For Putin, the pressure is now ramping up against him.

In my last blog entry I wrote that,

"However, his ongoing war crimes in Ukraine, his war crimes against the world by using food as a weapon of war, and his threats against Lithuania and Denmark, could be the 'Black Swan' events that leads to a much wider and more dangerous conflict." (blog entry : 21 June 2022)

And now, in the words of UK General Sir Patrick Sanders (left), Chief of the General Staff,

"This is our 1937 moment. We are not at war - but we must act rapidly so that we aren’t drawn into one through a failure to contain territorial expansion. So surely it is beholden on each of us to ensure that we never find ourselves asking that futile question – should we have done more?
...
The conflict in Ukraine will herald I think a paradigm shift in how NATO delivers collective deterrence; from a doctrine of reacting to crises, to one of deterring them." (uk.gov : Chief of General Staff Speech : 28 June 2022) (my emphasis) (video: Sky News : YouTube : 28 June 2022)

This speech comes against the backdrop, as reported by AP, that,

"Turkey agreed Tuesday to lift its opposition to Sweden and Finland joining NATO, a breakthrough in an impasse clouding a leaders’ summit in Madrid amid Europe’s worst security crisis in decades triggered by the war in Ukraine." (NBC News (AP) (incl. video): 28 June 2022) (my emphasis)

And today, (30 June 2022) Putin warned that if Sweden or Finland have NATO troops or infrastructure placed in their countries Russia will, in his words,

".. ... respond in kind and create the same threats for the territories from which threats towards us are created" (The Guardian : YouTube : 30 June 2022) (my emphasis)

 The Guardian : YouTube: 30 June 2022

Recently, in the words of  non other than French President Macron,

"France's president denounced Russia’s fiery airstrike on a crowded shopping mall in Ukraine as a “new war crime” Tuesday and vowed that the West's support for Kyiv would not waver, saying Moscow “cannot and should not win" the war.
...
“Russia cannot and should not win,” he said. He called Monday's attack on the mall “a new war crime.” (Franceska Ebel and Yuras Karmanau: Yahoo : 29 June 2022) (my emphasis)

CNBC Television : YouTube: 28 June 2022

A few days before this bombing took place, and Sweden and Finland were welcomed into NATO, 

"The UN Security Council on Sunday voted on a draft resolution deciding to convene an emergency special session of the General Assembly to recommend collective action on the situation in Ukraine, two days after a similar resolution, sponsored by 81 nations, was shot down at the council on Friday by the Russian veto." (Arab News : 29 June 2022) (my emphasis)

And after the day of the missile strike on a Shopping Mall in Ukraine, in a summary of a UN Security Council Meeting,

"Rosemary Dicarlo (right), Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, said the depravity of the situation in Ukraine has only increased in the 10 weeks since she last briefed the Security Council.  It was on full display again on 27 June following a missile strike in Kremenchuk, in the central Poltava region." (UN Security Council Meeting: 28 June 2022) (my emphasis)

Meanwhile, as reported by R. Ghosh on June 26,

"Mystery shrouds a late-night rush to Kremlin by Russian President Vladimir Putin amid suspicion that he had prepared a new televised statement on the war with Ukraine. A new video has emerged that shows Putin's convoy in a late-night dash to Kremlin on Saturday night. Also, reports are that he hasn't returned yet." (International Business Times : 26 June 2022) (my emphasis) (video : Mail Online : 26 June 2022)

This dash by Putin to the Kremlin comes just a day before the bombing of the Shopping Mall in Kremenchuk.

And we also just learn that,

"Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (left), who is hosting the NATO summit, told Cadena Ser radio that Russia will be identified as the alliance's "main threat" in its new strategic concept.
...
The country was previously considered a strategic partner. (Sky News : 29 June 2022) (my emphasis)

On the sanctions front, we now have the prospect of Putin's sales of gold being severely restricted.

As reported by William Schomberg (right),

"Britain, the United States, Japan and Canada will ban new imports of Russian gold as part of efforts to tighten the sanctions squeeze on Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine, the British government said on Sunday.
...
Russian gold exports were worth 12.6 billion pounds ($15.45 billion) last year and wealthy Russians have recently been buying bullion to reduce the financial impact of Western sanctions, the government said." (Reuters : 26 June 2022) (my emphasis)

Unfortunately for Putin and his oligarchs, gold carries with it an exclusive fingerprint of where it was mined. (Gold- Identifying its provenance : John Watling, Cameron J Scadding, and Roger Dixon)

Will Russia's oligarchs dare to NOT buy gold from Russia's gold mines? I think not!

For Putin, the pressure is now ramping up against him.

STOP PRESS : DOORSTEP STATEMENT NATO 29 June 2022

Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of NATO, has just issued a Doorstep Statement from the Madrid Nato Conference.

Referring to Ukraine he said,

".... we will, of course, express our support to Ukraine.

I am glad that President Zelenskyy will address all the leaders as we start the Summit today.

And we will also agree a Comprehensive Assistance Package for Ukraine.

NATO and NATO Allies have supported Ukraine for many many years.
But, of course, after the invasion we have all stepped up." (NATO : 29 June 2022) (my emphasis) 

 

 (to be continued)