Is Putin now on the brink of lighting the fuse of World War III?

Putin's 'nuclear' standoff at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant has generated world-wide condemnation that he simply cannot ignore.

As reported by Tim Lister (left),

"Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of maximizing the risk of a nuclear disaster at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which was taken over by Russian forces in early March.
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"If the Soviet authorities tried to hide the Chernobyl disaster and its full consequences, then the Russian authorities are much more cynical and dangerous. They themselves do everything to maximize the risk of a nuclear disaster and lie to the whole world that someone else is allegedly to blame," he said." (CNN : 11 August 2022) (my emphasis)
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Zelensky accused Russia of turning the nuclear power plant into a "battlefield."" (CNN : 12 August 2022) (my emphasis) 

Inquirer.net : YouTube : August 2022

                               

And as as now reported by Michelle Nichols (right),

"The United Nations has the logistics and security capacity to support a visit by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors to Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, a spokesman said, but a Russia diplomat imposed conditions, saying routing any mission through Ukraine's capital was too dangerous." (Reuters : 16 AuguThomas Manchst 2022) (my emphasis) (cf also: The South African : 15 August 2022)

Putin continues to find spurious arguments for NOT allowing the UN's IAEA to visit and inspect the safety of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. 

Why???

Perhaps the answer lies in the fact that, as reported by Marc Santora, Michael Schwirtz and Jack Nicas,

"Despite suffering grievous losses over nearly six months of war, Russia still holds a distinct advantage over Ukraine in a head-to-head fight featuring brutal artillery battles. But Ukraine’s military has achieved some new battlefield success, waging the war on its own terms.
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Supplied with a growing arsenal of long-range Western weapons and aided by local fighters known as partisans, Ukraine has been able to hit Russian forces deep behind enemy lines, disrupting critical supply lines and, increasingly, striking targets that are key to Moscow’s combat potential." (Japanese Times (from: New York Times): 9 August 2022) (my emphasis)

As also reported by Thomas Manch,

"A further 120 New Zealand soldiers will deploy to the United Kingdom to train Ukrainian soldiers for frontline fighting against Russian troops.
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Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the deployment on Monday afternoon, at her weekly press conference." (Stuff : 15 August 2022) (my emphasis)

Further adding to Putin's headaches, we now learn from John Varga (left) that,

"Putin's invasion of Ukraine has been a political and economic disaster for Russia, with the country now on the verge of becoming a pariah state. .... Moscow's increasing isolation on the world stage and the ruinous consequences of sanctions appear to have concentrated minds within Putin's inner circle.
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With no end in sight to the war, reports have emerged that key officials close to the Russian president have decided to take matters into their own hands.
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Ilya Ponomarev (right), an opposition activist and former MP, claimed

the mood among Kremlin elites was now one of panicand that there was a clear desire to negotiate an end to the war.

He said: "The signal of a desire to negotiate was sent by a person in Putin’s inner circle.
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"I can’t name him. But you wouldn’t believe it. (Express : 14 August 2022) (my emphasis)

Supporting Ponomarev's claim that, "that key officials close to the Russian president have decided to take matters into their own hands", is the arrest of Igor Girkin.

As reported by Catherine Meyer-Funnell (left),

"Vladimir Putin is facing another global humiliation as Moscow have detained their own spy chief [Igor Girkin, also known as Igor Strelkov] as he was heading to the front line to fight, reports claim. (Express : 15 August 2022) (my emphasis)

Perhaps the offer of Kim Jung Un of North Korea to send 100,000 North Korean soldiers to help him in his failing war with Ukraine really underscores Putin's growing anxiety of the fractures ocurring within his 'siloviki'.

As reported by A.B. Abrams,

"Reports from a range of Russian sources and from the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics in eastern Ukraine have indicated that North Korea may deploy its armed forces for operations in the Ukrainian theater.

Reports of plans to dispatch military personnel to Donetsk and Luhansk.... emerged from the media outlets of the republics, before being more widely publicized on the Channel One Russia state TV channel.

Although yet to be confirmed, the possibility of North Korean forces being deployed in some capacity to Ukraine  ......  remains significant based on prior trends in Pyongyang’s overseas force deployments and the benefits it, the contested republics, and Moscow itself could gain." (The Diplomat : 10 August 2022) (my emphasis) (cf also: Brady Knox : Washington Examiner : 15 August 2022)

                                                              CRUX : YouTube : 6 August 2022

As Putin turns the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant into a battlefield, North Korean troops joining those of Putin's demoralised soldiers in his war with Ukraine will be the spark that ignites a wider conflict in Europe and in the Far East.

Is Putin now on the brink of lighting the fuse of World War III?

STOP PRESS

19 August 13.48 UK time

BBC News reports that,

"Russia has rejected appeals for a complete demilitarisation of the area around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southern Ukraine.
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The calls come amid growing concern over safety at the site - Europe's largest nuclear plant - as both sides accuse each other of shelling the area.
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UN Secretary General António Guterres sounded the alarm after meeting Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Lviv on Thursday.
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"Any potential damage to Zaporizhzhia is suicide," Mr Guterres warned.
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The Ukrainian president urged the UN to ensure demilitarisation of the nuclear plant - Europe's biggest. Mr Guterres added that "the facility must not be used as part of any military operation". (BBC News : 19 August 2022) (my emphasis)

Putin is now holding a 'nuclear gun' over the heads of EU countries that will be severely affected should his actions over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southern Ukraine cause a nuclear disaster.

As reported by Ellie Cook (left),

"Vladimir Putin has issued a veiled threat towards three European nations over the fate of the continent's biggest nuclear power plant.
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As fears escalate of a nuclear disaster, the Russian defence ministry suggested that any such fallout would significantly impact three EU nations.
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It pinpointed Germany, Poland and Slovakia as the countries most likely to be impacted by radioactive substances. (Express : 18 August 2022) (my emphasis)

Matthew Dooley (right) further reports that,

"The head of Russia's radiological protection forces Lt Gen Igor Kirllov presented a slide today which showed that in the event of a nuclear disaster, Germany, Poland and Slovakia would be heavily affected by the radiological fallout.
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However, Olga Kosharna, an expert in nuclear energy and nuclear safety who previously worked at the State Nuclear Regulatory Authority of Ukraine, told Express.co.uk the radiation could reach several other surrounding countries depending on which way the wind is blowing during a "severe" accident.
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She said: "In this scenario, [south blowing winds], the radioactive plume, [could] travel to Bulgaria, Romania, and the black sea region - in 23 hours it will reach Turkey." (Express : 18 August 2022) (my emphasis)

It is now time for Putin's stalwart 'siloviki' to finally act to prevent Putin from unleashing such a nuclear disaster that will, inevitably, light the fuse of WW3. 

   

(to be continued)