[Mick]

I am interested in all the updates. In the big picture, Ukraine is doing well at repelling Russian attacks.  But I have some concern that the press exhibits such a of immense proportions Ukrainian bias that I’m getting a slanted view of events. Day after day, outlets like ISW, which get re-tweeted a lot, publish summaries that Russia made no material advances, but then bury the fact that Russia has taken additional villages/towns. At this point, there are at least a couple of places in the Donbas where it seems like there is a risk of Ukrainian troop encirclement. There are a couple of cities in the eastern part of the battle line arc that had a pre-war population ~100,000 that seem vulnerable to capture. The press makes it seem inevitable that Russia’s army will collapse before it takes the rest of the Donbas, but I’m concerned that there’s also some risk of a Ukrainian collapse at critical/strategic points on the front lines. I’m hoping that I’m just overthinking this.

"...a slanted view of events." Hmm. I'll put it this way. If Russia were to disappear today, utterly disappear without a trace, would this world miss it? Would the world be a lesser place? I wish it good riddance. Richly earned.

In a word, yes. Where would the world get matryoshka dolls if Russia disappeared?

The steroid/PED market would contract significantly.  Same with the super-low-end vodka market. Don't know if there are any other casualties. Fewer Bond villains? Chess grandmasters? Oligarch-owned yachts?

[Mick]

I am interested in all the updates. In the big picture, Ukraine is doing well at repelling Russian attacks.  But I have some concern that the press exhibits such a of immense proportions Ukrainian bias that I’m getting a slanted view of events. Day after day, outlets like ISW, which get re-tweeted a lot, publish summaries that Russia made no material advances, but then bury the fact that Russia has taken additional villages/towns. At this point, there are at least a couple of places in the Donbas where it seems like there is a risk of Ukrainian troop encirclement. There are a couple of cities in the eastern part of the battle line arc that had a pre-war population ~100,000 that seem vulnerable to capture. The press makes it seem inevitable that Russia’s army will collapse before it takes the rest of the Donbas, but I’m concerned that there’s also some risk of a Ukrainian collapse at critical/strategic points on the front lines. I’m hoping that I’m just overthinking this.

"...a slanted view of events." Hmm. I'll put it this way. If Russia were to disappear today, utterly disappear without a trace, would this world miss it? Would the world be a lesser place? I wish it good riddance. Richly earned.

In a word, yes. Where would the world get matryoshka dolls if Russia disappeared?

The steroid/PED market would contract significantly.  Same with the super-low-end vodka market. Don't know if there are any other casualties. Fewer Bond villains? Chess grandmasters? Oligarch-owned yachts?