Today's News: Ukrainian counter-offensive is underway

The New York Times reports that Ukraine is beginning a counter-offensive 

Ukraine’s military is undertaking a counteroffensive that has altered the central dynamic of the fighting: The question is no longer how far Russian forces have advanced, but whether the Ukrainians are now pushing them back.

Daily Kos reports a huge loss for Russia today at Berdyansk, along the coast of the Sea of Azov. Russian ships and landing craft came under fire, with one ship sunk and two others fleeing, trailing smoke. Explosions on shore show the destruction of a Russian warehouse filled with ammunition.

Russian propaganda was celebrating the occupation of Berdyansk and this very ship just 2 days ago. Now, all of this is eliminated. No ship, no supplies, no tanks, no APC, no nothing, just ashes. #Berdyansk #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/HxPuEkaRuu

— (((Tendar))) (@Tendar) March 24, 2022

Mark Sumner at Daily Kos writes: 

 It’s hard to underestimate the effect that the action at Berdyansk could have on Russian morale — if it becomes widely known in Russia. Short of Great Britain in the Napoleonic era, there are few nations that have more pride invested in their naval power than Russia. Their superiority at sea is just assumed, and the Black Sea is their bathtub. For a Russian ship to be sunk in the Black Sea, is a gut punch. 

This map shows in yellow the areas recaptured by the Ukrainian Army:

Putin's War - The Daily Briefing Map of Ukraine.
Today marks 1 month since Russian troops invaded Ukraine. So I'm going to share a thread with a variety of maps.
1st: A map showing the chronology of the Russian forward line every week of the invasion.
HD - https://t.co/pQV4ejVyji pic.twitter.com/rphDRCm5II

— Nathan Ruser (@Nrg8000) March 24, 2022

One thing I have realized now about the Russia Ukraine War is that there will be no going back to the way things were. 

Just as we have come to the terrible realization now that after two years, the world isn't going to be "getting over" Covid and we're not going to be "getting back to normal", it is also becoming apparent now that Russia has rained too much destruction and dislocation and upset in Ukraine for that country to just brush itself off and get back to normal.

⚡️CNN: Half of all Ukrainian children have been displaced since Feb. 24, according to UNICEF.

“Since the start of the war a month ago, out of every boy and girl in the country, one out of two now has had to flee their homes,” UNICEF spokesperson James Elder told CNN.

— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) March 24, 2022

Ukraine says 400,000 citizens have been forcibly taken to Russia | CBC News https://t.co/jAITgwn0bT

— Nahlah Ayed (@NahlahAyed) March 25, 2022

I read this Rude Pundit tweet today and realized this was once my hope too, that Putin would just declare victory and leave:

You know, Putin could just declare they won the damn war and bring the troops home for a big parade and say that anyone who says otherwise is a liar who hates Russia. It's basically the same propaganda as now except with less death. Putin just likes the killing.

— The Rude Pundit (@rudepundit) March 24, 2022

But it ain't happening. The only way for this war to end is to go forward, to find some way to defeat Russia without broadening the confrontation.

NATO is trying to thread the needle here, supporting Ukraine but not widening the war. Biden wants to expell Russia from the G20, and is also preparing to announce a US liquified natural gas deal for Europe.

An interesting thread here from @TrentTelenko -- on pallets and cranes and Russia's lack of both and what impact this is going to have on the war -- ends with this observation:

The indicators are pointing that way.

Managing that fall so no WMD fly, while saving Ukraine, will be the trick.🙏🙏🙏🙏

— Trent Telenko (@TrentTelenko) March 25, 2022

Tom Nichol gives us this analysis today:

During the Cold War, NATO had little hope of holding off a Soviet conventional offensive. So we adopted a policy of "flexible response," in which we preserved all options - including nuclear escalation. The *Soviets* wanted to keep it all conventional if possible, of course. /2

— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) March 25, 2022

His best option, obvs, is to make peace and extract concessions from Ukraine. But if we enter the war and what's left of his military gets sent to the hell it deserves, he might see value in trying to scramble the deck with escalatory threats (as he's already doing now). /7

— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) March 25, 2022

This is why it's not "he will or won't." There's a lot of room in between "he's a coward" and "he's a maniac." He could also just be delusional and surrounded by weak men - and nothing suggests this more than the complete Russian pooch-screw we're watching now in Ukraine. /9

— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) March 25, 2022

And meanwhile, in Canada, we had another demonstration today that Canada is making a difference in the world -- Trudeau is getting attacked by the European far-right. And Canadian media are clutching their pearls about it:

Technically it's 4 MEPS who are members of the far right criticizing Trudeau vs 701 MEPs who gave Trudeau a standing ovation

— Kelly Miller🌈 ☘️ 🇨🇦 💉💉💉🌻 (@sqirlgirly) March 25, 2022

here's an idea whose time may have come:

Someone should organize another 'Freedom Convoy'.
If the first one resulted in Canadians receiving Dental Care and Pharmacare another 'Freedom Convoy 2.0' might result in UBI?
FREEDOM!!!

— G McThink (@redsnoopy69) March 24, 2022