Putin staring into the abyss ....

UAwire reported on Saturday that,

"In a letter to the President of the United Nations Security Council, Koro Bessho, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin (left), addressed the UN, demanding that they “influence Kiev to prevent the disastrous development of events,” referring to the situation in Ukraine." (UAwire : Saturday, July 23, 2016) (my emphasis)

And on Sunday, Amy La Porte (right) reported that,

"A slow simmer of conflict between pro-Russian rebels and Ukrainian forces has mushroomed into a deadly 24 hours in Ukraine's war-torn east.

Six Ukrainian soldiers have been killed during fierce fighting with separatist rebels over the past day, according to a spokesperson from Ukraine's military operation." (CNN : July 24, 2016) (my emphasis) (cf. also: OSCE reports)

Vitali Churkin's Saturday demand at the UN, and this sudden and rapid escalation of Putin's Russian soldiers and  rebel proxies attacking Ukrainian forces on the following day, cannot be mere co-incidence.

Neither can it be a co-incidence, as reported by Jill Dougherty (left), that,

"... At the office I ask a Russian employee about the mood in his working-class Moscow neighborhood. The old people are buying salt, matches and “gretchka,” (buckwheat) he tells me - the time-worn refuge for Russians stocking up on essentials in case of war. In the past two months, I’ve traveled to the Baltic region, to Georgia, and to Russia. Talk of war is everywhere." (Wilson Centre : Jul 18, 2016) (my emphasis)

Nor can it be a co-incidence, as reported by Jamie Seidel, that,

"Putin has taken a page out of Joseph Stalin’s book — and sacked every commander in his Baltic fleet.

As many as 50 senior officers including a Vice Admiral have been purged by Vladimir Putin amid reports they refused to confront Western ships." (The Sun : 12th July 2016) (my emphasis)

 

These developments indicate, as Gen. Sir Richard Shirreff and Maciej Olex-Szczytowski argue,

"[Putin's] strategic  aim  is  to  restore [Russia's] status as a great power, allowing it to dominate what it sees as its sphere of privileged interest. Military strength and a willingness to use force is instrumental to the achievement of this ambition. Furthermore, military adventures  abroad  also  serve to deflect attention from Russia’s ongoing economic meltdown and the regime’s  growing  repressiveness,  and to raise its domestic popularity." (Atlantic Council : July 19, 2016) (my emphasis)

As Jill Dougherty also writes,

"The Kremlin is frightened about its grip on the political situation at home - and the geopolitical situation abroad. Russia is trying to deter the West in a very aggressive way because it realizes it is weaker - economically, militarily, and in terms of soft power." (ibid Wilson Centre) (my emphasis)

Let us also remind ourselves that Putin has now surrounded himself with a Praetorian Guard of more than 400,000 men.

As reported by Tom Balmforth,

"The Kremlin has cast its new National Guard force as a timely move to combat terrorism and organized crime, but wary observers liken the agency to a "Praetorian Guard on steroids" to protect President Vladimir Putin and his hold on power, particularly as elections loom." (RFERL : Monday, July 25, 2016) (my emphasis)

Which brings us back to that chilling demand of Vitaly Churkin that the UN should,

“influence Kiev to prevent the disastrous development of events..”

Let us remind ourselves that in April 2015, John Hall reported that,

"Vladimir Putin is planning to exploit the threat of nuclear war to force Nato out of countries bordering Russia, it has been claimed.

A secret meeting between intelligence figures in Moscow and Washington reportedly revealed Putin will consider any attempt to return the Crimean peninsula to Ukraine as declaration of war and will take any necessary step - including using nuclear weapons - to retain control of the region." (Mail Online : 2 April 2015) (my emphasis)

Foreward to July 2016 and Patrick Christys reports that,

"Russian defence minister Sergey Shoigu (right) said NATO forces on Russia’s doorstep had “more than doubled” in recent weeks.

He said: “Such moves of our Western colleagues lead to erosion of the strategic stability in Europe and force us to take counter measures, primarily in the Western theatre of operations.”

He warned Russia would take action to “neutralise potential threats”. (Express : Fri, Jul 1, 2016) (my emphasis)

Is the dangerous escalation of the war between Putin's Russian soldiers, together with his rebel proxies, and the Ukrainian forces in the Donbas, the firing of his first warning shots against NATO forces?

Is this really what Vitaly Churkin was referring to?

(to be continued)