World Affairs International

Protests continue in Russia and occupied parts of Ukraine as the Russian logistical nightmare grows.

More and more civilian vehicles with invasion ‘Z’ markings have been seen on the way to Ukraine, even as Russian equipment, often fully intact, gets hauled away by civilians. Popular videos of farmers hauling away millions of dollars of Russian armor have been widespread. Though the Ukrainian MoD has warned of trackers and mines being placed on the abandoned vehicles, the practice is unlikely to stop soon.

Earlier today, a reported six planes and six helicopters were downed by Ukraine, another massive blow to an airforce that continues its inability to establish air superiority in a conflict that has continued for almost two weeks. Yet besieged cities like Kyiv, Mariupol, and Kharkiv continue to be the targets of large-scale, indiscriminate bombing.

Recently, calls for a no-fly zone have finally died down, as instead, activists pressure Poland to donate parts of its airforce to Ukraine. A potential deal for the U.S. to replace donated fighters with American fighter planes may be reached: allowing Ukrainian pilots to reinforce their stretched air force and clear the skies on their own.

But the greatest failure in Putin’s Ukrainian gambit has been the sense of unity he has brought to his adversaries. Though many have correlated Putin’s blunder with the rise of a novel Ukrainian patriotism, this same zeal can be extended to Western politics as a whole. WorldAffairs.International conducted a series of polls, which were unanimous for a diverse, American and European audience. All polls had both arguments explained in brief by a neutral party.

• Do you think Putin will stop at the Dnieper river? (28% YES, 72% NO)
• Should NATO intervene in Ukraine? (79% YES, 21% NO)
• Do you believe Ukraine can win? (78% YES, 22% NO)
• Do you believe the first rounds of negotiations will work? (6% YES, 94% NO)
• Is Russia stronger than China? (0% YES, 100% NO)
• Do you think Russia will stop in Ukraine? (5% YES, 95% NO)
• Do you consider an attack on Europe or the Americas respectively an attack against your own region? (50% YES, 50% NO)
• Do you believe Russian troops will invade Transnistria (part of Moldova? (100% YES, 0% NO)

Europeans tended to vote in a bloc, advocating for NATO interventions and certain of Russian aggression continuing. Those who were skeptical of Russia’s plans tended to be Canadian. However, views regarding Russian aggression became unanimous as the war progressed, with all voters believing Russia is on the warpath for significant gains in Eastern Europe.