The Truth Behind Russia's Ukraine Invasion
People who think Putin is crazy are wrong
We are listening to news from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine all the time, and newscasters either are against it or, as many in Fox News, defend him or question why we should care about a conflict between two East European countries. Asking if Americans should intervene with economic sanctions, and others think we should send troops?
Also, you hear people arguing Putin is crazy, and he has no idea, or as ex-president Trump, praise him, and we should copy his “peace” strategy on the southern border. Perhaps he was thinking of invading Mexico and freeing their people by building more golf courses.
But what is behind Putin’s intentions? According to the leaks on the Panama and Pandora Papers, some of the wealthiest Russians with close ties to Putin, who became billionaires during his mandate, are only helping him to hide his money.
Therefore, economic sanctions won’t affect Russia’s president directly. Since most of his money is in offshore accounts in either dollars, euros, or bullion, any fluctuation in the ruble will benefit him even more.
Besides, as any dictator, he doesn’t give a damn about his people, who will suffer all the economic sanctions. Not Putin, nor his close allies and friends.
To understand his ulterior motive for the invasion and the repercussions it might bring, we should analyze the following:
Can we really know how wealthy Putin is?
According to Forbes, no one knows for sure. Suppose you listen to the official information from the Kremlin. In that case, he earns $140,000, owns three cars, a trailer, an 800-square-foot apartment, and lives in a 1,600-square-foot flat in Moscow property of Russia’s government.
Russian political and Putin critic Stanislav Belkovsky estimated Putin’s net worth about $70 billion in 2012, and if we consider the inflation would be $86 billion. Some economists, as Swedish Anders Aslund, have a higher estimate, arguing it is between $100 billion and $150 billion in assets, considering the rumor that his most close friends and confidants have $2.5 billion ($500 million theirs and $2 billion each on Putin’s behalf).
But the most extreme economist estimate Putin’s wealth was $200 billion in 2017, and according to the inflation would make him the wealthiest man worldwide, with a fortune of $226 billion more than Musk’s $222 billion.
No matter how much money he owns as Russia’s ruler, he owns everything, and the more land and wealth he conquers, the greater his fortune will become.
As Lord Acton said, “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” So, what can you give a man who has everything? The answer is nothing; you don’t have to provide him with anything because he will set out to get whatever he wants, even if it means conquering a peaceful neighbor and stealing all his properties.
Hence, he isn’t concerned about any economic sanctions personally. If the ruble depreciates 30% or the interest rate doubles to 20%, it won’t affect him because the money loaned comes from his pockets, and the interest gained will also go to the same place.
He is not crazy or a fool. He is a vindictive tyrant.
Putin wants revenge on Ukraine for rejecting Russia in 2005 and 2014 and attempting to join the European Union and NATO.
While Russian forces invaded Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed the application to become a member of the E.U., and eight members signed a letter supporting a sped-up accession process. On March 1, 2022, the European Parliament, President Zelensky, received applause, after his speech, and members recommended Ukraine becoming an official “candidate” for E.U. membership.
The idea of having NATO bases on his borders and Ukraine joining the transatlantic alliance led by the United States is something he is not willing to accept.
So, he prepared an evil plan to divide the western nations by declaring Ukraine a Nazi-like state, regardless of Zelensky being a Jew and his grandfather fighting with the Russians against the Nazis.
He plans to influence the European nations invaded by Hitler with fear, and in Germany and the United States, appeal to the white supremacists, ultra-right, and neo-Nazi groups. A strategy that seems to work.
While President Biden and the Democrats are imposing harsh economic sanctions on Russia, Republicans cheer for Putin at the CPAC in Orlando. Even Donald Trump called him brilliant and offered the Russian President advice on declaring Russia bankrupt.
It seems like Trump’s GOP minions will side with Putin to make Biden look weak as a strategy to recover both houses in the midterm elections, no matter the consequences.
Putin's ultimate revenge.
History has shown that Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin is a man who doesn't take no for an answer, maybe because of his KGB foreign intelligence background, his enormous ego, or his parents treating him as an only child.
The suspicious killings of Putin's detractors, including politicians, writers, lawyers, and journalists. Which all criticized, condemned, or openly opposed Russia's leader, and for which the Kremlin denied any connection with their boss, could be proof that he always gets what he wants.
He can't accept Russia's expulsion from the G8, where it held a guest status since 1994, inside the group's annual summit from the most powerful countries in the world. But after President Obama and other world leaders decided to end Russia's role in the group in 2014 due to Russia's violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and the annexation of Crimea, Russia was expelled.
Not even the efforts of then-president Trump to let Russia rejoin the group were enough for the rest of the world leaders to accept him back.
Sore loser Putin started his revenge campaign against whom he felt were directly responsible, and now he is willing to do whatever is in his hands to make them pay. But mainly get his bloody revenge against the man who together with Obama was responsible for this, and who that by now you might know him as President Biden.
So, he will do everything to split the democratic countries using the famous idea of divide and conquer. In the way, he is hitting American Democrats where it hurts them the most by putting in the White House his mega-fan, the orange gobbling Donald J Trump.
Why his plan might fail.
Putin’s enormous ego wants to recreate the famous Soviet Union and go down in history as the greatest Russian hero of the century by annexing several countries once again.
Nonetheless, his plan has a fault. He did not consider that not all the Ukrainians are 100% Russian sympathizers, and those against him will fight to the death to defend the democracy in which they have already lived for various decades.
He will face the hard way that when a nation fights against the invaders, his troops will suffer many losses, just as both Russia and the U.S. learned in Afghanistan.
Americans thought Iraq would be easy, so maybe Russians could confront a prolonged occupation of Ukraine after they take down the government and install a puppet regime.
That is why, according to the New York Times, Americans have trained the Ukrainian army in some things learned in Iraq and Afghanistan while fighting the insurgency. Saudi brigade methods, urban guerrilla techniques, and other little things that made the U.S. stay for a prolonged and costly time.
Another point that Putin’s plan seems to miscalculate is the fact that instead of dividing the world leaders, they joined in imposing harsh economic sanctions, calling the threat of his nuclear weapons a bluff. America, Canada, and Great Britain closed their airspace to all Russian flights.
Even his archenemy, little Joe, the stuttering boy from Pennsylvania, gained support from both sides of the aisle. Biden announced in The State of the Union that he would go after the crimes of Russian oligarchs with other allied countries. They will seize their accounts and other assets like planes, yachts, and properties, which, according to economist Aslund, are part of Putin’s alleged offshore wealth.
Take away
Like many of us learned at school, the important life lessons don’t come from our teachers or textbooks, but by standing all alone in the playground confronting your 6th-grade bully.
At that moment, you find who are just friends, who are the ones backing you every time, and the ones who only say they are by your side, but they will run if things go wrong.
President Zelensky is proof of what a courageous and patriotic man will do to defend his family and his country. Regardless of knowing he is the number one target (and his family the second) in Putin’s gun sight, he is fighting with his people against the Russian army.
And this time, he is not alone. His people and many free world leaders back him against this century’s bully. He is fighting an underground war and showing the world that Ukraine will fight and defend its freedom and democracy.
Zelensky knows that the current peace talks between both countries might be Putin’s delay technique to counterattack with more troops. If the Russians bomb their communication towers, they will keep transmitting the news via the internet.
Perhaps the greatest lesson we can get from President Zelensky and the Ukrainian people is to appreciate the freedom, unity, and liberty we’ve had for over two centuries remembering the words of The Pledge of Allegiance:
“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
But also to hold accountable everyone in the government for their promise to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.
And for everyone in this great nation, to stand against anyone who threatens our democracy.
© Copyright Jose Luis Ontanon, 2022
