Is Putin's forces in Belarus preparing to unleash an unpredictable event?

As Putin continues to employ the German 'doodlebug' tactic used against London in 1945 by bombing the cities and infrastructure of Ukraine with Iranian UAV's in 2022, it should come as no surprise that the success of the Ukrainian army in pushing his Russian forces back towards the Ukraine/Russia border has now forced Putin to rush towards Minsk in the hope of dragging Lukashenko  into his war with Ukraine. 

MSN (Sky News) : 19 December 2022

Retired Air Vice-Marshal Sean Bell looks at the situation on the ground in Ukraine and says Vladimir Putin would "love Belarus more intimately involved in this war" (MSN (Sky News) : 19 December 2022) (my emphasis)

As reported by ABC (Aus),

"Vladimir Putin says the situation in four areas of Ukraine which Moscow claims as Russian territory is "extremely difficult".
...
Mr Putin also ordered the strengthening of Russia's borders and instructed special services to keep greater control of [Russian] society and ensure the safety of people in Russian-controlled parts of Ukraine." (ABC (Aus) : 20 December 2022) (my emphasis)

As also reported by Tom Balmforth (left),

"Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart extolled ever-closer ties on Monday as Putin visited Minsk for the first time since 2019, hardly mentioning the war raging in nearby Ukraine at a joint news conference.

Russian forces used Belarus as a launch pad for their abortive attack on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv in February, and there has been Russian and Belarusian military activity there for months." (Reuters : 19 December 2022) (my emphasis)

Significantly, Putin's TV propagandists in Russia are now beginning to also focus their anger towards Poland, which shares a border with Belarus.

According to Alexey Mukhin (cf: video below),

"Where Poland is concerned, it's certainly preparing an army of occupation. This most likely pertains to W. Belarus and W. Ukraine. Poland basically does not conceal these intentions

Another of Putin's TV pundits then states that,

"We will burn European humanitarians with napalm, along with their weapons on the territory of Ukraine"

 Russian Media Monitor : 17 December 2022 : YouTube

And whilst Putin's TV propagandists are calling for the burning of European humanitarians with napalm, Rohan Gupta reports that,

"The military-political leadership of Ukraine and the armed forces of its allies will now be considered "legitimate military targets", Security Council Deputy Head Dmitry Medvedev (Putin's glove-puppet) (left) wrote on the Telegram. According to him, during the conflict with Ukraine, issues of legal military purposes are interpreted differently. At the same time, there are "rules of conduct in times of war (jus in bello), which originate in sacred sources." (Express : 16 December 2022) (my emphasis)

Invoking "sacred sources" has recently become a central theme in Russian TV propaganda about Putin's war with Ukraine being fed to the Russian people.

In the words of one of Putin's top TV propagandists, Vladimir Solovyov,

"We live in the era of latter days. What's happening in Ukraine won't stay in Ukraine. A Holy War is underway. We're fighting for the right of mankind to live in its original state, as designed by the Creator ... " (Russia Media Monitor :  YouTube : 18 December 2022) (my emphasis)

Russia Media Monitor :  YouTube : 18 December 2022

Notwithstanding either 'Putin's puppet', Dmitry Medvedev, or Solovyov invoking 'sacred sources' to justify Putin's war in Ukraine, Anna Nemtsova (left) reports that,

• "The war in Ukraine has opened up a credibility gap, and for the first time many Russians no longer feel they can trust what their leader is saying to them. 
• Putin’s rock-solid system is crumbling. 
• Putin’s contortions are no longer convincing his domestic audience.
• Both independent and Kremlin-controlled polls show that Putin has lost support for his war, with less than 30 percent of the country wanting it to continue. 
• Last week, the Kremlin published an image of Putin with a glass of champagne in his hand, and that immediately gave rise to many anecdotes about “drunk Putin.” (Daily Beast : 18 December 2022) (my emphasis)
  

More disturbing for Putin, as Katie Balevic now also reports,

"As the cracks in Russia's war on Ukraine deepen, Russian oligarchs sanctioned by the West are now saying Russian President Vladimir Putin tricked them into appearing to support his invasion of Ukraine, according to an extensive investigation published Saturday by The New York Times.
...
But as the "special military operation" has dragged on, some Russian oligarchs have expressed doubt and frustration after they were heavily sanctioned by Western nations as a result of their allyship with Putin, the Times reported." (Business Insider : 18 December 2022) (my emphasis)

Yahoo Life : 18 December 2022

Putin's growing isolation is not only confined to his 'siloviki' and the Russian people beginning to distance themselves from him.

As reported earlier (8 December 2022) by Pyotr Kozlov (left),

"The war in Ukraine has not only led to Western sanctions on Russia and wide-spread condemnation from international bodies, but has even seen Moscow’s influence wane in its own backyard.
...
In September, the Russian leader [Putin] found himself left waiting for meetings with his counterparts from Turkey, Azerbaijan, India and Kyrgyzstan at a Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting in Uzbekistan’s Samarkand. Russia was also chided for starting the Ukraine war by both India and China at the event." (Moscow Times : 8 December 2022) (my emphasis)
 
Will Putin's growing isolation from the people of Russia, and on the international stage, precipitate him into rash actions that will have catastrophic global consequences?

Is Putin gathering his forces in Belarus for an unpredictable Black Swan event? 

STOP PRESS!!!

Thomas Mackintosh has just reported (18.05 BST) that,

"Vladimir Putin believes Russia is not to blame for the war in Ukraine, adding both countries are "sharing a tragedy".

During a televised address with senior military officials, the Russian president said he continued to see Ukraine as a "brotherly nation".
...
During his address President Putin claimed the West had "brainwashed" post-Soviet republics, starting with Ukraine.
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The address came as Ukrainian leader Volodmyr Zelensky arrived in Washington for his first visit outside of Ukraine since Russia invaded 10 months ago." (BBC News : 21 December 2022) (my emphasis)

Meanwhile, as Putin was addressing his senior military officials, more Iranian drones have been pounding cities in Ukraine.

More ominously,

"Under the current law, Russians aged 18-27 can be called up for mandatory military service - Mr Shoigu is now proposing this covers citizens aged 21-30." (ibid  Thomas Mackintosh)

PLEASE WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW! 

Nataliya Vasilyeva • 52m ago : MSN (The Telegraph) : 21 December 2022

 

Zelensky visit to US 21 December 2022

BBC News : 22 December 2022

 

 (to be continued)