Vladimir Putin wants to be more like Peter the Great? Can You Imagine That?
In the Opinion of Sir TG Fuqua, a FakeNews Senior Correspondent
Fact is, the historical Russian individual Vladimir Putin admires most is Peter the Great! Yep, he has openly compared himself to the remorseless Russian tsar. He’s even compared Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with Peter’s expansionist wars against Sweden and Persia (modern day Iran) several centuries ago!
You might say the real “Peter the Great” (1682－1725) considered the morality of a ‘statesman’ separately from the morality of a private individual; he believed that a “sovereign” or statesman in pursuit of “national interests” could justify violence, forgery, deceit and murder to accomplish a desired end. Sooo, it is no big surprise that Peter initiated major wars with Persia (modern day Iran), and started a war against Sweden which lasted 21-years. But in the end, he expanded the Russian Empire. Yep, according to history, Peter the Great revolutionized Russia—but at a terrible price. You see, he crushed rebellions with a cruelty and bloodlust that Russia hadn’t seen since Ivan IV aka Ivan the Terrible (Russian’s 1st Tzar, 1547－1584). But nothing could ever stain his legacy more than the worst atrocity he ever committed: He murdered his own son. Yet, he is primarily credited with the modernization of Russia, transforming it into a major European power while promoting industrialization across the Russian Empire, encouraging higher education and supporting the research of “deformities” in man and beast alike while trying to debunk the superstitious fear of “monsters” held by many of his subjects.
Likewise, Vladimir Putin, Russia’s current (2024) President, and a self-professed admirer of “Peter the Great” clearly believes in his right to violence, deceit and murder too, as long as it’s directed toward his “comrades” and or when waging war against sovereign nations.
In one physically obvious way, Putin is similar to Napoleon Bonaparte (1769–1821) who is chiefly remembered for two things: first, for being a conqueror of considerable ability and second for being very short. Towering at 5-foot 7-inches and clearly burdened with “tiny man syndrome”, history in likely to forever recall Putin as a mere inch taller than Napoleon though lacking in proper war tactics.
In-any-event, Putin’s most recent attack on Ukraine grievously warrants bolder actions by NATO! In fact, a U.S. backed NATO demand for Russia to abandon all (including 2014s annexation of Crimea) of their invasion efforts coupled with a method for administrating full monetary reparations for the damage done to-date should have been placed forward yesterday!
But then perhaps Russian’s Nuclear Arsenal threat has thus far prevented further escalation by the West.
If so, it’s long past time that Putin and his ‘Generals’ are reminded that the U.S. and her NATO Allies too have a huge nuclear stockpile of their own, which is designed to deter nuclear attacks via the doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction, or MAD and a relatively new intercontinental-range ballistic missile (ICBM) interceptor defense system. Hence, it should be made clear to the Russian’s that a single attempt of a nuclear attack by their military against perceived enemies will result in swift and total annihilation the Capitol City of Russia which harbors the Kremlin and more than 12 million of Putin’s comrades!
Bottom line, any country that launches a nuclear weapon at the U.S. or her Allies can expect a swift and overwhelming response in kind, that it would find impossible to block unlike the U.S. as such technology has been in production since 2017. Reason enough why neither Russia, China, Iran nor North Korea has seriously threatened to use nuclear weapons against the U.S. or her Allies!
And, less we forget, Putin is now openly forced to purchase offensive weapons from North Korea, Iran, and China and is sending convicts to the Ukrainian front so as to maintain his illegal war. Proof, the Russians are in a weakened state, a result of the heavy toll placed upon them by Ukraine’s defense!
Yes, some naive antiwar advocates have said we shouldn’t be fooled by the success that ‘anti-missile defense systems’ have been enjoying in Ukraine or the success of the U.S. built ‘Iron Dome’ defense system routinely used by the Israelis of late. While it would be simply wonderful to never face the need for Nuclear Defense, keep in mind that if a nuclear-tipped missile were hurtling toward the United States a constellation of sensors and at least 64 interceptor missiles make up the U.S. ground-based mid-course defense system, or GMD. Yep, it’s intended to act as a part of the defense against a nuclear attack.
Now consider the remaining two legs of the “official” U.S. nuclear triad. It serves as the backbone of America’s national security. The triad, along with assigned forces, provide 24/7 deterrence to prevent catastrophic actions from our adversaries and they stand ready, if necessary, to deliver a decisive response, anywhere, anytime.
Today’s Nuclear Defense Triad consists of:
400+ land-based intercontinental ballistic Minuteman III missiles (ICBMs).
An undisclosed number of ICBM interceptors.
60+ nuclear-capable heavy bomber aircraft capable of delivering gravity bombs and or cruise missiles.
14+ Ballistic Missile Submarines (SSBNs) armed with 240+ submarine-launched nuclear ballistic missiles.
Such strategic forces are enabled by a secure nuclear command and control system and supplemented by an undisclosed number of non-strategic nuclear forces that provide an ability to forward-deploy.
Oh, Ballistic Missile Submarines or “boomers” are undetectable platforms for submarine-launched ballistic missiles. They are on constant patrol with enough firepower to make just one ‘boomer’ the sixth most powerful nuclear power in the world!
And that’s just the stuff that can be easily found on-line!
Recently a U.S. political candidate, who shall remain anonymous, asserted that historically, Russia, was good at fighting & winning wars. Noting their successes against Napoleon way back in 1812 and their conquest of Berlin in 1945, which brought Germany’s WWII war efforts to an end.
However, facts suggest otherwise:
First, the Russians defeated Napoleon during the Invasion of Russia in 1812 by using a scorched-earth policy; yep, the Russian defenders retreated and destroyed their own territory thereby denying Napoleon’s troops essential supplies, such as food! And too, this battle tactic was soon enhanced by the bitter cold associated with the Russian Winter weather which in the end sent Napoleon and his remaining troops ‘packing’ in disgrace back to France.
Second, even before the United States entered World War II in December of 1941, America sent arms and equipment to the Soviet Union to help it defeat the German invasion. Totaling $11.3 billion, or $180 billion in today’s currency. Such Supplies included a minimum of: 400,000 jeeps & trucks, 14,000 airplanes, 8,000 tractors, 13,000 tanks, 1.5 million blankets, 15 million pairs of army boots. 107,000 tons of cotton, 2.7 million tons of petroleum products and 4.5 million tons of food.
Unprepared then and unprepared today 🙂
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