Glory to Ukraine!
Glory to the defenders of Ukraine and all modern civilization!
Today in the issue:
- Robert Mueller has died. The 47th president is happy.
- Why US military aid to Ukraine could not have affected the stockpiles of weapons and ammunition at Pentagon bases and warehouses
- New York Times journalist David Sanger: no real end in sight for the war with Iran
▶ On Saturday, at the age of 82, Robert Mueller passed away – former FBI director (2001-2013), former special prosecutor for the investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 US elections.
At 13:26 Eastern Time, the 47th president published the following tweet:
“Robert Mueller just died. Good, I’m glad he’s dead. He can no longer harm innocent people! President DONALD J. TRUMP”
The tweet could be left without comment. But if psychiatrists and psychologists professionally comment on it, I think it would be appropriate.
Robert Mueller dedicated his entire life to serving his country. A brilliantly educated person (with three higher education degrees), he fought in the Marine Corps in Vietnam. He was awarded for his heroism and was wounded in the war.
After his military service, he worked in the federal prosecution system in various positions up to district federal prosecutor and acting deputy attorney general. He worked for some time in a private legal firm. In 2001, he was nominated by President George W. Bush as the FBI director and unanimously confirmed by the Senate. He started his job exactly one week before the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. In 2011, President Obama asked Robert Mueller to remain as FBI director for an additional two years as an exception. The Senate unanimously supported the president and confirmed Mueller in the role.
From 2013 to 2017, Mueller worked in the private sector, in a law firm.
On May 17, 2017, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed Robert Mueller as special counsel to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. elections and other related crimes.
The investigation lasted nearly two years. It concluded in March 2019. In the report presented by Robert Mueller, 140 instances of contacts between Trump campaign representatives and Russian officials were described, including contacts between Trump campaign manager Manafort and Russian GRU agent Kilimnik. It detailed how the GRU hacked the email of Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager and the Democratic National Committee’s server, how the GRU orchestrated the release of stolen documents and the publication of disinformation to help Trump win the 2016 election.
The investigation resulted in charges against 37 individuals, including former Trump campaign manager Manafort, former Trump national security advisor Flynn, and charges in absentia against Russian GRU officers.
Seven defendants pleaded guilty. All other charges (except those against Russian citizens not subject to U.S. justice) were tried, and all ended with guilty verdicts by juries.
Subsequently, Trump pardoned all U.S. citizens who were convicted on these charges or pleaded guilty.
Robert Mueller’s report included solid evidence that Trump obstructed the investigation, including several attempts to have Mueller dismissed and to terminate the investigation. However, Mueller concluded in the report that since sitting presidents cannot be charged, he could only state the facts, emphasizing that not charging Trump was not an exoneration of him.
Mueller was a lifelong Republican with conservative views and devoted his life to serving his country.
Former President George W. Bush made the following statement:
“Laura and I are deeply saddened by the passing of Robert Mueller. Bob dedicated his life to public service. As a Marine in Vietnam, he proved he was ready for the toughest challenges. He was awarded the ‘Bronze Star’ and ‘Purple Heart,’ after which he returned home to pursue a career in law. In 2001, just a week after taking office as the sixth director of the FBI, Bob reoriented the agency’s mission to national security in light of the events of September 11. He effectively led the agency, helping prevent further terrorist attacks on U.S. soil. Laura and I extend our heartfelt condolences to his wife Ann, with whom they shared nearly 60 years, as well as the entire Mueller family.”
Former President Barack Obama released the following statement regarding the passing of Robert Mueller:
“Bob Mueller was one of the outstanding directors in the history of the FBI: he transformed the Bureau after 9/11 and saved countless lives.”
However, it was his relentless commitment to the rule of law and his unwavering belief in our fundamental values that made him one of the most respected statesmen of our time. Michelle and I extend our condolences to Bob’s family and to all who knew and admired him.
▶ Analyzing the statements by Trump and Hegseth about the U.S. lacking weapons and ammunition because the “irresponsible” Biden gave everything to Ukraine, “gifted $350 billion to Ukraine,” is pointless. The 47th president lies constantly, without pause. If one were to refute each of his false statements, there would simply be no time left for anything else.
Let’s just note here that Joe Biden’s administration provided Ukraine with direct military assistance in the form of weapons, ammunition, and military equipment amounting to $66.5 billion. In such a volume, the U.S. has not provided military assistance to any other country in the world for four years after World War II. However, the claim that this assistance led to a shortage of weapons in the U.S. is complete nonsense. The assistance was provided in two directions.
One direction is assistance through the USAI – Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative – which was initiated by Congress in 2016, and from which the Pentagon used funds to order new weapons and ammunition from manufacturers specifically to be given to Ukraine. That is, these weapons and ammunition were produced exclusively for Ukraine and are in no way related to the stocks at Pentagon bases and warehouses.
The second direction is the transfer of weapons and ammunition from Pentagon bases and warehouses with simultaneous orders from manufacturers for the same weapons and ammunition to replace what was given.
Therefore, there was never, is not, and could never be a shortage of weapons and ammunition in the U.S. military due to assistance to Ukraine.
▶ An article by David Sanger, a New York Times columnist on international and security issues, was published in the New York Times on Saturday. In connection with this article, the 47th president even posted a separate scathing tweet. A sure sign that the article must be read.
🚨 “If Iran doesn’t FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST…” – President DONALD J. TRUMP pic.twitter.com/htLz1A0Mf7
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 22, 2026
It contains a deep analysis of issues related to the US and Israel’s war with Iran. David Sanger is a journalist and analyst with over 40 years of experience.
Here is a full translation of his article.
David Sanger. “Trump Finally Considers Exiting Iran. But Will He Do It?”
The New York Times, March 21, 2026.
“President Trump states that he is considering the possibility of ‘winding down’ operations in Iran. However, many of his initial military goals remain unfulfilled.
Since President Trump began what he now delicately calls his ‘excursion’ into Iran, Washington has been plagued by the question: when will he decide to put an end to this – even if many of his military objectives remain unachieved?
On Friday evening, on his way to Florida, Mr. Trump was reportedly working out the details of the much-discussed exit strategy. However, he has clearly not yet made a final decision on whether or not to implement it.
Meanwhile, various factors are accumulating – the average price of gasoline is approaching $4 per gallon; the infrastructure in the Persian Gulf region is in ruins; the Iranian theocratic regime, having suffered heavy losses, is moving to a defensive posture; and American allies – initially rejecting, now struggling to meet the demands of patrolling hostile waters – risk facing the consequences of Mr. Trump’s ‘excursion’ that may outlast his own interest in the enterprise.
As always, Mr. Trump’s rhetoric is marked by inconsistency – a circumstance that his critics cite as evidence that he entered this conflict without any strategy, while his supporters praise it as ‘strategic ambiguity.’ While thousands of additional Marines are being deployed to the region and the intensity of American and Israeli strikes is increasing, on Friday, Mr. Trump told reporters he was not interested in a ceasefire as the United States is ‘destroying’ Iran’s missile stocks, navy, air force, and defense industry.
A few hours later – perhaps taking into account the moods of the Republican electorate, understandably concerned about the political consequences – he posted on social media that ‘we are very close to achieving our goals and are considering winding down our large-scale military operations in the Middle East.’
However, in this new list of goals, some objectives he previously voiced were absent, and others were phrased more mildly. He did not mention the goal of defeating the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which seemingly retains power – alongside Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded his father as the supreme leader (though Mojtaba himself has yet to appear publicly or make statements). Moreover, Mr. Trump did not address the Iranian people – the very people he told just three weeks ago: ‘When we are finished, take the power into your hands. It will belong to you.’
And after the failed negotiations, which preceded the war, when he insisted that Iran must remove all its nuclear materials from the country – starting with 970 pounds of enriched uranium, closest in its characteristics to weapons-grade – he set a new goal. “Never allow Iran to even come close to acquiring nuclear capabilities,” he wrote, “and always be in a position where the U.S. can quickly and decisively respond to such a situation.”
Essentially, this was the position the United States found itself in after they turned Iran’s nuclear program into ruins last June. These facilities remain under close surveillance by American spy satellites.
Mr. Trump concluded his tweet with a new demand to America’s allies – the same ones he excluded from discussing his plans before the war began and whom he did not warn about the need to prepare for its consequences. “The Strait of Hormuz must be guarded and patrolled – as needed – by other countries that use it; the United States will not do this!” he declared, adding that American troops will assist in this.
“Consider this the new ‘Trump Doctrine’ for the Middle East,” wrote Richard N. Haass, a former president of the Council on Foreign Relations, who worked in the National Security Council and the State Department during the Gulf War and the Iraq War, on social media.
“We broke it, and it’s up to you to fix it.”
Mr. Trump did not expect to find himself in this position three weeks after the war began.
Foreign leaders, diplomats, and American officials who spoke with the president stated that in the first week he expressed expectations of Iran’s surrender. This became evident in Trump’s March 6 demand for “unconditional surrender” by Iran.
This demand was puzzling, said a European diplomat with extensive experience working with Iran, considering the country’s competing centers of power, national pride, and the Persian state, which existed within roughly modern borders of Iran, enduring numerous ups and downs since Cyrus the Great around 550 BC.
(This demand was also absent from his latest list of goals. The White House has since stated that the president does not expect a statement of surrender from Iran, but that Trump will determine when Iran has “effectively surrendered”).
Iran’s refusal to “submit to the victor’s mercy” – as Mr. Trump put it when speaking with journalists on the presidential plane – was just one of the surprises the president faced in recent weeks.
The first surprise was the crisis in energy markets, which the International Energy Agency called “the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market.” This event forced Mr. Trump and his aides to act in emergency mobilization mode. They promised to intervene from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which, however, was only 60% full, indicating a lack of proper planning. Over the past week, the Treasury Department issued general licenses (to suspend sanctions – IA) for the supply of Russian and Iranian oil that was already en route by sea. In other words, to calm the markets, the President approved the enrichment of an adversary waging war against Ukraine – an American ally – as well as another adversary at war with the United States itself.
So far, the results of these actions have been minimal. On Friday, following the Treasury Department’s statements, the price of Brent crude closed at about $112 per barrel; on Thursday, Goldman Sachs analysts warned that if ships avoid passing through the Strait of Hormuz, prices could remain high until 2027.
The Iranians clearly understand that market chaos is their only remaining “superweapon.” On Saturday, Tehran issued a warning that it might strike other targets in the Middle East. U.S. estimates suggest that Iran entered the war with about 3,000 naval mines – some of which are believed to have already been destroyed; consequently, the United States has focused its efforts on eliminating small Iranian naval vessels attacking tankers linked to American allies.
“It takes just one of these boats to break through to stop the movement,” said John F. Kirby, who, after serving in the Navy, held positions as a spokesperson for both the Pentagon and the State Department. “Even fear alone can paralyze the shipping industry – as we have already seen.”
The second surprise for Mr. Trump was the sudden need for allies. According to the defense minister of a Gulf country, at the start of the conflict, he did not anticipate this, believing that the war would be brief. However, patrolling the strait and controlling other strategic points seems to be a task that could drag on for months or even years.
The third surprise was the absence of any signs of uprising – among the Revolutionary Guard Corps fighters or among ordinary Iranians. Earlier this week, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated in the Oval Office: “We are seeing cases of desertion at all levels as people begin to realize the true state of affairs within the regime.” However, American and European intelligence officials say they have no evidence of such cases – even after Israel struck Iran’s supreme leader, the heads of its security agencies and intelligence, and many high-ranking military commanders, eliminating them.
All this can still happen. Wars are not won or lost in three weeks. However, Mr. Trump entered the war with Iran having already enjoyed the fruits of quick victories. The bombing of three major Iranian nuclear sites in June was a “one-night” operation that effectively buried the country’s nuclear stocks and destroyed thousands of centrifuges used for uranium enrichment.
The special forces raid to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro right in his bed in Caracas was equally swift. And so far, the government that Mr. Trump left in power – essentially Maduro’s own government – is being cooperative. This operation helped Mr. Trump destabilize Cuba, which had long depended on supplies of Venezuelan fuel. Recently, Cuba’s power system collapsed, and officials openly hint that the government will soon fall as well.
Perhaps these swift results gave Mr. Trump confidence in the omnipotence of American armed forces and that the mullahs, generals, and militias ruling Iran – a country with a population of 92 million people – would fall. Perhaps he acted hastily.
Military historians will be analyzing this conflict in detail for a long time. But it is already clear: Iran is a challenge of an entirely different kind. Mr. Trump began using the word “excursion,” trying to present the events as just a short trip, a fleeting distraction. However, the real end to this is not yet in sight.
There are 1036 days left until the end of the story titled “Fear: Trump in the White House” © (title of the book by Bob Woodward, published in 2018).
Thank you to everyone who read. Take care of yourselves and your loved ones. Take care of each other, help one another. Health to everyone.
Ultimately, what happens in the world depends on us. On whether we fight evil, do Good, remain mere observers, passively wait and believe that someone, somewhere, will decide for us, or fight evil and do everything possible to ensure Good prevails.
We must not allow evil to prevail. The victory of evil would mean the end of the world we live in. We cannot allow this to happen. Especially now.
Ukrainian friends, I embrace and love you all. Take care of each other, I implore you.
Ukraine is and will always be.
And evil will be defeated and punished. And this is certain.
