We don’t know all the reasons why Russia invaded Ukraine, but we can guess at some of them. Fear of NATO is certainly part of the picture, but only part. The largest element is greed.
Money and power drive our wars, and this one is no different. If it was just about stopping Ukraine from joining NATO, Russia would have used a different strategy. But, since Putin has bigger ambitions and perceives the West to be weak, he chose the more traditional path to empire.
Unfortunately, it looks like this is exactly what some in the West wanted him to do.
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The Game of Wolves
On December 24th, 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. Twelve years later, the communist empire was dead, having been bled dry by Afghan Mujahideen and American stinger missiles. The Soviets had reached too far, and it was their undoing.
Is this why the US Department of State maneuvered Ukraine in a way that threatened Russia?
We know who was running the strategy behind the US-led coup against the Ukrainian government in 2014:
Nuland-Pyatt leaked phone conversation _COMPLETE with SUBTITLES
That conversation will forever be the signature moment that showed everyone just how vile US foreign policy is. And when Victoria Nuland was promoted to the fourth highest position in the US Department of State by Joe Biden in 2021, it should have been clear to everyone what strategy was being played.
Ukraine was a US puppet aimed straight at Moscow.
Russia’s response had been a clever combination of asymmetric warfare and propaganda. They took over Crimea with their Little Green Men and held a ‘referendum’. In Donbass, they fomented a revolt by Donetsk and Luhansk. And, for almost eight years, Ukraine was caught in the middle of an almost-war.
What changed?
We can’t be completely sure, but problems within Russia, vulnerability in Europe and a weak America might have offered an opportunity to Putin that he could not resist. And, we can’t be completely clear about all of these factors.
Dictators masquerading as democratically elected leaders often have a limited lifespan. Such ‘presi-tators’ rarely go quietly into the night. Eventually, their power base erodes, and they fall. Vlad ‘The Bad’ Putin might have seen the writing on the wall and tried to reinforce his legitimacy by invading Ukraine in a holy war to liberate the oppressed.
Another problem could be connected to dwindling energy resources. Russia supplies as much as half of Europe’s energy, and they might be running low on natural gas and oil. At some point those energy reserves will decline. We’ve been wondering when OPEC would decline, and we all assumed that they were lying about their reserves. But, I’m not sure that we looked at how difficult a bind Russia might be in.
So, if Russia needs more natural gas, this might be why Putin invaded Ukraine:
Why Russia is Invading Ukraine
That video digs deep into Russia’s feelings of vulnerability to NATO and their desperate need for water in Crimea. All of that might be exactly why Russia invaded.
But, why now?
Remember that Russia and the United States are both governed by wolves. Any sign of weakness is an invitation to attack. And right now, the US and Europe have demonstrated obvious vulnerability.
America’s humiliating withdrawal from Afghanistan would have been a signal that American military power was in decline. The leadership of the US military is ineffectual and corrupt, with generals pushing a ‘woke’ agenda. And Biden appears frail and lacking in resolve.
Europe’s complete vulnerability to changes in Russian natural gas deliveries would have probably been the final bit of good news that Russia needed. Putin would have known in December that Europe could not block the sale and delivery of oil and gas from Russia. And yes, the decision to go to war was probably made in December or even November.
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UPDATE: After hitting publish, I saw this video:
Energy, Food, and War in Eastern Europe
Russia is suffering a population implosion. Russia doesn’t have much time to plug future invasion routes before they lose their military. Also, he points to truly massive food instability and a huge shortfall in energy production. I’m not sure if everything that he says here is correct, so double check. But, if even half of what he says is true, there is trouble ahead – FOR THIS YEAR.
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Again, make no mistake about Putin and his inner circle. They are wolves. They could have handled Ukraine differently, but they chose invasion. And, it’s exactly what the US wanted.
Why The US Wanted This War
Everyone forgets the key reason why the United States is the great superpower today. And, I find it ironic that so few ever mention it:
The US had the only manufacturing capability left, after World War II.
Europe and Asia had been bombed flat. A large part of their manpower had been killed off, and the US was the only power left standing. The US also had oil and used both to good effect. The post-war boom made America great, and we should all be wondering if the US would like to see that happen again.
Some in Washington are hoping to see Russia bled dry by another costly war, like the invasion of Afghanistan. And, at the same time, the Military Industrial Complex would benefit greatly from a newly frightened Europe buying as many weapons as America can produce. And should the Russians attempt to retake the rest of eastern Europe, the world will clamor for American help in repelling Vlad ‘The Bad’ Putin.
Furthermore, as in World War II, the US is considered the one safe place to put your money. When Hitler began his march towards empire, gold flooded into America. Britain, France and Austria all placed their financial future in the hands of the Federal Reserve. And, they’re still doing it.
America even stands to gain from an invasion of Taiwan by China. All that extra fear would be great for arms sales and Wall Street. As long as it doesn’t go nuclear, World War III will make America great again.
The Invasion Of Taiwan
If China sees the Russian invasion of Ukraine as a success, Xi Jinping will loose the dogs of war and invade Taiwan. Xi is as much a wolf as Putin, and the only thing keeping Taiwan from being invaded is the threat posed by other countries. But, if the West continues to show weakness in the face of the Russian war machine, my 23 million neighbors are toast.
Unfortunately, too many Taiwanese are telling themselves that being ruled by Chinese Communist Party won’t be all that different than their current government. They’ve been consuming too much CCP propaganda and haven’t thought through what will happen after an invasion.
China has a kill list. They know who needs to die and who should go into their ‘reeducation camps’. And that’s assuming that they don’t nuke Taiwan down to bedrock. And yes, that’s a possibility.
Remember that China has no morality other than power. They have the most amoral government ever created by mankind. There is literally nothing that they will not do to increase their wealth and power. The only question is whether the risk is worth the reward.
Some have referred to the CCP as just a bigger, more organized version of a Mafia crime family. And, the allusion is accurate. Just look at the Princelings of the Chinese Communist Party (太子黨). They behave exactly like sons and daughters of organized crime.
The Ride Of The Red Horse
Lord willing, the invasion of Taiwan will be delayed or even cancelled, but one thing that cannot be avoided is the coming unrest due to food shortage. Ukraine and Russia supply a huge amount of corn and wheat to Turkey, the Middle East and North Africa. And those shipments have been blocked by Russia’s invasion.
This means a repeat of the Arab Spring that happened in 2011. Tunisia, Libya, Egypt and Syria had all been suffering food shortages from 2008 as a result of the surge in oil prices that collapsed the world economy. As discontent rose, organized groups like the Muslim Brotherhood launched riots and mayhem. And, it looks like it’s happening again.
Last year, 51% of Turkish citizens reported being unable to afford food in the past 12 months. Egypt is having similar trouble with more than 41% Egyptians in 2021 reported lacking money for food at some point in the last 12 months. In Kenya, that figure rises to more than 70%.
What will happen to third world countries that depend on the importation of basic foods like corn, wheat and rice?
There will be riots in the streets.
Violence and unrest will sweep the globe hitting the most vulnerable countries first. Then, it will be our turn as rising costs for everything turn us against our own governments.
And, when things get bad enough, The Black Horse of Revelation Six will begin his ride.
It’s all a part of the run up to When Gog Comes:
When Gog Comes
This game of wolves has been playing for a very long time, and it will only get worse.
I truly hope that you’ll be ready for this
A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished. – Proverbs 22:3
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Again, watch this video and start thinking about what he said:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bq75Av59-YU
If Peter Zeihan is even HALF right, things are far, far more serious than we thought.
Good morning my beloved brother in Christ.
Its so good to read your perspective on things.
What an incredibly stunning week, on so many different levels.
A tragic terrible week that I can’t help seeing as proof the 4 horsemen are abroad.
Especially, as you note, the Red horse. I think we can all clearly see where inflation of food and energy is going now, at a time of rapidly rising inflation post Covid.
I didn’t think Ukraine would end in conflict, I honestly thought Ukraine was smarter than that. I didn’t realise just how much power the Ultra-nationalist Neo-Nazis had in Ukraine.
https://www.moonofalabama.org/2022/03/zelensky-and-the-fascists-he-will-hang-on-some-tree-on-khreshchatyk.html#more
A different perspective from the Donbass
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dQQgv-nVUY
From my perspective this is another re-run of the 2008 Georgia war.
Ukraine was encouraged to attack the Donbass rebels, Russia warned them off.
The West promises support and assures Ukraine Russia wouldn’t dare intervene with the threat of War with NATO. Some have said Ukraine attacked the Donbass, others have said they intended to attack and Russia conducted a pre-emtive strike, others say no attack was coming and Russia was tricked into invading, or just decided to invade anyhow.
The why is now irrelevant, I firmly believe the West expected Russia to back down in the face of the threat from the West… This is more proof the West does not understand the Russian mindset. We keep treating Russia like they think like us.
If we think of the 2 sides as poker players. The West is the gambler, we constantly consider the play at the table, assessing the risks, if the stakes are too high we will fold and try for another hand. Russia on the other hand is the professional player with the unreadable face. They keep raising the stakes until you fold your hand or call the game. They will go all in even if they know they have nothing to win the game, and will stare you down and bluff you into folding knowing full well if you call them out they will lose everything.
For the West this is about expansionism, for Russia its about survival.
Russia has gone all in, stared down the West and the West has folded.
Ukraine is slowly coming to realise that the West is not coming to save them.
“Give us planes!” No. “Put in a no fly zone!” No. “What are we, cannon fodder?” Yes.
Yes the sanctions will hurt Russia, they won’t destroy Russia or force them to capitulate any more than they destroyed Iran.
I cannot help but think that Zelensky hoped to defy Russia expecting Western intervention… that help is clearly not coming. Will Ukraine fold like Georgia in 2008 and prevent a terrible and tragic outcome – I certainly hope so.
What was interesting was the call for condemnation of Russia by the West and/or impose sanctions…. and the nations around the world that said no…. China, Pakistan, India, Brazil, Israel, Saudi Arabia, UAE, South Africa, Mexico. They may not be allies of Russia but that is a large swathe of Asia and the Middle East that rejected Western/American pressure.
But ultimately this is not about Ukraine, this is about American power projection via NATO in a unipolar world. For the 4th time in 2 decades Russia has challenged that. 2008 Georgia, 2014 crimea, 2015 Syria, 2022 Ukraine. If your those smaller nations on NATO’s Eastern border, wouldn’t you start to nervously wonder if America will seriously come to your aid if Russia did cross the border?
If Ukraine accepts reality and surrenders, hoping to secure a negotiated/forced peace with Russia; and I don’t believe Russia wants to occupy Ukraine, but has been honest about its intentions of de-nazifying and disarming Ukraine. Who then really holds the power in Eurasia… If they don’t then the loss of life will be terrible, but ultimately they lose.
What concerns me though is the loss of that American power projection over Europe… as the economic realities take hold in Europe and it dissolves into the growing energy and food crisis will we ultimately see the breakup of Europe and NATO as nations seek to secure their own resources? The threat of the Soviets and American power projection held Europe together for 77 years, but Europe still hate each other. Hungary is already talking about being prepared to protect itself… from all directions.
https://hungarytoday.hu/orban-nato-hungarian-army-developments-eu-refugees/
https://www.zerohedge.com/commodities/russia-recommends-fertilizer-makers-halt-all-exports
Greece and Turkey still have issues over the Adriatic and Cyprus, and with Turkey suffering energy and economic issues will we see a resurgence of that conflict.
Now we have Mike Pompeo stirring the pot over Taiwan.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/4/us-should-recognise-free-taiwan-pompeo-says
The disruption to the global economy if conflict erupted in the South China sea at a time when we have suffered so much already is almost unimaginable.
In the end though, we may speculate and wonder at Gods ultimate plan as we watch it unfold before our eyes. I am absolutely and firmly convinced we are in the end times now. Man and nations are seeking to conquer each other, peace has clearly gone from the earth. The hyperinflation and food security issues of the black horse are no longer alarmingly visible in the near future, they have begun… and the result of nations looking to their own interests will see them eyeing the resources of their neighbours. There are 8 billion souls on the planet and Death is given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine, plague and wild beasts…. 2 billion dead. With no mention of the sun I can only assume that the micronova and global earthquake is not included in that number.
It doesn’t matter which nation is in the right or wrong, who is just in their cause or evil in their intent.
Romans 3:23 ‘for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.’
The Lords fury knows no bounds, and righteous is His wrath.
Blessed be His name for the mercy He gave us in His Son Jesus Christ.
May each and every one of us be worthy of His name.
Peter.
Hi Peter Makin,
If the invasion of Ukraine was just about Donbass, a pragmatic Putin would have done it differently. There is no way that he would have taken such a big risk over a small part of Ukraine. Continuing the current strategy of asymmetric warfare would have fulfilled his objectives. He would have gotten better results at a lower cost.
The neo-nazis in Ukraine are a tiny minority. They received something like 2% of the vote in the last election. Furthermore, taking out Azov might not have been that hard. And, Russia would have gotten away with it. (No one likes neo-Nazis.)
Is it possible that Putin is not as pragmatic as advertised?
Furthermore, insiders in Russia were shocked at this invasion. It was completely unexpected. So, something else is at play here. And, it’s not NATO, since Ukraine had already been blocked from joining.
As for Taiwan, calling for Taiwan to be recognized as an independent country is actually a sound strategy. This should have been done decades ago. And, allowing China to continue their ‘Salami slicing’ in the South China Sea will threaten the trade routes that supply Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and others. It needs to be stopped.
The only way to stop China is to make it clear that their current strategy will cost them more than backing off.
The Chinese Communist Party is literally the most evil organization ever created. That’s not hyperbole, and I didn’t understand how bad Beijing was until I came to Taiwan. If we want to avoid World War III, the CCP must be neutralized. But, they won’t be, which is why we might have WWIII.
Thanks for the input, Peter. Hopefully, the situation will become clearer over the coming days.
Yours in Christ,
John Little
omegashock.com
I think you misunderstand me my friend.
I completely agree this is not just about the people of the Donbass.
This is far bigger than them, and i dont think we will fully realise everything for a long time to come.
The Donbass and Ukraine are no more than puppets whos strings are being pulled by those in power. For 8 years Putin has used the Donbass to keep Ukraine out of NATO. Why change now? Why the need to disarm Ukraine? Why is he sending a message to the West to say ‘back off or else’. Has he miscalculated this time? We don’t know the answers and can merely guess.
But everything we know about Putin says he is a rational man, excels at power games and does nothing hasty or spontaneous. Is he an evil man? Of course, but i dont have to like someone to respect them. Is he any more evil than our own Western leaders? By no means.
I don’t agree with what is happening in Ukraine by any means based on what is known. But given the propagnda and power games by our own elites over the last 2 decades that have seen nation after nation thrown into chaos and conflict i cannot off hand dismiss the idea that we somehow forced Putins hand in this with something behind the scenes and global chaos will arise as a result.
But Ukraine isnt the issue we need to focus on, its the degredation of American power projection. For 70 years the world has been a relatively stable place because the US was the manufacturing and technological powerhouse. It used its financial and military power to intimidate nations into submission or subservience; bringing that power to bear on any challengers. The only reason the Soviets could stand was the threat of nuclear destruction, in the end even they fell. But in the last 20 years that dominance has slowly been challenged, and they have blinked. China in the South China Sea, Russia in Georgia, Crimea, Donbass now Ukraine. Western nations have become divide internally over politics, income inequality and immorality. They have even become beligerent against each other as the UK walked away from Europe and now European nations argue and accuse each other over resources. Add in the chaos of a global energy and food crisis….
I suspect World war 3 has begun, we just havent realised it yet.
Appreciate your insight brother.
Excellent points. Thank you for clarifying. And yes, this is much bigger than Russia invading Ukraine. And, I just got confirmation today that Russia is suffering from declining oil and gas reserves. I don’t think any of us are ready for what’s coming. Thank you for your great input, Peter. – JL
Another point to consider in the age we are living in my friend.
From my latest FB post.
The media focus on Ukraine is on the local human tragedy.
What is happening in Ukraine is terrible, and all effort should be put into negotiating a peace. But this isn’t a European problem, and people are missing the bigger picture.
Russia and Ukraine are major food exporters, especially to the Middle East and we are now seeing multiple nations restrict or ban food exports as they look at food security at a time of rapidly increasing global inflation.
Ukraine has banned all food exports for 2022. Now Hungary has also banned all grain exports, Serbia banned wheat, corn, flour and cooking oil. Bulgaria said it would increase grain reserves and potentially ban exports. Egypt banned Wheat, lentil and flour exports. This is early days, and with Europe coming into spring planting there is a question of the ability of Europe to fertilize their fields given much of their fertilizer comes from…. Russia! Who have just introduced a ban to ‘unfriendly’ countries.
But more than that is the change in global power. For the last 70 years we have had relative world peace with the USA acting as world police via both military and financial power.
That power has been defied and there is a question now, albeit unspoken, if America is capable of preserving the peace.
If China made any move to blockade or invade Taiwan it would disrupt world sea traffic…. Is America really prepared to face down China over the issue?
Turkeys economy is in dire straits, inflation is roughly 50% for the year and the government has appealed to the people to give up their gold and silver jewelry to help the countries finances. If Turkey’s problems become too great, it may well look at trying to secure its own energy fields. Could we see a war between Turkey and Greece over Cyprus and the Adriatic islands? Turkey and Greece have been accusing each other of belligerent acts for decades, there is no love lost there. A war in the Eastern Mediterranean would also have a major impact on global trade.
Brexit has seen clashes between British fishermen and fishermen from European nations over fishing grounds along Western Europe’s coastlines.
The potential for Europe to break up if more nations start to close their borders to food exports and begin to fight over access to resources is not impossible.
Ethiopia is building a major hydroelectric dam across the Nile, Egypt has objected over this as it will potentially affect its food production that is reliant on the Nile flooding. We could potentially see a war between Egypt and Ethiopia disrupting traffic through the Suez canal…. remember the disruption Ever Given caused.
World War 3 was always thought to be a nuclear conflict between major powers, but it could instead be nation against nation simply seeking to survive.
We can but hope that we do not look back in 20 or 30 years and wonder how we allowed this to happen.
Excellent post, Peter. Very few understand where this is going. And, it’s only going to get worse. – JL
I disagree with the imputation of cynical motives of greed/scarcity being the primary driver of putin
Of course 100% of not just american but “western” media is playing the same siren song about big bad putin/russia and it has zip zero zilch to do with just the plain facts that since the 90s NATO ala the US and its vassal/puppet states ( all of nato and all the states pining away breathlessly to join nato) have been pushing the border closer and closer to Russia
For over 20 years russia has been warning against the constant expansion of Nato eastward.
No further! Ok i really mean it now…no further!. Ok ok look guys NO further
And its just ignored!
At what point do honest men say. Enough is enough?
The west is entirely out of control. You know it. I know it. And Putin knows it.
But no lets instead figure out some cynical reasons to justify this western message that ukraine and nato are pure as the driven snow innocents aka the dualistic “good guys” and russia are the bad guys.
I know you suggest US “wants this war” but thats not the western media message being propped up.
Ukraine and the west should be grateful that they are not Iran and Russia is not Israel. Becasue this nato expansion nonsense would never have been tolerated the way Russia has tolerated this garbage for decades.
Israel says “never again” and is applauded
Russia says “never again” and is demonized
However, Ukraine was already blocked from joining NATO. No country can join while there are still ongoing territorial disputes. All Russia would need to do is keep the disputes going, add a bit of extra unrest here and there… and situation resolved. So, this is not about NATO. Thanks, mem. – JL
It really is about Nato and the gateways to invasion of Russia that your first commented video speaks to by Mr Zaihan. Russia know their very survival is at stake just as Israel does.
It is not just about ukraine or maybe the oversimplified dismissal view that “there were other ways” would make sense. But its far more.
Moldova, latvia, estonia, romania, poland, and more
Russia will never tolerate a bufferless zone or even a continued erosion of the zone in letter or spirit just as Israel will never tolerate a nuclear capable Iran. But that buffer zone has been eroding for decades as Nato just keeps disobeying their own promises to Russia. While Russia keeps tellimg them no no stop no more you have to stop….
And no…stopping ukraine from becoming a nato member isnt good enough when they are all to happy to host nukes from the US aimed at russia and being a nato member is not a requirment when the US/Nato/west still pull the strings.
This was predicted years ago. The US has walked Ukraine down the primrose path of indentured slavery.
Of course Russia knows all this and of course noone would ever listen or care about these matters BUT RUSSIA. This is why even now you and the western media just cant believe this is about Nato encroachment. Unfortunately this tonedeaf response is just going to make things worse.
All that is left is what is happening and will continue to happen. No other boogeymen need to be found or fabricated
Do not make the mistake of thinking that Putin is one of the ‘good guys’. He isn’t. He’s not even one of the ‘less bad guys’. He could have handled this differently, but he chose war instead. There can be no denying this. All the evils of US foreign policy do not excuse this. – JL
Yes they do.
https://www.armstrongeconomics.com/world-news/war/putin-offers-peace-zelensky-declines/
And
https://www.armstrongeconomics.com/international-news/russia/the-russian-mindset-failing-to-understand/
Please read the above, not just the titles. They’re not very long.
I really can’t go along with this demonizing of Putin. Calling him ‘evil’ sounds hysterically funny to me, as if the Biden and Clinton administrations, and the Dems’ ruthless agenda of committing even the most outrageous fraud and blatant lying to maintain any kind of hold on power —- are somehow not as bad. They make Putin look like an angel.
From all that I have read, most of it on this blog, the KGB pales in comparison to the CIA. And the CCP.
GIven REALITY, which needs to be faced, what kind of fool would trust the promises of the US or NATO, especially when Kamala Harris completely contradicts it? Note that the Ukraine has the 3rd most nukes in the world, just behind the US and Russia. The Minsk and Budapest agreements were “promised” to address this, the warheads were supposed to be returned to Russia for disassembly but it dragged on and on and never happened. What do you trust, a worthless piece of paper from a former superpower that is notorious for breaking promises, or (Lord knows how many) nukes in silos aimed at your homeland??? Come on!!! Putin is no fool. Even now he is trying to deescalate, offering peace after showing that he is serious about not allowing this, after Russia has patiently endured this encroachment for decades.
Russia has Crimea. There is energy there. Since the west is idiotically trying to shut Russia out of the world economy, too stupid to realize they are shooting themselves in the foot and will probably suffer from this more than Russia does, let them have what they want. Russia can just stop supplying energy to Europe, use it for their own people, and see how Europe likes that. They can thank the US and their incessant meddling.
Hi DRG,
I agree with Armstrong’s understanding of history. But, that’s not why I consider Putin to be evil. And to be clear, I don’t consider him to be any more evil than the leadership of the US. Victoria Nuland may actually be worse.
I even understand and sympathize with Putin’s goals of neutralizing Ukraine as a threat to Russia. It wouldn’t even surprise me if history shows that Putin did his very best to limit the number of civilian deaths, trying to make this invasion as humane as possible.
Putin’s path into darkness began years ago – before the fall of the Soviet Union. But, it’s hard to say. We could dig into the details, but they aren’t terribly important right now. The point is about the path that this is going, and that fact that he chose it.
As for Zelensky, he could be everything that he appears to be, or not. I have no idea. I’m getting conflicting stories, but I can’t fault him for not agreeing to a ‘peace treaty’ that makes his country completely vulnerable to Lukashenko to the north and Putin to the East.
I’ve begun to wonder if there are any politicians above a certain pay grade who aren’t evil. Even the ones who appear to be good may be nothing more than wolves in sheep’s clothing.
Again, I sympathize with Putin’s motives. But, I cannot escape the fact that he chose this path, one that will lead to death and destruction on a global scale. Millions will die, and their blood will stain Putin’s hands forever. And, I will grieve over all of it.
Thank you for that input, DRG. Armstrong always provides a valuable historical context to current events.
Yours in Christ,
John Little
omegashock.com
Hi John – We can agree to disagree on the root cause of this “war”.
However, please take the 8 min to watch this video that is a lone voice in a sea of vitriol
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TzgPJeYZaOU
God bless you John
Hi mem,
I understand your points, so I hope that you see mine.
Everything said in that video is valid. And, I’ve made even stronger ones. US culpability is even worse than that video indicates. Ukraine also has its own share of blame. But, none of that excuses what Putin and his cronies have done. Millions will die because of this, and Putin’s motives are not even close to pure.
He loosed the dogs of war, and there’s no calling them back. This is an evil that we will never recover from.
Yes, it is the Last Days. Something like this was bound to happen, and I’ve warned that war was coming. And, there are spiritual forces at work, pushing these events forward. But, that does not excuse this invasion of Ukraine.
I wish that I could be more dispassionate about what’s happening, but I can’t. May God have mercy on all of us, as we move into the terrible times ahead.
I appreciate your good will, mem. May God bless your life and keep you safe.
Yours in Christ,
John Little
omegashock.com
Hi John,
did you see:
https://tomluongo.me/2022/03/06/thanks-putins-war-ukraine-race-great-reset/
(especially last part of it).
If, IF he is right, I have nothing to add. Before I go to sleep, I’d love to figure out at least one scenario of how it will proceed. I mean, scenario which does not contain the words “nuclear weapons”.
Yours in Christ
Chris
Hi Chris,
I’ve crossed swords with Tom Luongo before. His understanding of geopolitics is limited. And, he assumes that Putin has a ‘grand strategy’.
There might be something to that assumption, but Putin’s mistakes so far are interesting.
Here’s a recent analysis of the logistics failures in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine:
Also, the fact that Putin put a corrupt politician, Sergei Shoigu, to head up his military… well …it indicates some real deficiencies in strategic thinking.
The idea of selling oil for gold is interesting, but not workable in oil markets in which tanker cargoes can change hands and destinations multiple times before reaching port.
The other problem is that Russia is drilling for oil and gas in the Arctic. This is not something that you do, if you have large reserves elsewhere.
Another thing to think about is the shutoff of oil and gas. There is a limited amount of time that you can do that, before you have to shut down wells. And, they cannot be restarted easily. Too much more of this, and the damage could be awfully permanent.
However, Tom’s idea of using food exports as a weapon is as interesting as it is diabolical. 25% of world food exports come from Ukraine and Russia. Blocking that will starve a lot of people. And, that will be bad.
Russia might have an ‘ace up its sleeve’, but I don’t think that any of us know what that is. I certainly wouldn’t trust any prediction that I would make. I’ve been wrong in the past, and expect to be wrong in the future.
Is there ANYONE who understands what’s happening?
Is Putin planning to use his nuclear weapons? An EMP strike?
Right now, nothing would surprise me.
The questions that I have, right now, are:
Which horses from Revelation 6 is riding?
How is this conflict creating the conditions for Gog and Magog?
We’ll see it when it happens. And, I am not certain that I will like what we’ll see.
Stay safe, Chris. Thank you for that input. May all of our brothers and sisters be granted safe passage through the dark days ahead.
Yours in Christ,
John Little
omegashock.com
Hi John,
that’s it. I’m aware of “logistic failures”, and some of them are indeed terrible waste of equipment and human life. I have no explanation for this. And many more things. Weaponizing food certainly leads to wars, many wars. And, whatever happens in Ukraine we should brace for dramatic economic “reconfiguration” of our planet. That also translates to famines and more wars.
Thanks John, we’ll keep watching.
Yours in Christ
Chris
ps.
oh, this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EqN5AqmbYM
had no idea that there is ~16.5 year solar cycle. Not yet a danger of micronova-scale event, but apparently some clock above our heads is ticking, and it points to the second half of this year. How bad it can be is to be seen. No predictions from my side, I’m also horrible at this:)
There is a huge amount of discussion, from various aspects, over what is happening in Ukraine. All of it is speculation and based on worldly perceptions of the theatre that is presented to us as reality.
What we do know, is that for whatever reason or reasons, Russia has made no serious effort to take control of Ukraine. It has seized control of Ukraine’s coastline and border with Russia. Has effectively encircled numerous cities and towns but has made no major effort to seize them unless they surrender. The bulk of Ukraine’s forces are all but trapped in the North and East. Russia and Ukraine have both suffered losses, civilian and military. Russia has largely refrained from using its best units and is not yet committing the bulk of its air force.
There is no one earthly reason why Ukraine hasn’t been conquered as expected in days, logistics, corruption, resistance, lack of commitment, politics, fear of retaliation…. there is always a multitude of earthly reasons why we don’t understand. That gives rise to speculation and ‘conspiracy theory’ like Putin is aligned with the WEF and Schwab because Schwab mentioned his name. Or its about Ukraine getting nukes because Zelensky said…. Or US bioweapon labs… Or this or that or or or or or ……
Earthly reasons are immaterial, the Heavens are where we need to look. I see nothing in the Bible that speaks or suggests nuclear war, EMP’s or Cyber attacks. I do see the Bible talk of Man’s pride and sin, our self reliance rather than our reliance on our Heavenly Father. I see Satan seeking war on the Heavens and using man as his instrument, and God turning that against him time and time again. I see the Bible talk of a time where Heavenly seals are loosed and a horseman ‘rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest’. I see a horseman ‘given power to take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other’, a horseman ‘holding a pair of scales in his hand’ and massive inflation. Finally a horseman named Death. ‘They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.’ I see events on the earth fulfilling the four horsemen perfectly.
It matters not who the players are here on Earth, but rather who is moving in the Heavens.
John and I may disagree on the amount of oil and gas reserves the world has, but the reality is if we can’t afford to extract them it is immaterial. It doesn’t matter if Russia conquers Ukraine, or the West defeats and humiliates Russia, how evil China/America/England or Russia is because in the end when the micronova comes all nations will fall before the Lords righteous anger.
Everything that happens on earth is according to Gods will and plan.
It was Gods will Russia invade Ukraine here and now rather than 2014, Russia will prevail or fall according to His plan. Either way I see the world falling into chaos as the ‘old world order’ collapses and everyone seeks to secure resources for themselves. Israel is Gods instrument and I find it noteworthy that they are resisting American pressure to condemn Russia, Bennett declaring Putin as ‘sane and rational’. There are millions of Jews in Ukraine and Russia, Israel is calling them home.
I do not have to understand the Lords will, I do have to Trust Him.
“As long as it doesn’t go nuclear, World War III will make America great again.”
If what I have read about the NWO goals is true, this can’t be one of them because they want to eliminate the superpower status of the US and make it a slave to the NWO as they have nearly accomplished with Europe.
“What we do know, is that for whatever reason or reasons, Russia has made no serious effort to take control of Ukraine. It has seized control of Ukraine’s coastline and border with Russia. Has effectively encircled numerous cities and towns but has made no major effort to seize them unless they surrender. The bulk of Ukraine’s forces are all but trapped in the North and East. Russia and Ukraine have both suffered losses, civilian and military. Russia has largely refrained from using its best units and is not yet committing the bulk of its air force.
There is no one earthly reason why Ukraine hasn’t been conquered as expected in days, logistics, corruption, resistance, lack of commitment, politics, fear of retaliation…. there is always a multitude of earthly reasons why we don’t understand.”
The above describes exactly the strategy Putin is using, that Armstrong lays out and says the west cannot comprehend because it doesn’t involve bombing the target out of existence. So they think he’s losing and making stupid mistakes, kind of like someone who doesn’t understand spiders might watch one spinning a web and think, why is it wasting all this time and energy? It’s so much bigger than the bugs it wants to eat, why
doesn’t it just chase them down and catch them? He is surrounding certain cities and taking control of important borders and passages. He must have a reason.
Armstrong does say that there are elements to this whole scenario that seem odd, but at least the strategy makes sense to him. And Armstrong’s accuracy has everything to do with the fact that he has come up with an amazing algorithm, and he has learned to trust it whether it makes sense or not. Every time he has wondered if it were incorrect, he’s been wrong. The only place he ventures an opinion is when he is offering POSSIBLE explanations for how the Socrates projections might come about. But so far, they have always come about. And now, Socrates is saying this Ukraine thing will not calm down or be resolved, it will fester and escalate until we really do have international war. He doesn’t know why or how this will happen, he also bemoans the lack of a diplomatic solution which would have been so easy if the PTB were the least bit rational. But they aren’t. And they are all liars. They talk about desiring peace, economic stability, freedom and human rights, etc but these are no more their goals than public health was the goal of the scamdemic measures.
What do you recommend Putin should have done? Can asymmetric warfare prevent the launching of missiles from the silos in Ukraine? A good cyber hack could, but are nuclear weapon sites vulnerable enough that you could trust this as a defense? Especially as every loophole you find to hack, they should plug up after the fact – if they have any brains at all. What if you run out of loopholes in their systems? What do you do about a province that is 98% Russian, forbidden to speak Russian, and not allowed to vote on whether it wants to stay with Ukraine or not?
If I were Putin, I would not rest easy until I knew there were no more nuclear weapons in Ukraine. Especially when the US is pulling puppet strings like crazy and shipping arms to Kyiv, which is why he blew up the airport. I can’t blame him.
Hi DRG,
Actually, I sincerely hope that Armstrong is right that Putin is acting according to a well thought out plan, and that what looks like a ‘stalled invasion’ is merely part of an overall strategy. If that’s the case, then maybe complete disaster can be averted.
My greatest fear at this moment is the likelihood that Putin made a mistake that he will now need to escalate this war to fix. This will add more and more strategic errors until our international system fails and we descend into World War. If his attempt at ‘Lightning War’ had succeeded, we might not have been in such a mess.
You can see some of his intentions by Russia’s attempt to capture air fields with Spetsnaz special forces units – deep inside Ukraine. That attempt failed badly, and Russia lost a general in the process. And, this brings us to the question of logistics, which is how you win wars. And, it looks like they weren’t investing in that key component.
If this is the case, then we are left with the worst of all possible situations.
There is a startling similarity to Japan’s decision to attack Pearl Harbor. It was an economic decision that cost them their empire and sent America hurtling into World War II. I know that it sounds bizarre for that to have been an economic decision, but history tells us that it was. And, I wonder if the same is true about Russia.
As for the NWO goals, remember that all politics is local. Yes, all these persons-of-uncertain-parentage spout the globalist line, but when push comes to shove, they seek their own interests first. Nuland is a perfect example of this. She is a ‘patriot’ first, and a globalist second. And, a nice big war that leaves the US unscathed would be perfect for US interests. The fact that millions will die from unrest, violence and starvation is of no consequence to her and to those who share her objectives.
Oh, and yes, asymmetric warfare could actually handle all those issues, if clever enough. And I thought that Putin was the kind of person who could manage it.
In the end, this is all a part of God’s plan. And, I wish that I was better at seeing it in this light. God knows what He’s doing, and I need to work harder at accepting this.
My biggest concern is for our brothers and sister caught in the middle. Mrs. Little and I are friends with a Ukrainian couple who are now in the Netherlands, trying to get relatives out of the war zone – with limited success. In part, I am living this conflict through their eyes, as they watch in horror at the death and destruction that is happening to their family, their friends and their country.
When you can picture in your mind, the faces of those who suffer and die, your ability to speak dispassionately begins to crumble.
Again, thank you for bringing this input from Armstrong and your own thoughts on this. I truly value them, DRG.
Yours in Christ,
John Little
omegashock.com
p.s. – more thoughts: Armstrong is coming from the perspective of one who thinks that if enough people just understood, and were willing to stand together against these tyrannical mandates, we could fix things. He does believe in God and he mentions often that he prays about these events. However, he does not seem to be factoring into his views (again, he tries to avoid opinion as it is so subjective and usually the cause of error) what we take for granted, namely that human nature is hopelessly flawed and that in any hierarchical structure the psycho and sociopaths will rise to the top. This strikes me as odd, because he has noted many times that every government/empire he has studied has eventually collapsed because of its own corruption.
Putin, on the other hand, I assume was long ago disabused of these optimistic fantasies. Armstrong says he is a lawyer and his KGB career was in the back office, but I am sure he knew the inner workings of the whole organization. And he probably saw early on what Thomas Merton wrote about – before he died under mysterious circumstances – “in a letter to a Latin-American Catholic writer, Ernesto Cardenal, Merton wrote: “The world is full of great criminals with enormous power, and they are in a death struggle with each other. It is a huge gang battle, using well-meaning lawyers and policemen and clergymen as their front, controlling papers, means of communication, and enrolling everybody
in their armies.” ” Indeed. Putin no doubt knows he is moving among a nest of snakes, none of whom can be trusted for a moment; I find it kind of amazing and admirable that he has lasted this long. I also find it very interesting that the only reason he came to power was because Yeltsin begged him to, when the US bankers had tricked and framed Yeltsin in their attempt to take over Russia. So Putin has already saved them from ruin once. I can’t fault him for using whatever methods he must, because if you try to fight fair in an environment like that you are sure to be destroyed, which is why the psychos and sociopaths rise so easily. They don’t care about all that.
More reasons to like Armstrong! – JL
And, this:
https://www.armstrongeconomics.com/world-news/cryptocurrency/the-end-of-cryptocurrency-coming/
There is actually more about the Ukraine situation than crypto here, an important read ….
How easily we turn to hatred. I’ve worked with lots of Russians in Israel. I like them, and I’m so sorry that they’re going through this. – JL
Hi John,
step by step it goes on:
https://tass.com/politics/1418767
I started to think, that Ukraine is just a small move (from Russian side) to provoke some actions. It’s disgusting, people are being killed there for real. But the game is on, and the real target is USA. And, their currency. Entire “combined West” was assessed to be ignorant, outright stupid, and predictable. Which means it already lost. We are about to see, how the lies, propaganda, hubris and self-esteem stand against energy, resources and raw power. The power of “financial markets” will be redirected against their overlords – nickel is just an appetizer. Remember Assyrians? The tool of judgement.
God help us.
Yours in Christ
Chris
Yeah, that’s the other side of this. A lot of lies and misdirection will be swept away as we are forced to experience reality. Oil. Natural Gas. Fertilizer. Uranium. Nickle. Tin. Wheat. Maize. This is going to hurt. And those Assyrians? Ouch. Thanks, Chris. May the Lord keep you and Mrs. Chris safe. – JL
Hey there,
Thank you, John, and all of you who leave great and thoughtful comments discussing these events. It is a good filter through all the muck of information we have to wade through.
And thank God He is on the throne! Imagine those who don’t trust Him and don’t have Him to stand on…prayers all around!!
Sorry I haven’t been able to comment in a long time. A lot of life going on.
“On the solid Rock I stand,
all other ground is sinking sand.”
~Jennifer
Amen! That is exactly the right attitude. We have a Savior, and nothing can compare to Him. And no one can pluck us from His hand. God bless you, Jennifer. It is good to hear from you. – JL
Hello John,
I appreciate your thoughtful analysis on this situation, as well of the comments of others here. My head is on a swivel, trying to make sense of all these maneuvers. As more info comes to light, I think I see how and why Putin has acted. Ukraine having NATO missiles pointed at Moscow is a challenge to Russian sovereignty, not unlike the US/Russian missile crisis in Cuba in 1962. Kennedy acted with authority and he and Khrushchev ironed out an agreement that averted nuclear war. But I also know there are many layers to this abominable cake that I know little about and when it crumbles (as it surely will), the destruction will be devastating. The CCP is watching, probably licking its’ lips for the big kill when the time is right.
And so, what do we do? Pray, prepare, enjoy each day our Lord allows us to live and move about freely. I truly believe God has all of this in His hands. Psalm 2 assures us of this. We may not enjoy the journey, but the final destination will be glorious.
Psalm 2
1 Why do the nations conspire
and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth rise up
and the rulers band together
against the Lord and against his anointed, saying,
3 “Let us break their chains
and throw off their shackles.”
4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
the Lord scoffs at them.
5 He rebukes them in his anger
and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,
6 “I have installed my king
on Zion, my holy mountain.”
7 I will proclaim the Lord’s decree:
He said to me, “You are my son;
today I have become your father.
8 Ask me,
and I will make the nations your inheritance,
the ends of the earth your possession.
9 You will break them with a rod of iron[b];
you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”
10 Therefore, you kings, be wise;
be warned, you rulers of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with fear
and celebrate his rule with trembling.
12 Kiss his son, or he will be angry
and your way will lead to your destruction,
for his wrath can flare up in a moment.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
All blessings to you and Mrs. Little.
Sally
Well said, Sally. As disturbing as all of this is, we are in the best place possible – the perfect hands of God. We were chosen to live at this time, to fulfill His purpose. Thank you for that reminder to pray and take refuge with our Lord. – JL
Re: Peter Makin’s comments on food exports and availability – Armstrong’s blog (sorry to keep bringing him into this but he’s the best there is) is already posting from people in Iraq reporting food riots. This will spread, no surprise there. Armstrong has also been raving for months now, if not longer, how this is the stupidest crop of world leaders in the history of civilization, with the exception of Putin. Being the only intelligent person among a mob of idiots I think he will likely do what he wants, whatever that turns out to be. Armstrong is warning of multiple train wrecks caused by the idiotic moves politicians are making with no thought of the possible consequences and no understanding of the complexity of the systems they are destroying. They are throwing sanctions around like this is some kind of mudslinging contest not realizing that they are sabotaging themselves as well. Yes, it will do nothing but get worse and probably degenerate into an every-man-for-himself type situation. Putin is moving to nationalize the assets of all foreign firms that fled Russia. Why not – other countries are seizing assets of private Russian citizens, some are on the verge of setting up internment camps for people just because they happen to be Russian. It’s completely insane.
ps: Armstrong is advising nations with potential conflict with the US to take all their reserves out of foreign central banks. He is advising the rest of us to take as much cash out of the bank as we can, and people are writing in to him to say they are trying to do that and running into cash shortages – because so many are doing the same, for reasons of grid down, cyber attacks, etc. He says the indications from his model are that even though the war cycle is turning up, the motives are very different this time; he says in the past it has been the military that wanted war and pushed the politicians – the military wanted Cuba and Viet Nam. This time it is the politicians pushing the military for war. He sees Zelensky agitating like crazy to start WW3, thinking that if he does, the US and NATO will be dragged in; he says Zelensky as well as Trudeau are graduates of Schwab’s Young Global Leaders program, and that the hare-brained scheme of Schwab and his NWO is to push the superpowers to war but somehow stop short of nuclear, weaking them in battle against each other to the point that the UN can step in as peacemaker and make a grab for one world government. This scheme has all the hope of success of Wiley E. Coyote against the roadrunner and I think the entire world will soon look like Wiley after one of those encounters.
I don’t fault Zelensky for trying. He’s desperate. And, this is where Schwab and his machinations fail. Self-interest and desperation will always trump ideas of a New World Order or even a Great Reset. Someone should write a book about the limits of conspiracy. And yes, any money in the bank is vulnerable. Good points, DRG. – JL
???? What Zelensky is doing is evil, and IS the idea of the NWO aka Schwab. He is the glove, they are the hand. Not sure what you meant here that you don’t fault him, or that his desperation and self-interest will trump the ideas of the NWO ….. they are one and the same ….
If the parties that agreed to the Minsk and Budapest agreements had kept their word, none of this would be happening. But while promising non-aggression on the surface, they have behaved very aggressively (and what speaks louder, words or actions?) and I see Putin’s moves as coming from being up against a wall and having to defend Russia by taking personal control of the needed buffer zone himself – since the other parties did not deliver but instead have continued to aggress. What do you think his motives are? What could asymmetric warfare do about all those missiles in Ukraine that were supposed to be disassembled but are not? The political leaders are such lying scumbags that in reality it doesn’t even matter what they agree to, their word means nothing. Putin has to defend.
I’m not arguing for the sake of argument here, I just want to understand and I want to see why you think what you do.
Hi DRG,
Remember that not all of the ‘card carrying members of the NWO’ are Satanists. 99% of them are opportunists looking for an easy path to power. Zelensky is one of those. Furthermore, I haven’t seen any evidence that what he has done is evil.
The stories about the persecution of Russian speakers is not accurate. And, Zelensky probably doesn’t have much control over those Azov Battalion morons.
So, I don’t know what evil Zelensky has done. Wanting to join NATO and the EU isn’t evil. It might be stupid, but not evil.
As for Putin’s motives, that really isn’t the problem. It’s the choices that he made. That’s the problem. If I killed my neighbor because I thought that he was planning to invade my house and take my stuff, my motivations might have been good, but it would still be murder.
What Putin has done, is murder. Russia was not in imminent danger. He could have handled this differently. In fact, he had been handling it just fine, until he didn’t. Furthermore, his actions have confirmed suspicions about him that we had hoped were not true.
This decision was no less evil than the invasion of Iraq, the murder of Libya or the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The motivations might have been good, but the decisions were evil.
Again, let me be completely clear, Putin did not need to invade Ukraine to get what he wanted. But, he chose to do it anyway, and you can see many of the reasons in the article that I just posted.
I hope that this clarifies the points that I have been trying to make, DRG.
Yours in Christ,
John Little
omegashock.com
I’m always glad to see Martin Armstrong’s perspective in the comment section. And yes, a second Arab Spring is coming. Some of my shock over this invasion of Ukraine was the miscalculation involved. Putin might be smart, but he was given bad information. That’s a little unsettling. Great comment, DRG. – JL
What miscalculation are you referring to? What mistakes? What bad information? Just want to understand in greater depth what is transpiring …..
Hi DRG,
The longer answer is in the article that I just posted:
The Madness Pivot of History
https://omegashock.com/2022/03/12/the-madness-pivot-of-history/
There are three mistakes:
1. Misunderstanding of how Ukrainians – even the Russian speaking Ukrainians – think.
2. Logistics. They were not ready to support any army that penetrated very far into Ukraine.
3. Underestimating Ukrainian resistance.
I think that they also made the mistake of delaying their invasion too long. It gave NATO too much time to send more anti-tank missiles into Ukraine. That, and the slow start gave time for Ukrainian morale to rise to the fighting point.
If they had done it in the two-three days that they were expecting, they would have probably been successful. And, the sanctions would have probably been a lot less. The world has a bad habit of going along with a ‘fait accompli’. But, now that they are stuck in Ukraine, Russia is forced into a hard slog that will kill a lot of Ukrainians and throw the world into chaos.
These kinds of ‘miscalculations’ are terrible.
I hope that helps, DRG. More in the article.
Yours in Christ,
John Little
omegashock.com
hello my brother
my first video is up in Dutch since 12 march with long preparations and buying equipment which is good enough I had to do it with the help of the Lord
i plan on biblestudies Derek PRINCE and your book to do it in pieces first study a chapter and then bring it on with telling of your person and website please pray for it yesterday suddenly problems with internet after a good period so attacks are coming but we have weapons only one we have not is to cover our back with the prayers of the saints
it was good reading Carol’s son is of the drugs and pray he will be touched by Jesus
Hope you are okay these are trying times I did a video about Holodomor in Oekraïne but decided not to upload it I don’t want to sound anti Russian so we need a lot of wisdom in this my YouTube channel is Nadineiswakker. (Nadineisawake) your tips are welcome.
I hope to have a 1000 subscribers it is up to the Lord because in future I want to make videos longer then 15 minutes that’s really annoying this restriction but for now its good
if I have questions can I email you on which email about the book ?
Wish you and your wife the wisdom and love from the LORD JESUS CHRIST
sister Nadine
Hi Nadine,
Welcome to YouTube. I’m afraid that I don’t know what advice to give, since I’m not great at creating videos. Start small. Try to learn from those who are good at it. Start out inexpensive. (Cell phones usually have good enough video cameras.) Have something to say. Be ready for no one to listen.
That last one is especially important.
At the beginning, no one will listen. So, just do the best that you can.
Have a sense of humor.
This can be a hard road that can take years of work.
As for contacting me. The best place to start is the contact page:
https://omegashock.com/contact/
That seems to be the most reliable way to get a hold of me directly.
Feel free to leave the YouTube address in the comment section so that people can see your work.
May the Lord bless you, Nadine.
Yours in Christ,
John Little
omegashock.com