Images of War

Putin's strategy in Ukraine seems to be working. Images on TV show Russian aircrafts and artillery in full swing, followed by images of destruction wrought on the Ukrainian side.

Western propaganda tries to spin this into a story of senseless destruction. However, the images indicate a high degree of accuracy. A train station was hit. But the station building is intact. Neighboring houses are largely spared as well. It's the rail tracks that have been destroyed.

Another image is of an office building with three floors burned out. That could be senseless destruction. It could also be a sign of precision: A government agency is wiped out, leaving the rest largely spared.

My wife tells me that Ukrainian refugees are going back to Ukraine. My stepdaughter tells me that her father's Ukrainian wife claims that things are back to near normal in Kiev. The impression I get is that the Russians are fighting with precision, and that the front line is sufficiently predictable for people to get out of the way in time.

Meanwhile in Moscow, Putin is back to his old form. Whatever worries that had him look frail during the start of the war seem to have vanished.

In Davos, Kissinger comes out suggesting a compromise with the Russians, and US generals try to broker a deal with the Russians where grain and fertilizers can be shipped out of Ukraine.

None of this suggests Russian weakness. Time isn't working against the Russians, as western propaganda wants us to believe. It's working against the rest of the world, which will see food shortages if nothing is done by the end of the year.

Europe isn't going to do well this coming winter without Russian oil and gas. The world will be a mess without Russian and Ukrainian grain.

Putin knows this. That's why he is in no rush to end the war. He can continue the current low pace, high accuracy operation with a minimum of loss in blood and treasure, and when winter comes, the world will be ready to throw in the towel.

Vladimir Putin

By Kremlin.ru, CC BY 4.0, Link