Zelensky and his inner circle were visited by TIME magazine in late October, and his advisors are describing him as becoming authoritarian, messianic, and a delusional dictator vs. Ukraine’s economic reality, a lack of draft bodies available for its conscription dragnet, and the “meat grinder” situation on the warfront.
“Nobody Believes in Our Victory Like I Do”… “One longtime member of his circle tells me that, most of all, Zelensky feels betrayed by his Western allies. They have left him without the means to win the war, only the means to survive it. But his convictions haven’t changed. Despite the recent setbacks on the battlefield, he does not intend to give up fighting or to sue for any kind of peace. On the contrary, his belief in Ukraine’s ultimate victory over Russia has hardened into a form that worries some of his advisers. It is immovable, verging on the messianic. ‘He deludes himself,’ one of his closest aides tells me in frustration. ‘We’re out of options. We’re not winning. But try telling him that.’” – TIME, Oct. 30
Former heavyweight boxing champion and current Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko was interviewed by the Swiss news outlet 20 Minuten last week where he said Zelensky failed to properly prepare Ukraine for the war with Russia and will “pay for his mistakes.” Klitschko praised General Zaluzhny for an honest assessment published in The Economist magazine that raised some eyebrows. Zaluzhny described the battlefield situation as a stalemate where expectations of a successful counteroffensive were overly optimistic.
“He told the truth. Sometimes people don’t want to hear the truth. He explained and justified what the situation is today. Of course, we can euphorically lie to our people and our partners. But you can’t do that forever. Some of our politicians have wrongly criticized Zaluzhny for the clear words – I stand behind him.” – Klitschko
Kyiv Mayor Slams Ukraine President As Russia War Drags – CRUX, Dec. 3
It is also significant that NATO General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg admitted to German broadcaster ARD last week that we must “be prepared for bad news” in Ukraine. Legacy media outlets across Europe are relenting to the fact that Putin has won, and they are terrified. I published “Checkmate” Part XVI (Twitter thread) that followed “Z’s End” in July. Here’s an excerpt:
“Zelensky’s disastrous end is solidifying in earnest after penning ‘Z’s End’ for Part XV in mid-July (Twitter thread). Ukraine’s long-awaited counteroffensive that launched in early June has collapsed and can no longer be spun effectively by the collective West’s legacy media amid Zelensky’s diplomatic humiliations laced with ingratitude towards NATO and false narrative fiascos that multiply on the global stage. It was clear to anyone who closely follows the war that Ukraine was losing since politicians and military brass were seeking an exit last February and recent footage shows thousands of Ukrainian troops surrendering to Russia instead of dying in the ‘meat grinder.’” – TraderStef Sep. 29
Meanwhile, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is threatening Congress saying that if they don’t provide aid to Ukraine and shore up our domestic “shaky defense supply chain” with accelerated artillery and ammo production, it would “very likely” result in U.S. boots on the ground in Ukraine and Europe to defend NATO allies. Preppers should take note that U.S. domestic ammunition prices are spiking. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby chimed in by stating the U.S. must not just spend money, otherwise it will “shed its own blood” because “American boots would very much have to be involved” if Russia prevails in Ukraine and “we take our Article 5 commitments very seriously.”
Icing on the cake was layered on thick after Biden delivered remarks on Dec. 6 with an urgent plea for Congress to pass his national security supplemental funding request to continue financing Ukraine. The U.S. House and Senate made a stunning chess move to block that legislation, and senators candidly expressed their views at a live presser yesterday. Unless Biden shuts down the U.S. border crisis immediately and enforces existing immigration laws, they will throw Biden and Zelensky under the bus. It appears that Capitol Hill politicos are suddenly having a “come to Jesus” moment because they now realize a wide-open border is untenable and a major threat to national security with WW3 at our doorstep.
GOP Senators Issue Emphatic Warning To Biden About Border To Get Ukraine Funding – Forbes, Dec. 7
The Israel-Hamas war is obviously weighing heavily on the Biden administration as weapons, troops, and naval deployments to the Middle East region have created a two-front war scenario it’s not prepared to execute for an extended period of time. Biden is begging Israel to wrap up its offensive against Hamas by January because attacks against international shipping in the Red Sea by Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen are disrupting global supply chains and maritime security.
On the Ukrainian front, defenses are failing quickly with the imminent loss of Marinka and Avdiivka, and remaining supply routes are being cut from what’s left of Ukrainian forces on numerous fronts. Zelensky is returning to a defensive posture by ordering new fortifications to be hastily built on the front instead of continuing with offensive failures. Rumors are spreading about back-channel negotiations taking place with Russia after the war in Gaza resumed following a brief truce to allow the release of a number of hostages that Hamas captured on Oct. 7. There are also rumors about a military coup to remove Zelensky from office as the regime collapses.
Russian Paratroopers lightning advance through frost to Seversk: Capture 10 Ukrainian strongholds and enter Vesely… “Reports from the front are extremely unfavorable for Kiev: Russian armored forces spearheaded Soledar and managed to advance through the snow capturing a series of Ukrainian strongholds. The Russian attack is being carried out by two axes from the Soledar side towards Seversk, while the third axis is expected to be activated, from the Serebryansky Forest and Bilohorivka side. The Russians are laying the offensive groundwork for the total crushing of the Ukrainian Army on all fronts of operations.” – WarNews 24/7, Dec. 7
Russian forces register significant territorial gains on the Bakhmut front after the start of the general offensive… “The Ukrainian front in the area appears to have collapsed as the Russians push the Ukrainians at high speed towards the Chasiv Yar Canal, which is formed by the Siverski Donets-Donbass River. The retreat of the Ukrainians at this point is expected to happen as soon as they lose the settlement of Ivanivske (Krasnoe). The problems for the Ukrainians have multiplied and are now focused on 3 axes: the Klysifka front, the Bogdanovka front and the Ivanivske (Krasnoe) front that opened in the last few hours. The Russians have swept dozens of Ukrainian strongholds.” – WarNews 24/7, Dec. 8
There is no good news to report from the Ukrainian front. The loss of life thus far is a slaughter of hundreds of thousands, and the Russian offensive has an opportunity this winter to make a clean sweep to the Dnieper River. Putin never intended to go to or beyond the Dnieper because Russia is not interested in babysitting a woke Western Ukraine as an occupation force or confront NATO at its borders. Putin wanted a buffer zone that is demilitarized, and that option was available to the collective West in the spring of 2022. What’s next? We’ll see.
Official: UK Forced Kyiv To Refuse Russian Peace Deal… “Russia was ready to end the war and withdraw its troops in exchange for Ukrainian neutrality just a few months after the invasion began and was refused partly because of ex-British PM Boris Johnson, who pressured Kyiv into continuing the fight, David Arahamiya, the leader of Ukraine’s ruling party confirmed in a recent video interview… Boris Johnson said, ‘let’s just fight.’” – European Conservative, Nov. 27
Col. Lawrence Wilkerson: Ukraine, Gaza, and Biden’s propaganda – Judge Napolitano, Dec. 8
Prof. Jeffrey Sachs: Ukraine defeat, Gaza slaughter: Where is the outrage? – Judge Napolitano, Dec. 7
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