Putin is now at his most dangerous.

In the wake of the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17/MAS17) that was shot down by Russian-controlled forces on 17 July 2014, while flying over eastern Ukraine, I wrote in my blog entry of 30/7/2014 that,

"Now six days ago, (25th July 2014) Alexander J. Motyl (left) posed the following question:

" Is Putin evil? His actions certainly are, if by evil we understand behavior that willfully, consciously and purposely destroys human life. Perhaps we can call his actions undeniably evil and Putin himself "evil enough." Evil enough for what? Evil enough for condemnation by people of good will." (CNN : 25 July 2014) (my emphasis)

(CNN (Reuters video) : 25 July 2014)

Fast forward to 2023 and Alexander J Motyl's words written in July of 2014 now ring loudly from the past as Putin's forces blew up a part of the Nova Kakhovka dam in Kherson.

As reported by Maroosha Muzaffar, Andy Gregory, Tara Cobham, and William Mata,

"Volodymyr Zelenskyy tells residents to evacuate as water gushes from destroyed Nova Kakhovka dam in Kherson near Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
...
The head of Ukraine’s Kherson region has said that the water will reach critical levels within five hours after a huge dam was blown up today near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

Ukrainian authorities have asked residents in flood-prone areas to evacuate as water gushes out from the destroyed Nova Khakova dam in the southern Kherson region." (The Independent : 6 June 2023) (my emphasis)

(BBC News : 6 June 2023)

NATO now finds itself in an awkward situation.

As reported by Alessandra Scotto di Santolo (left),

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the “outrageous act [of Russia blowing up the Nova Khakova dam in the southern Kherson region] demonstrates once again the brutality of Russia’s war in Ukraine.”
....
"The recent attack on civilians will be high on the agenda when NATO heads of state and governments meet in Vilnius next month. Ukraine's formal pathway to NATO membership will, at very least, be discussed.
....
[ ] there is a substantial risk that any overstepping of the lines might cause an escalation from Russia, given Putin would see this as legitimising his offensive.
...
"The West is facing the most unpredictable and delicate security environment since the Cold War. For this reason, we have seen a restricted response from NATO since the full-scale invasion started." (Express : 6 June 2023) (my emphasis)

(EU27 : 6 June 2023 : YouTube)

Besides the downing of  Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in 2014 (imp. cf: Hague Court : inquirer net: 6 June 2023) by Putin's then militia in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, let us also recall the cynical blowing up of Russian apartments in 1999 by the then FSB, when Putin was the head of the FSB. 

As I wrote in my blog entry (11 August 2016),

"As inevitably as the sun will rise to-morrow morning, Putin is repeating his pretext for escalating the war between Russia and Ukraine that he did when he was head of the FSB in 1999, and oversaw the Moscow apartment bombings that he used as a casus belli to start his war with Chechnya.

Let us for a moment remind ourselves that those 1999 apartment bombings in Moscow led to the deaths of 293, and injured more than 1000 people, whilst at the same time spreading a wave of fear across the country. (cf Wikipedia)

There is enough evidence that exposes the fact that these bombings were staged by the then FSB under Putin. (cf Wikipedia)" (blog entry

11 August 2016)

Just as Putin blamed the 1999 Moscow apartment bombings on Chechen operatives, we now have his media 'mouthpieces' in Moscow pushing a disinformation narrative that the Nova Kakhovka dam was destroyed by Ukraine itself.

(BBC News : 7 June 2023) and (CBS News : 6 June 2023)

In similar vein, we now also have none other than Putin's defence ministers pushing a disinformation narrative that,

"In a statement early Monday morning, the Ministry of Defence in Moscow claimed it had killed 250 Ukrainian soldiers and destroyed tanks - or if this was the long-anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive.

Russia says it has thwarted a large Ukrainian attack in the eastern province of Donetsk, although it's not clear if this is the start of a long-anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive." (Euro News : 5 June 2023) (my emphasis)

Unfortunately for Putin and his generals, Matt Murphy (left) reports that,

"A fresh row has broken out between the Wagner Group and the Russian military, as long-simmering tension between the groups threatens to spill over.

Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin dismissed Russia's claims to have inflicted heavy losses on Ukraine in the Donbas when Kyiv attempted offensive action.

Prigozhin said the claims were "simply wild and absurd science fiction". (BBC News : 6 June 2023) (my emphasis)

The international horror at what Putin and his generals have unleashed by blowing up the the Nova Kakhovka dam cannot be concealed.

Already there are growing 'political' fissures between Putin and his 'siloviki', and amongst the 'siloviki' themselves. 

ABC Net reports that,

"Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin (left) says Kremlin factions are destroying the state by trying to sow discord between him and Chechen fighters.
...
He said that row had now been settled but infighting in the Kremlin had opened a Pandora's Box of rifts. (ABC Net : 3 June 2023) (my emphasis)

With the international fallout following the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam, the start of Ukraine's counter-offensive, and the accelerating infighting in the Kremlin; Putin is now at his most dangerous.

 

(to be continued)