Russia Invades Ukraine

 

See here for essential background: http://hpanwo-tv.blogspot.com/2022/02/ukraine-crisis.html.
I came home from work today and gasped when I saw what has happened. I never thought I would write the words in the title of this post. The mainstream media warned that it was coming, but I assumed President Putin was playing a different and more subtle game. Instead, his strategy is actually far simpler. As dawn broke, explosions were heard in Kiev and shortly afterwards the Ukrainian foreign minister Tweeted: "Putin has just launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Peaceful Ukrainian cities are under strikes. This is a war of aggression. Ukraine will defend itself and will win. The world can and must stop Putin. The time to act is now." Reports then emerged of explosions at several military bases, not just in the Donbas, but all over the country. It was then revealed that the explosions were caused by land-attack cruise missiles. The targets included the Ukrainian military's headquarters in Kiev and their missile command centre, presumably to stop them launching retaliatory strikes against Russia. There are now Russian land forces moving northwards from Odessa, a coastal town near Crimea, and southwards from Belarus, a Russian ally. There are also Russian aircraft flying in Ukrainian airspace. The Ukrainian air force claims to have shot down six of them. Air raid sirens have been heard in Kiev, Kramatorsk, Dnipro, Mariupol and Kharkiv; and people have been staying indoors and even sheltering in underground railway stations, like Londoners did during World War II. Airports have also been attacked. By midday there were Russian ground forces on station and skirmishes began with the Ukrainian army. A block of flats in Chugev was destroyed. Lots of people have been killed, both soldiers and bystanders. People are fleeing the cities and the nation, as well as neighbouring Moldova, are preparing to cater for thousands of refugees. Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60503037. My heart goes out to the innocent Ukrainian and Russian people in this terrible situation.
 
Is this World War III? This is not a false flag. Putin has announced the military operation which he says is to protect the welfare of Russian citizens in Ukraine and to demilitarize the regime causing their suffering. His plan may well by to oust President Zelensky and install a pro-Russian leader, possibly Viktor Yanukovych, who was forced to step down in 2014 and has been exiled in Russia. The response from the world political community has been universal condemnation. France, the USA, the EU and Great Britain have all announced massive increases to their existing sanctions. As I say in the background links above and below, I believe Putin is not the bad guy here. I think his cause is just. He is being set up as a typical popular media bogeyman. In fact The Sun's headline yesterday was a classic example of its acidic wit: "MAD VLAD". Last night the Brandenberg Gate in Berlin was lit up in the colours of the Ukrainian flag. The people of earth are being frothed up into a lynch mob. However, Putin has raised the stakes so high with this devastating escalation that I wonder what he hopes to achieve. How does he think this is going to end well for his country and people?
See here for the accompanying HPANWO TV livestream: http://hpanwo-tv.blogspot.com/2022/02/ukraine-invasion-livestream.html.
See here for more background: http://hpanwo-radio.blogspot.com/2022/02/programme-453-podcast-bowlerhatman.html.
And: https://hpanwo-tv.blogspot.com/2018/03/russophobia-livestream.html.
And: https://hpanwo-radio.blogspot.com/2021/03/programme-410-podcast-nick-kollerstrom.html.

And: http://hpanwo.blogspot.com/2022/02/ukraine-war-portal.html.