Author Archives: ronnieapteker
NATO will step in at some point
This nightmare is not going to end soon.
The US is studying every Russian move. They are learning all their current military capabilities, seeing all their weaknesses. I don’t believe the US/West “engineered” this war, but they are certainly now taking full advantage.
Putin is going to fall, and that is good for the world. No one expected Zelensky to rise up and unify Ukraine like this. The US didn’t see this coming, Putin didn’t see this coming. And now there is the opportunity to try and remove Putin and Ukraine is doing the US/West’s dirty work.

NATO is going to have to step in at some point – Ukraine is the first wave. Yes, Ukraine is doing the world’s hard and ugly work. Unless China steps in and helps Russia – then it is WW III. I cannot see China helping Russia. They saw what happened to the Russian economy in a very short space of time. They don’t want this to happen to them.
These are very scary times.
Ukraine needs way more help
Poland wants to give fighter jets to Ukraine but they can’t give these to them directly or Russia will take this as an attack by Poland. So they can give them to me, and I can give them to Ukraine. This is all crazy under the table game playing. Bottom line: the world is helping Ukraine.
Russia, everyone is disgusted by what you are doing and you have broken every rule in the book, so others are breaking some rules too – yes, Ukraine is getting help … not nearly enough, but they are getting help for sure, and it is on the increase.
Unless this nightmare ends soon WW III is inevitable. Russia invaded Ukraine, the world is helping Ukraine, and those are the facts. It is just a matter of time before Russia says “Hang on, this is now too much help.” Whether it is direct or indirect or under the table or over the table – Ukraine is getting help. This nightmare needs to end, or yes, this war is going to be far more reaching pretty soon.
But hang on, what is this latest news about Russia asking China for help. If this is true, and if China actually helps Russia, then this nightmare will go up a few levels. This could lead us right into WW III.

Growing through pain
“I judge you unfortunate because you have never lived through misfortune. You have passed through life without an opponent— no one can ever know what you are capable of, not even you.” – Seneca
Winter Wonderland
For those who know me, I am pale-skinned and gentle and warm. And yes, I don’t fit any of the pigeon holes. I have lived life on my own terms. I never set out to hurt or deceive anyone, but for sure I have made many mistakes. I am sorry about all the mistakes I have made.
I enjoy making people laugh and I like to tell stories. I love magic and inspiring people. And I love being inspired. I take pleasure in listening to a good story.
Kyiv in the winter is magical. And is full of smiles and laughter. I prefer it to the summer. I know most people in the world rather have warm weather but I like the winter and I enjoy that time of year in Kyiv (it is not that cold actually). I hope that this coming winter we are back in Kyiv, celebrating life, in this relatively unknown city. A city with an ancient and incredible history that is growing and buzzing. You may not know much about Kyiv, but it is fast becoming a new travel hot spot. I am pretty sure that within the next 5 years you will visit, and you will inspired and amazed. And like everyone who comes there, you will want to come back. Again and again.
Here are some photos of this winter wonderland. These are pics from some photographers I follow online.





























Preparing for Defeat
How can all of this be about a piece of paper ???
If bombs dropped on Poland by mistake or on purpose then the West would need to defend, so the theory goes. So what is the difference if the bombs are falling on Poland or on Ukraine. Lviv is 70 km from the Polish border.
You ever been to Edinburgh? Everyone loves it there. Well, Lviv is more spectacular, and more buzzing. It is one the world’s new hot spots. And it is Poland’s close, friendly neighbour. So if bombs drop on Poland the West needs to defend, all because Poland signed a piece of paper. Ukraine also did sign a piece of paper in 1994 in Budapest that guaranteed their sovereignty. The US was very much a part of this. So much for all these pieces of paper. If you were drowning and I was walking by and could try and save you but I don’t because you were not in the “club” then what does it say about me?
Yes, yes, I know all the arguments about WW III and I am not buying it. Who is fighting currently with Russia. No one. And who said it will be WW III if they close the sky? Who said this will happen? Putin did not say he will attack if you close the sky. Show me where he said this. He said the sanctions from the West are an attack on Russia. So how does closing the sky make any difference. Close the God damn sky above Ukraine and help prevent more loss of life and all this senseless destruction.
“That idiot Putin walked into a trap. Putin is a rat and Ukraine is just the cheese. America caught him proper. The sanctions will mess up Russia totally. And so what if there is minus one million or minus two million Ukrainians. And minus one country. Who cares. The world feels pretty messed up at the moment.”
“Right now the US is just waiting to see how the sanctions are taking effect. What is happening in Ukraine and Europe suits them. They know their dirty work of getting rid of a madman is being done by Ukraine. That’s why Zelensky is a hero.”
But hang on, someone needs to control the 6,000 nuclear warheads. This problem with Russia will always be there. It also shows how irresponsible Putin in behaving right now.
“The West is not so unified, on anything, and it took only the unspeakable madness of invading Ukraine to get to agree on anything. The West could have stopped Russia in 2014,. The insufficient response from the West to the Russian invasion of Crimea in 2014 led to the current conflict.”
I am all over the place. In summary, if there was anyone to blame it is all of us. Greed has led the world to this point, and for now Ukraine is paying the price. God help us all.
“The world is feeling more and more evil, and it is hyper-connected, the worst of combinations. We have given the cheapest and most powerful weapon – connectivity – to the worst people in the world.“
“I wrote this essay in November when Russian troops were starting to lay siege to Ukraine. What has happened since then further supports its two main theses. First, that Vladimir Putin and his inner circle have a deliberate plan to destroy the order of rules and values governing world politics. Their goal is not regional or limited. They have a profound hatred of the Western world and want to take advantage of its perceived weakness. Second, the Kremlin has no vision of a new order to come. Its goal is purely destructive. Events in Ukraine over the last few days have fully confirmed these insights.“
Russia Shuts Power at Chernobyl & Saudi Arabia and UAE Refuse Biden’s Calls for Gas | The Daily Show
Here Is How It Feels to Watch Russia Wage War In Ukraine
David and Goliath
Ukraine’s spirit is incredible. I do believe they can win this war. But what that actually means is anyone’s guess. At what cost? So much death, so much destruction. Please God our prayers are answered and that this nightmare ends soon.
Something that I have been following online is how much financial support/aid is being provided to Ukraine. I imagine that when this war is over the West will pour billions and billions into Ukraine simply out of guilt. Ukraine is fighting for the whole democratic world. Please God Ukraine’s treasures and infrastructure are still largely intact when this nightmare is over, and then the country can indeed rebuild. All that foreign money will help for sure.

Ukraine has many problems before this war began. Yes, the country was on a healthy growth trajectory, and cities like Lviv, Odessa, and Kyiv, were becoming the new hot spots of the world. The biggest problem in Ukraine was that of corruption and the parasite Oligarchs are at the center of this mess. I remember reading in one of the local English publications from Kyiv, that the weekend before the war started, the main airport in Kyiv had the biggest number of private jets flying out of the country. As that old saying goes, when the going gets tough, the jets get going.
Where are these parasites now? I don’t hear of any Oligarch giving money to help the country where they took so much from. Unless of course they get a building named after themselves they don’t give. And when buildings are being blown up I guess the chances of them putting their hands in their pockets are very small. When this war is over they should stay away in their private jets, and not come back. They are not role models and they are all are involved in corrupt business practices. To hell with them.
Ukraine, in my many years of experience, is a bright, warm, hard working nation, and in my view they deserve a better conversation in the world. Of course Trump did not help. For years he went on about Ukraine being a bad place. He has probably never even stepped foot in Ukraine. And then there is Biden’s no good son, who was also involved in some Ukrainian corrupt gas story.
Ukraine is not Russia and they do not want to be a part of Russia. Yes, they share a common history, and there is a lot of overlap in terms of religion, culture, language, but that does not mean they want to be part of the most corrupt and evil regime on the planet.
Ukraine was dealing with its corruption and Ukraine was a true democracy with a free press. The city of Kyiv, where I live, is the hippest city in the world, and it was being discovered in a big way. Every time a new person came to Kyiv they could not wait to come back. The real estate market in Kyiv was booming. Cranes, cranes and more cranes. Perhaps that is where the name of the country comes from. Just kidding. Ukraine means “borderland” and it is the bridge between Europe and the Asian continent. If Ukraine happened to be on the Eastern side of Russia no one would really care. But it is in a very strategic place on the globe and it has an importance in the world.
I could write a book on what has come from Ukraine. The tech space, which is the IT hub of Europe, and the second largest software outsourcing nation after India, was transforming into the next Israel. In fact, Israeli tech start-ups often have their dev centers in Kyiv or one of the other big cities. Start-ups were becoming a big thing in Ukraine and the chances are a lot of the software you use on your smartphone or laptop has been developed in Ukraine. The biggest industry in Ukraine is agriculture and the country is often called the “breadbasket of Europe”.
Russia is the world’s biggest country. Do they really need more land. And who in this day and age is trying to grab land. Russia is run by thugs – it is a petrol station with nuclear bombs. The country’s economy is going backwards and the average Russian has a very hard life. Putin and his henchmen are on their own mission here with this insane war, and they are destroying their own country in the process. Ukraine has done nothing to Russia, and did not start this war. They don’t want to fight with anyone. They were too busy growing their economy. Russia, on the other hand, was going backwards. They were jealous of Ukraine. This lady says it all – you gotta watch this.



