It has been an eventful week which has been dominated by the tragic death of Ebrahim Raise, the President of Iran, in a helicopter crash in bad weather. His funeral was well attended and there were huge gatherings in some cities as Iranians showed their respect. His deputy took over the reins immediately pending an election.
In the UK, it was good to hear that Julian Assange has won a right to appeal against extradition but he is still in prison. I can remember attending a demo a long, long time ago outside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London where he was being held. I was with a group of Bolivian people. It’s just awful that he is still being detained.
There appears to be a worrying new narrative developing among Westerners which expresses the ‘unfairness’ of the fact that Ukraine can’t use Western weapons to kill civilians in Russia. Biden isn’t on board with it yet but many others are. It is a very dangerous narrative (see below).
Rishi Sunak announced a General Election for July 4th and the dissolution of the UK parliament on May 30th. He blamed Putin for rises in energy prices rather than his own government’s policies on carbon emissions and the sanctions being imposed on Russia.
On the battlefronts, the Ukrainians are being pushed hard in a number of places (including Chasiv Yar) and have rushed reinforcements north to slow down the Russian advances in Volchansk and Liptsy. The Russian MoD weekly Ukrainian casualty figures are higher than any I have previously seen - at 11,205. Ukrainian terror attacks on civilians continued this week but they have abated somewhat. I have seen reports of only 9 people being killed this week - though I may have missed some.
Iranian President Killed in Helicopter Crash
Ebrahim Raisi was killed along with several others, including his Foreign Minister, when his helicopter crashed in north west Iran’s mountainous region. Many will suspect that this was no accident but I will not speculate here: an investigation is underway and may tell us more about the crash in time. No evidence of foul play has been found at the time of writing. Putin offered his condolences and described Raisi as a ‘man of his word and a pleasure to work with’. His deputy will take over until elections are held. As if to confirm that any semblance of diplomacy in the US is stone dead, Anthony Blinken told the world that it is ‘a better place now that Raisi is dead’. He also described the offering of condolences as a ‘formality’ - according to Slavyangrad. According to the Wall Street Journal, Iran is expected to deepen its relations with Russia and China, continue to develop its nuclear weapons program and will continue to support Palestine.
Russian Matters
Putin Visits Lukashenko
On May 23rd, Putin visited Lukashenko in Minsk. They discussed ‘security issues’ along with the second phase of Russia’s ‘nuclear exercises’ which will involve the Belorussian military. They also discussed cooperation between the two in relation to energy and agriculture.
Unfriendly Relations to Last a Generation - Lavrov
Sergei Lavrov has speculated that the current ‘acute phase’ of political and military confrontation with the West will last at least generation as suggested by the rhetoric coming from Maron, Cameron and Borrel about an ‘inevitable’ war with Russia.
Medvedev on the Buffer Zone
According to Dmitry Medvedev, the more the ‘moronic NATO strategists’ allow Ukraine the use of longer and longer range weapons, the more of Ukraine’s territory Russia will need to take in order to protect Russian citizens from terror attacks. You can read more of what he said here.
Putin - No Plans to Take Kharkiv
Putin agreed with Medvedev when he said that there are no plans to take Kharkiv at this time but Russia is creating a ‘buffer zone’ to prevent attacks on Russian civilians in border areas. This does not mean that Russia will not take Kharkiv sometime in the future.
Putin Cracks Down on Corruption
In less than a month, Putin has arrested four senior defence figures on suspicion of taking bribes. You can read more about it at Zero Hedge.
Ukrainian Concerns
New Mobilisation Law Comes Into Force - 18th May
According to Tass, this law will significantly reduce the rights of Ukrainian citizens.
From now on, all persons liable for military service who are registered with the military in Ukraine, as well as those who are abroad, must update their information at military commissions within 60 days. Violators will be subject to heavy fines and may be deprived of the right to drive. In addition, all men between the ages of 18 and 60 must carry a military identification card at all times. Without this document, Ukrainians living abroad cannot receive consular services or extend the validity of their passports. In addition, men between the ages of 25 and 55 who received a second or third group disability after February 24, 2022, will have to undergo a second medical examination. Another provision of the law concerns the right of military commissions, with certain restrictions, to confiscate vehicles from citizens for the needs of the Ukrainian armed forces.
The law also provides for categories of citizens who are not subject to mobilization. These are employees of law enforcement agencies, judges, ministers and their deputies, lawmakers and their assistants, employees of defense enterprises, fathers of many children and single fathers, as well as people with a confirmed disability.
The streets of Ukrainian cities have emptied in consequence of this and there is a danger that the provision of goods and services will decline as those who normally provide such things are fed into the greedy meat grinder.
Drink and Drugs on the Front Line
The Daily Beast has done a report on alcohol and illicit drug consumption in the ‘tired and demoralised’ Ukrainian Army. According to Slavyangrad, at the beginning of the war there was a sense of unity and comradeship among the soldiers but now there is a mixture of experienced soldiers willing to fight and knowing how to do so alongside men who have no interest in the war and no idea how to fight it. Drunken soldiers have killed fellow soldiers and civilians. You can read more here.
Ukrainian Women Fight for their Men
In Nikolaev, this week, women formed road blocks to prevent the TPP from taking their men to the front. They say that the TPP officials, driving around in pick up trucks in a state of intoxication are simply taking men from the fields, even taking them off their tractors.
Ukraine Losing Energy
In consequence of Russian attacks on its energy infrastructure, Ukraine has lost 90% of its energy capacity, according to RT. It will now face months of blackouts, according to Aleksey Kucherenko, former Ukrainian Minister for Infrastructure.
Truckers Protest Ukraine
Truckers have blocked the main Kiev - Odessa highway (southern lane) in protest against the new mobilisation bill which became law on May 18th. They are also incensed by the class divide within the country that shields the rich and their children from the war and are questioning Zelenzky’s ‘illegitimate’ government.
Sumy Defenceless - Vladimir Artyukh
Leader of the Sumy Administration, Artyukh, has taken to Telegram to record his alarm about defences in the region. Speaking in front of abandoned dragons teeth he talked about the corruption that prevented the defences from being built.
NATO Troops in Ukraine
There has been much talk about NATO troops being sent to Ukraine recently while many of us have suspected that they have been there for years. But nobody has expressed this latter view more clearly and unambiguously than Stephen Bryen speaking on the Duran. Bryen explained that when a Western country provides a system such as ‘The Patriot’ air defence system, the Western ‘experts’ who know how to operate these systems, accompany them to the battlefront and operate them on behalf of the proxy. This applies to NATO intelligence personnel who help guide Western missiles on to Russian civilian targets. But this deployment of NATO troops is something that both Russia and the West want to keep under wraps. Neither side wishes to escalate too far so perhaps there’s an unwritten rule that the West should not talk about allowing Ukraine to launch Western missiles at Russia. Cameron broke this rule publicly while some Germans broke it privately.
Many people take the view that NATO troops will inevitably enter Ukraine. But I don’t think they will do so in any role other than that which they currently occupy - i.e. as advisers and operators of machinery/intelligence. I think Russia has laid down the law and in this game of ‘chicken’ it’s authority as a major nuclear power will prevail. According to Sputnik, even bellicose chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Charles Brown, said ‘right now there are no plans to bring US trainers to Ukraine’. But this leaves open the possibility that they could be brought to Ukraine in future.
Some Western politicians (including Victoria Nuland and Zelensky) have suggested that Ukraine should be allowed to use Western weapons to attack targets deep in the heart of Russia from which it is launching its attacks - which may sound reasonable until one considers that Russia is also entitled to launch attacks against the command and control systems in Poland and Romania without which Ukraine could not attack Russia. Scott Ritter provides a detailed examination of this here.
Z Loses Authority - May 20th
May 20th is the day the once great Z loses legitimacy because that’s when his term of office expires. After this, he could be accused of undermining democracy in Ukraine, according to Slavyangrad. Some Ukrainians are mischievously demanding that since Z is no longer President he should be sent to the front.
Z has cancelled elections, seized control of the media, silenced opponents, banned some political parties and elevated the unelected Andrei Yermak, to a position of power above career diplomats. At the same time, in the middle of this war, Russia held elections among those who were still being bombarded by Ukrainian shelling, missiles and drones. And Russia is supposed to be undemocratic!
Zelensky’s approval rating is down to 17%, according to RT. The Ukrainian constitution prohibits parliamentary elections under martial law but it does not prohibit Presidential elections under these circumstances. One source has Ukrainians claiming that according to the constitution, under circumstances in which it is not possible to conduct Presidential elections, the President should hand power to the head of Verkhovna Rada (i.e. the parliament of which Ruslan Stefanchuk is chair). So, some Ukrainians could be asking Z to do this.
It has been five years since the once great Z came to power with a mandate to obtain peace. Only 8 of the 34 promises he made back then have been fulfilled. This means that in spite of his successes in comedy, he was ( I mean is) a crap politician.1 Some say that he has broken 100 different articles of the constitution and committed a huge number of crimes.
The decline of Zelensky is representative of the general decline of the nation of Ukraine - militarily, economically and politically. Z has broken promises as President and promises made to him by his Western ‘allies’ have also been broken. The West has been dishonest with Zelensky and now, so it appears, have his own generals. They have been withholding the dire military situation from him for a long time - so that he is now shouting reprimands at them - or so I hear. Let’s face it, honest people would be totally out of place in this theatre.
Other critics of Zelensky believe he will soon experience that ‘Mussolini Moment’ when his own people will hang him up by his feet. One Ukrainian source suggested that the elites are pulling their money out of Ukraine:
Everyone knows that business in Ukraine is dying. The economy is dying and the country itself is dying. This means that you will need to insure yourself and your loved ones.
For years, the populations of the world have been fed on a diet of pseudo reality in which a Ukraine victory was so much taken for granted that it is difficult for most Westerners to digest the truth of the matter. Most have combined a morality desiring that Ukraine must (i.e. should) win with an assumption that, therefore, it will win. But morality comes out of reality; it doesn’t shape reality in the way that facts do. Just because someone believes that it is right for certain outcomes to be achieved; it doesn’t follow that these will be achieved.
It is as if (many) human beings are now so childlike that they demand that reality fits their desires rather than accepting that they must adapt to the reality that embraces and engulfs them. I think this is one of the things that humanity in the West has forgotten. In the sense that it panders to peoples’ desires rather than what is possible for them, Wokeness is symptomatic of this error in thinking.
Commenting on this lack of elections, Elon Musk has tweeted: ‘I thought we were there to ‘defend democracy’?’ Of course, the collective West, singing from the same hymn sheet, is calling Zelensky the ‘legitimate President’.
But not everyone agrees. This poster shows that some want Zelensky ‘dead or alive’.
Ermak In Charge?
Head of the office of President, Andriy Ermak has more political power than the once great Z, according to Ukrainian officials interviewed by the Washington Post. Ermak, they said, has a strong influence over Z, concludes deals with partners and interferes in military matters. He also has many enemies.
Dogs Have More Rights Than Men in Ukraine
According to a Ukrainian man on Tik Tok, his dog has more rights than he does because its passport allows it to use consular services abroad whereas he can receive such services only if he agrees to join the military.
Z Wants 130 Fighter Jets
Z’s demands are getting more outrageous as his desperation grows. In addition to the jets, he wants NATO to shoot down Russian missiles and drones over Ukraine and has even offered indemnity for any damaged caused. Some unhinged Europeans have also called for this, as I suggested last week. But some more rational European voices are saying that this will not happen
Ukraine Wants US/NATO to Train 150,000 New Recruits.
Ukraine has pleaded with the Biden Administration to let NATO into the country to train 150,000 newly mobilised troops. I reported a couple of weeks ago that the Ukrainians did not want their recruits to be trained outside of the country for fear that they may run away. So it is no surprise that they would want this. But Biden may resist this move because it is escalatory.
Equipment Shortages
Last week I wrote at length about Manpower Shortages but equipment shortages - especially armoured vehicles - are affecting the structure of the Ukrainian army as new brigades will comprise purely infantry with very little armoured support. The shortages arise out of difficulties with the maintenance of armoured vehicles as well as problems with supply. Ukraine could also be accused of being wasteful with their armour - according to some.
Ukrainian Terror Attacks (i.e. those that target civilians)
17th/18th May Overnight
Belgorod region came under attack overnight from shelling and drones. One civilian was killed and another three wounded, according to the Two Majors, which also reported on shelling and drone attacks in Kursk but no casualties were reported. In Bryansk, one female resident was killed and the DPR suffered heavy shelling which injured eight.
18th/19th May Overnight
According to Intel Republic, the Ukrainians attacked a minibus in Kherson killing one and injuring another 16. Nine ATACMS and a drone were shot down over Crimea, three drones were shot down over Belgorod and 57 were shot down over Krasnodar. Later on the 19th May, attacks on Shebekino (Belgorod) injured 11 people including 3 children. Seven apartment buildings were damaged along with 25 cars.
19th/20th May
Kursk region suffered shelling and drone attacks overnight but there was minimal damage and no casualties were reported. The DPR suffered heavy shelling which killed two and injured another. 155mm cluster munitions were used along with drones. The LPR also came under attack from French SCALP-EG missiles damaging a house and injuring at least five civilians. Another report said they were Stormshadow missiles.
20th/21st May
Many villages were attacked in Kursk region on the 20th when the small amount of damaged sustained caused by explosives dropped from drones. Drones were disabled by small arms fire and by electronic warfare. But there were no casualties. Six villages in Belgorod were shelled overnight while a kamikaze drone hit a car, killing the driver and wounding three passengers. RT reports on this here. In the DPR, nine people were injured by explosives dropped by drones.
21st/22nd May
Many villages in Belgorod came under attack overnight. One woman was injured when her car was attacked while another woman was killed and three men injured when her car was attacked with a kamikaze drone. Two private houses were also hit by explosive dropped by drones but no casualties were reported. But several drones were shot down - according to the Two Majors. In Bryansk, some agricultural vehicles were attacks but there were no casualties. But unfortunately, in the DPR one person was killed and four injured by shelling.
22nd/23rd May
Belgorod was attacked by shelling and drones overnight but suffered only one casualty: a man injured when a drone attacked a car at a petrol (gas) station. The petrol station was set alight - according to a report by the Two Majors. Kursk also suffered a large drone attack affecting many villages but no casualties were reported. Electronic warfare disabled many drones. In the DPR, six civilians were injured by cluster munitions. On the 23rd, a woman was killed by a drone in Belgorod and a man was killed in his car in Mikhailovka while 11 were injured nearby.
23rd/24th May
According to the Two Majors, Belgorod came under attack from shelling, MLRS and drones overnight. Two civilians were wounded and another killed. Kursk and Bryansk also suffered shelling and drone attacks but no casualties were reported apart from a concussed tractor driver. The DPR was less fortunate, suffering 13 wounded and one dead from 155mm cluster shelling.
This week is I have reported nine deaths, whereas last week I reported on 57 deaths. Perhaps Russian advances, especially in the north, account for the difference.
The Sea War
22nd/23rd May
Several marine drones equipped with MLRS were destroyed on the Black Sea by Russian aviation.
23rd/24th May Overnight
Between 11 pm and 2 am overnight 16 ATACMS missiles were launched at Crimea, according to the Military Chronicle. Most of the missiles were shot down but one hit an empty industrial unit while falling shrapnel from another killed two civilians near Simferopol.
The Air War (MAP)
Russian Missile/Drone Attacks
17th/18th May Overnight
In Odessa, a logistics centre including warehouses containing drones was hit overnight according to Intel Republic. In Pavlograd, a chemical plant housing rocket fuel was attacked on the 18th May.
18th/19th May Overnight
According to Slavyangrad, air raid warnings were sounded overnight in Zhitomer, Vinnitsa, Cherkasy, Chernigov, Sumy, Poltava, Kharkov and Dnepropetrovsk regions. Explosions were reported in Zhitomer and Sumy. Later on the 19th May, according to Novichok:
The Bilche-Volitsa Gas compressor Station in the Lvov region of Ukraine was destroyed.All main Buildings, main control room (management), SERB (operations and equipment), Administration Building, entrance (security alarm), gas pump unit (very significant damage) were destroyed. Worn gas pipes remain available. The second largest gas storage facility in Europe – that’s all.
20th May
Explosions were heard in Sumy and Poltava regions, according to Slavyangrad. Later, it was reported that all non-Russian occupied regions of Ukraine came under attack. Six Russian MiG-31K fighters had taken to the air.
21st/22nd May Overnight
Geraniums were in the air again overnight for three hours, attacking targets in Odessa and Nikolaev regions.
22nd/23rd May Overnight
The Russians attacked rail facilities in Kharkov overnight, including a train carrying ten tanks and Liubotin station.
Ukrainian Missile/Drone Attacks
17th/18th May Overnight
Oil refineries and electric substations were attacked overnight in Crimea, Sevastopol and Krasnador Krai.
18th/19th May
Oil refineries in Slavyansk - on - Kuban and in Vyborg (Leningrad district) while the military airfield at Krasnador also came under fire.
20th/21st May
In the LPR, a missile attack using cluster munitions caused damage to a warehouse containing fuel and lubricants.
The Ground War
Russian MoD Reports
w/e 3rd May 6665 Casualties killed and wounded: equipment losses 283.
w/e 10th May 6460 Casualties killed and wounded: equipment losses 237.
w/e 17th May 9565 Casualties killed and wounded: equipment losses 445.
w/e 24th May 11205 Casualties killed and wounded: equipment losses 484
w/e 24th May produced the largest figures for weekly losses in men and materiel I can remember seeing.
The Fronts
Cats and Dogs Unite At The Front
North Kharkov - Volchansk
Some Ukrainian Telegram Channels are highlighting the pessimism or even despair among some Ukrainians following the Russian attacks in north Kharkov. Some fear that the Russians will develop a ‘sleeve’ from Volchansk towards Pechenegs which will head south east in the direction of Kupyansk and risk ‘the biggest cauldron in the entire history of the conflict’. Another report suggested that there is no money left in Ukraine, there is no faith, no hope and no love for the army. But there is plenty of aggression towards those in uniform.
The Kraken battalion along with Ukraine’s 415th Rifle battalion has been withdrawn from Volchansk after heavy losses.
Siversk
Two years ago, many of us expected that Siversk would fall soon after Lisychansk but it didn’t happen. But there is some movement in this direction after Bilohorivka (Belogorovka) was captured on the 20th May. Dima believes this could be the start of an offensive but he also predicted that an offensive in Sumy should have started by now.
Vremivka - Urozhayne
Chasiv Yar
The village of Bogdanovka was captured this week, after which the Russians moved on towards Kalinovka - according to the Military Chronicle. The Russians have control of the eastern outskirts of Chasiv Yar itself.
Kleshcheevka - Andreyevka
Kleshcheevka, with its fortifications, came under Russian control this week. Russian forces are now deploying along the Seversky-Donets-Donbass canal. The area will now be difficult to defend so it is expected that another three Ukrainian brigades will be brought in from somewhere. On the 23rd May, the ‘Yug’ group of Russian forces captured (or liberated) Andreyevka (Andriivka).
Ocheretino - Krasnogorovka
Russian troops entered Krasnogorovka on the 23rd May. They are attempting to evict the Ukrainians from their occupation of high rise buildings. Russian advances continue north of Ocheretino.
Zaporizhzhe - Rabotino
The situation her is much the same as it was last week.
Kherson
The Economic War
US Spending
According to the Two Majors, US interim debt payments have exceeded defence spending - for the first time ever, I think. This is no mean feat given the size of the US’s ‘defence’ budget - i.e. $886 billions. This, as I understand it, is only the annual interest!
Russia To Seize US Assets
In retaliation for the seizure of Russian property abroad, US assets in Russia will also be seized.
World Politics
Western Idiots - Grant Shapps
British Defence Minister, Grant Shapps is the latest Western idiot to place a target on his own country after encouraging Ukraine to employ British Taurus missiles to attack Crimea. He should have had a wee word with Maj Gen James Marin who points out that the British Army is the weakest its been for 300 years - ‘too weak to fight anyone’, he said.
Western Idiots - Kaja Kallas
Russia should be dismembered into smaller states after its defeat according to the PM of Estonia:
Russia's defeat is not a bad thing. There are many nations that are part of Russia. If there were more small states, it's not so bad if the big power becomes much smaller.
Of course, she is only repeating the mantra cherished by many Westerners and she makes it sound so reasonable. Where do they get these people?
Note the disdain for democracy that is inherent in her pontifications. Does she really believe that Russia can be defeated and that if this happens her people would consent to be broken up into little pieces rather than being part of the great Russian project. As I said last week, liberalism has become authoritarianism and liberals are authoritarians.
But there are lots of such people about, unfortunately. The Parliamentary Assembly for the Council of Europe has called for Russia’s dissolution. Why not do the same for the US while you’re at it - much better to have 50 states than one. I think such a move may even be popular in the US among some.
Wise Westerners - François Asselineau
Asselineau is the leader of the French People’s Republican Union Party and a candidate for the European parliament. He had these wise words to say about Russia:
We call on France to stop sending money and weapons to Ukraine. We will ask France to facilitate a return to negotiations. And we officially oppose the interpretation that is being imposed in the media according to which Russia attacked Ukraine. Yes, Russia invaded Ukraine, but we must not forget everything that came before that. This is, first and foremost, NATO's aggressive stance against Russia.
What do February 22nd 2022 and October 7th 2023 have in common? 2
Wise Westerners - Orban
This year we will be able to end the era of Western civilization, to put an end to the world order based on liberal hegemony. The progressive liberal world spirit has failed. It brought wars, chaos and disorder, economic collapse, and confusion to the world. Eventually people got tired of the representatives of this liberal spirit wherever they appeared. They are incapable of being leaders, they are not fit for the task, they are riddled with errors and ultimately rush to their own destruction.
ICC Grows a Pair
The ICC has issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant, for war crimes and crimes against humanity. These include, collective punishment against the civilians including the targeting civilians specifically and the use of starvation as a method of warfare. Arrest warrants for the leaders of Hamas were also issued for the 7th October, 2023 attacks. Karim Khan, prosecutor at the ICC, said that he was threatened soon after the verdict was announced. ‘The ICC was built for Africa and thugs like Putin’, he was told by a US official, ‘not for the West and its allies’. I think he deserves credit for doing his job. The court also ordered Israel to cease operations in Rafah and to allow access for those investigating genocide in Gaza. In return for this justice, the US congress has threatened the court with sanctions, as you probably know.
The emerging Multi-Polar World Order
Putin and Xi to Fight Cancel Culture
Xi and Putin have agreed to increase cultural ties between the two countries while joining forces to eradicate ‘cancel culture’. Both acknowledge the importance of cultural and civilizational diversity in the context of the emerging Multi-Polar World Order. They oppose cultural forms based on discrimination, xenophobia and cultural dominance - according to RT.
Putin Meets With King Hamad
Putin met with Bahrain’s leader this week in Moscow where they discussed increasing trade, Bahrain’s reconciliation with Iran and the Gaza conflict. The king said that he would look for Russian support with regard to the latter. You can read more at RT.
That’s all for another week. Many thanks for you views, subscriptions, shares, likes and comments. I’d like to convey my best wishes to b from the Moon of Alabama who is not well enough to oversee his channel. Best Rob
Non subscribers can view Updates on Telegram: https://t.me/UWUupdate.
https://x.com/RobCampbel8640
To be fair, it should be said that Z can’t really count as a politician because he is a mere puppet. So I shouldn’t really be judging him as crap.
They both provide historically inaccurate claims about the start of the respective conflicts.
The biggest development of the week happened in the last 48 hours when ATACMS took out a major Russian Early warning installation on Russia's east Black Sea coast. This MUST have been targeted by NATO and could leave part of Russia defenceless against a US pre-emptive nuclear attack. They are trying to escalate because 'the west' is losing the ground war. Russia will probably retaliate by taking out the Black Sea drones BUT the real problem is US/UK satellites. The war may now extend to space.
I nominate the ICC for the Nobel Prize for its courageous and completely correct decision. It is interesting to see Senator Graham say the US politicians oppose it because "If they do this to Israel, we will be next." Really! After all the lives destroyed and people killed by USA and other Western actions. I think it was Madeleine Albright who said the 500,000 Iraqi children killed during the US invasion was an OK price to pay to capture Saddam Hussein.
I would also nominate the entire West for the Ignobel Prize for stupidity and probably the Darwin Award for finally destroying the West's credibility on all things.
Tim Watkins at the Consciousness of Sheep blog site often examines the role of British upper class, politicians and bankers have used the British and empire population and resources for their own benefit with just a few 'crusts' thrown to the poor. This has been no different to other western countries such as Canada, Australia and USA.
When the West led a coup against the elected government of Ukraine in 2014, the newly installed unelected government effectively declared war on the Russian speaking people in Eastern Ukraine and something like 14,000 died from torture, artillery and terror squads [nazi or Banderites] from Western Ukraine.
It sounds like events in 'Z's Ukraine are closely following what I remember of my schoolboy history of Nazi German defeat as the USSR grew stronger.
Despite Russia wanting to join NATO and work closely with Western Europe, the "West" has repeated turned them down. It did not stop Russia from selling it natural resources at a discount to Western Europe. Now because the West imposed sanctions of Russia, blew up the Nordstream pipelines and stolen Russian money and companies, the European industrial base has collapsed. Russia quite rightly is doing what is best for them and is selling its resources elsewhere and that effectively will return Europe to being a backward part of Eurasia that it was until the 1400 and 1500s.
Commiserations to the Iranian people.
Please think about how our Western governments are supporting the Israeli holocaust against the Palestinian people who are being bombed, starved, tortured and dying in their thousands - possibly because Jewish bankers are holding the purse strings.