In Spite of Russia’s Impending Doom, Ukraine Territory Under Russian Control Has Steadily Grown
Looking at the maps over time, we might consider surrender as a better option than another 10 years of war.
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I look at the maps, the headlines, and the trends and I just don’t see it. I don’t see Russia failing. Some people say that Russia intended to take over all of Ukraine. I have never seen a statement by Putin or anyone else from Russia saying that the objective was to take over the entire country. But Russia now has a great deal of military control over the eastern and southern flanks of Ukraine.
If the maps at the BBC and the Institute for the Study of War and Critical Threats show current trends, Russia has only grown the amount of territory under its control since the start of the war in Ukraine.
That seems to be about all they really want. No one believes that Russia has the power to take over the entire country of Ukraine. Putin and others within the Russian government have repeatedly said that they only intended to protect Russians living in the east and the south of Ukraine. I take them at their word, pending what really happens.
Nobody really knows what will happen next.
I’ve seen people talk about Russia’s inability to replace its munitions and missiles. Some people say that Russia can’t make any more of their tanks. Most pundits point to Russia’s dependence on Western electronics as a source of pain for Russia. There is a worldwide chip shortage due to the pandemic. If Russia needs chips, they will find a way to get them.
I have this image of Senator Palpatine from Star Wars in my head. He’s goading us. He’s taunting us with all of the awful evil stuff that Russia is doing to Ukraine. He’s telling us to escalate. He’s telling us to feel the fury and act on it. He says that Putin is only looking for an excuse to be crueler, eviler, and just plain rude. He’s telling us that there is nothing else we can do but become evil like him.
Palpatine tells us that our only hope is to join the Dark Side. Push the button.
That’s what I see in the Western media. They tell us how terrible things are in Ukraine and that…
