Getting credible news and commentary from Ukraine can be problematic. I’ve been receiving a newsletter from Ukraine called Kyiv Independent. I also view a Polish Public Television program found on YouTube, Telewizja Polska S.A.(PVT), that has up-to-date military news coverage and action video from the anti-Russian perspective, of course. Poland has a much better understanding of Russia than most of us in the West. During WWII, Poland was savagely occupied first by the Nazis only to be liberated and savaged by Stalin’s brutal Red Army.

Another seemingly straight news and opinion source is called “Inside Russia“. This is found on YouTube and is updated at least weekly. The host evacuated Russia around the time of the invasion of Ukraine and broadcasts his channel from abroad. He speaks excellent English and went to college studying economics in the USA. He combs through news and events in Russia and gives context and interpretation. He seems quite credible.

Usually, TVP military content is dripping with the irony around Russia’s once-feared conventional military collapsing in on itself. Poland has everything to fear from Putin’s imperialism so they are following the Putin-Ukraine war closely. So are the Baltic states and perhaps a few former Soviet states to the south as well.

“Since the establishment of the Tsardom of Russia in 1547 and to the present day, Russia has fought wars every two-three decades, on average, meaning that there was never a Russian generation that lived in peace.” From essay by Oleksiy Sorokin, “WTF is Wrong with Russia?” The Kyiv Independent, January 23, 2025.

“In 1774, Russia decisively won the Russo-Turkish War, obtaining what is roughly today Ukraine’s regions of Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Odessa, Mykolaiv and parts of Donetsk Oblast. The Russian Empire also forced the Ottoman Empire to relinquish control of Crimean Khanate.” Oleksiy Sorokin, ibid.

Much of Putin’s propaganda is anchored in allegations of Western buggery and provocations, spying or otherwise contamination of Russian sovereignty by Western culture which they see as morally corrupt. The former USSR and present-day North Korea built their nations on the fear of America and NATO preparing to invade. The illegal annexing of territory, theft of money and denial of basic human rights is more easily justified if the threat of 10 ft tall foreign soldiers is predicted.

I am unaware of any previous or future attempts by the West to invade Russian territory for any reason. What in the hell would you do with it if you won? Ok, they have minerals and lots of timber which are valuable. Still, the country is crawling with Russian citizens who are, by the way, just as smart as we are and would be highly motivated for self-defense just like the Ukrainians have been. There is no future in a Russia-vs-West major war. The threat of it, however, has value to people like Putin as it did in the bygone days of the USSR.

Putin has done a bit of nuclear saber rattling since his invasion of Ukraine but Western states know that cooler heads in the Kremlin are aware of the consequences of releasing a nuclear war shot even as a demonstration. Everyone knows about Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD) but a few on either side have always doubted MAD. Obviously, the ominous warnings of “nuclear weapons” were meant to frighten the citizens of the EU and USA with the hope of weakening anti-Russian sentiment abroad.

In the West we can ask the questions “Why is Russia so paranoid all of the time?” “Why is authoritarian rule so prevalent in Russian history?” Putin has publicly stated that the West wants what they have and he is determined to keep western invaders out. Well, yes this is true as far as market access. Many businesses around the world would love oil & gas or other concessions like Platinum Group Metals (PGMs) or titanium. Russia’s internal markets are underserved and represent opportunities for both Russian citizens and international trade.

I sense there is a fear in Russia that if another country uses Russian raw materials to make a profit elsewhere, that it constitutes a theft directly from them. You know, the zero-sum of “their gain is our loss”. It may be a residue of their long-term dalliance with Marxist-Leninism and Communism.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if only Russia could relax just a bit and join the international community of nations and trading partners. Too idealistic by half? Yes, for now.