Ukraine did what?!
Dateline: Kursk Oblast, Russia. For many here in the relative safety of North America, the Russian invasion of Ukraine is old news. The fact that the war has evolved daily over the past 2.5 years is lost upon most people, since we understandably have many other things to worry about.
But what about Ukraine’s invasion of Russia? Wait, what??! Yep, you read that correctly.
Last week, Ukraine invaded the Kursk oblast, which is a part of Russia that borders Ukraine but which is some distance from the war’s main front. The canny Ukrainians’ ultimate objective in carrying out this surprise manoeuvre is multifaceted but suffice it to say that it has “distracted” the invading Russians from their push to occupy more Ukrainian territory elsewhere. Perhaps just as importantly, it made Putin look stupid and caused his blood to boil.
Who wouldn’t enjoy watching that?
In fact, the speed at which the Ukrainian military has occupied the Kursk oblast and the amount of territory it has quickly come to control there underscores the extent of the hubris that permeates the Kremlin and the Russian military. Russia is not the all-powerful state the world thought it to be prior to the invasion and is certainly not the world power it wants everyone to believe it is.
Turnabout is fair play (not that Russia would know anything about that)
“Russia brought the war to our land and should feel what it has done,” said Ukrainian President Zelensky in one of his nightly telecasts to the nation. Exactly.
Of course, Russia’s maximalist aim continues to be wiping out all vestiges of Ukrainian nationality and statehood, which includes bombing children’s hospitals and supermarkets in Ukraine, killing civilians at every turn while denying it ever targets them. This is the kind of thing Russia does best and has been doing for centuries.
It can’t protect its own border at Kursk but, boy, can it ever kill medical patients and shoppers. Pure evil.
For its part, Ukraine has taken it to the Russians in many unexpected ways. It has managed to wipe out a significant portion of Russia’s Black Sea fleet, as well as many military planes and helicopters, and has destroyed numerous refineries and other facilities in Russia, which allow Russia to wage this genocidal war. There’s way more to this war and what Ukraine is doing than what’s happening on the actual battlefield.
If you want a bit of a laugh, read this article about Putin whining to the UN about Ukraine’s incursion into its territory. Elsewhere, Putin said Ukraine had invaded Kursk in order to grab territory for negotiations but that he refused to negotiate with people who “attack civilians and civilian infrastructure or pose threats to nuclear power facilities.”
The real crime is that Russians and others elsewhere are buying this (and other) hypocritical bullshit.
What’s next on Ukraine’s agenda?
This war may not be top of mind for most people but, if nothing else, know that Ukraine is proving itself bold, innovative and courageous, and a worthy recipient of the support it has received from Western countries (albeit with cowardly restrictions on the use of some of that materiel, in many cases), even if the war isn’t in the news every day. Its invasion of Kursk is a prime example of this.
Can’t wait to see what else it has in store for the Putin and his gang of kleptocratic, imperialistic bastards. Слава Україні!