(#4828) Mariupol will be liberated

      It is just a matter of hours or days that the Russians will be completely removed from the city of Mariupol. The Russians know that they cannot withstand the counterattacks of the Ukrainian military forces. Now that the Ukrainians are supplied with offensive capabilities the Russian forces know that they are going to be killed if they stay in Mariupol. I expect in the next day or so the claim of victory in Mariupol will be a Ukrainian one, not a Russian one. What putin has done is incredibly evil in that he has devastated many cities and murdered thousands of civilians. The expectation in Mariupol will be the same as was discovered in Bucha, horrendous treatment of Ukrainian civilians.
     Yet the Ukrainian people are not to be deterred as their military will not be deterred. They know that despite all the atrocities they cannot take their eyes off of the bigger picture. Saving Ukraine from the clutches of the madman in Moscow. Whatever price they must pay for the defeat of putin and the end of the murderous aggression they are experiencing. We in the west are doing some things to help the Ukrainians defend themselves but for me it is nowhere near enough to stop the daily murder putin is applying on the Ukrainian population. Calling putin's bluff has been my strategy from the start and as we linger in calling his bluff thousands of lives keep being lost.
     Yet given less odds to survive the Ukrainian people have shown that odds are nothing when pride and survival are at stake. There is a meme going around that is very simply put, If Russia were to stop fighting Russia will still exist, if Ukraine stops fighting then Ukraine would cease to exist, paraphrased. So there is no other option for Ukraine. Either fight to the death or victory or become a vassal state under Russian rule. Pride and survival are driving the Ukrainian will and that is exactly what is turning this apparent early on Russian cakewalk through Ukraine into a killing field full of Russian blood and treasure. Same is going to happen in Mariupol as the fighting Ukrainian army disposes of the ill equipped and out motivated Russian horde!