GrayBook: March 1

What's happening in and around Ukraine on Tuesday, March 1

RUSSIAN FORCES CONTINUE TO ADVANCE, ALBEIT SLOWLY: Russia’s army, touted as having been greatly transformed and modernized, has stumbled since the war began on Thursday of last week, a development which has reportedly angered Russian President Vladimir Putin. Nevertheless, Russian troops — as well as their Belarusian allies — continue to pour into Ukraine along a 40-mile long convoy on a road north of Kyiv.

Most experts now think that Russia will try to encircle Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities. With hopes of a quick victory gone, US officials believe Russia will have to settle for siege warfare.

NATO CONTINUES TO FUNNEL WEAPONS, GAIN SUPPORT: In a strange self-fulfilling prophecy, Putin’s attempts to roll NATO back have only energized the alliance and may even bring it closer to Putin’s doorstep. Germany, which had long dragged its feet over meeting NATO’s two-percent goal, announced it would be boosting its defense spending by over $100 billion — exceeding the two-percent goal. Meanwhile, NATO member states announced they would be sending vehicles, tents, and guided missiles to Ukraine. Finally, Finland’s Prime Minister Sanna Marin — who recently made headlines for clubbing at Butcher’s Nightclub in Helsinki until 4 a.m. — announced the Finnish parliament would begin debating whether to join NATO, a move which could bring the EU nation with the longest land border with Russia into the alliance.

SANCTIONS CONTINUE TO MOUNT: The ruble reached record lows against the US dollar yesterday, losing nearly a quarter of its value as economic sanctions began targeting the Central Bank of Russia. In an unprecedented move, neutral Switzerland joined the EU in implementing sanctions and froze all Russian assets within the country. Even Monaco, long a tax haven for Russian billionaires, announced that it, too, would seize the assets of Russian citizens. (Vladimir Putin’s former mistress, who bought a $4 million dollar apartment in Monaco through an offshore shell company, could not be reached for comment)

BACK ON THE HOME FRONT: Thinking of ditching vodka to stick it to Vladimir V. Putin? You’ll be surprised where it comes from. The US imported $1.4 billion in vodka in 2021 — nearly half of which comes from France (Grey Goose). Russian vodka makes up a paltry $18 million worth of imports — well behind Poland ($63 million) and Latvia ($137 million). Many vodkas with Russian-sounding names aren’t made in Russia, whereas some vodkas with English-sounding names (Gold Symphony) are.