Russia’s people — especially those in Moscow and St. Petersburg — are shell-shocked. Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation,” now in its fifth year of what was supposed to have been a quick, “wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am” coup, has proven to be a full-fledged war after all. And it has suddenly turned around to invade their safe space.

After more than four years of loss and devastation, Ukraine has been retaliating, brilliantly aiming their drones at Russia’s oil refineries and other revenue-generating infrastructure — not targeting civilian buildings, and not invading with hordes of marauding troops as Russia has been doing. Yet Putin calls Ukraine’s counter-offensives “terrorism.”

In response, Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha had this to say to the Russian people this week following a successful drone attack on an oil refinery just ten miles from the Moscow Kremlin:

“One of the most popular questions asked by Muscovites this morning is ‘What is going on?’

“I can answer. Your country started a war of aggression against ours. For years, it has been killing our people.

“Now that you know what’s going on, ask Putin when he is planning to end it.”

[Source: UkraineWorld, June 18, 2026.]

Good idea. It will be interesting to hear how Putin replies to his people’s questions . . . if he does reply, that is. Like all autocrats, Russian and otherwise, he does not consider himself answerable to the masses. But all autocrats throughout history have eventually fallen, or been pushed, from power.

Sometimes it only takes one small spark to start the inferno.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
6/21/26