Russia’s war on Ukraine may seem baffling, but Waunakee Rotarians could maybe make a bit more sense of it after the April 6 meeting. 

UW Professor David McDonald spoke about Putin’s Russia, descriing some of the motivations for the country’s aggression. 

On Feb. 22, tanks and bombers descended on Ukrainian cities, as Vladimir Putin attempted to take out Kyiv and oust Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The military officers showed up in their dress uniforms, prepared to step into office. 

But a poor command of the logistics, the support for Ukraine and other miscalculations bogged down the attempted takeover. 

“We’ve seen Russia bleeding manpower and treasure,” David said. 

In 2021, Putin published a long article that said Ukraine, along with other former soviet republics, would have to be united to have the historic Russian power. 

Russians were proud of their country prior to 1991, when the U.S.S.R. ceased to exist. They worked, had housing nearby, and adequate health care. When they watched television they saw Russian teams winning.

After 1991, many Russians began to leave the country and the oligarchs and mafia grew stronger.

Russia then made a bid for Georgia in 2008 during a U.S. election year and not one interfered. 

In Russia, too, Ukraine was seen as a corrupt country, and after 2013, when Petro Poroshenko was in office, the European Union began to show interest in the country. 

As more countries joined NATO, Russia began to try to regain former territories. Also, the Russians viewed the current president, Zelenskyy, a television producer and comedic actor, as a vaudeville star. 

Instead, according to David, he “turned out of the Churchill of this generation,” and other countries such as Finland and Sweden who previously were neutral, have joined NATO. American support for Ukraine’s defense has also remained strong. 

“Putin is a victim of his own power,” David said, adding that people have told him just out what he wants to hear. “What we get is a stalemate and nobody knows how to get out of it<.”

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Other News:

-Tom Bertz, a Waunakee Rotarian for the past year or so who had moved to Waunakee from Stevens Point, passed away on March 23. 

-The club is about to finish up the solar light project at the dog park once the weather warms up and dries out, Ken Pesik reported.

-The club is in search of a host family for the exchange student coming for the 2023-24 school year. We should know who that student will be soon. 

-The Tuesday morning Sunrise meeting is canceled next week. The morning meeting normally happens the second Tuesday of the month. 

Guests: David McDonald, speaker, guest of the club; Scott Russell, guest of Dean Grosskopf; Mike Kittoe, guest of Phil Willems. 

Visiting Rotarians: None. 

Birthdays: None. 

Anniversaries: None

Greeters: April 13, David May and Kevin McDaniel; April 20, Mark McFarland and Gordon Meicher; April 27, Nick Mischler and Liz Mueller.