Is Putin's 'siloviki' beginning to abandon him?

Putin  is beginning to buckle under the weight of the IAEA (The UN International Atomic Energy Agency) and the counter-offensive of the Ukrainian army in eastern Donbas.

Having tried to 'fully' weaponise the Zaphorizia Nuclear plant for months, Putin has finally had to succumb to  the fact that the eyes of the world stared him down, and we now learn from Marcus Parekh and Josh White (left) that,
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"United Nations inspectors in Ukraine were due on Thursday to visit a Russian-occupied nuclear power plant, Europe's largest, where nearby shelling has prompted bitter recriminations and global fears of disaster.
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The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) mission arrived in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia , 55 km (34 miles) away from the plant, on Wednesday and Ukraine's defence ministry said it was scheduled to visit the facility on Thursday.
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Although Russian officials suggested the team would have only one day to inspect the site, the IAEA was preparing for longer." (The Telegraph : 1 September 2022) (my emphasis)

And as reported by Olga Voitovych, Jo Shelley, Tara John, Olga Konovalova, Rebecca Wright,

"As Ukraine ramps up its offensive to retake Russian-occupied territory in the country's south, its forces have regained four villages and broken through Russian defenses at multiple points of the frontline in the Kherson region, according to Ukrainian officials.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky also issued a warning to Russian forces during his evening address Monday, saying it was time for them to "run away, go home," and that "the occupiers must know we will chase them to the border." (CNN : 30 August 2022) (my emphasis)

DW News : YouTube : 29 August 2022

On the "gas front", Matt Murphy (left) reports that,

• Russia has completely halted gas supplies to Europe via a major pipeline, saying repairs are needed. 
• European leaders fear Russia could extend the outage in an attempt to drive up gas prices, which have already risen sharply in the past year.
• However, today's announcement was not expected to impact prices immediately. The UK's main natural gas price was in fact down by more than 15% on markets, as of 14:00 BST on Wednesday. 
• On Tuesday, French Energy Transition Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher accused Russia of "using gas as a weapon of war".
• 
  Earlier this week, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (right) promised to intervene in energy markets, telling a conference in Slovenia that they are "no longer fit for purpose".
• "We need a new market model for electricity that really functions and brings us back into balance," she said. (BBC News : 1 September 2022) (my emphasis) 
  

WION : 31 August 2022 : YouTube

Putin is now desperately clutching at straws, as evidenced by the fact that not only is he now trying to replenish his war hardware with UAV's from Iran, but he is also beginning to lean heavily towards Kim Jon UN, the North Korean dictator, to supply him Korean troops to replace his dwindling Russian troops, especially in the eastern Donbas.

As reported by Puerto Rico Digital News,

"Russian cargo planes have quietly picked up the first of scores of Iranian-made combat drones for use against Ukraine, U.S. officials said, in a move that underscores deepening ties between Moscow and Tehran while also highlighting Russia’s struggles to supply its overstretched military.
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Transport planes departed Iran on Aug. 19 hauling at least two types of unmanned aerial vehicles, both capable of carrying munitions for attacks on radars, artillery and other military targets, according to intelligence gathered by U.S. and other spy agencies." (Puerto Digital News : 30 August 2022) (my emphasis) 

And as reported by Charlie Smith (left),

"Vladimir Putin is retreating to the Donbas as Russian losses in Ukraine take their toll, according to a military insider who warned they have "no manpower to continue".
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The latest fighting comes as the Russian death toll in the six-month war has climbed to around 48,000 personnel, according to Ukraine.
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Western officials have estimated the number of Russians killed at between 70,000 and 80,000, while the Kremlin has not updated its last count of 1,351 from March." (Express : 1 September 2022) (my emphasis)

Whilst Putin is now clutching at "political" straws in the face of adversity, the silence from his 'siloviki' is positively deafening!

As reported by Millie Cook,

"War expert Harry Kazianis warned the West's economic sanctions on Russia are "going to bite dramatically". He said Putin is facing an "existential situation", warning his "regime is in trouble" if he cannot win the war in the next 60 days. Mr Kazianis, a war strategy expert, explained that Europe's plan to shift its reliance away from Russian oil and gas will have a serious impact on the Russian economy, which is "already in an economic depression". (Express : 1 September 2022) (my emphasis)

Is Putin's 'siloviki' now beginning to slowly abandon him as the Russian economy accelerates faster into depression, and the body-bags of Russian soldiers mount up even faster?

(to be continued)