Russia Prepares For A New Offensive
The US and Canada shoot down an unidentified object in Canadian airspace
The first anniversary of this unprovoked war that Ukraine has been battling is in 12 days time, and we expect the Russians to have planned some kind of attack to mark the 24 February. I began to document this war, adding stories and information that I deemed relevant to the invasion. In the space of a year, the so called special military operation was always going to be a war.
The Ukrainians asked the West to help protect their skies, and it took more than 6 months before the allies supplied anti-aircraft weapons to help the Ukrainians defend themselves. During that period, thousands of Ukrainians died or fled their homes to become refugees. They still do not have combat aircraft, and understandably the allies have to think about how to implement providing aircraft if they are to do so. Russia has threatened countries that have assisted Ukraine, but as many of them are NATO members, it means that NATO will then be officially involved and Russia doesn’t want that. Yet, many believe that NATO intervention is necessary for the war to end, especially as Russia has support from Iran who are supplying them with high-tech weapons.
We must also look at the border countries around Ukraine and how the war is affecting them. Many are struggling having taken in refugees, and Moldova is on Russia’s list to be occupied. They are all the more vulnerable since the government collapsed on 10 February 2023. The danger is that Russia will take advantage of this transition period, and there are obviously Russian spies there already waiting to take action.
Meanwhile, several unidentified flying objects have been downed as they are alleged to be spy balloons that have been detected in the US and Canada over the past couple of weeks.
There is war fatigue in the news, but we should not forget all the brave Ukrainian soldiers who fight to defend their country and the freedom of Europe. Those of us in the allied countries want to do more, and sending more weapons bit by bit is better than nothing, but it is not a strategy to defeat Russia. The weapons supplied merely keep the Russians at bay, and are not enough to force the Russians out. That also includes trained manpower, where Ukraine does not have as many soldiers as the Russians either. As I have documented this, I have been angry, sad, frustrated, and have mourned the deaths of innocent children caught up in Putin’s war for power. Images have haunted me, the apathy of politicians has angered me, and the inaction of NATO and the UN has frustrated me and proved to me that they are ineffective.
Not all Russians support the war, and there are some Ukrainians who support the Kremlin (who are deemed traitors), and where many say Russians and Ukrainians are one. That can no longer be the case once this war has ended. Ukraine is removing Russian influences and street and building names, and it is a shame because the old Russian artists and writers had nothing to do with the war. Will other countries do the same as the West isolates itself from Russia, and where a number of major companies have ceased trading in Russia for good?
Day 353 (11 February)
Russia has been draining the Karkhov reservoir that has previously been marked as a target. In November 2022, an explosion on the bridge damaged part of the structure, and Ukrainian intelligence stated that Russia had planned to blow up the dam when retreated in order to blame the Ukrainians as a false flag. By draining it, it affects the Zaporizhzia nuclear power plant (makes it unsafe as it cannot operate) and will affect the water supply for all the towns and villages. It could be deemed a war crime.
Ukraine is encouraging 35 countries to push the IOC to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from the 2024 Olympics. The IOC has said that Ukraine doesn’t send athletes then they will be fined.
Pregnant Russian women are travelling to Argentina to have their babies. This is so that the baby can gain Argentinian citizenship, which makes it easier for the parents to also gain citizenship. The Russian passport is becoming restricted these days, and ‘birth tourism’ is a growing business with packages at $5,000. This would also enable men to leave Russia with another passport legitimately and to avoid being mobilised.
Lithuania has sent their first batch of L-70 anti-aircraft guns to Ukraine, and have been received already.
Zelenskyy had met with managers from J.P. Morgan to discuss financing the reconstruction of Ukraine, by attending their investment summit by video link.
Not all western companies have left Russia, while some are trading and others are keeping their options open. Only 9% of companies have left Russia according to Ukraine, and the ones that remain are from Germany (19. 5%,) USA (12.4% ),and Japan, 7%. Among the ones that remain, or Nestlé, Siemens, Lenovo, Acer, Pfizer, Bayer, Asus, and Phillip Morris.
Russia dropped four bombs on Snake Island using Su-24M aircraft the previous night (10 February). It appeared to be a test to see how Ukraine would react and to test their defences.
Slovakia is to begin discussing how they could transfer MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine. Poland has also been discussing the issue, but each country must have NATO approval and ensure that they have sufficient defences themselves.
The corruption clean-up continues as six deputy ministers of the Ukrainian government were dismissed yesterday, and five were, deputy heads of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. While it is good that corruption is being rooted out, now Ukraine must ensure proxies and traitors do not return in positions of power.
A draft resolution from the UN has been circulated amongst UN members, except Russia and Belarus. The resolution calls for peace, to ensure Ukrainian sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. The draft was issued on 9 February and was based on Zelenskyy is 10 point peace plan, but said to be broader and less detailed. The problem with these resolutions is there os no authority to act on them, but show which countries support Ukraine and which ones choose to support Russia. The only good this will do is indicate which countries to trust should a full scale war arise.
Day 354 (12 February)
The major news today is that US and Canadian aircraft shot down an unidentified object that was detected in the Yukon territory and that was in Canadian airspace. It was a joint operation between Canada and the US when in the high altitude object was downed, and this was because it, ‘ represented a reasonable spread to civilian aircraft,’ according to Trudeau. No one has accused the Chinese of sending a spy balloon, but that is what many feared the object was. The debris is being collected and analysed before any official comment is made, but the artic conditions in Alaska are making the retrieval difficult.
This evening, another unidentified object was shot down by F-22 aircraft near Lake Huron. US Air force and National Guard pilots took down the the flying object today. This is the fourth incident in a matter of weeks.
Ukrainian intelligence has been intercepted calls that indicate Russia has been recruiting Iranian and Kurdish drone operators. During the calls, the drone operators discussed target coordinates and used Kurdish.
On 7 February, Zelenskyy signed a decree establishing the Chernihiv City Military Administration as a temporary authority. This is only done when there is no local government in place , or if the governance fails to act. The military administration will be led by a chief, who will be appointed by Zelenskyy and is to ensure law and order in the region, and to protect the rights of the citizens.
Timothy Snyder, a professor at Yale has helped to raise $1,268.196 to buy a Shahed-Hunter for Ukraine. He is also a United24 ambassador and has been vocal in explaining why Ukraine must win why it must remain independent. While he is an expert on Ukrainian history, that doesn’t mean he is always right as he arrogantly wrote that the UK can only be saved if it rejoins the EU. His efforts for Ukraine are worthy of praise, but he should stick to what he knows and refrain from making statements on issues where he has limited knowledge.
The deputy commander of the National Guard for Logistics, Ruslan Dziuba was dismissed according to a decree issued by the presidential office. This appears to be over the scandal of purchasing food for the army at inflated prices, a tell-tale sign of corruption. This is another corruption clean out as Ukraine ensures that it will do whatever it takes to gain EU membership.
Moldova is vulnerable with the recent collapse of the government, and fears that Russia will strike are high. Ukrainian intelligence suggests that Russia is planning to stage a coup, with Chechens in Turkey been sent to Chisinau in Moldova to organise a coup d'état. Moldova is not a member of the EU or NATO, and has little protection from Russia
Ukraine has been striking temporary Russian bases. Report states that they hit 14 bases today which included an ammunition depot and an anti-aircraft missile complex. Russia has launched at least 12 missile strikes today in Ukraine, 32 airstrikes and 90 LRS attacks, aimed at infrastructure such as energy grids.
The unidentified "object" was shot down over Lake Huron, one of the five Great Lakes bordering Canada and the U.S., Toronto is situated on Lake Ontario which is one of the five. Undoubtedly the "object" was a threat to aircraft in the vicinity. Given the situation with the war in Ukraine, I'm not convinced ALL the so-called "spy balloons" were launched by China.