Ukraine must continue its push to liberate its territory, write retired Col. JESweet2022 and economist MCTothSTL. Legitimacy of occupation, depopulation, war crimes, and forced annexation cannot be tolerated by the free world.
Putin’s"special military operation" failed to secure Kyiv at the outset of the war, or the eastern and southern oblasts during Russia's military reset phase. Now, the Crimea, Kharkiv, and Kherson oblasts are in doubt with Ukrainian counteroffensives. The harsh winter Putin so desperately needs is months away.
Putin's accompanying political narrative will eventually declare the Russian-speaking oblasts as Russian territory. Putin would then claim that any attack on them by Ukraine or NATO would be seen as an attack on the Russian motherland, justifying even the use of nuclear weapons. As former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev argued, the referendums would"fold regions into Russia itself, would make redrawn frontiers irreversible, and enable Moscow to use any means to defend them.
Ukraine must continue its push to liberate its territory. The West must counter the Kremlin’s narrative and stand by Ukraine. Legitimacy of occupation, depopulation, war crimes, and forced annexation cannot be tolerated by the free world. Jonathan Sweet, a retired Army colonel, served 30 years as a military intelligence officer. Follow him on Twitter @JESweet2022. Mark Toth, a retired economist, historian, and entrepreneur, has worked as an executive in a variety of commercial banking, insurance, publishing, and global commerce fields. Follow him on Twitter @MCTothSTL.
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