Zelensky is now walking along a deadly political tightrope.

History tells us that Stalin was once supposed to have said that,

"The people who cast the votes don't decide an election, the people who count the votes do." (Brainyquote)

 UNIAN now reports that,

"More than two dozen crew of the Russian Black Sea naval fleet's Project 22160 large patrol ship Vasily Bykov who voted against the constitutional amendments that would reset the count of Vladimir Putin's presidential terms say their commanders threaten to have them dismissed from service if they don't change their vote." (UNIAN : 26 June 2020) (my emphasis)

                           ( USNews : 22 June 2020)

And whilst Putin, in the embrace of the Russian Orthodox Church, silently knows that he will win this vote, Gabriela Baczynska and Francesco Guarascio report that,

"European Union leaders agreed on Friday to extend until the end of January next year their economic sanctions against Russia over its 2014 annexation of Crimea and the turmoil in eastern Ukraine." (Reuters : 19 June 2020) (my emphasis)
 
And as reported by John Walcott, this EU sanctions extension has been followed by :

• Russian President Vladimir Putin’s comments about the legitimacy of Russia’s borders in a documentary broadcast on Russian television have rattled some U.S. allies, fearful that he might be laying the groundwork for a further military incursion into Ukraine.
• Putin’s renewed defense of Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea – .... In the documentary, Putin said, “Crimea has always been ours. Even from the judicial point-of-view.”
• The immediate focus of concern now, officials on both sides of the Atlantic said, is the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, where Russian troops and Ukrainian forces backed by NATO are locked in an uneasy ceasefire. (Time : 23 June 2020) (my emphasis)

Putin is now also intensifying his jamming of  Ukrainian Radio Stations that normally would have been received by listeners in Ukraine's Crimea. (UNIAN : 23 June 2020)

This threatening shot across the Ukrainian military/political bows by Putin could herald a pre-emptive military strike as Ukraine receives Javelin anti-tank missiles from the US.

As reported by UNIAN,

""On June 16, as part of a pilot project under the U.S. Government's 'International Military Sales' program, Ukraine received the first batch of cargo under the contract signed in December 2019, namely missiles for Javelin anti-tank missile systems and additional equipment totaling over US$27 million," the report reads. FGM-148E missiles which are one of the latest versions of Javelin system's anti-tank missiles were delivered for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine." (UNIAN : 24 June 2020) (my emphasis)

 

At the same time, as reported by The Canadian Press,

"The Canadian Armed Forces is deploying military trainers back to Ukraine as it looks to restart some of the many missions and exercises temporarily suspended or scaled back because of COVID-19.
...
"These personnel will deploy in June 2020, and observe a 14-day isolation period on arrival in Ukraine. On completion of this isolation period, they will be prepared to resume their mission of supporting the Security Forces of Ukraine." (CTVNews : 14 June 2020) (my emphasis)

And on the political front, as reported by Roland Oliphant,

"The president of Ukraine has asked that his country be left out of November’s  US presidential election after a Ukrainian MP published tapes apparently intended to embarrass Joe Biden. 

Volodymyr Zelenskiy denied involvement in last month's leak of conversations between Mr Biden and Petro Poroshenko, his predecessor, and told the Telegraph he did not want the scandal to undermine Ukraine’s strategic alliance with the United States.  (The Telegraph: 1 June 2020) (my emphasis)

 Zelensky may wish for Ukraine to be left out of the upcoming 2020 US presidential elections.

However, Ukraine's involvement in the 2020 US presidential elections, like the Corona virus, cannot simply be wished away by Zelensky when Trump, currently fighting for his political life, will go to any lengths to discredit Joe Biden, his opponent in the 2020 US presidential elections, and dragging Biden's name through the Ukrainian mud is at the top of his re-election efforts.

MSNBC : 26 June 2020

 
Zelensky is now walking along a deadly political tightrope.

A Biden success in 4 months time bodes ill not only for Zelensky and those who surround him but, more importantly, also for Putin.

And like Trump, Putin is acting quickly and recklesssly to put into place that which he has always sought during his war with Ukraine viz. a land-bridge between his Russia and Ukraine's Crimea.

(to be continued)