History has a way of if not exactly repeating itself then perhaps recurring with eerie similarity. Please kindly permit me a detour into our own American Civil War history as a preface to this diary.
After the Union forces cut the main confederate logistics line on the western stretch of the South Side Railroad and broke through their defenses at the Battle of Five Forks on April 1,1865 Lee’s army was on borrowed time. The Union action cut off the last major rail supply line into the confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia forcing its evacuation on April 2 and subsequent fall. Five Forks, an unremarkable rural spot just south of Petersburg basically spelled the end of Lee’s war effort. In the ensuing rout, the Union army captured about 4,000 prisoners including several officers, among them Brigadier General Joseph B. Kershaw(his brigade of General Lafayette McLaws’ division famously suffered a ghastly 50% plus casualty rate earlier on at Gettysburg).
Shortly after the Union victory at Five Forks, Union General Philip Sheridan sent a telegram to his boss, General Ulysses S. Grant stating, “If the thing is pressed I think that Lee will surrender.” Grant passed the telegram on to President Abraham Lincoln who immediately responded directing Grant to …“Let the thing be pressed.” The great confederate skedaddle was on, culminating in Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865. The Civil War was over. President Lincoln’s army for the preservation of the American union was victorious.
Fast forward to June 24 2026 and the president of Ukraine now embroiled in a most sanguinary war of liberation from the next door “super power” Russia, and having by dint of perseverance and ingenuity turned the tide of the war, directed his army to ‘strike preemptively at Russian facilities used to escalate the war, aiming to “influence the aggressor state” and “force an end to the conflict”:
Zelenskyy instructed the Armed Forces of Ukraine to strike preemptively at facilities used by the Russian Federation to escalate the war.
More here:
Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy declares 40-day Russia blitz to ‘influence the aggressor state’
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/26/ukraine-war-briefing-zelenskyy-40-day-russia-blitz
And here:
Ukraine launches huge drone attack on Russia and occupied Crimea as it seeks to force Putin “to end the war”
Zelenskyy ordered his forces to “act in advance” against targets deep inside Russia, including energy infrastructure and communication centers, stating that strikes on oil refineries have already caused fuel shortages in as many as 60 Russian of the 83 official Russian administrative regions(excluding Crimea and the TOT[The Occupied Territories]).
In declaring a 40-day operation targeting Russian oil refineries, depots, and logistics, Zelenskyy aims to continue ratcheting up the pressure on Moscow … with recent attacks shutting down refineries in Ufa and Krasnodar causing severe gasoline shortages. Zelemskyy framed these long-range drone assaults as a necessary response to make Russian society “feel” the war, noting that Russia is moving air defenses to protect Moscow and Vladimir Putin’s residence at Valdai leaving most of Russia unprotected. He further implied that in doing so, Putin and the Kremlin showed where their true priorities are … protecting themselves and their hold on power. The rest of Russia didn’t matter in their estimation.
Although couched largely in diplomatic euphemisms, Zelenskyy’s directive to his army simply boils down to this … “we’ve got them on their backs now. Press on them hard till they cry uncle”. Old Abe Lincoln would appreciate the import of those words.
It is variously reported today that a former Russian commander in Putin’s Ukrainian Special Military Operation, Oleksandr Lunin of Vorenezh, has posted a now viral public video condemning the misuse and mistreatment of troops in Ukraine and threatens a general military revolt unless Czar Putin grants him a public audience to discuss and ventilate these issues. While acknowledging the video, the authorities in Russia have already started a whispering campaign about the possible mental ‘instability” of Oleksandr Lunin. They will likely find a way to “progozhin” the poor chap. But the mere fact that this video has gone viral within Russia is not a good sign for the Putin regime:
Ex-military of the Russian Federation stated that the army could “turn weapons against the Kremlin” and demanded a meeting with Putin
As I indicated on quaoar’s diary earlier today … Yevgeny Prigozhin’s rebellon(exactly 3 years ago) started in Rostov and foundered on the edge of Voronezh city, home of Oleksandr Lunin. May the weeks and months ahead bring forth many more Lunins, spurred on by the steady deteriorating conditions within Russia. May they mount a real revolution which actually ushers in the end of Putinism and perhaps an era of real change in Russia.
Some may perhaps cavil at Zelenskyy getting too far ahead of his skis in issuing these orders but as the old saying attributed to Robin Hood in relation to his bid to win the hand of beautiful maid Marian against all hazards mounted by mean ol’ Prince John(her dyspeptic, irascible and effete uncle) goes … “Ah, but remember, faint hearts never won fair lady.”
President Zelenskyy and ADAPTIVE INDOMITABLE UKRAINE must not let up but press their newly gained advantage against Russia until victory(peremoha) is theirs.
SLAVA UKRAINI ! PEREMOHA(Victory) !!
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Power matters.