Putin now has his back to the wall.

It should come as no surprise that, as reported by Aljazeera,

"President Alexander Lukashenko says the Belarusian military’s SU-24 warplanes have been modified to carry nuclear weapons, and that Minsk would react immediately if the West caused it any problems.
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Lukashenko – the authoritarian leader of ex-Soviet Belarus – said he had agreed on the move to modernise Belarusian warplanes with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Belta news agency reported on Friday." (Aljazeera : 26 August 2022) (my emphasis)

Aljazeera : 26 August 2022

This announcement by Lukashenko comes against the backdrop of,

"International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors are preparing to inspect Ukraine’s nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia as early as next week, possibly as early as Monday, according to the Wall Street Journal, which spoke with people dealing with the organization.
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The goal is to prevent a possible nuclear catastrophe due to the ongoing fighting in the area occupied by Russian forces." (Ike Walton (left): Wire Service Canada : 27 August 2022) (my emphasis)

Adding to which, Rebecca Perring (right) reports that,

"[Putin] has turned to volunteers, mercenaries and prisoners, as he desperately scrambles to turn the tide in his raging war in neighbouring Ukraine as the battle enters its seventh month.
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The increase includes a 137,000 boost in the number of combat personnel to 1.15 million and will come into effect on January 1.
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Analysts said Putin was “mobilising by stealth” and warned he was preparing for the “long war”.
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The move gives additional credence to Western estimates of heavy Russian losses during the war." (Express : 26 August 2022) (my emphasis)

And on the "gas" front, Matt McGrath (left) reports that,

"As Europe's energy costs skyrocket, Russia is burning off large amounts of natural gas, according to analysis shared with BBC News.
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They say the plant, near the border with Finland, is

burning an estimated $10m (£8.4m) worth of gas every day.
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Experts say the gas would previously have been exported to Germany.
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Germany's ambassador to the UK told BBC News that Russia was burning the gas because "they couldn't sell it elsewhere". (BBC News : 26 August 2022) (my emphasis)

The German ambassador to the UK may be bemoaning the fact that Putin's gas destined for Germany is being needlessly being burnt off.

Meanwhile, however, his fellow Social Democrats in Germany are trying to politically resuscitate the Angela Merkel doctrine of appeasing Putin, for which she publicly stated that she has no regrets NOR will she apologise for.

France 24 : YouTube : 8 June 2022

Recall the ill-fated 2014 Minsk I and Minsk II protocols, which she mediated together with François Hollande, the then French president, to appease Putin over his illegal annexation of Ukraine's Crimea and, more importantly, his illegal occupation of the Donbas.

And now, in 2022, and as reported by Léonie Chao-Fong (left),

"A group of lawmakers from Germany’s Social Democratic party (SPD) are calling for peace negotiations with Russia and for a ceasefire to be reached in Ukraine as soon as possible.
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In a letter entitled “The guns must be silent!” seen by Der Spiegel, the group representing the pacifist left-wing of the SPD urged for a diplomatic offensive to end the war in Ukraine quickly.
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They called for a new attempt at a “modus vivendi”, in which conflicting parties agree to coexist in peace, arguing that such a relationship “must be found with the Russian government based on the acknowledgment of realities that one does not like, which rules out a further escalation of the war”. (The Guardian : 27 August 2022) (my emphasis)

What realities?????

It would seem that the German Putinversteher mentality is alive and well and still thriving amongst the German political class! 

Meanwhile, as reported by Julian Borger (right),

"Russia has blocked an agreement at the United Nations that was aimed at bolstering the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT) because Moscow objected to a clause about control over the Zaporizhzhia power plant in Ukraine.
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The closing session was put off for more than four hours over Russian refusal to agree to a lengthy statement of support for the NPT which included a reference to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is occupied by Russian forces close to the frontline in Ukraine’s south-east." (The Guardian : 27 August 2022) (my emphasis)

The "Lukashenko Nuclear Threat (ibid Aljazeera)" is Putin's response to the eyes of the world that are sharply focussed on the Zaphorizia Nuclear facility in Ukraine.

Burning off large amounts of natural gas (ibid Matt McGrath) is Putin's response to the EU beginning to wean themselves off their dependency on Russian gas.

And turning to volunteers, mercenaries and prisoners, is Putin's response to replace the thousands of fallen Russian soldiers in his raging war in neighbouring Ukraine.

Putin now has his back to the wall.

 

(to be continued)