Ukraine War

To become president, Zelensky had to learn Ukrainian​

How Ukraine’s Russian-speaking leader went from television provocateur to wartime president.

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Dona Ferentes said:

And a book out, on Zelensky and his pathway to President.

To become president, Zelensky had to learn Ukrainian​

War and Punishment, The story of Russian oppression and Ukrainian resistance
- Mikhail Zygar

It is published by Hachette Australia.


....a reasonably long , and interesting , review here:

To become president, Zelensky had to learn Ukrainian

How Ukraine’s Russian-speaking leader went from television provocateur to wartime president.

www.afr.com

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MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Monday called for an end to the "irrational" war in Ukraine, urging upcoming peace talks in the Middle East to include representation from both Ukraine and Russia.
Lopez Obrador said Mexico would only take part in the talks in Saudi Arabia, reportedly scheduled to be held over the coming weekend, if both sides were present.
"If there's acceptance from both Ukraine and Russia to look for solutions to achieve peace, we'll participate," the president told reporters at a regular press conference.
"We don't want the Russia-Ukraine war to continue, it's very irrational," Lopez Obrador added, noting that the conflict has caused massive human suffering. "The only thing that benefits from it is the war industry."
Senior officials from up to 30 countries are expected to participate in the talks Aug. 5-6 in Jeddah, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday. Russia has not been invited, the outlet reported, citing diplomats involved in the planning.

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As we published this editorial, it was not certain that Yevgeny Prigozhin’s private jet was shot down by Russian air-defences, or that the mutineer and mercenary boss was on board. But everyone believes that it was and that his death was a punishment of spectacular ruthlessness ordered by Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin. And that is the way Mr Putin likes it.

If Mr Prigozhin is confirmed dead, Mr Putin will emerge stronger. For the moment at least, he will have seen off the biggest immediate threat to his 23-year rule. But the death also exposes the growing weakness of the system he created. Mr Putin has pretensions to being the tsar of a great power, but in reality his rotting empire runs as never before on lies, bribery and repression. And, as this killing shows, Russia’s ultimate authority is terror.

Mr Prigozhin’s Embraer jet came down in the Tver region north-west of Moscow on August 23rd. He and other commanders of the Wagner mercenary group were listed among the ten passengers on the flight manifest. Mr Prigozhin was a violent man. He grew rich from working in the kleptocracy that surrounded Mr Putin. He recruited convicts from Russia’s jails to fight in Ukraine and sent them to their deaths. His men are accused of crimes against humanity, especially in Africa, where Wagner makes much of its money.

None of that appeared to bother Mr Putin who, on the contrary, rewarded Mr Prigozhin with new business and extra responsibilities. But everything changed in June when, as a protest at the prospect of his men being absorbed into the regular army, he marched Wagner troops to within 200km of Moscow. Lacking the foresight to prevent the mutiny or the strength to crush it, Mr Putin was humiliated. So he cut a deal and Mr Prigozhin called off the mutiny.

The downing of the jet suggests that Mr Putin has reneged—and emerged on top. The wonder is that Mr Prigozhin did not see it coming. For as long as the Wagner boss was alive, he remained a source of instability. His death and Mr Putin’s apparent disregard for everyone else on the aircraft serve as a public example to any other would-be tsars of where treachery leads in the mafia world that the Kremlin has built.

The elimination of Mr Prigozhin will also strengthen Mr Putin’s control over Russia’s army, which conspicuously failed to stop the mutineers in June. It is surely no coincidence that on the same day the plane came down, General Sergei Surovikin, who was suspected of supporting Wagner’s mutiny in June, was formally sacked. Meanwhile, Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the general staff, and Sergei Shoigu, the minister of defence, two Putin loyalists who were the butt of Mr Prigozhin’s scorn for their graft and incompetence, remain in office.

Wagner forces may grumble. Some are in Belarus, where the despot Alexander Lukashenko will be looking over his shoulder. There is talk of a second march on Moscow, but Wagnerites are more likely to choose wealth and self-preservation than loyalty to a dead commander. Meanwhile, Russia’s positions in Africa are cemented by corruption, not principle.

For all that, Mr Prigozhin’s death marks the further decay of the Russian state. Mr Putin is a supreme example of why never-ending one-man rule is so ruinous. The more power is concentrated, the more Mr Putin and his obsessions, whims and resentments become the face of Russia itself.

The killing of Mr Prigozhin extends that dismal pattern. After mutinies challenge the state’s monopoly of the use of force, a healthy country restores order using the justice system. Mr Putin prefers ostentatious violence instead. Yet this will not restore order so much as reimpose the balance of terror. It further distances Russia from the rule of law and the institutions that every modern country depends on for competent and steady government. It leaves Russia in a miserable state.

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• Russia says it destroyed four Ukrainian military boats carrying troops on the Black Sea.

Knobby22 said:

A populist pro-Moscow party led by former PM Robert Fico has won Slovakia's parliamentary elections, with almost all votes counted.

The Smer-SSD party had a clear lead with almost 24% of the vote despite exit polls suggesting victory by a liberal centrist party.

Smer has pledged an immediate end to military support for Ukraine.

Mr Fico was forced to step down as PM following the murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak in 2018.

Slovakia elections: Populist party wins vote but needs allies for coalition

Ex-PM Robert Fico, who opposes military support for Ukraine, will try to form a government.

www.bbc.com

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moXJO said:

Interesting that it's labelled a left-wing party?

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moXJO said:

Ukraine ain't winning.
Makes you wonder if Israel attacks is part of a larger move. US has depleted ammo and the country is in bad shape.

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moXJO said:

Ukraine ain't winning.
Makes you wonder if Israel attacks is part of a larger move. US has depleted ammo and the country is in bad shape.

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