The Ukrainian Lioness Will Defeat Vladimir Putin’s Army

Happy Finnish Mother’s Day to all mothers!

People say that mothers fight for their children like lionesses. In the same way, the Ukrainians have acted by stretching Vladimir Putin’s three-day “special military operation” into a war that has now lasted for more than four years.

As a result, the Russian army had to settle for a rather modest Victory Day parade yesterday. Unlike in previous years, there were no missiles on display — nor even the T-34 tank designed in the 1930s, which was still present in 2023. Perhaps the last of those is already on its way to Ukraine as well?

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In one respect, however, Vladimir Putin may well be right. In his speech, he stated that the war “is moving toward its conclusion, but it nevertheless remains a serious matter.”

Unfortunately for Putin, the war has reached its culmination point, and his army’s offensive has stalled much like Hitler’s forces at Stalingrad in 1942. Nor does the future appear any brighter for him, because Ukrainian technical ingenuity is set to reverse the course of the war: new drones and missiles are already pounding Russia’s arms and oil industries, while armed robots have begun supporting — and when necessary even replacing — Ukrainian soldiers on the battlefield.

* * *

Many Russians who have supported Putin up to this point have noticed this as well. But for now, fear of failure has reportedly prevented a coup.

This too is familiar from Hitler’s Germany, where the Austrian corporal remained in power so long that he ultimately chose to end his own life. By then, the Red Army had already reached Berlin, meaning Germany’s defeat in the war had been obvious for quite some time.

Putin’s advantage, of course, is that he ultimately has nuclear missiles at his disposal, and fear of them undoubtedly prevents the Ukrainians from attempting to conquer Russian territory. Thus, he cannot end up in a situation similar to Adolf Hitler’s in 1945 — even though such an outcome would undoubtedly be viewed by many as roughly equally positive for humanity as a whole.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Escalating Threats—and a Touch of Irony
Russia’s Spring Offensive: Gains Unclear, Losses Undeniable
Concern About the Future Is Growing in Russia

Finland and the U.S. to Launch Icebreaker Cooperation

President Alexander Stubb of Finland visits the White House today together with Prime Minister Petteri Orpo. There, he will sign a memorandum of understanding with President Donald Trump concerning cooperation on icebreaker technology.

This document lays the foundation for commercial agreements between the U.S. Coast Guard and Finnish companies. It is also the result of prior negotiations between the U.S. administration and Finnish shipbuilders.

The cooperation is based on the fact that Finnish expertise in icebreaker technology is unparalleled anywhere in the world — and that is why the Americans trust it.

Icebreakers are not ordinary ships; they represent a highly specialized technology mastered only within the Finnish “icebreaker ecosystem”, where the coordinated expertise of numerous companies comes together. In other words, the overall know-how is not the private property of any single company.

For this same reason, Finland’s core icebreaker expertise cannot simply be transferred abroad, even though the agreement includes an option for part of the shipbuilding work to be carried out in the United States. However, this would mainly involve the final outfitting of the icebreakers — work that does not significantly differ from any other type of ship construction.

In Finland, some concern has been expressed that these new deals might lead to the loss of icebreaker know-how from the country. For the reasons mentioned above, I do not share this concern. However, I do see great value in the fact that the construction of these vessels will also create jobs for American companies.

Such cooperation, if successful, could lead to a long-term partnership between Finnish and American companies — and thereby, in President Stubb’s words, “benefit both Finland and the United States.” After all, each icebreaker costs around two billion euros, so there’s a significant share for everyone involved.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
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Russia’s Aging MiG Fleet vs. Finland’s Modern Air Power

According to the Finnish Defence Forces Commander Janne Jaakkola, “three MiG aircraft would not stand a chance against F-35 fighters, JAS Gripens or FA-18s. In that sense, there was no military threat. A rapid kinetic response would have been a mistake.”

The statement referred to MiG-31 fighters that had entered Estonian airspace, and it is understandable insofar as this aircraft type is far from new: production began back in 1979, and the first planes were delivered to the Soviet military as early as 1982. In that respect, it is rather amusing that such aircraft are still part of Putin’s active air force inventory.

* * *

The most recent MiG fighter is known as the MiG-35, which, according to its manufacturer, belongs to the so-called fifth generation of fighters, featuring stealth characteristics designed to make radar detection more difficult. However, the aircraft deployed in the war in Ukraine have—at least according to Western sources—been said to be lacking compared to their American counterparts.

The Russians, however, claim that the MiGs flown in Ukraine are still undergoing testing, so that deficiencies can be identified and corrected before mass production begins. Until then, the bulk of the Mikoyan–Gurevich fighter fleet remains the outdated MiG-31s seen over Estonia—still the fastest fighter aircraft in the world.

* * *

The obsolescence of Russia’s aircraft is naturally good news for Finland, which will soon receive its first F-35 fighters. Even the current Finnish Air Force fleet—the F-18 Hornet—is, according to the Commander, superior to the MiGs in question. That said, the Hornet is roughly from the same era as the MiG-31, its maiden flight having taken place already in 1978.

On the other hand, the MiG-31 and F-18 Hornet have never faced each other in aerial combat, so Jaakkola’s statement about the latter’s superiority is not based on combat experience but most likely only on assessments derived from technical specifications. For that reason, it should be taken with a grain of salt—though I myself believe in the superiority of Western technology over Soviet-era production.

Nor, judging by history, is there reason to doubt that Finnish pilots would be more skilled than their Russian counterparts.

* * *

Finally, it should be noted that the most well-known Russian next-generation stealth fighter is the Sukhoi-57, which has been used—and also shot down—in the war in Ukraine. In 2019, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that a total of 76 such aircraft would be procured for the country’s air force by 2028.

It would be interesting to know whether our Defence Forces’ Commander also regards the newer Sukhoi and MiG-35 fighters as clearly inferior to their Western counterparts—or whether he sees them as being capable of holding their own in combat against American and European aircraft.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
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Finns - Among the World’s Best

AI Drones: Ukraine’s New Edge in the War?

The Financial Times reported that Ukraine is now using a new type of American-German drone, which can operate independently using its own artificial intelligence. If this information is accurate, it marks another significant step forward in the evolution of warfare.

As a consequence, Ukraine’s technological superiority over Russian forces is increasing, shifting the balance—at least to some degree—in favor of the defenders, who have so far been the underdogs. Whether this will be enough to reverse the course of events on the front lines remains to be seen.

Naturally, this news is extremely bad for Russia, and especially for its dictator Vladimir "Little Man" Putin, whose political future is closely tied to success on the battlefield. It certainly doesn't help that Putin’s war chest—namely the National Wealth Fund used to cover the budget deficit—is inevitably running dry, having shrunk from €110 billion at the start of the war to around €30 billion.

For us bystanders, the situation is undeniably fascinating, as the long-standing trench warfare reminiscent of World War I might shift into a more dynamic and mobile conflict as early as next summer. This could ultimately lead to the collapse of the Russian army—and with it, the fall of Putin from his throne.

Previous thought on the same topic:
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Peacekeepers in Ukraine: A Rational Move After All?

It seems that deploying peacekeepers to Ukraine might actually be a reasonable course of action. This is because Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has expressed his frustration over the UK and France’s proposal to send NATO peacekeepers after a peace agreement is reached in Ukraine.

According to Lavrov, the deployment of NATO troops to Ukraine is completely unacceptable, as it would only escalate the war that Russia itself initiated. As if Putin’s army weren’t already doing everything in its power to win the war.

Meanwhile, Finland’s Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen announced that Finland is launching a new support program for Ukraine, focusing on domestic defense industry orders. The first decision involves a €660 million funding package, based on Ukraine’s critical needs, the suitability of products for transfer, and the production and delivery capacity of companies.

The equipment will be delivered to Ukraine as part of future military aid packages. According to Häkkänen, Finland’s defense sector will be modernized over the next 10 years, including the development of entirely new products.

It remains to be seen what Lavrov thinks about these plans. Or will he stay silent and hope that Russia doesn’t have to revert to 1950s technology in warfare?

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
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Israel’s Strike on Iran: Ripple Effects for the Middle East, Russia, and Global Stability

Israel apparently destroyed virtually the entire Iranian air defense system in an attack about a month ago. At the same time, Iran's military capability proved to be a paper tiger, unable to compete in the same arena as technologically superior Western countries. This fact might have intriguing consequences.

The first of these relates to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has unsettled Tehran after the attack by releasing two video messages urging the Iranian people to rise up against the country’s Islamist regime. This raises the question of whether the regime’s time has come to an end.

This view is supported by the fact that the fall of the government would be an excellent outcome for almost all Iranians, and especially for women. However, the Islamists hold power and with it the means to continue terrorizing their citizens far into the future.

Thus, a revolution would require both unity and courage from Iranians, but it would not be impossible. The West could, of course, assist if necessary, but I fear that the memory of the failed 1980 Operation Eagle Claw strongly discourages interference in Iran’s affairs.

Therefore, I sadly suspect that Iran’s regime will not fall for a long time. And women will continue to long in vain for their human rights.

The second consequence of Israel's attack concerns Russia. Iran's air defense has been based on Russian systems, which proved ineffective against Western equipment. This might influence Putin’s policy toward the West or the war in Ukraine.

In other words, the attack will undoubtedly increase the caution of Putin's regime in relation to the West. This, in turn, reduces the risk that - as a result of Western arms systems being supplied to Ukraine - Russia would escalate by deploying weapons of mass destruction.

Unfortunately, this dynamic is unlikely to work in both directions. Despite recognizing the inadequacy of Russian weaponry, the West is unlikely to decide to end the war by providing Ukraine with the kind of military power that would neutralize Russian missile and air strikes. For this reason, the bloodshed in Ukraine will continue, at least until the new U.S. President Donald Trump begins advancing his promised peace deal.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
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Is Putin's Administration Rational?

According to news reports, outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden has given Ukrainians permission to strike Russian territory using American missiles. Member of the Finnish Parliament and Doctor of Military Science Jarmo Limnell (National Coalition Party) has supported the decision.

This is because, as Limnell explains, "Ukraine, defending its independence, has had to fight in the 'boxing ring of war' with one hand tied behind its back. Now, the other hand is freed."

In Russia, however, the reaction was far from enthusiastic, and threats resumed. For example, a Russian politician, Vladimir Dzhabarov, ominously claimed, “This is a very large step toward the start of World War III.”

Thus, we must ask: is a Third World War on the brink of breaking out, something that, at least in my youth, was feared capable of destroying humanity as a whole—and along with it, all advanced life forms? Or are we once again simply witnessing typical Russian rhetoric?

First, it must be noted that Vladimir Putin’s earlier threats concerning Western support for Ukraine have not materialized. Second, it’s essential to recognize that Russia would inevitably face defeat if the situation escalated into a full-scale war against the United States. This is because there is a vast disparity in military technology between the two countries, as shown by Israel’s successful strikes using Western technology against Iranian forces equipped with Russian arms.

On the other hand, it’s also crucial to remember that this gap in technology would hardly matter if Russia decided to use nuclear weapons. Even if it’s clear that most, if not all, of these missiles would be intercepted, those that made it through would cause such extensive devastation that there would be no true victors in the war.

Additionally, it’s evident that Russia lacks the capacity to defend against a possible Western retaliatory strike with nuclear weapons, meaning the resulting destruction in Russia would be catastrophically vast. This is why responsible leadership in Russia cannot consider using nuclear weapons unless it faces an existential threat.

The use of U.S.-provided conventional missiles with standard warheads within Russia poses no such existential threat, though it would increase the cost of the war for Putin’s administration. Thus, a rational Russian leadership would not resort to nuclear weapons on this account.

This leads us to the question: Is Vladimir Putin, along with the rest of Russia’s leadership, rational? And we must hope that, despite everything we have seen so far, the answer is still "yes."

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
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Immigration Policy Must Take Artificial Intelligence and Robots into Account

Birth rates have declined rapidly in nearly all industrialized countries. This is said to cause sustainability gaps and labor shortages, which has sparked much discussion in East Asia and Europe, including in Finland.

Prime Minister of Finland, Petteri Orpo (NCP), announced yesterday that his government will implement measures to promote labor-based immigration while simultaneously tightening humanitarian immigration laws to a Nordic level. He also stated, “labor-based immigration is what we need to promote and what we want to promote. We need it.”

Another representative from a major governing party, Jani Mäkelä, chair of the Finns Party’s parliamentary group, also weighed in on the matter. According to him, the forecast’s fulfillment is uncertain since recent increased immigration primarily stems from Ukrainians, whose influx into Finland is unlikely to continue for long.

Despite this, he too noted that “the government is taking the right actions regarding labor-based immigration, tightening the requirements for entry and work eligibility. Those who remain in the country under these conditions are likely to contribute quite positively to the national economy.”

* * *

I can largely agree with these views, but I also want to remind everyone that while the government may be setting our immigration policy on a clearly more sensible path, this approach should hold after the 2027 parliamentary elections as well. I don’t believe the election results will be determined so much by the immigration policy pursued but rather by the general economic policies in place.

For this reason, the government should ensure that Finland and its public finances turn towards growth by early 2026 at the latest, so that this will have a tangible impact on people’s lives before the spring of 2027 when elections are held. Otherwise, we risk a return to power by the left, leading to the dilution of the reforms made now and a shift toward economically and domestically unsustainable immigration policies.

* * *

In this context, we should also note that technology is currently advancing at an exceptionally rapid pace. It is practically certain that robots guided by artificial intelligence will replace an increasing number of workers every day.

For instance, I am fully confident that if I ever end up in a nursing home, I will be cared for there—following Japan’s example—by robots. Their use won’t be limited to elderly care; robots and AI will replace various types of workers during my lifetime.

AI is already being used today, for example, in programming or determining the spatial structure of proteins. I see no fundamental obstacle to AI-driven robots in the future building opera houses or managing the entire agricultural production chain—from grain cultivation to animal slaughter, meat packaging, and delivery to stores.

It’s also virtually certain that AI robots will, at some point, be handing out ski poles by day and serving beer to vacationers at ski resorts by night. I wouldn’t be surprised to one day see a company whose owner selects an AI as its CEO or a research team with independent AI and robotic members—first steps toward this have already been seen.

In other words, the labor market will undergo radical changes within this century. Thus, there’s no need for sudden demographic policy panic reactions, even if it is currently wise to invest somewhat in labor-based immigration to address the acute labor shortage and, of course, to make it feasible for young people to have children if and when they wish to.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
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Vladimir Putin is Leading Russia into an Economic Ruin

Finland's Minister of the Interior, Lulu Ranne (Finns Party), stated that there are clear indications of sabotage organized by Russia in Finland, even though there is no conclusive evidence. However, there are circumstantial signs of Russia's involvement, such as breaches in Finland's water supply systems.

That said, Finns have no need to worry, as the country's authorities are prepared for a wide range of threats. Additionally, the police have been strengthened to face and counter armed attacks, which might target the police rather than soldiers.

Such attacks could include terrorist strikes or sabotage organized by Russia. To combat these and other destructive actions, Finland's police have acquired armored vehicles since the mid-2010s.

It is unfortunate that Putin's Russia has proven to be an unfit neighbor, acting in international relations like a pig in its pen. As a result, it misses out on the benefits that international trade and cooperation could offer—and once did offer during the Soviet era.

At that time, as much as a quarter of Finland's foreign trade was conducted with the Soviet Union. And in the later stages, when socialist technology fell behind that of the West, oil and other raw materials were used as “currency” to purchase Finnish technological products. These resources were then refined in Finland and sold on the international market.

However, those good times are now over, and Vladimir Putin is leading his country deeper into economic ruin. As a result, he will eventually be ousted from his position as one of the world's leaders—sooner or later.

* * *

Finally, a slightly different matter. I was very pleased today when I noticed that, despite his efforts, Putin failed to prevent Moldova from aligning itself more closely with a free Europe.

I am, of course, referring to the referendum on whether Moldova's constitution should include a commitment to seeking membership in the European Union. At the time of writing, it has become clear that this will happen, albeit with only a small majority of votes. This is yet another defeat for Putin on his and Russia's path to destruction.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
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Technically backward, miscellaneous group of gunmen

Russia's successful offensive, particularly in ammunition-strapped Ukraine, is now at a critical juncture after the Americans finally provided Ukraine with an aid package. Therefore, it is a good time to review what the Finns and others think about the situation.

According to a recent survey, the majority of Finns are willing to take on EU joint debt or even increase EU membership fees to support Ukraine. It seems that the descendants of the heroes of the Winter War remember very well the plight of a country left alone against a superpower and do not want history to repeat itself.

Belgium, on the other hand, has promised to supply Ukraine with 30 F-16 fighter jets. Thus, the nation crushed by the Nazis in 1940 is also offering its support to President Zelensky's army.

Ukraine has halted Russia's advance in the Kharkiv region, and Russian forces have turned to the defensive in the area. It remains to be seen whether they will succeed or lose the territory gained with the blood of their soldiers right away.

As a result of its aggression, Russia has lost over half a million soldiers, both dead and wounded, during the offensive war started two years ago. This number is large and exceeds the losses suffered by the Russians during the three months of the Winter War of 1939-40 by about one third.

The essential thing in all of this is that the Western countries do not allow Russia to benefit in any way from its aggression. Instead, it must be ensured that Vladimir Putin learns he does not lead a military superpower, but rather a technically backward, miscellaneous group of gunmen.

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China uses Western universities to educate its youth

China was for a long time known as a country, that copies technology from more developed societies and wins markets by lower production costs. That worked well for a long time, but more recently China has put a huge effort to become a developed - science-based - producer of high technology and entrepreneurship. 

In order to have well educated working power, China has allowed - and even encouraged - students to move overseas. Thereafter the Chinese government launched a program to recruit and nurture high-caliber, early-career expatriate scientists who return to China. 

A recent study examined how effective the program has been, and how well it has supported the young scholars’ productivity when they returned to China. The comparison was made to their peers that remained overseas.

The investigation found that the scholars outperformed overseas peers in last-authored publications - typically showing the leading position among the authors - because of greater access to larger research teams and better research funding in China. However, although the returning scientists were generally of high caliber in research they fell below the top category in pre-return scientific productivity.

Taken together, the study has important implications for global academic mobility and international competition between East and West. 

The Chinese students form a large share of the US and EU PhD graduates and are among the most productive one. And in the future China probably continues to invest in higher education and academic talent, which results in more and more Western-trained Chinese students returning to China, because their universities can be expected to become more attractive locations for Chinese students with poor future options in Western countries. That will bring huge support to Chinese research and innovation, and ultimately narrow the technological gap between China and Western countries.   

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China is betting on scientific excellence

There are two great powers in the world. That includes both military and economic strength - and the two powers are USA and China. 

Still today USA is much stronger in its economy and also in military force, although statistics still claim Russia would be in the second place in the latter dimension - a claim shown to be wrong by Ukraine. Therefore it was interesting to read about ideas of Xi Jinping in China.

According to the article, Xi opened the Communist party meeting - where he was nominated to his third period as a president of the country - by saying that "regard science and technology as our primary productive force, talent as our primary resource and innovation as our primary driver of growth". That is: China has become to a situation, where they aim to increase their technological readiness above all other countries in the world.

Actually they have been looking for that already for quite a while. During the last years their intention has been to increase the R&D intensity by at least seven percent every year, and if that continues until 2035, it could reach the average of 2,7 percent for countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development from the current 2.4 percent of gross domestic product. 

There are, however, obstacles in China´s way towards the leading power of the world. Russian attack to Ukraine has warned political West from relying too strictly on Chinese products, which may reduce monetary income and investments to Xi´s empire. And at the same time, restrict the spread of western innovations to China. 

Even more difficult obstacles might appear from the Chinese cultural tradition restricting criticism towards elder colleagues, which decelerates the spread of novel innovative ideas. Also the decrease of Chinese population due to former one child policy may increase burden to people in working age and cause serious instability in the society. And that would certainly affect negatively also the scientific realm. 

Despite all these obstacles, in my opinion Xi´s decision to bet on scientific excellence is wise. Even if any of the fears turns real, scientific approach is the the best option to find solutions. 

That should also be remembered in the USA, where many universities have fallen to a crisis caused by ultraliberal ideology ("wokeism") questioning even many scientific facts and demanding their replacement with politically correct beliefs. Even though the purpose of liberals may be good, they have forgotten the fact Chinese have realized: a stable, competitive and ultimately fair future can only be built on scientific truth. 

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The reasons behind the fall of Nokia´s cellphone business

The main newspaper in Finland - Helsingin sanomat - wrote about a new study on Nokia company, which was made at the University of Oulu. It reported that Nokia´s cellphone business failed because of moving its production from a long-time collaboration company Elcoteq to East Asia. 

That resulted in considerable problems including a loss of quality, which led to a bankrupt of Elcoteq and loss of most European ICT jobs. Also, the close collaboration of the Nokia and its subcontactors ended as company´s relationship with Elcoteq had been highly open and mutual. 

The rules in East Asia were completely different, and Nokia never learned them well enough.

* * *

I have had many friends who have worked in Nokia company, and according to their views the company had an even bigger problem. That was its practice to provide each R&D project to two different R&D units. 

It worked nicely during the rise of the cellphone company, as competition accelerated innovation. However, later the competition between groups became more and more negative - each group trying to decelerate competitors efforts instead of speeding up their own. And that led to extremely negative atmosphere among the R&D units. 

Furthermore, Nokia did not only try to make cellphones as cheaply as possibly - that is why the subcontracting was moved to East Asia - but also R&D. Thus, its leaders did not understood that the engineers are not freely convertible. And definitely, the engineers behind the rise of the company were not mainstream of their profession but an exceptional source of innovation and passion not cheaply available anywhere. 

Thus, the R&D of Nokia halted - compared to its competitors, especially Apple - and even worse, the leaders of Nokia did not believe in phones with touchscreens even though they had been offered such a phone already in 2003 - well before Apple had its own. 

Thus, the end of Nokia cellphones was a story of misunderstandings, detrimental leadership and arrogance. Today, the company is again in rise - although not in mobile phone business - and hopefully has learned from its past failures. At least, more of its R&D is today in Europe and it is even making decent profits to its owners.

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Voisikohan olla... (my view about Nokia during its ongoing fall - in Finnish but google translatable, year 2010)

Once upon a time in China and Taiwan

Politics is sometimes amusing - or at least something similar to fairy tales. I noticed this once more when I was reading a news telling that a representative of Chinese officer has proposed that his air force would protect the sovereignty of Taiwan.

As we all know, Taiwan does not need Chinese protection but rather protection against Chinese themselves. Neither does it accept Chinese military in its area - and is supported by US air force, which still has a clear technological advantage against its Chinese competitor. 

The latter point cannot be overestimated as we have learned in Ukraine, where Russians have run into trouble after western countries have supported their victims with modern weaponry. Therefore the Chinese offer for protection is not a serious comment but... hrmh... an amusing fairy tale.

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How can Vladimir Putin survive from his propaganda after the Russian loss in Ukraine?

United Stated has delivered HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems) to Ukrainians. Thereafter they have been used extremely successfully against the invader. 

According to a Finnish professor of National Defence University of Finland, Ukraine has used HIMARS to destroy Russian command centers and ammunition depots, which has forced attackers to draw their artillery backwards. As a result, we have seen a dramatic reduction in Russian shelling during the last few days. 

This all gives Ukrainians hope that they could survive the Russian attack. And for us in the Western world, the important lesson is that bloodthirsty dictators can be stopped only using brute force created by highly developed weaponry. And that should encourage us for giving more support to the victim to help it to beat the attacker.

At the same time Russians are kept completely unaware about the developments in the front. Instead, they are told that Russia´s war is not against the Ukrainian people, but against their government, and urge Russia´s military to kill the entire Ukrainian government.

It is well known that truth is the first victim of a war. But Vladimir Putin will undoubtedly be hit hard if and when his troops are defeated. How could he survive after his becoming military loss in Ukraine after all bullshit propagated to ordinary people? The answer is: he will not.

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Russian army not comparable to western military services

Russians have lost half of its generals, who have participated in the war in Ukraine. The New Your Times reported that this was enabled by a help of the US intelligence service.

Americans also helped Ukrainians to destroy the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, cruiser Moskva, some time ago. Undoubtedly such a help has been highly valuable to Ukrainian efforts to stop its aggressive neighbor in the war. 

The news referred above must have hit hard president Putin´s thoughts. Before the war in Ukraine he most probably imagined his conventional army to match with the western military forces. But now even Ukrainians - with a help of American intelligence service - are able to stop it and even kill its highest officers. 

It has turned out, that even if the Russian army played a major role 80 years ago in stopping Hitler´s army, its strength has vanished since the fall of the Soviet Union - or perhaps even earlier. And right now rebuilding its capability will be unrealistic for decades due to the economic and technological disconnection from the western markets due to Putin´s own stupidity in attacking to Ukraine. 

Even worse for Putin: these facts are undoubtedly understood also by other Russians in high positions. Therefore it is only a matter of time, before Putin will follow the last Czar and be set aside from his position as the president of Russia. 

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Vikings and the technological cutting edge

A recent study showed that about thousand years ago Vikings based their success in trade, crime, expedition and warship on a technical revolution allowing mass production of tar. The result should not have been a surprise as the use of wooden ships without a protectant against decay was not  - and neither is today - possible.

It should be noticed that the study demonstrated once more that big changes in the history of mankind have always derived from technological innovations. It was already so when agriculture was invented in Middle East, which fed an unforeseen population growth and resulted in migration of people to Europe, where previous hunter-gatherers were either displaced or assimilated to the new tribes.

Technological revolution was also the cause of development of towns and cities via industrialization and replacement of agriculture from its position as the heart of the society. Thereafter the economic and military power has been in the hands of those nations, which have had the most educated and skillful people. Thus, it should today be understood that the welfare depends essentially on the ability of people to gain education and technological skills.

I also noticed an opinion article, where a researcher working with loose money claimed on her poor and insecure position in the society, and threatened her readers with the aim to leave research by moving to other working environment. Considering this threat, the society should rather celebrate than be sorry, as the aim of researcher education is not only to raise people for universities,  but also to provide first class workforce to private sector. 

Therefore I am encouraging the person to make her first step as a top expert towards her new career; and to proudly show this in her application process for the new position. This opinion is based on the fact, that scientific education is essentially designed to make people more objective: to be able to see a difference between the facts and their hopes or ideologies. If and when this has been successful, these people can offer things, that are rarely available. And that should be useful in all fields of the labor market. 

Therefore also the private sector should take advantage of people with scientific education. By doing so, they would gain an edge ahead their most serious competitors in local and global scale. That should be understood by all company directors from high tech enterprises to those making business on marketing or human resources. 

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