On the 2nd day into the 2nd year of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, after spending many thoughts and some Euros, as well as 2 parcels (cf. one above, using DHL's free service for any ~20kg parcels prepared with their downloadable special labels), I want to say a few short things about this World-shaking little War. (Short because I am still a pretty dumb layman on what the background causes and current actions are; i.a. since we see the latter mostly through propagandised reports...)

Ukraine - top 10 list of sad realisations after 1 year

In no particular order...

1. Putin & cronies, as well as churchly Kyrill, no longer leave any doubt as to what they have become: A fascist regime. There are so many indications - which we Germans may know best of all: Sending young untrained men to their deaths, apparently upward of 500 a day! Culling all media who try to report truths of e.g. behaviour of Russian troops toward civilians! Deadly disdain for certain groupings within society - LBGTQ, critics, mass-communicated propaganda incl. constant twisting of the "attackers" (exp. the US and Germany!). -- And the "f" word is not coined by me in this case, but by a St. Petersburg city politician, Budberg!
2. In the same video, one gets to know a little some courageous Russians, who are quietly working to unravel the repressions and constant lies. While essentially most Russians live in fear of consequences, these counter-examples are, in my eyes, hope for the future.
3. The invasion has meant terrible deaths for in the order of 100 thousand people so far!! Hundreds of Russian soldiers die every day because their wounds cannot be sufficiently medically treated, due to missing materials and doctors...
4. Currently, demagogic Mrs. Wagenknecht here in Germany is demanding immediate negotiations, as if that's something Putin & his fellow war criminals are offering. She also wants all delivery of military materials to stop right away. And she is also raising the spectre of coming nuclear war, now in every current interview or public speech.
5. So, to put up something against that, check out this TAGESSCHAU interview with an Austrian war expert, who says to momentarily forget tanks and jets etc. - the availability of ammunition, or its dearth, on both sides will determine who may lose the war within the next weeks. Since neither side is producing munitions at war-typical rates, at the moment.
6. Over 100 thousand refugees from the invaded country have settled in Berlin, my home town. They are mostly women and their children, for boys only those up to 15 years in age!
7. My rent, electricity and gas (heating) costs have gone up significantly. A 50 EUR increase in rent fluttered in end of last year, and began at the start of this month.
8. Our national president is holding well-constructed speeches off and on (& visited Kyiv again recently), but it's hard to forget that his & Merkel's appeasement policies a decade ago were so very off target, re what Russia's real plan was. I now reckon the "annexation" of Crimea, 8 years ago, was simply part of that invasion plan.
9. After this war, however the outcome, Russia will be close to financial ruin. No participation in global stock markets, fewer investments, etc.. Elites at the top of the deadly political game will have a yawning nothing below them on the way down to the mass of ever poorer citizens, esp. rural ones!! So Putin will probably not remain in good memories of this crazy miltaristic time, in later years.
10. Let's hope those poorer folk realise the ruse of calling on the Great War against the Nazis for a repeat performance in everyone's head of that past determination, to root out the "fascist terrorists" who were/are running the once-beloved sister Soviet, Ukraine. Once more unto the seeming breach... Goebbels would have been proud!!

Ukraine - a 'Scholzing' retort

Some weeks ago British historian Garton Ash basically reiterated the 'Scholzing' slur on the German chancellor in an article in the GUARDIAN - that he is basically constantly promising things, that he then finds ways not to deliver, or that he simply sets up conditions to be able to delay support. In addition, there is a general tendency in English-speaking Western countries to imply that Germany is de facto in charge of the EU response to the war in Ukraine, but not taking up that mantle - how annoying or even cowardly! (It is said.)

First off, let me say that I voted for this guy, the first time in the last 3 decades that I ever voted SPD, in the last general election. I voted for him because he seemed to me even-handed and pedantic when dealing with crises, and at the time a certain big C was much on everyone's mind (physically on almost everyone's faces, too). In general, on dealing with the Ukraine crisis, I feel he has represented my view on what to do, or how rapidly to implement that. I am not a 100% fan of his, but in this thing I am with him.

Why would a German chancellor proceed carefully? Well, in '89 I remember clearly that the "beast-in-chains" view of a divided Germany was still on several people's lips: After behaving bestially in WW II, Germany was to be kept under control of the 4 winning nations; the division was one way of aiding this goal. So reunification took away one of the hindrances to the beast becoming reanimated again, it seemed to some observers, and fear of a once-again dominating Germany seemed to be in the air in the '90s. Since then, but probably several decades earlier, too, Germany's foreign policy has always included to never have war originate in Germany again. (In fact, this did not prevent many German firms from making much profit by building arms for the world, from hand guns to tanks!)

So this turn-around from despising the German beast (still enchained to some degree) to denigrating the Germans for not leading the war support effort for invaded Ukraine is a little astonishing. Which is perhaps one reason why Scholz and his ministers refrained from sending in too potent offensive weaponry - which is what the Leopard tanks are!

While not having put up as much support as the Americans have, for Ukraine, the Germans have also been one of the major contributors in the European space, in absolute pound for pound terms, including its populace on a personal level (cf. above photo). And we are getting ready to gear up diverse production to deliver stuff faster - material aid, instructions, tanks and, yes, ammunition! (Which cycles back to item #5 in the above list.)

If people like bashing the one guy, Scholz, at the moment, then have them in addition interview the average German, statistically representative-wise, and I predict they will find that most Germans agree with the slow approach. Also because we know that Germany is one of the first places Russian rockets will target in case of an ultimate escalation Putin may yet consider.

If one considers all this, esp. the ammunition-race point from above, I think 'Scholzing' in a positive sense, i.e. fulfilling promises, but step by step, and in sync with nuclear power partners, is exactly what I want my chancellor to continue to do!

Auf Wiedersehen (hopefully, after the end of the war at the latest)!