Putin is practically holding a gun to the heads of his oligarchs to save himself.

Holding a loaded gun in his quivering hand, and aiming it at the heads of his Russian oligarchs,

"Vladimir Putin has asked oligarchs to donate to Russia’s budget in a bid to stabilise the country’s finances as he presses on with his invasion of Ukraine, according to three people familiar with the matter.

The comments by Russia’s president to a large group of prominent businessmen on Thursday made it clear that he is intent on pursuing the war to a victorious end despite the growing strains on the Kremlin’s budget." (Max Seddon (right): Financial Times: 26 March 2026) (my emphasis)

The current war between Trump and the Ayatollah in Iran, and the effective blocking of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran, which has caused the price of oil to spike upwards of $100+, is not proving to be the "windfall" for Putin, as many expected.

As Anna Danylchuk (left) explains, 

"This "window" of of opportunity that Trump opened to Russians and Iranians when sanctions were 'temporarily lifted' will not save the Russian economy because the Ukrainian drones keep targeting Russia's export terminals just as the one in East Luga today, and Primorsk yesterday. And this is something that prevents Putin from  saving his economy ..." (Anna From Ukraine: 26 March 2026: YouTube) (my emphasis)

 

 Anna From Ukraine: 26 March 2026: YouTube

And as a panicked Victor Orban (left) of Hungary fears losing in the upcoming Hungarian elections by continuing to block EU financial aid for for Ukraine, and threatening to,

" ...  stop sending natural gas to Ukraine until crude oil flows on the Druzhba pipeline resume ... " (Anita Komuves: Reuters: 25 March 2026) (my emphasis),

Amy Mackinnon (right) reports that,

"A bipartisan pair of US senators viz. Jeanne Shaheen and Thom Tillis, are set to introduce legislation calling for sanctions to be imposed on senior Hungarian officials involved in obstructing aid to Ukraine.

If passed, the Block Putin act would require President Donald Trump to impose financial sanctions and visa bans on Hungarian government officials involved in the country’s purchases of Russian oil and gas, and who have sought to block support for Ukraine." (Financial Times: 26 March 2026) (my emphasis)

With the eyes of the world now focussed on the war between the US, Israel, and Iran, Anna Pruchnicka and Olena Harmash have just reported that,

" Ukraine and Saudi Arabia signed ​an agreement on ‌defence cooperation that lays the foundation for ​future contracts, technological ​cooperation and investments, President ⁠Volodymyr Zelenskiy (left: with Saudi Prince Mohammed ⁠bin Salman) said ​on Friday.

Zelenskiy, who is ​visiting Saudi Arabia, said the agreement was signed ​ahead of a ​meeting with Saudi Crown Prince ‌Mohammed ⁠bin Salman." (Reuters: 27 March 2026) (my emphasis)

As I wrote in my previous blog entry (15 March 2026),

"... it is now ironic that Trump, and even Saudi Arabia and other Middle East Gulf nations are knocking on the door of Zelensky to help them defend themselves against Iranian/Russian drones. (cf: BBC News, AP News, France 24) ."

And  Kathrine Frich (right) also reports that a staunch Putin blogger, Ilya Remeslo, 

"... argued that internal divisions are deepening among Russia’s top officials. He pointed to tensions involving senior figures such as Sergei Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov.

He also noted that state TV presenter Vladimir Solovyov has recently criticized key institutions, including the defense ministry and central bank.

“Every conflict drives a stake into the system, and I think the system will eventually explode,” the blogger emphasized." (Dagen.com: 25 March 2026) (y emphasis)

Which raises the question :-

Why is Putin practically holding a gun to the heads of his oligarchs to save the Russian economy?  

 

 

 

(to be continued)