Things Are Starting To Get Unpleasant For Vladimir Putin

       I am lucky to have two very good Ukrainian friends right here in Pacifica. Elena and I have dear Russian friends. We love them all. We are heartbroken to see what is happening now in Ukraine. To me, it is just as crazy as the US invading Canada.

    There have been a lot of developments over the last 24 hours. I'm a veteran of the US armed forces. There is a proud tradition going back two centuries. When a man or woman is killed on the battlefield, every effort humanly possible is made to recover the body. It is very important that the fallen person is honored for his or her sacrifice. It is very important that the dead military person receives a dignified burial. It is very important that the family of the dead military person gets closure. Ukrainians on the ground are reporting that thousands of dead Russian soldiers are being left by Russian troops. Ukrainians are reporting that a number of Russian soldiers are surrendering to them, handing over their weapons, and saying: "I want no part of this."

     The US, Canada, and the European Union have decided to disconnect many Russian financial institutions from the SWIFT financial messaging system. This will cripple Russia's economy. Putin built up a financial war chest of up to $800 billion US dollars. He most probably will not have access to these funds. Russian assets around the world are being frozen. Unknown to many people, Putin is the wealthiest human being on earth. His assets are held by six close friends. It is a complex maze. The best financial specialists in the world will tackle this maze. These financial moves will cause great pain to the average Russian person. The Ruble will crash when the Russian Central Bank cannot support the Ruble. Many people will lose their jobs. Many people will lose their life savings. Unemployment will go up. Great human misery will follow.

    Russian forces are encountering violent resistance from the Ukrainian people. They were not expecting this. Putin is having to pour more and more troops into Ukraine. Russians in the big urban areas continue violent protests against the war. They are getting arrested in large numbers. Despite the best efforts of Putin, Russian people continue to hear the truth about what is happening in Ukraine. They know about all their countrymen dying. They know that their economy is about to crash.

    As time moves forward, Putin will get more and more desperate. He knows, as they say in English, the "he has painted himself into a corner." You are going to see large-scale cyber-attacks. Threats of nuclear weapons usage will be heard. My feeling is that Putin's inner circle will eventually force him from office.

    With all these Russian troops pouring into Ukraine, it is a perfect time for an old-fashioned ambush by NATO forces. This could be done with stealth cruise missiles, drones, stealth bombers, etc. If Putin claimed it was NATO forces, they could resort to "plausible deniability."