“Ukraine: Yet Another War Based on Lies” by Keith Porteous, in last week’s Grapevine, omits some relevant truths about the war:
Russia invaded Ukraine
Ukraine defended itself
Porteous portrays Russia and Ukraine as victims of US/NATO imperialism. He repeats the phrase, “This war was intended to…” as though the West started it and is running it. But Russia has responsibility, and Ukraine has agency. This isn’t 1986. Ukraine isn’t part of the USSR; it’s a sovereign nation with a centuries-old identity. And sovereign nations have the right to fight back when attacked. Which brings up these relevant truths:
Russia invaded Ukraine ineptly
Ukraine defended itself effectively
Russia apparently expected an easy victory (the first wave of troops brought their dress uniforms with them, presumably for the victory parade in Kyiv). But Russia has fought this as a 20th-century conflict, and Ukraine is writing the book on 21st century war. “Russia remains intact,” Porteous asserts. Except, Ukrainian drones have destroyed a quarter to a third of Russia’s oil refining capacity, which is that country’s economic lifeblood; Russia is dragging antique weapons out of storage because Ukraine has blown up its modern ones; and Russia’s army has suffered 1.4 million casualties. Even the US State Department—Donald Trump’s State Department, and he supports Russia—now says that Ukraine is winning the war.
Porteous bemoans the corruption and lack of freedom in Ukraine. If true, that’s very sad: it makes Ukraine sound like Russia.
Porteous describes the war as a collapsing imperialist project of the US/NATO. But it’s also an imperialist project of Russia. It may, in fact, help destroy Russia as an empire. Just as the Iran war may help destroy the US as an empire (though that particular imperial suicide is progressing on multiple fronts).
Which I suppose leaves China.
John Heinegg
