There Will Be Blood
There Will Be Blood
Can US sustain a long Ukraine guerrilla war against Russian invaders?
CIA and Special Forces paramilitary teams have been helping Ukraine prepare for a long drawn out guerrilla war against Russian troops should Vladimir Putin roll the dice and invade. Some in Washington see Russia vulnerable, not just in Ukraine but in other Moscow-dominated trouble spots in Central Asia and elsewhere. Others wonder about the worth of longtime American promises in Ukraine.
In this week’s SpyTalk podcast, retired Green Beret Col. David Maxwell discusses paramilitary options against Russian invaders in Ukraine.
And there’s this: Former US-Iran nuclear deal negotiator Ernest Moniz offers his perspective on new talks with Tehran hardliners.
That’s all in this week’s podcast, with me and Jeanne Meserve. Get it here or wherever you listen.
The Ukraine is not a fertile ground for guerrilla warfare. Unlike the U.S. in Afghanistan, thousands of miles away, the Ukraine has a long border with Russia. The Ukraine has a fairly well developed infrastructure that Afghanistan never had so that these assets couldn't be destroyed to suppress the locals. It already was in the "stone age". Ukrainian power plants (that also supply heat), bridges, airports, etc. are terribly vulnerable. Also the presence of millions of ethnic Russians in the Ukraine terribly complicates its ability to defend itself even if the majority of ethnic Russians don't support the assumed invasion. Enough probably will to create an unhealthy "5th column". What US "aid" to a post invasion Ukraine will do is greatly increase the suffering and death of the population with no real possibility of success.