Stalemate & Another War

I originally planned on finishing 2023 with my previous post about Christmas, but I feel two current events need to be addressed even though they’re not directly related to this blog.

It’s been many months since I’ve talked about the war in Ukraine.  I haven’t written about it since February, but I have been keeping up to date on the country’s fight for freedom from the orc hordes.  I’m sure everyone was hoping the war would be over by the end of this year, but it was not to be.  I think too many people, including world leaders, thought Ukraine’s military could pull off a major victory with the limited resources they were given.

The much talked about & anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive began in early June.  The goal was to breach the orc front lines and reclaim as much occupied land as possible.  Some speculated the cities of Melitopol & Mariupol were the main goals because their capture would sever the land link between Crimea and mainland Russia.  Unfortunately, many factors got in the way of success.  Weather & especially late weapon deliveries from NATO led to postponement, giving the orcs plenty of time to construct defensive networks in the right places.  When Ukrainian soldiers finally attacked, they ran into walls of defences and counterattacks.  It got so bad that Ukrainian soldiers abandoned their combat vehicles and trudged on foot to the frontlines so their vehicles wouldn’t get destroyed by artillery & kamikaze drones. 

The counteroffensive came to an end in early December and succeeded in liberating around 370km² of land.  That’s better than nothing, but when you look at the map, it’s not much.  The operation did fall short of expectations, but it did show everyone, including the orcs, that Ukraine is not giving up and will continue to fight for freedom.  Unfortunately, this isn’t translating well in the political sphere.

The $40 billion in aid from the USA will be used up by the end of this year.  (It might even be all spent as I’m writing this).  There are other countries that provide military aid, but the USA provides the most.  An additional military aid bill worth $60 billion is being considered/debated by American Congress, except there are orc friendly Republicans who don’t want to give Ukraine more money & military equipment.  I don’t understand that at all.  They’re using isolationist excuses like focusing on strengthening the border with Mexico and saying Americans should only worry about problems inside America.  It’s the same rhetoric used during World War 2.  I also don’t understand how these Republican politicians can support the tyrants in the Kremlin.  They must be brainwashed by orc propaganda.  It must have been the same during World War 2 except they were brainwashed by Nazi propaganda until December 7, 1941 . . . “a date that will live in infamy.”

Too many people believed Ukraine had the ability to pull off another stunning victory like in 2022 when Ukrainian forces rapidly advanced in the Kharkiv & Kherson Oblasts.  Well, they would have, if NATO gave Ukraine everything they needed right away instead of in pieces.  Or even better, join Ukrainian soldiers on the battlefields and liberate all occupied lands including Crimea.  That would have been nice.  NATO & the Free World must not be intimidated by nuclear threats from the orcs.  They don’t have the will to use them because they will lose a nuclear war.  Many people want NATO to avoid going to war with Russia, but I’m beginning to think it’s inevitable, because some douchebag in the Kremlin wants to be remembered as the orc who took on the Western World and won.  That’s not going to happen.

I really hope Congress approves another $60 billion in military aid for Ukraine.  The country needs it.  Ukraine is fighting for everyone’s freedom.  F-16 fighter jets are supposedly coming, but their deployment is still months away.  They will give the Ukrainian Air Force a much-needed boost, but they alone won’t turn the tide of the war.  More support is needed, especially air defences.  It’s now winter and the orcs are attacking Ukraine’s energy infrastructure again.  The power plants need protection from missiles, bombs, and drones.  If NATO leaders are reading this, please send Ukraine more missile defence batteries (Patriot, NASAMS, MANPADS, IRIS-T, Centurion C-RAM) right away.  They’ll be used and not sit in warehouses gathering dust.

Slava Ukraini!

While the Ukrainian counteroffensive was going on, another war began in the Middle East in early October.  Hamas terrorists decided to launch a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, launching rockets, killing thousands of civilians, and taking 251 people as hostages.  Israel immediately retaliated, declaring war, and sending its military to push back Hamas and expel it from the Gaza Strip.  Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas and indefinitely occupy Gaza.  That’s going to be a challenge for the military because Hamas has built an extensive network of underground tunnels to freely move around.  Entering those tunnels & clearing them of Hamas fighters won’t be easy.    

A lot has happened in just two months.  Unfortunately, the war coming to an end is not one of them.  Israel has blockaded the Gaza Strip, bombarded it with its air force, invaded in late October, paused for a truce in late November, and then resumed fighting in early December.  The war is still ongoing as I write this, and I don’t know how it will end.  Hamas has given reasons for its October 7 attack, but I wonder if they were hoping it would encourage its allies to join in the struggle.  Hezbollah has in a way, but its fighters haven’t crossed the border and invaded northern Israel.  Iran gives support to Hamas but hasn’t sent its military directly to the conflict zone.  (That would be difficult considering the country of Iraq sits between Israel & Iran).  I think several countries bordering Israel want to get involved but are hesitant because Israel possesses nuclear weapons.  The country doesn’t publicly acknowledge or deny they have them, but the entire world pretty much assumes they do.  If a larger regional war does break out in the Middle East, then who knows where that will go.    

And while all this is happening, Palestinian civilians in Gaza continue to suffer.  Although, truth be told, Hamas hasn’t been kind to the people of Gaza since they took over in 2007 and ruled with an iron fist.  There are widespread & documented reports of human rights abuses committed by Hamas.  For the civilians right now, there are very few safe places to go because Gaza is a small strip of land, and they can’t leave because of the blockade.  The Israeli army hasn’t attacked all of Gaza, but many observers believe it’s only a matter of time.  Civilians must hunker down, find shelter somewhere, anywhere, and find food & water.  The children of Gaza are suffering the most, seeing & experiencing things no child should have to go through in a lifetime.    

This war may go on for a very long time, leaving only flat land & rubble for civilians to return to.  Israel says the war will take months, and I can see that happening, unless the conflict spills over and becomes a regional war.  Will this latest conflict lead to World War 3?  I don’t think so, unless USA & Russia get involved.  The war in Ukraine looks like the more plausible trigger.

My hope for 2024 is for things to get better.  I want Ukraine to succeed in liberating all its territory and push back the orc hordes to the 1991 borders.  If victory means further fracturing Russia, then so be it.  The world survived the collapse of the USSR; it will survive the collapse of Russia.  I also hope peace will return to the Middle East.  I know that sounds like a farfetched dream because that part of the world has been volatile for many years, but it’s still possible.  We just haven’t found the right solution yet.