Letter: Don’t count your chickens before they are hatched

By Letter to the Editor on October 26, 2022.

Dear editor,

As the ages old adage says ‘Do not count your chickens before they are hatched’, that’s what I would advise Ukraine not to do.

The recent military successes by the courageous and proud Ukrainian people, every last one of them, should/must result in serious and final successful negotiations with Putin’s Russia.

Why should Ukraine even consider any negotiations, when they are on the, so far, successful offensive? Because many Russians are a very patriotic people, love their Rodina, but at the same are capable, and willing, to sacrifice not only their soldiers, but also of whatever they think is necessary to ‘win’ any war… including civilians.

But most of their previous battles have been won because of their overwhelming numbers. Does any student of history, not ‘revised’ history, remember the Battle of Poltova, where about 100,000 Tzarist troops managed to defeat a Swedish army, consisting of battle weary, many suffering from one sickness or another, wounded during one or another previous battle, now numbering slightly over 10,000 men.

That ‘victory’ is still celebrated to this day in Putin’s Russia. As far as I am concerned, even the WW2 victory over Nazi Germany by the Soviet Union (and its Allies) was only possible when the Japanese realized they had way too much on their plate, so to speak, already, starting to lose their Pacific War against the U.S. and its Allies; and Japan did not attack the USSR in the far East.

So Joseph Stalin then decided to pull most of the troops that were meant to defend the USSR against Japan and added that massive number of troops to join the Soviet forces engaged in that desperate struggle against the Nazi forces… add to that the terrible Russian winters; overwhelming military and other supplies somehow managed to, via Iran, be sent to Stalin; by the Allies, which included even the cloth and buttons needed for Stalin’s forces/officers uniforms… and steel, ‘fighter’ parts, machine parts, weapons, locomotives, etc.

What I’m trying to say: do not count the Russians out, no, do not. No matter what the Ukrainians have achieved, by their phenomenal courage and better strategies, at the risk Russia is finally at its wit’s end…that’s when Russians will risk anything, including the use of tactical nuclear weapons.

Ted Kohlmetz ( one who has been there, saw it all before) River Ridge S.V., Medicine Hat