Putin's preparation for 'war with Ukraine' is all that he now has left in his political toolbox.

 On 18 June 2021 I wrote that,

"For Zelensky, his upcoming meeting with US President Biden in the White House must now seem like a dream come true. 

As announced by  Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba,

"The date of the end of July is being discussed. The visit of the president of Ukraine to the United States. A full-fledged visit... This will be an official full-fledged visit, which envisages not only the meeting with President Biden, but also many other events," he said, adding that a large delegation will go from Kyiv to Washington, and it will have a broad agenda." (UNIAN : 12  June 2021) (my emphasis)

Zelensky now has the full support of the President of the US, (some?) G7 countries, and NATO, behind his political sails.

Now is NOT the time to try and bargain with Putin." (Blog Entry 18 June 2021)

And more worrying for Putin, as reported by Laura Zhou (right), is the fact that,

"Ukraine could become a “bridge to Europe” for Chinese business, Zelensky told Xi, adding that his country was keen to export more agricultural products to China.

Zelensky reiterated Ukraine’s position supporting the unity of China and in return, Xi said China supported the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian statement." (South China Morning Post :  14 July 2021) (my emphasis)

It is therefore not surprising that, as reported by Will Stewart and Imogen Braddick,

"VLADIMIR Putin could be heading for war with Ukraine as he plots a new land grab of the disputed region of Donbass, experts have warned.

In an article published this week, Putin described Russians and Ukrainians as "one people" and said he has "become convinced" that Ukraine "does not need" Donbass.

The Russian leader's chilling remarks have prompted speculation he is now plotting new military action after thousands of troops were recently marched to the border of the disputed Ukrainian region." (The Sun : 14 July 2021) (my emphasis)

 What is highly dis-concerting is that,

"Putin ally, [Mikhail Khodarenok] warns that [the current] crisis with Ukraine could go NUCLEAR as tensions rise" (ibid Will Stewart and Imogen Braddick)

Recall that in April of this year, Putin massed thousands of combat-ready troops on the Russian-Ukraine border. Now these troops are being supplemented by more Russian troops and hardware being built up in Russian occupied Ukrainian Crimea.

South China Morning Post :  14 July 2021

As Anders Åslund (left) observes,

"Russian President Vladimir Putin is obsessed with Ukraine – or, rather, with pretending that Ukraine doesn’t exist. In his annual call-in show on June 30, he claimed that “Ukrainians and Russians are a single people.” He then published an article aimed at justifying that “conviction,” by tracing the two countries’ shared history. It is a masterclass in disinformation – and one step short of a declaration of war." (Project Syndicate : 14 July 2021) (my emphasis)

Another factor that may have precipitated Putin shaking his "nuclear" fist at Zelensky and at US President Biden and the EU is the fact that,

"Websites for a Russian-linked ransomware gang blamed for attacks on hundreds of businesses worldwide have gone offline.
........
Mr Biden told reporters that he had "made it very clear to him...we expect them to act" on information and also hinted the US could take direct digital retaliation on servers used for intrusions.

The timing of Tuesday's outage has sparked speculation that either the US or Russian officials may have taken action against REvil - though officials have so far declined to comment and cyber experts say sudden disappearances of groups are not necessarily uncommon." (BBC News : 14 July 2021) (my emphasis)

We may never know whether Putin or US President Biden is responsible for cutting off the cyber-legs of this cyber-gang.

What it does indicate is that US President Biden's making it clear to Putin that,

"Mr Biden told reporters that he had "made it very clear to him...we expect them [Putin and his siloviki] to act" on information and also hinted the US could take direct digital retaliation on servers used for intrusions. (ibid BBC News)"

seems to have had results.

Putin's arrogance in deploying cyber attacks against many countries, besides the US, may now be coming to an end as cyber retaliation from the US is now firmly on the political table. 

Added to which,

"Today, the EU and Ukraine have launched a strategic partnership on raw materials, with the aim of achieving a closer integration of raw materials and batteries value chains. Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič and Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal signed a Memorandum of Understanding underpinning the partnership during the dedicated High Level Conference." (European Commission : 13 July 2021) (my emphasis)

Which, as Anders Åslund observed,

"Russian President Vladimir Putin is obsessed with Ukraine – or, rather, with pretending that Ukraine doesn’t exist. ...... "

underscoring the 'fantasy world about Ukraine' in which Putin still lives.

Zelensky succinctly countered Putin's 5000 word 'fantasy world about Ukraine'.

As reported by RFERL,

" Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has trolled his Russian counterpart, saying he was "envious" that Vladimir Putin had enough free time on his hands to research the history of their peoples.
.........
"I am envious that the president of such a great power can permit himself to spend so much time [writing] such a volume of detailed work," Zelenskiy said.

He said that, despite Putin's mention of "brotherly" populations, Russia's actions had been anything but brotherly.

"It looks more like Cain and Abel," Zelenskiy said." (RFERL : 13 July 2021) (my emphasis)

Putin's political teeth is being pulled out! All that is now left in his political toolbox is 'war with Ukraine'.

(to be continued)