Sunday, August 11, 2024

Battle of Kursk II: Madness Approaches

 


Imagine, if you will, that you’re the president of a vast country, and you decide it’s a brilliant idea to invade your neighbor. There’s just one tiny problem: your country’s laws don’t exactly allow you to start wars in neighboring states. But hey, who needs laws when you have euphemisms? So, you go ahead and launch a full-scale invasion, but don’t call it a war—oh no, it’s a "special military operation." That sounds much nicer, doesn’t it?

You reassure your citizens that everything is going perfectly according to plan. Victory is just around the corner. After all, your propaganda machine is working overtime, broadcasting to the world that you’ve already crushed the enemy’s armed forces. It’s almost too easy! But there’s a catch: you can’t have your people calling it a war, because that might imply, you know, actual conflict. So, anyone brave enough to hold up a sign that says "No to war" gets a one-way ticket to prison. Problem solved.
Fast forward two and a half years. The neighboring country, which by the way, you supposedly defeated, has somehow managed to defend itself valiantly. Not only that, but they’ve now invaded your territory. Yes, you heard that right—a full-scale military operation is happening on your home turf. Awkward, isn’t it?
Now, your country’s laws are pretty clear about what to do when foreign troops invade: you’re supposed to declare war. But hold on a second, you’ve already got this "special military operation" going on, and you’ve been telling everyone that you’ve decimated the enemy. So, what do you do? Well, you pretend that your country is under attack by terrorists and bandits. The fact that these "terrorists" are rolling in with modern tanks, planes, artillery, and electronic warfare equipment? Minor details.
Oh, and did I mention you had to evacuate 76,000 of your own citizens? No big deal, right? Just part of the plan. To keep up appearances, you fire your chief of general staff and put the head of your security service—who’s more suited to chasing terrorists than fighting a well-equipped military—in charge of defending the motherland. Brilliant strategy, wouldn’t you say?
As the old Latin proverb goes, "Quem deus vult perdere, prius dementat." In other words, "Whom the gods wish to destroy, they first make mad."
And so, here we are. Madness, indeed.
Glory to Ukraine!

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