The location is different: Geneva, rather than Abu Dhabi. But the faces at the table are pretty much the same; the rhetoric hasn’t changed; and nothing is resolved after the first day of talks, while Vladimir Putin continues to batter Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in the midst of one of the coldest winters on record.

Following six hours of talks described by a source in the Russian delegation as “very tense,” Ukraine’s chief negotiator, Rustem Umerov, posted on social media:

“Discussions focused on practical issues and the mechanics of possible solutions. For today, both the political and military blocs have completed their work.” [RFE/RL, February 17, 2026].

So . . . nothing.

As the talks began, the previous night had seen a dozen regions across Ukraine deluged by some 400 drones and nearly 30 missiles, killing at least three people. At the same time, Russian air defenses reported repelling more than 150 Ukrainian drones, and one drone strike setting fire to a Russian oil refinery.

Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelensky said in a video address that his country is ready to cease strikes against Russia in accordance with an earlier U.S. proposal:

“We don’t need war . . . [we are] defending our state, our independence. We are also ready to quickly move towards a worthy agreement to end the war. The question is only for the Russians: what do they want?” [Hafsa Khalil and Laura Gozzi, BBC, February 17, 2026.]

*. *. *

The talks are scheduled to continue tomorrow. But expectations for any meaningful progress are low. Contrary to my earlier hopes, the U.S. is still relying on Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to lead the American negotiating team, while on the eve of today’s talks, Donald Trump himself had this bit of presidential gibberish to offer reporters:

“We have big talks. It’s gonna be very easy. Ukraine better come to the table fast. That’s all I’m telling you.” [RFE/RL, op.cit.]

And the Russian delegation has added a new face: Putin aide, former Minister of Culture, and revisionist historian Vladimir Medinsky.

Trained in international relations at the prestigious Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), Medinsky has been characterized by some as “statist” and “ultraconservative.” Forbes has described him as a member of Putin’s “ideological clan.” He supports such proposals as the erection of statues of Stalin in places where the majority of local people approve, and the restoration of historic, pro-Soviet place names (such as Leningrad and Stalingrad). [Wikipedia biography.]

In 2013, while Medinsky was serving as Minister of Culture, the Ministry proposed an updated cultural policy calling for “a rejection of the principles of tolerance and multiculturalism,” emphasizing Russian “traditional values,” and cautioning against “pseudo-art” that might be at variance with those values. [Id.]

Enough said. The addition of Medinsky to the negotiating team, while of uncertain value to the peace talks themselves, is clearly indicative of the direction in which Putin is not only leading Russia, but would immediately force upon the citizens of any Ukrainian territory that may end up under his control.

Welcome to Stalinism.102, students.

There is still tomorrow’s session in Geneva to anticipate, but sadly without a great deal of enthusiasm. Still, we hope for some progress toward a ceasefire, at the very least.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
2/17/26

In general, I have avoided commenting on the contents of the Epstein files, as I prefer not to wallow in slime. My main area of concern with the files is the blatant, illegal cover-ups being revealed at the highest levels of government and private industry as more files become available.

But I was recently touched by the story of the two adult daughters of former Prince Andrew, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, and the implications of the ongoing revelations for the families of those individuals who ultimately will prove to have been complicit in Epstein’s heinous activities.

Indications are that they believed — or wanted desperately to believe — their father when he denied the extent of his relationship with Epstein and his cohort, Ghislaine Maxwell. Now, with references in the files to their mother, Sarah Ferguson, and to their parents’ having mentioned the daughters’ names countless times in communications with Epstein, they can only feel betrayed.

As stated by Russell Myers, the royal editor of Britain’s The Mirror newspaper:

“It’s incredibly distressing for both young women to see themselves mentioned so freely by their parents to a convicted sex offender.” [Lauren Said-Moorhouse, CNN, February 16, 2026.]

The files even indicate that Ferguson took her daughters to visit Epstein just days after his release from prison in 2009. Aged 19 and 21 at the time, they were likely told they were simply visiting a friend of their parents. According to royal author Robert Jobson:

“They are pretty torn because they believed [their father]. Just like the late Queen and Charles, Andrew told them all the same story — that he had done nothing wrong. My understanding is they feel pretty duped by the whole thing.” [Simon Perry, People.com, February 5, 2026.]

And it doesn’t end with the royal family. Each and every one of the sick individuals who participated in Epstein and Maxwell’s degenerate circle of hell, or knew what was going on and chose to enable it by keeping silent, has someone — a spouse, children, parents, siblings, close friends — who will be similarly affected by the fallout.

But I suppose it would be too much to hope that anyone who could treat innocent children as pieces of meat — no more than flesh-and-blood objects of their perverted desires — might at any time have given a single thought to their own families. That would be attributing to them a modicum of decency they obviously do not possess.

For the guilty ones — when they are finally identified, tried and convicted — there is no punishment severe enough.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
2/17/26

Take these words from Buddha for whatever they may say to you:

However many holy words you read, however many you speak, what good will they do you if you do not act upon them?”

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
2/17/26

In a continuing effort to choke off the main source of income — exports of oil and petroleum products — financing Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine, a bipartisan group of U.S. legislators has introduced a bill ironically referred to as “DROP,” or “The Decreasing Russian Oil Profits Act of 2026.” The Act would require targeted sanctions on any foreign individual or entity involved in the purchase, importation, or facilitation of Russian-origin crude oil and petroleum products. [Alex Raufoglu, RFE/RL, February 12, 2026.]

In announcing the bill, one of its originators, Republican Congressman Michael McCaul of Texas, said:

“Russian energy is the lifeblood of the Kremlin’s war machine, and the DROP Act would drain this primary source of revenue.” Arguing that Putin has shown that he will not seek peace “until the cost of his continued bloodshed is too high,” McCaul added:

“It’s time for every nation and individual to choose between doing business with the free world or continuing to bankroll Putin’s brutality.” [Id.]

Another sponsor of the bill, Congressman Mike Lawler (R-NY), said the bill would strengthen existing designations and close loopholes in current sanctions:

“Sanctions only work if they’re enforced,” Lawler said, adding that the new legislation would “cut off a key funding for Putin’s war machine.” He stressed that it is time to use “the full strength of American economic power to squeeze out the Kremlin.” [Id.]

There are, of course, a number of countries that still buy Russian oil. Not surprisingly, China, India, Turkey and Brazil are among their biggest customers; but two EU members — Hungary and Slovakia — also have failed to reduce their reliance on Russian energy: Hungary, at around 44.6%, and Slovakia, as much as 96% dependent.

This would explain the reason for Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s side trip to the capitals of both countries following the Munich Security Conference last week for meetings with their respective Prime Ministers: Viktor Orban of Hungary and Robert Fico of Slovakia, both outspoken supporters of Putin and autocratic leaders in their own right.

At this stage, we can only speculate as to how Donald Trump’s administration proposes to convince Orban and Fico to comply with the new sanctions, when their dependency on Russian crude oil is so deeply entrenched. But my first guess is that it might have something to do with all of that recently-acquired Venezuelan crude.

We’ll see.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
2/17/26

Two years ago today, Russian dissident and anti-corruption leader Aleksei Navalny died under mysterious circumstances in a Siberian penal colony known as Polar Wolf. Officially, his death was ruled to have been of “natural causes” — allegedly a heart condition. But the world knew better.

On Saturday — just two days before the second anniversary of his death, the true cause — poisoning by means of a rare toxin from a South American poison dart frog — was revealed by a team of European experts who had spent the last two years analyzing biological matter from Navalny’s body that was smuggled out of Russia at the time of his burial.

And today, at a memorial service held in his honor at the Borisovskoye Cemetery in Moscow, his mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, spoke to a crowd of his still-devoted friends and followers.

Demanding justice for her son, she said that the findings confirmed “what we knew from the beginning . . . He was murdered.” [RFE/RL, February 16, 2026.]

And in an interview, Ksenia Fadeyeva — a former associate of Navalny who was herself imprisoned and released in a prisoner exchange later in 2024 — told reporters:

“We can’t afford to become apathetic and believe that our country has no future. If we do believe that it’s all over and that evil has prevailed, it really will prevail.” [Id.]

Good advice, not only for Russians living under Vladimir Putin’s authoritarian rule, but for all of us.

*. *. *

So Aleksei Navalny’s fight against corruption and totalitarianism continues. And as long as it does, his spirit will be kept alive.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
2/16/26

Earlier today I wrote about my concerns for the future of the various Smithsonian and other museums in Washington, D.C., that are in peril from the current administration’s determination to wipe out symbols of, and references to, any and all subjects that they find inconvenient or contrary to their vision of what America should be.

I was steered along that train of thought by a quotation from one of my favorite authors, who needs no introduction, and who foresaw many of today’s events more than 75 years ago when he wrote:

“Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.”

– George Orwell, “1984”

Think about that for a minute . . . and then tell me it doesn’t scare the hell out of you.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
2/16/26

He has decimated the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. He has threatened universities that do not comply with his anti-DEI and anti-LGBTQ+ mandates. And he is going after the venerable Smithsonian Institution to alter its honest, unbiased, heretofore unfettered presentation of history, science and the arts.

Having lived most of my life in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, I have spent countless hours in its vast complex of museums, absorbing history and culture in ways that even the best textbooks could not fully impart. And now I fear that the current generation of children may be deprived of an enormous segment of the true history of our great nation because of the changes being wrought as a result of an irrational fear of the truth that eats away at one man in the Oval Office.

My greatest fears revolve around the Museum of American History:

*. *. *

the Museum of African American History:

*. *. *

and the National Holocaust Museum, which — while not part of the Smithsonian complex — was created and is funded by an Act of Congress, and is therefore vulnerable:

*. *. *

As with any country, there are parts of our history that are difficult for us to face: the years of government-endorsed slavery, denial of equal rights to minorities, the “Red Scare” of the 1950s, and participation in international conflicts that we should have stayed out of, to name just a few. But they happened; and they tell the story of who we are as a people, and of how we have struggled and the progress we have made toward overcoming and correcting our mistakes.

They happened. And you do not change history by pretending otherwise; instead, that pretense opens the door to the likelihood of making the same mistakes again.

We must fight to retain the honesty and inviolability of these objective institutions of learning. They are among the finest in the world, and to lose them — or to see them bastardized by one who would erase history to suit his preferences — would be unbearable and unforgivable.

So if you are, or plan to be, in the D.C. area, please be sure to visit as many of the museums as possible . . . before someone finds an excuse to take a wrecking ball to them.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
2/16/26

Is anyone out there old enough to recall the original “Cheaper By the Dozen,” or TV series like “Father Knows Best” and “The Danny Thomas Show”?

Well, let me tell you right now that those families in no way resembled my childhood. My father was not the all-knowing font of wisdom and patience, or the parent to whom my sister and I would take our problems in the certainty that he would always have the perfect solution.

He was not an evil man — far from it. He just wasn’t father material. Long before people talked about empathy, it was clear that he lacked it. He and my mother separated when I was 13, and divorced a few years later. After the divorce, I never saw him again.

Today would have been his 116th birthday, and though he passed away some 40 years ago, I found myself reminiscing last night about some of the good times we did share during those 13 years that he was a daily part of my life.

I was his favorite child, probably because I was the younger of the two, and the “baby” is often the spoiled one. So I got a bit more attention, which included being taken on father-daughter outings on a Saturday or Sunday . . . although it was usually to something that he particularly enjoyed, like fishing at Lake Massabesic, or placing bets at the trotters or jalopy races. I wasn’t crazy about the fishing, but those races were exciting to a little kid — especially the jalopies, when there was usually at least one multi-car crash to liven things up.

From time to time, he would take my sister and me skating at the roller rink. And sometimes, when there was extra money in the budget, the whole family would go out on a summer evening to a local clam shack for fried clams, followed by homemade ice cream at a nearby mom-and-pop stand. They were simpler times, and it didn’t take a lot to make a memory.

But as I took my little stroll through my childhood last night, I suddenly hit upon what is probably my favorite memory concerning my father . . . though it actually happened after the divorce.

My mother, sister and I had long since moved from New Hampshire to the Washington, D.C. area. I was headed out to the nearby market for a couple of items one day, and asked the others if they needed anything. They initially said no thanks, but then my mother changed her mind and asked me to bring back some hard candies.

No problem. But could she be a little more specific: Lemon drops? “No.” Root beer? “Uh-uh.” Butterscotch? “Nope.” Sour balls? . . .

At which point, she suddenly went ballistic — jumping back, face contorted in horror as though I’d pointed a gun at her, shouting, “No! No sour balls! I hate sour balls!”

Well, that was a surprise, to say the least — on so many levels. First, of course, was the insane visceral reaction. Also, I distinctly recalled that in earlier years back in New Hampshire, we had always had a tin of sour balls in the house. Why did she suddenly despise them? So, of course, I asked her — quite reasonably, I thought — “What’s wrong with sour balls?”

And without hesitation, she blurted out:

“They remind me of your father.”

Well, by the time my sister and I finally picked ourselves up from the floor, clutching our stomachs in pain and wiping tears of laughter from our cheeks, she had realized what she’d said and was trying her best to recover some semblance of dignity, protesting, “That’s not what I meant! They were your father’s favorite.”

But it was too late. Instantly, “sour balls” had become a euphemism for dear old dad . . . and a meme for the rest of our lives. And to me, now the last surviving member of our little family, it still is.

So, to the man my sister charmingly referred to as “the sperm donor” . . . happy 116th birthday, you old reprobate. Wherever you are, I hope you and your sour balls are happy.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
2/15/26

In deciding which of my favorite quotes to share with you each day, I look for words that inspire, encourage, bring hope, comfort, a bit of humor, pearls of wisdom, or thoughts on combatting the negative aspects of life.

Today is not one of those days. Because this very brief quotation demands attention if for no other reason than to point out what we are up against. It was uttered — no, spewed — last week by someone whose ignorance is only exceeded by her innate cruelty. And, by what I can only assume is a diabolical joke being played on the world by some unseen cosmic force, she is the current Attorney General of the United States: Pam Bondi.

We’ve all read about her complete meltdown before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday while dodging serious questions concerning the notorious Epstein Files. But, amongst all of the vile insults and outright lies that she screamed out at the Committee members — while simultaneously refusing to acknowledge the group of Epstein’s victims seated directly behind her — one comment stood out for me.

As she deflected yet another question — this one from California Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren concerning the redactions of some of the files — she actually said this:

“I find it interesting that she [Lofgren] keeps going after President Trump, the greatest president in American history.”

And she said it with a straight face.

Now, I have to assume that her definition of “American history” only encompasses the last 25 years or so, when in fact — as any American with even a third-grade education knows — the history of this country dates back 250 years.

Because — forgetting about the last 25, or even 50 years, and looking further back — she has, in one brief, twisted, demented sentence, dismissed the likes of Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Lincoln, two Roosevelts, Truman, Kennedy . . .

It truly boggles the mind.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
2/15/26

This week brings wonderful news!

On February 13th, five Ukrainian children, ages 4 to 15, were returned home from captivity in Russia and Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories.

Among them were:

> A seven-year-old boy who had been deported from a children’s home in Kherson during the occupation of the city;

> A six-year-old girl and her four-year-old brother, also kidnapped from the children’s home as infants, whom their mother has not seen for four years; and

> A nine-year-old boy who was taken to Russia with his mother. The mother died of illness in Russia, and the boy has been returned home to his uncle. [Interfax Ukraine, February 13, 2026.]

According to the Verkhovna Rada Human Rights Commission, a total of 1,985 children have been returned home to Ukraine since the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022. [Id.]

That is indeed cause for celebration. But that is still fewer than 10% of the total number of children — estimated at 20,000 — abducted from Russian-occupied territories and taken to Russia or held in Russian-controlled regions over the past four years.

And so the fight to retrieve Ukraine’s children continues, along with the efforts to win the release of all of the political prisoners throughout the world, including those on my list:

*. *. *

Victims of Greed:

The President, First Lady, and citizens of Venezuela

Europeans Under Threat:

The Nation and the People of Greenland
The people of NATO and EU member states

Prisoners of War:

The 19,500 Kidnapped Ukrainian Children
The People of Ukraine

Immigrant Detainees in Russia:

Migrants from the Central Asian nations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan

Endangered Exiles:

Mikita Losik
Yulia Navalnaya
Countless Journalists and Other Dissidents

Political Prisoners:

In Afghanistan:

Dennis Coyle (American)

In Azerbaijan:

The “Azerbaijan 7”:
— Farid Mehralizada
— Ulvi Hasanli
— Sevinj Abbasova (Vagifqiai)
— Mahammad Kekalov
— Hafiz Babali
— Nargiz Absalamova
— Elnara Gasimova

In Belarus:

Andrei Chapiuk
Uladzimir Labkovich
Andrzej Poczobut
Marfa Rabkova
Valiantsin Stafanovic
Yuras Zyankovich

In Georgia:

Mzia Amaglobeli

In Russia:

The “Crimea 8”:
— Oleg Antipov
— Artyom Azatyan
— Georgy Azatyan
— Aleksandr Bylin
— Roman Solomko
— Artur Terchanyan
— Dmitry Tyazhelykh
— Vladimir Zloba

James Scott Rhys Anderson (British)
David Barnes (American)
Gordon Black (American)
Hayden Davies (British)
Antonina Favorskaya
Konstantin Gabov
Robert Gilman (American)
Stephen James Hubbard (American)
Sergey Karelin
Timur Kishukov
Vadim Kobzev
Darya Kozyreva
Artyom Kriger
Michael Travis Leake (American)
Aleksei Liptser
Grigory Melkonyants
Nika Novak
Leonid Pshenychnov (in Russian-occupied Crimea)
Nadezhda Rossinskaya (a.k.a. Nadin Geisler)
Sofiane Sehili (French)
Igor Sergunin
Dmitry Shatresov
Robert Shonov
Grigory Skvortsov
Eugene Spector (American)
Joseph Tater (American, disappeared)
Laurent Vinatier
Robert Romanov Woodland (American)

You have not been, and will not be, forgotten.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
2/15/26