"Ukrainians are dying to defend democracy so Americans and other Europeans don't have to do so."

[Bucky]

5. There's not much of a Lincoln Brigade around this time.

I'm pretty certain there's a great deal of clandestine things going on, either in-theater or in the surrounding countries where aid and supplies are being prepared. This is a great opportunity to strengthen Nato and weaken Russia. But it's a shame that a small poor country like Ukraine has to pay the price.

You should probably know this is at least as much about Ukraine's control of natural gas deposits in the Black Sea (and Putin's desire to remove Ukraine as a competitor) as it is about halting the eastward advance of NATO.


from March 2021:

https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ukrainealert/why-the-black-sea-could-emerge-as-the-worlds-next-great-energy-battleground/

Why the Black Sea could emerge as the world’s next great energy battleground

A recent CEPA strategy paper noted that the Black Sea region was not only a frontier between the West and Russia, but also the meeting point of four great forces: democracy in the West, Russian military aggression to the north, growing Chinese financial influence to the east, and Middle Eastern instability in the south.

To fend off rising Chinese inroads and Russian aggression, it said, the West and NATO would have to produce a multi-layered strategy. This would involve helping littoral states build strong economies while encouraging collaboration among them.

Such a vision would consolidate security on NATO’s southeastern flank. It would bring alliance members Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey closer together with NATO’s strongest partners, Georgia and Ukraine.

One element that could underpin these objectives would be the development of Black Sea gas reserves which are being explored in the offshore zones of each littoral state. These reserves could become the linchpin of an integrated regional economy.