Putin [Pu-truschev] is now drinking in the "Last Chance Saloon".

At a "rare" online G20 group hosted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (left) on  22nd November, many were surprised at Putin's [Pu-truschev's?] recent remarks that Russia is, indeed, at war with Ukraine, just as Putin [Pu-truschev] was somewhat alarmed at the criticism heaped upon him by the other online G20 members of the group. (cf.: Kiran Sharma : Nikkea Asia : 22 November 2023)

France 24 : 24 November 2023 : YouTube

In the words of the former US ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul, during an interview with Symone Sanders,

"..You have highlighted two very important hings that he doesn't say. He [Putin] called the war "a war", he didn't call it a Special Military Operation in Ukraine, that's what he usually calls it.

And he also labelled it a tragedy" (MSNBC : 23 November 2023) (my emphasis)

MSNBC : 23 November 2023

McFaul went on to state that,

"And in particular, it is very clear now that Putin [Pu-truschev] will NOT negotiate until he knows who the next president of the US will be ..... He feels that he could get a better deal if Mr. Trump was the president of the United States" (ibid Symone Sanders) 

Putin's [Pu-truschev's] remark that his war with Ukraine is a tragedy partly stems from the fact, as reported by Anna Frants (left), that,

"The shelves at Moscow supermarkets are full of fruit and vegetables, cheese and meat. But many of the shoppers look at the selection with dismay as inflation makes their wallets feel empty.
...
“If we talk in percentage terms, then, probably, (prices) increased by 25%. This is meat, staple products — dairy produce, fruits, vegetables, sausages. My husband can’t live without sausage! Sometimes I’m just amazed at price spikes,” said Roxana Gheltkova, a shopper in a Moscow supermarket. ...

The Russian parliament has approved a 2024-2026 budget that earmarks a record amount for defense spending. Maxim Blant, a Russian economy analyst based in Latvia, sees that as an indication that prices will continue to rise sharply.(AP Business : 24 November 2023) (my emphasis)

AP Business : 24 November 2023

But perhaps foremost in Putin's [Pu-truschev's?] mind is the fact that, as reported by Matthew Dooley (left),

"Russian soldiers are deserting on the frontlines in Donetsk amid human wave attacks launched by Moscow resulting in enormous casualties.
....
[Ukrainian Colonel Oleksandr Shtupun] said that increasing numbers of Russian soldiers were deserting the frontlines in eastern Ukraine as Moscow throws them into the meat grinder. Barrier troops are being deployed to stop retreats.

Russia has resorted to human wave attacks around Andriivka performed by so-called Storm Z units made up of released convicts and soldiers who refused to follow orders. (Express : 20 November 2023)

More recently, as reported by Erika Kinetz (right),

"Secretly recorded calls of Russian soldiers speaking from the front lines in Ukraine with loved ones back home offer a rare glimpse of the war through Russian eyes.

As the war in Ukraine grinds into its second winter, a growing number of Russian soldiers want out, audio intercepts obtained and verified by The Associated Press indicate. Russian soldiers speak in shorthand of 200s to mean dead, 300s to mean wounded. The urge to flee has become common enough that they also talk of 500s — people who refuse to fight.

These conversations also show clearly how the war has progressed, from the professional soldiers who initially powered Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion to men from all walks of life compelled to serve in grueling conditions.

The AP verified the identities of people in the calls by speaking with relatives and soldiers — some of whom are still at war in Ukraine ... " (The Independent : 26 November 2023) (my emphasis)

With "inflation" on the home front in Russia, and Russian soldiers fleeing from Ukraine's deadly onslaught against them, Putin's [Pu-truschev's] anger knows no bounds.

As James Waterhouse (left) reports,

"Russia has launched its biggest drone attack on Kyiv since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine began last year, the city's mayor has said.

Residents were woken by explosions before dawn on Saturday, and for more than six hours, the booms of Kyiv's air defences echoed through the city." (BBC News : 25 November 2023) (my emphasis)

Unlike before, however, Katie Boyden (right) reports that,

"Russia has come under intense kamikaze drone attack this weekend in the heaviest bombardment by Ukraine for months.

Three of Moscow’s international airports – Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky – were forced to close, with flights suspended or cancelled.

Russia was forced to shoot down 11 drones overnight on Saturday, and another nine early on Sunday morning.

It comes as Ukraine retaliates against Russian shelling on Saturday." (Metro : 26 November 2023) (my emphasis)  

And what was the response of Putin's "old" mouthpiece, Dmitry Peskov?

As reported by France 24,

"In Kyiv ten years ago there was a coup with the use of force, the legitimate authorities were overthrown," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov (left) said Sunday." (France 24 : 26 November 2023) (my emphasis)

If Peksov could only mouth a rather feeble response to the avalanche of setbacks being suffered by Putin [Pu-truschev] internationally, internally with inflation rising inexorably in Russia, and on the war front in Ukraine, then the deafening silence of that dyed-in-the-wool Soviet foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov (right), speaks volumes.

Putin [Pu-truschev] is now drinking in the "Last Chance Saloon".

UPDATES : 28 November 2023

With  Putin [Pu-truschev] desperately trying to avert the eyes of the West from his war with Ukraine, Matthew Lee (left) now reports that,

"Secretary of State Antony Blinken is turning his attention to Ukraine, NATO and the Western Balkans after weeks of intense focus on Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.
...
The two-day session on Tuesday and Wednesday will include the first foreign minister-level meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council, a body created by alliance leaders at their last summit to improve cooperation and coordination and help prepare Kyiv for eventual membership.

“Allies will continue to support Ukraine’s self-defense until Russia stops its war of aggression,” said Jim O’Brien, the top U.S. diplomat for Europe." (The Independent : 28 November 2023) (my emphasis)

Further underscoring Putin's [Pu-truschev's] desperation, Alexander Marrow (right) reports that,

"Russian President Vladimir Putin gave his official approval to a significant increase in military spending that will see around 30% of fiscal expenditure directed towards the armed forces in 2024 as he signed draft budget plans into law on Monday.

Moscow is diverting ever more resources towards prosecuting its war in Ukraine. Spending on defence and security combined is set to reach around 40% of all budget expenditure next year.

Spending on defence is set to increase by almost 70% in 2024 from 2023." (Reuters : 27 November 2023) (my emphasis)

Indeed, as Emma Burrows (left) had earlier reported,

"The main driver of that growth is Russia’s war in Ukraine, which is now as important to the Kremlin economically as it is politically.

The state and military are now playing a much bigger role in the economy than they have historically, and industries related to the war — including defense production — have helped to drive Russia’s unemployment level down to a record low of 3%.

The war has also taken hundreds of thousands of workers out of the economy, either because they’re fighting in Ukraine or because they’ve fled Russia, often to escape conscription." (AP News : 15 November 2023) 

Is it therefore any wonder that Charter97 now reports that,

"On Friday, November 24, the Russian government approved a resolution to bring the regulatory framework in the field of military registration into line with changes to legislation adopted by parliament, Deutsche Welle reports, citing the Interfax agency. According to these changes, men aged 18 to 30 will begin to be conscripted into the Russian army from January 1, 2024. Until now, the maximum age of conscripts was 27 years.
...
With the new age limits, approximately 2 million more Russian men will be drafted in 2024 than would have been the case with the previously active age framework .. (Charter97 : 25 November 2023) (cf also: DW : 25 November 2023)

More significantly, Maryam Zakir-Hussain (left) now also reports that,

"Russia has likely been forced to move several air defence systems from its Kaliningrad enclave on the Baltic Sea coast to the frontline in Ukraine amid the losses it has suffered there, according to the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD).
...
“Exceptional Russian air transport movements through November 2023 suggest that Russia has likely moved strategic air defence systems from its Baltic coast enclave of Kaliningrad, to backfill recent losses on the Ukraine front,” the MoD said in its latest intelligence update on Sunday." (The independent : 28 November 2023) (my emphasis) 

Putin [Pu-truschev] is, indeed, now drinking in the "Last Chance Saloon".

 

 

 

(to be continued)