As Konstantin Samoilov (left) reported 9 days ago,
"Something has changed inside Russia. I dont' mean Putin lost an election. Or the army mutinied.
Something quiter. And in many ways more dangerous. The system of absolute control that Vladimir Putin spend 25 years building is starting to slip out of his hands." (Inside Russia: 15 May 2026: YouTube) (my emphasis)
Inside Russia: 15 May 2026
He goes on to explain that,
"Watch what's happened now.
Russian officials on State television, in Duma hearings, Russian parliament hearings, in public speeches, have quietly stopped using collective language when they talk about the war and big political decisions what Putin makes.
It's Putin's special military operation, Putin's agenda, Putin's red lines, Putin's terms for negotiation. .... It's DISTANCING!!!" (ibid Konstantin Samoilov)
Nowhere is this more apparant, as reported by Tim Lister and Svitlana Vlasova (left) today (24 May 2026) that,
"Kyiv came under a massive aerial attack overnight into Sunday, officials said, after US and Ukrainian authorities warned of a possible incoming Russian missile strike.
...
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered retaliation for a deadly Ukrainian attack. "
The attack comes after Putin accused Ukraine of a “terrorist” act, claiming that Ukrainian drones struck a college dormitory in Starobilsk, a Russian-occupied town in eastern Luhansk on Friday. The Russian president ordered the defense ministry to come up with proposals for a retaliatory response. (CNN: 24 May 2026) (my emphasis)
This 'order' of Putin comes against a backdrop of,
- Russia forced to shut 400 oil wells (Konstantin Samoilov ) because of the successful and ongoing demolishing of Russia oil infrastructure
- Russians banned from Europe. Visa Applications Close After MORE THAN 500,000 People Flee Russia (Joe Bloggs (left): YouTube: 23 May 2026)
- Ukraine Retakes Strategic Territory: Controls Crimea Corridor. (Anna from Ukraine: 23 May 2026: YouTube)
- As Ukraine escalates strikes inside Russia, the Kremlin betrays its concern with bluster about nuclear weapons and its neighbor Belarus joining the invasion. (Scott Lucas Worldview: YouTube: 24 May 2026)
And nothwistanding Xi 'fraternally' hosting Putin only days after Xi's summit with Trump, Liz Lee (left) and Ethan Wang report that,
"Moscow had signalled ahead of the visit that it was seeking further energy agreements with China, the largest buyer of Russian oil, including pipeline supplies and sea-borne shipments.
…
Key issues such as gas pricing remain unresolved, and analysts expect negotiations could take years.
…
"Russia needs this deal more urgently than China does after losing much of its European gas market, while Beijing still appears content to move slowly and preserve flexibility over future energy supply options." (Reuters: 19 May 2026) (my emphasis)
Whilst Trump's continuing announcements about a peace deal having been reached between Iran and himself, and which thus far have always been contradicted by Iranian officials, Brandon Livesay (right) now reports that,
"US President Donald Trump says an agreement with Iran has been "largely negotiated" and details will be announced soon.
…
"An agreement has been largely negotiated, subject to finalisation between the United States of America, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the various other Countries, as listed," he said.
"Final aspects and details of the deal are currently being discussed, and will be announced shortly." (BBC News: 24 May 2026) (my emphasis)
'If ', and this is a BIG ' If ', a deal has been reached between Trump and Iran, and the Strait of Hormuz resumes as a safe shipping lane for oil tankers as it did BEFORE the US/Iran war, this will isolate Putin even more from Russian officials on State television, in Duma hearings, Russian parliament hearings, and in public speeches.
It also signifies an even deeper collapse of Putin's 'vertical of power', so assiduously built by himself over his 25 years in power.
Putins 'siloviki is now 'quietly and desperately' isolating themselves from him.
UPDATE: 25 May 2026: GMT 07:02
Putin is now jumping around with fear and frustration in his heavily fortified bunker for not being able to launch a 'nuclear attack' against Ukraine.
With his forces been decimated and pushed back from the Ukrainian land he still occupies, Putin choose to arm the 'nuclear capable' missile, Oreshnik, with conventional arms as a signal to Zelensky that his, Putin's, 'nuclear option' is now on the table.
As reported by Yuliia Dysa (left) and Max Hunder (right), 
"Russia pounded Kyiv and surrounding areas with hundreds of drones and missiles on Sunday in one of the heaviest bombardments of the city since the start of the four-year war, firing an Oreshnik hypersonic missile near the capital.
…
European leaders condemned the Kyiv attack, with Britain and Germany describing the use of the Oreshnik - an intermediate range missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads - as an "escalation"."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia used the hypersonic Oreshnik ballistic missile during the attacks." (Reuters: 24 May 2026) (my emphasis)
As also reported by David Hughes (left),"Vladimir Putin’s attack on Kyiv and other cities has shown his “weakness”, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said after Ukraine was hit by a hypersonic missile and drone barrage.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia used the hypersonic Oreshnik ballistic missile during the attacks." (PA Media on Yahoo News: 24 May 2026) (my emphasis)Putin's 'panicked' desperation in bombarding the civilians of Ukraine with his 'nuclear capable' Oreshnik missile, to stem the growing tide of blame now been heaped upon his head for his disastrously failing war against Ukraine is, as UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper points out, "Putin’s attack on Kyiv and other cities has shown his “weakness”.





























