Putin preparing the Russian people for war

Three days ago Alexander Mercouris (left) wrote that,

"Since Zurabov was dismissed the Russians have proposed Mikhail Babich as their ambassador to Ukraine." (The Duran : 6/8/2016)

Who is Mikhail Babich (right)? As Mercouris points out, Mikhail Babich is,

•  a former paratrooper who obviously still has connections to the military
•  he participated as recently as 2005 in higher command courses at Russia’s General Staff Academy
•  an elected deputy in Russia’s parliament the State Duma
• the Presidential Envoy to the Volga Federal District where a significant part of Russia’s defence industry is located (ibid Mercouris) (my emphasis) (an interesting list of his awards can be found at Wikipedia)

In other words, Mikhail Babich is a High Ranking military man in the civilian clothes of a deputy of the Russian Duma.

Is it therefore any wonder that,

"Ukraine has rejected Russia's proposed candidate [Mikhail Babich] for its next ambassador to Kiev, a senior Ukrainian foreign ministry official said.

.....

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin (left) said the rejection was "not a question of the candidates or anything concrete, but about creating a positive dynamic in what's happening within the context of Russian aggression." (Natalia Zinets : Reuters: Thu Aug 4, 2016) (my emphasis)

And what is "happening within the context of Russian aggression" is that,

"Witnesses report large amounts of Russian military hardware have been massed near the towns of Dzhankoy and Armyansk in Crimea's north, close to the administrative border with mainland Ukraine.

.....

At about 07:00 local time today [Sunday, August 7], the Russian occupying authorities suspended, for unknown reasons, the handling of citizens and vehicles crossing the administrative border with Crimea..." (UNIAN : 07 August 2016) (my emphasis)

At the same time,

"Russia has deployed 70 replacement troops to reinforce the 9th separate assault motorized rifle regiment of the Marines Corps (militant-held Novoazovsk) of the 1st Army Corps (Donetsk) of Russia's Armed Forces and 50 replacement troops to enhance the 7th separate motorized rifle brigade (militant-held Luhansk ) of the 2nd Army Corps (Luhansk) of Russia's Armed Forces" (UT:  Aug. 8, 2016) 

whilst 

"Militants reportedly use the banned artillery in Donbas.

 
Combined Russian-separatist forces attacked the Ukrainian army positions in eastern Ukraine 47 times in the past 24 hours, including 20 times in the Mariupol sector, 16 times in the Donetsk sector and 11 times in the Luhansk sector, according to the military press canter.." (UT : Aug. 9, 2016)

And now we have that dyed-in-the-wool Soviet foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov (below), ostesibly bemoaning the fact that,
 

"The Russian government is “seriously concerned” by an uptick in fighting in Ukraine’s easternmost regions, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

....

“We are, of course, seriously concerned about what is happening in the Donbas,” Lavrov said. “The current wave of verbal and practical military activity is of course contrary to the spirit and letter of the Paris agreements and the Minsk accords.” (Ilya Arkhipov and  Jake Rudnitsky: Bloomberg : August 8, 2016) (my emphasis)

But is it a co-incidence that the Moscow Times is now also reporting that, 

"Largely Unnoticed, Full-Scale War May Be Returning to Ukraine. July was the deadliest month in the Donbass for over a year." (Ola Cichowlas and Matthew Bodner : Moscow Times : Aug. 04 2016) (my emphasis)

just as 

• Putin wants the High Ranking military official, Mikhail Babich, to become his ambassador in Kiev, 
• Putin's dyed-in-the-wool Soviet foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, says that Putin is "seriously concerned" by the uptick of fighting in the Donbas 
• large amounts of Russian military hardware have been massed near the towns of Dzhankoy and Armyansk in Crimea's north, close to the administrative border with mainland Ukraine,
• More than 100 people arrived in Donbas from Russia to replenish the combined Russian-separatist forces, and
• Combined Russian-separatist forces attacked the Ukrainian army positions in eastern Ukraine 47 times in the past 24 hours?

Let us remind ourseleves, as reported by Jill Dougherty (left) on 18 July, 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)

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 all points to the fact that Putin seems to be on the verge of a possible FULL SCALE invasion of eastern Ukraine not only as a means of deflecting the eyes of the Russian people away from their current economic hardships, but also as a means of trying to ensure that the upcoming Russian Duma elections in September are either postponed or that ANY protests by the Russian people are spiked under the banner of being "unpatriotic".

(to be continued)