Maarten van Vliet

Former CIA Director David Petraeus: With Budanov now heading the Presidential Office, Zelenskyy has someone close to him who deeply understands the military situation and ongoing operations. I know Budanov well. He is very direct in his assessments. We first spoke by video when he was near the russian border, commanding one of the first operations on russian territory. Petraeus in an interview with SpyCast: Ukraine has the largest and most innovative army in Europe. It is doing what NATO armies would otherwise have to do themselves if russia achieved its objectives in Ukraine. Moldova would be next, and possibly Lithuania after that. During my recent visit to Ukraine, a russian jet-powered drone struck the locomotive of a train on the track next to ours. The passengers on trains leaving Ukraine are mostly women and children. It was terrifying for them. Russia has suffered 1.5 million killed and wounded, more than the United States suffered during the entire Second World War. Last month alone, Ukraine estimated approximately 46,000 russian casualties, while russia recruited only around 30,000 soldiers. New recruits receive very little training. Ukrainian forces have captured russian soldiers who had been in the army for less than two weeks. They are practically cannon fodder. Ukraine has struck every russian oil refinery within 3,000 kilometers of its border, many of them multiple times. Russian oil production has fallen below 9 million barrels per day for the first time since 2009. Russians now use smartphone apps to find gas stations that still have fuel. The National Welfare Fund has been redirected toward the military-industrial complex and is expected to run out by the end of the year. It is time for Europe and the United States to seize frozen russian reserves and provide them to Ukraine. We tend to assume that Ukrainians are far ahead in military innovation, just as we assume the United States leads in artificial intelligence. But when you look closely, the gap is not always that large. In some areas, the russians have developed capabilities before the Ukrainians. China, North Korea, and Iran are carefully studying what is happening in Ukraine. The West needs to learn from Ukraine much faster. Simply buying drones for existing tank units is not enough. We need to fundamentally rethink our military structures because many traditional Western weapons systems would no longer survive on the Ukrainian battlefield. And we need to do this immediately. The Ukrainian people have demonstrated extraordinary resilience. They have been absolutely unbreakable despite enormous pressure. But they are also exhausted, and another difficult winter lies ahead. Source: SpyCast

There is no neutrality in the face of evil. The russian war and genocide against Ukrainians have changed me. The russians killed three of my friends; they have beheaded, castrated, tortured, and raped thousands of my countrymen; they have destroyed the livelihood of millions. I used to be much more tolerant and accepting of different points of view. But now, my vision is more black and white. The war became personal. The pain became personal. When your family is bombed every night for four years, it is personal. I think everyone of us has lost someone, either on the battlefield or when rockets or Iranian drones bombed civilian buildings and infrastructure. Every day and night, you hear explosions in the sky. You start your day by reading reports about dozens of people hospitalized or dead because russians hit another civilian building. And that might be the building where your loved ones or friends live. So, when I meet a person who claims to be neutral regarding the russian war and genocide against Ukrainian people, I hold them responsible for the atrocities committed by russians. There cannot be neutrality in the face of evil. A Ukrainian is judged because he or she didn’t shake the hand of a russian athlete, and some people dare to cast a judgment? How morally bankrupt do you have to be to judge a victim who doesn’t want to shake hands with the aggressor? Oh, but maybe these athletes don’t support their governments. Well, if they don’t support their governments, then speak up! Put on a shirt condemning the actions of their government. But no, they are silent. Morally bankrupt. Oh, but their government would put them in prison for their position. Give me a break! We, Ukrainians, at the cost of many lives, have overthrown several political regimes that wanted to become dictatorships. We stood up. We are free people! We paid the price and will continue to pay the price. Because freedom is not free. It comes at a price. For us Ukrainians, the price is especially high. But we are willing to pay it. Because it is better to die fighting for freedom than to live as a slave. If you choose to remain neutral and silent, it’s your choice. But that choice defines who you are. You are a coward, a silent supporter, and history will judge you as such. To end, I want to quote some people who understood very well that there is no neutrality in the face of evil. Dietrich Bonhoeffer: "Silence in the face of evil is itself evil; God will not hold us guiltless. To not speak is to speak. Not to act is to act." Elie Wiesel: "We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented." Dante Alighieri (paraphrased): "The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in times of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality."

Beyond tragic. Ukrainian delegation is forced to stand by the russian war criminals who represent the terrorist state responsible for kidnapping Ukrainian children, killing civilians, and attempting to genocide the entire nation. I understand that Melania wants to earn brownie points. But you don't do it at the expense of an already suffering victim. Shameful and despicable.