By Tim Gamble
Just as I and many others predicted, the War for Ukraine has begun, apparently to the surprise of many people. Seriously, as recently as early yesterday evening, I saw people on social media who were saying Putin was only bluffing - that the Russian military buildup was just a negotiation tactic. I even saw a couple of folks try to say the buildup wasn't real. According to them, it was much smaller than the Fake Media was reporting, and that most those pictures and videos being shown were a product of Western Intelligence Agencies. Well, the reality of the situation has been proven.
And what is up with that massive line up of cars evacuating Kiev now? Apparently those people didn't really believe an attack was coming, otherwise they would have already gotten out. Nothing as chaotic and as dangerous as waiting until the very last minute to bug out, because you didn't want to accept reality until the bombs started going off.
Believe me, I am as war-weary as anyone else. I desperately don't want this war because I know its dangers. But, as I said before, wishful thinking is a horrible basis for analysis.
3:00PM UPDATE: The fog of war obscures details, and it is difficult to know the exact situation. As of now, it appears that Russia has attacked with missiles, bombers, and troops coming in from the north, east, and south. Both sides have suffered causalities. Planes and helicopters have been shot down on both sides. Ukraine has taken a few prisoners of war. Russia has taken a couple of airfields. Russia is obviously trying to take Kiev and all of Ukraine. Ukrainian troops have become stuck holding the Donbass Line of Control (successfully for now), which means they are unable to move into position to help protect Kiev, which will likely fall within the next 48 hours. Heavy fighting is being reported in Ukraine’s second largest city, Kharkiv, as well as many other places throughout Ukraine.
For now, there has been no military response from the US or NATO. There has been a lot of intense rhetoric, and nearly every politician and government official in the West has found a microphone and loudly condemned Putin and Russia. (Some of the rhetoric has been truly over-the-top, in my opinion. Let's hope and pray that cooler heads prevail.)
Sanctions have been announced, with promises of more to come. However, these sanctions appear to be rather mediocre so far, despite the white-hot rhetoric.
Analysis on most mainstream Western media outlets has crossed the line into pure propaganda, in my opinion. Seek out a variety of news and analysis for many alternative sources, and think for yourself.
Oh, and the Russians have captured Chernobyl. Why? It turns out that 2 of the 4 reactors are still operational and in use! What???? Yeah, I had no idea...
What To Do Next?
For now, this is a small regional war (meaning there are only two countries shooting at each other). But, there is a lot of hot rhetoric surrounding it, and there is always the danger of the situation spinning out-of-control (accidently or on purpose). Pay attention. Things could get much worse quickly, and in unexpected ways.
Keep diligently working your preparedness plan (click here for a quick outline if you are new to preparedness). Work on the list I gave you in my recent article Getting Ready For War: 12 Things To Do NOW.
We have seen Russia use cyberattacks against Ukraine. Many analysts are warning that should the war spread, Russia's first move against the West will be larger-scale cyberattacks, especially against banks and other financial targets. I agree. Many are recommending that you take steps to protect your and your family in the event of a Russian cyberattack against the US. Suggestions include having cash on hand should ATMs and electronic payment systems go down for a few days or so. Changing passwords on your online accounts and using 2-factor authorization. Printing hardcopies of financial statements and other important documents.
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