Early this morning, around 5:00 AM local time and following the orders of Vladimir Putin, Russian military forces launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Reports indicate a naval blockade of the Sea of Azov, coordinated attacks on Ukrainian military infrastructure across the country, and tanks and trucks arriving from Crimea, the two separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, and Belarus. Kyiv is now within reach, as seen below.
Efforts to stop Putin have been weak and, evidently in light of this morning’s actions, a complete failure. The governments of the U.S., the European Union, NATO, and the UN have been engaged in endless and fruitless diplomatic dialogue with Russia, which has only emboldened Putin to set the stage. NATO cannot respond in the same way, and Putin is well aware of that. If it did, that is, if NATO were to attack Russia, we would be facing the definite certainty of World War III. Putin has shown ample signs that he is unstable enough to push the world to a point of no return.
Talking about severe sanctions will not prevent further escalations. As Venezuelans painfully know, economic sanctions amount to little more than a free pass for the Putins and the Madauros of this world, along with the endless number of accomplices who continue to thrive to Switzerland, China, Turkey, and Middle Eastern banks. To be effective, sanctions need to be comprehensive. Secondary sanctions must be implemented. The oil trade must be halted through clandestine shipments. Banks and law firms servicing Russia, its oligarchs, and businesses need to face the same ruinous prospects as Ukrainian citizens, regardless of where they operate. Unfortunately, the chances of that happening in this world of snowflake leaders and deep political division are nonexistent.
As I write these notes, Russian money and assets remain in the hands of Putin’s partners. I recall, for example, that no authority in the UK has shown any interest in the fact that a partner of Nikolai Patrushev lives right next to Jacob Rees Mogg, one of Boris Johnson’s most trusted colleagues. Corruption pervades all of the West, and Putin will continue to rely on that.