The News & Guts Digest: a Serving of the Day’s Top News Stories with a Little Side of Commentary
A Dirty War
Frustrated by their lack of progress, Russian forces stepped up their attack on civilian targets in Ukraine, including schools, apartment buildings, and hospitals. Ukrainian officials say at least 2,000 civilians have died since the invasion began seven days ago and the U.N. estimates that nearly 900,000 have been forced from their homes…
…In a video posted to Facebook, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian troops have been ordered “to erase our history, erase our country, erase us all.” But Zelensky praised the resolve of his countryman, saying “Today you, Ukrainians, are the symbol of invincibility, a symbol that people in any country can become the best people on Earth at any moment.“
…U.S. President Joe Biden told reporters Wednesday that “it’s clear” Russians are targeting civilians, but stopped short of accusing the Kremlin of war crimes. “We are following it very closely. It’s too early to say that,” Biden said. But British Prime Minister Boris Johnson disagreed, telling his parliament “What we have seen already from Vladimir Putin’s regime in the use of the munitions that they have already been dropping on innocent civilians … in my view, [it] already fully qualifies as a war crime.”
…Russian forces have relentlessly attacked Ukraine’s second largest city, Kharkiv, in the past two days. Reuters described the city center as a “wasteland of ruined buildings and debris” and The New York Times reports “supplies of food and water were running low in the city of 1.5 million.”
…Yet, residents have refused to yield, forcing the Russians to abandon plans to capture a military hospital. “We have understood their tactic: they can’t enter the city because every time they try, we hit them in the teeth,” Kharkiv’s deputy governor, Roman Semenukha, said on Ukrainian TV, according to The Wall Street Journal. “So, instead, they are trying to sow panic with missile strikes, hitting critical infrastructure and residential areas, trying to demoralize us.”
…Russian forces captured its first major Ukrainian city, Kherson, on Wednesday. Kherson’s mayor, Igor Kolykhaev, said the Ukrainian army has retreated from the area. “The mayor said a group of about 10 armed Russian officers, including the local commander of forces, entered the city hall building on Wednesday. He said they informed him that they were planning to set up a new administration similar to the those in two Russian-backed separatist enclaves in eastern Ukraine,” reports The New York Times.
…A miles-long Russian military convoy remains stalled outside of Kyiv, the capital city. Reuters reports that is has not moved in days as it deals with “logistics problems” and fuel and food shortages…
… At the United Nations, 141 countries supported a resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “The resolution is non-binding,” explains Axios “but reflects Russia’s historic isolation on the world stage just one week into its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.” Four nations voted against the resolution – Belarus, North Korea, Eritrea and Syria – while thirty-five other abstained, including China, India, and Pakistan…
… Delegations from Russia and Ukraine are expected to meet Thursday morning in Belarus for a second round of talks. Zelensky said Russia must stop firing missiles into his country in order for negotiations to proceed. The U.S. estimates that the Russians have thus far launched 450 missiles at Ukrainian targets.
Squeeze the Rich
For decades, an elite group of oligarchs have enriched themselves through the corrupt Putin regime. Many have taken their fortunes to the West, where their conspicuous consumption includes the purchase of super yachts, sports teams, and decadent mansions…
…During Tuesday’s State of the Union address, President Biden declared, “Tonight, I say to the Russian oligarchs and the corrupt leaders who built billions off this violent regime — no more. We’re coming for your ill-begotten gains.” Biden added that the U.S. and Europe would “seize their yachts, their luxury apartments, their private jets.”
…On Wednesday, the DOJ unveiled the KleptoCapture Task Force, which aims to seize the assets of wealthy Russians who run afoul of sanctions…
…Russian oligarchs are clearly worried. Bloomberg reports that many are sailing their super yachts to countries that don’t have an extradition treaty with the U.S., like the Maldives…
…A teenager is doing his part to flag where Russian oligarchs are stashing their private jets. “Jack Sweeney, the Florida teenager who garnered attention for tracking the private jet of Tesla Inc. Chief Executive Elon Musk, is now publicizing the movements of planes owned by Russian oligarchs and aircraft associated with Russian President Vladimir Putin,” reports The Wall Street Journal.
…Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich is trying to unload the Chelsea Football Club. He promised to direct the proceeds to “the benefit of all victims of the war in Ukraine.”
…Other Russian elites have turned on Putin, voicing opposition to a conflict that has triggered an existential threat to both their wealth and their ability to spend it in the West. “Please don’t draw an equal sign between Russians, the Russian state and the Government of [the] Russian Federation. There are many Russians strongly opposing the current military action, and I am one of them,” said Andrey Yakunin, the founder of private-equity fund…
…Western sanctions have already crippled Russia’s economy. The value of the ruble has hit historic lows and inflation has skyrocketed. Many multi-national companies have curtailed business ties to the country, which will result in widespread job loss and a lower quality of life for the Russian people…
…Interestingly, China has not stepped in to help Russia. “Chinese officials and commentators have urged caution at drawing American ire and instead suggested China focus on building up its resilience against similar measures that could target the country in the future rather than helping Russia now,” reports The Washington Post.
Separating Putin From His People
On Wednesday, Russia said 498 of its soldiers had been killed and more than 1,500 wounded. Ukraine says that number is too low, claiming they have killed nearly 6,000 Russian troops…
…Whatever the figure, the Russian people are clearly paying the price for a war crafted and conducted by Vladimir Putin. As mentioned above, Russians are now cutoff from many Western goods – everything from cars and clothing to air travel and iPhones. Meanwhile, their savings shrink as the ruble continues its descent…
…On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken addressed the Russia people, saying at a press conference, “My message to the people of Russia — if they are even able to hear it, as the Kremlin cracks down even harder on media outlets reporting the truth — my message is that we know you want no part of this war.”
… “The economic costs that we’ve been forced to impose on Russia are not aimed at you. They’re aimed at compelling your government to stop its actions, to stop its aggression,” Blinken said, adding “And just as millions of us around the world stand together against Moscow’s aggression, we also stand together with you as you demand that your leaders end this war.”
…Nearly 7,000 Russians have been detained for participating in anti-war protests since the invasion began seven days ago. Jailed Putin critic Alexei Navalny sent a message to would-be dissidents from his prison cell on Wednesday, telling them “Let’s at least not become a nation of frightened silent people. Of cowards who pretend not to notice the aggressive war against Ukraine unleashed by our obviously insane tsar.”
…Navalny urged Russians to protest in their city squares every day until the invasion ends.
Pity the Fools
…William S. Burroughs once wrote, “The face of evil is always the face of total need.”
…Burroughs was describing drug addicts, but that phrase came to mind during the State of the Union, when the television cameras found Reps. Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene. Both Republicans were clearly itching to initiate some sort of spectacle. In fact, Boebert had decided to don a costume for the night, a dress with ‘Drill Baby Drill’ scribbled Ivanka-style on the back. When Biden and his cabinet enter the chamber, the pair refused to look at them, making a show of turning around…
….Once they speech got under way and Biden began talking about securing the Southern border, Boebert and Greene they began chanting “Build the Wall” as if Congress had transformed into some sort of MAGA rally or deranged high school assembly…
…Later, when President Biden was talking about the flag-draped coffins of U.S. service members returning from battle, Boebert shouted “You put them in there, 13 of them.” The breach of decorum was particularly notable because Biden had just mentioned his son, Beau, a veteran who died of cancer…
…Boebert and Greene are loathsome figures. The GOP should be deeply ashamed for fomenting the type of comment-section politics that led to their election. They aren’t legislators, they’re loudmouths. They don’t have serious ideas, they have serious chips on their shoulders…
…Expressing pity for either Congresswoman – for being out of their depths, for being misinformed, for being mockable in one thousand and one distinct ways – plays into their hands. They are fueled by contempt. But on Tuesday night, as war raged in Ukraine and the president laid out his serious vision for a country at a crossroads, one couldn’t help feel bad for Boebert and Greene, two dolts who will never be more than warts on the body politic…
Also Churning This News Cycle
… “The Senate Judiciary Committee will begin four days of hearings to consider the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court on Monday, March 21, committee Chairman Richard Durbin said Wednesday,” reports CBS News.
… “The organization that handles claims on behalf of Jews who suffered under the Nazis said Wednesday that Germany has agreed to extend another $720 million (647 million euros) to provide home care and supportive services for frail and vulnerable Holocaust survivors,” reports The Associated Press.
… “A burnt-out cargo ship carrying thousands of luxury cars, including Porsches and Bentleys, sank on Tuesday off the Portuguese Azores archipelago nearly two weeks after it caught fire, a port official said,” according to Reuters.