I'm sick to my stomach.

[Xolodno]

I never believed Putin would start this war, it made no sense to do so, even with Zelensky jailing pro-Russian politicians. He had an economic squeeze on the country which would come to fruition in a decade. Zelensky was polling very low and unlikely to win re-election. Ukraine was in no danger of joining NATO as both France and Germany gave assurances to Moscow that they would vote no every single time. Add to that, with territory integrity issues, it was guaranteed they couldn't join.

I've been hitting twitter and other places to see on the ground coverage. Both Russian and Ukranian bodies laying out in the open. A Ukranian passenger car stops as it see's a Russian convoy, the lead APC shoots and blows up the car and passenger(s) anyway. A Russian soldier surrenders, but some vengeful Ukrainians take a machine gun to him anyway. Civilians who had no quarrel with Russia suddenly find themselves homeless, soldiers who probably have relatives in Ukraine find themselves doing the unthinkable.

I've been avoiding commenting on DU because I know how "rage" tends to inflame many. I'm not in rage, I'm broken.

After the annexation of Crimea, Putin joked he could be at the gates of Kiev/Kyiv in two weeks if he wanted to. Well, he accomplished that and I fear what is next to come. But what I don't understand, he has better, well, its a sick thing say, weapons. But won't use them, if he did, this war could be over much quicker with a lot less cost in lives.

But maybe that's the key word, "cost". He's using equipment mostly that was paid for under the Soviet Union and is at a point to either use it or obsolete it. There was shock when they launched missiles from ships in the Caspian Sea into Syria as it was thought beyond their capabilities. So perhaps, he doesn't want to showcase their advanced equipment so NATO can focus on a counter, classic cold war era tactics. Plus, replacing it would be costly and he had to know sanctions were coming. But it doesn't matter, the fact as a species we procure weapons to kill each other says something.

There are no winners in war, only victims and the sick people at the top who start or instigate them.

He shall judge between the nations,
and shall decide for many peoples;
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more.

[Stuart G]

1. K and R...You are not the only one who feels sad and "broken"

War breaks many people. Hang In There..We at DU are with you.

[Deuxcents]

2. O my Dear..I'm sick, too.

I got 3 gtandkids...A little oldibut don’t care about current events, I worry

[Meowmee]

3. It's not looking good

I think he planned this for a long time but thought he would do it after he helped install the traitor dumpster and he won election 2.

Now we all have to worry about being annihilated while we helplessly watch this devastation and slaughter.

I feel misogyny and fascism here brought on a lot of this.

[lapfog_1]

4. But won't use them,

"if he did, this war could be over much quicker with a lot less cost in lives."

What an odd thing to say... the implication is that if he used chemical or nuclear weapons it would cost fewer lives than the current strategy of shelling and encirclement with likely starvation.

It's that second time I've seen that posted here today. Actually encouraging a dictatorial asshole to use WMDs because it will save lives.

Perhaps he doesn't use those weapons because, despite Ukraine not being in NATO, western public opinion would be to turn all of Russia east of the Ural mountains into a sheet of glass.

And, how do you know it will cost fewer lives to use such weapons... you presuppose that Ukraine cannot meet the challenge... a challenge that they look like they are actually winning. With proper supplies from the West (anti-tank missiles, drones, etc) and drawing the armor columns into the cities... Ukraine will lose a lot of buildings.. and some people, but Russia stands to lose their entire invasion force. Even if Russia only loses half, my belief is that Putin's days in command would be numbered... and the number is very small.

[denbot]

12. Well the Zelensky jailing his "pro Russian politicians" in the first breath was telling..

I am assuming those opponents were merely engaged in “normal political discourse” as well.

[Demovictory9]

5. what gets me is that millions of people around the world are experiencing war. No widespread care

until war hit western people.

[Steven Maurer]

8. This is true, yet at the same time it's different...

Most conflicts around the world are civil wars, where both sides are bad actors. Given the record of outside intervention in such wars (Vietnam, Somalia, Libya) are mixed at best, there is reluctance.

There wasn't the same kind of worldwide uproar about the breakup of Yugoslavia for example, because it was a largely civil conflict. Even though this also hit "western people".

While there was about the first Iraq war when Saddam conquered Kuwait.

[uponit7771]

9. +1,

[Steven Maurer]

7. Even "with Zelensky jailing pro-Russian politicians"...?

He did no such thing.

Prosecutors charged a Ukrainian oligarch with treason for funding weapons for the separatists and doing gas deals in Crimea (the territory that Russia illegally stole from Ukraine), but that wasn't Zelensky directly.

[Justice matters.]

10. The misinformation spreads wide even on DU.

I wished it would not but I understand the anxiety many DUers have may lead to posting it without link to it (since it doesn't exist).

[czarjak]

11. Fooling them once was the hard part. Easy Street after that.