Jack Rudenko

Navalny's widow at last mentioned Ukraine, in a speech to the EU yesterday. But her words are curious, and wrong: "Last Saturday was two years since Putin started a full-scale war against Ukraine. Brutal and sneaky war. The whole world rushed to Ukraine’s aid. But two years have passed. There is much exhaustion, much blood, much disappointment, and Putin has gone nowhere. Everything has already been used: weapons, money, sanctions. And nothing is working. And the worst has happened — everyone got used to the war." No. Everything has not been used. The fact that the West could introduce 500 new sanctions on Russia after Navalny's death shows that after two years they clearly hadn't tried everything. And the USA and Germany in particular have plenty of long-range weapons they refuse to send. ... and to say "nothing is working" is cruel, wrong, and bordering on spiteful. Nothing is working? We are just wrapping up a successful Ukrainian winter. Last year, Russia spent billions of dollars every week attacking Ukrainian infrastructure, plunging much of the country to freezing darkness most of the time. That did not happen at all this winter. Did you hear that? It did not happen. Last winter, Ukraine was in the Middle Ages. This winter, away from the lines and apart from some nasty missile attacks, Ukrainian cities functioned normally. That's a victory. Russia's winter offensive failed. Ukraine's successful work in Crimea and the Black Sea have created a better, more productive grain corridor than the UN-Russian deal allowed. And in the past 11 days Ukrainians have downed 13 Russian military planes. I don't know what game she is playing, but she's wrong. Ukraine is holding the line, pushing back against Russia. With more tools, successes would multiply. Let's not get sucked into the Russian victim-mindset where everything is impossibly hopeless.