Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., talks as US President Joe Biden delivers his first State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress, at the Capitol on March 01, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by J. Scott Applewhite-Pool/Getty Images).
October 14, 2023
In a very real way, the US and Russia have been at war for eight years now.
Russian partisans will tell you that the US started it when Victoria Nuland was representing US interests in Ukraine in 2014, around the time Russia invaded and seized Crimea. Robert Mueller and the FBI will tell you it really started in 2015 and 2016 when Russia spent millions (via the Internet Research Agency) to successfully intervene in the US election and put Trump into the White House.
However it got started, this is the current status of the war:
The US has invested something on the order of 3 percent of our defense budget to arm Ukraine (without putting a single American soldier in danger) and the result has been the destruction of more than 4,000 Russian tanks, 8,000 armored personnel carriers, several Russian warships, three elite Russian brigades, a major Russian air defense system, and just two weeks ago, Ukraine’s army commander claimed that Russia’s 72nd Motor Rifle Brigade, the 31st Air Assault Brigade, and the 83rd Air Assault Brigade were all “crushed” in the Bakhmut area fighting.
But while America is using Russia’s terrorist attacks on Ukraine as an opportunity to degrade the power and influence of Russia’s military, Putin is using social media and rightwing commentary to get Republican politicians on their side and thus kill off US aid to Ukraine. The war in Gaza is making it even easier, with Putin-aligned politicians like Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) tweeting: “Any funding for Ukraine should be redirected to Israel immediately.”
Russia’s battlefield, in other words, is now shifting from Ukraine to the US political system and our homes via radio, TV, and the internet, all in the hopes of ending US aid. And the momentum is following that shift: Russia is close to having the upper hand because of Putin’s ability to get Republican voters and politicians to mouth his talking points and propaganda.
And here Russia’s investment is really paying off. According to The New York Times, Russia’s ally China has been funneling money to progressive groups; just last week one of them attacked Senator Bernie Sanders at his office as a “warmonger” for supporting Ukraine against Russia’s brutal terror attacks.
Similarly, so-called leftwing podcasters, commentators, and broadcasters, particularly on some community stations, are seeing a huge upsurge in shows attacking US aid to Ukraine. It’s become “fashionable” for those on the so-called “far left” (actually, supporting a war of aggression by a fascist state against a democracy is about as far right as you can get) to take Putin’s side in the conflict and echo his curses against NATO and Ukraine.
Russia is pouring resources into influencing those on the American right, too.
Through their social media and other influencers’ campaigns, they’ve succeeded in getting high-profile Republicans like Marjorie Taylor Greene to openly cheerleadfor their rape-and-murder campaign in Ukraine.
Russia is making this a priority because they believe it’s their best bet to destroy Ukraine, either by having the US cut off aid or by putting Trump or another Putin-aligned MAGA Republican in the White House next year.
Both Democrats and Republicans have come right out and said clearly how the degradation of the Russian military at such a low cost and risk to the US is a huge bargain. The Russians know it, too, which is why they’re spending so much to win the information war and cut off our aid.
Helping Russia, Republicans who are afraid of Trump and authoritarian rightwing media — including right wing radio and cable television hosts — keep bowing to Putin. Just a few weeks ago, then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy refused to let Ukrainian President Zelenskyy speak to a formal meeting of Congress and then cut Ukraine aid out of the 45-day package to keep the US government open.
Score one for Putin thanks to Republicans in the House of Representatives.
So, here in America, Russia is advancing faster, it appears, than Ukraine is advancing in their ongoing fall offensive on the battlefield. Here in America, Russia is on the verge of winning a complete halt to US support for the war, and all they need to cement the deal in a way that will signal the end of Ukraine as an independent democratic nation is for Trump to re-enter the White House in January, 2025.
On the Russian side, their media and politicians don’t dare question the savage attacks they’re inflicting on Ukrainian civilians. Instead, they openly support pro-Russian Americans like Tucker Carlson: they, too, know that this is an information war on the cheap that Russia might be able to win if they can just convince a few million more Americans that Ukraine isn’t worth defending.
Most recently, Jim Jordan has said that if he’s Speaker he’ll take Ukraine aid off the table, handing the war to Russia. (Steve Scalise had supported Ukraine aid.)
Republican voters are also trending very Russia-friendly right now (Brookings reports 44% of Republicans oppose more Ukraine aid), in part because Putin helped put Trump in office and in part because Trump does whatever Putin tells him to and right now that includes trash-talking US aid to Ukraine.
Last week I heard a self-professed leftie on a community station tie himself into knots trying to draw parallels between US support for Ukraine and the War in Vietnam, which I opposed. But Russia isn’t a then-poverty-stricken China, and the other “dominoes” that fell (Laos, Cambodia) were much less globally consequential to the world order than all of Europe.
Russia and China weren’t even directly involved in attacking South Vietnam; that was North Vietnam. Those two countries were simply doing there what we’re doing now with Ukraine: providing hardware and technical support. And it worked: they drove us out of Vietnam altogether.
In Ukraine, we are very much not intervening in a civil war like we did in Vietnam and, as noted, we’re playing a role reversal from the one we did in Southeast Asia in the 1960s. We are doing in Ukraine what Russia and China did in Vietnam, and we know how that turned out. Using their strategy — if we don’t give in to Russian propaganda efforts — we can help Ukraine win and repel the Russian invasion.
Today Russia is the world’s second largest nuclear power and if they take Ukraine and then push against NATO’s borders it could well provoke WWIII. And a newly-powerful and wealthy China is watching the entire process, considering how parallels to it may unfold if they decide to attack Taiwan.
Maintaining high levels of US support for Ukraine is one of the best ways to avoid another ground war in Europe and to diminish fascist Russia’s ability to repeat the barbaric mass murder campaigns they previously carried out in Syria, Chechnya, Georgia, Moldova, and now Ukraine. Plus we’re simply keeping our side of the bargain from the Budapest Accords.
That said, Russia is throwing everything they have at US and European social media to convince Americans we should abandon Ukraine. Over at Freedom Academy on Substack, Asha Rangappa has details on exactly how they’re doing it, with intercepted and translated Russian instructions to their trolls including:
“Fully support Donald Trump and express the hope that this time around Congress will be forced to act as the president [Trump] says it should [with regard to aid to Ukraine]. Emphasize that if Congress continues to act like the Colonial British government did before the War of Independence, this will call for another revolution. Summarize that Trump once again proved that he stands for protecting the interests of the United States of America.”
Putin’s social media influence campaign is having such a success with Republican followers of Donald Trump both in and out of Congress that this is now a critical time — perhaps a turning point — in US aid for Ukraine.
Putin is throwing everything he has at it (as you can see by reading posts pretending to be Americans on Facebook and Twitter/X, etc.).
Let your members of Congress know that you support Ukraine aid being tied to Israeli aid, as Democrats in the House and Senate are demanding: the number is 202-224-3121.
………….
“Russia’s ally China has been funneling money to progressive groups; just last week one of them attacked Senator Bernie Sanders at his office as a “warmonger” for supporting Ukraine against Russia’s brutal terror attacks.”
The chicoms, who are warmongers, like to use the term “warmonger” as a pejorative. But Bernie Sanders? The chicoms don’t seem to know that he’s been a Russian asset since he spent his honeymoon in Leningrad as an honoured guest.
In fact, Barmy Bernie has his own pet putler shill; the loathsome worm Jeffrey Sachs.
As for Taylor-Green, her sinister, reptilian face shows her to be as evil and merciless as Zakharova.
How the hell did obvious Russian agents like her, Gaetz, Hawley etc ever get through vetting?
“Maintaining high levels of US support for Ukraine is one of the best ways to avoid another ground war in Europe and to diminish fascist Russia’s ability to repeat the barbaric mass murder campaigns they previously carried out in Syria, Chechnya, Georgia, Moldova, and now Ukraine. Plus we’re simply keeping our side of the bargain from the Budapest Accords.”
That should go without saying. But unfortunately it has to be constantly repeated.
Putler has some influential, truly evil people working very hard in the USA to enable victory for his genocidal fascist imperialism.
“Russia is close to having the upper hand because of Putin’s ability to get Republican voters and politicians to mouth his talking points and propaganda.”
I refuse to see them as Republicans. They and their voters are practically russian assets. They are as un-American as can be. Their actions are hurting the US and aiding and abetting a crime syndicate, a war criminal, and a terrorist organization, aka, the russian federation. They’re also helping the other crap hole called china … and iran, north korea, hamas, hezbollah, and every other terrorist and despotic entity on this planet that stands for evilness.
“I refuse to see them as Republicans.”
Open your eyes, friend. Trumpkov has taken over the Republican party. They didn’t even adopt a platform in 2020, basically saying “we stand for whatever Donald Trump wants.”
“aiding and abetting a crime syndicate”
What do you expect when they have a criminal at the top of the party?
If he takes over the party, it will be a putinaZi property.
He controls a faction; rightly becoming known as the axis of evil, which would increase in influence if the vile putlerite Jordan gets the Speaker job.
“AlterNet is a left-leaning news website based in the United States. It was launched by the Independent Media Institute. In 2018, the website was acquired by owners of Raw Story”
lmao…no comment
So what? It’s pro-Ukraine. So is the writer, who is equally scathing about far left putlerites, even though at the moment they pose no danger to Ukraine. They are arseholes, but they have no chance of installing a tankie president.
It doesn’t matter if they lean left or lean right – what matters is if what they’re reporting is accurate.
Surely it’s no surprise to anyone that Russia supported Trumpkov and worked to get him elected.
And you don’t fundamentally understand what affect that has on the USA voters do you? If Bin Laden came out to support John Kerry do you think that would get John Kerry more votes in the US? You must, if you think a Vladolf endorsement would help Trump. In fact, Vladolf’s approval rating in the US is down to 9% so think about it without your hard left brainwashing and exercise the critical thought necessary to be fair and you’ll see.
Who said anything about a Vladolf endorsement? They worked behind the scenes to boost trumpkov and harm better-qualified candidates.
This is all well known by now – surely you’ve heard of the Kremlin-backed Internet Research Agency.
The Republican-led Senate Intelligence Committee reaffirmed that Russian operatives engaged in a widespread social media campaign to improve his chances in the race.
A Russian troll farm central to the election campaign supported “Donald Trump at the direction of the Kremlin,” the committee said.
“if you think a Vladolf endorsement would help Trump”
It’s insulting to suggest I would ever believe something that stupid. Everything I post is factual and easily verified.
“without your hard left brainwashing”
Maybe you need to get out of your far-right MAGAt bubble and face up to reality.
“surely you’ve heard of the Kremlin-backed Internet Research Agency.”
In case you’ve forgotten about them, you can review the Mueller report. Pages 14 – 35 is about them.
https://www.justice.gov/archives/sco/file/1373816/download
(And let’s not forget that Robert Mueller is a highly respected prosecutor. He’s a Republican who was named F.B.I. director by George W. Bush.)
“Putin-aligned politicians like Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) tweeting: ‘Any funding for Ukraine should be redirected to Israel immediately.’”
Someone tweeted back: “Sounds better in the original Russian.”