Putin is now skating on very thin ice.

In my blog entry of  22/08/2016, I wrote that, 

"As reported by Olga Ivshina and Dmitry Bulin (19 August 2016),

"Russian President Vladimir Putin's new chief of staff Anton Vaino has reached the top shrouded in mystery.

He does not appear to have given any press interviews in his past career, and his official biography reveals little, beyond a steady rise over many years of service to the Kremlin." (BBC News : 19 August 2016) (my empahsis)

Even more disconcerting,

"Mr Vaino argues that the economy and society in general have become too complex to manage by traditional means. Governments need to seek new ways of regulating and controlling them.

The article describes a new device called a "nooscope" which, it says, can tap into global consciousness and "detect and register changes in the biosphere and in human activity". (ibid Ivshina and Bulin)

Fast forward to today and, as reported by Reuters,

"President Vladimir Putin inspected on Thursday the open sarcophagus of medieval warrior prince Dmitry Donskoy, whose remains were ​recently uncovered during restoration work at Moscow's Cathedral of ‌the Archangel.
… 
A prominent figure in Russian history, Donskoy oversaw the construction of the first stone Kremlin fortress, ⁠increased ​the territory of Muscovy, and routed ​forces of the Mongol horde in a famous battle near the Don river ​in 1380." (Reuters: 20 August 2026) (my emphasis)

 

WION : 20 August 2026: YouTube

Putin's invasion and annexation of Ukraine's Crimea into the Russian Federation in 2014, and his subsequent invasion and military occupation of swathes of Ukraine's Donbas and Lughansk, eerily mirrors prince Dmitry Donskoy's territorial ambitions, and his battle with Mongol hordes in 1380.

Reinforcing this identity of Putin with prince Dmitry Donskoy of 1380 we have the alleged "nooscope" of Putin's former Chief of Staff Anton Vaino which, it says, can tap into global consciousness and "detect and register changes in the biosphere and in human activity" (ibid Olga Ivshina and Dmitry Bulin)

With this demented mindset of Putin, Bobins Vayalil Abraham reports that,

"Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director John Ratcliffe, who on Tuesday, August 25, made an unannounced visit to Moscow, has shared his bleak assessment of the state of the Russia-Ukraine war with his Russian counterparts.
… 
The Wall Street Journal and CBS News reported CIA Director Ratcliffe's visit was aimed to dissuade Russia from attacking NATO members." (MINT : 28 August 2026) (my emphasis)

 

 CBS News: 28 August 2026: YouTube

It also included a call to end the war in Ukraine.

 

Even Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as reported by Priyanka Salve (left),

"Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged Russia to end the Ukraine war and for a cessation of hostilities during his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit on Monday." (CNBC : 31 August 2026) (my emphasis) (cf also: Financial Express: 1 September 2026)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's main concern is that the US Senate,

" … has passed a sweeping Russia sanctions bill that exposes India and other major buyers of Russian energy to tariffs of up to 100 per cent, raising concerns over potential trade implications.

The legislation, titled the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, was passed by an 86-11 vote and now moves to the House of Representatives, where some lawmakers have raised objections to its tariff provisions." (India West: 29 August 2026) (my emphasis)

If this Bill passes in the US Congress, given the fact that the late US Senator Lindsey Graham designed it, the rather cynical figleaf of 'peace' behind which Modi seeks to hide his 'lucrative' oil trade with Putin, and which is currently bankrolling Putin's war with Ukraine, will dissolve.

Meanwhile, as reported by Lauran O'Toole (left),

"Russian President Vladimir Putin fears for his own survival if he fails to achieve the Kremlin's minimum objective of capturing the entirety of the Donbas. He told sources close to him: "They're going to hang me", a Kremlin insider told The Economist.
… 
Putin has been grappling with elevated inflation and a struggling economy as it deals with the fallout from sanctions and attacks from Ukraine. Russia's economy is slowing sharply, with the highest interest rates in two decades driving up debt levels." (Daily Express on MSN: 31 August 2026) (my emphasis)

 

Anna From Ukraine: 31 August 2026: YouTube 

For Putin, therefore, the only immediate way in which he can full fill his demented idea of following in the footsteps of  prince Dmitry Donskoy of 1380 is to either use his 'nuclear' option or to threaten the Britain and the EU countries belonging to NATO.

The critical question is :-

"Is Putin's 'hybrid' war against Britain and EU NATO members a dangerous prelude to his pressing the 'nuclear' button as Ukraine continues to demolish not only the Russian army that invaded Ukraine, but also Ukraine's successful and ongoing demolishing of the Russian armament industry?

According to the Institute for the Study of War,

"Russia may conduct air, missile, or drone strikes or a limited incursion against one or more Baltic states to test and seek to break NATO’s resolve to invoke and respond under Article 5." (Institute for the Study of War: 27 August 2029) (my emphasis)

Furthermore,

"Several unidentified drones entered Moldovan airspace on the night of August 26 to 27, demonstrating that the Kremlin continues to accept the risk that Russia’s war against Ukraine can cause damage to other states, including Moldova and NATO states bordering Ukraine." (ibid  Institute for the Study of War)

By pushing the envelope in his 'hybrid' war with NATO, Putin is skating on very thin ice. 

  

 (to be continued)