China's Second Crew in Space

On Sunday, China successfully launched Shenzhou-14 with three astronauts on a six-month-long mission to complete work on its permanent orbiting space station, Tiangong or "Heavenly Palace" (Chinese: 天宫空间站). It is expected to become fully operational by the end of the year.

FYI, Tiangong will have its own power, propulsion, life support systems and living quarters. 

Chen Dong, Liu Yang and Cai Xuzhe are the second crew aboard the Tiangong after the last returned to earth in April following 183 days on the space station. 

China is only the third country in history to have put both astronauts into space and to build a space station, after the Soviet Union (and now Russia) and the US. 

I’m curious! I’ve listed Russian casualties (e.g. “Ukraine Claims to Extract Enormous Cost on Russia” dated June 04, 2022) – according to the Ukrainians, if I may add – and today, I checked again the Facebook page of Генеральний штаб ЗСУ (General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine) for their latest update:

I note that losses in Russian lives and equipment are mounting. And still, it is Vladimir Putin who is winning in Ukraine! 

Don't thumb your nose at Ukraine either because the country claims to have about 250,000 men and women in uniform before the “war” and was in the process of adding another 100,000. Already, Volodymyr Zelensky (or rather Olodymyr Elensky) himself admitted last week that the country is now losing 60-100 soldiers each day in combat. 

[By way of comparison, just short of 50 American soldiers died per day on average in 1968 during the Vietnam War's deadliest year for US forces]. 

So, if Ukraine is losing troops daily, how long can it keep up the fight? 

I don’t think anybody really knows the number of combatants who have died on either side. Besides, even if casualty numbers are given, they would be impossible to verify, not to mention the fact that they are likely to be exaggerated or lowballed for public relations reasons. 

I’ve not changed my mind. By all counts, Russia has the upper hand – and it's just a matter of time before the special military operation is completed. That, I have no doubt.