Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has been embroiled in Europe’s largest war in eighty years. After being offered to evacuate by NATO, Zelensky stayed in the capital of Kyiv to rally his military and stated “I do not need a ride. I need ammunition.”
The results spoke for themselves.
Not just being a president but using his rallying call to his fellow countrymen to fight off an imperialist aggressor, the Armed Forces of Ukraine (ZSU) have propped up an impressive string of victories and repelled the Russian Forces (RF) from their capital.
As Ukraine reorganized its forces to counterattack the RF, Zelensky would start to visit some of the hotspots in the war.
Frontline Visits by Zelensky
Some of his earlier trips included visiting Bucha, a city which caught international attention where Russian Forces executed hundreds of civilians. Another visit included the frontlines of Luhansk during Russia’s major offensive in the spring which saw the full temporary capture of the oblast. Though these visits did not cause many quarrels in Russian media, his most recent visits this past autumn became psychological blows.
After the ZSU’s lightning offensive in Kharkiv, Zelensky visited the liberated oblast. The speed of the offensive and collapse of Russian defensive lines prompted panic in the Kremlin. Putin would immediately “annex” the four occupied oblasts and call for a partial mobilization. This would be the start of the Kremlin’s problems.
After a grueling southern offensive in Kherson, the order was made by the Russian Ministry of Defense to withdraw from the city due to supply lines being cut and before the ZSU could close in on the city. After the left bank of Kherson and the provincial capital was liberated, Zelensky would visit in less than 24 hours, much to the ire of Russian media and popular bloggers.
The message was sent—the more Moscow continues to have military setbacks, the more Kyiv would take advantage of it to lower the morale of Russian frontline forces.
The recent visit by Zelensky to Bakhmut was a major morale booster to the ZSU. Mirroring WWI trench warfare, the Battle of Bakhmut has become some of the fiercest fighting of the war since the Siege of Mariupol.
The visit of Zelensky there was seen with shock and vindication by the Kremlin. Russian media has attempted to present Bakhmut as a Ukrainian meat grinder, even though they continue to be repulsed by ZSU defenders for the past five months. With Ukraine’s presidential visit, it shows the situation of the battle has not been going the way the Kremlin has presented it has.
Waning Power in the Kremlin?
Immediately after Zelensky’s visit, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the CEO and head of the Wagner Group visited the frontlines of Bakhmut to challenge Zelensky. After his publicity stunt, Dmitry Peskov announced that Putin would visit the frontlines. This will remain to be seen as the Russian President has cancelled some of the most notable events in the wake of military setbacks.
Prigozhin’s visit to Bakhmut is opportunistic for his own personal gain. Military setbacks have brought infighting amongst Putin’s inner circle and the once internationally feared strongman has lost the prestige and fear he once commanded.
With Wagner leading combat operations in the city, Prigozhin has built up his repertoire as a potential successor if Putin’s regime falls. With the city having little tactical advantage with Ukraine’s liberation of Lyman, Prigozhin has looked for victories to prove that his mercenary organization is the best fighting force.
Further Efforts
Zelensky’s recent visit to the White House and Congress was met with thunderous applause and praise from lawmakers and POTUS. Using his charisma once again, he came to DC in the military fatigues, as he vowed to not wear a suit if his people were suffering from the Russian onslaught. This is a stark contrast to the Russian elite who deferred their kids from conscription and have refused to visit their own frontline troops.
Akin to FDR being courted by Churchill, Zelensky has convinced the strongest member of NATO and the one country who can outproduce supplies more efficiently than anyone else that Ukraine can succeed and win this war.
With Zelensky using his charisma and trusting his generals to lead the country to victory, the Ukrainian president has convinced allies that not only can his country resist Russia, but they have the military capabilities of retaking all occupied territories. With further setbacks, Kyiv looks to take advantage of Kremlin infighting, and a wartime leader who has shown more courage than Putin, Ukraine will continue to march forward to victory.
Julian McBride is a forensic anthropologist and independent journalist born in New York. He reports and documents the plight of people around the world who are affected by conflicts, rogue geopolitics, and war, and also tells the stories of war victims whose voices are never heard. Julian is the founder and director of the Reflections of War Initiative (ROW), an anthropological NGO which aims to tell the stories of the victims of war through art therapy. As a former Marine, he uses this technique not only to help heal PTSD but also to share people’s stories through art, which conveys “the message of the brutality of war better than most news organizations.”
403Forbidden
December 23, 2022 at 2:50 pm
Heh, heh. Zelenskiyy unstoppable. Heh, heh.
That’s exactly same as saying rms titanic was unsinkable.
Nobody’s unstoppable. Not even the fearsome genghis, hitler, mussolini or tojo. Zelenskiyy is just merely a pipsqueak compared to these warmongers.
The war started or fomented by biden and stoltenberg with zelenskiyy as their stage puppet will end badly for europe.
US could very well emerge fully unscathed but the face of europe will get scarred forever. Thanks, biden.
H.R. Holm
December 23, 2022 at 2:57 pm
Unstoppable….until he is stoppable or is stopped. And the way to do that is this: Upcoming Speaker of the House [Whomever] lays down the law: Start negociations in 10 days, or the further goodies pipeline *stops*. Now, Lord Voldy.
Paddy Manning
December 23, 2022 at 8:25 pm
Great article andhit has brought out the Ruskibots.
Zelensky has done a magnificent job, as has the Ukrainian Army. In doing so they’ve amply rewarded America by destroying the Russian army. This is the cheapest defeat of a major enemy America has ever achieved and is worth every cent in the testing of weapons, tactics and removal of a Chinese ally for that upcoming war
Jacksonian Libertarian
December 23, 2022 at 10:20 pm
George Washington spent 6 years begging for logistical support. I’m just saying.
Infantry Grunt
December 23, 2022 at 10:45 pm
Unstoppable, no. However, he sure does strike terror into the hearts/bowels of the neo-Soviet Putin trolls, various & assorted anti-Semites, and the Liber(al)tarian surrender monkeys (cucks)…
PutinKhuylo
December 24, 2022 at 1:37 am
lmao how could a Russian invasion of a country created by Biden? like Russia is a US puppet?
Gary Jacobs
December 24, 2022 at 9:19 am
HR Holm.
Wow, perhaps you are just completely unaware how our system works. Congress just passed $40 Billion for Ukraine precisely to avoid the next speaker having any ability to cut off aid.
I dont think he would have anyway, but why take the chance.
Now that the funding bill is passed, it’s basically out of his hands. Mccarthy has no more power to intervene.
Either way, you should take note of the several reasons the Republicans did worse than expected in this year’s midterms. The absurd stance on abortion is one of them…and the perception of the MAGA wing as too soft on Russia is another. An ironic turn of events considering the 2012 election when Romney said Russia was a strategic threat and Obama’s response was ‘the 1980s called and it wants its foreign policy back.’ I voted Romney, and have talked smack to every Obamaphile I know about how wrong they were.
As an independent swing voter myself, and as someone with family and friends in Ohio and Florida…I can tell you that the MAGA wing + Trump’s antics with Kanye and Fuentes + the utter stupidity of being so against support for Ukraine has completely lost me and many people I know.
At this point the Dems could nominate just about anybody except AOC or someone else from the Squad…and they will win the next election. Especially if gas prices stay low and inflation gets a bit more under control. I like a bit of divided govt, but much I prefer the Mcconnel, Graham [who are good on Ukraine] republicans over the MTG and even Mccarthy types.
I might listen to what Desantis has to say, but he’d be on a short leash.
Bottom line: you are drifting father out of touch with reality with every post.
Having a liberating day.
Robert M Freeman
December 24, 2022 at 12:33 pm
I think we can all agree that we are at “peak Zelensky” right now. It can only go down from here, which it will, and rapidly. Consider:
1. Ukraine is losing soldiers at 160 TIMES the rate the U.S. lost soldiers in Vietnam. Does anybody think that is sustainable?
2. Russia has demonstrated, by its stunning use of hypersonic missiles, that it can destroy the entire Ukrainian economic infrastructure from a distance without risking any Russian lives. And there is no defense against it. It will continue to do so until Ukraine either sues for peace, or it is bombed back into the Stone Age. In either case, Zelensky is toast.
3. U.S. top brass, i.e., Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, realize the war is lost and are now publicly advising Zelensky to start considering “territorial concessions.” This is the beginning of the end.
4. The war and sanctions have inflicted devastating destruction on Europe’s economy, which is being systematically de-industrialized. European nations (and even more so, European people) are quickly realizing the connection and are devising ways out of the trap, i.e., abandoning Zelensky and the U.S.’s war against Russia.
5. Since the war began, Zelensky has been kept alive by subsidies of about $10 billion per month in weapons and financing from the West. Does anybody with half a brain imagine that that is going to continue, given all of the above? How many hours will Zelensky last once that dries up?
Far from being “unstoppable,” Zelensky will not last out the winter. I predict a military coup to oust him once Russia’s winter offensive begins as the generals will not have their soldiers slaughtered (like they are being now) in a hopeless cause.
Rick
December 24, 2022 at 12:39 pm
Quite the contrast: Zelensky saying, ‘I don’t need a ride, I need ammo’, while putin falls down stairs and shits in his pants.
Zelensky has proven to be the leader Ukraine needed at a desperate time when illegally invaded by putin, who has miscalculated most every event and can only rattle his saber in the dark.
Zelensky will go down in history as a hero, while putin will be classified a terrorist fool.
Jim
December 24, 2022 at 12:54 pm
It’s been evident sanctions backfired for months.
In reality, President Zelensky is holding on for dear life… Zelensky’s visit to D. C. was a life line of political theater to increase political support… which in the short-term it will, but war front is very unforgiving @ this moment… and may be critical.
Will Zelensky be “unstoppable” when the Ukraine military march on Kiev (causing a military coup) with a supportive populace tired of the deprivations imposed on them by Zelensky and the cabal in Kiev?
Zelensky resembles, if anyone, Diem of South Vietnam, Diem was also brought to Washington D. C. with much fanfare and addressed Congress… we know what happened to Diem. (I want Zelensky to quietly go into exile, maybe he can go back to acting and humor, which is his strong suit.)
Ukraine has no industrial or financial ability to conduct this war on their own… it’s entirely dependent on the U. S. and some support from Europe.
Actually, Russia is economically more like the U. S. @ the start of WWII.
A huge resource base under utilized, with solid manufacturing know how that is now directed at a consensus national goal.
Interestingly, Russia has about ten million more people than the U. S. had in 1940.
And, the consensus, political support for the Russian government is at roughly 75%, which might be a little lower than in the U. S. after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941. But a solid working consensus… people feel good working in the defense industries as doing their patriotic duty… much as was true for the U. S. during WWII.
In other words, neocons have awakened “the sleeping giant.”
No rationing, either, unlike the U. S. during WWII which had significant rationing.
This war cabal… neocons, neoliberals, and warhawks have screwed the pooch.
Yes, neocons have the First Amendment right to speak their peace…??? (WAR), but they have no right to be in power in government… neocons need to be held accountable… they need to be frog marched out of their government offices shoe box in hand with the rest to follow.
In the aftermath of this debacle (if there is a ‘aftermath’) Congressional hearings must be held to hold to account the cabal which got us into this debacle.
They betrayed the American People by this 30 year plan to “Regime Change” Russia & dismember it because they never told the Sovereign, the American People, their secret plans (if you looked hard it could be discovered, there was no debate… in deed, Congress has never had an open debate in chamber on this plan.
No, it was presented as a fait accompli with anybody opposed or even just questioning being considered unpatriotic.
Let us hope the U. S. doesn’t push this war into something that can’t be recovered from because the cabal know that to lose is for them to be at a minimum cast into political darkness or at maximum thrown into prison.
TotallyNotBiased
December 24, 2022 at 7:04 pm
MoD should finally give UKR army full deck to kick russia out.
f16 and atacms should be on the table
Walker
December 25, 2022 at 12:14 am
Oh Jim!
Points for taking delusion to the next level and keeping a straight face doing so.
I was rolling in my seat reading this. It’s audacious even for a Russian Troll. And you guys are all experts at treating obvious lies as infallible truths. But this one is beyond anything I’ve seen before.
And you Robert, you get second place. You gave it your all, but ignoring the other side isn’t going to earn you any points.
Gary Jacobs
December 25, 2022 at 10:39 am
Jim,
LoL… you claiming to know what is ‘evident’ makes me laugh. You have gotten just about everything wrong in every post you have ever put onto this site about Russia and Ukraine. Nothing new here.
What was clearly evident is that the EU got hooked on cheap Russian gas like a junkie gets hooked on smack. Russia is of course an actual mafia state which deals hydrocarbon drugs, and bullies its neighbors into doing its bidding. Everyone paying attention knew it would take time and money to send the EU to proverbial rehab. However, once they got clean and stayed sober on the other side… they will be much better off for it. But it would also take American support to stand up to the Russian Imperialist Bully/Terrorist.
You should take a similar approach to your unhealthy addiction to phony Kremlin talking points. you have become addicted. You should find your own proverbial rehab. Start with better sources of information…then learn how to do critical thinking. Right now you are failing repeatedly and publicly.
In the meantime, sanctions are working. The Ruble is down quite a bit. Russian Ural gas trades at a $25+ discount to Brent Crude…and Russian Arms contracts are being cancelled left and right.
2023 is not looking good for Russia or the trolls spewing their talking points.
Have a liberating day
Friend
December 25, 2022 at 11:15 am
We’re only starting to eat away into Putin’s constituency electoral body, and that of the Republican Party. That shameful russian political front of the orthodox church in the U.S. will be abolished and replaced by the more democratic forces from the rest of the world who will also be replacing U.S. defective and defunct military, which is basically the russian army.
It’s gonna be a lit up fucking Christmas for the MAGA
GhostTomahawk
December 25, 2022 at 12:42 pm
No. Zelensky is not unstoppable. He’s a fraud. This is what he has proven: Without massive amounts of tech support, munitions, artillery, ammunition and enough money to end homelessness in America, UKRAINE WOULD’VE BEEN CONQUERED.
So what did we learn? That with more money than Russia spends on its military in a year and US war equipment, Ukraine can fight to a stalemate and inevitably lose a war of attrition.
So what does the average American toddler get out of this? Crippling inflation, a diminished US economy, world wide food shortages and lowered US global prestige after we blew up Putins pipeline and lied about it.
Thanks for asking my consent to begin another endless proxy war. To go along with: Yemen, Syria, Libya and Ethiopia.
Rick
December 25, 2022 at 3:12 pm
Ghost,
Why do you snivel about West’s aid to Ukraine when Putin is whimpering to North Korea and Iran for help? Do you recognize the hypocrisy? You’ve emptied prisons to get people to fight and be slaughtered, yet still can’t overcome the Ukraine army. All this while the best and brightest have left for greener pastures.
There was an article about putin demanding more domestic production of sophisticated weapons, but you don’t have the capability. After Ukraine kicks your ass out of their country, using even more Western high-tech weapons, it’ll take years to recover, meanwhile Ukraine joins NATO…never to be invaded by a third rate power again. Yeah, you’ve got a really bright future!
Merry Christmas and Happy HIMARS and Patriot systems…with more to come!
Gary D Jacobs
December 25, 2022 at 6:48 pm
GhostTomahawk,
One of the more phony screeds I’ve seen on here. If you want to make a dent in Homelessness, get California to stop spending stupid amounts of money on a high speed train that isnt actually high speed, and has been reduced to operating in the middle of nowhere when it should have been cancelled all together. Pretty much all the states with the highest amount of homeless could solve their own problems if they spent money more wisely. It is precisely the feds job to worry about foreign policy.
And if you are so worried about the economy, you should keep in mind that the EU is our largest trading partner, and Russia is an existential threat to them.
As well, and contrary to your completely incorrect opinion, Putin’s war was a massive blunder that has strengthened the US global position, degrading Russian capabilities (which frees up resources for other threats) and strengthening our alliances (for those other threats).. With 0.24% of USA’s GDP, Russia’s military is severely weakened.
The US has increased our standing in the EU, Central Asia, India, and more.
Giving up on Ukraine because of the relatively minimal (for these sorts of things) cost would be a tremendous strategic own-goal. Given Russia’s apparent intentions for the people of Ukraine, it would be a humanitarian disaster.
We have rarely bought so much, so cheaply.
Russia has invaded its neighbors three times since ’08 (Georgia2008; Ukraine 2014; Ukraine 2022). Putin has built the Russian army into a war-crimes-machine that bombs non-military targets as a matter of doctrine. Russia also employed this Strategy in Syria to prop up Assad.
America isnt just a country, it’s an idea based on valuing human rights…allowing Russia to run roughshod over Ukraine in the backyard of our most important allies is what would actually reduce our standing in the world.
As for the food crisis etc… do you really think allowing Russia to have complete control over Ukraine’s agriculture industry and precious metals resources would make the situation better? No. They would use those resources as blackmale exactly the way they did with NatGas and Oil.
Your arguments on these points are completely self defeating.
I could go on for days like this, but for now I digress.
Have a liberating day.
David Chang
December 25, 2022 at 7:11 pm
God bless people in the world.
Anthropology and evolution are wrong constitution thoughts.
But we should determine war policy by morality humbly, not by any wrong thought. Many conservatives violate Ten Commandments since 1776. Although Lincoln do not accuse Presbyterians of their sin, Presbyterian is sinner in the Civil War, and led Democratic Party to cooperate with Communist Party in the 20th century. So many people in America want to liberate Vietnam, and help people who believe socialism to liberate Afghan. So many people in the 20th century are together with Soviet Union and China Communist Party, all of them are People’s Liberation Army, instead of obeying Ten Commandments and confess sin.
This sin is the same as Ukraine socialism warfare, Putin wants to liberate Crimea, Zelenskyy wants to liberate Crimea too, so they call each other fascist, not socialist. But both Zelenskyy and Biden violate Ten Commandments and believe socialism, like Putin and Xi.
Finally, the judgements of God are always true and righteous.
Ten Commandments are eternal morality and above Constitution.
God bless America.
Dan Jenson
December 25, 2022 at 11:15 pm
Stop sending hundreds of billions to corrupt Eastern Europeans while Americans struggle to meet their needs.
Americans are waking up. Bernie and Trump are both populists. The system is using political and racial division (wokism)to divide us so we cannot fight them. Do we really believe it is “patriotic” to spend $850 billion a year on weapons when our country is collapsing? Down with the unelected administrative state.
Виталий Александрович
December 26, 2022 at 6:11 am
The death of the Russian army is greatly exaggerated. Precisely and correctly, the Russian army began to revive on February 24.
Jim
December 26, 2022 at 10:30 am
Some Ukraine Project supporters claim the sanctions have worked.
Really?
The sanctions were plan A. The goal was to collapse Russia’s economy causing the Russian government to fail, Putin to be removed, and general instability to overwhelm the Russian State… leaving it prostate… perhaps, even ripe for dismemberment.
And isolated diplomatically.
Didn’t happen.
A military coup & a march on Kiev with popular support seems remote… may not happen… (but can’t be dismissed as a possibility… and would be the best outcome in terms of sparring Ukraine & its People from the suffering & destruction it is going through, now).
The European Union (Potemkin village of democracy) is hurting big time… everybody acknowledges that… except the fanatics who will never admit their Ukraine Project is turning to political ashes.
Neoconservatives hurt people without scruples… or regret… no surprise… people who want to rule the world… have no conscience regarding other people… their concern is fake… crocodile tears is all it is.
Russia is not an existential threat to the E. U.
Which is it? Russia is falling apart or is threatening the existence of a free Europe?
You can’t have both.
(Well, you can claim both… but then we know you are full of it.)
The claim that the U. S. has increased its diplomatic standing with the E. U., India, or Central Asia is a joke. Neocons don’t grasp that India wants to remain nonaligned and will never want to be America’s poodle or anybody else’s poodle. This idea is fundamentally wrong… but again, not a surprise claim… par for the course from neocons.
The Ukraine Project is already an “own goal”… and the people responsible for it will be held accountable.
What intentions do the Russians have for the Ukrainian People?
Georgia? The foolish President, Saakashvili, initiated that military skirmish and Russia won.
Ukraine 2014, please, this claim is false (the U. S. supported the coup not Russia).
Oh, America the Universal Nation… pure Trotskyite, neoconservative pap (I love America, but this Universalism is the neocon justification to rule the world… John Quincy Adams said it best, “don’t go out searching to destroy monsters.” … it the best advice, today).
Although, in one instance, they are right, this Ukraine Project has hurt America’s standing in the world… frankly, before this Ukraine Project came to fruition… America had a good thing going.
But neoconservatives were too bent on their schemes… too greedy… to see the error in their ways… they are incapable of seeing how damaging their ideology is to America.
Now, the U. S. stands on the edge of disaster because of the neocon drive to rule the world.
MARTIN
December 26, 2022 at 10:57 am
gary jacobs: Cuanto vale tus derechos humanos?
Jim
December 26, 2022 at 11:42 am
Correction: John Quincy Adams, “Don’t go out in search of monsters to destroy.”
Gary Jacobs
December 26, 2022 at 4:24 pm
Jim,
FYI: ‘run on Russian banks’ is getting thick on Twitter, among other places.
Lots of new photos and videos posted by Russians themselves showing massive lines and even some fights at Russian banks as they are denied access to their money.
Rumor has it on Russian Telegram channels that banks are nationalizing & converting customer funds into war bonds, redeemable at a later date. We’ll see if that turns out to be accurate but it is certainly turning out to be a disaster of a holiday season in Russia…
And here you are still peddling the notion that the sanctions arent working. Best laugh I have had in a while.
Have a liberating day.