Putin’s miscalculation

 https://www.politico.eu/article/ukraine-war-russia-vladimir-putin-miscalculation/

So, Putin expected Afghanistan in 2021. But he got Afghanistan in 1979. Ukrainians aren’t rolling over or welcoming back an old friend. They, and their president, are digging in for war. Their army is fighting hard. Harsh Western sanctions are targeting Putin and all his oligarch buddies, who were content to keep him in power while it filled their coffers, but who now stand to lose billions.

The Kremlin isn’t orchestrating a relatively bloodless coup in Ukraine any more. It is instead attempting to become an occupying force. And that is a much more difficult proposition for a country, even a large and wealthy one — you don’t need to look much further than Afghanistan to see the problem with external forces (who will, eventually, have to go home), trying to impose ideologies or governments on a people who don’t want them. Add to that those crippling sanctions, and you’re staring down the barrel of a protracted battle that isn’t easily won.

Or, to put it another way: How do you control a country of 44 million Ukrainians who suddenly have something to believe in? And how do you keep your own people on board?

Russia frustrated by 'viable' Ukraine resistance, U.S. says

 https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russian-forces-frustrated-by-viable-ukrainian-resistance-us-official-2022-02-26/

Russian forces are becoming increasingly frustrated by what the United States believes is a viable and very determined Ukrainian resistance, as Moscow commits more and more troops to its invasion, a senior U.S. defense official said on Saturday.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also said it appeared Russian commanders did not plan for enough fuel and basic logistics support, and were now trying to adjust.

The Russian military continued to pound Kyiv and other cities with artillery and cruise missiles on day three of a campaign that has sent hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians fleeing west toward the European Union, clogging major highways and railway lines.

In pictures: Protests across the world show support for Ukraine

 https://edition.cnn.com/2022/02/26/world/gallery/ukraine-protests-global/index.html

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues to shock the world, people all over the planet are watching in horror and disbelief.

Rallies, vigils and prayer meetings are being held across the globe in support of Ukraine. Many of those attending have personal or family ties to the country. And they're asking world leaders to stop Russia's attack.

Ukrainian army ‘successfully repelling’ Russian attacks: Zelenskyy

Hundreds arrested as shocked Russians protest Ukraine attack

 https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-vladimir-putin-europe-russia-moscow-9a3eab8c8cb047254c82f1839ef77b9f

Shocked Russians turned out by the thousands Thursday to decry their country’s invasion of Ukraine as emotional calls for protests grew on social media. Some 1,745 people in 54 Russian cities were detained, at least 957 of them in Moscow.

Hundreds of posts came pouring in condemning Moscow’s most aggressive actions since the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Vladimir Putin called the attack a “special military operation” to protect civilians in eastern Ukraine from “genocide” — a false claim the U.S. had predicted would be a pretext for invasion, and which many Russians roundly rejected.

Tatyana Usmanova, an opposition activist in Moscow, wrote on Facebook that she thought she was dreaming when she awoke at 5:30 a.m. to the news, which she called “a disgrace that will be forever with us now.”

“I want to ask Ukrainians for forgiveness. We didn’t vote for those who unleashed the war,” she said.

As sirens blasted in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, and large explosions were heard there and in other cities, Russians were signing open letters and online petitions demanding the Kremlin halt the assault, which the Ukrainian health minister said had killed at least 57 Ukrainians and wounded dozens more.

Prominent Russians join protests against Ukraine war amid 1,800 arrests

 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/25/prominent-russians-join-protests-against-ukraine-war-amid-1800-arrests-putin

Prominent Russians shocked by the invasion of Ukraine have gone public with their opposition to the war, despite the professional and personal risks that come with dissent on such a sensitive issue in Russia.

More than 1,800 people were arrested at rallies across the country on Thursday night as prominent Russians from the worlds of entertainment, business and journalism have risked their livelihoods in order to speak out.

When Elena Chernenko, the veteran diplomatic correspondent for Kommersant newspaper, found out that Russia was invading Ukraine, she said she was stunned.

“Of course, I was shocked … Until yesterday morning, I refused to believe that Russia could launch a massive military operation against Ukraine,” said Chernenko, who believed Russia may at most recognise the territories in south-east Ukraine.

“I thought that all the talk about invasions was awful hysteria. I argued with people on Twitter and in person that nothing would happen, it’s all thought up,” she said. “Maybe I don’t understand anything about Russian foreign policy anymore.”

‘Putin is the new Hitler’: Israelis protest invasion outside Russian embassy

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/putin-is-the-new-hitler-israelis-protest-invasion-outside-russian-embassy/

Hundreds of Israelis massed in pouring rain outside the Russian embassy in Tel Aviv on Thursday to protest the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Many demonstrators carried placards, including “Putin is the new Hitler” and “Stop Putin, stop war.”

Sheltered under giant Ukrainian flags and exposed to the elements alike, the protesters shouted slogans in Russian, Ukrainian and Hebrew that were directed at Putin and recalled past Ukrainian struggles for independence.

“Putin is a son of a bitch” and “no war” alternated between the crowd and passing cars, as drivers stopped to honk and shout their support.

“Honor to the heroes, honor to Ukraine,” they chanted as lightning ripped through the air.

What’s With Trump’s Praise Of Putin? | Zerlina.

Trump Praises His KGBFF Putin While World Leaders Condemn Russia’s Attack on Ukraine

Trump Doubles Down on Calling Putin "Smart," Gets Confused on Fox News: A Closer Look

Vindman: Trump Praising Putin’s ‘Genius’ Is 'Deeply Disturbing'

Self-obsessed Trump’s Putin praise is morally bankrupt

 https://nypost.com/2022/02/24/self-obsessed-trumps-putin-praise-is-morally-bankrupt/

Asked in a radio interview what had gone wrong that Putin recognized the independence of two Ukrainian breakaway regions on President Biden’s watch, Trump couldn’t muster one remotely appropriate sentiment.

He immediately cited “the rigged election” of 2020, an obsession of his that is so all-consuming, it makes Ahab look uninterested in the White Whale by comparison.

He characterized the recognition of the regions that Russian separatists claim as “wonderful” and “smart,” never mind that it was a transparently cynical step to create a pretext for war.

Biden faces another global crisis. This one resonates differently at home.

 https://www.politico.com/news/2022/02/24/biden-foreign-policy-doctrine-stress-test-00011385

Biden advisers and allies also recognize that, in contrast to the near-uniform chorus of criticism they encountered over ending the Afghan war, Republicans are badly fractured on how to approach the unfolding conflict in Ukraine — and how hard to come down on Putin.

There’s little confidence that a new era of competition with Russia will suddenly restore the country’s political center, or take the steam out of modern partisanship. But they argue that the Republicans who have been lauding Putin — everyone from Donald Trump to Fox News’ Tucker Carlson — are playing to a winnowing crowd and will find themselves increasingly out of step with the majority of Americans.

Donald Trump Praises 'Very Smart' Putin During Mar-a-Lago Fundraiser

 https://www.newsweek.com/trump-praise-putin-smart-war-ukraine-invasion-1682182

Video has emerged of Donald Trump again praising Vladimir Putin—just as the Russian president was launching his invasion of Ukraine.

At the Mar-a-Lago event, Trump mentioned the criticism he had received for those remarks, saying: "'Oh, Trump said Putin's smart.' I mean, he's taken over a country for $2 worth of sanctions. I'd say that's pretty smart.

"He's taking over a country, really a vast, vast location, a great piece of land with a lot of people and just walking right in."

The former president also boasted that he knows Putin "very well…almost as well as anybody in this room."