Tomorrow marks the unhappy one-year anniversary of the detention of American journalist Evan Gershkovich in Russia on the bogus charge of espionage. On March 28, 2023, he was arrested while on a reporting trip for The Wall Street Journal in the city of Yekaterinburg; he has been held in Moscow, without trial, ever since.

He is one of Vladimir Putin’s hostages . . . an innocent man, being held as a commodity to be traded at some unknown future time in exchange for an unspecified Russian convicted criminal in the United States or one of its allied countries.

And on Tuesday, just two days before this anniversary, a Moscow court ordered an extension until at least June 30th of his detention, again without trial. U.S. Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy attended the hearing, and offered the following statement to reporters outside of the courthouse:

“The accusations against Evan are categorically untrue. They are not a different interpretation of circumstances. They are fiction. No justification for Evan’s continued detention, and no explanation as to why Evan doing his job as a journalist constituted a crime. Evan’s case is not about evidence, due process or rule of law. It is about using American citizens as pawns to achieve political ends.” [AP World News, March 26, 2024.]

And there it is: life in Russia today, where no one is safe from the diabolical whims of Vladimir Putin. Evan Gershkovich continues to occupy his rightful place on my list of HOSTAGES who must be brought home. We know that official negotiations have been underway for some time; let us continue to hope and pray for their success . . . sooner, rather than later.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
3/27/24

Amidst all the noise, the accusations, and the threats in the wake of Friday’s horrific terror attack in Moscow, there is one topic on which the usually verbose Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, remains mum. When asked by a journalist about the “visible signs of violence” on the suspected perpetrators when they appeared in court on Sunday, his response was simply: “I am leaving this question without an answer.”

I have no comment on his no-comment. His eight-word non-response, and the pictures of the suspects, speak for themselves.

But there has been no dearth of verbal exchanges among the involved, and the uninvolved, parties on every other aspect of this disastrous event. It took Vladimir Putin a full day to address the subject at all. And when he did, it was to take advantage of the opportunity to point the finger of blame — where else? — at Ukraine. More than 135 Russian citizens slaughtered; another 100 or so in hospitals, severely wounded; and his first thought is how to pin it on the country he has already subjected to all-out war for the past two years.

How many synonyms are there for “scum of the earth”? When it comes to describing Vladimir Putin . . . not nearly enough.

And when he finally acknowledged that the terrorists — whom he now had in custody — were indeed radical Islamist members of ISIS-K, he did not ease up on his accusations against Ukraine. Instead, he tried to convince the world — without a shred of evidence — that that country had been complicit in the horrific crime by providing an opening at their border for the terrorists to take shelter. Yeah . . . right. Are we even talking about the same border? You know, the one that, because of the ongoing war with Russia, is probably the most heavily fortified in all of Europe?

But wait . . . there’s more. It seems there’s always more.

In a meeting on Monday with government officials, Putin said that the attack had been carried out by extremists “whose ideology the Islamic world has been fighting for centuries.” Without specifically referring to ISIS-K, he continued:

“We know that the crime was committed by radical Islamists. . . . But we also see that the United States is trying to convince its satellites and other countries of the world that there is supposedly no trace of Kyiv in the Moscow terrorist attack.” [RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty, March 25, 2024.]

Needless to say, both Kyiv and Washington have treated Putin’s assertions like the bullshit propaganda they are. Ukraine’s President Zelensky, in vehemently denying his country’s involvement, said:

“Again, he accuses Ukraine. A sick and cynical creature. Everyone is a terrorist to him except for himself although he has been fueled by terror for two decades already.” [Id.]

Not surprisingly, Kremlin-friendly Russian journalists have jumped happily into the fray, echoing Putin’s assertions as though they were holy writ. And, once again, the Russian people are left to pick through the verbal rubbish in search of an inkling of the truth.

*. *. *

But if there is any humor to be found in any of this, it comes from a most unlikely source: Aleksandr Lukashenko, self-declared President of Belarus and willing toady of Vladimir Putin. While Putin and his mouthpiece Peskov continued to accuse Ukraine of keeping a door open for the terrorists, Lukashenko stated on Tuesday that the attackers had actually tried to flee to his country, but were unable to do so because of the additional security measures at his borders.

Oops! Doesn’t he know it’s not nice to contradict the boss?

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
3/27/24

Even when your name is Vladimir Putin, you’ve just begun your fifth term as President of the Russian Federation, and you consider yourself invincible. Because somewhere — several somewheres, actually — along the way, you f**ked up. Big time.

Things were actually rolling along fairly smoothly for Vlad — or at least everything was pretty much under control — until a little over two years ago, when he decided to order a “special military operation” along the Russia-Ukraine border. When the world — and not least of all Ukraine — became understandably concerned, he swore that he had no designs on Ukraine . . . no intention whatsoever of violating that country’s borders.

February 24, 2022: Surprise! He lied. As Ukraine and the rest of the free world had suspected and feared all along, Putin’s routine military exercise . . . or “special military operation” . . . was a red herring. A cover. A 21st-Century Potёmkin Village hiding the truth behind the facade.

But Vlad had badly miscalculated. He truly seemed to believe that because there were some break-away regions in Eastern Ukraine that were sympathetic to Russia, the whole of the country would follow suit and welcome him as their new leader, swallowing whole his bullshit propaganda that the Ukrainian government was a fascist regime led by a closet Nazi. (That would be Volodymyr Zelensky . . . in reality, a non-closeted Jewish man who was and is President of a nation that had been brutalized by the real Nazis.)

Anyway, we all know what has transpired in the past two years: how Putin’s quick invasion has dragged on . . . and on . . . and on, costing his own country dearly in terms of lives lost, economic sanctions, military mismanagement, and personal loss of credibility. So . . . HUGE MISTAKE.

*. *. *

Then it turned out that old Vlad is not the judge of character he believed himself to be. Aside from the incompetence of so many of his military officers, he has managed to keep most of his closest people in line — whether through blackmail, threats, or having them pushed out of windows. But he seriously misjudged his old friend Yevgeny Prigozhin. Remember him? He was the founder and head of the Wagner Group of mercenaries who could always be counted on to do Putin’s dirty work anywhere in the world. But one day Prigozhin realized how incompetent the Russian military leaders of the Ukraine war actually were, and his complaints to Putin were ignored. So he got some of his merry men together and staged a revolt: a march on the Kremlin, beginning all the way down south in Rostov. Well, that failed, Prigozhin’s fate was up in the air for some time, and he finally came crashing down — literally — in an exploding airplane, along with six of his colleagues and three crew members. Putin thought it was another problem solved, but the world knew it was no accident, and he was, once again, labeled a murderer. BIG MISTAKE.

*. *. *

Next, our Vlad tackled the most outspoken dissidents, along with a number of foreigners for good measure, and simply locked them up on a variety of specious charges. But one of those dissidents was the beloved Alexei Navalny. And that problem just wouldn’t go away. Navalny continued to rally his followers from his Siberian prison cell, as did his team living in exile in various parts of Europe. And when Putin couldn’t shut them down, he did what he always does: saw to it that Alexei Navalny never reached his 48th birthday. GIGANTIC MISTAKE!

*. *. *

And so we come to Vladimir Putin’s most recent headache: an actual terrorist attack on Moscow itself, in which more than 135 people were brutally slain, more than 100 others seriously injured, and a popular shopping and entertainment venue all but demolished. “Credit” for this monstrous act has been claimed by a radical Islamic group known as ISIS-K, allegedly in retaliation for Moscow’s friendly relations with countries in opposition to ISIS-K’s interests, or something of the sort. In other words, to twist a well-known axiom: The friend of my enemy is my enemy.

But Putin’s problem goes beyond the mere horror of the attack. To begin with, he was warned . . . and ignored the warning. The U.S. had received credible intelligence indicating an imminent attack on Moscow by Islamic radicals. And the American intelligence community takes very seriously its ethical duty to warn — not just its own citizens or those from friendly nations, but adversaries as well — of any such apparent dangers. And so it did in this case. But Putin chose to believe that the warning was “provocative,” and resembled “outright blackmail and an intention to intimidate and destabilize our society.”

And when the warning turned out to be real, and Putin found himself faced with the horrific results of his own stupidity, he did what he does best: blamed it on someone else . . . in this case, Ukraine.

Wait . . . WHAT?? WHO? Ukraine?!! Seriously?!!

No, no, no! Don’t laugh. He’s serious . . . or at least he managed to say it with a straight face. You see, according to Putin’s side of the story, the small group of terrorists somehow managed, first of all, to carry off this well-planned attack in full view of Moscow’s CCTV cameras; evaded the immediate emergency response teams; got out of Moscow; and made it across Russia to Bryansk, en route to the closest border with a non-NATO, non-Russia-friendly country, which happened to be Ukraine . . . where they also had managed to inveigle some misguided, friendly souls on the other side of the border to clear the way for them. A drive of about seven hours (to Bryansk) under ideal conditions, during which they were never apprehended . . . until — wonder of wonders! — they were on an obvious path to Putin’s favorite scapegoat: Ukraine.

And now we are supposed to believe that Ukraine is in league with reputedly the fourth most dangerous terrorist group in the world: ISIS-K. And of course, the United States — in fact, all of the “collective West” — is in cahoots with them.

You just can’t make this stuff up — at least, I can’t. But if your name is Vladimir Putin . . .

*. *. *

Now, there are those who consider it possible that the Kremlin itself is behind the whole thing: that they sacrificed a couple of hundred of their own people; hired a handful of lunatics as scapegoats to do the dirty work, perhaps expecting them to die in the explosion and fire; and when they didn’t, “captured” them and roughed them up to make it all look as realistic as possible. That’s a pretty extreme conspiracy theory, and I don’t know . . . But here are some pictures (compliments of CNN News, March 24, 2024) of the alleged perpetrators after being taken into custody by Russian authorities:

*. *. *

I have no words. None. For one of the few times in my life, I am officially speechless . . . without comment or conclusion . . . totally gobsmacked. And so I leave you for today, on your own, to draw whatever inferences you like. We shall all see what tomorrow brings . . . including, I hope, a rational thought or two of my own.

Until then, I am, as always,

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
3/26/24

Is it when one country invades another country? When the invaded country fights back? Or when Vladimir Putin says so?

Apparently, it’s that last one.

From the time Russia’s forces — which had been mobilized at the Ukrainian border for months — finally launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine’s territory on February 24, 2022, Vladimir Putin has staunchly refused to refer to the invasion — and the ensuing two years (and counting) of all-out slaughter and destruction — as anything more than a “special military operation” (or “SVO,” to use the Russian initials). In fact, he rammed through a new censorship law making it a crime, punishable by up to 15 years of imprisonment, to so much as utter the word “war” in connection with Ukraine, or to “discredit” the military, or promote “fake” information . . . leaving the definition of those terms open to interpretation by the courts. His courts.

And for two years, he has been having countless people — journalists, political dissidents, disillusioned military personnel, and ordinary citizens — arrested, locked up, exiled, or eliminated for uttering the “wrong” words in the “wrong” context, or simply the “wrong” tone of voice.

But last week, suddenly and unexpectedly, something changed. On Friday, March 22nd, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov offered this statement to the Russian media outlet Argumenty i Fakty:

“We are at war. Indeed, it started as a special military operation but as soon as a clique was formed and the collective West joined in on Ukraine’s side, it turned into war for us. I am convinced of that. Everyone should understand this to summon up inner strength.” [RFE/RL, March 22, 2024.]

“Oh . . . sorry. You were serious???”

Well, of course he was serious. Dmitry Peskov is never, ever not serious. After all, he works for Vladimir Putin. One slip, and . . .

And just to make sure we understood, Peskov added comments to the effect that Russia must fully “liberate” its “new regions” — four regions in Ukraine it illegally annexed during the war — “to protect the people in these regions and liberate the territory of these regions.” [RFE/RL, March 22, 2024.]

Well, they’ve talked about “liberating” what they claim as “their territories” from the beginning. But what is new is the claim that their SVO turned into a full-fledged war when the “collective West” formed some sort of coalition — or “clique,” to use Peskov’s terminology — and dared to step in to assist Ukraine in its alleged assault on Russia.

Looking at it from an objective viewpoint (what a radical idea!), you might wonder what anyone — in this case, Putin, Peskov & Company — would have to have been smoking in order to view this two-year massacre as an assault by Ukraine on Russia. I’m thinking . . .

Yup, that’s clearly it: their own little Wonderland blend.

But why now? Well, from a public relations standpoint, things have not been going so well for Mr. Putin recently. Barely a week into his fifth term as President, he is faced with growing demonstrations of opposition to his SVO, to his onerous new laws, and to his rule in general. The economy, while seeming to be thriving, is actually only doing so on a war-time footing, and would likely collapse under the weight of international sanctions if the Ukrainian adventure were to end, and end badly for him. He needed a way to blame the West for all of it, and turning an SVO into a war seemed the right vehicle.

And that’s not all. Talk about the perfect storm! Earlier in March, Putin had received a warning from the United States about credible intelligence indicating a strong possibility of an imminent terror attack by radical Islamic forces on Moscow itself. The threat was fairly specific: probably within 48 hours, and located at a crowded venue, possibly a concert.

But Putin chose to view that from his upside-down, through-the-looking-glass perspective . . . and ignored it. And when it didn’t happen within 48 hours, he was able to say “I told you so.”

Well, of course it didn’t happen within 48 hours. When word of the U.S. warning was made public, the terrorists — being certifiably insane, but not stupid — withdrew under threat of increased security measures. And they regrouped. But Putin misread the delay as a withdrawal, or proof that no such threat ever existed . . . and he relaxed. For once, his raging paranoia failed him, and he allowed his distrust of the United States to outweigh his normally cautious nature. Life went on as usual, some 6,500 people bought tickets to a rock concert, and . . .

On the very evening of the day that Dmitry Peskov was shooting off his big mouth, all hell broke loose at the Crocus City Music Hall on the outskirts of Moscow. An estimated 135-150 people were killed, another 100-plus seriously injured, and Putin’s alleged 87% popularity took a major hit. Today, Moscow mourns . . . and its people want to know why.

*. *. *

More about Putin’s actions, or inactions, in the wake of that horrific disaster in tomorrow’s post. For now, it’s enough just to know we finally got him to say “war.” It’s even more satisfying than “uncle.”

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
3/25/24

When I began this crusade to free Vladimir Putin’s political HOSTAGES, I promised to continue publishing my reminders weekly until the HOSTAGES were once more at home with their loved ones. Not that I believe my words alone are having any effect on anyone in the Kremlin; but the more voices, the better.

So I once more urge you not to forget or forsake those men and women being held HOSTAGE by the Russian government, who have done no more than speak out against the dictatorial, fascist regime of Vladimir Putin. While they have been forced into silence, we have not.

We must continue to use our voices for them. Please just click to share this message on any and every social media platform of your choice. It’s so easy to create that multitude of voices.

Please . . . bring them home!

Brendochka
3/24/24

You just never know what’s going to pop up in your email inbox . . . and Wednesday brought something interesting to mine. It was from Bill, a longtime friend who had come across an article on the Quora website that he knew would be of interest to me, and he wasted no time in sending it on. I’d like to share the backstory with you.

If you’ve followed my blog or my Facebook posts at all, you know that I write a lot about Russia, and that I spent a good bit of time there on business in the early ‘90s. I even lived in Moscow for several months in 1993, though my permanent residence was always in the Washington, D.C. area.

In 1990 or ‘91, I was thrilled to be invited to a small luncheon — about a dozen people — with Anatoly Sobchak, who had already made a name for himself in Russia as a reformer. He had been serving at the time as Chairman of the City Council in Leningrad, and had just become its first democratically-elected Mayor. He was in Washington seeking strategic “partners” (i.e., money) for some of his proposed development projects at home.

What I had no way of knowing at the time — and what has since been made public — was that Sobchak had an aide who had been a student of his at Leningrad State University, and whom he was now mentoring. This fellow was a total unknown, and apparently tended to fade into the background, as shown in this first picture. But Sobchak evidently saw something promising in him.

He is, of course, the shy-looking little fellow on the left. And no, you are not seeing things; his name was, and still is, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. He had not accompanied Sobchak on the trip to the U.S., so there was no mention made of him; there was no need, and no one would have known who he was in any event. But Bill, on seeing the photo this week and having a vague recollection of my having met Sobchak way back when, wondered whether I might also have met Putin at any time.

I am happy to say, I had not . . . not then, not since. Not ever.

*. *. *

The second (undated) picture, also included in the article, shows the late President and Mrs. Gorbachev on a visit to what by then had been renamed St. Petersburg. It is not clear why Mayor Sobchak did not accompany them to dinner himself, or why he chose instead to assign a nonentity like Vladimir Putin to do the honors; but that is indeed what happened. And it is clear from Raisa Gorbacheva’s memoirs that she was less than impressed: “Sobchak assigned us a nondescript little man . . .”

*. *. *

Also in 1990, John Guare wrote the screenplay for a movie titled Six Degrees of Separation, the main premise of which was that every person in the world is connected to every other person in the world by no more than six “degrees of separation.” Try it; I’ve found it to be true . . . you know someone who knows someone who knows someone, etc.

And in the case of Vladimir Putin, because of my having been introduced to, and broken bread with, Anatoly Sobchak more than thirty years ago, who in turn was well acquainted with Putin . . . well, that’s just one degree of separation, isn’t it?

Oh, good grief! That is way too close for comfort. Not only because of what he has become, but for what he was even at that time. According to the Quora article:

“At the time, Putin was the link from the organized criminal groups to the city administration, managed by ex-communist bosses, who grabbed the positions of power in the new Russia. Later, when Putin became the head of the FSB [successor to the KGB], most criminal bosses linked to Putin in [the] early 1990s died under mysterious circumstances. Putin has always been meticulous about liquidating witnesses. . . .

“When Putin came to power in 2000, he started with seizing control over media and killing political opponents, journalists and undesirable witnesses (even his former boss Anatoly Sobchak died under mysterious circumstances, likely poisoned). No surprise that Gorbachev criticized the administration of Vladimir Putin. He knew what Putin was — a mafia thug.”

*. *. *

But in mitigation, I am happy to report that, according to Mr. Guare’s theory, I am also closely (just one degree) connected to some very distinguished individuals: the Gorbachevs themselves, for example, as well as the elegant widow of the last Shah of Iran, and the adorable Dr. Ruth. So it’s not all bad.

But a word of caution: If you do decide to play the degrees-of-separation game, be prepared for some surprises. You won’t believe how many people — some good ones and some really, really bad ones — you’ve barely escaped knowing.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
3/24/24

As you may have noticed, I write these posts during the evening to be published shortly after midnight (Eastern time) of the following day. So today’s blog is really based on yesterday’s events. And yesterday was a horrible news day.

First, allow me to offer my best wishes to Princess Catherine (also known to most of the world as Kate Middleton) for a speedy recovery. Her strength and courage are an inspiration to all, and she is further blessed to have the love and support of her beautiful family to help her through this difficult time. All good wishes from “the other side of the pond.”

*. *. *

That said, I also offer my condolences to the families of those who did not survive Friday’s horrific terror attack in Moscow, and my best wishes to those who were injured, some of whom may be fighting for their lives. The good people of Russia are not our enemies. They are no different from people anywhere else in the world, wanting only to live their lives, to be able to work and care for their families in peace, and to enjoy some of the pleasures of life from time to time.

Regardless of the actions of governments and the difficulties they create among themselves and for the people they purport to represent, the average citizen of every country is no less worthy of respect, concern, and understanding than you or I. And so my good wishes do go out to the people of Moscow today. I lived through 9-11 in Washington, and I do not wish that on anyone.

As for the political ramifications of Friday’s attack, I will (somewhat uncharacteristically, I admit) withhold any comment for the time being, at least until there is more reliable, confirmable information available. For now, there are too many questions . . . Who was actually responsible? Why did they do it? Will the Kremlin choose to retaliate, and if so, by what means? What about the earlier warning from Washington? And so on.

So good night (or good day) for now, wherever you are. Let us all hope for a better tomorrow.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
3/23/24

Some people collect stamps, or cookie jars, or Disney kitsch, or Faberge eggs. I collect two things: books, and quotations from people who are (or were) obviously possessed of greater wisdom and insight than I could ever hope to claim.

I’m taking a day off from writing today, but rather than leave a calendar page empty on my blog, I thought I would simply share with you a quote I stumbled across recently. It is so relevant to today’s world that it was shocking to me to learn who had written it, and when. And no, it is not from a work by Shakespeare, though it sounds like it might have been; in fact, it’s much older even than that. It is simply this:

“So many wars, so many shapes of crime! . . .
Unholy Mars bends all to his mad will;
The world is like a chariot run wild . . .”

Virgil (70-19 B.C.E.), The Aeneid

Yes, it was penned more than two millennia ago, by a Roman poet who likely knew nothing of the planets, but made reference to Mars, the god of war. Clearly, he understood the state of the world he lived in. Little did he imagine, though, that 2,000 years later his words would still describe a much larger, more populous, supposedly more civilized world. Those twenty centuries, despite our remarkable scientific and technological discoveries and inventions, have taught us nothing . . . nothing about the value of peace, or understanding, or tolerance. Tragically, the warlike nature of mankind remains unaltered.

Only the weapons have changed.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
3/22/24

You just gotta love Dmitry Peskov. Because even Old Stoneface (as I have privately nicknamed him) couldn’t resist a little smile when he said on Monday that the only way to protect Russian territory from Ukrainian attacks was to create a buffer zone that would put Russian regions beyond the range of Ukrainian fire. [Reuters, March 18, 2024.]

Now, admittedly this was probably not his original idea. He was following up on a statement by his boss, Vladimir Putin, who had raised the possibility during a victory speech following his miraculous 87% win in last weekend’s presidential election. Peskov is, after all, the Kremlin’s spokesman . . . and that’s what a spokesman does. What Peskov actually told reporters was:

“Against the backdrop of [Ukrainian] drone attacks and the shelling of our territory: public facilities, residential buildings, measures must be taken to secure these territories.

”They can only be secured by creating some kind of buffer zone so that any means that the enemy uses to strike us are out of range.” [Id.]

Reading that, I have to admit that I feel the way Donald Trump must have felt when asked whether he thought Vladimir Putin was responsible for the death of Alexei Navalny:

“Well . . . I don’t know . . .”

Seriously, I just don’t know what to say about this buffer zone issue. (Never mind the Trump thing — I won’t even dignify that one with a comment.) So many questions come racing through my mind . . . but not a single plausible answer.

First, let’s look at Russia (that enormous green blob occupying most of the upper half of the of the map). It has an area of just over 6.6 million square miles, and stretches across 11 time zones from its European side, west of the Ural Mountains, all the way across Asia to the Pacific Ocean.

Now look at Ukraine. Do you see it there? If you enlarge the picture, you’ll see that it’s between Russia’s western border and Poland. It covers just over 233,000 square miles, and has one itty-bitty time zone.

So what are those questions I mentioned? Well, first . . . What the hell is Russia afraid of??!!!! In terms of sheer size alone, do they really expect Ukrainian forces to invade and overrun the vast expanse of Russia? No, probably not. But with missiles, aircraft and drones furnished by the West over the past two years, some incursions have been made across the border and into Russian territory — the western side, closest to Ukraine, and allegedly into Moscow itself.

But . . . and here is my next question . . . After two years of ceaseless, merciless bombings, missile attacks, and on-the-ground invasions into Ukraine by Russian forces, what did they expect? A welcoming committee?

Well, actually, they did, at one time. You may recall that when Putin began his “Special Military Operation,” he anticipated that within a matter of days, the Ukrainian people would open their arms and their hearts to the Russian “liberators” who had come to rescue them from their oppressive “Nazi” leaders.

And when things didn’t go according to plan, the Russians just dug in their heels and continued trying to blast their way across Ukraine. But when a few drones found their way in the opposite direction, reaching the Russian city of Belgorod and a few other areas, they seemed surprised . . . and panic ensued. So now they need a “buffer zone.” Which leads me to the next umpteen questions:

In talking about protecting Russia’s “territory,” are they including the portions of Ukraine — Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Crimea — presently occupied by Russian forces and claimed by Putin as Russian land? How big does this buffer zone have to be in order to render Ukraine’s weaponry incapable of reaching Russian territory? And where does Putin propose to locate this piece of paradise . . . this new DMZ? Also, wouldn’t some sort of agreement between Russia and Ukraine be required? And who would negotiate and enforce such an agreement?

And one more: Once established, who’s going to be in charge of monitoring the sanctity of the DMZ, keeping out both the Russians and the Ukrainians?

And here’s one for the military experts: If Ukraine’s armaments are unable to reach across the buffer zone . . . well, won’t that also be true for Russia’s armaments?

And finally: When this “Special Military Operation” ends — as all things must, eventually — what happens to the DMZ? Does it revert to the original owner, or is it one of the spoils to be claimed by the victor?

If there actually is a victor.

*. *. *

As I said, I surely don’t have the answers. And therefore, Mr. Peskov, may I respectfully suggest that you take these questions back to your boss and shove. . . . oh, sorry . . . ask him if he’s thought this thing through. Because if he has, the rest of the world would be most interested in knowing what he has in mind.

Buffer zone, indeed.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
3/21/24

We are in danger of forgetting about Ukraine . . . or rather, Ukraine is in danger of being forgotten. The Russian invasion has dragged on into its third year, when it was supposed to have been repelled in weeks or months, with the help of the West. But it has become unexpectedly oppressive, and expensive, and divisive. And the people of Ukraine are staggering under the weight of the Russian onslaught.

In the meantime, the example of Crimea is right in front of our faces, and we are ignoring it. We are overlooking the Little Green Men who now inhabit, and rule, what was geographically and legally part of Ukraine until 2014, when Russia . . . yes, let’s call it what it was . . . invaded it, on the pretext of “taking back” what they claimed was rightfully theirs.

No, I haven’t been seeing UFOs or ETs, or pink elephants, for that matter. The “Little Green Men” of Crimea are Russian soldiers — masked, armed, fearful-looking men in khaki green battle gear or fatigues, Russian insignia clearly visible, patrolling the streets, invading people’s homes and businesses, and making arrests when and as they see fit. They represent the Russian government of Vladimir Putin. The locals have given them their other-worldly nickname.

Depending on who’s speaking, you might hear: “It’s part of Ukraine!” “No, it belongs to Russia!” “But it was ceded to us!” “But historically it is ours!” And so on, and on, and on. We could argue forever about the rightful political place of Crimea in the 21st Century. Its history is so complex as to be nearly indecipherable; over the centuries it has been controlled, wholly or in part, by a succession of Cimmerians, Bulgars, Greeks, Scythians, Goths, Huns, Khazars, Kievan Rus’, Byzantine Greeks, Kipchaks, Ottoman Turks, Golden Horde Tatars, and Mongols. And that was only up to the 13th Century, when it was partly controlled by the Venetians and the Genoese, followed by the Crimean Khanate and the Ottoman Empire in the 15th to 18th Centuries, the Russian Empire in the 18th to 20th Centuries, Germany during World War II, and the Soviet Union from the time of its recapture of the Peninsula from Germany in 1944 until the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. Whew!

But that’s not all. Because on March 9, 1954, it ceased to be an oblast (region) of the RSFSR (Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic) within the Soviet Union, and was transferred by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet to the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. And that is where it stood when, in 1991, the 15 Soviet Republics became 15 independent, sovereign nations. The reasons for the 1954 transfer were about as complicated as the history of the region itself, and are actually quite interesting . . . but are not really relevant here.

*. *. *

So there you have it. Yes, it’s true: for a couple of centuries, the now non-existent Russian Empire did include the Crimean Peninsula . . . and a whole lot of other land that no longer belongs to modern Russia. Borders are forever in a state of flux, due to invasions, revolutions, and treaties. And for about 34 years — from the Russian Revolution of 1917 to 1954 (excluding the three-year German occupation of 1941-44) — it belonged to the Russian Soviet Socialist Republic of the Soviet Union. But for the 70 years from the transfer of 1954 to the present time, it has been — and rightfully still is, both politically and geographically — an inseparable part of Ukraine.

And it is our job — the job of the free world — to help it remain such. Because the fate of Crimea is the fate of Ukraine. The Russians have already planted their flag — both metaphorically and literally — on the soil of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson Oblasts of Ukraine. And they will not quit until they have it all . . . or until we stop them.

The Russian war machine must be stopped. The people of Crimea — like the people of the rest of Ukraine — do not want to live under Vladimir Putin’s rule. They continue to protest against the Russian hegemony, but — as in Russia itself — arrests are being made of those who dare to speak out. One of the latest is a woman named Lutfiye Zudiyeva, a human rights activist who has been arrested for the third time, this time on charges of “abuse of mass media freedom.” Translation: speaking the truth.

And this is what awaits the rest of Ukraine, if we — the West — allow it to happen. And make no mistake: it will happen . . . unless we put Ukraine back up at the top of our agenda, where it rightfully belongs. Because, tragically, what happened in Crimea in 2014 didn’t end in Crimea; it merely took a break, and reignited in 2022.

And because there are plenty more Little Green Men out there, just waiting to move in as soon as we turn our backs.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
3/20/24