I was in Kherson in Soviet times.
It is not the biggest city in Ukraine. But the crushing victory of the Ukrainian armed forces in Kherson has the following four dimensions that make its success the most important since the beginning of the war, and this defeat of rashism is undoubtedly the most resounding slap in the face of the Kremlin's villain image.
The first dimension of Ukrainian success is strategic. The importance of the recapture of Kherson is unprecedented, because it decisively changes the balance of power and gives Ukraine serious advantages, finally marking the failure of the conquest war of rashism. Yesterday I wrote that in chess terminology, Russia can now fight only for a draw. Today I read that a respected Bulgarian analyst literally says the same thing.
The second dimension of Ukrainian success is military. As I wrote once again yesterday, I anticipating and savoring the liberation of Kherson, this success is so significant in military terms that even the most fanatical supporters of Ukraine cannot fully enjoy it, because all kinds of rumors are spreading about a seemingly very wise and very cunning retreat of the rashists, who wanted, you see, to drag the Ukrainian troops into a trap or into a sack in this way. Military victories have so far have shaken the positions and authority of the rashist troops, but this victory already clearly positions them as the weaker of the two armies and creates conditions for considering the irreversible victorious course of the Ukrainian armed forces in the very near future.
The third dimension of Ukrainian success is psychological. Already among the people of Russia, and in the Russian society as a whole - “от Москвы до самых окраин” (“from Moscow to the very outskirts”) – depressive states, despair, anxiety and pain are gaining strength – about the fact that Russia is waging an absolutely wrong war in an absolutely brutal, anti-human way. But after this defeat and the inglorious repulsion from Kherson, the conviction will spread more and more widely in Russia that the war is not only harmful to Russia, but also inevitably lost. This will further depress and despair both ordinary Russian and other Russian nationalities. The psychological effect of the liberation of Kherson is to some extent an analogue of the repulse of the Nazis from Moscow in late 1941 and early 1942. Then the Soviet people believed for the first time that the war would be won. Something similar is happening now with the surge of post-Kherson optimism across Ukraine.
The fourth dimension is PR, propagandistic (if we speak in the spirit of the late socialism). The echo of Russia's defeat – a disgraceful and shameful, undeniable and unconditional defeat – will deal a heavy blow to all Putinophiles (and there are very many of them in our country – no less than a million), who cynically told themselves so far – well, yes, Russia is waging cruelly a bad war, by monstrous means and for false reasons, but She is our mother Russia, we love her, and the main thing is that Russia will win, and the winners are not judged. Now even these Putinophiles, despite all the stupidity of their blind and anti-Bulgarian pro-Putin faith, already recognize and even realize that Russia is losing this war. And that Russia's war is not only bad, and not only is it cruelly waged, not only are monstrous means used and false reasons are invented for it, but this war will be lost for Russia, and Russia will be put on the dock if not in international courts, then in the international experiences and perceptions, conclusions and assessments.
11.11.2022
Brief explanation:
These texts have been translated into English by me. They have not been read and edited by a native English speaker, nor by a professional translator. Therefore, all errors and ambiguities caused by the quality of the translation are solely mine. But I have been guided by the thought that the purpose of these texts is to show my opinion on a number of hot topics, and not to demonstrate excellent English, which, unfortunately, I cannot boast of.
