Do not forget the war in Ukraine

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Anyone, even Sabina Higgins writing about Ukraine will retain this brutal war in the headlines.

Russia, intent on creating a wasteland, cannot retain Ukrainian lands they must re-build to attract Russian settlers, why would they settle in a wasteland?

Ukrainian forces trained by NATO and equipped with M777 mobile artillery are ready to re-take Kherson and the easily defended Dnieper river line for winter defensive operations. 4 months to capture Severodonetsk, Russian armed forces are not delivering for their assassinating, poisoning demented leader Putin. Russia uses famine as a weapon of war.

Russia raids prisons and recruits Chechen jihadists to replace the 50,000 killed, wounded and missing, confirmed by US Military Intelligence of Russian army casualties. The Russian Army is non uniform and undisciplined ensuring orders are not carried out. Russia, a pariah isolated nation, reaches out to Iran, who lack modern weapons, is now destined for a severely damaged economy. Bullying Lavrov, his daughter is sanctioned, visits Africa in futile desperation. Russia is the most sanctioned nation in history. Oligarchs complain they must move their ships to Turkey, further complaints may encourage Putin to steal their assets and confirm he is the richest man who has ever lived, his life will run out before he counts to another billion (31 years). High sales of oil and gas, high revenues, a strong currency, defeated oligarchs,. the glaring immediate outflow of technically qualified young Russians, microchip shortages these lead to increasingly intractable day to day problems that Putin is obviously not affected by and will increase over a very short time span ensuring Russia's economy will never recover.

Putin, an expert conman, has no plan. The war in Ukraine is morally indefensible and a serious military mistake. The Putin tactic during the Second Chechen War was started after a series of apartment bombings in Moscow, autumn 1999 by the FSB with the Chechens obliterated following a 'safe passage' ruse. Reprehensible. Russian missiles are fired anyhow and anywhere. Submarine launched missiles struck Vinnitsa, central Ukraine, nowhere near the battles in Donbas. The Russian Army is running out of troops, reduced to press ganging Ukrainians, from newly taken Donbas, into the Russian Army. These terror tactics ensure Ukrainians are in fear for their very lives.

The sanctions on Russia are effective, Putin's visit to Iran is desperation, Iran lacks modern weapons. The effectiveness of M777 mobile artillery resulted in the UN/Turkey/Russia and separately UN/Turkey/Ukraine agreement to release Ukrainian grain supplies worldwide. The missile attack on Odessa's port cancels this agreement.

Watch this space for imminent developments.