This will not end well

I'm sure that you're now aware that Russian military assets, which have been amassing on various parts of the Russian and Belarussian borders of Ukraine for some weeks, have now begun their military operation in that country.  Russian President Vladimir Putin started this process by recognizing the independence of two areas of Ukraine that have for some time been known as controlled by Russian-sympathetic separatists earlier in the week, and the military action began sometime overnight in this country.

It's somewhat difficult to know what's actually happening, as both Russian and Ukrainian media sources are portraying vastly different outcomes, each side indicating victory or achievement by their own side.  American journalists on the ground are reporting activity that appears to be Russian-initiated actions, which have included targeted strikes on military installations, airports and other key assets of the Ukrainian homeland.

The most likely scenario that will come of this is that there will be a large number of refugees attempting to flee this war zone, searching for a more peaceful and stable place to live.

And there is not much doubt that we all should pay at least some attention to what's happening there, because there is linkage between some of the sanctions that the United States and its allies and partners are imposing.  The American stock market has declined in the past few days and stands to continue its downward spiral and it seems inevitable that several categories of consumer goods, with gasoline being the most prominent, will increase drastically in price.

I won't attempt to explain or indicate that I fully understand Putin's motivation in taking this action, but it seems an effort for Russia to regain some of its previous territory and prestige.  Whether that's accurate or not remains to be seen, but there will be uncertainty and even pain in Ukraine, in Russia and all over the world.

Let's hope that the title of today's post is mistaken.