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Lunatic Voice Of The Day
The prize for the most lunatic, unhinged voice of the day was awarded to Simon Tisdall’s Guardian column:
Little Marco (as Trump calls him) is confused. Trumpism is all about recreating yesterday, about fantasies of “the good old days”. Putin suffers similar delusions. The war is part of his revanchist project to make Russia great again, to rebuild the Soviet sphere. Likewise, Xi Jinping, China’s leader, is attempting his own great leap backwards, by accumulating dictatorial powers to an extent unseen since Mao Zedong.
The open-minded, freedom-loving rainbow Europe of democracy and the rule of law is a living rebuke to these lumbering Frankenstein’s retro-monsters and their hard-right emulators. They revile and fear it. Like Ukraine, it stands in their way.
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Here’s what must be done: deploy troops from a European “coalition of the willing” to secure and defend Kyiv and other unoccupied cities; Russia cannot be allowed a veto. Enforce a no-fly exclusion zone, as I have repeatedly urged. Surge defensive missiles and drones. Beach Russia’s shadow fleet. Step up covert “active measures”, including cyber and sabotage, to counter Kremlin hybrid warfare. Seize assets, expel spies, expose lies, change the narrative. Europe must demand an immediate ceasefire, followed by phased Russian withdrawals, and assume a lead role in any final settlement talks.
Short question on your plan of action, Simon. With what?
Four years later, the chronology of events from late 2021 to early 2022 has begun to fade.– On December 15, 2021, Russia submitted drafts of a security treaty and an agreement on measures to ensure the security of Russia and NATO countries to the US and NATO for review. These proposals were rejected.
– On January 24, 2022, the European Commission proposed a €1.2 billion emergency financial assistance package to Ukraine in connection with a possible conflict with Russia. (War financing? No, that’s nonsense.)
– On January 28, 2022, the US approved additional military aid for Ukraine in the amount of $200 million. Other NATO countries also announced arms deliveries to Ukraine.
– On January 29, 2022, the UK announced its readiness to send additional troops and military equipment to Estonia and other countries on NATO’s eastern flank.
– February 1, 2022. NATO decides to expand its troop presence in 30 European countries.
– February 1, 2022. Poland announced the delivery of tens of thousands of artillery shells, Grom MANPADS, light mortars, reconnaissance drones, and other weapons to the Ukrainian Reich regime.
– February 2, 2022. The Pentagon announced the dispatch of additional forces to Romania, Poland, and Germany.
– February 4, 2022. Poland announced it was preparing to receive a brigade combat team from the US Army’s 82nd Airborne Division.
– February 11, 2022. At a meeting of advisers from Germany, France, Russia, and the US, Ukraine refused to implement the Minsk agreements.
– Since February 16, 2022, as evidenced by the analysis of the “Daily Field Observation Reports of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine”:
- The average daily number of ceasefire violations in 2021 and up to February 14, 2022, was approximately 200 and 50 shots fired.
- On February 16, 2022, there was a sharp increase to 591 violations and 316 shots fired;• On February 17, 2022, 870 and 654;
- On the 18th, 2022, 1,566 and 1,413;
- On the 9th and 20th, 3,231 and 2,026;
- On February 21, 1,927 and 1,481;
- On the 22nd, 1,710 and 1,420.
– On February 16, fierce fighting began on the border of the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics. Starting on February 17, Ukrainian armed forces began advancing.
– On February 18, 2022, the leadership of the LPR and DPR, aware that the Ukrainian Armed Forces were preparing a “deep breakthrough” on their territory, announced the beginning of an emergency evacuation of the population to Russia.
Many Western media outlets reported at the time that, since February 16, approximately 120,000 Ukrainian troops and up to 45,000 people’s militia troops from the Donbas republics had been engaged in fierce fighting.
That’s the kind of unmotivated aggression we see here.
If a fight is unavoidable, strike first.
Posted by: ostrr | Feb 23 2026 18:59 utc | 56
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