There are two critical aspects of the Ukraine war that differentiate it from previous conflicts. I’ve already noted one of them — the role of social media.
The Russian state is unable to prevent its younger generations from learning about alternative perspectives on what is happening in Ukraine because they don’t watch TV or listen to Radio Moscow.
And the government cannot locate and shut off all of the social media options, including encrypted channels (WhatsApp, Signal, etc.), nor can it control the informal social connections its citizens have via TikTok, SnapChat, Instagram and others.
Many cross-border relationships revolve around cultural matters, including pets, music, style and food, but news of the war inevitably seeps through the cracks and Russian citizens know how to find it. None of this is about technology, really — it’s all about the personal networks that have been created.
This same factor altered the course of events in previous conflicts, such as the Arab Spring, Israeli oppression in Palestine, and the long-term conflict in Afghanistan, but Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has raised the scope and therefore the stakes by several orders of magnitude.
So this aspect of the communications surrounding the war is very important, but less so than the second critical differentiating factor — the comprehensive economic war being waged against Russia by the West. This is indeed the first major conflict when the entire globalized economy is being mobilized and weaponized against one large power — Russia.
Previously, sanctions were applied against lesser rogue actors — Iran, Iraq, North Korea, etc. — with limited success, but what is happening in Russia is unprecedented. The massive Russian economy is being gradually and systematically choked to death.
Every important source of Russian credit and its supply chain is being affected, with the exception, so far, of oil and gas.
That we have never witnessed an effort of this magnitude bodes well for Ukrainians’ ultimate success at repelling Putin’s troops from their land. But the repercussions globally in economic terms have not even started to be calculated.
Nor has the aftermath politically. The geopolitical world order is being altered before our eyes.
TODAY’s NEWS (72):
1 million flee Ukraine as Russian assault hits key cities and fuels exodus (NBC)
Russian troops shelled Europe’s largest nuclear power station in Ukraine. (CNBC)
Fire out at key Ukraine nuclear plant, no radiation released (AP)
Zelenskiy accuses Russia of 'nuclear terrorism' after fire at power plant (Guardian)
Zaporizhzhya blast would be 10 times worse than Chernobyl — Ukraine minister (Times of Israel)
Zelensky asks Putin for talks as humanitarian crisis grows (BBC)
The United Nations said more than 2% of Ukraine's population has been forced out of the country in the week since Russia invaded. Russian forces have kept up their bombardment of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-biggest city, and laid siege to two strategic seaports. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed that the invaders would have “not one quiet moment” and described Russian soldiers as “confused children who have been used.” [AP]
In one week of war, Russia’s invasion may have changed history’s direction —The swift avalanche of nonmilitary actions against Russian President Vladimir Putin has convinced many world leaders that global power dynamics have entered a phase of startling and perhaps enduring change. (WP)
Russian Forces Advance in Southern Ukraine as Talks End (WSJ)
Russia's invasion of Ukraine entered its second week as an apparent tactical failure so far, with its main assault force stalled for days on a highway north of Kyiv and other advances halted at the outskirts of cities it is bombing into wastelands. (Reuters)
Russia intensifies onslaught on Ukraine’s cities (BBC)
French president fears what’s next after call with Putin (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Live updates: Macron says Putin ‘refuses’ to halt attacks (AP)
NATO Countries Pour Weapons Into Ukraine, Risking Conflict With Russia (NYT)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he believed some foreign leaders were preparing for war against Russia and that Moscow would press on with its military operation in Ukraine until "the end". Lavrov also said Russia had no thoughts of nuclear war. (Reuters)
Ukraine Officials Say Thousands Of Civilians Killed As Russia Intensifies Attacks (NBC)
U.S., Russia Establish Hotline to Avoid Accidental Conflict (WSJ)
Major blast lights up Kyiv sky as bloody battles rage across Ukraine (WP)
Russians besiege crucial Ukrainian energy hub and seacoast (AP)
Dramatic Zelenskiy call prompted EU move to provide arms (Reuters)
A Russian oil and gas embargo is in the cards. And analysts warn it will have huge consequences (CNBC)
US announces new sanctions on Russian oligarchs and their families (Financial Times)
Kremlin denies planning to institute martial law in Russia (Guardian)
Will Sanctions Force Putin to Back Down in Ukraine? History Suggests It’s Unlikely (WSJ)
A ban of Russian aircraft from U.S. airspace has gone into effect (NPR)
UK sanctions oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Igor Shuvalov (BBC)
Russia Silences What Remained of Independent Local Media (WSJ)
France and Germany detain Russian oligarch superyachts (Financial Times)
Volkswagen stops vehicle production in Russia, suspends exports — Other automakers cracking down on Russia include BMW, Ford, General Motors, Volvo and Mercedes-Benz (Fox)
Oil prices soared again as the Ukraine war triggered a dash for commodities that could be in short supply, while stock markets slipped as investors worried about higher inflation and slowing economic growth. We explain why $100 oil could hurt the energy transition more than it helps. (Reuters)
A War the Kremlin Tried to Disguise Becomes a Hard Reality for Russians (NYT)
Ukrainian gov’t calls for game companies to cut off Russia during invasion (Ars Technica)
Central bank sanctions strike at the foundations of Russia’s economy (Financial Times)
How You Can Help Ukraine (NYT)
The bells of major churches across Europe chimed in unison to express solidarity with the people of Ukraine, mourn those killed, and pray for peace. (Reuters)
Russians are bracing for a dramatic shift in their standard of living (CNN)
Business software giant Oracle said it has suspended all operations in Russia, while rival SAP announced it would pause all sales in the country. (Reuters)
Putin’s War to Bring Ukraine to Heel Unites Eastern Europe in Alarm (NYT)
Breakdown of US-Russia diplomacy runs deep, beyond Ukraine (AP)
Democrats worry Russia could use cryptocurrencies to ease the impact of economic sanctions imposed to punish Russian President Vladimir Putin for invading Ukraine, which could lead Congress to act to rein in cryptocurrencies. “It is past time for all of us to lead on creating a regulatory environment in which we, rather than the world’s despots, terrorists and money launderers benefit from the emergence of cryptocurrency,” Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) said. [HuffPost]
How Putin tried — and failed — to protect the ruble from sanctions (WP)
Russians struggle to understand Ukraine war: 'We didn't choose this' (CNN)
Societe Generale can see an "extreme scenario" where Russia strips the bank of its local operations, it said, in one of the starkest warnings yet from a Western company about the potential fallout from the war in Ukraine. Regulators are preparing for a possible closure of the European arm of Russia's second-largest bank, VTB Bank, according to two sources familiar with the matter. (Reuters)
Russia’s war spurs corporate exodus, exposes business risks (AP)
Through a mountain pass, Poles frantically rebuild a rail link to Ukraine to help refugees (WP)
Neutral Finland, Sweden warm to idea of NATO membership (AP)
Russian state-run media posts, then deletes article on victory over Ukraine (NHK)
Russia crisis forces Pentagon to rework defense strategy on the fly (Politico)
A bipartisan group of California lawmakers said this week that they planned to file legislation to get rid of the state’s Russian investments. The state has more than $1 billion in Russian investments, mostly in its pension fund.(AP)
CapRadio in Sacramento assembled a list of California organizations supporting Ukraine, as did The Los Angeles Times. NBC Los Angeles also wrote about a group in Agoura Hills helping disabled people escape the war-torn country. (Cal Today)
Canada strips Russia, Belarus of trade status in latest sanctions salvo (Politico)
States led by California, Florida, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, Tennessee and Vermont have launched an investigation into TikTok and its possible harmful effects on young users' mental health. Government officials and child-safety advocates maintain that TikTok’s computer algorithms pushing video content to users can promote eating disorders and even self-harm and suicide to young viewers. [AP]
The Rise and Fall of the Riskiest Asteroid in a Decade – “I’ve Never Seen Such a Risky Object” (SciTechDaily)
Key Takeaways From Chesa Boudin's New York Times Interview (SFist)
With the remaking of the San Francisco school board, the fight is heating up again over selective admissions at the city’s elite public high school. (SFC)
Google will require Bay Area office workers to return in April after repeated delays (SFC)
A highly changed coronavirus variant was found in deer after nearly a year in hiding, researchers suggest (CNN)
U.S. to share some coronavirus technologies with World Health Organization (WP)
UN report paints dire picture of the Gulf of Mexico’s future (AP)
Distribution of white supremacist propaganda is increasingly coordinated, ADL says (NPR)
Trump's $15 billion wall was breached thousands of times in the areas where it was completed, with smugglers using cheap power tools available in retail stores, according to The Washington Post. One report last year found some smugglers were building effective ladders with about $5 worth of material. In another famous case, a stiff wind knocked over a wall segment. [HuffPost]
Jan. 6 Committee Lays Out Potential Criminal Charges Against Trump (NYT)
The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol said in a 221-page court filing that evidence shows former President Donald Trump and his associates engaged in a "criminal conspiracy" to prevent Congress from certifying the election results. It's the committee's most formal effort to link Trump to a federal crime, although lawmakers do not have the power to bring charges on their own and can only make a referral to the Justice Department. [AP]
The single most damning email exchange in the new January 6 committee filing (CNN)
Opening statements were delivered in the criminal trial of a Texas man charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, making him the first participant to stand trial. Guy Reffitt has pleaded not guilty to five felony counts, including illegally bringing a firearm to Capitol Hill last year. [HuffPost]
Now Is as Good a Time as There’ll Ever Be to Leave Your Pandemic Bubble (Atlantic)
UC Berkeley prepares to slash enrollment after California Supreme Court ruling (Politico)
Your Co-Workers Started Dating While Working From Home. Now What? (WSJ)
Band Remembers Back When They Used To Play Shows For 10 People Instead Of 4 People (The Onion)
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