I’m in Odesa, Ukraine, following up on the integrity of humanitarian aid distribution. I have been in-country since late September. I have had all kinds of reactions from sections throughout the nation on the war status. Odesa is a strange-bird—unique in a number of ways, and maybe it’s because of its seaport location. Upon arriving, I was instantly clued to the fact that “Zelensky is not in favor at all.” A polite way of telling me to mind my Ps & Qs in various meetings. But here is a comment that really wounded me. I asked “When do you think the war will be over?” The reply, “When they cannot make any more money.” The implication was that as long as the US continued to send millions and billions over there is no reason to stop.
Basically, the money sent NEVER gets to the troops. I suspect, as I’ve noted previously, that most make a circuitous, untraceable journey back to DC pockets. If this is the truth, then I understand and applaud President Trump’s statement that the war will be “over” even before he is sworn into office.
The military-industrial complex owns this evil. They are excited. The battlefield is a live test zone for weapon development. Real human beings are the test subjects. The “old” weapons are being donated to Ukraine ONLY because they will be replaced with more sophisticated options to kill (and amazing is the admission from the donor nation that these are the old weapons). I have witnessed that the “old” battlefield strategies have evolved into an incredible Sci-fi theatre. It is truly like playing a video game, except human lives are lost.