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05/22/2023

Ukraine: Tales of war

Ukraine: Tales of war

The conflict in Ukraine has entered a phase, where the confrontation of tales takes on great significance. Never before had the lie, the contradiction and the absurd have been so valid. Some talks are close to be ridiculous, but still important, as the massively transmitted story is accepted or not by millions of citizens. Based on these tales, these citizens take a general position – based on principles, values and the understanding of how to face the current conflict, which is achieving a transformational dimension for the entire planet in structural, and for millions of people existential regards.

That way, instruments such as fake news, unproven affirmations and decontextualized assertions are configuring a body of ideas that, measured with the objective standard of truth, show a total simulation that pursues the objective of modifying reality in favor of interests of the powerful. There are situations that border on the ridiculous without the perpetrators showing the slightest concern about the pernicious effects of their statements. Let’s see some of them:

  1. The Ukrainian government has been ecstatic that the UK sent it depleted uranium shells. Now, when Russia has destroyed the 649th aviation depot in the city of Khmelnitsky in the western region of Ukraine, where a part of the missiles sent by London were stored, not only the Ukrainian authorities, but also those of Poland report an increase in radiation in that region, as well as in the neighboring city of Lublin in Poland. The media is silent about it.
  2. Germany celebrated the destruction of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines through an blatant act of terrorism, but only weeks later the German insurance companies Allianz and Munich Re renewed coverage for the Nord Stream 1 pipeline. What is the explanation for that?
  3. An official report from the Ukrainian armed forces reveals that their troops are advancing in Bakhmut through a correct defense. This would be a contribution to the art of military science, because in the academy they teach that you either defend yourself or attack. Anyone who knows a little of tactics and the art of operation will have difficulties to understand this assessment. Or, should we simply have to accept that it is a false report made by ignoramuses.
  4. Ukraine continues to murder civilians in the cities they claim as their own. In Ukrainian logic that would be self-genocide. Then they want these citizens to greet them with joy and congratulate them.
  5. France has said that Russia has become a vassal of China. President Putin has responded with figures that Europe’s dependence on China is much higher than that of Russia. But while Beijing and Moscow have agreed to a mutually beneficial partnership, Europe views China as a “systemic competitor and rival.” Where is the coherence?
  6. Ukraine’s armed forces have reported that Patriot missiles have shot down a Russian-launched Kinzhal hyper missile. The truth is that the Patriot anti-aircraft missiles fly at 0.9 MACH and the kinzhal -at least- at 5 MACH. How can a dove fly faster than an eagle?
  7. On the other hand, the Ukrainian government has said that they have shot down 90% of the missiles launched by Russia. So why are they requesting tens of billions for the reconstruction of the country if it has not suffered destruction? It is very easy to see on the internet the maps of fires detected by NASA satellites in Ukrainian territory that show dozens of them after bombardments with missiles, drones, aviation and long-range Russian artillery.
  8. Two minutes and 14 seconds is the time it took for the Kinzhal to destroy one of Ukraine’s two Patriot systems. Kyiv denied it. Washington confirmed it. They don’t even agree to lie. In any case, in little more than two minutes, 150 million dollars (cost of a Patriot system) of the “aid” of the United States, vanished after the impact of the Kinzhal that costs 10 million dollars. I think it’s not a good deal for Washington. By the way, as expected, the paid press has not reported this.
  9. The final straw was that in the May 13 attacks, the Russians fired two Kinzhal missiles and Ukraine reported shooting down six. It is certainly a simple math problem.
  10. The United States and Ukraine have said that Bakhmut has no strategic but only symbolic importance. Why then do they cling to it “tooth and nail” despite the thousands of deaths and injuries that have occurred in what has been Bakhmut’s “meat grinder”?
  11. The Ukrainian government has officially reported that it has suffered “only” had 15,000 deaths since the start of Russia’s Special Military Operation. Why then do they organize a soccer game to honor the 300,000 fallen?
  12. President Joe Biden has announced that at the G-7 Summit meeting to be held in the Japanese city of Hiroshima he will ask his peers for an “almost total” veto on Russian exports. On the same day, the media reported that the United States had purchased $1 billion worth of enriched uranium from Russia. It doesn’t seem very consistent.
  13. Western spokesmen boast that the Russian economy has collapsed. But the European Commission has announced GDP growth in 2023 of 1.4% for the United States, 1% for the European Union and a drop of 0.9% for Russia (they had “calculated” 3.2%) and 30 .4% for Ukraine. All this despite 10 rounds and almost 1,700 sanctions against Russia. In 2024, 1% growth is projected for the United States and 1.3% for Russia. In other words, the sanctioned party will grow more than the sanctioning party. They don’t even talk about Ukraine.
  14. The UK has said it will train Ukrainian pilots to fly the US F-16 multi-role fighter. However, they have reported that they are not going to deliver the planes to Ukraine. That is, they are going to train pilots for a plane that Ukraine is not going to have. In any case, John Venable, a pilot with 25 years of experience in the United States Air Force, has commented that he “would not try to fly the F-16s in Ukraine because the aircraft does not have the capacity to overcome Russia’s air defense systems.” Presumably in London they heard it. Perhaps that is the reason why they are not going to deliver the planes. The pilot training thing is only for public opinion… and for the unwary.
  15. In a press conference, Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General, announced that his organization has provided 230 tanks to Ukraine (remember that it offered 350, including the 54 from Spain that were scrap so they could only deliver 6). He also said that they had provided 1,550 armored vehicles and that this corresponded to the agreed 98%. New math problem: 230 is not 98% of 350 anywhere in the world.
  16. Stoltenberg also said that NATO had prepared 9 Ukrainian brigades and those were enough for the famous counteroffensive that NATO is preparing. Ukraine has a total of 20-23 brigades, each with 3,000-5,000 fighters. This means that Ukraine has at least 60,000 and at most 110,000 capable soldiers. But it has to dedicate 9-10 brigades for the protection of Kyiv, Kharkov, as well as other cities and strategic objectives. In other words, they will only have between 11 and 12 for the counteroffensive.
  17. Likewise, according to Stoltenberg, they have delivered 1,550 armored personnel carriers. Of them, Russia has already destroyed 150. There are 1,400 left but they must leave about 600 for the protection of the main cities and the rear. Total: they only have 800 for the counteroffensive.
  18. To assume that with 12 brigades, 230 tanks, 800 armored vehicles and almost no aviation or navy, it will lead them to a victorious counteroffensive against Russia is no less than a dream. That’s why they delay it. They know that they cannot do it and if they do it, it will not be victorious and will fail.
  19. General Christopher Cavoli, commanding general of the US Army in Europe and Africa, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel among others have said that with the logistical and weapon support provided to Ukraine, its armed forces can start the counteroffensive against Russia. Once again, why don’t they?
  20. The story now is that the F-16s are needed and that their possession will turn the conflict in Ukraine’s favor. We already heard that, it was also going to change the course of the war with the arrival of the HIMARS, after the Patriot and later the Leopard tanks. Nothing of that has happened. How long will they continue to lie and deceive with “colored mirrors”?
  21. Josep Borrell, the ineffable Josep Borrell said on August 26, 2022 that Russia had already lost the war. Curiously, he said exactly the same thing again on May 11, nine months later. Could it be that he got stuck in time? Or does he live in another world? This all trying to assume that idiocy is not clouding him.
  22. Having lost 413 aircraft, 230 helicopters, 3,901 drones, 421 anti-aircraft missile systems, 8,904 tanks and armored fighting vehicles, 1,095 self-propelled multiple rocket launchers, 4,688 artillery pieces and 9,843 special military cars, plus 300,000 soldiers and 125,000 km² of territory, is it possible to say that Ukraine won the war?

Is it possible that they are rather preparing for defeat or, at best, for a forced negotiation. Berlin 1945, Saigon 1975, Kabul 2021 and also Nuremberg 1946 are still remembered.

Sergio Rodríguez Gelfenstein
Sergio Rodríguez Gelfenstein
A Venezuelan international relations expert, Gelfenstein was previously Director of the International Relations of the Presidency of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, his country’s ambassador to Nicaragua and an advisor for international politics for TELESUR. He has written numerous books, among them “China in the XXI Century – the awakening of a giant”, published in several Latin American countries. You can follow him on Twitter: @sergioro0701

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