Ukraine Crisis and Putin: Will Putin now press the red nuclear button to save himself?

In my last blog entry (27 Aug 2023) I wrote that,

"Not only does Putin now have to reinforce protecting his back against 'revenge seeking' Wagner soldiers, but he also now has to contend with Ukrainian soldiers penetrating into Ukraine's Crimea and breaking through his strongest line of defence on Ukrainian soil.

Putin's fear of defeat in Ukraine is about to overwhelm him." (blog entry : 27 Aug 2023)

Euronews now reports that,

"Ukraine sent waves of drones deep into western Russia in more than four hours of nighttime attacks that struck military assets, Russian officials and media reports said Wednesday." (Yahoo News (Euronews article) : 31 August 2023) (my emphasis)

Euronews : 31 August 2023

As also reported by CNN staff,

"Six Russian regions, including Moscow, came under attack early Wednesday in the biggest drone assault on its territory since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began last February. Russian officials haven’t reported any casualties and claimed to have thwarted almost all of the strikes.

A Kremlin spokesman has attributed the assault to the “continued terrorist activity of the Kyiv regime.”

Mykhailo Podolyak (left), adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said the attacks are an indication the "war is increasingly moving to Russia’s territory." But he stopped short of claiming responsibility." (CNN : 31 August 2023) (my emphasis)

CNN : 31 August 2023

Putin's fear is now, indeed, overwhelming him.

As reported by Paul Withers (left),

"A Russian warmonger general has chillingly called on Vladimir Putin to use the "perfect" opportunity to fire nuclear weapons on Ukraine.

Andrey Gurulev (right), a pro-Kremlin MP and former general, suggested the president use the nukes to retaliate in response to a wave of Ukrainian drone strikes inside Russia territory.

Ukrainian troops have successfully recaptured the village of Robotyne following a brutal 11-week battle.

This is seen as a major milestone in their continued battle to sever the land link between the annexed Crimea peninsula and Donesk - a move many military experts believe would swing the war firmly in Ukraine's favour." (Express : 30 August 2023) (my emphasis)

And Putin himself is now preparing the Russian people for his use of 'nuclear weapons'.

Express : 30 August 2023

Putin's desperation is underlined by, as reported by Euronews,

"Negotiations on future arms deliveries from North Korea to Russia are "actively progressing", a US official said on Wednesday.

The deals could see Moscow receive "significant quantities" of weapons, especially ammunition and raw materials, claimed White House spokesman John Kirby.

North Korean regime was urged to "cease" its talks with Russia.

"Such an arms deal would be a serious violation of [UN] Security Council resolutions" on North Korea, said US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield.

Calling Russia's attitude "unacceptable", she indicated the United States would sanction "individuals and entities" facilitating this agreement between Moscow and Pyongyang." (Euronews : 31 August 2023) (my emphasis)

Hindustan Times : 31 August 2023 : YouTube

Further underlining Putin's desperation, Max Channon (left) reports that,

"Russia has been weakened and is running out of the elite airborne infantry units it once relied on to carry out large-scale offensives in Ukraine, analysts in the United States have said.
.....
The ISW [Institute for the Study of War] notes that, on August 27, an elite Russian air unit was transferred to Robotyne, likely from Luhansk Oblast. Ukrainian forces went on to liberate Robotyne the following day, August 28." (Express : 29 August 2023) (my emphasis)

Meanwhile, Joel Day (right) reports that,

"Vladimir Putin's time is running out and Russia's security service is already eyeing up candidates to take the top job, Express.co.uk has been told.
...

[Dr Felshtinsky (left), Russian historian], believes that the FSB will soon pick a new Prime Minister of Russia who will be the next President.

"They did it with Putin in 1999," he said. "When [Boris] Yeltsin resigned, by law, the Prime Minister became President of Russia. He has technically been in that position ever since.

"If we see suddenly that the Prime Minister is changed to somebody else, let's say Nikolai Patrushev (the secretary of the Security Council of Russia), this will be an indication that they're making Patrushev the President." (Express : 30 August 2023) (my emphasis)

Putin now teeters on the edge of the abyss, tearing open his 'nuclear' briefcase and poising his finger over the red button that he now sees as his only chance of survival.

Will he now press the red nuclear button to save himself?

UPDATE 1 : 31 August 2023 : 19.59

Matthew Dooley (left) has just reported that,

"A pro-Vladimir Putin pundit has admitted that the war is lost for Russia unless Moscow uses a nuclear weapon.

Speaking on Russian State TV, hardliner Vladimir Solovyov slammed Russian officials after the news of a massive Ukrainian drone strike on the airfield in Pskov which damaged or destroyed several Russian aircraft.
...
“If we are going to wage war, we should wage war,” he said before claiming that a small Ukrainian breakthrough at the city of Robotyne was “the perfect case for a tactical nuclear strike”. (Express : 31 August : 2023) (my emphasis)

Admitting that Putin's war in Ukraine is being lost, his propaganda TV mouthpiece seems to be preparing the people of Russia for Putin's possible impending use of a 'nuclear' bomb in Ukraine.

Putin is now more than teetering on the brink of an abyss that could spark a war with NATO's EU members.