Earlier this week Zelensky said that the fortification of Bakhmut was of strategic importance, and that the fall of Bakhmut would be a disaster for Ukraine. For this reason he, and his generals, held on to every inch, and they were making plans to find a way to break the cauldron. Rumour has it that Zelensky and his general staff obtained permission to use twenty percent of the recently delivered western equipment and fresh troops trained in NATO-countries, which were earmarked for the 'Spring Offensive'. How galant of NATO.
Shoigu, the Russian minister overseeing the Russian effort to secure the goals set when the 'Special Military Operation' was launched, agrees with Zelensky and his general staff. But NATO-controlled 'news'-outlets insist that Bakhmut has no strategic value. Various commentators I trust to offer valuable and relatively trustworthy information about developments are amazed about this difference of opinion between Ukraine and NATO, since Ukraine is fighting NATO's war after all. And it is NATO which is providing the money, the weapons and the ammunition for this endeavour. So what's cooking?
Yet this split is easy to explain from my own perspective, because NATO doesn't give a hoot about Ukraine, or its people. The NATO-strategy is focussed on toppling Putin, using Ukraine. Which is why this marriage between Zelensky and his handlers was made in Hell. In a sense, Zelensky and Putin are on the same page, with NATO doing the whipping to keep the war going. That's why it was not strange at all for Putin to expect an early settlement right after the start of the 'SMO', if he could convince Zelensky to understand what was at stake.
NATO fully expected to see Russia implode within weeks, months at most, but that didn't happen, obviously. And I explained why they miscalculated on these pages. Instead NATO is now running on empty, unable to supply Ukraine with enough weapons and ammunition, and with the European economy about to keel over, only surviving for the moment by the grace of the printing press, and cutting corners to avoid the burden of its own sanctions. Today, the EU-countries allow Russian oil to be bought by EU-member states, if a third party added a few drops of oil from another source. So, the Russians export their oil to 'third countries', including, perversely, the countries in the Middle East, they add a few drops of their own crude, and sell it at a premium to the EU-countries. Horrible bunch of hypocrites those European leaders, but even that won't save the EU, with EU-countries subsidising consumption to avoid large scale social unrest, thus fanning the flames of inflation, while the US is gutting its industry with subsidies.
Horrible loss of life in Ukraine, and loss of territory is actually favourable for NATO under the circumstances. It is NATO which is creating the ideal circumstances for that to happen, giving Ukraine just enough rope to hang itself. NATO needs a defeated, deflated, debt riddled Ukraine to 'convince' the population of Europe that Putin is an evil man, threatening Europe itself, which is a blatant lie. Putin and Xi want a peaceful Europe, opening up to trade with Asia, as I explained from before this war started. The US and the UK, Canada and Australia, and to a lesser extent New Zealand, listed as the 'Five Eyes' in intelligence circles, are abhorred by the prospect. They need a frightened, dependent Europe willing to sell its soul to the Devil, stick to the 'PetroDollar', and stuff their countries with US-produced weapons, while reducing Europe to becoming the alternative 'Go To' source for cheap labor, and prop up their Empire, since the 'Five Eyes' are no longer on speaking terms with China, and the 'Global South'.
Why Zelensky fell for this ruse that territory was far more important than the people, is beyond me, but he did. Putin kept telling him that he should provide for the people to earn their respect. That a federalised Ukraine as agreed in the 'Minsk Accords' was a great way to circumvent the Nuland-coup, and return the country to democratic rule, away from becoming yet another slave of non-elected 'Brussels Commissars' and 'Special Interest Groups', like George Soros' 'Open Society', the 'World Economic Forum', NATO and other undemocratic organisations with money to burn.
Now, as I've written previously from before this war started, Russia is a reluctant, but agile opponent, and in my opinion the lack of territorial progress is deliberate, since they switched to a war of attrition when it was shown that impressing Zelensky and bringing him to the negotiating table didn't work. Understand this strategy as a means to increase the pressure on Zelensky, as he burns through equipment and treats his people to body bags, with nothing to show for it. Any deal would not require Russia to withdraw from territory gained. But Zelensky is playing with fire, and about to lose a lot more. Western sources fed by NATO insist it is the other way around, but I stick to the narrative that in Bakhmut, and elsewhere along the frontline, it is the Russians who are grinding the Ukrainians down, and that the Russians have truckloads of trained reserves, and no lack of armament, ammunition, and missiles, while they only recently introduced their airforce in earnest, since the Ukrainian air-defences are now also running on empty.
If you buy into my perspective of what this war is about, and that it is Ukraine which is made to suffer by NATO for all the wrong reasons, you also have no difficulty to understand why Zelensky's handlers have no qualms to throw him under the bus as well if he would become a liability. Blaming this 'Northstream' attack on Ukraine is setting the stage for a farewell, even as you and I will not buy it, and cling to the Seymour Hersh story. Hersh has more revelations he wants to share with us, according to a recent interview, but so far the NATO controlled media are tightlipped about it, kissing the boots which are kicking their arses.
There is this disclaimer that I may be wrong. I'm only doing my utmost to get it right, and I can't do more. I do not have privileged sources. I'm not invited when the key players talk shop. And I'm not present on the battlefield. But the engine of my narrative is humming along nicely, with no hiccups to give me pause to reconsider my point of view. Yet, this is a war, and surprising turns of events may happen overnight. What did happen overnight though, was yet another pummelling of targets all over Ukraine by this country which was sure to run out of missiles for this purpose in April of last year, according to NATO-sources. I would take their predictions with a grain of salt if I were you. The engine of their narrative is in urgent need of heavy maintenance. In fact, I'd say it isn't worth the investment to save it.