into Russia proper over the course of the seven-month war have not led to such a retaliation," Sergei Kuznetsov wrote in Politico.
Podolyak additionally called for more weapons and suggested the Russian soldiers would be easy to kill. While commenting on Putin’s decision to call up 300,000 additional troops, he said, "this army is being replaced by absolutely untrained people. A living resource has been thrown onto the front lines, and it will simply be exterminated."
Kyle Anzalone is the opinion editor of Antiwar.com, news editor of the Libertarian Institute, and co-host of Conflicts of Interest.
So happy to read deep political advice from Russian journalist (Sergei Kuznetsov) (in Paris since 1993) who has BA in Chemistry, has written several tantalizing novels, delves in various media education projects. I personally would be interested in what Henry Kissinger (I was amazed at his recent statements about Ukraine) has to say at this point in time regarding Putin’s intentions and willingness to act. Or, hey, any person deeply knowledgeable about the history or the region, Russia military, Ukraine history, NATO, etc. etc.
Okay. I’ll give it a try… Russia is still guarding the western line of civilized Eurasia. The long term goal is regime change in northern and central north America so that this area can be broken into smaller units no longer capable of terrorizing smaller countries and destroying Earth.
If “Russia” has any long-term goal at all, it’s to halt and potentially reverse the disintegration of its empire. In the short term, that translates to survival of the current regime, which is looking pretty dicey on the 1-12 month forecast.
What forecast do you refer to. My reading indicates Russia is enjoying good relations with a growing number of nations and it’s currency is replacing the dollar, along with Chinese yuan.
Trillions of US dollars will soon need to repatriated and dolled out to the one percent, who will then buy up most everything in the US and Canada before propagandized tv people catch on and join in north of Latin America regime change out of necessity.
Yes, the US empire is disintegrating as well. Different kinds of hubris, though.
Putin clearly realizes that the Russian empire is in decline and hopes to slow/reverse that decline. But to the extent that he identifies his own regime with the existence of that “nation,” he’s got a difficult balancing act. He’s decided to move against getting co-opted by the west, but has a possibly rising empire to his east that will make Russia its satrapy if he leans on it too hard for help. He has hard-liners pushing him to keep doubling down on the Ukraine fiasco and a public that increasingly wants no part of said fiasco. It was only just a little over a century ago that Nicholas II was unsuccessful in extricating his regime from that latter kind of bind.
Western “leaders” still don’t seem to understand that the US empire is in decline and not in any position to call the shots. Their main enemy is themselves.
I recommend reading the full text of president Putin’s speech on assimilating the four regions into Russia proper. Keep in mind that none of this new war in Europe and Asia had to happen.
Not seeing how the Russian Federation is in decline. It seems to be getting stronger. Perhaps you meant the fascist super state of the EU?
The Russian empire has been in decline since the height of the Soviet Union.
So has the US empire, although that decline hasn’t yet included a massive collapse a la the early 1990s.
For a little while there with e.g. Georgia/Abhkazia/South Ossetia, Putin seemed to be doing a pretty good job of keeping the decline relatively slow.
And it’s not that he isn’t getting ANYTHING out of the current realignments. Russia may successfully transition from “Europe’s gas station” to “Asia’s gas station and convenience store.” He’s certainly doing economic damage to the US empire on par with the damage it’s doing to him, which would be a good thing if the US empire was capable of learning lessons, which does not seem to be the case.
His biggest problem is that from here on out, the nuclear card is the only credible military threat he’ll be able to bring to bear on adversaries. At least adversaries who aren’t stupid enough to invade Russia proper (that is, not including his current “wave a magic wand and declare this or that place part of Russia” claims, which will mostly be ignored).
You conflate the Russian Federation with the Soviet Union. You also continue to miss that there is a realignment in the structure of world power.
Not sure how you can miss the fact that the EU is in pretty bad shape. The EU economy, as well as the US economy are substantially fake.
The attempts to colonize Russia and return it to the Yeltsin era are not going to work. That worked after the collapse of the USSR. That cat is out of the bag and isn’t going back in.
The West overplayed it’s hand in the 90’s. The various areas of the RF remember what being under the thumb of the West was like. And THAT experience is what will keep the RF together. The indigenous support of Russia in Eastern and Southern Ukraine is a continuation of that theme. The people in those areas understand what it would mean to be under the
Ukrainian regime again.
The Russian Federation is the rump remainder of the Soviet Union, and is the second post-Romanov imperial Russian dynasty.
I’m not MISSING that there’s a realignment in the structure of world power. I’m pointing out that that realignment includes the continuing decline of the US and Russian empires.
The Russian Federation seems to have the EU and NATO on the ropes economically. Some decline.
Yes, the Russian empire did contain a thrust towards the West but let’s not ignore one of its major acquisition: Siberia and that is not threatened today.
Lenin hated the Czarist empire hence promised independence for all but “Muscovy” and Ukraine which was actually written into the first constitution of the USSR. Finland was given independence almost immediately after the October revolution. Somewhat ironically the current disintegration of the Russian empire would therefore be in line with the tenet of the 1917 October (November) revolution and….yes, of Marxism.
Lenin was groomed by the British and was an operative. His successor Trotsky another operative got chased out after the Russian Godfathers found out what he was up to.
HAHAHAHAHA! Good luck with that, Z!
As an aside, Podolyak is a moron. Russia is not calling up untrained troops – they are calling up reservists who already have served with full training and they will be brought back up to speed over a few weeks new training before being assigned to units – where, as is par for the Russian military, they will receive further on the job training.
Also, most of those troops will serve inside Russia, allowing the current standing army troops to be rotated into Ukraine.
According to Mercouris, it appears that Russia had been drawing down its forces inside Ukraine for a couple months, for example, rotating the Chechen Special Forces back into Russia for R&R as well as other units. These are now returning to the front along with new forces.
This bodes really badly for the remaining Ukrainian untrained conscripts.
There are dozens of reports of men with no military service being conscripted.
Dream on Elensky.
It’s not a dream, it’s slowly happening.
Reality lives in cocaine for Lord Voldomort Zelensky.
Cocainsky Vows To ‘Leave’ his cocaine habit
Do you have any evidence that he is drug user?
Hey, they have that photoshopped photo and don’t you listen to anybody who says any different
Haha 👍
I saw the doctored videos of Zelensky having lines of cocaine on his desk. The Kremlin aired them a while ago. Very dishonest but it’s what they do.
Not quite as bad as blowing up the German heat & prosperity gas line. But, them being an occupied nassal, there will surely be no retaliation. Ever NOTICE how Don BACON likes to chat with his Lemony alpaca pseudonym. More than a little schizoid it seems. Added to the multiple pseudonyms he uses to comment here.
Let’s see now. We hand him a script, tell he where to stand (or sit) to deliver what is in the script, coaching him on the facial expressions. Lights, camera, action!
Is that evidence?
Did you have any evidence Bianca posts while intoxicated…???? As you came right out with that accusation…????? But you were Don Bacon at that time.
“Don Julio” is not “Don Bacon.” Not everyone who disagrees you on anything is the same person.
Awwww, let him have his delusions!
Thanks, Thomas.
Some Western observers believe Putin is bluffing. “Ukrainian attacks on Crimea and even strikes into Russia proper over the course of the seven-month war have not led to such a retaliation,” Sergei Kuznetsov wrote in Politico.
Then by all means keep escalating until those attacks do lead to retaliation. Just everyone sit around with clenched assholes hoping Sergie is right. The game of Chicken continues.
You cant just give up your cause just because Putin may use Nukes.
Which choice do you prefer, live on your knees as a slave to Russia or die on your feet fighting.
I think i know your pick.
Why is it on Ukraine to make peace? Russia invaded, they shot first. They can end this today by pulling out. Why aren’t you bitching at Russia for starting the war?
Let me guess, it was US who started the war. That’s right, US, NATO and Ukraine invaded Russia.
You’re as thick as a brick. Yes, plagiarized from Jethro Tull. I am not sticking for either side. I don’t like Putin. I don’t like Zelensky. I can’t say it enough times that if there is no diplomacy, Russia will not leave. Period. I can’t help that. I can list over and over their grievances that could have been addressed before the invasion and again in April, after the invasion. You can pretend that nothing happened before February 24th as long as you like but Russia isn’t going to. And since the president of the country I live in said the US’ goal was to “weaken” Russia, the Ukrainians will be the ones to pay the price. Great cause.
Hear hear.
Is it hear, hear or here here? 🙂
Putin is that rare thing, a “man of destiny” (Zelensky, an actor; Biden, a slimy swamp critter). 30 yrs ago Russia made the mistake of spinning off a nazi statelet, same as US, Israel. Unlike the US, Putin is addressing that mistake and will proceed as far as necessary. However, his life’s project is the internal development of Russia and the cultural piety of Mother Russia.
He’s just the Chekist who happened to win the oligarch lottery for the job of safeguarding their prerogatives. His life’s project is turning that lottery win into personal wealth and power and remaining alive to enjoy it. Where he REALLY lucked out was getting a fellow KGB agent in as Patriarch/Primate so that (once he retroactively/magically became a “Christian”) he could use church/state alignment to sell the scam.
He could easily have had all that. Why take on the Augean Stables? He may ultimately fail, but history, should it survive, will be kind.
“However, his life’s project is the internal development of Russia and the cultural piety of Mother Russia.”
Right. Probably wouldn’t take to a pot smoking atheist.
The girl was making a million dollars in the Russian league and, typical jock, flagrantly scoffs at Russian laws! It’s certainly poetic justice anyway.
I was talking about myself. And those Russian laws are one of the reasons I think Putin is a thug.
Sorry. But thinking on what you said. How an athiest, when you support truth? Belief in truth is the same as belief in God, that there exists something above Nature, supernatural. An athiest would hold, with Darwin, that “might is right”, an empirically verifiable fact of Nature.
“Belief in truth is the same as belief in God’
Not with me.
You keep repeating that and forgetting or perhaps not knowing that Russia has since the collapse of the USSR regretted giving Ukraine independence. They have always wanted to take land for various gains; Gas and Grain market monopoly, seaports, warm beaches. In general, access and control. The BS you and others keep on bringing here was all cheap excuses Neo Nazis, NATO aspirations, the “shelling” of Donbas people and others. All BS. Russia was going to invade Ukraine with or without the aforementioned and diplomacy was never going to work, not under Putin.
NATO didn’t expand. No encroachment. No coup. No war games. Nothing but BS. As compared to your opinion that Russia was always going to invade because of Putin. How can I argue that logic?
Don’t argue. Just read history and Putin and Kremlin officials’ statements as well as older speeches from since Putin took over in Russia. This not just me saying that, it’s been known and many scholars will agree. Taking Ukraine was a known Putin’s ambitions. Now, you can choose to disagree but I think deep down, you too know.
I gave you history. Those things actually happened. All in the last 30 years. You gave an opinion and then you backed it up by saying it was the same opinion as others. So no, I don’t agree. Not deep down or any other way.
Learn a little history. You only have to go back 30 years and you will, if you give it an honest effort, understand why your statement that Russia started it is a gigantic crock.
Luckily Russia invaded after Stoltenborg said NO to negotiations with 140,000 Russian troops on their border. Anyone would think that Russia was serious but apparently not Stoltley. It really was naive of Russia to think any deal the U.S. NATO would negotiate would be in good faith after the way they ignored the Minsk agreement.. Putins dilemma, what to do to keep U.S. nukes off their Ukraine border…???? When negotiation is foreclosed is the time to change the facts on the ground until the losers decide to try to cut their losses. The last time these Nazis were on a roll in Ukraine, Ole Mam Winter closed their show. It will be a cold winter in Europe and fuel will be tough to get and Russia has a lot, so Putin will be happy to let winter decide this round. If Russia loses this next winter round, it can usher in an early spring warming with a little nuclear fire.
That’s the point. Ukraine was seeking to enslave the people in Donbas and these Oblasks. They now voted to join Russia for their own protection against the regime in Kiev..
Russia didn’t start this war. It began as a civil war against the a US funded and backed coup in 2014. You hate ethnic Russians. You wish to see Russians oppressed. Pretty obvious.
“Seeking to enslave the people in Donbas” — do you have a source for that?
Look at dozens of youtube reports throughout the 8 years. Most Western pundits start from Feb 28 this year and ignore all the reasons. See Eva Bartlett’s recent interview with i earl grey. she has been in Donbass many times since 2014.
So you don’t find mainstream media credible but you think random Youtubers are?
Random???i include Gabriel Gatehouse from the BBC before it became the present fawning USA puppet/Zionist tool.
Zelensky and his handlers are viewed as parasites, not liberators, by the people living in the referendum areas. Liberators don’t have a need to open fire on caravans of automobiles trying to escape to areas under Russian control.
Breaking News:
Ukraine has now invaded four regions of Russia and once they liberate the territory, they will run a referendum and annex the Russia land. Lol.