The war in Ukraine endures, to the credit of President Zelenskiy and the Ukrainians, who resist with almost perfect underdoggian pluck and wit, winning hearts in the information war, as propaganda is now understood, and holding their own at the moment on the ground, at least in the north around Khiv. Sanctions applied by the West have had potent and immediate impact on the Russian economy. As wars, hot and cold, have a decided economic dimension, odds are not good for Putin and Russia in the long-term. They seem to have lost the short-term, with the mid-term to be decided. As once observed, there are no winners in war, but there are losers. Putin and Russia may yet be the biggest. Cutting that loss is the question—and who does the cutting. The heroism of the Ukrainian people fascinates and inspires, even as we feel the tragedy of young Russian soldiers sent to unwittingly subjugate their brothers and sisters.
