Day 543ish
The postponement
It’s probably perfectly normal during war for professionalism to become the victim of stupidity and "personal devotion." Or worse, auto-devotion.
Which brings me immediately to more anonymous U.S. intelligence agency blabbery c/o The Washington Post pumped directly into your brains.
Team USA obviously doesn’t have its act together when it comes to leaking its intelligence about Ukraine.
“It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy because we don’t give Ukraine what is needed to win, to liberate Crimea or at least make it untenable,” [retired Army Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, who previously oversaw all U.S. Army operations in Europe beginning the year Russia first invaded Ukraine] Hodges says.
“This flows from the inability or unwillingness of the administration to declare that our objective is for Ukraine to win – or to specify any strategic objective at all.”
“Shameful,” he added. “I don’t believe Ukraine will fail, actually, despite the shortcomings of our policy and our unwillingness to declare it’s in our best interest that Ukraine wins, even though it clearly is.”
Other analysts agree, and they point to indications that suggest Ukraine is positioned for new breakthroughs against Russia’s front lines, despite the dismal assessment from U.S. intelligence1.
This follows a buffoonish story appearing in The New York Times, about arms dealing and ex-MP Serhiy Pashinsky, which kind of glossed over several key moments in history.
Maybe Ukraine’s well-wishers can agree with Eliot?
A war for survival here, but a news blip elsewhere.
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry posted a video of one skirmish outside of Avdiyivka, with Yuri’s Humvee getting blown up (for the third time). Imagine our surprise to see tezka Butusov almost vaporized after the 120mm round exploded.
And it’s only Part 1.
Ecocide (@nyt reported something about this yesterday)
Famacide
Geronticide
Linguicide
Urbicide
Genocide
We started using the -cide words on Day 12, Phase 2 (April 6, 2022).
The United Nations this afternoon is out for a long expensive lunch with OSCE, and no one knows what the Pope had for breakfast. Kastuś Kalinoŭski Regiment fighters have surveyed the re-vamped Motherland Statue in Kyiv and are re-reading Baradullin, Bykov, Adamovych, Taras, et al. Preparations are undeway to celebrate Ukraine’s32nd birthday next week. Z will deliver an important speech!
Below is their 14-minute advertorial for the Kastuś Kalinoŭski regiment. Warning: the transition from Chopin’s Nocturne in E-Flat Major to an Australian garage rock boy band is jarring.
CIA Director William Burns and White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan sound resolute about Uncle Joe’s promise to help us kill the maximum number Russian invaders as quickly as possible. The capacity (or incapacity) of our American friends to send sufficient quantities of surface-to-air missiles and long-range ammunition while simultaneously attempting to avert nuclear Armagedon is not fully understood.
According to Newsweek, at least one platoon of CIA agents has been tasked to manage the mess. This is, er, not reassuring.
“Pre-established limits” sounds ominous. Pre-established between whom? That could mean anything, from non-oral agreements (nods) reached on Zoom, Slack spreadsheets or notes passed under the table. Come to think of it, the entire Newsweek article is weird. Whenever we think of CIA ops in this part of the world, Tootsie Club, Wagner PMC and Ryan Fogle immediately come to mind.
And sigh…
Seven years ago, Burns was telling us what a great idea it would be for Ukraine to serve as “a kind of a bridge between Europe and Russia.” This obviously is not an example of great thinking on his part.
It was a bad idea then and it’s a bad idea now.
Leaked U.S. Intelligence Offers Damning View of Ukraine’s Offensive – Despite New Positive Signs. A dismal U.S. assessment represents a bitter conclusion for those who believe the U.S. and its European allies have not done enough to give Kyiv what it needs to win. (US News and World Report. August 18, 2023)