The Germans might be complaining of food shortages, but it doesn’t look like anyone in Germany will starve any time soon.

Preamble

There have been no earth-shattering headlines of late, so now may again be a good time to write a sideways-looking article with no central theme, yet one that examines a number of matters currently of interest both in and out of Eastern Europe.

Europe Needs War

According to a report in Bloomberg, ‘Europe Must Declare a War Economy.

‘As Russia turns off the gas and Germany activates emergency plans, Europeans must become ants to avoid ending up grasshoppers.’ What the author of this piece, Andreas Kluth failed to mention was that the troubles that Europe is now facing are the result of a war that they sponsored, allowing Ukrainian forces to kill the civilians of the Donbass like ants which resulted in Moscow being hopping mad. Mr Kluth goes on to state that ‘It’s that in the eyes of an amoral despot such as Putin, everything is a weapon of war. That includes nuclear and chemical arms, but also wheat, disinformation and, not least, energy.’ Much more could be said of previous US administrations, yet what is notable that nuclear and chemical weapons are mentioned, yet not biological ones. These three weapons are always spoken of as a trio, yet with the West knowing darn well what Washington was doing in the Ukraine, perhaps the media is covering its butt knowing that sooner or later, Uncle Sam’s obnoxious operations will finally come to light. Other omissions were that the Ukrainian army burnt thousands of tons of grain less than a month ago and if the US can wean Europe off Russian energy, it can use snake-oil diplomacy to bankrupt the continent selling American wares at much higher prices.

Throwing Good Money after Bad

Another report by Bloomberg declares that Brussels, after granting the Ukraine candidacy as an EU member state is ready to give another €9bn to the Ukrainian cause, the deal being finalized this week. It has been over the last ten days that the true desperation of both the Ukrainian and western causes has become apparent, yet in spite of Kiev never having been in a worse position than it is now, Ursula von den Leyen et al feel this would be a worthwhile exercise at the same time as the union is increasingly feeling the pinch due to soaring energy prices. What has not been made public is the fact that should the country collapse completely, much of this money would be written off and no consideration whatsoever has been made as to where borders will lie when the current conflict comes to an end. Russia is presently showing no signs of hitting the brakes and with Zelenskiy having expended the resources he has in the Donbass, there is precious little remaining to prevent Moscow’s forces from making huge gains over the next month.

Operation Unthinkable

The same week in which Brussels is allegedly giving Kiev another huge payout, a draft law has been proposed to the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament) with the aim of drafting disable people into the armed forces, but only ‘with their consent’. The fact that the Ukrainian government has been using individuals who are ‘not fit for purpose’ has been discussed previously, but only in Kiev do they require the helpless to help. Quite who thought this idea up remains to be seen, but even the thought of drafting disabled people is unthinkable. What this says of the desperation in Kiev is quite another matter, yet with disabilities being as wide-ranging as they are, this raises safety questions on top of the moral ones which should have quelled this madness before it even arrived at parliamentary level. This story has been widely circulated on the internet and one can only speculate how the EU can credibly give money to a government that would even consider a plan such as this.

Unthinkable Operations

More than a thousand miles away in London, another madcap plan has come to light, again concerning Ukrainians. Rather than it being the Verkhovna Rada that has lost the plot, it is Boris Johnson that is coming up with wholly incredible ideas, this time proposing to send illegal Ukrainian immigrants to Rwanda. Although London claims that it is ‘very unlikely’ that any migrants would be sent, just like in Kiev, it beggars belief that such a crazy idea even be possible. The fact that London has been the prime European sponsor of the war in the Ukraine is undoubted, yet quite where Rwanda fits into the picture and whether the Rwandan people would want a bunch of Ukrainians suddenly turning up in their midst is a bit of a mystery. In a curious reversal of the slave trade, former colonial powers are now sending Washington’s slaves to former European colonies.

Hot and Cold

We all know that the Germans are now genuinely worried about future energy supplies, Annalena Baerbock the green politician now having angered the Russians to the point where Germany may have to revert to again using coal to generate electricity. She also said that Russia is using hunger as a weapon, yet in the face of price hikes blamed on shortages, German imports of foodstuffs have rocketed over recent months. With Berlin looking at a cold winter, the Donbass is looking to quite a hot summer, cauldrons appearing in the region as Russian and local forces slowly eliminate the Ukrainian threat that has plagued the area for years. The last week has seen thousands of Ukrainian troops completely encircled, yet with the loss of such manpower and resources in the Donbass, further Russian operations will be all the easier.

Seizing Caesar

Another risible incident this week has been the capture of two undamaged French Caesar artillery pieces by Russian forces. These were amongst the multitude of gifts that European nations have given to the Ukraine over recent months, but in contrast to the antiquated kit donated by the Americans, this is much more modern, and whilst it will not offer Russian engineers any insight into weapon development, it will most certainly be studied with great attention. Recent months have seen all manner of weapons heading eastwards, yet as we are all aware, a huge portion of these have now found a new home with Moscow’s men

Pass the Parcel

With Russian forces having enjoyed the successes in the Donbass that they have, this has meant that for every man or asset lost in the area, there is one less man or asset for Kiev to use in other areas. This today means that Zelenskiy’s team are now attempting to build defensive bulwarks against the inevitable tsunami of Russian advances that are certain to be made over coming weeks. This is being done by moving penny packets of men and machines around in the hope that the Ukrainian Army can somehow stymie Russian efforts in spite of Nikolaev, Kharkov and Odessa all being in Russia’s sights whilst victory is out of sight on each of these fronts as far as the Ukrainians are concerned.

Summary

Concluding matters as diverse as these is always difficult, yet in spite of a series of failures in the Ukraine, it is blatantly obvious that the western world is willing to do whatever it takes to create a war on Washington’s behalf. One has to question the mentality of those who support this, yet with the disabled expected to support Kiev’s efforts, ability appears not to be the strong suit of certain leaders. It is doubtless however that should any of the disabled that have been forced into uniform be killed by Russian forces, Washington will start a whole new storyline. Taking another glance at the competence of commanders, Boris Johnson is making decisions even wilder than his haircut regarding Ukrainians potentially being sent to Rwanda, but look at those surrounding him and a move such as this hardly comes as a shock.

The Germans and French have also felt the heat this week, the gun of apparent energy blackmail pointed at Berlin whilst Russia is the new owner of Paris’ guns. We conclude with the fact a bit-part actor of a president has an army in bits, yet the pieces of the Eastern European jigsaw fit together better for Russia every day…