War is Hell

Editorial Staff: March 4, 2022

As the siege in Ukraine continues and the strong will of the Ukrainian people fight back against the Russian invaders the old adage that "war is hell" comes to this reporters mind.

There is nothing pleasant about a country being at war. The effects are devastating to say the least. Especially when one is faced with such a formidable opponent as Russia.

Russian President Vladamir Putin of course claims that he has every right to invade Ukraine somewhere in his mind what he is doing is acceptable. But what actually is his state of mind. It is believed that the aging Putin desires to reestablish the Soviet Union. But his ambitions seem more hell bent.

The Russian forces have stooped to a new low as they attacked the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in the early hours of Friday, with CCTV capturing a fierce gun battle between Russian troops and Ukrainian defenders that sparked a fire in a six-storey training building just outside the main complex. Russian troops then stopped firefighters getting to the building for several hours as fighting raged. Eventually, emergency crews were allowed to go in and douse the flames before Russian troops moved in an occupied the site, which provides a fifth of Ukraine's electricity.

The UN's nuclear monitoring agency said that, fortunately, none of the site's six reactors had been directly damaged and radiation levels remained normal. But this is serious business and never in world history has an attacking force brazenly attacked a muclear power plant. The ramifications of such an attack could be devastating not only within Ukraine but will fallout worldwide. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of 'nuclear terror' and wanting to repeat the Chernobyl disaster - considered the worst nuclear disaster in history.

The news that Russian soldiers had put the plant at risk by opening fire close by and shelling it sparked dire warnings and international condemnation - with the head of the International Nuclear Energy Agency saying he was 'deeply concerned'. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who spoke with Zelensky after the plant was attacked, called the attack 'reckless' and said Putin is now 'threatening the security of the whole of Europe'. Is Putin desperately trying to draw Europe and subsequently NATO into what would be World War III. That is a situation that would possibly end in all out Nucleur war.

A spokeswoman spouting the concerns of both US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called the situation 'gravely concerning', adding: 'Both leaders agreed that Russia must immediately cease its attack on the power station and allow unfettered access for emergency services to the plant. The potential for Chernobyl type fallout exists there.

Ukraine has three other active nuclear power plants, one of which is located 70 miles from the city of Mykolaiv which Russian forces have begun attacking after seizing nearby Kherson. could that plant be on Putin's "hit list of targets"? The other two active sites are located in the west and are not currently under threat, however that situation could change as the Russian attack branches out. Ukraine also has five sites which are out of action, but could still pose a risk if hit by shells.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has called for 'somebody in Russia' to assassinate their president Vladimir Putin, invoking a Julius Caesar-style assassination of Putin who is currently leading an invasion of Ukraine - during an appearance on Fox News' Hannity show and in a series of incendiary tweets on Thursday. Tweeting, 'Is there a Brutus in Russia? he asked. 'Is there a more successful Colonel Stauffenberg in the Russian military?' he tweeted, referencing the army officer who attempted to kill Adolf Hitler.

As the Ukrainian invasion enters its 9th day there is not much hope for a reversal of the Russian aggression as the peace talks between the two sides broke off yesterday.

Stay tuned as we continue our coverage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.