Time is simply not on Putin's side.

As we enter the new year, Putin and his generals are scrambling to confront the critically changing military support for Ukraine from the West.

As reported by ABC News (Associated Press),

"Germany will supply Ukraine with armored personnel carriers and a Patriot missile battery, the government said Thursday.
...
It came shortly after France said it will soon hold talks with Ukraine to arrange for the delivery of armored combat vehicles. France's presidency said that will be the first time this type of Western-made wheeled tank destroyer will be given to the Ukrainian military. (ABC News (Associated Press) : 5 January 2023) (my emphasis) 

As also reported by PBS,

"The U.S. will send Ukraine nearly $3 billion in military aid, in a massive new package that will for the first time include several dozen Bradley fighting vehicles, U.S. officials said Thursday, in the Biden administration’s latest step to send increasingly lethal and powerful weapons to help Ukraine beat back Russian forces. (PBS News : 5 January 2023) (my emphasis)

MSN (NBC News) : 9 January 2023

Adding to the US weaponry heading for Ukraine, MSN (Sky News ) reports that,

"Sky News exclusively revealed that [British Prime Minister] Rishi Sunak's government is considering providing Challenger 2s to be used by Ukrainian forces on the battlefield against Russia.

If it goes through, the move would make the UK the first country to send Western-made main battle tanks to Ukraine." (ibid MSN (NBC News) : 9 January 2023) (my emphasis)

Furthermore, as reported by News 18,

"India and the United States “agree very much" that the restoration of an enduring peace in Ukraine is essential, the Biden administration has said. (News 18 : 7 January 2023) (my emphasis)

News 18 : 7 January 2023 : YouTube

As reported by Yulia Latynina (left) in 2012,

"Nezavisimaya Gazeta reported that President-elect Vladimir Putin is poised to undertake the most significant reform Russia has seen in recent years by creating a National Guard from scratch. These special forces, numbering up to 400,000 men, would answer directly to the president and would be charged with protecting the country from internal threats." (Moscow Times : 3 April 2012) (my emphasis)

CGTN America : 2017 : YouTube

Fast forward to 2023 and, as reported by Scott McDonald (left),

"Ukraine's General Staff reported Sunday that Russia has used a national guard unit to shoot soldiers who plan on deserting or surrendering to Ukrainian forces.
...
U.K. intelligence reported in early November 2022 that

Russia began deploying such troops along the Russia-Ukraine border as "barrier soldiers" (right) to prevent Russian soldiers from retreating by the threat of shooting them." (Newsweek : 8 January 2023) (my emphasis)

By employing his National Guard as "barrier soldiers", Putin is having to admit that Russian soldiers deserting and surrendering to Ukraine has become a serious problem amongst his forces in Ukraine. 

CNN : mid December 2022 : YouTube

As reported by Catherine Belton  (right) that,

"Putin “feels the loss of his [international] friends,” said one Russian state official with close ties to diplomatic circles, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution. “Lukashenko is the only one he can pay a serious visit to. All the rest see him only when necessary.”(Washington Post : 30 December 2022) (my emphasis),

and as also reported by Amy Landsey (left) that,

"Russian President Vladimir Putin made a rare trip to Belarus last week, where he discussed closer military cooperation with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko.
...
Kyiv said the Kremlin was guilty of “desperate and persistent efforts to involve Belarus in its aggressive war against Ukraine”. " (Sky News AU : 28 December 2022 ) (my emphasis),

it is inevitable that Putin is now scraping the Kremlin barrel for a "peace" formula of talks that will still allow him to pronounce his victory over Ukraine, whilst at the same time hobbling the political and economic future of Ukraine.

It is no wonder, therefore, that as reported by Ukrinform,

"Oleksiy Danilov (right), the secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, said this on Ukraine's television, Ukrinform reports.

"We are currently being offered the Korean scenario. The so-called conditional '38th parallel.' Here are Ukrainians, but there Ukrainians are not like that. The Russians will now invent anything. I know for sure that one of the options they can offer us is the '38th parallel'," Danilov said. (Ukrinform : 9 January 2023) (my emphasis)

The absurdity of this "Korean scenario" is summed up by the fact that,

"At the same time, Danilov said that during a recent meeting, Korean representatives noted that establishing the division of the Korean peninsula into two parts along the 38th parallel was a mistake as the concessions made in the 1950s after the end of the war between North Korea and South Korea are currently leading to problems." (ibid Ukrinform)

What Putin, nor his 'diminishing' Kremlin clique, seem not to realize is that by simply pronouncing parts of Ukraine as "legally" parts of Russia in the Russian Duma because of a series of concocted 'referendums' held at the barrel of a gun simply does not have ANY International legal status.

Furthermore, no amount of forcing Russian conscripts to become cannon fodder for his delusion of recreating the old USSR will ever legitimise his attempt at land grabs in Ukraine, including that of Crimea.

As the West has now decided to give Ukraine the weapons necessary to push Putin's army back over their border into Russia, it is now only a matter of time before Putin's delusions implodes before his very eyes.

Time is simply not on Putin's side.

 

(to be continued)