Putin is now staring into the breakup of the Russian Federation.

 In my last blog post  (1 September 2026) I wrote that,

 "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. 

Now recall that in May of this year (18 May 2026), as reported by The New Indian Express,

"India will continue importing Russian crude oil irrespective of the status of US sanctions waivers, a senior government official said on Monday, asserting that the country’s energy security and economic interests remain the top priority amid rising global fuel prices and tensions in West Asia." (The New Indian Express : 18 May 2026) (my emphasis)

Fast forward to today and Shubhajit Roy (left) informs us that, 

"Days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to move from “endless war” to “end of war”, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar (right) said in Kyiv on Thursday that stopping purchase of Russian oil will not “dissolve” the conflict, and underlined the
need for “dialogue and diplomacy”. He said India was ready to “help in any manner” to end the Russia-Ukraine war." (The Indian Express : 4 September 2026) (my emphasis)

 

India Today: 44 September 2026 : YouTube

The fact that, as reported by Phil Flynn (left),

"While oil prices are on the verge of posting a two-week gain, as we look ahead oil traders might start to worry about a coming oil glut that the back end of the oil curve is starting to price in.
… 
And this week it was confirmed that we were getting more oil out of the Strait of Hormuz that people knew and its why the predictions of $100 dollar plus a barrel of oil have not come true." (Investing.com : 21 August 2026) (my emphasis)

rather gives the 'diplomatic' lie to the mantra of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that,

" ... the country’s (India's) energy security and economic interests remain the top priority amid rising global fuel prices and tensions in West Asia, and that “dialogue and diplomacy” is required to end Putin's war with Ukraine. (ibid The New Indian Express)

Narendra Modi receives a hefty discount for his oil imports from Putin, and it is in his interests to continue doing so irrespective of Putin's manic bombing of Ukraine's civilians.

And whilst Modi continues with his mantra of "dialogue and diplomacy", Putin is dismissing all and sundry, including Trump, in negotiating an end to his war with Ukraine.

As Ukrainska Pravda reports,

"First and foremost, Russia and Ukraine must reach an agreement between themselves [on ending the war – ed.]. Other countries are ready to support and help. And not only the United States… China, for example, constantly draws attention to this and is helping to ensure that the problem is resolved, primarily through peaceful means.

But still, first and foremost, this problem must be resolved by the countries involved in the conflict: Russia and Ukraine. This is the right approach." (Ukrainska Pravda : 3 September 2026) (my emphasis)

Thumping his chest with puny fists; once again, Putin is simply re-iterating his demand for the unconditional surrender of Ukraine, even as :-

• the Russian economy is imploding, 
• the Ukraine army is pushing the Russian army out of Ukraine, 
• and the war has been brought into the homes of the Russian people.

But it is not only Narendra Modi hiding behind his mantra of "dialogue and diplomacy"

Elon Musk hides behind his mantra of, "Putin escalating his war with Ukraine" if his Starlink system is used to aid Ukraine in identifying from where in Russia Putin is releasing his missiles towards the cities of Ukraine.

As Palash Ghosh (left) reports,

"On Aug. 26, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree awarding an Order of Freedom medal, one of the nation’s highest state honors, to Elon Musk. The medal is the latest and least subtle instrument in a monthslong campaign to persuade the SpaceX CEO to let Ukrainian drones use Starlink over Russian territory, which would allow Ukraine to hunt the mobile launchers now hitting its cities. A week has passed, and Musk has not acknowledged it yet.
… 
Musk cannot favour one side over the other in this war, as he also has high-level contacts in Moscow.
… 
Musk’s alleged ties to the Kremlin prompted some U.S. Democrats to call for an investigation into these links, given Musk’s status as a major defense contractor with top-secret security clearance." (Observer: 3 September 2026) (my emphasis)

Let us remind ourselves that in 2022, when Putin invaded Ukraine with his Russian army,

"Musk 'warned' about Putin using a nuclear bomb if Ukraine's Crimea was ever attempted to be re-taken from Putin's Russia by Ukraine's army" (blog entry : 4 October 2022)

  

 Hindustan Times : 18 October 2022 

Let us also remind ourselves that in my blog entry of 23 August 2023, I wrote that,

" It is now flooding the internet ether that the "Privileged Apartheid Reared South African (PARSA)", Elon Musk, 

" ... considered [last year] pulling Starlink satellite internet from Ukraine after having a “great conversation with Putin,” according to a former Pentagon official" (Josh Salisbury: Evening Standard: 22 August 2023) (my emphasis) (cf also: Kate Nicholson: Huffington Post : 22 August 2023)." (blog entry : 23 August 2023)

Is it any surprise that, "A week has passed, and Musk has not yet acknowledged receiving an 'Order Of Freedom' medal from President Zelensky?  

Whilst Putin may be basking in the glow of the tacit (and critical) support he is currently receiving from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Elon Musk, he is nonetheless also anxiously glancing over his shoulder at the imploding Russian economy and the inevitable return of Crimea back to Ukraine.

Putin is now also staring into the breakup of the Russian Federation.

  

 (to be continued)