In one of his now rare forays into the outside of the bunker, in which Putin is frantically pacing as Ukraine continues its successful drone directed dismantling of the oil refineries that are Russia's 'bread makers', we now learn that, in his recent visit to Kazakhstan (Pravda Ru: 27 May 2026),
"An assassination attempt on Putin is becoming a new reality. The dictator no longer dares to move around as he used to. Now his roads are accompanied by unprecedented and heightened security measures, special equipment, and even air cover." (Ukraine Reports (left: Reporter): 31 May 2026: YouTube) (cf also: Kyiv Post: 28 May 2026)
"Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent diplomatic push into Central Asia yielded high-minded rhetoric but few substantive gains, as Kazakhstan resisted Kremlin pressure on trade and labour, foreign policy expert Paul Goble told Kyiv Post." (Kyiv Post: 30 May 2026) (my emphasis)
And against the backdrop of Putin's visit to Kazakhstan, Defense Express reports that,
"Ukraine's Defence Forces have carried out another wave of long-range strikes against military and infrastructure targets deep inside Russia, including an oil refinery in Saratov located about 700 kilometres from the frontline
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the results, describing the attacks as part of Ukraine's long-range campaign against facilities supporting Russia's war effort(Defense Express: 1 June 2026) (my emphasis)
"Russia, one of the largest oil producers on the planet, is now importing gasolene. Not from a strategic partner, not from China ... importing gasolene from Belarus, it's vassal state.
And according to the latest data, fuel shipments from Belarus into Russia have jumped by 60000 percent. Not a typo ... 60000 percent" (Inside Russia : 30 May 2026: YouTube) (my emphasis)
It is no wonder that the last week has seen Putin frantically bombarding Ukrainian civilians with hundreds of missiles and drones.
To draw NATO directly into a war against Russia, as aPRETEXT to use a 'nuclear' bomb against the forces of Ukraine pushing Russia out of the Ukrainian territory that Russian forces now occupy, and back towards Russian borders, Putin decided to attack Romania, a member of NATO.
"A Russian drone hit a block of flats in Romania, causing a fire and injuring two people, Romanian officials say. … European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X: "Russia's war of aggression has crossed yet another line".
"As we continue strengthening our security and deterrence, especially on our Eastern border, we will keep increasing the pressure on Russia," she added.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said the incident "proved once again that Russian aggression poses a real threat to the Black Sea region". (BBC News: 29 May 2026) (my emphasis)
As reported by Dariia Yankovska(left), President Zelensky explained that,
"Ukraine tries to intercept all Russian drones, including those heading toward Romania, Moldova, Poland, or the Baltic states, says President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
He stated that if a drone cannot be intercepted, Ukraine immediately informs its partners and tries to assist them before the aircraft crosses into their territory.
Zelenskyy stressed that Russia uses drones not only to strike Ukraine but also as a tool to pressure NATO countries and test their response.
According to him, this is a typical signal from the Kremlin: do not support Ukraine." (RBC Ukraine: 31 May 2026) (my emphasis)
As another typical signal from Putin against those supporting Ukraine, Türkiye Today reports that,
"Türkiye condemned on Friday the growing security risks in the Black Sea after a Turkish-owned cargo vessel—sailing from Ukraine’s Odesa port to Türkiye—was struck by a drone. Two crew members were injured in the strike.
In a statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said the Vanuatu-flagged, Turkish-owned dry cargo shipcame under attack on the night of May 28 while transporting cargo from Odesa." (Türkiye Today: 29 May 2026) (my emphasis)
These signals from Putin indicate not only 'fear' but also a growing breakdown of his 'vertical of power' into factions that seem to be setting themselves up for a post-Putin era.
Putin's fear of "assassination" is real.
Actually readying for 'nuclear' war is now the only card he has left.
"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)
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)
"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 retaliationfor 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)
"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”.
"Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday that the conflict in Ukraine is nearing its end after he oversaw a military parade on Red Square commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II — a show that didn’t include heavy weapons for the first time in nearly two decades. … Talking to reporters later, he accused Western “globalist elites” of arming Ukraine to defeat and break up Russia and declared that “I think the matter [i.e. his war with Ukraine] is coming to an end.”(AP News: 9 May 2026) (my emphasis)
"For the first time, Saturday’s parade featured troops from North Korea, a tribute to Pyongyang that sent its soldiers to fight alongside Moscow forces to repel a Ukrainian incursion into Russia’s Kursk region." (ibid AP News)
It is interesting to note, as explained by Anna Danylchuk(left),
"Yesterday Zelensky allowed a parade to be held in Moscow. [Zelensky] published an order in which he allowed Russians to hold their parade in Moscow due to numerous humanitarian requests coming from the White House" (Anna Danylchuk: 10 May 2026: YouTube)
And on the economic front, the Military Show reveals that the Russian economy is imploding.
As they report,
"He [Putin] has ranted and raved. And just like that he gave the game away.
Even Putin admits it. It's over for Russia. Something big is breaking in the country right now as the brutal statistics show us that Russia isn't going to recover for 100 years.
The Russian economy is down the toilet. ... And the worst of it is, not even the end of the Ukraine war is going to save Russia from the financial abyss into which its leader has led the country" (The Military Show: 24 April 2026: YouTube) (my emphasis)
Trying to unravel Putin's 'crytic' statement that, "“I think the matter [i.e. his war with Ukraine] is coming to an end.", Steve Rosenberg(left) points out that a Russian newspaper wrote,
"Victory in the Special Military Operation [i.e. his war with Ukraine] that President Putin hinted on the 9th May may soon end is only possible if there is real success of [Russian] troops on the ground. It is possible these victories will have to be achieved with the help of demonstrative strikes on Ukraine with tactical nuclear weapons, a military analyst tells the paper" (Steve Rosenberg: 13 May 2026; YouTube) (my emphasis)
Underscoring that only,"strikes on Ukraine with tactical nuclear weapons" will realize Putin's 'crytic' statement that, "“I think the matter [i.e. his war with Ukraine] is coming to an end.", we learn from Sky News that,
"Ukraine war latest: Putin launches deadly assault on Ukraine with more than 700 drones and missiles
Ukraine has been targeted in another night of heavy Russian attacks. Moscow fired more than 700 drones and missiles during its latest attack, according to Ukraine's air force." (Sky News: 14 May 2026) (my emphasis)
This attack indicates Putin's utter desperation, especially in light of his "damp squib" May 9th Paradethat didn’t include heavy weapons for the first time in nearly two decades.
Further adding to his desperation, as Dom Nicholls(right) explains,
"This year, the tide for the battlefield may finally have turned [into Ukraine's favour]. ....
In each month of 2026 so far, Ukraine has liberated more territory than it has lost, and taken more Russian troops off the battlefield than Moscow is able to recruit"(The Telegraph: 13 May 2026: YouTube) (my emphasis)
And as CNN reports, Trump arrives in China for a summit with Xi Jinping.
"US President Donald Trump arrived in China’s capital and was welcomed with a ceremony replete with pomp and pageantry for the start of a high stakes visit carrying global consequences, as the world’s two largest economies frame their trade relationship. … The US-Israeli war with Iran, and ensuing global energy crisis, looms over the trip. Trump is expected to encourage Xi to push China-ally Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint vital to oil trade, and agree to a peace deal." (CNN: 13 May 2026) (my emphasis)
Like Putin now trying to extricate himself from his war with Ukraine, Trump is likewise trying to extricate himself from his war with Iran.
Putin must now be feverishly biting his nails, hoping that Xi Jinping thwarts Trump's attempt to get the Strait of Hormuz re-opened without Iran having any control over this 'globally' vital waterway.
Neither Putin nor Trump can be seen internationally to fail in Ukraine or Iran respectively.
Ukraine's continuing success in destroying Putin's 'oil infrastructure' (Silicon Curtain: YouTube: 2 May 2026) is causing Putin to 'melt down into a puddle' as he finally admits to his 'siloviki' that Russia's economy is falling into the abyss of a deep "recession".
Russian President Vladimir Putin made his concerns about the economy public as he vented frustration at aides and demanded they come up with solutions.
During a televised meeting on the economy Wednesday, he revealed that GDP shrank by combined 1.8% in January and February, adding that manufacturing, industrial production, and construction were negative.(Fortune: 18 April 2026) (my emphasis)
And as former General Ben Hodges(right) concludes in his analysis of the state of Putin's failures in the war he started in Ukraine, and the current state of his imploding Russian economy,
"Putin admitting on the record that GDP contracted.
Putin admitting that the numbers are below the governments own forecast ... Putin calling for reports that explain "Why?" … These are not the words of a leader managing a situation. … For Vladimir Putin, these are the words equivalent to a General radioing from the front that the situation is not going according to plan. … Except this front is the entire Russian economy, and the General is the man who ordered the offensive." (Ben Hodges Report: 3 May 2026: YouTube) (my emphasis)
And now Trump, his 'bosom buddy', has just announced that,
"President Donald Trump said the US will begin guiding some neutral ships trapped in the Persian Gulf out through the Strait of Hormuz starting Monday.
“The Ship movement is merely meant to free up people, companies, and Countries that have done absolutely nothing wrong — They are victims of circumstance,” Trump wrote Sunday in a social media post. “If, in any way, this Humanitarian process is interfered with, that interference will, unfortunately, have to be dealt with forcefully.”(María Paula Mijares Torres (left): Bloomberg on MSN: 4 May 2026) (my emphasis)
That 'small' financial lifeline thrown to Putin by Iran as they closed the Strait of Hormuz, and which has caused the price of oil to spike above $100, is on the verge of collapse by Trump's announcement that, "the US will begin guiding some neutral ships trapped in the Persian Gulf out through the Strait of Hormuz starting Monday." (ibid María Paula Mijares Torres.)
We should also be aware of the words of Tom Keatinge (left)(ibid Katya Adler (right)), Director of the Finance & Security Centre at the Royal United Services Institute, that,
"Despite the war in the Middle East, Keatinge says Trump, with his reputation for impatience, might pivot away at any moment from focusing on Iran if finding a deal with Tehran remains complicated.
He could then swiftly turn back to the Russia-Ukraine question. That, insists Keatinge, is why Europeans must take far more decisive action in Ukraine now than they have to date. (Katya Adler: BBC News: 3 May 2026) (my emphasis)
Almost as if to pre-empt this possibility, France 24 reports that,
"European leaders and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney gather in Armenia Monday (4 May 2026) as they seek to navigate a fraught geopolitical environment under an unpredictable White House.
US President Donald Trump will loom large over the meeting of the European Political Community (EPC). It takes place in Yerevan, a crossroads between Russia and the Middle East – the two main issues on the agenda.
"Leaders from across the continent, with Canada as a guest, will discuss how to cooperate to strengthen security and collective resilience," European Council President Antonio Costa wrote on social media as he arrived in the Armenian capital Sunday. … The EPC was initially perceived as an anti-Putin club," said Sebastien Maillard, a special adviser at the Jacques Delors Institute, a think tank.
"With the invitation to Canada, this initiative – which was initially driven by geography – is now taking on an anti-Trump slant." (France 24 on Yahoo News: 4 May 2026) (my emphasis)
Some attendees at Yervan meeting:European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and Canada's Foreign Minister Anita Anand
Both Putin and Trump now stand 'politically' naked before the world community.
"As Ukraine's Foreign Minister during the most perilous year in Europe since the Second World War, I sat in rooms where distinguisehd men and womentried to make sense of Vladimir Putin. … Their arguments, solid as they sounded, failed for one simple reason; they tried to explain as if he were one of them. He is NOT."
" … the army is not Putin’s greatest foreign policy weapon. Nor is it oil and gas.
It is corruption. Corruption is how he penetrates other countries without sending in tanks." (cf: former Prime Minister of Hungary, Vicor Orban, current Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico, and current Prime Minister of Czech Republic, Andrej Babiš)
(left to right: Victor Orban, Robert Fico, and Andrej Babiš)
He wants free societies to doubt their values, their leaders, their alliances, the cost of resistance – even the very existence of truth.Corrupt the will, and everything else becomes easier. This is the rule Putin follows with ruthless consistency." (i Paper on MSN: 26 April 2026) (my emphasis)
Kuleba goes on to explain that,
"The fear of [the EU] cornering Putin, lest Russia weaken or even begin to fracture, has paralysed thinking for years. Too many have preferred a violent empire to an unstable one.
That is not realism. It is surrender dressed up as caution. Lasting peace is only possible with the fall of the imperial mindset that sustains it.(ibid Dymetro Kuleba)
The eyes of world are now fixated on Trump and Netanyahu's war with Iran, especially on events surrounding the Strait of Hormuz and its effects on world oil trade.
Yet Trump has thrown a lifeline to Putin by lifting the sanctions against Putin's oil-trade, and so helping him to try and stem Russia's continuing economic fall that threatens to completely engulf Putin.
" Ukraine and its European allies hit out on Friday at a U.S. temporary waiver to allow countries to buy sanctioned Russian oil and petroleum products stranded at sea, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warning it would fund Moscow's war machine." (Reuters: 13 March 2026) (my emphasis)
"On April 15, the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent stated that the easing of sanctions against Russia is more it won't happen.
April 17, USA sanctions were eased regarding the Russian Federation. The license allows the sale of Russian oil and petroleum products already at sea until May 16..
On April 18, three Democrats in the U.S. Senate published a joint statement in which they condemned the administration of the US president Donald Trump for the decision to ease sanctions against Russian oil.
Ambassador of Ukraine to the USA Olha Stefanishyna called on the American the administration to reinstate sanctions against Russian oil and petroleum products. (Liga.Net: 22 April 2026) (my emphasis)
"If you go back to the end of March that both the major ports in the Baltics, Primorsk and Ust- Luga, and the major Black sea port in Novorossiysk; for Russia's maritime oil, they have had to suspend production or cut it back at some point [because of Ukraine's succesful drone strategy against them].
These three ports handle 75% of Russia's maritme oil exports." (Frontline and Trump Report: 25 April 2026) (my emphasis)
"European Union ambassadors meeting in Brussels on Wednesday backed a long-delayed $106 billion loan to Ukraine and a 20th economic sanctions package on Russia. … Leaders of the 27-member-country bloc ... [signed] off on the measures at an informal summit in Cyprus on Thursday." (UPI: 22 April 2026) (my emphasis)
Meanwhile, in Russia, 'siloviki' knives against Putin are simply no longer merely being sharpened. They are being brandished in 'full sight', which has left Putin 'holing up' in his bunker.
"You have this pathetic goblin in the Kremlin for 26 years [Putin], and he doesn't even speak with you. He hides from you and if, once again cornered, he says because of bad weather [that the Russian economic system is disastrously failing]" (Anna Danylchuk: 25 April 2026) (my emphasis)
No longer is Putin secure in the fact that Trump will always come to his rescue.
The mid-term elections in the US loom large, and Trump's control of the US Senate and Congress is fast slipping through his fingers.
For Trump, this is a foreboding of the US public descending upon his financial corruption, political incompetence, and the war he started with Iran.
Kubela is right in saying that,
"It is corruption. Corruption is how he [Putin] penetrates other countries without sending in tanks." (ibid Dymetro Kuleba)
The days of Putin are numbered.
UPDATE : 29 April 2026 : GMT 09:41
In 2014, following Putin's invasion and annexation of Ukraine's Crimea, Paul Roderick Gregory(left) wrote that,
"A quarter century after the end of the cold war, the German social democrats are still providing ideological cover for the Russian Bear along with their cast-out brethren – the ex-communists of Die Linke party. These prominent German Putin-Empathizers (from Versteher or, literally “understander” in German) serve as Putin’s first line of defense against meaningful European sanctions for the Anschluss of Crimea." (Forbes: 5 April 2014) (my emphasis)
"When Germans add the word Versteher (one who understands) to a term, they generally mix flattery with irony. So a Frauenversteher (one who understands women) is usually a man who boasts excessively about his knowledge of the opposite sex. The label is now being attached to so-called Russlandversteher or Putinversteher: members of the [German] elite or intelligentsia who gush with empathy for Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin, on talk shows, in journals and at dinner parties." (Economist : May 10th 2014) (my emphasis)
Fast forward to 2026 and, in the words of Paul Gregory, Germany is still, "... providing ideological cover for the Russian Bear along with their cast-out brethren – the ex-communists of Die Linke party."
"German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (left) suggested on Monday that Ukraine may have to accept that parts of its [Ukraine's] territory could remain outside Kyiv's control in a future peace deal with Russia, linking such concessions to the country's prospects for joining the European Union." (Reuters: 27 April 2026) (my emphasis)
It would seem that the rampant Putinversteher mentality, prevalent in, " ... members
of the [German] elite or intelligentsia who gush with empathy for
Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin, on talk shows, in journals and
at dinner parties." in 2014 (ibid: Paul Roderick Gregory and The Economist ) still strongly thrives in Germany in 2026.
What German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is suggesting is nothing more than "blackmailing" Zelensky to accede to Putin in his violent attempted "theft" of Ukrainain land, by dangling in front of Zelensky accelerated EU membership for Ukraine, notwithstanding the fact that Ukraine is "regaining the land that Putin is trying to steal"
And whilst German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, "is suggesting is nothing more than "blackmailing" Zelensky to accede to Putin in his violent attempted "theft" of Ukrainain land", Konstantin Samoilov(left) informs us that,
"For the first time in 26 years, Vladimir Putin is speaking from a position of weakness, not strength.
And that is the signal ... the moment ... that is the beginning of the end. Not tomorrow, not next week, not forecast.
It has started. ..... and Putin knows, most of all". (Inside Russia: 29 April 2026: YouTube) (my emphasis)
It is thus no wonder that, as Konstantin Samoilov (right) reports, 
Zelenskyy stressed that Russia uses drones not only to strike Ukraine but also as a tool to pressure NATO countries and test their response.
