The Ukraine invasion drags on heading for its first anniversary in late February. A diplomatic solution for a peaceful settlement is all but impossible with Putin preparing for a spring offensive with a surge in recruitment, emboldened by a rare victory in capturing the town of Soledar.
The consensus now among leading western states is that the only way to persuade Russia that it cannot succeed in its war of conquest is for Ukraine’s armed forces to liberate much more territory. ‘Vladimir Putin’s current strategy is bleak and uncompromising. He appears to believe that even with a military stalemate Russia can outlast Ukraine, along with its western backers, by putting his economy and society on a war footing.’ Russian warships left Novorossiysk this week, prompting renewed fears of a landing from the Black Sea.
The pressure is on Western allies to send tanks and armoured vehicles. Britain, France, Finland and Poland are preparing to fulfil their promises though Germany and the US are still dragging their heels. Military experts believe that Russia will launch its multipronged attack in the spring to divert Ukrainian resources away from Donetsk and Luhansk.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz known for his cautious style, has for months voiced hesitancy about supplying tanks for fear of escalating the conflict and provoking Putin, who has hinted he could resort to nuclear weapons. Scholz may only be act on tanks if he can do so in tandem with the USA. “He needs the cover of a nuclear power,” said an analyst. “A European consortium might not be enough for him.”
Sorting through relevant charts what stands out on several of them are key Astro-markers at 18 degrees Fixed signs which suggests that late April into early May when tr Uranus is at 18 Taurus will be a point to watch. It may be a coincidence and the North Node has retrograded away from the degree which made 1 August 2022 a potentially momentous time in history (see previous post 17 June 2022) but it does resonate.
Neither the Ukraine country chart, 24 August 1991 2.31pm. Kiev nor Zelensky’s personal or term chart looked as if 2023 would be the year of triumph.
Ukraine has tr Neptune opposing its Mars from mid March to mid April 2023 and on and off till February 2024 which usually accompanies a panicky sense of sagging morale and failed plans. With a seismic upheaval and change of direction in April when tr Uranus opposes the 10th house Pluto for the final time. Where tensions lift and luck returns will be around mid 2024 onwards with tr Uranus square the Jupiter; though 2024/25 will be an uphill struggle with tr Pluto conjunct Saturn, which would be the case even if hostilities ceased with a massive rebuilding exercise needed.
Zaluzhnyi, the Ukrainian miliary chief, will have ups and downs through 2023 with a specific setback around late April/early May and successes later in the year.
Zelensky’s personal chart, 25 January 1978 2pm Krivoj Rog, Ukraine, will be rattled considerably by tr Uranus opposition his Uranus in March square his Moon in April and his Midheaven shortly after; plus a trapped, scary and frustrating tr Pluto opposition his Mars from late March on and off till late 2024. Plus a dashed-hopes tr Neptune square his 1st house Jupiter from May onwards into 2024.
His Term chart, 20 May 2019 10am, has a reasonably productive tr Pluto trine the Sun, Mercury through this year; though also an enthusiasm-undermining Solar Arc Neptune square the Jupiter within weeks.
Zelensky’s relationship chart with Olaf Scholz, the overly cautious German Chancellor, is under a damp cloud later at the moment and sagging badly with disappointment through 2023.
Ukraine’s relationship with the EU will be under major strain from late this March and proving a disappointment from May onward.
What is pivotal – maybe – is Putin’s survival, though there’s no saying if he goes, the same or worse might not follow in the Kremlin. His 4th Term chart’s lucky/over confident Sun opposition Jupiter will pick up tr Uranus hard aspects late March to mid May, which might fit with a spring offensive. But before then he has the destabilising tr Pluto square the Term Uranus from mid February on and off till late 2024 – which often coincides with fall-off-perch-moments for leaders. Plus he has the increasingly desperate, high-risk, frustrated and ruthless Solar Arc Pluto getting to the same degree as the Mars in three months and exact within 6 months – so a last and final brutal push.
The Ukraine Invasion chart of 23 February 2022 has Saturn at 18 degrees Aquarius so it will be rattled in late April/early May 2023 by the tr Uranus square. That chart has the North Node conjunct Algol as well as a savage Pluto, Mars, Venus conjunction and an over-hopeful Jupiter Neptune in Pisces.
That’s the best I can do – looks to be escalating towards spring and dragging on for another year. Poor Ukrainians.
Pic: Map on Spring Offensive from The Times.
Astrologer Jessica Adams is predicting Ukraine to win the war this year. I have no idea which aspects she’s looking at to come to that conclusion though…since I only saw this listed in her list of predictions for 2023.
She did accurately predict, back in 2020, that Russia would invade Ukraine in 2022…so, hopefully she’s right about this too.
We can only wait and see. It’s such a horrible situation.
I’m thinking that Kirril, Patriarch of Moscow – b 20th Nov, 1946 in St Petersburg- is not often mentioned now in relation to Putin’s war. Apparently he is in total sync with Putin with the war and as a leader of a very patriarchal church, able to wield a lot of influence over some of the population. When people tell themselves they’re on a God mission, they don’t usually stop fighting. Could you look at Kirril’s chart too please Marjorie?
‘.. Plus he has the increasingly desperate, high-risk, frustrated and ruthless Solar Arc Pluto getting to …’
Marjorie, this is the part about Putin that is downright scary, not taking anything away from the horror going on now, because he is saying he will use nuclear weapons if he needs to, i.e cornered like a ……!!!
So far, he’s been all talk. He is using scorched earth tactics – and not leaving anything (or anyone) to remain for his deNazification pogram. He won’t go nuclear – for the simple reason he’s surrounded by NATO, US, India, Israel, and Pakistan…who also own nukes. Perhaps his nukes will work…even if his army is failing.
What will he do if the nukes become nothing more than arrows sticking up from the ground?
Tho, this is supposed to be an astro forum.
@larryc, Putin is, first and foremost, afraid of China. Xi is a bloody autocrat, but not a fool, as shown by CCP taking a sharp turn in Covid-19 policy the moment people started wide spread protests. He isn’t risking turning China’s bread basket to a nuclear waisteland.
Cannot argue against that. Thanks.
Thank you Marjorie for this update. Ukraine does not have a strong infrastructure to start with and Russians have already turned the country into rubbles. I just cannot imagine the war going on at this speed one more year. How sad. . .Let’s hope that the Western countries will provide better weapons to the Ukrainians to avoid any further loss of their territory.
@ Bette,
The West could supply better weaponry and defense systems to Ukraine…but many European leaders are either weak wimps (like Emmanuel Macron) or far-right fascists (like Viktor Orban). And then you have morons like Olaf Scholz (no, I don’t think he’s being cautious; he’s a socialist and I think he still has pro-Soviet nostalgia sometimes).
The the U.K. and the U.S. are really the only countries actually helping Ukraine in ways Ukraine needs to be helped right now.
It just infuriates me who indifferent so many European leaders can be to
2 humanitarian crises (Nagorno-Karabakh and Ukraine) that are taking place in their own background.
I know the U.S. has been far from perfect when it comes to foreign policy, but at least we’re getting it right with Ukraine.
The European Union and NATO are all talk sometimes. They ignored the wars of Yugoslav Succession in the 1990s and now this.
I thought it was pitiful watching Ukrainians getting excited about being accepted as a “candidate” (basically a bread crumb offer) to join the European Union….However, there’s a catch: it will take more than a decade…and there’s still a stipulation: Ukraine will not be admitted into the European Union as long as it has occupied territory within its borders (like Crimea and Dombad). So, how convenient for the EU. The EU appears to be generous…only when it doesn’t mean anything.
Now I’m starting to see why the Global South has so much hostility towards Europe and the West. Too many broken promises and betrayal
The invasion conicided with Ukraine’s progressed Moon entering Aries (ruled by mars conjunct the Ukraine MC). The progressed moon squared the Ukraine Uranus in nov 2022, it will square the neptune in Feb and then square the ukraine nodes (18 cap) in early June at the exact time progressed Mercury also hits the Ukraine MC/Mars at 25 Virgo. The Moon finally leaves Aries for Taurus early May 2024. Not sure if this has any relevance.
Thanks Marjorie, a very helpful overview of this terrible war. Much seems to point to the spring, and the possibility of a huge push at that time. I noticed that the April 20th Solar Eclipse at 29 Aries is conjunct Putin’s 4th Term Uranus. You highlight late March to May as a Uranian moment in that chart, so perhaps this eclipse adds to that theme, and its tensions?
The fixed stars may be worth watching too. I haven’t sifted through everything (!), but notice Ukraine 1991 Mars is 25 Virgo, with Neptune opposing as you say – ‘the fog of war’….At 26 Virgo there’s the star Alkaid, in Ursa Major the Great Bear. I could associate the Great Bear, symbolically, with Russia itself. Alkaid is associated with death and mourning. A survey by Reinhold Ebertin into the constellation showed one of its stars, Benetnash, was significant at the time of the tensions and conflict between Prague and Moscow in 1969.
Tr Neptune is currently aligned with Markab, in the constellation of Pegasus, the Winged Horse, opposing that Mars. An article on Skyscript says:
“The most prominent star is Markab, a 2nd magnitude, white star situated on the wing. Its name is an Arabic term used to mean something ridden on, such as a saddle, ship or any kind of vehicle. Astrologers have traditionally viewed it as a dangerous omen and it is extensively associated with cuts, stabs, fire and explosions.”
In fixed star terms, Uranus reaches Algol in 2024, while Neptune aligns with Scheat in Pegasus – a star associated with air disasters and other upheavals. However, it is said to offer great mental creativity too, as is Algol herself. Algol the Medusa also being the mother of Pegasus, the father being Neptune. A big mythic tale is potentially offered to us. Doubtless, it will have many layers.
All we can do from the sidelines is pray for peace and for those with power to make the right choices…..
Well, you spotted that correctly Jane! “Markab… something ridden on..” Like a helicopter. Helicopter crashes so often happen in fog. Another tragedy for this already devastated country.
Someone on another forum wrote this:
”
The Mercury-Mars Station-Quincunx January 2023
Jan 12, 2023, 3:56 PM, Mars Direct at 8 Gem 08
Jan 18, 2023, 8:12 AM, Mercury Direct at 8 Cap 08
The exact Mercury-Mars quincunx occurs January 17th within a few hours of the Mercury station and then again on the 21st . This is the US Mars return in quincunx to Russia’s natal Uranus (8 ’17 Capricorn DOB June 12, 1990 1:45 pm Moscow) in square to Russia’s natal Mars (8 ’48 Cancer). Ukrainian leader Zelenskyy’s’s nodes at 9 ’15 Aries-Libra are also being impacted. Ukraine’s natal Uranus at 10 ’06 Capricorn is closely buffeted by this configuration. NATO’s natal Mars ( 8 ’55 Sagittarius DOB April 4, 1949 4:45 pm Washington DC) will be facing an opposition to the Mars station. More telling is President Biden’s natal Saturn at 9 ’57 Gemini, in quincunx to progressed Saturn (8 ’44 Capricorn) and Russian President Putin’s natal Chiron (7 ’05 Capricorn).
The January 22nd Uranus station at 14 ’56 Taurus will form an exact trine to Zelenskyy’s natal Mercury (14 ’57 Capricorn). It will be in close square to NATO’s natal Pluto (14 ’15 Leo), in close t square to Putin’s progressed Nodes (13 ’32 Leo-Aquarius), conjunct Russia’s natal Venus (15 ’08 Taurus) in square to Russia”s natal Pluto (15 ’27 Leo). This suggests to me that on or around the January 21st New Moon (conjunct Pluto) we may experience a major escalation in the Russian-Ukraine conflict perhaps in favor of Ukraine. Will NATO become involved?
NATO Chief Fears Ukraine War Could Broaden Into Wider Conflict”
I’m not sure if Putin and the Russian Federation are going to have much luck coming their way. According to a recent article from Bloomberg, German officials believe it’s very likely Olaf Scholz will agree to send Ukraine the Leopards they wanted. Also, President Biden has agreed to send the Bradleys (which will arrive in a few months).
Ukrainian forces have already said they’re already prepared for Putin’s renewed massive nationwide invasion effort for this coming Spring.
Also, the sanctions are really, really starting to bite in the Russian Federation….and Putin’s hopes that energy sales would fund this war in Ukraine basically fell flat. For example, according to Fortune, Russia’s fossil fuel export revenues fell 17% (that’s not good).
The Russian Federation is also finding itself at odds with some of her own allies. For example, there is still the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Caucasus as the blockade in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) continues with over 120,000 ethnic Armenians being trapped and cut off from the rest of the world by Azeri forces. Armenia, which relays heavily on the Russian Federation for economic and military assistance, is now furious because Russian “peacekeepers” have done little to nothing to defuse or rectify the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh). In fact, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan recently refused to host military drills and exercises by the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) in protest of Russia’s handling of the blockade.
All in all, I don’t necessarily see the war in Ukraine coming to an abrupt end this year….but given everything I’ve read about what’s happening in the Russian Federation right now, I can’t imagine Putin having much success this year either.