Some telling excerpt from a recent story in the Globe and Mail about a Canadian helping Ukraine:

“There’s a couple of shots I made that day that will be with me,” he said. One was a Russian in a T-shirt who was carrying a box of ammunition more than 1,800 metres behind the front line – a distance Teflon says was the longest shot he’s ever made. “He saw no threat, he thought he was safe. But it’s my job to ensure that they know that they’re not safe anywhere,” Teflon said. “The role of a sniper is to ultimately push into the minds of the enemy and make them question everything.”

And

“There’s allegations that all these Russians must be drugged. There’s no way. I think it’s just lack of training. Because they still act like human beings. I’ve watched guys cry and I’ve watched guys scream and I’ve watched guys try to pull their friends back when they get killed. They’re humans but they don’t have an ounce of training when it comes to fighting a war.”

And

“Sadly, it’s working. That’s why they’re doing it. We’re defending until we can’t defend that spot any more because they just destroy it with tanks. And they just keep sending another wave. It’s just relentless,” Teflon said. “So, they’ve gained 500 metres of dirt, but they just took over a completely destroyed position and lost hundreds of guys to do so.”

Finally

“The world deserves to hear the truth and after losing Joe and Greg, they need to understand we’re not stopping this work,” he said. “There’s no point me dying without telling my story.”

This a poignant story about a Canadian snipper “working” on the front line in Ukraine.

Much More Than Tanks Will Be Needed

I’m super happy to see so many countries contributing to the war efforts. Kyiv has been asking for tanks for a long time. Finally, the last roadblock to a significant contribution has been lifted thanks to the German government, who seemingly found the light and made the right decision. Now for serious questions…

Will those tanks, a few hundred of them, of all sizes, models and with various capabilities, really reverse the tide in favour of the Ukrainians? I’m afraid we will have to face reality sooner than later. Much more will be needed to put Russia’s army on its knees and force them to retreat or be defeated. Fighter jets are next. But again, I don’t see that as being enough. Remember when Iraq invaded Kuwait? We had to send people on the ground, not just boats, tanks or fighter jets.

I guess that, collectively, the west is not ready to accept this fatality. The time will come.

Genuine Questions About The War in Ukraine

Here are a few questions that pop up in my mind when reading the news about the war in Ukraine.

  1. How do they estimate Russian casualties? They are around 500-800 KIA per day. That’s a lot. Is this number inflated for propaganda purposes?

  2. Why is Putin not saying, “Any country sending arms to help Ukraine is, in fact, a declaration of war against Russia”? What would be the implications of such a declaration? Putin looks like a low-profile leader. So why is Putin not more vocal against the west?

  3. Why is the West not sending military aid to Modlova to put pressure on the 1200 Russian soldiers in Transnistria? How is it possible for Russia to feed them with the required resources?

  4. Why are tanks so much needed instead of other types of weapons? Are fighter planes effective? What is the aviation role in Ukraine? Are they making a difference?

  5. How many Ukrainian soldiers are killed each day? Why don’t we get these numbers as much as the Russian KIA?

So many unanswered questions.

Here's What I Would Do After Winning $1.35 Billion Jackpot

After I told my wife that the second-biggest jackpot had been won, she asked me what I would do with all that money. So here’s what I would do.

First, after the usual and probably mandatory press conference, I would get home and patiently wait for the deposit. Once received, I would call my bank to set aside a few million for my personal needs (and for my immediate family, of course).

Then the fun would begin.

Second, I would reach the highest Canadian Government representative, telling him I wanted to meet with Zelensky from Ukraine. The sooner, the better, and I would make sure he gets the message that he should accept my request and wouldn’t regret any minutes of this meeting.

Once in Ukraine, I would ask to meet with the government’s and army’s top lieutenants. My question for them: I have more than $1 billion at your disposal; what do you need the most? I would make sure they get what they are asking for.

After my meeting, I would ask for a joint press conference with Zelensky, telling the world about our agreement and explaining what will happen with all my money spent on helping this country and its people. Next, I would read a message aloud to the wealthiest people in the world and ask them to move their butt and make something out of their money to help Ukraine. Third, and lastly, I would read another special message, this time directed at Putin: “now is the time to put me on the ‘banned from Russia list’” and I would conclude with, “you can go fuck yourself.”

This is what I would do after winning a $1.35 Billion Jackpot. Thank you.

🇺🇦 There is one thing that I’m finding hard to replace from Twitter: all Twitter accounts I was following reporting about the war in Ukraine, from people on the front or close to it. This is critical information that goes beyond what the general media is saying. But things are starting to move in the right direction, as I have found many tweeps who are now on Mastodon. Yeah! 🙂

🇺🇦 I Wish Them Happy Holidays But...

We’re close to Christmas and getting closer to new years eve. I hope Ukrainians can get a small break during the holidays. News about increased military activities by Russia in Belarus, north of Ukraine, close to the frontier, isn’t encouraging. It’s like when Russia was preparing to break Ukrainian borders last February. Who knows what they’re up to? We shouldn’t trust them. Are these military exercises like they said? My fingers are crossed.

If Russia tries to take Kyiv a second time, I hope the Ukrainian army is ready. They are probably exhausted by months of defensive combats on the south and eastern sides. How will the international community react if Belarus is again used to attack Ukraine?

Who Should Be Complaining Again?

🇺🇦Russian’s top brass are complaining that Zelensky and Biden didn’t have a single word about Russia’s demands and their “quest for peace”. Ukrainians continuously ask for more weapons to defend themselves against the invaders. They complain that it’s not enough.

Who started the war? Who’s hitting civilian structures 95% of the time? Who’s raping who? Who is stealing who? You tell me then I’ll make up my mind about who’s right to be complaining.

Musing About Writing Needs And This War

Earlier this year, back in May I think, I started a subscription to Write.as. Why? I was curious about this platform for writers and there was a special for a five-year subscription. So, why not! Then I started to write about my reactions to the war in Ukraine. I wrote maybe a dozen of posts on this subject. I had to let go my feelings. Then I stopped. But I still follow the news about this senseless war. I’m still in state of mixed feelings ranging from feeling helpless, frustrated, desperate, raging, etc.

Now, I don’t know what to do. Should I continue writing on Write.as or move my written frustrations elsewhere? Here? I don’t know. Enabling posts import to my timeline from the Write.as RSS feed might be a good solution.

Tell me what you think about dilemma.

When Ukraine Is Home of Great Software Makers

I recently wrote my satisfaction about Readdle’s Documents.app on-boarding experience on the iPad. Now I’m reading about Spark’s cleverness take on emails. Without being as opinionated as Hey.com, Spark is a serious professional email client. Readdle’s home is Ukraine 🇺🇦 too. I’m considering integrating both software in my toolset. All good reasons to show some support to them.