by Raffaele Crocco
For 24 months Ukraine has been resisting the Russian invasion and the war seems to have no end. The war has become one of the confrontation camps between the “pro-Americans” and the “anti-Americans” for the trade and strategic control of the planet. Like any modern war, it continues to affect the civilian population. Those on the frontline continue to flee and, according to the Ukrainian leadership, more than half the country’s population is effectively without electricity after recent Russian bombardments. The result is cold and hunger – conditions that do not appear to be weakening the spirit of resistance. A recent opinion poll shows that at least 60% of Ukrainians are totally against an end to the war before the recovery of lost territories. A prospect that seems unlikely on a military level.
In Zaporizhzhya, Ukrainian commander-in-chief Oleksandr Tarnavsky said Russia was launching several attacks near the village of Robotyne. It is one of the few places where Kyiv has managed to regain ground during the counter-offensive. Kremlin-backed forces scored a major point by capturing Avdiivka, forcing the Ukrainians to retreat in a move described by observers as “disorderly and dramatic.”
It is the most significant Russian victory since the capture of Bakhmut in May 2023. Immediately, Ukrainian President Vlodomir Zelenskyy appealed to international allies. “The situation in Ukraine is becoming dramatic,” he said. The Russians are attacking in several directions and it may already be too late. “The Ukrainian armed forces need weapons, which are increasingly hard to come by.” The Polish foreign minister, Radek Sikorski, backed him up from Brussels. He urged his European Union (EU) counterparts to make a quick decision on ammunition supplies. These are essential supplies, the Ukrainian high command says, but they are becoming more and more difficult to obtain. There are two main reasons for this, say observers: the fatigue that is beginning to set in among the participants in this war, i.e. the European countries and the United States, and the arsenals that have now been emptied, putting pressure on production.
Then there is the complex reality that has emerged in recent months with the opening of too many fronts of international confrontation. Fronts that are distracting Kyiv’s allies and forcing them to reposition themselves. According to United States intelligence analysts, Russia is also on the verge of launching a nuclear weapon into space. In what would be an absolutely dangerous precedent, it could do so this year. Washington’s allies have all been alerted. So writes the New York Times, quoting US intelligence sources. Speaking of briefings held in recent days with European and Asian allies, the paper claims that analysts are also considering the option of launching a “fake” and harmless weapon into orbit to force the West to question its capabilities.
In any case, it is a worrying hypothesis, and one that highlights the fact that the conflict is no longer just regional. In the Near East, the escalation of violence and death is there for all to see. The Israeli government is continuing the massacre in Gaza Strip, declaring its intention to continue military operations until victory is achieved. It is difficult to understand the contours of this victory, which now seems to go far beyond the theoretical defeat of Hamas.
This is the tragic experience of one and a half million people who have gathered in Rafah, a city in the south of the Strip that is being targeted by Tel Aviv’s forces. No aid arrives, no food arrives, bombs and threats arrive, so the only way to survive is to imagine a massive exodus towards Egypt, out of the Strip, which would once again become Israeli.
