Late night hosts laud the Ukrainian ballerinas, families, comedians, and soldiers denying Putin victory

"When Putin launched his monstrous war, everyone was saying Kyiv would fall within 48 to 72 hours, but it is Day 15 and they are still standing strong," Stephen Colbert said on Thursday's Late Show. "The failure of the vaunted Russian war machine to overwhelm the much-smaller Ukraine has shocked the world," he said, but "apparently, Russia's military problems go deep," from rations that expired in 2002 — "it's never a good sign when your dinner is old enough to enlist" — to fuel shortages and cheap Chinese tires.
"But the biggest reason the Russian military is bogged down is the casual courage of their Ukrainian opponents," Colbert said. "And a new group just joined the fray, because Ukrainian ballerinas are leaving the stage for the front lines. Putin doesn't stand a chance — these are the same people who took down the Mouse King."
The Late Show also made another Nutcracker joke at Putin's expense.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"While the Biden administration is doing everything possible to counter Russia's invasion of Ukraine while avoiding a direct military confrontation that would spiral out of control, Republicans and right-wing pundits are pitching increasingly reckless ideas that would drastically escalate the conflict — oh, and Donald Trump is blaming it on windmills," Seth Meyers said on Late Night. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is the rare comedian to see dialogue — not monologue — as the solution, he joked, And "if even Zelensky still believes in the power of dialogue, then the rest of us should too, because he's right: that's the only way this horrific conflict can end."
"Today, Russian and Ukraine held their first high-level peace talks, but please do not get your hopes up," Trevor Noah said on The Daily Show. "Not only did Russian not agree to end the war, it wouldn't even admit that it started a war." And now that war is "even spilling over into space," he said. "Russia is so mad about sanctions that it's threatening to abandon an American astronaut in space and allow the International Space Station to crash into Earth."
"All of this suffering can be laid at the manicured feet of one deranged man-baby who's been waiting for this moment since the early '90s," Samantha Bee said on Full Frontal. She lauded the Ukrainians "refusing to give Putin the easy victory he expected," from the men and women staying to fight to the families "torn apart and forced to leave their entire worlds behind, which is just unimaginable. My kids used to melt down if we just went to the grocery store and left behind their favorite stuffed animal. "
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
July 5 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Saturday’s political cartoons include an extrajudicial detainment camp, 'alligator Alcatraz', and tax cuts for billionaires.
-
5 explosively funny cartoons about the 4th of July
Cartoons Artists take on liberty and justice for all, a terrifying firework, and more
-
Jeff in Venice: a "triumph of tackiness"?
In the Spotlight Locals protest as Bezos uses the city as a 'private amusement park' for his wedding celebrations
-
Judge blocks Trump's asylum ban at US border
Speed Read The president violated federal law by shutting down the US-Mexico border to asylum seekers, said the ruling
-
Thai court suspends prime minister over leaked call
Speed Read Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended, pending an ethics investigation
-
Senate passes GOP megabill after Alaska side deal
The pivotal yes vote came from Sen. Lisa Murkowski, whose support was secured following negotiated side deals for her home state Alaska
-
Trump sues LA over immigration policies
Speed Read He is suing over the city's sanctuary law, claiming it prevents local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities
-
Obama, Bush and Bono eulogize USAID on final day
Speed Read The US Agency for International Development, a humanitarian organization, has been gutted by the Trump administration
-
The last words and final moments of 40 presidents
The Explainer Some are eloquent quotes worthy of the holders of the highest office in the nation, and others... aren't
-
Senate advances GOP bill that costs more, cuts more
Speed Read The bill would make giant cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, leaving 11.8 million fewer people with health coverage
-
Canadian man dies in ICE custody
Speed Read A Canadian citizen with permanent US residency died at a federal detention center in Miami