There are two conservative, sophisticated journals I subscribe to and read from cover to cover upon their issuance. They are The “Wall Street Journal,” and the “National Review.” The latest issue of the Review has a great analysis of Putin and why he invaded Ukraine, and it may not be what you believe.
“The overriding of the Putin regime is to strengthen its hold on power. 23 years after the fact, (of the dissolution of the Soviet Union), it was concerned about NATO expansion. Putin’s real reason, was that its grip on power had become insecure, and war as the obvious remedy. Euphoria over the annexation of Crimea in 2014 made his approval rating at an unprecedented 87%. The Alexi Navalny murder, cut his rating to 47%, and then came the Belarus revolt in 2020, when every major city had mass protests over the falsification of the presidential election. On August 27th, Putin threatened to send troops to Belarus if order could not be contained and with the beatings and 25,000 arrests, the protests were suppressed, but his approval rating sank.
“On February 24th, 2022 Putin launched a full scale invasion of Ukraine, and his approval rating rose again, reaching close to 83%. Russian nationalism made it possible to lie Russians into a needless war”
Putin thought it would all be over in a couple of weeks, but it still continues. The latest polls indicate that Putin’s war has cost Russia a million deaths and injuries. What goes on in Russia now, as a result of that war? The National Review continues:
“Over the past three years, independent news outlets are banned, and those who in public or on social media praise Ukraine, criticize Putin, or comment using the term “war,” can be prosecuted. The political atmosphere in Russia is defined by propaganda. There are two basis messages. The first is that NATO and the collective west are using Ukraine as “clenched fist” to destabilize Russia. The other message, chilling in its implications is, to the effect that the only way for a young Russian to give meaning to his life, is to die for the state.
“The main sources of propaganda in Russia are television “Talk Shows”- in reality theatrical indoctrination sessions. They are shown after each major news program and it is hard to disconnect them from the day’s events. Even a person who doesn’t watch them at home, will be confronted with them on the large screen televisions that are now ubiquitous in canteens, agencies, hospitals, and waiting rooms.
“In the schools, children are assigned to make camouflage nets for soldiers at the front. Pupils as young as five take part in war games and participate in the celebration of military holidays, particular May 9th, which is described as “holy,” the anniversary of the victory in World War Two. Veterans visit schools to discuss their experiences and give lectures on patriotism. One hundred ninety schools have been re-named for the Ukraine war’s veterans.
“The average salary of a Russian soldier is now close to $2000 a month, twice the national average and four times the average in the impoverished regions that have contributed the most troops. Almost a million Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded in the war, and the government has provided up to $95,000 to the family of each casualty or death.
“In general, the practice of providing cash rewards to those willing to bet their lives has succeeded in filling the army’s ranks, and does not evoke any moral protest in Russian society. In fact, Russian women are marrying men deployed to Ukraine in the hope of collecting a death benefit.
“The incessant propaganda about the military threat from Ukraine and NATO will make it hard for Russia to accept a settlement in which Russia’s clam to the five regions is not recognized, and Ukraine is fully armed and supported by western troops on its soil. With the outbreak of war, military factories recruited 600,000 skilled employees at high wages. That fueled economic growth that can collapse if an end to war leads to restructuring. Russia will also face a danger if hundreds of thousands of highly paid soldiers return to civilian life and can find only jobs that pay a fraction of their previous salaries.
“Trump has now explained that his promise to end the war on one day, was only a joke, but Trump’s policy of sabotaging Ukraine, a vital ally, while seeking to mollify Putin, could endanger the whole world. If the West is not ready to continue to support Ukraine with money, Putin will not believe that the U.S. is ready to defend Estonia, at the cost of American lives. If NATO failed to defend the strategically vulnerable Baltic republics, it would mean the end of NATO as a credible alliance.”
From the current evidence I see and read, I don’t think Putin will ever voluntarily give up his mistaken start of the war with Ukraine. I’m certain that had Trump been president when it began, it would never have begun, but Russia is now so deeply involved economically, it could face ruin if it gave in to a cease-fire.
I think it is obvious that billions sent to Ukraine, plus the vote getting “No taxes on tips and overtime,” will cost billions in unpaid taxes. Inflation will not stop the dollar presses, and the preceding, plus obvious circumstances understood by thinking Americans, surely certify the need for inflation protection and insurance. A customer of mine is heavily invested in both silver and gold, and his life is about to end, due to disease and age. He called me last Thursday, and we talked for while. He’s going to leave most of is holdings to his kids, obviously with no inheritance taxes, but some of it is going to be sold so one of his daughters can buy a new home. He’s far more than quadrupled his dollars invested in gold and silver, and I told him, as we point out in the web site, that we charge nothing if you sell, but you have to ship. Mr. Wilson is ever so glad he put his dollars into gold and silver, as you will be too, if you do it!
-Don Stott -don@coloradogold.com