Will Putin's followers jump with him into the "nuclear" abyss? Really??

As the 'tea leaves' left over from the Biden-Trump debate are scrutinized by western commentators, supporters of Putin in his war with Ukraine are finally publicly exposing themselves to the rest of the world.

And leading this motley right-wing crew is none other than Donald Trump, who stated that,

"With around a dozen mentions in an hour and a half, Russian President Vladimir Putin was repeatedly referenced by President Joe Biden and rival Donald Trump during Thursday's presidential election debate as they vied to show who was tougher on foreign policy.

"If we had a real president, the president that ... was respected by Putin, he would have never  invaded Ukraine," Trump said of Biden, kicking off a series of clashes between the two candidates over the wars in Ukraine and in Gaza.

"Go ahead, let Putin go in and control Ukraine, and then move on to Poland and other places. See what happens then. He has no idea what the hell he's talking about," Biden said of Trump. " (Costas Pitas : Reuters : 28 June 2024) (my emphasis)

And following closely behind Trump we have Kim Jon Un of North Korea, who has promised to spare Russian men living in Moscow and St. Petersbugh from being slaughtered in Ukraine by offering, instead, to have North Koreans slaughtered in Ukraine. 

As reported by Susie Beever (left),

"Kim Jong-un is set to send troops to Ukraine amidst growing fears of the escalating conflict between Russia and the West.
...
[US] Spokesman Pat Ryder said in a briefing: "I think that if I were North Korean military personnel management, I would be questioning my choices on sending my forces to be cannon fodder in an illegal war against Ukraine." The US would continue to monitor the alliance surrounding growing anxieties." (Daily Mirror : 26 June 2024) (my emphasis)

As also reported by Clea Caulcutt ,

"While Macron has increasingly recast himself as a defender of Ukraine — promising fighter jets to Kyiv earlier this month — Le Pen has a long track record of political flirtation with the Kremlin, with Macron even directly accusing her of being on the Russian payroll." (Politico : 28 June 2024) (my emphasis)

 Recall that in my blog entry of 30 October 2014 I reported that,

"It is rather ironic that the Kremlin and Putin's propaganda machines are constantly propagating the lie about 'fascists and neo-Nazis' being elected to the Ukrainian parliament, whilst at the same time rolling out the red carpet for neo-Nazi and right-wing European organizations.

 Marine Le Pen met with State Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin (right)

 

 

Thus it was that Marine Le Pen, the neo-Nazi leader of France, was treated like a cabinet minister by top Russian politicians, whilst the British Fascist leader of the BNP party endorsed Russian elections in Russia. As John Vinocur has commented," Marine Le Pen wants to neuter the EU as a political force. The Kremlin couldn't ask for a better ally." (my emphasis)" (blog entry 30/10/2014)

And against this backdrop of Putin's motley crew exposing themselves internationally:-

• The Biden administration is holding discussions with Israel and Ukraine about the possibility of transferring aging Patriot air defense systems currently in Israel to Ukraine as it continues to defend itself in the war with Russia, according to a senior administration official and a source familiar with the discussions, as the US urgently prioritizes air defenses for Kyiv. (Kylie Atwood and Oren Liebermann : CNN on Microsft Start : 27 June 2024) (my emphasis)
• Russia should not make a mistake that could hurt its relations with South Korea in an "irreversible" way, a Seoul official warned Thursday, in a tit-for-tat exchange of words after Moscow warned against Seoul hinting at potential arms support to Ukraine. (Kim Seung-yeon : Yonhap News Agency : 27 June 2024) (my emphasis)
• South Korea's potential arms support for Ukraine should not be viewed on the same footing as North Korea's suspected delivery of munitions to Russia, given the illegal nature of Russia's invasion, the chief of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has said.
  
  NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also said that NATO would welcome "any major support" from South Korea to help Ukraine in the fight against Russia, pointing out that issues like North Korean threats and the war in Ukraine" (Kim Seung-yeon : Yonhap News Agency : 28 June 2024) (my emphasis)

 These  developments include,

"Japan imposed trade restrictions on China-based companies as part of a fresh round of sanctions against individuals and groups supporting Russia's war on Ukraine, the foreign ministry said in a statement on Friday.

The new sanctions also target firms in India, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan. It marks the first time Japan has imposed sanctions on China-based firms in connection with the war in Ukraine, according to Japan's foreign ministry." (Sakura Murakami : Reuters : 21 Jun e 2924)  (my emphasis)

Putin's desperation in his war with Ukraine is exemplified by the fact that,

"World on the brink as 'shelling destroys key equipment' at Ukraine nuclear power plant.

The head of the IAEA said the the chances of a radiation leak were 'dangerously close' after the plant once again came under attack. 

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) was damaged after being shelled, increasing fears that a catastrophic release of radiation is "dangerously close". (John Varga (above left): Express : 28 June 2024) (my emphasis) 

As I wote in my last blog entry,

"The constant 'fist-waving of the deployment of the nuclear option' against Ukraine by his TV pundits should not be too lightly dismissed."

Will Putin's followers now also jump with him into the "nuclear" abyss?

UPDATE : 29 June 2024

John Varga reports that,

"Vladimir Putin is using huge financial incentives to persuade poor Russians to fight in Ukraine, offering them ten times their normal salary to take their chances in Russia's meat grinder.

The policy has allowed the Kremlin to avoid enforcing a nationwide mobilisation, a move that officials fear could spark serious civil unrest.

The Russian army has suffered catastrophic losses to it frontline troops since it invaded Ukraine in February 2022." (Express: 29 June 2024 (my emphasis)

This supports the reporting of Ella Sherman (left) that,

"Russian forces have committed only limited forces to this operation so far, which suggests that Russian forces continue to prioritize gradual advances through consistent grinding assaults over operationally significant gains through rapid maneuver," analysts at the Institute of the Study of War assess.
....
Putin theorized that the gradual progress Russian forces make will allow them to achieve the Kremlin's aims, as it prevents Ukraine from conducting effective counteroffensive tactics." (Business Insider : 28 June 4) (my emphasis)

Similarly, as Tom Porter (right) reports,

 "Russia is sending troops into head-on high-casualty attacks, known as human wave or "meat grinder" attacks. The attacks were used by Russia in brutal battles to seize control of the towns of Avdiikva and Bakhmut last year, but US officials told the Times they are proving less successful now.
...
Russia has offered relatively lucrative contracts to new recruits, has drafted thousands of prisoners into the military, and has contracted foreign mercenaries to replace its losses." (Business Inside : 28 June 2024) (my emphasis)

Putin's motley crew, including Kim Jon Un, Donald Trump, and Marine Le Pen,,  do not seem to be helping him!

 

 

 

(to be continued)