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Over the last 24 hours so much has happened on the ground in Ukraine that trying to keep up with everything has almost been a blur. By the time I had a post typed out most of the information seemed to be outdated so I decided to keep following the information and wait for a good time to release a good recap of what has happened.
Feb. 25th
There was a ton to try and digest from this day as the world saw atrocities I never imagined seeing in Europe again. Even with this information coming in from over a day ago it is hard to put into words some of the stuff that has gone on. One major thing has become apparent thought and that is Russia gravely miscalculated the strength of the Ukrainian people. Russia has attempted what it did in 2008 with Georgia and has fallen on its face.
Russian Troop Movements
When the Russians attacked they attacked the whole country at once which was done to prevent the Ukrainians from massing an army in any one area. While the missiles and attacks continued Russia dropped in paratroopers and special forces to seize airports and military installations around Kyiv. It appeared that they were successful however they have struggled too and often have lost control of those airfields. Using Belarus as a launch point they begin to roll in tanks, armored personal carriers, and other military vehicles to try and rapidly capture Kyiv. However, those troops have really failed to make it far enough into the country to cause any sort of issues. Ironically there has even been an instance of a Russian tank running out of gas on the road..... Yes, you read that right a invading tank ran out of gas by itself on the road.
With their troops bogged down in firefights on the outskirts of the capital the Russians have continued to try to fly in more paratroopers and have lost at least two planes that were full of them. This has now been confirmed by numerous sources outside of the Ukrainian government that two planes that can carry 125 paratroopers peace were shot down around Kyiv. Since they have not made the progress I think they were hoping for they have turned to commit nothing short of war crimes. It is not hard to miss the videos showing the apartment buildings in downtown Kyiv being hit with missiles and this is a day after the same thing happening in cities along the southern coast.
Ukrainian Response
While the number of Ukrainians that have fled or are fleeing has increased rapidly it is important to realize that with a country of 44 million people the numbers really are rather small. Kyiv in particular has given out 250,000 assault rifles (fully automatic) to its civilians who are taking up arms. Also over the radio, you have heard instructions being given on how to create Molotov cocktails and how to attack and defeat Russian tanks and other armored vehicles. These people are refusing to give up and if anything is further digging in their heels creating a much harder environment for Russia to operate in.
Popular sports heroes and figures in Ukraine have declared that they will stay in Kyiv and that is something that is amazing to see. Hall of Fame Boxers Vitali and his brother Wladimir Klitschko have declared their intention to stay and fight till the end in the Capitol of Kyiv. You have also seen the former president of Ukraine declare he is also staying in the Capitol and is ready to die for his country if need be. The world has also seen soldiers give the ultimate sacrifice like those troops on Snake Island who told a Russian Warship, "Russian warship, go fuck yourself" which the warship then bombed and killed everyone on the island. Another example was the soldier who blew himself up on a bridge with Russians following him destroying the bridge to Kyiv and taking Russian soldiers with him.
The unity seen in this country is awe-inspiring and something that the world needs to see and then look at how we act among ourselves.
Western Response
Sanctions have absolutely erupted and rained down on Russia with only a few notable exceptions. Even Putin himself has been sanctioned with his assets frozen along with his foreign minister. While Russia still has access to the SWIFT system that does not appear to be lasting much longer. Donations in crypto have absolutely exploded into Ukraine as well making huge news.
Feb. 26th
Heavy flamethrowers have been seen rolling into Ukraine from Russia now. These systems literally set the air on fire around you and cause your lungs to collapse as well as vaporize humans. Tanks have continued to roll forward but face resistance not even from armed forces rather from unarmed civilians who are climbing or laying down in front of the tanks. Since these thanks are on video they literally are getting clogged up unable to continue since they do not want to be caught on tape running over people.
Sadly more reports have emerged as well that not only are hospitals being attacked by missiles but they have been bombing ambulances as well. This is such a gross violation of international law that Putin should be sent to the front lines and forced to address these people that he has done this. The cost of each day of the invasion has been estimated to cost OVER 15 BILLION EUROS PER DAY!
A hilarious confrontation was caught on video from a group of Ukrainians that confronted a tank that ran out of gas asking if the Russians would like to be towed back to Russia. Instead of violence erupting it was seen that the Russians even laughed at the joke and made the comments that they did not actually know where they were supposed to go and thus ran out of gas. Russia is also trying to spin its slow advance as one that is to allow for negotiations but this is the stupidest thing I have ever heard. Remember this is the country that "claimed" it would not invade Ukraine and then said it would only have military ops in the Dombas region. Kyiv for those of you who do not know is nowhere near Donbas and neither is Odessa another city that has faced Russian bombardment.
Russia has also asked for countries close to it politically to send troops and one, in particular, has said no. Kazakhstan who just had Russian military help putting down protests told Russia they would not send troops to invade and has come out and defended Ukraine in defiance of Russia. Even China is beginning to change its tune with Russia as the true nature of its invasion continues to come to light. Moscow has also failed to unite its Central Asian block to recognize even the "independent" Republics in the Dombas region showing that it is facing stiffer consequences and acceptance than they initially thought.
The Ukrainian people continue to hold out against the overwhelming odds. Every day it seems more and more powerful figures in Ukraine declare they will not be leaving the country and will die for their country if they have to. This has started to permeate down to more and more everyday citizens who are helping with the effort to resist Russian invasions and attempted occupation. The President has remained in the Capital even though the US gave him the option to relocate and help protect him from the Russians. Instead, he has called for more ammunition for his military over his protection.
President Biden is now looking more and more into the nuclear option of disconnecting Russia from SWIFT which would be a huge and devastating blow to the Russian economy. The action would be immediate and devastating to the Russian economy and more and more European leaders are starting to call for Russia's removal from SWIFT. You have also seen more and more arms being sent to Ukraine with Germany now setting 1,000 anti-tank missiles and 500 stinger missiles to the country bucking the trend that they had promised in not sending arms. NATO has also activated its rapid response force for the first time ever meaning 40,000 soldiers are now being called between the NATO countries to head to the Eastern Flank in a show of force. 7,000 additional US forces are headed from the US to Europe as well-meaning in the last month Biden has deployed 14,000 soldiers to Europe.
Final Thoughts
Putin has called for Ukraine's Army to overthrow its Government something that is almost hilarious with how united the government, military, and civilians are against Russian aggression. Reports have also broken of Russian soldiers getting out and talking to Ukrainians and being confused about who they are supposed to attack. These soldiers are then realizing what they are getting themselves into as it makes no sense to attack someone who isn't doing anything to you. It goes to show that Putin might be really falling off of his rocker as his reasoning and disconnect from his own people is disturbing. Mass arrests in Russia have continued with over 2,700 people known to be arrested for protesting the invasion the majority of that has occurred in Moscow. As some of you might have noticed I have refused to call Putin the President of Russia because he is not. He is nothing short of a dictator at this point and is really disconnected from the people he is supposed to represent. You add in how his own troops are confused and the recipe for a huge failure in Ukraine is building in Russia. It's known they cannot hold on to the country and that they are facing more resistance than they ever imagined. Soldiers who have been sent by Putin also have no idea who they are fighting once they arrive and a ton of Russian hardware is getting destroyed for the lack of progress.
God Bless the People of Ukraine and God Bless the Troops and Civilians Resisting Putin's Actions
"There is no purgatory for war criminals they go straight to hell"
