When will the war work?

Fear, hunger, thirst, cold, sickness, death and indiscriminate destruction is without a doubt, devastating the Ukrainian psyche. There is much support for President Putin in Russia, perhaps, from Syria, and now we are told that Chechen’s leader, Ramzan Kadyrov says he is in Ukraine.

How was he persuaded to go from “fighting against Russia to fighting for” and what role will Chechen fighters play in Ukraine? 

As we approach the end of the third week, fierce battles continue. Both Russia and Ukraine have suffered huge human and financial losses since start of the war, which was labelled as “a special operation”. 

Commentators on the war from around the world are of opinion, that “getting into this mess took decades, getting out of it will not happen overnight”?                                                                       

                      Laser guided bomb carrying drone                  

Russia’s tactics are shifting all the time. From a convoy of armoured vehicles, rocket launchers creeping toward a 40 kilometre of Kyiv, over weeks instead days, for their own reasons.

The Ukrainians may have been outnumbered in armoury, both on land and in the air, we hear that one small drone which the Ukrainian army bought from Turkey, is doing the trick to checkmate Russian fighter jets dropping bombs and all forms of incendiary devices on innocent children, hospitals and fleeing civilians

Today we learn that US is in the act of sending 100 kamikaze, “Switch Blade” drones which can hit Russian tanks at a range of 25 miles. 

What will make Ukraine surrender?                                                                               

“We will never surrender,” said Daniel Bilak, a Ukrainian Lawyer, a defender of Kyiv. While the Ukrainian military spokesman maintains that Russia is struggling to achieve its military objectives due largely to a combination of “poor tactics, logistical problems”. Estimates of between 14,000 and 21,000 injured have been stated according to US Officials, while the Kremlin say its loss is around 498 soldiers. 

The reports coming out of Moscow state, “Russian soldiers in Ukraine are heroes and that Russia’s offensive is an act of self-defence; if it had not intervened now, in three years’ time Ukraine would have been in NATO with a nuclear bomb”.  

What is the UN doing to help control this war? 

“A hurricane of hunger and a meltdown of food supplies in Ukraine” are the words of UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres. 

In a Tweet, he further states,” more than 3 million Ukrainian refugees have fled their country. The people of Ukraine desperately need peace to respond to the humanitarian needs which are multiplying by the hour”. 

But he is constrained by the Veto power of Russia in the Security Council, though not in

The General Assembly. But as we see over the days, it is up to the two warring nations to come to an agreement on Ceasefire. 

A Fifteen Point Plan as talks get under way 

A Fifteen Point Plan has been drawn during talks, by representatives of both Russia and Ukraine, while the war drags on. Behind the scenes, we are told, “talks on talks” are assisted by the Prime Minister of Israel, Naftali Bennett and at a distance by the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. 

While talks are going on, observers feel Russia is buying time. Ukraine has already accepted that it can come to terms with some neutrality, perhaps accepting being a non-member of NATO, in return for guarantees by independent nations, a status, similar to that of Austria, and/or Sweden, in return for return to an earlier state of affairs, not specifying the annexation of Crimea in 2014? 

 What niggles President Putin more than anything now? 

Of course, he is worried that Ukraine has won the “war on information”. But, he is more concerned of the integrity of Big Russia? 

President Putin of Russia is angry, and perhaps, rightly so. He has lashed out on TV against the so called Russian Oligarchs living a lifestyle overseas, in the West. He calls them,” the fifth column of Russia, who are filthy rich and have “a mentality of the West”, loathe to Russia.”

He considers these as “the scum, the traitors, and the persons who will sell their mother”. He considers them of a “higher race, a higher caste” and he has taken his wrath on their

“approach and attitude to this war,” perhaps, to dance to the tune of their masters in the countries where they live now. Selling one’s birth rite, is undoubtedly treahery. It can corrupt. 

What the people of the world want now?    

Besides, talks to go on for a Ceasefire, the people around the world demand a lasting

Peace now, perhaps, to save the world? 

Victor Cherubim