Prayers for Ukraine

[Bob Hunt]

If you are so moved, please say a prayer or have a good thought for the country of and people of Ukraine. And please especially say a prayer for our modeling brothers and sisters who live in that country.

In faith - Bob Hunt

[Ken Culbertson]

If you are so moved, please say a prayer or have a good thought for the country of and people of Ukraine. And please especially say a prayer for our modeling brothers and sisters who live in that country.

In faith - Bob Hunt

Done and ongoing.

Ken

[Mark wood]

If you are so moved, please say a prayer or have a good thought for the country of and people of Ukraine. And please especially say a prayer for our modeling brothers and sisters who live in that country.

In faith - Bob Hunt

I'm in with you brother.

My Prayers added

[Will Hinton]

Ditto dear friend.

[Dennis Moritz]

I say a prayer for the admirers of Putin. May they wake up and be Patriots who support our Democracy. I say a prayer for our country may we be saved from those who divide us and keep us from seeing our common needs and purpose. I say a prayer for the people of Ukraine, attacked because they are a Democratic country resisting their autocratic neighbor.

[Claudio Chacon]

If you are so moved, please say a prayer or have a good thought for the country of and people of Ukraine. And please especially say a prayer for our modeling brothers and sisters who live in that country.

In faith - Bob Hunt

Yes...I am moved, I am worried...I AM VERY SAD! 

[Mark wood]

I say a prayer for the admirers of Putin. May they wake up and be Patriots who support our Democracy. I say a prayer for our country may we be saved from those who divide us and keep us from seeing our common needs and purpose. I say a prayer for the people of Ukraine, attacked because they are a Democratic country resisting their autocratic neighbor.

Well, said Dennis.

[Guy Markham]

If you are so moved, please say a prayer or have a good thought for the country of and people of Ukraine. And please especially say a prayer for our modeling brothers and sisters who live in that country.

In faith - Bob Hunt

                             sent E-Mail to Yuriy Yatsenko the other day wishing him well.. Guy Markham

[Brett Buck]

I say a prayer for the admirers of Putin. May they wake up and be Patriots who support our Democracy. I say a prayer for our country may we be saved from those who divide us and keep us from seeing our common needs and purpose. I say a prayer for the people of Ukraine, attacked because they are a Democratic country resisting their autocratic neighbor.

   No one supports Putin - as usual, the news misrepresents the situation to make a narrative.

     Brett

p.s. I might also note - Uncle Joe, and about half of the European leaders were, inexplicably, surprised that shaking their fists and sending strongly-worded letters were not enough to dissuade this invasion. It is another manifestation of the fact that many people in the West seem to have completely forgotten that real evil exists in the world, and will take anything they can get in any way they can get it, if you let them.

    Some of the Russian protesters even said, in apparent surprise, that "Putin has gone crazy!". He has not "gone crazy" - he was always crazy, while clever and conniving,  and only ridiculously weak leadership of the rest of the world has permitted this situation to degenerate to this point. He was the *head of the KGB*, what the heck did anyone expect was going to happen? He is doing it because he figures he will get away with it with essentially no cost, which appears to be the case. Slap on all the economic sanctions you want - he and his buddies aren't going to be the ones starving to death.

[Mark wood]

   No one supports Putin - as usual, the news misrepresents the situation to make a narrative.

     Brett

p.s. I might also note - Uncle Joe, and about half of the European leaders were, inexplicably, surprised that shaking their fists and sending strongly-worded letters were not enough to dissuade this invasion. It is another manifestation of the fact that many people in the West seem to have completely forgotten that real evil exists in the world, and will take anything they can get in any way they can get it, if you let them.

    Some of the Russian protesters even said, in apparent surprise, that "Putin has gone crazy!". He has not "gone crazy" - he was always crazy, while clever and conniving,  and only ridiculously weak leadership of the rest of the world has permitted this situation to degenerate to this point. He was the *head of the KGB*, what the heck did anyone expect was going to happen? He is doing it because he figures he will get away with it with essentially no cost, which appears to be the case. Slap on all the economic sanctions you want - he and his buddies aren't going to be the ones starving to death.

That's real truth right there...

[Brett Buck]

That's real truth right there...

   But, aside from Dennis' typical and dimwitted attempt to insert his talking points, Bobby has a point, too.


       Brett

[FLOYD CARTER]

 



 

    Some of the Russian protesters even said, in apparent surprise, that "Putin has gone crazy!".
[/quote]



Sure.  Millions of Americans said the same about Trump, but that didn't stop him from attempting to dismantle Democracy.  What people say has little effect on people like that.

[Brett Buck]

Sure.  Millions of Americans said the same about Trump, but that didn't stop him from attempting to dismantle Democracy.  What people say has little effect on people like that.

  What is it with you guys? Do you have no sense of proportion or decency left, is it all about getting in your digs? You are gibbering on about trivia, people are shooting guns and missiles at each other for real in the real world. And where is Trump now and what does he have to do with this? Nowhere and nothing, a non-player from here on out - aside from living rent-free in your head.

     I would never have imagined that I would have to say this to an 80+ year old man - but for God's sake, GROW UP!

    Brett

[bob whitney]

Just got an EMAIL from the daughter (who lives in the USA ) of my good friend in charge at the Zalp sngine co in the Ukraine . she says for now they are ok but very Scared

[Mike Griffin]

   No one supports Putin - as usual, the news misrepresents the situation to make a narrative.

     Brett

p.s. I might also note - Uncle Joe, and about half of the European leaders were, inexplicably, surprised that shaking their fists and sending strongly-worded letters were not enough to dissuade this invasion. It is another manifestation of the fact that many people in the West seem to have completely forgotten that real evil exists in the world, and will take anything they can get in any way they can get it, if you let them.

    Some of the Russian protesters even said, in apparent surprise, that "Putin has gone crazy!". He has not "gone crazy" - he was always crazy, while clever and conniving,  and only ridiculously weak leadership of the rest of the world has permitted this situation to degenerate to this point. He was the *head of the KGB*, what the heck did anyone expect was going to happen? He is doing it because he figures he will get away with it with essentially no cost, which appears to be the case. Slap on all the economic sanctions you want - he and his buddies aren't going to be the ones starving to death.

Putin's goal all along has been to put back together the Soviet Union.  He is KGB that is all you need to know.  Biden could not win a war against the South Pole....

Mike

[Abi]

I have some news to pass along from Steven Yampolsky. He was able to talk to Ruslan Kurenkov(owner of Control Line Parts and Ukrainian F2B team member) and Andriy Yatsenko. I may have missed something so please don't kill the messenger:

As of last night, Ruslan is from Kyiv. He and his young family are hiding in an underground garage designated as a local bomb shelter. They're spending the night in the car. Ruslan is shocked and pissed off at the same time.
Andriy Yatsenko lives near the Antonov factory. The factory has one of the longest runways from which planes like AN-124 Ruslan operate from. Russian paratroopers landed there the first day and after hours of fighting, were repelled. Andriy is OK.
Yuri Yasenko is in Kishinev and is OK. Russian forces moved to invade Kishinev but were repelled by the Ukrainian forces so the city has not been invaded. Has they been able to invade, we'd never know.

Steve has tried to reach Sergey Solomianokov and Andriy Sopelnyak, both F2B fliers, both represented Ukraine at WC. Unfortunately, neither was reachable...

[Dan McEntee]

   All I have to say is that most people think this will be a cake walk for Putin, but do not underestimate the people of Ukraine to put up a hell of a fight. I have been hearing and reading reports that this is what is happening. Saw a woman give a report on line that with the amount of fight the Ukrainian people have in them, the Russians don't have a prayer! And see the report by Abi. time will tell, but the duration and severity of things I think depends on how much Putin is willing to gamble and the resolve of the Ukrainians. All Grandpa Joe has to say is that "This will take time."  Joe and Kamala need to step aside as they are far overmatched in this crisis. If NATO was ever to rise to the occasion that it was created for, that time is now! There is no time to sit back and see what happens next. This is a part of the world that has been fought over for a long, long time and the lessons learned in the past should be a blue print for what needs to be done now.
  Type at you later,
   Dan McEntee

[Dick Byron]

It is so sad. Both Steve Ashby and I see we have stood on tv. It sickens us both. We pray for them.

[Dan Berry]

 

    Some of the Russian protesters even said, in apparent surprise, that "Putin has gone crazy!".




Sure.  Millions of Americans said the same about Trump, but that didn't stop him from attempting to dismantle Democracy.  What people say has little effect on people like that.

It takes an amazing amount of chutzpah to write that.

[Dan Berry]

Yea, Sparky time to take this thread down!

Oh, I don't agree with that.

[bob whitney]

I dont agree either, as long as most dont go crazy,what better way to vent our frustrations at whats happening to our modeling friends RAD

[Ken Culbertson]

Yea, Sparky time to take this thread down!

So are we Twitter now.  Shut it down if we don't agree with what is being said?

Ken 

[Mark wood]

Yea, Sparky time to take this thread down!

OR you could just ignore it if it bothers you.

[Dwayne Donnelly]

    Joe and Kamala need to step aside as they are far overmatched in this crisis. If NATO was ever to rise to the occasion that it was created for, that time is now! There is no time to sit back and see what happens next.
  Type at you later,
   Dan McEntee

Not sure what we can do now, we're dealing with a psychopath with nukes, what can we do that doesn't risk  nuclear war?

[Dennis Saydak]

Not sure what we can do now, we're dealing with a psychopath with nukes, what can we do that doesn't risk  nuclear war?

One thing we can all do for certain is stop poking sticks at each other. I've said it before ......... there is no way that shaking a fist at or using strong words against the world's despots will convince them otherwise. Sad but true. Too bad our leaders can't come to grips with that. Over & out.

[Brett Buck]

One thing we can all do for certain is stop poking sticks at each other. I've said it before ......... there is no way that shaking a fist at or using strong words against the world's despots will convince them otherwise. Sad but true. Too bad our leaders can't come to grips with that. Over & out.

    I think he is a classic sociopath:

   

Sociopathy refers to a pattern of antisocial behaviors and attitudes, including manipulation, deceit, aggression, and a lack of empathy for others

     It's inherent quality of socialists/facists/communist. He is going to get what he wants and the side effects and who gets hurt in the process are irrelevant - the ends justify the means. Many sociopaths are very effective, smart about getting what they want.

   Brett



 

[Dennis Leonhardi]

   No one supports Putin - as usual, the news misrepresents the situation to make a narrative.

     Brett

p.s. I might also note - Uncle Joe, and about half of the European leaders were, inexplicably, surprised that shaking their fists and sending strongly-worded letters were not enough to dissuade this invasion. It is another manifestation of the fact that many people in the West seem to have completely forgotten that real evil exists in the world, and will take anything they can get in any way they can get it, if you let them.

    Some of the Russian protesters even said, in apparent surprise, that "Putin has gone crazy!". He has not "gone crazy" - he was always crazy, while clever and conniving,  and only ridiculously weak leadership of the rest of the world has permitted this situation to degenerate to this point. He was the *head of the KGB*, what the heck did anyone expect was going to happen? He is doing it because he figures he will get away with it with essentially no cost, which appears to be the case. Slap on all the economic sanctions you want - he and his buddies aren't going to be the ones starving to death.

   Don't look now, but Putin told the world what he would do last July 12th ...  Of course many in "leadership" (?) are the Neville Chamberlains of today, "Peace in our time - or, at least for today"?

If we can learn from history: Obama sent medical supplies and canned meals, Biden threatened sanctions, Trump sent missiles.  No Russian invasion on Trump's watch for some strange reason.  In fact, the man authorized bombing that killed a couple hundred Russians in Syria, wonder what they were doing there?

I pray for the people of Ukraine, but life takes strange twists.  The old song, "Everybody has to meet his Waterloo" comes to mind.  With the incredible courage of the Ukranian people ...  will Putin meet his?

Dennis

[Paul Walker]

I have some news to pass along from Steven Yampolsky. He was able to talk to Ruslan Kurenkov(owner of Control Line Parts and Ukrainian F2B team member) and Andriy Yatsenko. I may have missed something so please don't kill the messenger:

As of last night, Ruslan is from Kyiv. He and his young family are hiding in an underground garage designated as a local bomb shelter. They're spending the night in the car. Ruslan is shocked and pissed off at the same time.
Andriy Yatsenko lives near the Antonov factory. The factory has one of the longest runways from which planes like AN-124 Ruslan operate from. Russian paratroopers landed there the first day and after hours of fighting, were repelled. Andriy is OK.
Yuri Yasenko is in Kishinev and is OK. Russian forces moved to invade Kishinev but were repelled by the Ukrainian forces so the city has not been invaded. Has they been able to invade, we'd never know.

Steve has tried to reach Sergey Solomianokov and Andriy Sopelnyak, both F2B fliers, both represented Ukraine at WC. Unfortunately, neither was reachable...

Sergii was on facebook earlier today. He is safe for now, but like the others , very concerned.

[Ken Culbertson]

I pray for the people of Ukraine, but life takes strange twists.  The old song, "Everybody has to meet his Waterloo" comes to mind.  With the incredible courage of the Ukranian people ...  will Putin meet his?

Dennis

Never underestimate people fighting to save their homes.  Also never underestimate an armed militia.  He may topple the government for now, but he will never win the people - and they have guns.  As for Europe, third times a charm?  How's your Green New Deal working out.  What does the carbon footprint of a small war look like?

Ken

[Paul Taylor]

This

[Dennis Leonhardi]

What is it with you guys? Do you have no sense of proportion or decency left, is it all about getting in your digs? You are gibbering on about trivia, people are shooting guns and missiles at each other for real in the real world. And where is Trump now and what does he have to do with this? Nowhere and nothing, a non-player from here on out - aside from living rent-free in your head.

I would never have imagined that I would have to say this to an 80+ year old man - but for God's sake, GROW UP!

Brett

Never underestimate people fighting to save their homes.  Also never underestimate an armed militia.  He may topple the government for now, but he will never win the people - and they have guns.  As for Europe, third times a charm?  How's your Green New Deal working out.  What does the carbon footprint of a small war look like?

Ken

   -   Do we see the beginning of another Afghanistan?

[George Fruhling]

Looks like 1939-40 all over again, the invasion of Finland.

[Allen Goff]

Praying for Ukrain.
Innocent people being hurt and killed for no reason, go home Russia.
Blessings

[Ken Culbertson]

China is watching and I don't think they are liking what they see from Putin.

Ken

[Mark wood]

China is watching and I don't think they are liking what they see from Putin.

Ken

How would you conclude that, Ken? It seems that China recently vowed support of Putin with no limited areas of that support. It's sketchy on any day what they'll do or not do.

[Ken Culbertson]

How would you conclude that, Ken? It seems that China recently vowed support of Putin with no limited areas of that support. It's sketchy on any day what they'll do or not do.

China was expecting their new partner to quickly "liberate" Ukraine while the world just let him do it.  I don't think that they are quite surprised by the reaction of the people of Ukraine defending their freedom.  Chinese are impressed by power and right now Putin is not showing power, he is showing insanity, and is turning the entire world against him.  Who wants to partner with that?

We have lived our lives for hundreds of years with more freedom than most of the world and pretty much take it for granted.  Ukrainians are just experiencing it and don't want to give it up.  I have had three employees who were from Ukraine before the collapse.  They are smart, hard workers and proud, just like the ones from Tiawan.

If I were Putin, I would fear China more than the US if they see him as weak, and right now he looks weak.

Ken

[Mike Griffin]

This

[kevin king]

I just recieved a set of ready made lines from Ruslan 2 days ago. Its unreal this is happening. 

[Mark wood]

I just recieved a set of ready made lines from Ruslan 2 days ago. Its unreal this is happening.

Mine came about a week ago. Crazy...

[Ken Culbertson]

Mine came about a week ago. Crazy...

I just got three sets.  One he sent me just to try the new 3 strand and see if I liked them.  I hope we don't lose this special person.

Ken

[jerry v]

If you are so moved, please say a prayer or have a good thought for the country of and people of Ukraine. And please especially say a prayer for our modeling brothers and sisters who live in that country.

In faith - Bob Hunt

Bob, thank you for your prayers and support and for prayers and kind words of all stunt community!

Today at the airport Hostomel - the airstrip of Antonov factory was burned the famous giant AN - 225 Mriya. In translation mriya means “dream”. Russian aggressors can destroy the aircraft. But they can not destroy the dream of Ukrainians for freedom and independence.

God bless Ukraine!

In October 1994 Boris Krasnorutskiy presented the model AN -225 with the Buran space shuttle to his and mine aero modeling teacher Ivan Pylypenko. Boris Krasnorutskiy was chief designer of AN - 225. Also he was designer of the famous Diesel racing engines “Ритм” and “ КМД”

On the attached pictures are Boris Krasnorutskiy on the right and Ivan Pylypenko on the left holding the model.

Jerry

[Mike Griffin]

    I think he is a classic sociopath:

   
     It's inherent quality of socialists/facists/communist. He is going to get what he wants and the side effects and who gets hurt in the process are irrelevant - the ends justify the means. Many sociopaths are very effective, smart about getting what they want.

   Brett

For the life of me, I cannot fathom some people trying to justify what Putin is doing and saying he is a a hero.
During Vietnam, I was trained in clandestine procedures and electronic intercept tactics, in other words, spying. Our flight reported directly to the National Security Agency (NSA). During this time, we were fighting wars on two fronts, the one in Vietnam and the cold war with the Soviet Union. All of our operations were classified as Top Secret Codeword during that time and all traffic that was intercepted was a closely guarded secret, in fact, we were threatened with going to prison for life if we leaked any of the information we gathered. I can tell you with authority that the Soviet Union was a barbaric and savage government and committed atrocities beyond what our minds can conceive as Americans. Putin is a child of this culture and his goal ever since he came to power was to reassemble the Soviet Union under the auspices and principles that I am speaking of. He, like his predecessors , is a total sociopath and will commit any heinous act necessary to carry out his mission and goals. Never ever doubt this. He is a monster without a conscious.



 

[John Hammonds]

I'll stay well away from the generic American comments where Democrats/Republicans take cheap shots at each other, but I think we can all agree Putin and his cronies are deranged and normal rules no longer apply.

Based on a purely amature analytical look at how the invasion is progressing...

My personal opinion is while Putin may have expected to crush Ukraine he has found he is now fighting a very different war. I think his new objective is now to create a corridor to Crimea. I firmly believe once he has the corridor to Crimea taking in the land south of the Dnieper River he will attempt to show himself as a reasonable man and come to the negotiating table. He will probably offer to give any land to the north of Ukraine already taken back in exchange. He will also reiterate his demand that Ukraine never joins Nato. (Not sure how that will pan out). Had the assault gone as he expected I think taking overall control of Ukraine via a "puppet Government" was his original objective but he underestimated the type of war he was entering into and the surprisingly rapid reaction of Europe and the US. Ukraine has every chance of becoming his Afghanistan. Currently he is stretching the Ukrainian resistance across the much of the country giving his forces in the East/South the opportunity to create the link with Crimea.

Either way I think his days are numbered. He is fighting a 20th century war in the 21st century, His latest "Nuclear Alert" is an act of desperation. facebook, Twitter, TikToc and a myriad of other social media outlets means more and more of the general Russian population see him for what he really is and do not support him (But keep quiet due to the consequences of standing up to him).. Sadly they are the ones who will suffer from the sanctions.

The (US) company I am contracted to has plants in both Ukraine and Russia and the solidarity displayed across the companies messaging platform does not indicate the average Russian citizen believes any of the propaganda being peddled by the Russian government.

I think although a very blunt weapon sanctions will ultimately be his downfall and  I do not think Europe or the US will allow things to return to how they were before unless Putin is removed from office.

One thing for certain is we do not want any NATO troops fighting Russians. That moves the conflict into a whole new sphere of operations. Even "Freedom fighters"... Can you imagine Putin's reaction when the 1st American is captured by Russian forces Military or not. While Europe may seem a long way away to much of the US population let's not forget that Alaska is a very short distance from the Russian mainland and Putin just might start lobbing Nuc's over that route rather than via Europe..

Sending prayers to everyone in Ukraine.

TTFN
John.

[Dennis Leonhardi]

I'll stay well away from the generic American comments where Democrats/Republicans take cheap shots at each other, but I think we can all agree Putin and his cronies are deranged and normal rules no longer apply.

Based on a purely amature analytical look at how the invasion is progressing...

My personal opinion is while Putin may have expected to crush Ukraine he has found he is now fighting a very different war. I think his new objective is now to create a corridor to Crimea. I firmly believe once he has the corridor to Crimea taking in the land south of the Dnieper River he will attempt to show himself as a reasonable man and come to the negotiating table. He will probably offer to give any land to the north of Ukraine already taken back in exchange. He will also reiterate his demand that Ukraine never joins Nato. (Not sure how that will pan out). Had the assault gone as he expected I think taking overall control of Ukraine via a "puppet Government" was his original objective but he underestimated the type of war he was entering into and the surprisingly rapid reaction of Europe and the US. Ukraine has every chance of becoming his Afghanistan. Currently he is stretching the Ukrainian resistance across the much of the country giving his forces in the East/South the opportunity to create the link with Crimea.

Either way I think his days are numbered. He is fighting a 20th century war in the 21st century, His latest "Nuclear Alert" is an act of desperation. facebook, Twitter, TikToc and a myriad of other social media outlets means more and more of the general Russian population see him for what he really is and do not support him (But keep quiet due to the consequences of standing up to him).. Sadly they are the ones who will suffer from the sanctions.

The (US) company I am contracted to has plants in both Ukraine and Russia and the solidarity displayed across the companies messaging platform does not indicate the average Russian citizen believes any of the propaganda being peddled by the Russian government.

I think although a very blunt weapon sanctions will ultimately be his downfall and  I do not think Europe or the US will allow things to return to how they were before unless Putin is removed from office.

One thing for certain is we do not want any NATO troops fighting Russians. That moves the conflict into a whole new sphere of operations. Even "Freedom fighters"... Can you imagine Putin's reaction when the 1st American is captured by Russian forces Military or not. While Europe may seem a long way away to much of the US population let's not forget that Alaska is a very short distance from the Russian mainland and Putin just might start lobbing Nuc's over that route rather than via Europe..

Sending prayers to everyone in Ukraine.

TTFN
John.

Excellent post, John.  I doubt many of us in America - and probably much of the world as well - understand how strategically important Crimea is, as an "air base" and for the port of Sevastopol, where Russia now stations its Black Sea fleet (including the Ukranian ships they seized in 2014).

That the Germans and Russians fought bitter, costly battles for that seaport in WWII speaks to its importance.

Here's a very brief synopsis: https://en.as.com/en/2022/02/27/latest_news/1645973678_162970.html

Dennis

[Mike Griffin]

A 40 mile long Russian armored convoy heading towards Kiev.

[Tony Drago]

       "This is how it was sent to me. I do not know if this is true or not. If it is. It would explain a lot."
I honestly didn’t know either …
For those who ask: “Why does Ukraine matter? “
This is why Ukraine matters.
It is the second largest country by area in Europe by area and has a population
of over 40 million - more than Poland.
Ukraine ranks:
1st in Europe in proven recoverable reserves of uranium ores;
2nd place in Europe and 10th place in the world in terms of titanium ore reserves;
2nd place in the world in terms of explored reserves of manganese ores (2.3 billion tons, or 12% of the world's reserves);
2nd largest iron ore reserves in the world (30 billion tons);
2nd place in Europe in terms of mercury ore reserves;
3rd place in Europe (13th place in the world) in shale gas reserves (22 trillion cubic meters)
4th in the world by the total value of natural resources;
7th place in the world in coal reserves (33.9 billion tons)
Ukraine is an important agricultural country:
1st in Europe in terms of arable land area;
3rd place in the world by the area of black soil (25% of world's volume);
1st place in the world in exports of sunflower and sunflower oil;
2nd place in the world in barley production and 4th place in barley exports;
3rd largest producer and 4th largest exporter of corn in the world;
4th largest producer of potatoes in the world;
5th largest rye producer in the world;
5th place in the world in bee production (75,000 tons);
8th place in the world in wheat exports;
9th place in the world in the production of chicken eggs;
16th place in the world in cheese exports.
Ukraine can meet the food needs of 600 million people.
Ukraine is an important industrialised country:
1st in Europe in ammonia production;
Europe's 2nd’s and the world’s 4th largest natural gas pipeline system;
3rd largest in Europe and 8th largest in the world in terms of installed capacity of nuclear power plants;
3rd place in Europe and 11th in the world in terms of rail network length (21,700 km);
3rd place in the world (after the U.S. and France) in production of locators and locating equipment;
3rd largest iron exporter in the world
4th largest exporter of turbines for nuclear power plants in the world;
4th world's largest manufacturer of rocket launchers;
4th place in the world in clay exports
4th place in the world in titanium exports
8th place in the world in exports of ores and concentrates;
9th place in the world in exports of defence industry products;
10th largest steel producer in the world (32.4 million tons).
Ukraine matters. That is why its independence is important to the rest of the world.

[Brett Buck]

       "This is how it was sent to me. I do not know if this is true or not. If it is. It would explain a lot."
I honestly didn’t know either …
For those who ask: “Why does Ukraine matter? “
This is why Ukraine matters.
It is the second largest country by area in Europe by area and has a population
of over 40 million - more than Poland.
...

  That's all interesting but -  it matters because they are decent people fighting a fundamentally evil expansionist regime for their right to self-determination. They should be important to us for that reason alone.

   I would also note that their own government is hardly any sterling example of rectitude - it was notoriously corrupt - but at least it is *their* government, not that of a neoSoviet vassal state (like their neighbors in Belarus). Clearly, Zelensky is rising to the occasion

    Brett

[Will Hinton]

  That's all interesting but -  it matters because they are decent people fighting a fundamentally evil expansionist regime for their right to self-determination. They should be important to us for that reason alone.

   I would also note that their own government is hardly any sterling example of rectitude - it was notoriously corrupt - but at least it is *their* government, not that of a neoSoviet vassal state (like their neighbors in Belarus). Clearly, Zelensky is rising to the occasion

    Brett

\
Excellently put Brett, very well said.

[Dan McEntee]

       "This is how it was sent to me. I do not know if this is true or not. If it is. It would explain a lot."
I honestly didn’t know either …
For those who ask: “Why does Ukraine matter? “
This is why Ukraine matters.
It is the second largest country by area in Europe by area and has a population
of over 40 million - more than Poland.
Ukraine ranks:
1st in Europe in proven recoverable reserves of uranium ores;
2nd place in Europe and 10th place in the world in terms of titanium ore reserves;
2nd place in the world in terms of explored reserves of manganese ores (2.3 billion tons, or 12% of the world's reserves);
2nd largest iron ore reserves in the world (30 billion tons);
2nd place in Europe in terms of mercury ore reserves;
3rd place in Europe (13th place in the world) in shale gas reserves (22 trillion cubic meters)
4th in the world by the total value of natural resources;
7th place in the world in coal reserves (33.9 billion tons)
Ukraine is an important agricultural country:
1st in Europe in terms of arable land area;
3rd place in the world by the area of black soil (25% of world's volume);
1st place in the world in exports of sunflower and sunflower oil;
2nd place in the world in barley production and 4th place in barley exports;
3rd largest producer and 4th largest exporter of corn in the world;
4th largest producer of potatoes in the world;
5th largest rye producer in the world;
5th place in the world in bee production (75,000 tons);
8th place in the world in wheat exports;
9th place in the world in the production of chicken eggs;
16th place in the world in cheese exports.
Ukraine can meet the food needs of 600 million people.
Ukraine is an important industrialised country:
1st in Europe in ammonia production;
Europe's 2nd’s and the world’s 4th largest natural gas pipeline system;
3rd largest in Europe and 8th largest in the world in terms of installed capacity of nuclear power plants;
3rd place in Europe and 11th in the world in terms of rail network length (21,700 km);
3rd place in the world (after the U.S. and France) in production of locators and locating equipment;
3rd largest iron exporter in the world
4th largest exporter of turbines for nuclear power plants in the world;
4th world's largest manufacturer of rocket launchers;
4th place in the world in clay exports
4th place in the world in titanium exports
8th place in the world in exports of ores and concentrates;
9th place in the world in exports of defence industry products;
10th largest steel producer in the world (32.4 million tons).
Ukraine matters. That is why its independence is important to the rest of the world.

         For as long as I can remember from schooling in history and geography, Ukraine has been referred to as "The Bread Basket of Europe." The area has been fought over for centuries. Most every adversary that invaded Russia through history, including Napoleon and Hitler,  has gone through that region on their way to Moscow, and it is considered by many , including Putin to be part of Mother Russia and Putin has long coveted restoring the Motherland. I don't think that is going to happen, and I think the longer the conflict goes on, the worse it will be for Putin in the end. Even his own people and many in his military are not behind him.
   Type at you later,
  Dan McEntee

[PerttiMe]

In addition to prayers, Ukranians seem to need physical help. And I don't mean just for the fighting. The children, the elderly, etc. are in pretty bad situations. I've been told that money is the easiest and safest thing, through some usually reliable charities and NGOs. They can get what is needed to where it is needed.