Why Is the US Avoiding Involvement in Ukraine?

A Thought on American Policy — From the Mountain

Russia has been introducing new weaponry in its attack on Ukraine. So far their version of Cluster Bombs, Vacuum Bombs (known as a “poor man’s nuclear bomb”) and now the new hypersonic missiles Putin bragged to Trump about.

What are each of these weapons, all weapons of massive destruction?

Cluster Bombs

Cluster bomb use was outlawed in an UN-backed resolution during 2010, the Convention on Cluster Munitions. There were 110 nations that signed on to this. The US, Russia, and Israel are three major powers NOT signed on to this. While the use of cluster bombs is considered illegal by International Law, Russia has continually used them in numerous theatres of operation over the past decade and more.

The vast majority of cluster bomb weapons are beyond 20 years of age, making them extremely dangerous. There are literally thousands of duds within the sub-munitions, about the size of a fist, that lie around an area in the hundreds and are easily triggered.

Russia has been using them against Ukraine since three days into their attack on Ukraine. Russia has attacked hospitals, residential areas, and schools… giving no deference to public areas or citizens as opposed to the military.

What is a Cluster Bomb? “Cluster munitions are dropped from aircraft or fired from the ground or sea, opening up in mid-air to release tens or hundreds of submunitions, which can saturate an area up to the size of several football fields. Anybody within the strike area of the cluster munition, be they military or civilian, is very likely to be killed or seriously injured.”

For more on Cluster Munitions, which are outlawed by the Geneva Convention, read here.

Vacuum Bombs

Also referred to as “a poor man’s nuclear bomb”, vacuum bombs produce a horrific scenario of exploded lungs, crushed bones, and extremely widespread death and destruction. Also outlawed under the Geneva Convention and International Law, Russia has introduced these weapons into their attack on Ukraine.

What is a Vacuum Bomb?

Known technically as thermobaric missiles, these weapons are used to create widespread death and destruction, while at the same time creating fear and panic among the population.

“…much deadlier; it can destroy delicate lung tissue or force air into the bloodstream, causing a massive embolism without leaving external signs of injury. And a thermobaric blast typically has a powerful negative phase of pressure, as the fireball cools and the air is sucked towards the point of explosion, hence the grim moniker of “vacuum bomb”.

These bombs operate in 2 stages as well, initially deploying a widespread accelerant in the air above the ground that is ignited by a second explosion. The result is extensive and widespread death and destruction. Marc Garlasco, a member of the Dutch anti-war group PAX calls the Russian TOS-1 “a war crime on tracks”.

Further, and for additional information as noted in an article by The Economist:

The Russian TOS-1 “Buratino”, which has been deployed in Ukraine, is a tracked launch vehicle capable of firing 24 thermobaric rockets, each weighing as much as 217kg. It is officially described as a “heavy flamethrower” rather than an artillery piece because it takes on the traditional flamethrower role of attacking fortifications. One salvo covers an area of 80,000 square meters or more than 11 football pitches. (One sq. meter = 1.2 sq. yards)

Hypersonic Missiles

Russia just launched a missile attack on Ukraine using their new Kinzhai Hypersonic Missiles, launched from a Mig with a range of over 1200 miles. This allows Russia to launch safely from within Russia.

From this same article from The Economist: “Hypersonic missiles are weapons designed to fly at speeds greater than five times the speed of sound, or Mach 5, which is about 3,800 mph (6,100 kph). Their speed and ability to maneuver themselves to a target make them extremely difficult to track and shoot down. The United States, Russia, China, and North Korea have been developing hypersonic weapons, some of which are launched into space, in pursuit of long-range flight and maneuverability.”

While not more destructive, the Hypersonic Weapons such as Russia’s Kinzhai, are much harder to detect, catch and neutralize in action.

Ukraine War and the United States

My belief is that the United States policy regarding the Ukraine War is similar to Russia’s policy… to test new weapons. The one difference is Russia does so uncaring of how many innocents die. In fact, they are attempting to kill and terrorize as many civilians as possible using these weapons.

The United States is testing new defensive weapons and some new offensive weapons, one being a drone called “The Switchblade”. While there is little information available as of yet, all of these weapons have been included in the $1 Billion transfer of technology to Ukraine beginning this week. Other defensive weapons provided are S-300 Air Defense systems and Javalin anti-tank systems.

More detailed information on these weapons can be found here. The bottom line is this… war has not changed over time with one exception, the weapons are more destructive, and more people die. Period. Another thing that has not changed is the world’s superpowers' use of smaller nations, other population centers, for testing.

The United States does not NEED to become involved in this war, or any war, to test its weapons. US involvement will only happen if NATO is attacked.

With Russia threatening the free world with the use of nuclear weapons, several US and European-based think tanks have surmised that one nuclear bomb, no matter where it lands, would wipe out 30,000,000 people. Assume a tit-for-tat response, there could be a minimum of 60 million to 100 million dead. One nuclear warhead today is hundreds of times more powerful than those dropped on Japan in WWII.

One can only hope that mankind lasts long enough to actually realize world peace one day. I believe as long as autocrats and sociopaths like Putin are allowed to do what they wish, we will never see peace nor will the future of mankind be very long before we self-destruct.