BEN MORGAN: Ukraine strangles Crimea, while Europe stands strong together
Recently, reports that US intelligence services warned Poland about Russian plans to attack the country featured prominently in international media.[i] Reporting that encouraged plenty of speculation, some of it hyperbolic. The threat of a Russian attack on a NATO member is not new and had been well—canvassed; for instance, two weeks ago the Guardiandiscussed the concerns of Baltic States intelligence agencies.[ii] TheGuardian is not alone and many news outlets, commentators and think tanks have reported similar concerns.
In this case, it is important to note that the range of options canvassed by Russia were below the threshold of overt military action. Instead, the intelligence pointed to small, discrete operations with a high level of ambiguity about their initiation and intent – hybrid or grey zone operations.
Further, in is notable that this intelligence information was released immediately before NATO’s leaders met in Ankara for the alliance’s annual summit. This week’s activities provide insights into the Kremlin’s problems, and about NATO’s hardening position towards Russia. A trend the bodes poorly for Putin, especially as Ukraine’s drones start to slowly strangle Crimea.
Russia’s plans – A ‘real’ war with NATO is not on Putin’s agenda
In June 2026, my post titled ‘Putin has problems, so expect volatility’[iii]assessed that Putin’s most likely course of action is to use his current recruiting strategies to continue the war in Ukraine and that “… more hybrid operations are conducted in the North Sea, Baltic and in NATO countries that vocally support Ukraine. This increases the cost of security and therefore the likelihood that NATO members that are either; not directly threatened with attack, or are being targeted by hybrid operations may seek to disengage and withdraw support from Ukraine.”
The released intelligence is consistent with this assessment, and indicated that Russian planning considered proposed options like[iv]:
- Drone strikes on a piece of critical infrastructure for example a power station.
- A Russian helicopter ‘getting lost’ and landing in Poland to provide a pretext for Russian forces to cross the border into Polish territory to rescue the crew.
- Launching a small attack across the border probably near Kalingrad.
A range of small, discrete operations with a level of ambiguity that makes a it difficult for NATO members to agree on a joint response. For example, countries that share a border with Russia like the Baltic States, Poland and Finland are likely to support a powerful collective response. Unfortunately, powerful collective responses are expensive and Putin’s planners are hoping that NATO members, further from the frontline, will argue for a lower grade response creating tensions in the alliance.
The aim is not to invade Poland, capture territory or even inflict a damaging blow. Instead, Putin’s goal is to fracture the NATO alliance. Its members arguing over how to respond to an ambiguous Russian intervention that although violent, is below the conventional threshold for war.
The release of this information reinforces assessments from intelligence agencies like Latvia’s Constitution Protection Bureau (SAB) that recently stated the likelihood of a large-scale conventional Russian military attack against the Baltic states is very low but that hybrid operations are highly likely, and that “The aim of such pressure would be to encourage NATO countries to reduce their support for Ukraine or become more willing to make concessions to Russia in the context of the war in Ukraine and any potential diplomatic settlement.” [v]
Notably, this information tells us about the Kremlin’s problems and plans. It is an indicator that Putin’s options are limited; he is defeated on the ground and evidence shows that he cannot risk a full mobilisation. It is unlikely he has enough combat power available to fight in Ukraine and threaten a NATO country directly at the same time. So, instead he is looking for smaller interventions to try and influence the situation. Russian strategists have probably convinced themselves that some NATO members are scared of war with Russia and that an aggressive hybrid operation will provide enough escalation, and uncertainty, to stoke that fear and turn it into ‘wedge’ dividing the alliance.
NATO’s response indicates Putin does not scare Europe anymore
Last week, NATO’s annual leaders summit sent a clear message to Putin. The post-summit joint leader’s statement’s first paragraph stating “We, the Heads of State and Government of the North Atlantic Alliance, have gathered in Ankara to reaffirm our ironclad commitment to our collective defence under Article 5 of the Washington Treaty and to the transatlantic bond. An attack on one is an attack on all.[vi]
The term “ironclad commitment” is carefully chosen to unequivocally demonstrate that the alliance is committed to collective defence, and will respond to any Russian attack. A point re-iterated in the phrase “an attack on one is an attack on all.” The alliance’s clear, strong language is an important indication of NATO’s position. Europe is not intimidated by Russia and is ready to act if Putin wants to escalate. This situation disincentivises large Russian hybrid operations because instead of creating pressure on the alliance’s internal politics, an attack is more likely to reinforce the alliance by creating a common threat for it to rally against.
Notably, the timing of the release – immediately prior to the conference encourages speculation that it was made public to influence public opinion. NATO leaders would be well-briefed about potential Russian activity, and there is a long history of it being predicted by intelligence services and commentators. But, making this information available to the wider public could reinforce political support in NATO countries for taking a harder line on Russia.
Strategic-level situation – bad news for Putin
Russia has lost this round of the strategic battle. Ankara demonstrated that NATO is committed to Ukraine and is ready to act collectively to counter any Russian escalation. For example:[vii]
- NATO countries committed another US $ 80 billion of assistance to Ukraine.
- The alliance also committed to increasing its defence spending, including US$ 57 billion in new procurement. A spend that will focus on AI, long-range-precision strike, integrated air and missile defence, uncrewed systems, intelligence capabilities and notably an interoperable transatlantic warfighting cloud.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s strategic air campaign continues to demolish Russian oil and gas infrastructure, reducing Russian government revenue. Ukraine’s campaign also brings the impact of the war home for ordinary Russians as fuel supplies dry up around the country. [viii]
Ukraine’s strategy is working and barring a sudden and extreme change in Russian activity either; the money will run out or economic and political pressure will force the Kremlin to negotiate. The question is whether Putin sees the ‘writing on the wall,’ or if he will need to be removed before Russia starts to negotiate.
Operational-level situation – Ukraine’s plan
At operational-level, a new Russian axis of attack has not developed this summer. Instead, Russian main effort continues to be capturing the remainder of Donetsk Oblast and the ‘Fortress Belt’ of cities near Sloviansk and Kramatorsk. If Russian captures this area Putin achieves two objectives;
- He can claim victory because he has ‘liberated’ the Donbas.
- Securing the Fortress Belt ensures Russia has a secure base for future operations in Ukraine.
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Ukraine ‘on the other hand’ continues to stick to its attritional strategy, trading ground for casualties. This plan is working. A recent Centre for International and Strategic Studies report discussed the situation, and assessed that “The Russian military has suffered 1.4 million battlefield casualties and as many as 450,000 deaths since its February 2022 full-scale invasion, according to new CSIS data. Russia’s territorial control in Ukraine shrank in the spring of 2026, with a net loss of roughly 400 square kilometers in April and May.”[ix] The report assessed that since the beginning of 2026, Russia has lost eight soldiers for every Ukrainian casualty.
The frozen frontline is evidence that Russian casualties are unsustainable and make it impossible to build up the force ratio required for offensive manoeuvre. Essentially, Ukraine’s ‘Drone Wall’ has defeated Russian plans for a 2026 Summer offensive, and now provides a secure based for the next phase of Ukraine’s plan.
Ukraine’s plan – strangle Crimea
Ukraine is in an enviable position; Russia is busy expending resources trying to advance against its well-tested defences. Meanwhile, Ukraine doesn’t need to use up resources trying to attack because its medium and long-range attack drones can strike with sufficient precision to interdict the R-280 Highway that supplies Crimea, and attack the bridges that are the entry points into Crimea for fuel, ammunition and food. Ukrainian drones are also attacking Russian ferries and supply ships trying to cross the Sea of Azov.
After degrading Russian air defences, and then building a coordinated network of drone and satellite surveillance Ukraine can now strike at will, and very effectively. For instance, Deutsches World recently reported that “The situation in occupied Crimea is particularly tense. Fuel shortages ensued after recent drone strikes disrupted traffic along the so-called “Novorossiya Highway,” which links the peninsula to Russia’s Rostov region and serves as a key supply route for fuel.”[x]
Commentary that is supported by the Institute for the Study of War’s 7 July 2026 assessment that states “Ukraine’s intermediate-range strike campaign against a multitude of diverse targets, including Russian air defenses, petroleum product transport, other logistics, and electrical substations, is collapsing logistics in occupied Crimea.”[xi] And, more recently on 10 July, Al Jazeera reported that ” In Sevastopol, fuel has stopped being sold to civilians, and more than a dozen Crimean regions are suffering from electricity blackouts.”[xii]
Ukraine’s attacks stop the flow of supplies into Crimea, causing Putin a big political problem. Crimea is the ‘jewel in the crown’ of his regime, and he is very politically invested in it. If Putin cannot stop Ukraine’s siege of Crimea, he loses face and his weaknesses are exposed to the Russian people. A dangerous situation for an autocrat.
From Ukraine’s perspective, at operational-level it makes sense not to launch ground attacks. It is better to take a cautious approach and rather than wasting young soldier’s lives, use drone supremacy to strangle Crimea from a distance – forcing Putin to respond. His most likely response is to move more air and drone defences to Crimea and onto the bridges, roads and rail lines that carry supplies to the peninsular. An impact of that response is Russian air and drone defences over the frontline becoming weaker, and when they are weak enough Ukraine may choose to attack on the ground.
Conclusion
Strategically, NATO continues to take a more assertive position. A policy demonstrated by the alliance’s statement this week. NATO is no longer intimidated by Putin and is committed to funding Ukraine, and responding to Russian escalation using hybrid tactics. Bad news for Putin.
On the frontline, Ukraine’s Drone Wall has stopped Russia’s Summer 2026 offensive and evidence shows that Ukraine’s drones are stopping supplies from getting to the frontline, and more importantly to Crimea. Last post we said that Ukraine is now in the driver’s seat and will set the tempo of the next phase of the war, and asked whether Ukraine would strike, or slowly strangle Russia’s forces in Crimea from a distance.
Ukraine’s actions indicate it is choosing the latter option – to use its drone supremacy and strangle Crimea from a distance.
Ben Morgan is TDBs Military Blogger. a defence and security analyst specialising in modern warfare, military adaptation, and operational-level conflict analysis. He posts at Substack. If you like this content and want to support it you can ‘Buy me a Coffee’ here – buymeacoffee.com/benmorgan
Peoples War vs. Conventional War
Federove must be returned to office
This is not about one man it is about how a peoples war must be fought.
A peoples war is fought from the bottom up, a conventional war is fought from the top down.
The Hybrid War
From the very first days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the civilian resistance was key to turning back the Russian advance. Farmers with tractors and hobbyists with homemade customised and weaponise commercial domestic drones harried the invading forces, giving Ukraine’s conventional forces the breathing space to mount a counter attack.
A peoples war is fought with full transparancy and open communtication across all levels, a conventional war is fought with secrecy and closed top down communication at all levels.
In the age of the internet there are no secrets. Digital natives accept this reality as a fact of life.
The Crowd Sourced War
Convential military experts that have examined how Ukrainian front line units are fighting the war are aghast to find that they allmost all exclusively use fully open radio and electronic communication channels and in fact prefere them the encrypted communication channels used by every conventional military in the world.
Front line units have found speed and ease of communitcation outweighs the conventional closed communications of most militaries, Supplies arriving quicker, wounded being evacuated sooner, calls for help being heard more widely, reinforcements arriving more quickly, innovations and ideas being shared more broadly outweigh the benefit of encryption and secrecy. That all these channels are open to the enemy is not seen as an issue.
Leadership is a key factor, a civilian leader who has a grasp of peoples war is more valuable than a conventionally trained military Commander
Foreigh military experts are not the only ones aghast at this form of warfare, so are older Ukrainian military leaders.
The head of Ukraine’s armed forces is General Oleksandr Syrskyi a Soviet Union trained professional miitary officer. It is inevitable that Syrsky would clash with Federov.
President Zelensky had to choose between the two leaders. Zelensky chose to sack Federov and keep Syrsky.
One of the criticisms of Zelensky decision made by Federor’s supporters is that President Zelensky was never took part or experienced the dynamism of the Maidan Revolution that overthrew Ukraine’s pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych, and so has no idea of the creativity and potential of people’s war..
Ukraine has no hope winning a convential war against Russia.
The revolution will not be televised, it will be digitised
Soldier protests genocide by setting himself alight.
In February 2024, an active-duty U.S. Air Force member, 25-year-old Aaron Bushnell, set himself on fire outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., to protest the war in Gaza. Before the fatal act, he declared he would “no longer be complicit in genocide”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6f8MYAF1L9M&rco=1
Sword gets turned into ploughshare
In March 2026 the US Navy’s Flagship the USS Gerald R. Ford was sabotaged by its own crew, who blocked tollets with Tshirts, mop heads and lengths of rope before setting a fire that badly damaged the sleepinq quarters.
The biggest aircraft carrier in the world the $13 billion nuclear powered USS Gerald R. Ford was supposed to be the mainstay weapons platform for the US attack fleet, in the US war on Iran. but was sabotaged by its own crew, and had to turn back back to port. The USS Gerald R. Ford is currently tied up in port, its nuclear power plant being used as a floating nuclear power station for Portsmouth Virginia.
https://www.instagram.com/reels/DVJPRdGjhP8/
Russian soldier abducted for instagram post gets released after viral on=line protest
In June 2026 in a video that garnered millions of views on social media, a man in Russian military uniform identified himself as Alexander Lunin.
In the video Lunin asked for an audience with Putin to “tell the whole truth” about the mistreatment of Russian troops in the war in Ukraine.
Lunin was released after 11 days of detention by Russian security forces after messages on Instagram demanding to know his whereabouts went viral
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/GSlk3KefJgM
Serving US Air Force Major protesting in full uniform is arrested.
In july, 2026 in a dramatic scene on Capitol Hill active-duty U.S. Air Force Major Jason Watson was arrested after he delivered a fiery speech calling for the impeachment of President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
Following the event, Watson was arrested on the Capitol steps, fueling renewed debate over free speech, political protest, constitutional accountability, and the future of American democracy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIIJMYKABqU
After the collapse of the Soviet Union the US increasingly see the European bloc as a rival to US global hegemony, second to China. Beside Europe and China, Russia hardly ranks as a major rival to US econoimc and military power. Hence the US back peddleing on support for Ukraine, and the side deal made between Trump and Putin at their Alaska summit to work together to develope the Russian Sakhalin Island oil and liquefied natural gas fields.
“NATO countries committed another US $ 80 billion of assistance to Ukraine.” Ben Morgan
When we talk about NATO these days, we talk about NATO sans the US.
This needs to be made clear,
NATO countries, except the US, committed another $80 billion to Ukraine’s defence.
Without makeing this clear, we create the wrong impression that all is sweetness and light between Washington and Brussles. In fact the relationship between Washington and Brussels is highly strained and tense, driven by ongoing disputes over trade, tech regulations, and security guarantees.
The $80 billion of military assistance pledged to Ukraine at the Ankara NATO Summit, came from Canada and Europe, The US did not contribute one cent.
What is clear is that NATO is the USA. NATO is a US led and managed organization specifically designed to advance US hegemony, through WAR. NATO cannot do anything without the say so of the USA, ditto NATO is hesitant to do anything without the backing of the USA. The only meaningful change to NATO in recent times is the drastic increase in funding NATO members have been driven to undertake by NATO leader, the USA. Likewise, the USA is encouraging all Western nations, and or countries under its control, to increase military spending also. The US war on the entire world is in motion now.
Back to the Ukraine. The bulk of Ukraine’s intel comes form the USA. Its military is overseen by US commanders based in Germany/Europe. And the bulk of its weaponry, still comes from the USA.
Over to West Asia (the Middle East) do we need to explain what the USA and its proxies (Israel,the Gulf States, Saudi Arabia, the Syrian-Lebanese-Yemeni, Jordanian governments) are doing over there!
And on to China. The largest Naval exercise in the world – RIMPAC – took place recently. This is a US-led Naval exercise involving many countries in the Asia-Pacific designed to contain/attack China. Possibly the real reason why China set off a nuke recently.
The USA is at war with the entire world. On a similar note. The EU (European Union) was formed to help the USA better control the entire region. It is now a vassal region, sacrificing a wannabe member, Ukraine, to do its bidding for its leader. Weakening Europe is one of the tasty side-dishes of the US-led, proxy war against Russia, remembering that a cheap Russian energy driven Europe had the very real potential of rivaling US hegemony, even more so if Europe somehow combined forces with Russia. This would have been a block quite capable of toppling US hegemony, hence we have what we have – a divided Europe, and increasingly indebted Europe. a soon to be useless carcass under the foot of US hegemony.
Worse of all, the useless European leaders and their even more useless unelected leaders, they all know what is happening but they are happy to throw their hundreds of millions of citizens under the bus anyway. Rinse and repeat similar outcomes from West Asia and Asia-Pacific, on top of South America and Africa.
The USA is at war with the entire world – including its own citizenry to boot. Do we get the picture yet or to do we forever cling to the remnants that allow us to feel good over what we think we know about the entire picture of the world….
“America has no permanent friends or permanent enemies, only permanent interests” Henry Kissinger
What is true of America is true of every imperialist power.
The point is this, when in Febrruary 2022 the Russian Federation committed the intertnationally recognised crime of aggression against Ukraine, the US immediately closed their embassy in Kyiv and the US ambassador and her staff high tailed it out of the country.
On the their way out, the Americans offered the president of Ukraine a flight out of the country.
President Volodimir Zelensky famously responded to the U.S. evacuation offer by saying, “I need ammunition, not a ride.”
After the Ukrainian resistance unexpectedly blunted the Russian invaders military advance, Thres months later e shamefaced US diplomatic mission slunk back into Ukraine to reopen their closed embassy.
CNN:
US reopens embassy in Kyiv
Kylie Atwood
May 19, 2022
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/05/18/politics/us-embassy-kyiv-reopens
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Wednesday that the US has reopened its embassy in Kyiv after it closed three months ago ahead of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine…..
…..The State Department moved its diplomats to Poland and suspended all diplomatic services in Lviv just before the invasion began…..
US tensions with Europe, over trade, over mutual defence, over threats to take over Greenland, over the US aggression against Iran, while makeing oil deals with Russia, while pressureing Kyiv to end Ukraine’s resistance to the Russian invasiona and land grabe on terms highly favourable to the Kremlin, while granting conscessions to Ukraines mineral wealth to the US – all this and more, exposes the Kremlin trolls cartoonish conspiracy theories that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was an act of self defence against US backed Nazis, and not what it was, an unprovoked act of naked imperialsit aggression, that the Kremlin knew would not be seriously opposed by the US. What changed the tide was the Ukrainian people’s unexpected and fierce popular resistance to the Russian invader, which caught both the US and Russians off guard.
Washington has been attempting to leverage Ukraine’s resistance to the Russian invasion, to benefit US interests in negotiations with the Kremlin over the heads of the Ukrainian people and government ever since.
@ BM. You seen this?
Youtube.
British Army on LSD (Acid) drugs
https://youtu.be/ziqpwkhqTRs?si=dur8xkBJu80QgfZr
There you go. I’ve just shown you and you and you how to have world peace.
Then when you’re ‘coming down’ smoke some weed and have an ice cream. All up sides and no death or suffering. No blood, guts, bowel contents, mashed teeth, pieces of brain, the smell of burning hair, howls of agony, cries for help… None of that.
Seen God, have you? No. Me neither. So I think it’s safe to assume there isn’t one so we must make do with what we know will do. Peace, acceptance, good drugs and the best ice cream modern cows can help us with.
Steven Fry on God.
https://youtu.be/-suvkwNYSQo?si=YVNQYrWlH7s3N9l5
If you think Palantir are in Ukraine for the love of democracy and humanity , think again .If you think Zelensky is continuing the slaughter for love of Ukrainians ..ditto
https://time.com/6691662/ai-ukraine-war-palantir/
The disgusting pro-war Kremlin trolls are out in force today.
Francesca, or someone using this pseudonym, infamously commented on the TheStandard.org.nz that the severely wounded dying woman and her unborn baby filmed being rushed out of the bombed Mariupol maternity hospital on a stretcher, was a crisis actor.
This was before the Russian Foreign Minister admitted that the maternity hospital had been deliberately targetted.
This nasty fascist concocted her own made up excuse for this atrocity, before the Russians came up with their own excuse, that the maternity patients and children were being used as human shields by the Azov Battalian.
…….Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov publicly claimed that the maternity hospital had been used as a base for the Azov Battalion, and that Russia had provided ‘information’ to this effect to the UN days earlier. Russia has thus provided confirmation that the hospitals (including the children’s hospital that Lavrov did not mention) were bombed deliberately….
Whether it is true or not, that the Azov battalion were present in the maternity hospital, Lavrov’s statement shows that the Russian forces have no hestitation in deliberately and knowingly bombing a maternity hospital and wounding and killing pregnant women and their babies if they thought they could kill some Ukrainian fighters. In this, the Russian imperialists are no different to the Israeli Zionists who use the same excuse for deliberately bombing hospitals in Gaza.
<b<Russia effectively admits it deliberately bombed the maternity hospital in Mariupol that killed three patients, including a child
Three patients were killed in Russia’s bombing on 9 March of a children’s hospital and maternity hospital in Mariupol
Halya Coynash,
10 March 2022
Update On 11 March, it was learned that three patients were killed in Russia’s bombing on 9 March of a children’s hospital and maternity hospital in Mariupol, and that Russia had bombed it deliberately Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov publicly claimed that the maternity hospital had been used as a base for the Azov Battalion….
So, news form the other side. Russia has really ramped up its game on the battle lines, taking vitally important strategic locations, honing in on more to come. They are crushing it on the battlefront. The all important Donbass region is finally nearing complete Russian control. Likewise, they have hammered Kiev over the past few days. Interesting that little news is being said about this, meaning, despite the huge barrage of missiles being fired at strategic Kiev locations, few hits have led to civilian casualties. Otherwise, it appears that Ukraine’s very successful drone strikes, relatively speaking, are nearing their end. As for Crimea, weird that Ukraine would try to strangle an area that they believe is theirs. Still, they are not doing much of a job at that, thankfully. Bottom line being, its still carnage galore for ordinary folk, stuff it.
AO competes for Moscow’s Troll farm employee of the week, quoting from comrade Vladimir Putin’s teleprompter up-beat speech notes – verbatim:
“……crushing it on the battlefront. The all important Donbass region is finally nearing complete Russian control.
…….have hammered Kiev over the past few days.
……despite the huge barrage of missiles being fired at strategic Kiev locations, few hits have led to civilian casualties.”
Outside the Moscow beltway
From the United Nations:
Ukraine: Latest Russian assault leaves at least 14 dead in Kyiv
UN News – Global perspective Human stories:
6 July 2026
https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/07/1167875
……The missile and drone attacks, which heavily damaged apartment buildings and other civilian infrastructure, came just four days after another Russian attack that killed at least 30 civilians in Kyiv.
“As I visit the sites of the strikes to express solidarity, it is unbearable to witness the scale of human suffering,”
Matthias Schmale, the UN’s top aid official in Ukraine.
…..The Secretary-General António Guterres strongly condemned the latest attacks, stressing that any strikes involving civilians or civilian infrastructure, “wherever they occur, are a clear violation of international humanitarian law and must cease immediately.”
A lot of talk and zero verification, hence why even our own, eager to broadcast Russian criminality and or Ukrainian strikes against Russia – mainstream media – has not covered the empty, but nonetheless sticky muck being expressed here. The Russians don’t do Western indiscriminate killing warfare.
Ukrainians are being slaughtered – Russians are dying too – but no matter to most Lefties – Ukrainians are being slaughtered and this is the true tail of this horror show.
Putin is stuck in a forever war, that he cannot win.
A big imperialist power attacks a smaller, poorer, militarilly weaker country, expecting a quick victory, only to have the whole population rise up against them in a people’s war.
What we call a forever war today they called a quagmire in the Vietnam war.
The war in Vietnam became a recurring pattern ever since, becoming a syndrome with its own name
The imperial power is the West, ruled over by hegemon the USA. The target, in this instance, is Russia. The tool of choice to attack Russia, thus far being Ukraine. Otherwise, I agree with you, when empire singles you out, your chances of keeping it at bay is slim. The big, cumbersome bear that is Russia just wants to be left alone, but time after time after time, someone wants a piece of them. The hegemon did briefly control Russia in the 90’s and now it is trying again.
Russia’s chances of defeating the entire West is slim, but their chances of defeating the Western proxy, Ukraine, this is inevitable. But Ukraine is merely the first lackey to be thrown under the Western bus. There are more waiting in line, this is the strength of imperialism. Just like empire has no shortage of proxies to destroy West Asia (the Middle East) and are tooling up, training a sizable force to take on China, then so too does Russia face a many headed foe backed by the West.
Still, there could will be a people’s war. The hawkish European politicians are under threat. Ordinary folk do not want war, and they do not want their public services and benefits gutted in order to fund war even less. Will enough people come to their senses or will Europe crumble like the lackey(s) they are happy to throw under the bus in the name of Western imperialism. We will soon see. More importantly, what will happen to them will soon happen to us.
We are all under the hammer of Western imperialism, Pat…you can cheer for it as gleefully as you want, but your arse is under the hammer as much as those that have already being crushed.
There’s one force in this world, and to simplify it right down, we are in a class war, and we the people, are getting fucking hammered. But what is even worse, to me, is that some people, for whatever reason, are right behind the very force hammering us all. The power of money to fuck with our minds – billions of dollars are spent on this one, all important facet – MINDSPACE – knows no bounds!
You are stuck in the 70s. Since the end of the cold war, there is only one empire. everything else is resistance of one form or another.
Bloodthirsty Kremlin troll AO supports Ukrainians being slaughtered:
A O says
15 July 2026 at 6:28 pm
… Ukrainians are being slaughtered – Russians are dying too – but no matter to most Lefties – Ukrainians are being slaughtered and this is the true tail of this horror show.
Russians need to stop slaughtering Ukrainians and go back to their own country.
No matter how many Ukrainians the Russians slaughter, they will not stop resisting the Russian military presence in their country. In fact the opposite, the more disgustingly brutal and murderous the Russian occupiers become, the more Ukrainians they slaughter, the more the Ukrainians will resist.
3 million Vietnamese were killed in the Vietnam war, despite the catastrophic loss of life the Vietnamese people refused to surrender to the Americans.
The only possible end to the Vietnam war was for the Americans to withdraw, and leave Vietnam.
The only possible end to the Ukraine war is for the Russians to withdraw, and leave Ukraine
“There is a light at the end of the tunnel” Henry Cabot Lodge
Became an ironic symbol of imperialist hubris.
You know, your logic is so right but arse about face at the same time. A people are under threat, and they can do nothing more than resist because it has been made clear to them that the country they know will cease to exist, and will instead be carved up into a bunch of smaller, therefore easier to control regions, by the power threatening these people. You resist or you cease to exist, this is the key dynamic at play here. A dynamic that has happened before to a large region, that region being the Middle East (West Asia). Carved up into smaller, vassal-like regions with a minder, or series of minders put in place to help maintain control over the entire region. The power that controls the Middle East is the same power that drives the Ukraine v Russia war.
It is so elfin unfortunate for Ukraine that so many Ukrainians are dying, not to save their country, but to serve the interests of the powerful. Take no pleasure in seeing ordinary people die, let alone for the wrong cause. Shout to the clouds that people are dying needlessly in an effort to stop this horror show from continuing on. Protect the people even if some of these people think you’re a bloodthirsty, this, that and the other, anyway. Protect the people because we all die – we all die – if we don’t!
Trump attempted to broker a peace deal directly with Putin, over the heads of the Ukrainian people and government. Trump’s proposal for ending the war in Ukraine rewarded Russia’s land grab in the Donbas, while granting rare earth mining concessions to the US, was heavily criticised by Ukrainians and Europeans as an imperialist carve-up by the US and Russia.
The Kremlin’s maximalist strategy as set out by Putin on day one of the SMO was military conquest and overthrow of the Kyiv government and occupation of the whole of Ukraine.
After four years of fierce Ukrainian resistance to the Russian invading forces, the Kremlin’s more minimalist strategy worked out between Trump and Putin, is Russian occupation of the rich grain fields and industrial heartland of the Donbas, including Ukraine giving up Ukrainian defended territory to Russia that Russia had failed to take by armed force.
The Whitehouse strategy, is to secure as much crucial resources for the US as possible in postwar bi-lateral deals with the Kremlin..
the leaked draft of the plan negotiated between the Whitehouse and the Kremlin were condemned by the Ukrainians as colonialist. The leaked draft of the plan negotiated between Trump and Putin revealed that heavy territorial concessions would be forced on Kyiv. The leaked plans also revealed that the Whitehouse had agreed to the Kremlin’s demands that severe post-war restrictions and recruitment limits would be placed on Ukraine’s armed forces. While reluctantly agreeing to make territorial concessions to end the war, Kyiv rejected the Whitehouse/Kremlin draft agreement to place limits on Ukraine’s defence forces and Ukraine’s ability to defend against any future Russian aggression.
From the Jacobin:
Ukraine Faces an Imperial Carve-Up
The Trump administration’s proposals for peace in Ukraine sound like a real estate deal, where the United States gets a payoff for handing over Ukrainian land. But with Kyiv’s leverage shrinking, the country may be forced to swallow a grim deal.
By Oleksandr Kyselov
December 04, 2025
https://jacobin.com/2025/12/ukraine-russia-war-concessions-trump
……Ukrainians found themselves staring at a peace proposal that demanded near-immediate acceptance. The leaked twenty-eight-point peace plan, drafted by Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian official Kirill Dmitriev, reads like a real estate transaction. Russia gets the land, the United States takes its cut, Europe foots the bill, and Ukraine can choose between surrendering now or surrendering later. Under pressure, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, addressed the nation bluntly: “Loss of dignity or of a key partner. Twenty-eight difficult points or an extraordinarily difficult winter.”
…..reports emerged that Washington was prepared to unilaterally recognise Russian control of Crimea and other occupied territories……
The Ukrainians were right to reject the Trump/Putin carve up of their country.
What a difference a few months make.
From CNCB:
Ukraine has already won the war against Russia, Finnish president tells CNBC
Elsa Ohlen
Jul 7 2026
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/07/ukraine-won-war-russia-nato-alexander-stubb-finnish-president.html
Finnish President Alexander Stubb told CNBC that Ukraine has won the war against Russia by managing to preserve its independence and sovereignty for more than four years.
Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson also said that, “Russia is certainly not winning the war against Ukraine right now.”
The comments come as NATO allies gather in Turkey for a summit dominated by Ukraine’s future, Russia’s threat to Europe, and efforts by European countries to reduce their reliance on the U.S. …..
Gee, how about that!
Certainly one in the eye for our resident gang of anonymous Kremlin trolls.
LMAO Pat
I just love that Pat quotes an arm of Ukraines propaganda machine and expects us to take it seriously.
I just love it that pro-war trolls keep spouting Pro-Kremlin pro-Whithouse propaganda that Ukraine has no cards and is going to lose.
Putin and Trump are two bloothirsty imperialist warlords that wabt to carve up Ukraine between them.
The Russian imperialists want Ukraine’s grain, the Yankee imperialists want Ukraine’s rare earths, while making deals for US oil companies to drill in the Russian artic.
Our bigoted blood thirsty pro-war trolls can’t change their script predicting Ukraine’s eminent military defeat and subjugation to Russian and US imperialism, no matter how much it strays from reality.
You actually read his posts?
Kremlin troll farm paying overtime now SAC?
They can’t be paying you by the word that’s for sure. You idiots couldn’t string more than two paragraphs together
You all seem to be struggling with reading more than two paragraphs. How about this, instead of attacking the messenger, try writing a rational reply or try making factual critique of what I write.
Too much to ask from a troll farm troll?
Of course it is, because you can’t stray from the Kremlin script. – “Ukraine is losing” “Ukrainians are Nazis” hard to stretch that bullshit out for more than two paragraphs.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Russian web brigades,[a] also called Russian trolls, Russian bots, RUbots, olgintsy, Kremlinbots, or Kremlin trolls, are state-sponsored anonymous Internet political commentators and trolls linked to the Russian government.[1][2] Participants report that they are organized into teams and groups of commentators that participate in Russian and international political blogs and Internet forums using sockpuppets, social bots, and large-scale orchestrated trolling and disinformation campaigns to promote pro-Putin and pro-Russian propaganda, with an overtone of opposition to diversity, equity and inclusion, and of support for Russian imperialism.[1][3][4][5][6]
A wall is a wall ,,,,,,,, and a FAB glide bomb destroys walls, bunkers, trenches etc
“In June 2026, Russia set a new monthly record by dropping 8,266 guided aerial bombs (FABs with UMPK kits), averaging 276 per day. This represents a massive surge from approximately 3,100 in June 2025 and 2,200 in June 2024.” ,,,,,
Objective: The primary use remains the destruction of Ukrainian defensive lines, bunkers, and trench networks to facilitate ground advances.
The primary effect has been the systematic destruction of Ukrainian fortifications that took months to build. In the Pokrovsk sector alone, Russia drops up to 450 glide bombs per week on single sectors
The intensified glide bomb campaign has created a severe asymmetry in casualties, heavily favouring Russian attrition goals while inflicting catastrophic losses on Ukrainian forces
Frontline Annihilation: Glide bombs have become the primary killer of Ukrainian frontline troops in the Donbas. A single strike often kills or buries alive entire squads (10–20 soldiers) who if they survive the initial concussion can often be trapped under tons of rubble.
In the Pokrovsk direction, where Russia drops up to 450 glide bombs per week on single sectors, Ukrainian brigade commanders report that units are often rendered combat-ineffective within days of deployment due to sheer blast trauma and concussive injuries, even without direct hits.
Ukrainian soldiers report a sense of helplessness against weapons they cannot hear approaching and cannot effectively counter, leading to increased psychological strain and demoralisation of front-line units.
Russia is producing 120,000 of these per year https://i.ytimg.com/vi/8igBUUsZ3Go/maxresdefault.jpg
Russia has shifted tactics from using glide bombs solely for frontline trench clearing to systematically hunting Ukrainian Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) command posts and operator deployment points deep in the rear;
Kherson & Sumy: Recent reports from July 2026 confirm strikes on drone command posts in these regions, aiming to decapitate local UAV coordination. Russian aircraft can strike drone operator bases located in relatively “safe” rear areas (e.g., 50–100 km behind the front) without entering Ukrainian air defence zones. Bunker Busting: Drone operators often rely on fortified basements or reinforced buildings for protection against artillery. The massive 3,000 kg warhead of the FAB-3000 (and even the 500/1500 variants) is specifically used to collapse these structures, burying operators and destroying sensitive control electronics that smaller munitions might miss.
Its a shame for Ukraine’s Zelensky regime, that the Usa prioritises Israel and it’s partnership of warmongering with them over and above meeting the needs of it’s obedient European proxy.
Ukrainian drone operators are an endangered species thanks to the circumstances of the Usa trying ( and failing ) to supply two wars at once.
As for European Governments,, they are presently about as secure as British Prime Ministers ( 6 in 10 years ) ,,, their enthusiasm for war, or paying for one, is not shared by their voters………
“NATO has found itself engaged in a proxy war with Russia that compels it to divert valuable military resources – fiscal and material – to Ukraine, which has become a giant furnace which consumes all that is fed into it without advancing the problem favorably vis-à-vis Russia.” …………… “The more Germany – and by extension, Western Europe – pours into defence, the more alienated society becomes ( (only 12% to 15% of respondents are satisfied with the federal government’s performance, meaning 84% to 87% are dissatisfied. This represents the lowest approval rating for a German government in recent history.),,,, creating domestic political problems for those seeking massive increases in defence spending.”
In short, NATO is spending itself into oblivion……..
Hey Sheep-dog where did you cut and paste this slab of text from?
Help me out here Sheep-dog. I have tried hard to find anything about this.
I can’t find out any information on-line anywhere, that Ukrainian defensive lines, bunkers, and trench networks are being destroyed by glide bombs to facilitate a Russian ground offensive.
As far as what I can find out, (without your help), is that the Ukraine Drone Wall is holding, more than holding, expanding the kill zone, preventing any possibility of assembling and readying a ground offensive anywhere closer than 25K from the Ukrainian lines, without them being struck by a drone.
From the Strategist:
Beyond the front line: Ukraine is deepening its drone wall
David Kirichenko
21 May 2026|
https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/beyond-the-front-line-ukraine-is-deepening-its-drone-wall/
Ukraine’s frontline drone defense network—a heavily saturated area extending 15 km to 25 km from the front lines—continues to hold Russian infantry at bay. Ukraine has successfully expanded this defensive bubble to 45 km to 50 km in critical areas to interdict approaching troops and logistics……
the only reports of Russian glide bombs being used in Ukraine that I could find were against Ukraine’s cities, not Ukraines defensive lines.
So help me out here. Where did you get this information?
Where ever it was that you cut and pasted this from, if Kremlin military planners actually believe that Ukraine’s drone wall is being destroyed by glide bombs as you claim, then I think we could expect them to order a major Russian ground offensive, either before the Autumn mud season arrives, or in the winter when the ground has frozen hard.
As I have found zero evidence of what you have claimed here to be actually true, then this ground offensive, if it ever eventuates, will see catastrophic Russian losses, for little gain. If the Russian army can actually absorb such losses without cracking, will be a big gamble for the Russian empire.
pat … “the only reports of Russian glide bombs being used in Ukraine that I could find were against Ukraine’s cities,” ,, what does one believe here ? ,, your very own eyes https://www.bitchute.com/video/FXkB2EFmN4HD or illogical reports based on the Russians being brain dead morons to stupid to bomb military targets outside of cities ,,, or written with the long tradition of western / NATO propaganda where hiding the truth and mis-informing readers IS the purpose,,,
In the compilation of FAB glide bomb strikes I have linked to above,, there are many military targets set in many different environments …. At the 2 minute mark you get a good look at the concussive and damaging shock waves radiating out from the powerful explosions as a large area hidden from our view under tree / forest canopies becomes un-survivable for military positioned there.,,, at 3 mins 48 seconds you get a close up good look at one of these savagely destructive large glide bombs as it flys by the drone doing the filming, it rapidly disappears travelling downwards and into the distance, in a landscape that looks like the middle of nowhere,,, towards an area of woods where the enemy has been located…
….. And at 9 mins 48 seconds we get perhaps the best look at how the hunting of Ukrainian Drone operators takes place, with aerial battle-field ISR seeking them, and how there is literally no effective protection available within front-line or grey-zone ( up to 80kms back the battlefield front ) military positions.
Pity the poor unwilling ‘Bricks in Pats wall’ ,, all the human lives that for whom the war loving dead rat Lindsay Graham “liked the direction” his sort had got them going on ,,,, He said this in the middle of 2022,, 4 months after the Russians had finally entered the fighting and directly engaged Ukrainian / NATO armed forces in Ukraine https://youtu.be/yJvXqtYdJqk?t=101 ,,, back then Lindsay Graham shows nothing but happiness and that it’s naturally a good thing that his Ukrainian proxies would and could be sacrificed ‘to the last brick ‘,, errr “Human” / Ukrainian person …..
True supporters of humanity like Lindsey Graham, have been doing the hard work for a long time in their quest to help Ukrainians reach and achieve their goals ,, to sacrifice themselves and root their country….
Figures like John McCain Shown here in 2016, pledging allegiance and powerful help from the Usa,,,, to AZOV fighters ,,, back before AZOV got the ‘woke eye for a fascist guy’ makeover ,,, https://youtu.be/eQ4e1A-LZEA ,,,, Lindsay G also features in that 10 year old clip ,, and his bond with the AZOV men after their ‘makeover ‘ became even closer ,,, which was only fitting seeing as both of them were ‘in the closet’ ,,, but never out of the fight.
2023 — Lindsay G -” They’re sitting on trillion dollars worth of minerals that could be good to our economy. So, I want to keep helping our friends in Ukraine.” https://youtu.be/G63fZXnZmF4?t=735
Feb 2026 — “we’re going to continue to support the Ukrainian military with everything we got. We’re going to sell it. You’re going to buy it. So ( the usa ) get extra jobs. So what what I want to do is make them the most lethal force on European land in perpetuity until Russia changes”….or they’ve used that last Brick / Ukrainian
Russia is short of fuel to run generators in the war zone (or vehicles in most of their country) so I suspect that you get your information from old used toilet paper as it doesn’t fit the known facts about the current situation in Ukraine
I finally managed to find a source that confirms the devastating destructiveness of Russia’s glide bombs
What I despise about you pro-war filth, is you glory in it.
This has to be seen to be believed:
Chilling Video: Russia Unleashes FAB-3000 Bomb Fury On Ukraine As Putin’s Revenge Became More Fierce
Times Now
7.53M subscribers
8.4k views
Jul 14, 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHq5IN7zVP0
…..Moscow has intensified its military campaign against Ukraine, releasing footage of its powerful FAB-3000 glide bomb and launching fresh drone strikes across multiple regions. Moscow says the attacks are retaliation for Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory.
Rand:
How Ukraine Can Defeat Russian Glide Bombs
John Hoehn
Jun 28, 2024
https://www.rand.org/pubs/commentary/2024/06/how-ukraine-can-defeat-russian-glide-bombs.html
In recent months, Russia has terrorized Ukraine’s frontline troops and nearby cities with glide bombs. They are large, free-fall bombs with pop-out wings and satellite navigation, which operate similarly to weapons equipped with the United States’ precision-guided, aerial Joint Direct Attack Munition.
Currently, Ukraine has few counters to glide bomb strikes…….
….Glide bombs are cheap. Russia is firing hundreds a week at Ukrainian targets at and behind the front lines. These bombs are small and difficult to spot on radar. They do not use propulsion or emit a detectable heat signature. Russian aircraft launch glide bombs dozens of miles behind the front lines, in relative sanctuary……
…..The most practical counter to glide bombs is to destroy the launching aircraft—on the ground or in the air. This can be done by employing a mix of tactical missiles, air-to-air capabilities, and electronic warfare….
…..In warfare, silver bullets are rare. Fighting often requires multiple capabilities and innovative or flexible use. More of both will be needed to enable Ukraine to defeat the glide bomb threat. Long-range tactical missiles, F-16s and AEW&C aircraft, plus advanced electronic warfare tools—and more flexible U.S. policies for their use—could give Ukraine a potent force.
By not acknowledging the origins of the war,
you are the pro-war one, Pat.
That is the abject irony and sadness of everything you write.
Like a “peaceful” Zionist blinded by their righteous anger at the Nazis,
You simply do not understand.
When I read Pat’s words I think of those of Bob Marley “.. only fools lean upon their misunderstandings..”.
He provides more evidence than you do.
“……since the beginning of 2026, Russia has lost eight soldiers for every Ukrainian casualty.
The frozen frontline is evidence that Russian casualties are unsustainable and make it impossible to build up the force ratio required for offensive manoeuvre.” Ben Morgan.
From Britannica:
…….World War I, a force could protect itself with barbed wire, stationary machine guns, and rapid-fire artillery, but it could attack only with infantry armed with bolt-action rifles. This lack of parity between an attacker and a defender meant that new offensives rarely succeeded and almost always resulted in enormous casualties.
The Russian infantry may be armed with automatic rifles, instead of bolt-action rifles, but this dynamic hasn’t changed.
At its deepest stretch the kill zone on the Western Front reached a maximum depth of 1 kilometre, the kill zone in the Ukraine war reaches up to 25 kilometres deep along most of its length, making offensive operations even more deadlier.
I would argue that the Ukraine Drone Wall is a more formiddable a barrier to offensive operations than the barbed wire and machine gun barrier of the First World War.
A wall, is a wall, mobilising 400,000 new recruits against it, does not make it any lower or less of a barrier.
The wall may not be lower but the piles of dead from a new Russian offensive will be higher, possibly high enough to shock the conscience of the Russian people, and this is how this war will end.
RBC-Ukraine:
Kremlin’s recruitment drive falters despite record incentives
Russia’s manpower and economic troubles deepen
Daria Dmytriieva
Sun, June 14, 2026
https://newsukraine.rbc.ua/news/kremlin-s-recruitment-drive-falters-despite-1781431511.html
……Russia is advertising payments of up to $80,000 and debt forgiveness of up to $140,000 for signing a military contract. Billboards, social media campaigns, and promises of citizenship are all being used to attract new recruits.
…..“There are signs that this incentive may no longer be working effectively, and that Russia has begun to lose more troops than it can recruit,” said Nigel Gould-Davies, senior fellow for Russia and Eurasia at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
……Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi stated that Ukrainian drone operators killed or wounded more Russian personnel in May than Russia managed to recruit during the same period…..
Oliver’s army is on their way
Call careers information
Have you got yourself an occupation?
But there’s no danger
It’s just a professional career
Though it could be arranged
With just a word in Mr. Putin’s ear
If you’re out of luck or out of work
We could send you to Kursk or Kramatorsk
Ladybugs Wimsey Graham rests in pieces?
Ben will be in mourning for weeks.
I suspect that Satan will be asking God for political asylum when Graham arrives down below.
You suspect wrong, read Revelation 20:10 to learn his fate
MK so glad you’re back, I thank whatever invisible friend you believe in for blessing us with your extensive and thoughtful rebuttal of Ben’s essays
Thanks, I often feel like I give him an order of magnitude more credit for intelligence and honesty than he deserves.
Really?
We live in hope of reading a thoughtful rebuttal of Ben’s essays from MK, not filled with anti-semitic ad-hominen and blood thirsty racist slurs.
Personally I doubt whether MK has any invisible friend.
How about an extensive and thoughtful rebuttal of MK’s pro-war Kremlin propaganda from a real person who knows what they are talking about.
Usman A Khan on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=10240277310623372&set=pcb.10240277312423417
They were promised jobs. But they found themselves on the frontline.
Three foreign POWs — Tatenda Tarwire, 37, from Zimbabwe; Kamrul Hasan, 37, from Bangladesh; and Americo Valdivia Teco, 42, from Peru — captured by Ukrainian forces, tell the same story. They were recruited on Facebook with offers of gas plant or hotel work. A $20,000 signing bonus, with a pay of $2,500 a month.
The jobs never existed.
On arrival in Russia, they were marched into military offices, handed “paperwork” that turned out to be army contracts, and sent to fight. This came despite promises they’d never leave Russian soil.
Most of the dead beside them weren’t Russian. They were fellow foreigners — from Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Colombia, and beyond. They were all cut off from home and used as cannon fodder in Putin’s maximalist ambitions.
This isn’t three isolated cases. Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War has documented more than 28,000 foreign mercenaries recruited into Russia’s war effort, targeting labour migrants and socially vulnerable groups across Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
▪Data reveals five Central Asian states sent 11,517 recruits, with 1,399 deaths.
▪🇵🇪 Peruvian lawyer Percy Salinas, representing affected families, says 800 Peruvians may currently be serving in the Russian armed forces.
▪🇳🇬 Nigeria mentions at least 215 citizens recruited through deceptive job offers.
▪🇰🇪 Kenya’s parliament was told 1,000 of its citizens were lured the same way.
▪🇱🇰 Sri Lanka records 751 recruited, 275 dead.
▪🇳🇵 Nepal has no official count, but estimates run as high as 1,000 fighters deployed.
▪🇮🇳 India confirms 202 recruited, 26 dead.
▪🇧🇩 At least 104 Bangladeshis recruited, 34 dead.
▪🇬🇭 Ghana says at least 55 Ghanaians have been killed fighting.
▪🇿🇼 Zimbabwe reports 15 nationals dead and more than 60 still trapped.
▪🇨🇲 All Eyes on Wagner has tracked 94 Cameroonian deaths since 2023.
▪🇾🇪 Estimates suggest up to 150 Yemenis stranded.
Tarwire, Hasan, and Teco’s message to others being courted the same way is simple: don’t come; no one is going home. See less