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Friday, March 7, 2014

This is a private letter from a Retired Special Operations Officer about the Ukraine.  Please read.



Subject: Ukraine



Sent: Mon, Mar 3, 2014      8:08 am

One of my Ukrainian colleagues  asked me if I was informing my friends back home about the situation here. I  admitted that I've only talked to my wife much about it and he accepted  that. I got to thinking and decided that I've been  delinquent.

I came here in 2005 on a contract to help build a professional corps of NCOs for the Ukrainian Army. It was a dismal failure. The military budget couldn't support building the kind of  NCO corps the US Army has. Ukraine just doesn't have the budget for the personnel and training changes that are necessary . also, ss a result of many years of European and Soviet style military doctrine, the junior leaders are officers. NCOs are just technicians. That's worked for them for a couple centuries. The current mid grade officers recognized that this wasn't the most efficient way of leadership, but they just can't convince the civilians to put enough in the budget to professionalize the force. Conscription stopped this year, but they are a long way from developing a small, professional army.

I left Ukraine and went back to Iraq, then Germany, then Afghanistan. I came back to Ukraine when I got the opportunity to work at one of the  few diamonds in the rough that I'd seen in Ukraine on my earlier contract. I'm now a NATO procedures instructor at the Ukrainian Land Forces Academy, their version of West Point.  

During my last 3 years here now, I've met and worked with several Ukrainian mid-grade (major through colonel) and junior grade (lieutenant and captain) officers.  Plus a few hundred cadets. I've made friends, a couple enemies, and a lot of good colleagues.  I've met local civilians and have eaten in some fantastic cafes. I enjoy living in Lviv, here in western Ukraine. It has a history that goes back a couple thousand years and is rich in a culture that even Soviet occupation for 50 years could not destroy.

Ukrainians are almost as much of a mixed culture as is the USA. There are leftists, rightists, centerists, and a few idiots. There is a small but vocal group that bears resemblance to the Nazi Party in Germany in 1939. There are human rights activists, well educated professionals, business entrepreneurs, and criminals. Just like  home. What amazed me, however, was  the level of corruption . I expected it, after having worked in former socialist countries before, and have seen what happens when you toss out the communists.  

The only groups ready to replace  the communists... the only groups with an formal/semi-formal  hierarchy, organization, chains of command, resource procurement procedures, etc... the only groups immediately available... are the crooks and criminal  organizations.   What usually happens is the crooks make their way into government positions, both elected and appointed, and just raise the level of their operations to a national level. The people usually get tired of it, and either vote them out, or kick their asses out. Once they do, the only groups ready to move back in and take charge are.... the old communists! They'll have a new name, but old styles. So the folks kick them out and the damned crooks come back in... usually with less power.

Ukraine has gone through these cycles. There is no civil service system here. When a new political party takes charge, everyone who      works for the government expects to lose their job. Teachers, civil works technicians, cops, secretaries, postal workers, etc. If they don't offer a bribe to their new politically appointed boss, they will lose their paycheck .

Cops are a special thing . No city cops, no state cops, just the national police. and they get paid MUCH less than minimum wage. A cop does not chase criminals, he chases his boss's political opponents. A traffic cop does not enforce traffic laws, he fights to get assigned to a check point on a good street so he can stop new cars and extort money from the driver (obviously well off...   he's driving a new car) using some trumped up charge. I've been stopped many  times. They want me to blow into a fake breathalyzer so they can charge me  with DUI. I was stopped once and they asked for my ID and drivers license. I unbuckled my seat belt to get to my wallet. The cop looked at my license and then wanted to charge me with not wearing my seatbelt. Normal Ukrainians  normally pay the cop somewhere between $12 to $20 to get on their way. I show my US passport and start dialing the embassy on my cell phone. They usually let me go.

Businesses are extorted by officers attempting to enforce unwritten city codes. Driving schools don't teach kids to drive, the kids can buy a license for $50 and walk out the same day  they enrolled in the course. everything is like that.

When I got here I was just flat amazed how deep the corruption was . My translator asked me how I would handle such a situation back in south Texas. I told him we had enforceable laws, much more accountability of officials ... and as a last resort, the .45 on my hip and  the AR-15 in my bedroom gun cabinet. He sighed.... said we have none of that. We can't make changes.

Well folks. Ukrainians stood up on their hind legs these last few months, and they fought back against the crooks... and they  won! More than one hundred of them died doing it. It'll take the new folks in government to change what they had. It's hard changing a nation, a  culture of corruption, a business environment that doesn't know how to enforce contract law. But they want to give it a chance.

And now, Vladimir Putin has decided that he can't  allow the new Ukraines to succeed. Because if they do, Russians might  decide to get rid of the criminals who are the Russian Mafia, and the people  like Putin who are trying to rebuild ... not the Soviet Union ... but the old Russian Empire . There are good geo-political reasons for him to desire that, but it comes at the cost of Ukrainian freedoms to chose.  

The US will not, maybe cannot jump in here  and oppose the Russians militarily (the US has zero tanks left in Germany , folks). The Germans, Brits, French, etc don't have the forces to do it either. Nor the political will. So a NATO military option is out of the  question. The Ukrainian military is too small, too under-resourced, and too  tied to old Soviet style doctrine to go it alone .  

So, what is left?

That will be up to President  Obama, the British Prime Minister, Ban-Ki-Moon at the UN, and, believe it or not, the people and prime minister of Turkey. The Poles might go up against  the Russians. They've done it before. Polish military history is pretty brave. They've been outclassed and outmatched, but no one can ever accuse  them of cowardice. If the Russians try to take western Ukraine, the Poles might surprise everyone.

I support what the Ukrainians are trying to do. I can't do much about it, except teach my cadets. Because of  the semi-official position I work in, I can't do much more. If it gets too dangerous out here in western Ukraine, I have to go home. If it gets too politically strenuous for the US, the State Department might order us to go home. I'm not impressed with John Kerry whining that Putin doesn't respond  to our super-civilized new world society. He is "stunned" that Mr Putin acted in the same old way that Russians have always reacted. By force. By making your enemies fear you. By  taking action, not talking. I'm amazed that anyone with a clue really thinks  that this 21st century is going to be much different than the 19th century. History shows us otherwise. Every Damned Time.

So, I've made my conscience easier by writing this. The old Ukrainian colleague who asked if I had written my friends is a retired colonel.  A full professor.   And he is itching to put his uniform back on and go defend Ukraine.  Against the Russians.  Against a force a hundred times bigger.   He has a beautiful, thirteen year  old daughter.  Who wants to be a ballerina.  And he wants her to  have the opportunity to do it in a free, law-abiding, free-enterprise nation.  And he's willing to go up against the Russian Bear to do it.  

I just wanted you to know.

22 comments:

  1. Interesting letter and I'd agree with his sentiments regarding military action against the Russian "bear" a la tanks ect but it translates to me as a very pro western or opposition view which if it is indeed how to people of Ukraine feel then fair enough and if that were the case why have instigators from America united kingdom ect ect stirring up the hornets nest?? When a referendum on who wants what could decide? Just like what is going to happen in the Crimea very shortly but it seems we don't like the idea of that very much either! Seems to me we are slipping back into the scenario where we say Russia is devoid of common sense, culture, decision making and we in the west once again know what's best, well we could write a book of biblical proportions on the cock up's we have made in very recent history! No I have to be honest as interesting as the letter is it does little to sway my attention from what I perceive as western influences once again doing its best to achieve another balls up in someone else's backyard

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    1. I do NOT understand the reasons for Senator Ted Cruz (R. Texas) finding Russia is still an EVIL EMPIRE! Senator Ted Cruz should stay away from commenting on foreign policies, because Senator Ted Cruz is looking like an "idiot" and politically hurting himself (Sen. Ted Cruz)!

      Russian President Putin is trying very hard to avoid a manipulated NUCLEAR HOLOCAUST! If President Putin did not brilliantly intervene with SYRIA, illegitimate Obama (C.I.A. ASSET and British agent) would have invaded SYRIA and "NUKED" THE RUSSIAN BASE, therefore, "FORCING" a "DIRECT CONFLICT" between the UNITED STATES and Russia! President Putin does NOT want to attack an actually "defenseless" country and "slaughter" about 330,000,000+ UNITED STATES POPULATION!

      The I.C.B.M. missile silos are being turned condominiums (SEE THIS VIDEO AT YOU TUBE: "Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura: Apocalypse 2012 [Season 1, Episode 7] (Full Length • HD)" (especially at about 16:00 to about 20:56) posted by December 15, 2010)!

      Let us "NOT FORGET" P.D.D. 60 executed by President Clinton (SKULL AND BONES) during 1997! The UNITED STATES must endure a "FIRST STRIKE" before launching any retaliation! To talk about "INTELLIGENCE" ....!

      What is going on in Ukraine??? According to Lyndon H. LaRouche Jr., the "NAZI GROUPS" are the "OPPOSITION" (SEE THIS VIDEO AT YOU TUBE: "Ukraine & WW3" (Alex Jones interviewed Lyndon H. LaRouche Jr.) posted by TheAlexJonesChannel (AUTHENTIC) on February 19, 2014)! Therefore, the "WEST" (controlled by the CITY OF LONDON, England (BRITISH EMPIRE)) is supporting NAZI GROUPS!

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    2. After I posted the above comment, I started thinking: Was MK_ULTRA a success??? I started to analyze the behavioral patterns of the various UNITED STATES SENATORS I have looked at overtime. I found that MK_ULTRA was a success! It is amazing that all of the DEMOCRATIC SENATORS just do as Senator Harry Reid says! Let us "play a game": Harry Reid says!

      The C.I.A. can either create a "wind-up" assassin, that appears crazy after the JOB; or the C.I.A. can just completely control the UNITED STATES SENATE! Is Harry Reid controlled by MK_ULTRA??? NO! Harry Reid is VERY LOYAL!

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  2. Dr. Pieczenik,
    I'm wondering what you think of the rather bold, but wildly improbable, idea of our glorious leader B.O. authorizing all branches of the DoD to conduct an abrupt "exercise" with Poland and other NATO countries whereby we might airlift and/or drop several units of the 101st Airborne, and other forces, into areas on the Polish-Ukranian border. I'm fully aware of the extreme nature of this scenario (as well as unlikely), but as a former USG insider with a great degree of experience with psychological profiling, war-gaming, strategic planning, etc., how would you predict Mr. Putin and the Soviets...er, I mean, Russians would react?

    Might this fall into the Kissinger-Nixon "Madman Theory" category, or could this be a strong, bold statement to Putin, et al, that the U.S. and NATO will not allow territorial aggrandizement of a sovereign nation?

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    1. Putin would not be impressed

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    2. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    3. UPDATE: The US/ NATO has sent a half dozen F-15 & F-16s from the 52nd Fighter Wing in Spangdahlem, Germany along with some AWACS & JSTARS. Additionally, the USS Truxton has been deployed to The Black Sea.

      All things considered, I think Vlad Putin will not be deterred from further annexation attempts in Ukraine and elsewhere.

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  3. I wont waste my time reading him again. The US has nothing to defend in that region. It only wants to live on Russia's border so it can get in a damn good first strike. Why the hell doesn't Putin have a right to defend the interests to Russia. You are one of my favorite people but guaranteed to lose me when it comes to applauding the US's raping another country. "Fuck the EU," that I can agree on. And Fuck US Imperialism too!

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  4. Thank you, I respect your opinion. I am showing different POVs, not necessarily mine.




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  5. Great letter. One wonders if the lack of civil structure is an artifice of two World War II and Stalin occupation. It would seem that in the wake of such destruction only the armed gangs and mafias would be in control.
    Clearly we have no armies to deliver. That is the whole point; the whole strategy seems to be encircle Russia with chaos. Weaken their allies across the globe no matter who the partners with the hope of an Anglo European entry point.
    Bypass and replace their ability to deliver energy with alternatives controlled by the Anglo Europeans. The Russians are not stupid, they know what is happening. Pushing this hard against the Bear will lead to nasty consequences. One can only be shoved around so much before one says enough.

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  6. agree with the last part wholeheartedly.

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  7. I tried sharing this letter with a friend of mine. And basically the response I received back was it's " anti Obama and pro gun." Also, doubting the authenticity of the letter because it's not signed and its unknown who it came from.
    I get all that, but I don't know why it's hard for some people especially " Obama supporters " to understand what it's going on here.
    Mainstream media has everyone hypnotized.
    Or, maybe it's because 1 in 4 Americans do not know that the Earth revolves around the Sun. Lol

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  8. This American LIFE:
    519: Dead Men Tell No Tales
    MAR 7, 2014
    Last May, a weird story made the news: the FBI killed a guy in Florida who was loosely linked to the Boston Marathon bombings. He was shot seven times in his living room by a federal agent. What really happened? Why was the FBI even in that room with him? A reporter spent six months looking into it, and she found that the FBI was doing a bunch of things that never made the news. Her Boston Magazine story.
    http://www.thisamericanlife.org

    http://www.thisamericanlife.org/podcast

    Select any station or the podcast:
    http://www.thisamericanlife.org/listen/stations

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  9. FYI:
    I turn 91 on Wednesday, still drive at night. With a full head of hair!
    Only interested if she plays ACBL CONTRACT BRIDGE however.

    "Shehechiyanu..... laziman hazeh..."thank you for sustaining me, & allowing me to reach this occasion..."

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    1. Happy birthday oldtimer. Keep at it with gusto.

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  10. The communists and the crooks :-)
    It is true, the crooks and the communists are on top of politics in former communists countries.Still I live in Romania, and i can sense the situation is slowly getting better,its way better than what I see this letter telling about Ukraine.It is completely mind blowing to me that people are even considering war....Are these people blind and mad? With the technological advancements that are getting better by the day,and the fact that corruption is diminishing,and peoples standard of lives are going up....It would be a disaster,it would be nuclear...No way...Are these morons preparing the stage?...Why are there so many simillarities beetwen Putin and Hitler?....What's up with the antisemitism,far right gaining power?....The olimpics in Sochi?....What is with all this symbolism?...Does a part of the elite who is psichopatic want billions of deaths?...Are they affraid of the internet?....Of progress?...What's up with the financial collapse?...Is it all intertwined?....Do the primitive morons want..Order out of chaos?....Could ''The terror'' really be necesarry?...Its strange,its simillar,its symbolic,its sensless(in a way)...Oh man,its mandatory for young smart people to take power from this moron old psychopats.

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  11. OT: Peter Lanza speaks to The New Yorker! "Adam was a Ron Paul fan." That's it! No guns for libertarians!

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    1. I wonder if his father has any knowledge of that event. He was informed after the fact, & is reflecting based upon the information the G-MEN wanted him to know- not the omitted FACTS.

      I also am curious to know what his "timely" MOTIVE IS IN COMING forward, especially with the CIA FRONT OPERATION, THE NEW YORKER - Hersh, & Remnick are operatives of government diversion.

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  12. I won't doubt the validity of this letter, it seems counterproductive. Instead i'll point to a couple of words mentioned by author that i think form the wrong picture.

    >> It has a history that goes back a couple thousand years and is rich in a culture that even Soviet occupation for 50 years could not destroy

    I know you hate ruskies, but don't you think this phrasing is kinda overboard? Please tell me what history this city has except for almost 1000 years of occupation? It was occupied by Poland, Austro-Hungarian Empire, Russian Empire, Poland again, USSR and now Ukraine.

    >> There is a small but vocal group that bears resemblance to the Nazi Party in Germany in 1939.

    It's not that small. It's called Svoboda (Freedom) party, and it got 10% of all Ukrainian votes. I can get to a specific number in Lviv if you want, but it safe to say it's MUCH higher (since Lviv is the center of this decease).

    Their "right sector" fighter wing was the major force in clashes with riot police. Here are some videos of their actions:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCm2tp6hJhw
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuVB9ePlySc
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuO53xeZkm8
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2q4TaZyKv3Y
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swDzwTaciJ8

    About the whole middle part with chaos and corruption, welcome to the 90's Russia. That's were Putin got the majority of his trust by the people: he took the power away from oligarchs and criminals (oligarchs are still here but have a lot less desire to get into politics). The fact that all this power is in his hands, his friends', and FSB now is another point, but people seem either unaware of it or just don't care enough. There's also still a whole lot of corruption here, but it's nowhere near the levels of 90's.

    >> Well folks. Ukrainians stood up on their hind legs these last few months, and they fought back against the crooks... and they won!

    Yeah right, not so fast, partner. They already "won" back in 2004. Anyone forgot how it ended?

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  13. Steve, "CIA Brennan To Be Fired In 3, 2, 1 ..."
    http://www.moonofalabama.org/2014/03/cia-brennan-to-be-fired-in-3-2-1-.html

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  14. Feinstein's speech:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqPWNKMuhYo

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