Peter Zwack

Featured Videos

Ukraine is a nation the size of Texas with a large 44 million population. The Russian forces that invaded are estimated to number about 250,000 with likely many more reinforcing. Even if they capture Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, how could this formidable but relatively small force hold the vast, seething Ukrainian countryside over a sustained period?

This is the looming critical front threatening the heart and mind of Russia’s aggression. Putin’s regime is taking increasingly draconian methods to insulate its population from the truth behind the growing costs of the war including combat losses and the collapse of its economy. As history has shown, Russian people and even some leadership are not endlessly patient and compliant.

From countryside to village, to towns and cities the fighting in Ukraine is becoming increasingly brutal and bloody. In every dimension, ground, air, sea, fighting rages in Ukraine including use of drones and cyber technology. What are the risks, especially with talk of No Fly Zones and cross-border reinforcement, of the Russians escalating toward even more massive strikes including more aggressively brandishing tactical nuclear weapons.

Why did Vladimir Putin order his military into a massive unprovoked invasion of neighboring Ukraine? What are the motives and history driving this aggression, the scale of which has not been seen in Europe since WWII. What’s going on in Putin’s mind that would lead him to undertake such a massive, reckless gamble?