Putin [Pu-truschev] is now beginning to running on empty

Once again Putin's glove-puppet, Dmitry Medvedev, has raised his head above the Rusian 'nuclear parapet' and threatened Ukraine and its allies with nuclear war.

As reported by Guy Faulconbridge (right),

"A senior ally of President Vladimir Putin warned on Thursday that any

Ukrainian attacks on missile launch sites inside Russia with arms supplied by the United States and its allies would risk a nuclear response from Moscow.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, said that some Ukrainian military commanders were considering hitting missile launch sites inside Russia with Western-supplied long-range missiles." (Reuters : 11 January 2024) (my emphasis)

 Kanal13 : 13 January 2024 : YouTube

This threat of Medvedev was followed by Rishi Sunak, UK Prime Minister,

"...  [vowing] that Ukraine "will never be alone" as the UK announced £2.5bn of military aid to Ukraine over the coming year.

It is the UK's largest annual commitment since Russia's full invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The PM made the announcement as he met President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv and signed the new agreement." (BBC News : 12 January 2024) (my emphasis)

Upon his arrival in Ukraine, Rishi Sunak stated that,

“I am here today with one message: the UK will also not falter. We will stand with Ukraine, in their darkest hours and in the better times to come,” he said, shortly before he arrived by train in an icy Kyiv." (Luke Harding and Jamie Grierson : The Guardian : 12 January 2023) (my emphasis)

 Luke Harding and Jamie Grierson go on to report that,

"The two leaders held talks and signed a new UK-Ukrainian security treaty."

10 Downing Street UK : 12 January 2024 : YouTube

Putin, no doubt, spurred on his 'glove-puppet' Medvedev to threaten of nuclear war aginst Ukraine and its allies as Ukraine's army continues to inflict heavy losses on his soldiers in Ukraine.

As Timothy Sigsworth (left) reports,

"Ukraine is inflicting “significant losses” on Russian forces attacking its bridgehead over the Dnipro river.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a US-based think tank, said Russia’s attempts to push Ukrainian soldiers back over the river are failing because of “persistent command and communication problems” that are causing large numbers of casualties.
...
Ukrainian forces have therefore been able to maintain their positions in the face of repeated “heavy attritional attacks”, it said." (The Telegraph on Microsoft Start : 11 January 2924) (my emphasis)

 Further disconcerting for Putin [Pu-truschev ], Alexander Bolton reports that,

"Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) (right) is stepping up his personal efforts to secure a deal on border reform and aid for Ukraine and Israel, which colleagues are characterizing as a major test of his leadership.  
...
The GOP leader reminded colleagues at a closed-door lunch meeting Tuesday not to lose sight of the nation’s pressing national security challenges presented by Russia, Iran and China." (11 January 2024) (my emhasis)

Let us recall that,

"Having succeeded in their bid to block aid for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, amongst other measures, the Republicans in the US Senate have not only given Putin [Pu-trushev] the best Xmas present that he could ever have wished for, but may also have laid the groundwork for a possible modern-day "Pearl Harbor" to be set in motion that will involve NATO." (blog entry 6 December 2023)

This euphoria of Putin [Pu-truschev] and his Kremlin 'siloviki' clique was rather short-lived, more so since, as reported by Bloomberg news on the Financial Post that,

"Russia’s budget deficit widened more than expected last year, as oil and gas revenues fell by almost a quarter and the Kremlin increased spending amid its war in Ukraine.
...
The deficit widened as spending exceeded projections by 11%. Taxes from oil and gas — a key source of funding for the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine — slumped 24% from a year ago, but still accounted for almost a third of total budget revenue last year, according to Finance Ministry figures." (Bloomberg News on Financial Post : 11 January 2024) (my emphasis)

Putin [Pu-truschev] and his Kremlin 'siloviki' clique, together with 'glove puppet' Medvedev, are now beginning to run on empty.

How the current Iranian military support of the Houthi in Yemen will affect Iranian military support of Putin's war with Ukraine now remains to be seen.

UPDATE 13 January 2024:

Oli Smith (right) reported that,

"Vladimir Putin has resorted to desperate measures to recruit more soldiers into his flagging army.

The president reportedly personally approved of a plan to cut off heating in Russian prisons to force prisoners to join the army.

President Putin wants to exploit the -35C temperatures in some parts of the country to bolster his weakened troops on the frontline in Ukraine.

This comes as an ex-military chief warned that Russia will run out of troops in weeks.

German tabloid Bild heard from human rights activists who revealed that conditions in Russian prisons were becoming so "unbearable" that fighting in Ukraine was the better option.

... The military's recruitment in Russian prisons has seen Russia's prison population drop from around 420,000 before the war to about 266,000 last month." (Express : 13 january 2024) (my emphasis)

UPDATE 15 January 2024:

Oliver Slow (below) reports that,

 "Ukraine's military says it has shot down a Russian military spy plane over the Sea of Azov, in what analysts say would be a blow to Moscow's air power.

Army chief Gen Valerii Zaluzhnyi said the air force had "destroyed" an A-50 long range radar detection aircraft, and an Il-22 air control centre.

The A-50 detects air defences and coordinates targets for Russian jets.
...
Russian officials said they had "no information" about the attacks, but prominent pro-war Russian commentators have said the loss of an A-50 would be significant." (BBC News : 15 January 2024) (my emphasis)

BBC News : 15 January 2024 : YouTube

                          

 

(to be continued)