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Russia did what many thought Putin would never dare. Putin invaded Ukraine, and the Western world shifted its hysteria from Covid to Russia. Media on both sides of the conflict feeds not only misinformation but also pure propaganda. Trying to find accurate information about the military situation in Ukraine is virtually impossible amidst the propaganda onslaught. But reading news from both sides gives some clues to what is going on.
The expression "the first casualty of war is truth" has already become a cliché in alternative media. Mainstream media, where journalism has been effectively dead since Brexit and the election of President Trump, is still unable or unwilling to present honest news.
The official media story on the invasion is as follows:
The Russian attack on Ukraine was unprovoked. Demonic and evil Russian forces are losing the war to noble Ukrainian troops and civilians, who fight for the great Ukrainian democracy with the help of peace-loving NATO leaders. Mr Putin is a devil, while Mr Zelensky is the valiant Churchillian leader rallying patriots against evil.
The real story:
Russia's invasion resulted from decades of NATO expansion eastwards after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989. NATO has consistently declared that Ukraine will join NATO, all motivated to undermine Russian interests. Eastern Ukrainian regions are dominated by Russian-speaking populations seeking friendlier ties to Russia and more autonomy from Western Ukraine, which the Ukrainian government has refused. The US and NATO have disregarded Putin's warnings that he would not tolerate a Ukrainian NATO membership. For the time being, Russia seems to be waging its war methodically, patiently and with a restrained approach to minimize civilian casualties. There is no convincing evidence that Russia is losing the war.
NATO expansion Eastwards
Zelensky is winning the propaganda war, though. He presents himself as a solid and honest wartime leader, standing up to the devil's deeds. He has exploited his actor skills to the fullest, portraying himself as a noble fighter for democracy. But in reality, he's a corrupt oligarch with millions of dollars hidden offshore. Transparency is a word not known to Ukrainians with economic or political influence. Hence, Zelensky's net worth is a matter of speculation ranging from a couple of million dollars to a staggering 1,5 billion. Nevertheless, Zelensky has won the hearts of Westerners, which means he is protected from scrutiny and criticism.
Western media paints Ukraine as a shining liberal democracy, but the reality is far different. Ukraine is more like a cleptocracy, a hapless bankrupt country dependent on IMF loans. Even leftwing The Guardian has defined Ukraine as "the most corrupt nation in Europe". All key institutions are ravaged by rampant corruption and the current administration is no better than the previous. Western financial aid, meant to improve the livelihoods of ordinary Ukrainians, has flowed to offshore tax havens owned by corrupt government officials. 9 of 41 million Ukrainians have left the country because they have lost all trust in Ukrainian political leadership.
The War
It is a sad spectacle when Zelensky arms untrained civilians of all ages to fight well-equipped Russian forces - in so doing; he has chosen prolonged suffering for the Ukrainians. Armed civilians have poor fighting skills and make legitimate targets for advancing Russian troops, but Zelensky seems not to care or understand the consequences.
Zelensky had ample opportunities to come to terms with Putin before the invasion began, but he bet on support from Biden and NATO, and he lost. He opted to root out corruption and make a better life for Ukrainians but with little success. He appears a failed leader demanding the West to risk WW3 for assisting a corrupt nation with which we have no treaty or obligation to defend. We should have no guilt for staying out of Ukraine.
Sanctions
The West has ramped up its economic war on Russia. The master plan is to crush the Ruble and create a regime change by inflicting economic pain on selected oligarchs and ordinary Russians. The sanctions made the Ruble drop against the USD, but the currency has already regained lost territory. Russia has insisted that commodities from Russia must be paid for with Rubles or gold. This is a masterstroke response that exposes the vulnerability of Western indebted nations and for which Western politicians were unprepared.
The Ruble has regained its strength
The EU's political decision to phase out fossil fuels long before other options could replace them is an act of incredible strategic stupidity. The EU must now choose to buy energy at a reasonable price in Rubles or accept soaring prices in USD or EUR for alternatives – and still not get enough to keep their economies going. Either way, it seems Russia wins, and the EU loses. The chickens are coming home to roost - the delusionary green agenda is driving inflation and causing havoc to Western economies - just for the sake of keeping up woke appearances.
The only good thing emerging from moronic energy politics is that more people have started questioning net-zero energy commitments. Americans are the angriest voters and the midterms will give them the opportunity to bring back some sanity to Congress.
History shows that sanctions are a fool's game. If they worked - Cuba, Iran, North Korea, and Venezuela would celebrate Western values. Indeed, they do not. They still have governments hostile to Western interference.
Sanctions have helped Putin circle the wagons around the flag, and Russian patriotism is soaring, giving Putin 84% support from his citizens. This figure is probably exaggerated, but it is still likely that Putin scores a lot better than Biden's 40 %, a number that may also be too high.
Putin has a PhD in Economics, and he has demonstrated some basic knowledge not shared by woke Western leaders. Putin claims "women do not have penises". Maybe common sense is all that gives him the edge?
He will likely prevail in Ukraine, while Western leaders will double down on everything not working. We, the deplorable citizens, will feel the pain from rising inflation, open borders, and unsustainable deficit spending - compliments from Western leaders and radical leftwing elites, not Putin.