Like many others around the world, I’ve been watching, in shock, the events unfolding in the Ukraine. It’s shameful that Russia, and its deranged leader Vladimir Putin, have decided to attack a helpless sovereign nation. Thousands of innocence people will ultimately die, and the Ukraine will be left in ashes.

In the meantime, over one million refugees have crossed the border seeking safety from the onrushing Russian tanks and soldiers. A humanitarian crisis is brewing as two or three million Ukrainians are expected to leave their homes. Russian soldiers have repeatedly targeted civilian buildings, residences and non-military targets like a TV radio station and a gigantic nuclear facility that provides electricity to Ukrainians. 

It’s unclear what Putin’s ultimate objective is. Is it to engulf Ukraine for sentimental or political reasons? The country is not a powerhouse by any measure. There were 30 million people living in Ukraine when all this started. They are reportedly hard-working people with loose connections to Russia. There are no raw materials or anything worth starting a world war over. The only strategic asset in the country is Crimea, and its access to the Black Sea.

Putin believes Ukraine belongs to Russia, which is absurd. And, he wants to use Ukraine as a buffer to keep away European military forces, as if Europeans are planning to invade Russia. This is all nonsense. In a hot war, the US would attack Russia with our intercontinental ballistic missiles based thousands of miles away. 

Why the hell is Russia spending all this money and risking economic disaster for Ukraine? It has to be because Putin has gone batty. This leads us to another concern. Who is in control of nuclear weapons in Russia’s arsenal? This point was made in my last blog about Putin.

In the meantime, the US is still buying oil from Russia, which is funding his invasion. The US has decreased its production of oil and gas making us dependent upon Russia and Middle East producers. Presumably, this was done in an effort to jumpstart the war against fossil fuels. How can our president and Congress sacrifice national security because of demands by radical left wingers in our government?

I think the ultimate solution to the crisis is to not be weak and cringe every time Putin reminds us that he has nuclear weapons. Biden must indicate that the US is willing to go to war with Russia if its forces move on one foot of territory beyond Ukraine. We must protect our allies from this evil force that threatens democracy and freedom. Further, the US and nations around the world must bankrupt Russia, literally.

This means that all countries should stop doing business with Russia. No bank facilities should be available to the Russian government or its corporations. These actions will crush the Russian economy and create havoc in the country. And hopefully, the Russian people will recognize that Putin is an egotistical maniac that is bad for the country. A change in regime should be the ultimate goal. 

This plan should effectively convert Russia to a second class, irrelevant country.