Posted on 04/01/2022 5:12:38 AM PDT by GonzoII
The largely forgotten Winter War of 1939-40
When Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, it seemed apt to compare it to the Soviet Union’s invasions of Hungary in 1956 and Czechoslovakia in 1968, when those states sought to throw off Moscow’s yoke and go their own way. The Soviet army needed barely a week to extinguish the last breaths of the Hungarian resistance, and it took only a day to put down Czechoslovakia’s.
But Ukraine is not Hungary, and it is not Czechoslovakia. Five weeks in, the Ukrainians have killed thousands of Russian soldiers, destroyed entire enemy columns, downed planes, sunk at least one ship, captured more than a thousand prisoners, towed abandoned tanks off the road, pushed Russian forces away from Kyiv, and liberated the occupied cities of Makariv, Irpin, and parts of the larger city of Kherson. Russia, clearly humiliated, now declares that its military objective is limited to the “liberation” of the eastern Donbas region rather than regime change, nationwide occupation, or state death.
The apt comparison then is to Russia’s botched invasion of Finland in 1939. Before the Ukrainians established themselves as Europe’s f[***]-around-and-find-out crew, that honor went to the Finns.
Not two months into World War II, Joseph Stalin’s Soviet Union made the fateful decision to declare war against Finland. The Russians had some of the usual reasons for invading one of its neighbors. Finland had been a tsarist possession that stalked off in a huff after the Bolshevik Revolution.....
(Excerpt) Read more at thebulwark.com ...
Agreed. The USSR feared the potential of STARWARS, and the media mocked it.
Finland goes from sending Ukraine weapons to sending Ukraine field hospitals in the span of one month...there’s a message in there for you somewhere, chickenhawks.
Those of us who came of age during the Reagan years will also recall that “Star Wars” was a term invented by media and Reagan haters (but I repeat myself) to ridicule the strategic defense initiative (SDI as it was originally called) which ultimately led to the collapse of the Soviet Union.
But the Russians on that one in the end as thry will win this one in the end. Communists and Moslems care not how many of their troops are killed and how much equipment is lost so long as they obtain their objectives.
But it’s worth noting that Finland was forced to cede a considerable amount of territory at the end of the war.
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Yeah...nobody at the Bulwark wants to dwell on that critical point. In between writing Neo-Con articles they probably spend most of their time watching gay porn.
I agree that the Finns put up a valiant (and well-coordinated) fight, but the consequences were still a net negative for them.
“akavit”
Had to look that up. I was a little concerned it might be some type of fermented moose meaw,t or fish that was pickled in whale urine or something.
I was pleasantly surprised to read that it’s an alcoholic beverage. Skol!
“But Ukraine is not Hungary, and it is not Czechoslovakia. Five weeks in, the Ukrainians have killed thousands of Russian soldiers, destroyed entire enemy columns, downed planes, sunk at least one ship, captured more than a thousand prisoners, towed abandoned tanks off the road, pushed Russian forces away from Kyiv, and liberated the occupied cities of Makariv, Irpin, and parts of the larger city of Kherson. Russia, clearly humiliated, now declares that its military objective is limited to the “liberation” of the eastern Donbas region rather than regime change, nationwide occupation, or state death.”
Putin was saying this from the get go. The left were the ones who turned it into something more in the media. And now that the goal is almost achieved they’re pretending they beat putin.
Two Words: Simo Hayha
Yup. SDI doesn’t get nearly enough credit for the fall of the Soviet Union.
I’ve been calling out Putin’s failed regime long before it was cool.
Russia is legendarily great at defending the motherland, but notoriously awful at their military expeditions outside of it. They were able to cobble together the Soviet Union only because all those nations were exhausted after WWII, but even then, they ceded the Balkens to Tito.
This is ridiculous propaganda. But, then again, what would one expect from a website that Bill Kristol works for.
And still lost both wars they fought with them.
Same thing will happen to Ukraine.
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I was pleasantly surprised to read that it’s an alcoholic beverage. Skol!
A linguistic take on the Latin "aqua vitae", water of life.
Lots of Ukrainian soldiers AND civilians killed. They had few tanks before the invasion and actually have more now, thanks to Putin, however their tactics are infantry based, not tank based
He’s doing a real ass kicking for a much weaker country. But just like Finland ultimately signed a deal with the USSR and gave up large chunks of territory, Ukraine would have to do that unless aided.
Furthermore, if the Ukrainians had NOT resisted, they would be part of Russia. Remember that Putin calls them MaloRussia ie “little Russia “
But note the initial aims of the winter war were to reincorporate Finland into the Russian empire.
Finland was part of the Tsarist Russian empire from 1808, when it was taken from Sweden, until 1919
Russia is not communist, and hasn’t been for 31 years.
Putin’s government is fascist.
The consequences for Finland were a net positive. They kept their independence.
Perhaps you don’t know that Stalin wanted to incorporate Finland into the Soviet union?
Or you didn’t know that Finland was part of Tsarist Russia from 1808 to 1919? And the soviwanted to grab it whole again?
Better to lose a leg than die.
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