Putin is now running from 'siloviki' vultures diving towards him

Let us recall that in my blog entry of  2 May 2022 I wrote that,  

"With a losing war against Ukraine, and an economy entering the economic doldrums of collapse Putin, it would seem, is hammering in the final nails of the coffin of  what used to be the USSR." (blog entry: 22 May 2022) (my emphasis)

"Already, at the very outset of Putin's invasion of Ukraine, it was apparent that his demented "Novorossiya" enterprise was doomed to failure.

Four years later, on 13 August 2026,  Steve Rosenberg (left) held an interview with Nobel Prize winner Dmitry Muratov (right).

And Muratov said,  

"What the Kremlin had assumed in 2022 would be a short, successful "military operation" has become the bloodiest conflict in Europe since the Second World War.

Yet a confident President Putin continues to predict victory for Russia.

"There will never be 'victory'," counters Dmitry Muratov. "Because what has been going on for nearly five years – no matter how it ends – can no longer be considered a victory." (BBC News : 13 August 2026) (my emphasis)

 

BBC News : 13 August 2026 

And now, as reported by Bryony Gooch (left),

"The chief economist of a Russian state development bank, [Andrei Klepach (right)], has been fired after reportedly drawing comparisons between Russia's present day economy with the 1917 revolution.
… 

In my view, the economy will hold up, but a social crisis could arise - and at a time when no one particularly expects it. Yet, let me remind you, no one expected the [1917] February revolution either," he said in reference to how Russia's last tsar Nicholas II was overthrown, according to The Times." (The Independent on Yahoo News: 18 August 2026) (my emphasis) 

As Joe Blogs (left) also reports,

"Klepatch says Russia is falling behind both economically and technologically. He says Russia cannot win a prolonged war of attrition against Ukraine and its western supporters." (Joe Blogs : 17 August 2026: YouTube) (my emphasis)

 

Joe Blogs : 17 August 2026: YouTube 

He further reports that,

"He's [Klepatch] warned that Russia could ultimately face, what he describes as, "a social crisis". (ibid Joe Blogs)

In his daily analysis on articles in Russian newspapers, Steve Rosenberg also reports that Rossiyskaya Gazeta (18 August 2026) wrote, 

"The shutting down of oil refineries due to damage by drones has had a critical impact specifically on the supply of petrol." (Steve Rosenberg: 18 August 2026 : YouTube) (my emphasis)

 

Steve Rosenberg: 18 August 2026 : YouTube 

And we now have Putin, once again, resorting to threats against the UK.

As Paul Kirby (left) and Tabby Wilson (right) report, 

"Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said the UK will continue "to support Ukraine 100%", after Moscow warned of "consequences" following confirmation that British-made drones were used in recent Ukrainian strikes in Russia." (BBC News: 18 August 2026) (my emphasis) 

 

BBC News : 18 August 2026: YouTube

One does not hear of a similar threat made by Zelensky to Kim Jon Un, who is supplying Putin with missiles with which to bomb Ukraine's civilians.

Putin's threat to the UK indicates just how 'paranoid' and 'fearful' he is by having to justify his demented "Novorossiya" invasion of Ukraine to the Russian people.

And for Putin, 'escalation' of his war against Ukraine is to flex his puny muscles against the UK, NATO, and Moldova, to divert the eyes of Russians away from his abject failure in Ukraine.

As I stated at the start of this blog entry,

"With a losing war against Ukraine, and an economy entering the economic doldrums of collapse Putin, it would seem, is hammering in the final nails of the coffin of  what used to be the USSR." (blog entry: 22 May 2022) (my emphasis) 

Putin is now running for his own life as the 'siloviki' vultures dive towards him. 

 

  

 (to be continued)

The Kremlin 'vultures' are ready to devour Putin

In his demented and genocidal bombing of Ukraine's civilians, Putin has now blocked the Russian people from voting against his delusional "Novorossiya" war against Ukraine.

As reported by Jon Shelton of DW (Deutche Welle),

"The Supreme Court of Russia on Monday ruled in favour of the nationalist pro-Kremlin Rodina (Motherland) party and barred Yabloko (left: Yabloko leader Nikolai Rybakov) (Apple) — Russia's only anti-war party — from participating in September parliamentary elections.
…
The court's decision means citizens opposed to Russia's four-and-a-half-year invasion of Ukraine — or "special military operation" as it has been legally deemed under penalty of imprisonment — have no opportunity to vote for representatives willing to articulate that opposition." (DW [Phillippines] on MSN: 10 August 2026) (my emphasis)

 

DW News : 11 August 2026 : YouTube 

And against this backdrop of barring Yabloko, the only anti-war political party in Russia, from the upcoming elections in Russia, Tim Zadorozhnyy (left) reported (on Friday 7 August 2026) that,

"A majority of the U.S. Senate backed sweeping Russia sanctions legislation on Aug. 7 that would impose tariffs on countries purchasing Russian oil and gas, aiming to cut off a key source of funding for Moscow's war against Ukraine.

… the revised legislation would impose tariffs of up to 100% on the world's five largest buyers of Russian energy." (Kyiv Independent on Yahoo News: 7 August 2026) (my emphasis)

 

NDTV World: 9 August 2026 : YouTube 

The banning of the Yabloko anti-war political party, comes close on the heels of the new sanctions imposed against Putin's oil exports.

These sanctions, that immediately effects India and China, also comes against the backdrop of Ukraine's continuing successes in destroying Putin's oil refineries and Wildberries, the Amazon of Russia.

As reported by Rebecca Robinson (left),

"A drone attack described as "massive" has been launched deep inside Russia early on Monday, regional Russian authorities said. They accused Ukraine of launching the deadly strike on the TANECO oil refinery, owned by Russian oil company Tatneft, in the Tatarstan region, over 600 miles into the country." (Daily Express on MSN: 10 August 2026) (my emphasis)

 

 BBC News: 10 August 2026: YouTube

As also reported by Kanal13,

"Ukrainian drones are attacking the Russian market places facilities in an attempt to deal a further blow to the Russian economy" (Kanal13: 10 August 2026; YouTube) (my emphasis)

 

Kanal13: 10 August 2026; YouTube 

And now, as reported by Anna Danylchuk (left),

"According to the Central Bank [of Russia], Russians exchange their roubles into Dollars, Euros, and other foreign currencies like crazy, proving that nobody trusts in Roubles ... proving that nobody believes in the Russian victory and people are trying to save their money." (Anna From Ukraine : 10 August 2026 : YouTube) (my emphasis)

 

 Anna From Ukraine : 10 August 2026 : YouTube

It is often said that, "A drowning man clutches at straws".

For Putin there are no more straws that he can now clutch at to stave off his impeding fall from power.

The Kremlin vultures, his 'siloviki', are no longer simply circling around Putin.

They are now ready to devour him.  

  

 (to be continued)

Putin is now heading Russia into a civil war.

Putin's demented mindset does not merely live in the past. His demented mindset is 'fixated' on the past.

Addressing a question about his war with Ukraine to the assembled top brass of his Marine Corps, Putin gave them an historical lesson of the origins of his Marines Corps since 1706 to the present day.

He then informed them that Russia, to-day in 2026,  is still fighting against the Nazism of WW2. 

In other words, he's current war with Ukraine is simply a continuation of the USSR's fight against the Nazism of WW2.

He lectured them,

"The question is : why does this [Putin's war with Ukraine]. And what? Is is because of Russia's aggression that .. is it 'so-called' aggression? No, of course not.

After all, we did not start any war.
...
Yes, they [Zelensky and the government of Ukraine] seemed to be guided by nationalistic considerations and interests .. Ukraine, the Ukrainian people, but at the core lies Nazi ideology.
… 
Now I come to my main point. It is this neo-Nazism that has migrated into so the so-called anti-Russian, anti Soviet centres. Here is nationalism and neo-Nazism, they are very close, stood next to each other, are intertwined.

And when the current regime [Zelensky and the government of Ukraine] began to rely precisely on this part of society and this ideology, it automatically passed into the minds of those [Ukrainians] who are fighting. Automatically!" (Times Now World: 29 July 2026: YouTube)

 

Times Now World: 29 July 2026: YouTube 

It is this demented mindset of Putin that is now focussed on the complete annihilation of Ukraine.

As reported by Toby Mann, Joe Coughlan (left) and Dan Johnson (right),

"Russia has attacked Ukraine with ballistic missiles and drones, killing at least 17 people, as Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said interceptors "could have saved lives".

In one of the deadliest strikes on Kyiv and the capital region this year - which started after midnight on Wednesday - at least 45 people were injured after residential buildings, a railway station and warehouses were hit." (BBC News: 5 August 2026) (my emphasis) 

 

BBC News: 5 August 2026

 

As reported by Iryna Kutielieva and Iryna Balachuk (left),

"Ukraine's acting Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has called on the world to continue exerting pressure on Russia through sanctions in the wake of Russia's new massive attack on Kyiv Oblast." (Ukrayinska Pravda on Yahoo News: 5 August 2026) (my emphasis)

This mental obsession of Putin with the destruction and annihilation of Ukraine is isolating him from his 'siloviki' and, more importantly, from the Russian people.

 

And Frontline reports that,  

"Putin, if he gets the mobilisation wrong, I think he's in trouble. I think the instinct will be .... his instinct will be ...  if it goes wrong he will declare full martial law. And then you do get the prospect of realising civil war, with real civil unrest, and in places where he does not want it. ... outside the metropolitan area of Russia." (Frontline : 4 August 2026: YouTube) (my emphasis) 

Excerpt from Frontline : 4 August 2026: YouTube   

 

 Now, causing Putin to dissolve into paroxysms of utter fear, Senator John Kennedy (below: left) urged US Senators to immediately pass tougher sanctions against Moscow. 

 

"Madame President, I know you're well aware of this, but
the Senate needs to pass the Russian sanctions bill and we need to do it now. We have the votes. Let's vote.

Ukraine has Putin down and is choking him. We need we need to help Ukraine choke him to death.

I'm sorry the the people of Russia are having to undergo what they're undergoing. I'm doubly sorry the people of Ukraine are.

But it's not going to stop until Putin understands, and we make him understand, that the costs of the his barbarism outweigh the benefits.

For the first time since 2022, through sheer will and some big brains and help from Europe and help from the United States, Ukraine has Putin on the back foot."  (Times Now World : 5 August 2026: YouTube) (my emphasis)

 

And whilst Putin is living in his "Novorossiya" fantasy world, Russian people are having to cope with the avalanche of economic, social, and personal catastrophes of his war with Ukraine.

 

As  Konstantin Samoilov (left) reveals,

 "How is Russia doing these days. If I were to summarise the summer of 2026 in Russia, I would show you this. (cf video below).

What you are about to see was filmed by Russians, inside Russia. Twenty videos, all real, all very recent, none staged. (cf video below)
 
And yet, this time I have a video filmed by Russian farmers ... What is currently happening in the fields and farms over the country". (Inside Russia: 4 August 2026: YouTube) (my emphasis) 

 

 

Inside Russia: 4 August 2026: YouTube  

 

This tsunami of the effects of Putin's war with Ukraine on the Russian economy is finally exposing its true face, as Russian civilians can no longer even grapple with its effects on them personally.

 

It is becoming a truism that Putin is now heading Russia into a civil war.

 

 (to be continued)

 

UPDATE : 6 August 2026 : GMT 08:30 

 

The Insider has just reported that,

"Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin (left) recently claimed that calls to mobilize Russia’s entire economy for the needs of the ongoing invasion of Ukraine come from people who do not understand the issue. In his view, the country cannot succeed at the front lines without a normally functioning civilian economy.
… 

Sobyanin’s statement came a day after lawmakers in the State Duma again raised the need for a mobilization-based economic model." (The Insider: 5 August 2026) (my emphasis)

 

 Anna Danylchuk (right) also reports that, 

".. The mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin, in  his recent interview to one of Russia's major media, TASS, said that he is very much against Putin's idea of the war economy.

 

That this will simply destroy the Russian Federation from inside." (Anna From Ukraine: 5 August 2026: YouTube) (my emphasis) 

 

 

Anna From Ukraine: 5 August 2026: YouTube 

 

This confirms the prediction that,

 

" ... if  [Putin's mobilisation intentions this Autumn] goes wrong, he will declare full martial law. And then you do get the prospect of realising civil war, with real civil unrest, and in places where he does not want it. ... outside the metropolitan area of Russia." (ibid  Frontline)

 

The demented and panicked bombing of Ukraine cities, on the orders of Putin, with a constant barrage of missiles against which Ukraine has no defence, underscores the genocidal aims of Putin against the people of Ukraine.

 

And in the recent words of Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin in TASS,

 

"To kill life, to kill a normal economy, is to kill the country altogether. So these are unnecessary, worthless conversations [and actions] by people who do not understand how a modern economy and a modern war work.” (ibid The Insider)

 

It is now fast becoming a truism that Putin is heading Russia into a civil war. 

Putin is on the verge of stepping into a WW3 Black Swan Event.

Ottilie Mitchell (left) has just reported that,

"Eight people, including two children, have died during a Russian missile and drone attack on Ukraine, according to local officials.

President Volodymyr Zelensky warned on Wednesday that Russia had been preparing for a "massive attack", urging people to heed air raid alerts.

In the early hours of Thursday, the Ukrainian military reported multiple missile and drone strikes around the country. " (BBC News : 30 July 2026) (my emphasis)

 

BBC News : 30 July 2026

 And whilst Ukrainian civilians are sheltering from the bombs that Putin is raining down upon them, 

• Russian civilians are complaining about long 'fuel' queues following Ukraine's successful 'drone sanctions' against Russia's oil refineries, 
• Ukraine's successful elimination of their Amazon-like company, Wildberries, that partly functions as the 'oil' servicing Putin's military, 
• and Russia's consumer goods sale and repositories viz. Wildberries,  that service thousands of Russian small 'consumer goods' economic entities and the Russian public being destroyed by Ukraine's 'drone sanctions'. 

As reported by Kanal 13,

"For 4 years the Kremlin has tried to shield Russians from the consequences of the war in Ukraine, maintaining a semblance of normal life for wealthy city dwellers. 

However, now Ukrainian drones are attacking the logistics centres of the country's largest e-commerce companies, Wildberries, bringing the war into the homes of Russia's middle-class [and to Russian consumers generally]. (Kanal 13 : 27 July 2026 : YouTube) (my emphasis)

 

Kanal 13 : 27 July 2026 : YouTube 

This significant difference between Ukrainian civilians been bombed by Putin, and Russian civilians merely suffering 'consumer' and 'fuel' privations from Ukraine's 'drone attacks' on Russia's oil refineries and Wildberries, exposes just how effective has been Putin's propaganda machine on the minds of the Russian people since he came to power.   

It is therefore no wonder, as reported by Leila Abboud (left),

"France has issued a deportation order for Xenia Fedorova, a Russian author and television commentator known for espousing pro-Kremlin positions on media outlets owned by conservative billionaire Vincent Bolloré.
 
Fedorova ran the state-backed Russia Today in France before it was shut down by the government shortly after Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
… 
She has been placed under house arrest at her apartment in Paris and is required to report to the authorities every day, the person added. (Financial Times: 29 July 2026) (my emphasis) 

And whilst Ukrainian civilians are being bombed by Putin, and Russian civilians are merely suffering  'consumer' and 'fuel' privations, Lucia Stein (right) reports that,

"A large inland sea connecting military supply lines through Russia and Iran could now be a pivotal theatre for two major wars that are usually thought of as separate.

 ... Ukrainian drones hit a Russian missile boat as well as two cargo ships in the Caspian Sea that "were under international sanctions and were used to transport military cargo between Iran and Russia".
… 
Tensions between Iran and Ukraine have existed for some time and largely centre around Tehran's support for Russia's military campaign.
… 
But the collaboration between the two nations is not limited to one side. In exchange for Iran's equipment, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of providing Tehran with satellite surveillance of Gulf states and US military bases in the region to help it coordinate attacks." (ABC Business on MSN: 29 July 2026) (my emphasis)

This development that, "could now be a pivotal theatre for two major wars that are usually thought of as separate (ibid Lucia Stein)", has severely muddied the longstanding 'bromance' between Trump and Putin.

For Putin, compounding this growing thorn in his mind, we now also learn that,

"Andy Burnham is set to unveil a pact with Ukraine to incapacitate Russian air defences as he holds talks with Volodymyr Zelensky.

 

Alex Smith and Richard Wheeler: BBC News : 27 July 2026 : 

The Prime Minister will insist that Britain’s support for Kyiv “remains unwavering” as the Ukrainian president becomes his first international visitor on Monday.

During a meeting at a naval yard, the pair will strike an agreement, which will allow Ukraine to start mass producing UK-designed signal jammers.

The jammers, which are a part of a project called Stone Cloak, are fitted to Ukrainian attack drones and hinder Russian air defences from tracking them." (UkraineToday: 27 July 2026) (my emphasis)

Further causing a severley demented Putin to frantically pace around in his bunker like a whirling dervish, 

 "The U.S. Senate on Tuesday approved bipartisan legislation that increases sanctions on Russia and allows for up to 100 percent tariffs on oil and gas imports from nations that buy in large amounts from Russia, such as India and China, 86-12. The vote takes the bill to the next step in the legislative process, but it doesn't become law." (Lakshmi Prabha (left): International Business Times (Singapore): 30 July 2026) (my emphasis) 

The last slender thread that binds together Trump and Putin is unravelling.

Putin is now on the verge of stepping into a WW3 Black Swan Event. 

 

 (to be continued)

 

UPDATE : 30 July 2026 : GMT 11.43

 

We have just learnt that there seems to be the start of a run on Russia's banks.

 

 As Anna Danylchuk (left) reports,

 

"July was a record breaking month with more than 600 Trillion Roubles withdrawn out of the Russian banking system. During just one month.

 

And it clearly shown us the panic that is spreading across Russia." (Anna From Ukraine: 30 July 2026: YouTube) (my emphasis)

 

 

Anna From Ukraine: 30 July 2026: YouTube 

 

The collapse of the Russian economy is in acceleration mode. 

 

Furthermore, as Steve Rosenberg (left) reports on Russian newspaper reports for 30 July 2026,

 

"Speculation that Telegram will eventually be declared an extremist organisation. Among other things this would mean that any payment by users in its ecosystem, including purchases of the Premium subscriptions and its internal currency Stars, would then be seen as funding extremism." (Steve Rosenberg: 30 July 2026: YouTube) (my emphasis) 

 

 

Steve Rosenberg: 30 July 2026: YouTube 

 

Putin is desperately trying to 'blind and gag' the Russian people from the truth about the state of the Russian economy viz. his war with Ukraine.

 

UPDATE : 1 August 2026 : GMT 09:32

In his critical analysis of the 'run' that is starting on Putin's current banking system, Konstantin Samoilov (left) reveals that,

"Tyumen, Russia’s Oil Capital Is Now Queuing for Clean Water!"

As he reports,

"This is the first time Tyumen, or any other city, goes through this kind of crisis. I do not remember anything like this with drinking water. Even with Covid things were much better.
… 
Tyumen is on the brink of disaster. The question is, "Why".
… 
The reason is  very simple. The resources, or actually the lack of resources.
… 
The Kremlin draining provincial budgets to fund the war, and the direct result is no drinking water available to people. 

Emergency services are underfunded. The facilities are underfunded due to lack of financing … because many employees have been mobilised for the war [in Ukraine]. 

The signing military 'bonuses' … are paid instead of maintaining water treatment plants." (Russia’s Oil Capital Is Now Queuing for Clean Water : Inside Russia : 31 July 2026 : YouTube) (my emphasis)

 

 

Excerpt from: Inside Russia : 31 July 2026 : YouTube 

 

Queues for water in Putin's Russia are now adding to the already countrywide queues for gasoline.

 

Is 'food' next?

 

Putin simply cannot shield Russians from these consequences of his war with Ukraine.

 

 

 

A dangerous Putin has run out of 'alibis'.

 The change-over of  the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from General Oleksandr Syrskyi to Maj Gen Mykhailo Drapatyi, and which initially generated much internet speculation following on from the removal of Mykhailo Fedorov as the then Minister of  Defence, has best been described by Anna Danylchuk (left).

 She reported,

 "He [Maj Gen Mykhailo Drapatyi] heard the people, he heard the military, and President Zelensky heard us.

Which is a beautiful proof of how democracy works in Ukraine." (Anna From Ukraine : 22 July 2026: YouTube) (my emphasis)

 

 Anna From Ukraine : 22 July 2026: YouTube

As CNN also reports,
 
"Zelensky just completed a 'generational' shake up of Ukraine's top brass' ". (CNN: 22 July 2026. YouTube) (my emphasis)  

 

CNN: 22 July 2026. YouTube

And whilst this political 'hiccup' in Ukraine was being 'democratically' resolved in Ukraine, the Ukrainian army continued to dismantle Putin's war machine.

The BBC now reports that,

"Ukraine has hit Russia's biggest online retailer, Wildberries, the second time in four days. 

It's a hugely important logistics hub which President Zelensky says has been providing the Russian army with drone components ... (BBC: 22 July 2026 : YouTube) (my emphasis)

 

BBC: 22 July 2026 : YouTube

As Ukraine continues to accelerate Russian losses in Putin's war with Ukraine, Arpan Rai (left) and James C. Reynolds (right) report that,

"Vladimir Putin’s advisors increasingly blame him for Russia’s mounting losses in Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday, hailing the success of Kyiv’s protracted campaign of strikes deep behind enemy lines.

The Ukrainian president wrote that Ukraine’s buoyed confidence on the battlefield is “creating a new atmosphere” around his Russian counterpart, with allies losing faith in Putin’s ability to continue to prosecute the four-year conflict.

 “A very toxic atmosphere,” Zelensky assessed. “He alone is the reason this war began and hasn’t ended. Putin alone is responsible for the losses Russians continue to suffer. His retinue understands this - they are signalling it to us and to our partners.” (The Independent on MSN: 23 July 2026) (my emphasis)

Putin now finds himself surrounded by 'staring eyes' in the Kremlin that is increasing his paranoia and 'mounting fear' of him being overthrown.

We now, suddenly, read that,

"U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (left) met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (right) on Thursday in the Philippines for talks where he was expected to renew the prospect of the U.S. trying to broker an end to the war in Ukraine.
… 
the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow said he emphasized to Rubio "the unacceptability of further arming" Ukraine and "the destabilizing policies of European countries, which continue to seek a 'strategic defeat' for Russia." (Michelle L. Price and Jim Gomez: AP : 23 July 2026) (my emphasis)

In other words, that dyed-in-the-wool Soviet Foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, once again, simply ignores China and North Korea constantly supplying Putin with "military arms", and 'demands'  Zelensky 'unconditionally' surrenders Ukraine to a demented, paranoid, and 'fearful' Putin.

At the same time, as reported by Rebecca Robinson (left),

"Vladimir Putin is reportedly eyeing up four new targets as he struggles to secure a victory over Ukraine. Lithuania's Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas said the Russian president could turn his attention to the Baltic states - Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia - and Poland." (Express: 22 July 2026) (my emphasis)

Does Putin have a "death wish" as the Ukraine army continues to succeed in defeating him on the battlefield, or does he simply wish to start a new war with NATO. 

Or is this simply his bluster to avert the 'staring eyes' in the Kremlin that is increasing his paranoia and 'mounting fear'.

Whichever it may be, all fingers are beginning to point at Putin as the root cause of what is happening in Russia.

A dangerous Putin has run out of 'alibis'. 

UPDATE: 23 July 2026: GMT 16:14 

Putin's economic problems has just exploded. 

Putin has suspended bond issuance indefinitely. 

As reported by TLDR News EU,

"That was until  earlier this week, when the Kremlin announced that they were literally unable to find anybody to buy their latest issuance of bonds.

And so were suspending bond issuance for the  foreseeable future. 
… 

Unfortunately for Putin its  not who ... or anyone ... can bail out the Kremlin." (TLDR News EU : 23 July 2026) (my emphasis)

 

Excerpt :TLDR News EU : 23 July 2026: YouTube  

 

This action of Putin's will only accelerate his paranoia and 'mounting fear' of him being overthrown.

  

 (to be continued)