The Man with No Cards: How Zelenskyy is Rewriting the Rules of War

[GigiLeigh]

https://newsfromunderground.substack.com/p/the-man-with-no-cards-how-zelenskyy

News from Underground
Evan Fields

“You don’t have the cards right now. With us, you start having cards”

—Donald Trump to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Oval Office, Feb. 2025

“I’m not playing cards. I’m very serious. I’m the president in a war.”

—Zelenskyy’s reply

In that frigid Oval Office exchange earlier this year, President Trump told Ukraine’s wartime president that he had no leverage. No cards. No power — unless the United States would continue to hand it to them.

What Mango Mussolini didn’t realize was that Zelenskyy had already anticipated this move after the Biden administration left and was replaced by one hostile to Ukraine’s survival as a nation. While Trump saw a desperate leader begging for help, Zelenskyy was preparing to pivot to a redefinition of modern warfare if his largest ally would be abandoning them.

That pivot in silence is what became Operation Spiderweb.

And it wasn’t just a military operation. It was a message — to Russia, to the world, and perhaps most pointedly, to Trump: I don’t need your cards. I’ve built my own deck

Snip

The Zelenskyy Doctrine

President Zelenskyy’s doctrine is not just military—it’s cultural. It’s the war of a nation that has had to prove its right to exist over and over again. These are people that will continue to fight and survive whether Trump continues support or not. And now, it’s showing other small or threatened countries — Taiwan, Estonia, Georgia — what survival might look like in the 21st century.

Snip

Cards on the Table
President Zelenskyy may not be the leader history or Ukraine expected — but he may be the one they needed.

In the span of a few years, Zelenskyy has gone from underestimated to indispensable, from a political novice to a battlefield innovator. Not because he sought power, but because he refused to let go of his country.

And when he was told by Trump that he “had no cards,” Zelenskyy didn’t flinch.

He built a new deck — and played it to perfection.

More at the link about Operation Spiderweb. A great read!

[Bernardo de La Paz]

1. Intelligence trumps all trump cards, including THE tRump card. . . . nt

[Bluetus]

4. The history of the the world suggests that most military operations are lost

Last edited Tue Jun 3, 2025, 09:59 PM - Edit history (1)

because of hubris or monumental blunders. If we look at how we spend the ~ $1.000.000.000.000 every year on our military, we will find that most of it has practically nothing to do with keeping any of us safer. We have multi-billion-dollar aircraft programs where the Pentagon is afraid to use the craft because they are too expensive to lose.

One of the bigger messages of this war is the same as the US in Afghanistan, Russia in Afghanistan, the US in Vietnam and so many others. That is, we have a military equipped to fight wars as they happened one or two centuries ago. Ukraine has been accomplishing far more with clever use of modern technologies.

But don't say that too loudly. There are lots of multi-millionaires who have made big fortunes by supplying the Pentagon with systems that are practically worthless in today's world, and they will not be pleased if people ask too many questions.

Odd that with the all of Musk's focus on waste, fraud, and abuse he didn't find a single penny of savings at the Pentagon.

[KentuckyWoman]

15. Lockheed contracts in GA

I remember in the 90s, Bill Clinton was pushing to stop making a Lockheed F something, which was made in Georgia. The Pentagon didn't really want it. Pilots wanted more of a better plane instead. I don't remember all the F numbers anymore. However, Saxby Chambliss, then brand new in Congress, maneuvered to keep the contract and Georgia jobs. Billions wasted on something not needed and held back from what was needed.

In 2002 when he went up against Cleland, he successfully used it to paint Cleland as a coward and won the Senate race.

[Bluetus]

17. The best engineers in the military industrial complex

Last edited Wed Jun 4, 2025, 08:45 AM - Edit history (1)

are the ones who figure out how to divide a project so that is has manufacturing in 20 different Congressional districts.

Of course, with Citizen's United, that really isn't necessary anymore because the contractors can simply just bribe any Representative, regardless of whether anything is made in their district. I suppose it does help give the Representative some cover if there is some manufacturing in the district.

Nonetheless, Musk couldn't seem to discover any of that.

[SallyHemmings]

2. No cards, but a plan!

[Hekate]

3. The author mentioned Taiwan in the list of small countries. That frankly gives me hope for their survival...

“ And now, it’s showing other small or threatened countries — Taiwan, Estonia, Georgia — what survival might look like in the 21st century. “

[ancianita]

5. Zelenskyy knows how to run a military. Putin is a loser, and this study shows why.

https://www.csis.org/analysis/russias-battlefield-woes-ukraine

... this analysis is divided into three sections.
The first examines Russian objectives and the Russian way of war in Ukraine.
The second section analyzes four indicators of Russian military performance: the average rate of advance, the amount of territory seized, the amount of equipment destroyed, and total fatalities and casualties.
The third section provides broader implications.

With or without the U.S., Volodymyr Zelenskyy has changed military history because of this war.

[FakeNoose]

11. "The Mouse that Roared"

It's an old film from 1959 starring Peter Sellers about a tiny duchy in the French Alps (it's a comedy obviously) that declared war on the USA. Very funny and droll, made in the post-WWII era.

I almost want to say the Ukraine is the new "Mouse that Roared" - because I'm rooting for them to win this and kick Pooty's ass out.

[ancianita]

16. While I appreciate the cultural reference (my FL high school did the musical version of that in '65)

the suffering of Ukraine children and civilians from this bloody war is horrible. Ukraine -- itself bigger than all of Europe -- is the mouse that will save the house of the West if the West is serious about human life.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1321&pid=49596

[BOSSHOG]

6. I'm kicking putins ass Donald, and you haven't thanked me.

[republianmushroom]

7. Ukraine learned how to do more with less.

[Cha]

8. Excellent article.. Mahalo, Gigi!

Rump & Vance were Hell bent on Bullying and Humiliating Zelensky in the Oval office. Big fuck Bully Rump and his ".. no cards.. " FARO.

They were working with Tidily winks and Pres Zelensky was on the Chess Board.

[NotHardly]

9. I so admire the President of Ukraune

The number of PhD dissertations will be written from every disuoplin imaginable except maybe biology

[NotHardly]

10. I Love this major Dude! WHAT a leader by EXAMPLE!!!

The number of PhD dissertations will be written from every discipline imaginable except maybe biology

[MustLoveBeagles]

12. Bookmarking

[CatWoman]

13. this makes me smile

especially since Trump needs to use those cards to wipe all that egg off his face.

[FadedMullet]

14. Others here have said this before, but I'll just say it again, this is great news and I could not be happier. Like.....

......others have said, support for Ukraine has got to be Job #1 in our foreign policy today if we are to maintain any credibility with our allies and opponents in this era of Trumpian betrayal and have any hope of repairing the damage after he is gone. Zelensky is a hero and his place in history is established. But if we abandon Ukraine and the country falls, he becomes a tragic figure, a hero abandoned by his allies.