Swedish Defense Agency announces that Russia is preparing for a full-scale war

When the Swedish Defense Agency announces that Russia is preparing for a full-scale war, one should sit up and take notice.

As reported by the FOI (Swedish Defense Agency),

"Russian military exercises have become increasingly extensive during the last ten years, according to a report from FOI. Although Russia previously focused on managing small-scale conflicts, it now practices how to start and conduct large-scale war.
...
During the last ten years, the country has used military force in Georgia, Ukraine and Syria.
“Russia is obviously prepared to use military means. It is thus important to understand how, and in the worst case, for what, they might be used. Military exercises provide a hint of this,” says Johan Norberg." (FOI : 4 February, 2019) (my emphasis)

That Putin is now faced with the the only option of escalating his war with Ukraine is significantly due to the fact that, as reported by Keith Johnson,

"This Friday in Brussels, the Council of the European Union will vote on a seemingly arcane directive meant to apply European Union market rules to energy projects that start in a third country—like the Nord Stream 2 pipeline from Russia.


... France has now decided to back the directive. That risks angering Germany—which really wanted to build the pipeline with Russia—and potentially dooming the $11 billion energy project, a priority for Russian President Vladimir Putin." (Foreign Policy : 8 February, 2019) (my emphasis)

As also reported by John Irish and Sudip Kar-Gupta (left),

"France expects to support a revised directive on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project, said the country’s foreign ministry on Thursday, adding it was working with partners including Germany on possible changes to a text on the matter. (Right: French President Macron)

Germany has been pressuring other European capitals to block [this] EU proposal to regulate Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline ahead of a key meeting on Friday, diplomatic sources have said." (Reuters : 7 February, 2019) (my emphasis)

Added to which,

“Poland views the Nord Stream 2 as a significant threat to the peace and security on the European continent from the point of view of deepening European countries’ dependence on Russian energy and the prospects for an escalation of Russian aggression against Ukraine,” Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz (left) said late last month." (Keith Johnson : Foreign Policy : 7 February, 2019) (my emphasis)

And compounding Putin's current woes,

"Eighteen European Union member states have called on the bloc to be "ready to act" in support of Ukraine in case Russian tries to undermine the country's presidential and parliamentary elections later this year, according to a document seen by Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty (RFE/RL)." (UNIAN : 7 February, 2019) (my emphasis)

As I stated in a recent blog entry (30 Jan., 2019),

"Since his methods of election-interference during the 2016 US presidential elections have being publicly exposed, Putin is well aware that the international public will be on the look-out for his interference in the upcoming elections in Ukraine.

This weapon, which he so successfully wielded in the 2016 US presidential elections, has [now] been blunted." (Blog : 30 January, 2019)

On the other side of the Atlantic pond, as Putin and Merkel loose sleep over the possible collapse of the Putin-German Nord Stream 2 pipeline completion, the inextricable links of collusion between Putin, his 'siloviki', and Donald Trump, during the 2016 US presidential elections, continues to emerge.

MSNBC (8 February, 2019)

Putin's 'payback' expectations from Trump for helping him gain the keys to the White House has simply not materialized.

On the contrary, the public exposure by the Mueller investigation of the Putin-Trump 'love-fest' is now gaining momentum in propelling Trump towards the gallows of impeachment.

Putin's 'Manchurian Candidate', Donald Trump, is now reaching the stage of near total meltdown, as so many working in the West Wing of the White House, are now experiencing.

MSNBC (6 February, 2019)

No longer can Putin now rely on Trump to simply dutifully obey his orders.

The Democratic Party now controls the US House of Congress and, unlike the previous Republicans who, during their control of the US Congress, simply rubber-stamped Trump's 'love-fest' with Putin, are now exercising their duty of 'oversight' over the White House.

  

And the European Council is now exercising its duty of 'oversight' over, "... arcane directive meant to apply European Union market rules to energy projects that start in a third country—like the Nord Stream 2 pipeline from Russia.". 

And under these circumstances, "When the Swedish Defense Agency announces that Russia is preparing for a full-scale war, one should sit up and take notice."

(to be continued)