Cogitation in the Time of War #20 - In regards to the West sending "newer" weapons

I wrote this the other day on Twitter, and wrote it there because it's on Twitter that I have seen several personalities, from annalists and politicians to public figures, all over the so-called West, "demanding" that the US stop with trying to find weapons in other countries to send to Ukraine and just send their owen advanced weapons systems, such as Patriot SAM systems or F-16 fighter jets, and even demanding Israel as well to send their own Iron Dome air defense system.

But I must admit that I can't really understand why so many people, some of who shoudl really know better, continue to think that the West (or any other country) can simply send an advanced weapons system (fighter jets, air defense, coastal defense) to Ukraine and that its military can simply pick them up and just start to use it, like they have been using the systems they currently have! These systems are not like a more advanced vacuum cleaner, or a better armed and better armored military jeep, that ukrainians just set it up, turn it on and start using. 

Cogitation in the Time of War #19 - A controversial, yet justified, strike

At least twice I used Russian sources to make/pass an argument; one time in the cogitation #7 and another in a Facebook comment about an interview to a retired Portuguese major-general that should be a military expert but (yet again) made completely wrong statements about the military situation in Ukraine. But most of times I point out the flaws of the Russian sources' statements and claims. I don't use the Russian sources when it suits my agenda. I don't have an agenda per se; I have no issues in saying I want Putin to lose and see Russia (because Putin ordered it) as the aggressor. What I really want is try to share my view on the war, including facts that are of course clouded by the "fog of war" (I have to write about this and other concepts that exist during a conflict that are important for us, normal citizens, to know about).

Cogitation in the Time of War #18 - Still on the topic of Nazism in Ukraine

It's a feeling that I have, from stuff I've seen and read way before Putin's Invasion began (almost 1 month ago), but I think that this sentiment the russians have that Ukraine has a problem with fascism and nazism is an old one; meaning that there are many russians that for a long time are suspicious of ukrainians and thus they fully believe the current narrative that the ukrainian government is controlled by neo-nazis and neo-fascists. And I believe this stems from events of World War II, in the Eastern Front.

Cogitation in the Time of War #17 - The Azov Regiment & Co.

After all this time, since the first days of the invasion and the first reactions from the "opposition (the so-called contrarians) and after I promised in the Cogitation #12 to write in more detail, Let's finally talk, and dissert, about the Azov Regiment and other extremists in the region.

Cogitation in the Time of War #16 - The mysterious case of the crashed drone in Zagreb

My wife Carolina watches the Portuguese news online. Because of that she is usually a couple of days behind the events as the news usually report what has happened in the previous 24 hours or so and then we add the 1~2 days delay when she actually sees them. So I guess she is starting to get annoyed of hearing me saying "oh that is old news, it happened a while already" when I overhear something or when she comes to talk about a development in the Putin's Invasion of Ukraine.

Cogitation in the Time of War #15 - Lying Lavrov

To summarize, and attempt to make sense, of some of things officially said by Russia, in particular by Lying Lavrov and his diplomatic staff located all over the world.

Russia DIDN'T ATTACK Ukraine, it is a "special military operation" after all, and it "operated" for the following reasons:

Cogitation in the Time of War #14 - A new take on combat losses

Those following me, or are my friends, on Facebook might have noticed, that "coverage" of Putin's Invasion of Ukraine has decreased both in frequency and in intensity. Even in the blog there's a break of more than 48 hours. That also happens because the flux of tweets (it has been my main source of info, by following a couple of relevant and trustworthy accounts, plus a couple of Ukrainian journalists for some more details coming straight from the field) is much lower now. I guess this is normal as the initial shock is now over, the second week of fighting has passed, and the operation is moving slower so there is less changes every day. It somehow stabilised and that lowers the intensity of the outside interest. Time also normalises a situation, so there's that as well.

Cogitation in the Time of War #13 - 8 years of War in Donbas

Antes de passar ao tópico da dissertação queria dizer 2 coisas:

1. Happy International Women's Day, in particular to the warrior women of Ukraine.
3. "In war, truth is the first casualty" (please watch this video); and I just like to add that the winners are the ones that write the History books.

Let's move on to the issue at hand, the 8 year period since March 2014 till Putin's Invasion, a period during which Ukraine and Russia were already at war but unofficially.