Estonian Prime Minster Kaja Kallas gave MSNBC’s John Heilemann a Baltic-states assessment of how the Russian invasion of Ukraine must end. Her mother and grandmother survived a Siberian gulag. Russian dictatorship is very real for her. “For us, Putin has to lose this war.”
Some partitioning of the country will only whet his appetite for more. The frontline states are very clear-eyed about the threat. Putin has nibbled back portions of the former Soviet Union already.
“They have seen [Putin] take these little bites and get something for his trouble in all these cases,” Heliemann says. If Ukraine falls or gets partitioned, they are next on the menu.
After Moldova.
Teacherken (Ken Bernstein), a former Marine and Quaker, finds the Ukraine dilemma challenging his committment to nonviolence. He explains at Daily Kos:
The Russian military doctrine and practice makes clear their willingness under Putin to violate the rules of war which prohibit targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure to win militarily. We have seen this practiced in Grozny in 2008 and in Syria more recently (think of their air support to Assad in what was done to Aleppo). We are already seeing it in Kharkiv and in Mariupol, and we are beginning to see it elsewhere.
Declaring “no American boots on the ground” and refusing to impose “a no-fly zone even to protect humanitarian relief columns” may keep NATO out of WWIII but allow Putin near-free-rein to lay waste to Ukraine for resisting him.
At some point Western leaders, including Biden, have to recognize that drawing lines beyond which we will not go gives Putin license to do more. IF we say “no American boots on the ground” and refuse to allow for a no-fly zone even to protect humanitarian relief columns we give Putin license to operate with near impunity, to prevent humanitarian aid, to strafe and bomb civilian targets. to starve people.
What is our red line, Ken asks. Nukes? Biological or chemical? We’ve already stood by doing nothing when they’ve been used elsewhere.
If we do not want to put troops on the ground or planes in the air, should we already beusing our substantial cyber capabilities, perhaps to disable the Russian rail system (and that of Belarus) to prevent them from moving more armor? If they take out electricity and heat and water in Ukrainian cities, should we because that is a war crime cripple their infrastructure?
Or are we going to leave it to Anonymous to do it for us?
As I wrestle with these questions, I admit that last sentence shames me.
In another “Deadline White House” segment, Alexander Vindman states that Putin lacks the troops to occupy the country and will resort to aerial bombardment. He wonders if it is not America wishful thinking that we might keep this conflict at arm’s length. We will eventually get involved, he believes. Vindman misattributes to Winston Churchill that familiar phrase, “The Americans will always do the right thing… after they’ve exhausted all the alternatives.”
“First Since Nazi Invasion”: Ukraine Says Girl Dies Of Thirst Under Rubble
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