Not even fit to be fertilizer on Ukrainian soil

Not even fit to be fertilizer on Ukrainian soil Last evening I had supper with my friend and debate partner, a pleasant and friendly time together. We went to a restaurant in a Detroit suburb that has a real downtown – meaning it was a town before suburbia stretched out that far. The regular parking lots were full so I parked a few blocks away on the street. Yes, a lot of people in green shirts ready to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a lot of places crowded. Friend and I almost had a restaurant to ourselves, one that served tasty Indian food. Ukraine President Zelenskyy addressed the US Congress yesterday, one of a handful of foreign leaders to ever do so. Laura Clawson of Daily Kos included a video of what he showed. I didn’t watch it because it is quite graphic. Kos of Kos wrote about the history of Putin wanting to remind the world that Russia is still a superpower. So there was a lot of dread when Russia invaded Ukraine. And a different kind of superpower shock and awe in the days since then. Kos also included a photo of the Russian flag being lowered at the Council of Europe as Russia leaves that organization. Mark Sumner of Kos wrote that though it is Ukraine that is under attack it is Putin who looks weak. A sign of that is Putin declaring the oligarchs, the guys he made rich to keep their loyalty, to be traitors. He is attacking those fleeing the country, and sounding like he is preparing for a purge on the scale of Stalin. There is a “B” character in Cyrillic. I don’t know what sound it represents. Since McDonald’s closed down its Russian operations the Russian government is taking it over as a state run business. They even filed for a trademark – the Golden Arches turned sideways with a bar on the left to create a “B” – including a red background. Anywhere but Russia this would be seen as trademark infringement. Sumner discussed the city of Mariupol, a city under siege. Fifteen years ago it was the most environmentally damaged city in Ukraine. Since then it kept the factories humming while cutting the pollution levels in half. It also became known for its art, cinema, and music with public sculptures and festivals. It will be a while before Mariupol can return to such life. The Mariupol Theater has been bombed while maybe about a thousand people were inside, using it as a bomb shelter. Rescue attempts are underway. Ruben Bolling of Kos posted a Tom the Dancing Bug cartoon comparing Putin to the Republican or “RePutincan” Party. Both are criminalizing what one can say, both are criminalizing the truth, and both are trying to prevent people from fleeing. Kos wrote the Ukrainian artillery has increased its action and is doing a pretty good job! There are a lot of drones in the air with civilians tracking Russian troop movements and reporting that to the Ukrainian military. Kos describes a video of the artillery in action – a few test shots, a few more, than several direct hits. Kos also wrote about the Mariupol Theater. At the time of this post on Thursday morning 130 people had been rescued. Lauren Frayer of NPR discussed what various Ukrainian artists and musicians are doing now that their regular work has been disrupted. Singer Slava Vakarchuk, whose rock band Okean Elzy performed in stadiums now drives across the country delivering food and medicine. His fame gives him access and also provides comfort to others. After the annexation of Crimea he wrote the song “Not My War” as protest. He stopped doing concerts in Russia. His artistic work now is understanding where his hatred came from and how to get rid of its poisons. Stepan Burban, a rapper known as Palindrom, has a new piece that tells Russians to get out. “You're not even fit to be fertilizer on Ukrainian soil.” Lyana Mytsko, director of the Lviv Municipal Art Center has helped artists and evacuees create protest posters that are being posted across the country. The posters are both a rallying cry and therapy. Mytsko tells people art is not extra, not a sidebar. Putin has claimed Ukraine does not have a culture of its own. Mytsko’s crew are proving him wrong. Sumner asks: Though it is Ukraine being shelled, can Russia survive? Money that Russians invested for their future is gone. People, especially the best and brightest, are leaving while they can – destination anywhere out. The economy is done. Rapidly declining net worth means crushing poverty. It will be a long time before anyone invests in Russia again. And Putin is calling for “purification.”

It was already clear that Putin has a fetish for restoring the Soviet Union—a name that both Putin and his advisers have repeatedly used in recent weeks when describing the Russian Federation. What wasn’t clear is that Putin’s admiration of all things Soviet included the bread lines, famine, labor camps, and political purges.

The Kyiv Independent tweeted:

European Space Agency suspends cooperation with Russia on Mars rover mission. “While recognizing the impact on scientific exploration of space, ESA is fully aligned with the sanctions imposed on Russia by its Member States,” the agency wrote.

Sumner added:

Space was one of the few areas of technology where Russia has remained relevant in the post-Soviet era. But they’ve been running on momentum and decades old designs. They’ve offered reliability, but no innovation. Now that they’ve undercut that reliability, there’s no reason for anyone to pretend that Russia is still making significant contributions in space.

Kos discussed an important development. Russia had taken Kherson, just outside Crimea. The route from there to Odesa is blocked by a big river, so Russia went upstream to Mykolaiv, where there are bridges, and started a siege. More accurately, they got stopped and started shelling the city and creating mass civilian murder. The news now is that Ukraine forces have pushed the Russians back to the little town of Pesad-Pokrovskote, which is halfway between Mykolaiv and Kherson. Sumner discussed the drones Ukraine has been using to great effect. There is also a Switchblade drone system coming to Ukraine, which will be a big help in taking out the artillery systems that are doing so much damage to cities. That’s good news for Ukraine and democracy, though we should be thinking about what happens when the “semi” comes out of “semi-autonomous” drones. Italy’s Cabinet of Ministers has approved a proposal to offer Ukraine the resources to rebuild the Mariupol Theater. Theaters belong to the whole humanity. Zelenskyy tweeted his thanks. Oligarch Vladimir Strzhalkovsky isn’t on the list of sanctioned Russians. That doesn’t mean people are glad to see him. His super yacht “Ragnar” is stranded in Norway because the locals refuse to refuel it. Sven Holmlund said, “Why should we help them? They can row home. Or use a sail.” Or enjoy the long Norwegian summer days. Kos discussed estimates of how many tanks Russia sent into Ukraine, how many are likely still operational, and how many have sufficient personnel to operate them. A Russian battle group has about 600-800 soldiers to operate 10 tanks and 40 infantry fighting vehicles. But when 10% of the soldiers and 30% of the vehicles are gone the battle group has to withdraw and reform with the remains of other battle groups. Which is happening. The Kyiv Independent tweeted the story of a six year old boy in the Sumy region, close to the border with Russia, who got a birthday gift of a toy drone. When the boy heard the military needed drones he donated his new gift. Putin held a rally in a Moscow stadium where 80,000 people were bused in to fill the place. He stood alone on a massive stage (so nobody could get close to him). His performance was similar to the rallies the nasty guy held here in America. Or to a Wrestlemania event. All of it aimed at the home audience.