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Writer's pictureWaadl Cartoonist
Aug 193 min read

Counteroffensive

Drawn on August 13, 2024 | Published from Miami |

 
Soliders Ye be warned.
Counteroffensive

Violence may be an ungentlemanly affair, but restraint is a fleeting virtue. If you keep lobbing rocks at the nightingales nest, spare us the outrage when the animal retaliates. This is why I could never be a pacifist. All throughout their battle for self preservation, the Ukrainian resolve has served to remind that in times of war, even virtue has its limits — where restraint once reigned, necessity demands action, and action demands victory.


"Whilst you are unsure of victory, defend; when you are sure of victory, attack. Defense should indicate that you are not in a position to defeat the enemy, attack that you are even stronger than you need to be.” [1]

— Sun Tzu, The Art of War, Deployment, 5th Century BC.



Could it be that ancient musings of Chinese military doctrine inspired Ukraine's barreling riposte behind Russia's border [2]? Maybe it was Uncle Sam’s creed of ‘bringing the war to them’ that motivated Zelenskyy’s army to bravely leap over hostile trenches, exploit Russian weak spots on the ground, and build a long-range buffer beyond the edge. Harder to win a war from a defensive position. Much like in 2022, this advance could also be a move to provoke Putin into enacting yet another general mobilization — forcing Russian citizens to fight for the motherland and causing unrest as conscription offices pick from wailing families for ever younger cannon fodder [3]. Or perhaps, to Zelenskyy's officers’ dismay, this counteroffensive can be traced back to a cross-eyed commander who simply misread the GPS [more here]. Hmm — see ya know, I knew I shoulda made a left turn at Albuquerque!* Intentions aside, the August 6th comb through Kursk not only woke an international community asleep in the bleachers but also caught Russia’s leader so off guard that his generals might want to steer clear of hospital windows for a while. And though the daring effort has incisively exposed Putin’s vulnerabilities, this counterstrike almost guarantees a wrath to match.


Feeding an army is hard; feeding an army behind enemy lines is even harder. Like a yo-yo, what goes down must come up. The success of this incursion hinges on the timing and endurance of a well-executed dribble, where what enters must find its way out. The path into Russia better include a clear roadmap back to Ukraine. A return must not be a retreat.


Despite the morale boost to Ukrainians, as far as avoiding Tolstoyian flights of fancy go, neither Napoleon's march nor smoldering Moscow are irrational fantasies to entertain. Many landmarks on the Eastern front have been decimated, but its dire warnings haven't budged since the bitter winter of 1812.


 

[1] Tzu, S. and Trapp, J. (2018) The Art of War Illustrated. London, England: Amber Books.


[2] More on the incursion:


[3] Canon fodder:


*Bugs Bunny.

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