Since the Hamas/Israel conflict exploded on October 7th, the war in Ukraine has taken a back seat on the world stage. A colleague of mine recently explained it best, "The war in Ukraine is now 'new' anymore, so by definition it’s not news". While it may be expected that a war moving into a winter-induced coma and with few defining victories might naturally slip from people’s minds & newsfeeds, I believe there’s something more insidious going on here.

The Hamas Israel conflict has all the hallmarks of Russian involvement. Iranian rockets and Russian tactics of destruction with no regard for human life or rights. Provoking a surprise war in a densely populated area has resulted in exceptional damage, hundreds of people kidnapped and thousands of casualties. How did Hamas stockpile enough artillery to kill nearly 1400 Israelis and train enough troops to engage in a building by building battle of attrition with one of the most sophisticated armies on earth? 

Coincidence? I think not

Distracting the West and their societies from the war in Ukraine by clandestinely assisting their Iranian ally, Hamas, makes perfect sense for Vladimir Putin. Was it a coincidence that on the eve of the attack, Hamas received millions of dollars through a Moscow-based crypto exchange? Was it a coincidence that the assault occurred on Putin's birthday, October 7th? Nope, I’m sure this is another example of Russian meddling: do something completely horrible, send vague signals that you’re involved, then categorically deny everything. 

Not only does the Hamas/Israel war avert the world’s eyes from Putin’s death & destruction in Ukraine, it’s also a major propaganda victory for the Kremlin-controlled media. It nefariously exploits Western accusations of Russia’s involvement as typical examples of the world’s democracies attempting to prevent Russia from exercising its imperial ‘right’ to dominate the Eurasian continent.

Checkmate 

Putin's war in Ukraine is Russia’s biggest strategic blunder since their war in Afghanistan. Retreat from Afghanistan led to the collapse of the Soviet Union, and retreat from Ukraine will similarly lead to the collapse of Putin's murderous regime. It’s no wonder why he’s started a  war in Gaza - it’s the perfect distraction from his serious problems in Ukraine. 

Russia brazenly invaded Ukraine in 2022 and is likely deeply involved with its declared ally, Hamas, today. Continuing to support Ukraine is our best chance of removing this criminal chess master who’s now beginning to feel the pressure from depleting his soldiers and resources. We must do everything we can to stop Israelis, Palestinians, Ukrainians and Russians from playing  this endless chess game of violence and oppression to which they’ve all become so accustomed and the best way to do this is to remove the chess master once and for all.

Slava Ukraini! Heroiam Slava!