The difference between what Ukraine thinks it has done and what it has actually done is getting astronomically bigger. There are some hard facts:
1.There is no air force in Ukraine. Not helping trapped Ukrainian troops from the air or attacking Russian positions.
2.There are no helicopters flying in Ukraine. Not many helicopters are left, and they rarely move forward. Rockets fired from the air aren't hitting columns of Russian tanks and vehicles.
3.There are no tank battalions in the Donbass or in Kherson. To avoid air and artillery strikes, Ukraine spreads out and hides its tanks.
4.Ukraine hasn't shown that it can help troops in trouble and start a long-lasting counterattack.
5.Ukraine has used HIMARS, artillery, and saboteurs to attack Russian munitions stockpiles, but these are isolated incidents that haven't changed the strategic picture.
People have told me I'm wrong for saying that the media and opinion pieces that show Russia as losing are wrong. It's important to look at facts without bias. Propaganda and false information that aren't challenged are dangerous. Example: Ukraine. Think again if you think the leaders of Ukraine know and understand the above facts. They think that if they do something in the south of Ukraine, Russia will leave Crimea. Why? They believe what U.S. and European intelligence agencies and the media say about how demoralized Russia's troops are.
Ukraine is like a person from season 2 of The Wire. Ziggy Sobotka is a mess. He is the son of a leader of the dockworkers in Baltimore. He is a Pole. His huge genitalia are the only thing that help him (he identifies as a man). One day, a bigger, more dangerous man provokes him at the harbor. I think this is about Russia and Ukraine. Kyiv is Ziggy. The United States and NATO are also telling him he can beat Maui. Russian Maui.
What does the West think Ukraine should do? What about a nuclear accident at the biggest power plant in Europe? Ukraine says that Russia attacks its own troops and the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant with artillery. Russia thinks Ukraine is firing on the base with shells.
The Zaporozhye NPP is going to be attacked by Kiev.
The Russian Defense Ministry said it will happen on August 19 and is related to the visit of the UN Secretary General to Ukraine. Provocation is when Russia is blamed for making a disaster happen.
By August 19, the Ukrainian command will have set up radiation monitoring posts in Zaporozhye and held drills to protect against radiation.
I think both sides got too excited. The former head of the IAEA, Robert Kelley, has given a good analysis of Zaporozhye:
Russia knows it has the best hand and won't fold, just like any good poker player would.
This fight comes from two places. First, the west should keep giving Ukraine money and arms. Second, Ukraine was too trusting when it thought that Washington and Europe could beat Russia. If Ukraine keeps pushing for a fight, it will get beat up and be stuck on empty shipping containers.
The preceding is a summary of an article that originally appeared on Gateway Pundit.