Zelensky the media artist

The fighting in the Ukraine is intense and so is the media war, with President Zelensky taking every opportunity to highlight the plight of his people and what he sees as the inactivity of the West, NATO in particular, to provide additional military aid, including boots on the ground. He has lambasted the UN for ineptitude in the face of Russia’s blatant disregard for civilian life, reminding that bureaucratic institution of its many past failures to take war crimes seriously. Russia’s response is predictable, as is the default position of dictatorships, denying  war crimes have been committed, and claiming the alleged scenes of civilian murders by Russian troops have been fabricated by the Ukrainians. 

President Biden has stated he believes the war in Ukraine will not end anytime soon, and Russia’s conscript army is beginning to feel the pressure. It is likely these raw recruits will be sent back home and fresh, better trained soldiers will take their place. This will create a potential lull in the  fighting, with Russia preparing for another offensive. The Ukrainian army may well be  able to exploit this hiatus by recapturing territory and redeploying troops to bolster resistance. Attacking Russian supply lines would also prove effective, since much equipment and troops will be heading for the Ukraine when those currently in the  field return to Mother Russia. It is worth mentioning Russia has lost a number of generals in the conflict and that does not bode well for Putin’s  annexation of at least half the country.

The American administration may be wary about involving NATO directly in the conflict, but already European nations are responding to Zelensky’s appeal for aid: Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany have provided much needed weaponry, and there is every reason to suppose there will be other countries that will offer support. Does this mark a split in NATO, with America having less influence over European affairs? 

Accepting the Ukrainian army has an unenviable task in checking the  Russian advance, if it were able to deploy highly trained commando units to infiltrate Russia, destroying oil depots and disrupting lines of communication, this could decisively alter the course of the war.