Washington

- As the war enters its fourth week, the United States has not sent its forces to Ukraine, but is seeking an indirect confrontation with Russia, through several available means outside the arena of traditional military confrontation.

US President Joe Biden has made a double pledge several times since the start of the Russian war on Ukraine, and said, "The United States will not fight Russia in Ukraine, because that means a direct confrontation between NATO and Russia that leads to the outbreak of a third world war, which is something that must be done." that we strive to prevent it,” but he reiterated that his country and its allies will work with full force to inflict a “strategic defeat” on Russia.

Washington is following several methods, some of which are traditional, such as providing arms and aid to the Ukrainian side, and some of them are innovative, whether through intelligence or moral support, or through open methods on social media, in order to defeat Russia.

early confrontation

The United States began the unconventional confrontation before the Russian forces crossed the Ukrainian border, as Washington revealed its intelligence early on about the imminence of the war, and published data on the numbers of Russian forces and their areas of deployment, and this information was updated almost daily.

The Biden administration has also publicly confirmed several times its intention to impose unprecedented sanctions on Russia "if it invades Ukraine", which has already been achieved, as Washington and Western capitals imposed painful financial sanctions and banned many Russian banks from dealing with the "SWIFT" system for cash transfers.

Washington also imposed sanctions on the Russian Central Bank, curtailed billions of dollars in Russian deposits, and imposed sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin, his top aides, and hundreds of members of the Russian (oligarchic) ​​elite close to the Kremlin.

Washington also coordinated early with its NATO allies to provide military trainers to improve the combat level of Ukrainian forces during the months before the start of the war, and then Washington ordered all American soldiers to leave Ukraine a few days before the Russian invasion.


Social media

Washington has taken great care in promoting the views opposed to the Russian war, as it publishes all the details of its political diplomatic activities on all social media in many languages, including Russian, Ukrainian, Arabic, and Chinese.

The Office of Strategic Communications in the White House arranged a virtual meeting via the Zoom application with 30 of the most important influencers in the “TikTok” application, providing them with basic information about the war, and briefing them on the strategic goals of the United States in the region.

The American media contributes to influencing world public opinion by promoting the Ukrainian narrative in the conflict, which has succeeded in forming an unprecedented global pressure campaign against Russia.

Nor do American news networks host any experts or commentators who adopt positions close to, or sympathize with, the Russian position.

On the other hand, some former US military with combat experience have taken the initiative to help the Ukrainians using social media.

Retired military commander John Spencer, one of the most important specialists in urban warfare and the associated military tactics and strategic balances, tweeted in Ukrainian and English, explaining to Ukrainian civilians how to use water in conditions of war and siege in healthy ways. He also tweeted innovative ways to shelter in residential areas in during the aerial bombardment.

Access to safe water will become a matter of life & death in cities across #Ukraine drinking contaminated water can induce vomiting/diarrhea leading to extreme dehydration & death.

If in doubt purify water @Vitaliy_Klychko @ZelenskyyUa @KyivIndependent @KyivPost @CNN @AnaCabrera pic.twitter.com/MmC6Mk7Pqe

— John Spencer (@SpencerGuard) March 15, 2022

“Access to safe water becomes a matter of life and death in situations of war, and in the cities of Ukraine drinking contaminated water can lead to vomiting, diarrhea, leading to severe dehydration and death. If you are in doubt about water purification, follow the accompanying instructions,” Spencer said.

Використовуйте бетон як основний захисний матеріал.

Міський захисник використовує унікальний міський матеріал на свою користь.

Бетон, армований сталевими прутами (арматурою), в десять разів краще мішків з піском.

Використовуйте щебінь, камінь, цеглу.

pic.twitter.com/S1g7oQsunK

— John Spencer (@SpencerGuard) March 14, 2022

Spencer advised the Ukrainians - in a tweet in the local language - by saying, "You should use concrete as an insulating material and take cover behind it, it is good material to protect yourselves, and concrete reinforced with steel rods (reinforcement) is ten times better than sandbags. Use rubble and stone as well."

weapon supplies

Two days earlier, Biden signed a $1.5 trillion federal spending package that included more than $13 billion in support of the Ukrainian war effort, as well as humanitarian and economic aid.

The White House is facing enormous pressure from Congress to find new ways to help Ukraine militarily, especially after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky delivered a speech - via video conference - to Congress, during which he demanded fighter bombers and the imposition of a no-fly zone over Ukraine.

Following Zelensky's speech, Biden last Wednesday detailed how the United States will spend the $800 million in military and humanitarian aid approved this week, promising to "do more in the coming days and weeks."

Funds will be allocated to provide 800 Stinger anti-aircraft systems, 9,000 anti-armor systems, including hundreds of Javelin anti-tank missiles, 7,000 small and medium-sized machine guns, as well as thousands of grenade launchers and shotguns.

CNN reported that the United States will provide "Switchblade" drones, which are small, advanced drones known as "kamikaze", meaning suicide planes that carry warheads and explode on impact.

These small planes can hit a target up to 6 miles away, while the larger model has a range of more than 20 miles.

The use of these planes by the Ukrainian forces will affect the losses of the Russian side, which is expected to witness a significant increase if these planes are used.

In a sign of the speed with which US officials are looking to move in support of Ukraine, about $300 million of the $350 million the Biden administration has allocated to Ukraine has arrived in about two weeks.

On the other hand, more and more members of Congress from both parties, Democrats and Republicans, are demanding that the US intelligence services provide all the information, assessments, and resources they have to help the Ukrainians confront the Russians.