Some quick thoughts
My brain has already powered down and entered Thanksgiving break mode. So this week I will just link to a few main stories and next week will take a break. Happy Thanksgiving!
This week saw the 1000 day anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. A remarkable feat by Ukraine given most people, including Russia, thought this war would not last longer than a week. Zelensky urged allies to “push Russia harder”. I hope he gets his wish.
Biden did finally allow Ukrainians to use U.S. missiles inside of Russia…but only the Kursk region that Ukraine has occupied. Almost the definition of too little too late. The Biden administration is most likely trying to speed up the delivery of aid and make decisions like these before Trump gets into office. They also approved the use of anti-personnel mines.
In response, Putin predictably threatened nuclear war and once again lowered the threshold for Russia to use nuclear weapons. The new doctrine would allow Russia to use nuclear weapons against any country that is supported by a nuclear power (Ukraine supported by the U.S.). Instead of using nuclear weapons, Russia did use an experimental, mid-range hyper-sonic ballistic missile. The speed of the missile makes it more difficult to shoot down, so it is a little worrying.
Lastly, I want to highlight a new project by Russian activist group, OVD-Info. I have long used their reports on protests in Russia and they have started a new project, in English, recording the political arrests and persecution that are taking place. It’s important, dangerous and useful work.