Sparks: Ukraine hits Russian energy targets, denies striking Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant

While men debate the grand strategy of distant bombardments, it is the women who must reckon with the empty hearth and rising prices at home.

When the infrastructure of a nation becomes a target, the self-evident right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of industry is fundamentally abrogated.

The peasant knows only that the fields are still, but the oil that drives the tractor is burning far away, a senseless spectacle of destruction.

States, in their endless pursuit of interest, will strike at the very sinews of an enemy, all the while uttering denials crafted for external consumption.

The insistence on denying a particular act, while openly acknowledging similar acts, reveals a fascinating projection of unacknowledged aggression.

If the earth is but one star among infinite stars, then the burning of crude oil on one small fraction of its surface is a cosmic flicker, yet a human tragedy of immense proportion.

It is quite remarkable how the logic of war permits the destruction of one vital resource while politely disavowing any connection to another, all for the sake of polite diplomacy.

It is a curious modern paradox that one must deny striking a particular target, while at the same time proclaiming the efficacy of striking other targets of the same nature.

When the vital humors of the earth are set ablaze, the imbalance ripples through the body politic, affecting the very spirit of the land.

Across these lands, I have observed that when the caravans cannot move and the oil lamps remain dim, the lives of the people, from merchant to farmer, are profoundly altered.

One finds it terribly polite to deny striking one particular facility, while simultaneously confirming one’s general aptitude for striking other, equally inconvenient facilities.