Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Between holidays

The big bad world goes on

-

WOULD that we could export electricit­y and water like so many T-shirts. As Americans wake up from turkey-induced naps and start making lists (and checking them twice) for another big holiday a month from now, the big bad world goes on. And reports say the Russians have started targeting civilian infrastruc­ture in Ukraine, leaving people without electricit­y and water.

Dispatches from the front say that folks in Ukraine are prepping for the long haul, and winter still has at least five months to go. But the Ukrainians, so far, are adamant: The mantra now is—as shouted to the Russians—“Without light or you? Without you!”

You know the reports of the bombings of electric plants are true when the Russian spokesflac­ks admit to it. A rep for the Russian Defense Ministry said yes, they were bombing such facilities, but he linked them to Ukraine’s military and said the purpose was to disrupt the flow of Ukrainian troops. We suppose that when the electricit­y is out, traffic lights go out, too.

Said the Russian ambassador to the UN: “We are conducting strikes against infrastruc­ture in response to the unbridled flow of weapons to Ukraine and the reckless appeals of Kyiv to defeat Russia.”

The reckless appeals to defeat Russia! How dare the Ukrainians try to win the war foisted upon them? Don’t they know if they just stop defending themselves, the Russian military will stop killing them? Eventually.

And a spokesman for the Kremlin, safely (and warmly) back in Moscow: “Ukraine’s leadership has every opportunit­y to bring the situation back to normal, has every opportunit­y to resolve the situation in such a way as to meet the demands of the Russian side and, accordingl­y, end all possible suffering of the civilian population.”

You see? All the Ukrainian leaders have to do is surrender their country, and things will be “back to normal.” For Russia anyway. Which probably considers “normal” the time when the Cossacks ran the show, and anybody inside the USSR who raised his head lost it.

Meanwhile, hospitals and schools go without electricit­y in Ukraine. Russian bombs knocked out power in one region which temporaril­y trapped 3,000 miners undergroun­d.

“Strikes against civilian infrastruc­ture are war crimes,” said France’s president last week.

Yes. So what to do about it?

THE WEST might want to one day hold Russian authoritie­s accountabl­e for these crimes. But there is more and more evidence that the Russian people might take care of things themselves.

Reports by the AP and some independen­t Russian media say that V. Putin’s recent call-up of reservists has backfired. These people who were called up have little experience, were told to procure equipment themselves and given little training, but were still thrown into action. Where a good many were instantly killed.

The latest news: Mothers in Russia aren’t happy. They’ve been protesting in Moscow. And demanding answers and accountabi­lity. As we say on these shores, when mama isn’t happy, nobody’s happy.

Comrade Putin was forced to meet with a group of mothers the other day. He said, and we’re not kidding, “We share your pain.”

Not yet he doesn’t.

But if these families of dead conscripts keep up the pressure, one day he just might.

 ?? ??

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States