Has Putin bitten off more than he can chew?

There is a 'perfect storm' gathering over Ukraine.

The 'boyars' of Yanukovich, left in the lurch after he fled into the arms of Putin, are beginning to feel the increasing heat of the clamour against the corruption and 'theft', coming from the Ukrainian people, the US, and the EU., under which they amassed their ill-gotten fortunes.

As  Mikheil Saakashvili has also suggested,

" ... Ukraine could elbow the ultrarich from politics by cleaning up state-owned enterprises.

 

“You can just cleanse them of their oligarch manager and basically destroy or abolish this joint stock company of oligarchs that is what they see, what they regard, as Ukraine,” he said. (Andrew E. Kramer : New York Times : Feb. 3, 2016) (my emphasis)

This 'cleansing of Ukrainian state-owned enterprises of  oligarch managers' has been further underlined by,

"Ukraine's economy minister Aivarus Abromavicius (left)  [who] has resigned in protest at the slow pace of reform in the country.

He said he did not want to provide "cover" for widespread government corruption." (BBC News : 3 February 2016) (my emphasis)

This head of steam, bubbling up against the corruption in Ukraine, threatens to critically split the Poroshenko government.

 

And standing on the sidelines we have Putin, rubbing his hands in obvious glee.

So much so, that he has given the 'green light' to his rebel proxies in eastern Ukraine, to trample once again all over the Minsk2 agreements.

It is therefore no wonder that, as reported by UNIAN,

 

"Ukrainian officials are reporting up to 71 attacks a day, with most of the fighting concentrated around the separatist-held cities of Donetsk and Gorlovka [Horlivka in Ukrainian], as well as the countryside east of the Azov port city of Mariupol." (The Daily Beast :UNIAN : 03.02.2016) (my emphasis)

Similarly, it is no co-incidence that, as Paul Carrel reports,

"Russia was building up its military presence on the border with Ukraine, [Poroshenko] said.

"The danger of an open war is greater than last year," Poroshenko told Bild, in an interview published in its Wednesday edition. "Russia is investing a great deal in war preparations."
 

 Merkel pressed Putin by phone on Tuesday to use his influence to ensure that a ceasefire is upheld in Ukraine and that monitors from the OSCE European security organization are granted free access to conflict areas, her spokesman said." (Reuters : Wed Feb 3, 2016) (my emphasis)

Paul Carrel further reports that, 

"Berlin is growing increasingly suspicious that Russia is trying to stir up trouble in Germany to try to weaken Merkel, who has taken a tough line on a crisis that was triggered when Russia annexed Crimea in March 2014.

German officials say Moscow hopes to destabilize Europe and create a vacuum into which it can project its own power." (ibid Carrel) (my emphasis) 

This 'divide-and-rule' tactic of Putin is best exemplified by the fact that,

"Bavarian Premier Horst Seehofer (below left) on Wednesday called for an easing of Ukraine-related sanctions against Russia "in due course," ahead of a controversial meeting with President Vladimir Putin at his residence outside Moscow.
 

"We want to make an honest contribution to the rebuilding of trust and normality in a difficult political environment," the head of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's Bavarian sister party said later during his talks with Putin." (DPA : About Croatia : Wed, 03/02/2016) (my emphasis)

 It is also exemplified by the fact that,

"With the Syrian government intensifying its assault on rebels in Aleppo, the United Nations formally suspended faltering peace talks in Geneva Wednesday and appealed to the big powers to prod their Syrian proxies to end the fighting.

The move came hours after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov delivered a blunt message to the peacemakers seeking to silence the guns in Syria. Lavrov made it clear that Moscow — which has provided extensive military assistance to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad — has no intention of pausing a barrage of airstrikes in the rebel-controlled areas around the cities of Aleppo and Homs." (John Hudson & Colum Lynch : FP : February 3, 2016) (my emphasis)

Putin's current moves in Ukraine, Germany, and in Syria, are beginning to display a sense of desperation on his part.

To maintain his growing and precarious hold on power in Russia he is finally toying with the 'war' card to deflect the eyes of the Russian people away from their growing impoverishment by arousing within them a dangerous nationalism.

As Poroshenko told Bildt,

""The danger of an open war is greater than last year," (ibid Paul Carrel)

And this war may not only involve Ukraine.

(to be continued)

Is Putin's foreign minister, Lavrov, loosing his mind?

Natalia Zinets reported on 24th January, 2015, that,

"Ukraine will not give its eastern regions greater autonomy until a lasting ceasefire with pro-Russian separatist rebels is in place, President Petro Poroshenko said on Sunday, in comments that could antagonize the rebels and the Kremlin." (Reuters : January 24, 2016) (my emphasis)

Yet, as repotrted recently on RU Expatica,

"Poroshenko accused "Russia and its proxies" of failing to observe the ceasefire, and of some 1,200 shellings in January alone.

Observers from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) are denied access to the border, he said, adding that "this is not surprising as Russia still supplies troops, heavy weapons and ammunition to Donbass over the border and does not want witnesses to these illicit activities."
(RU Expatica : 1 Feb. 2016) (my emphasis)

Even Angela Merkel, who apparently has a portrait on her desk of Russian empress Catherine the Great, the Prussian-born princess, is now openly 'bemoaning',

"...the lack of progress between Ukraine and Russia to implement the initial terms of their peaceful political agreement.

Fighting between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian troops in the country’s eastern Donbas region has continued, despite political arrangements to implement a cease-fire and hold local elections in the cities of Donetsk and Luhansk, Ms. Merkel said before a closed-door meeting with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in Berlin on Monday." (Zeke Turner : Wall Street Journal : Feb. 1, 2016) (my emphasis)

Yet once again we have that 'dyed-in-the-wool-Soviet' foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, screaming from the rafters that,

"Ukraine is dragging its feet on implementation of the Minsk peace agreement because its wants to keep in place the Western sanctions imposed on Russia, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday." (Reuters : Tue Jan 26, 2016)

 Now recall that on the 29 January, I posed the following question:


"Will Putin withdraw his Russian soldiers and military equipment from the rebel-held territory of eastern Ukraine if the Steinmeier Formula of granting autonomy to these rebel-held territories is implemented?"

This is precisely the question that Lavrov simply ignores. Indeed, one could go so far as to say that Lavrov seems to have developed something of a "blind spot" over this issue, very similar to the "blind spot" that he has developed of being a signatory to the Budapest Memorandum of 1994 that stipulated,

"According to the memorandum, Russia, the U.S., and the UK confirmed, in recognition of Ukraine becoming party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and in effect abandoning its nuclear arsenal to Russia, that they would:

1. Respect Ukrainian independence and sovereignty and the existing borders.
2. Refrain from the threat or use of force against Ukraine.
3. Refrain from using economic pressure on Ukraine in order to influence its politics.
4. Seek immediate United Nations Security Council action to provide assistance to Ukraine, "if Ukraine should become a victim of an act of aggression or an object of a threat of aggression in which nuclear weapons are used".
5. Refrain from the use of nuclear arms against Ukraine.
6. Consult with one another if questions arise regarding these commitments. (Wikipedia) (my emphasis)

(LiveLeak)

Added to which,

 

 

"Two Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in the country's war-torn east where government forces are seeking to put down a pro-Russian insurgency, the first reported casualties in nearly three weeks, Ukraine's military said Sunday." (Yahoo News : January 31, 2016) (my emphasis)

 

It is not Poroshenko who is "dragging his feet in implementing Minsk2".

Rather, Sergey Lavrov should avert his eyes towards his boss, Vladimir Putin, before making such "foot-in-mouth" statements.

(to be continued)

Putin's economy on the verge of being bailed out, at the expense of Ukraine.

There are ominous developments in the air.

Suddenly the EU, US, and Canada are all pushing Ukraine towards a compromise with Putin.

The tri-lateral group (pictured below: Kutchmna (Ukraine), Gryslov (Russia),  and Special Representative of the OSCE) that met in Minsk on 27th January have come up with, what they call,

" 'The [Putinversteher] Steinmeier Formula,' [which] provides for elections in Donbas and amending the Constitution of Ukraine to grant autonomy for the militant-held areas." (UT : Jan. 28, 2016) (my emphasis)

At the same time, Mike Blanchfield reports that,

"[Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane] Dion (right) said Canada remains a steadfast friend of Ukraine, but will be open to talking to Russia because it could serve Canada's needs, including in the Arctic where the two countries have shared interests.

"Today, the United States is speaking to Russia. Europe is speaking to Russia. Japan is speaking to Russia," Dion said.  (CBC News : Jan 28, 2016) (my emphasis)

And coming out of the woodworm to support Stephane Dion we have none other than that 'dyed-in-the-wool Soviet' foreing minister, Lavrov himself!

As reported by Susan Ormiston,

"Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reached out Tuesday to the new government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau while decrying the government of Trudeau's predecessor Stephen Harper as "Russia-phobic."
.....
Lavrov said Russia "was stunned by the absence of pragmatism" as Canada followed the "blatant interests of the Ukrainian diaspora ignoring Canada's national interests."
 .....
Russia looks forward to new relations with Canada, Lavrov said." (CBC News : Jan 26, 2016) (my emphasis)

Recall that as early as Sep. 21, 2015,

"European Union Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini has joined Angela Merkel of Germany in calling for local elections in the wartorn east of Ukraine to be held under Ukrainian law, after Russian-backed militants suggested they would hold their own independent elections." (UT : Sep. 21, 2015)

This position of the EU in September of last year does not quite square with the current 'Steinmeier Formula' that specifically states that the Ukrainian contitution must be changed to grant autonomy for the militant-held areas in Donbas.

Of what value, therefore, would it be to hold elections in this 'autonomous' region of Ukraine?

If the region becomes 'autonomous', even within Ukraine itself, it follows logically that this 'autonomous' region should then determine HOW elections within it are held.

For the 'fragrant' Fedrerica Mogherini and Angela Merkel to say that any elections in this new 'Steinmeier' autonomous region must be within Ukrainian law is totally illogical.

This is precisely the strategy employed by Putin and his 'glove puppet' Medvedev, when Russia invaded Georgia in 2008, supporting the 'breakaway' Georgia regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. (Wikipedia)

And it is now coming to fruition in Ukraine.

So why is the EU, the US, and Canada suddenly coming to the aid of Putin?

They simply cannot afford Putin's economy to implode!

Like the bailout of the US and EU banks during the economic crisis of 2007-2008, which threatened the collapse of large western financial institutions and, 

" ....  which was prevented by the bailout of banks by national governments, but stock markets still dropped worldwide." (Wikipedia),

we now have call for the lifting of sanctions against Putin being near identical to the bailout of banks in 2007-2008, that prevented a worldwide 'depression'. 

And the price of  Putin's  economic bailout is on the heads of Ukrainians.

Roman Bezsmertnyi (below: left), who represents Ukrainian members of the Minsk Trilateral group, correctly stated that,

"... the implementation of the [Steinmeier] plan was written in Moscow and is unrealistic.

 Bezsmertny said statements by his Russian counterparts at the Minsk talks are tantamount to "political weaseling." (UT : Jan. 28, 2016)

Furthermore, the UT report states that,

"Leading Ukrainian parliament deputies from the largest pro-presidential and pro-government factions have for weeks said that it is impossible to hold democratic elections in Donbas until combined Russian-separatist forces withdraw themselves and their weapons from Ukraine." (ibid UT) (my emphasis)

Will Putin withdraw his Russian soldiers and military equipment from the rebel-held territory of eastern Ukraine if the Steinmeier (right) Formula of granting autonomy to these rebel-held territories is implemented?


Go ahead little piggies ... Fly ... Fly ... Fly


(to be continued)

Is Putin being let off the hook of a crumbling economy, at the expense of Ukraine?

In my blog-entry of 4th January, I stated that,

"This relationship between Hollande and Putin no doubt 'coloured' Hollande's input during the recent Skype meeting between Merkel, Hollande, Poroshenko and Putin, regarding the full implementation of Minsk2.

Bear in mind also that Merkel opened the doors of Germany to hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees fleeing from Assad's war against his people, even though she initially received much 'flak' from many political quarters in Germany. (Deborah Cole : AFP (Yahoo News): 15 December 2015)

As I stated in my last blog entry,

"From this [Skype Conference held on 30 December, 2015] one can only deduce that the hidden agenda of Merkel and Hollande is to get sanctions against Russia lifted!

 

Watch this hidden agenda unfold as the New Year progresses."

Suddenly, since yesterday (25 Jan. 2016), a veritable 'chorus' has erupted, from John Kerry to the French Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron to the German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, and to that 'dyed-in-the-wool" Soviet foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, that sanctions against Putin's Russia could soon be lifted.

As Gregory Viscusi, Ian Wishart, and Kambiz Foroohar report,

"The worsening of crises from Syria to Libya are forcing the international community to reconsider sanctions slapped on President Vladimir Putin’s government over Ukraine as a way of getting a key diplomatic power broker on board. Of late, a flurry of senior officials from the U.S. and the European Union have suggested a thaw is within reach." (Bloomberg Business : January 26, 2016) (my emphasis)

Furthermore that,

"German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble (right) wrote in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper Monday that the EU should forge closer ties with Russia to help resolve the civil war in Syria and reduce tension in the Middle East between Sunni and Shia Muslims.

That came on the heels of Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron (left) telling his country’s businessmen in Moscow that France would like to see sanctions lifted by the summer.

“[John] Kerry (right) is holding the possibility of lifting the sanctions but Russia has to do certain things, like cooperate on Ukraine and Syria and then the U.S. would reverse some sanctions,” said Mark Katz, a professor of government and politics at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. (ibid Viscusi, Wishart, and Foroohar) (my emphasis)

These developments come close on the heels of that 'secret' meeting between Victoria Nuland and Vladislav Surkov (left) held on Jan. 15 in Kaliningrad.

As Lucian Kim reports,

" ... Their six-hour “brainstorming” session, Surkov later told Russian journalists, touched on the thorniest issues of Ukraine’s tenuous peace process and proved both “constructive and useful.” (Reuters : January 25, 2016) (my emphasis)

In yesterday's blog entry (25 Jan. 2016) I wrote that,

"Is the ghost of Catherine the Great, that German "daughter of Prince Christian of Analt-Zerbst, a small German principality", [who] at "15 years old, [was selected by] Empress Elizabeth of Russia to be the wife of her nephew and heir, the future Emperor (Czar) Peter III, of Russia, and who "annexed Crimea "in violation of the Peace Treaty of Kϋϛϋk Kaynarca.", hovering over Angela Merkel? (Crimea Historical Society)
 

Is it not ironic that the two Germans, Catherine the Great and Angela Merkel, are giving Crimea to Russia, the first by conquest, and the second by ..... political expediency?

Is it therefore any wonder that Poroshenko is now putting Crimea back on the agenda, expecting to,

".... bring the Russian-occupied part of eastern Ukraine and annexed Crimea back under government control by the year’s end."? (KyivPost :  Jan. 14, 2016)"

And today we have that 'dyed-in-the-wool-Soviet' foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, pronouncing that,

"There is nothing to return, we are in talks with no one on Crimea's return. Crimea is Russian territory in full conformity with the expression of will of Crimea's peoples," he said at a news conference dedicated to the results of 2015, TASS wrote." (UNIAN : 26.01.2016) (my emphasis)

This sudden eruption of calls to

• lift sanctions against Russia as a sort of 'payback' to Putin for coming on side in the Syrian conflict, and
• Lavrov's sudden outburst about Ukrainian Crimea being "Russian territory in full conformity with the expression of will of Crimea's peoples"

cannot be co-incidental.

Which rather also poses the question,

"Will this sudden call for the lifting of sanctions apply exclusively to those sanctions implemented when Putin started his war with Ukraine in the Ukrainian Donbas region, or will it also INCLUDE those sanctions imposed on Putin and his cronies over his annexation of Ukrainian Crimea?"

Those now clamouring for the lifting of sanctions are NOT making this distinction.

This is why Lavrov is now hastily pre-empting Poroshenko's strategy to bring,

"... Crimea back under [Ukrainian] government control by the year’s end." (KyivPost :  Jan. 14, 2016)"

But perhaps the most significant aspect of this call to lift the sanctions against Putin and his cronies, is the fact that, finally, the international community has been made aware of the corrupt and kleptocratic nature of Putin himself. 

And this is the man that is now being let off the hook of his country's collapsing economy, a country's from which he has plundered billions of dollars.

(to be continued) 

Is Putin being bought off with Crimea?

BBC News reported today (25/1/2016) that,

• "Russia's economy contracted by 3.7% in 2015, according to preliminary figures published by the country's statistics service.
• Retail sales plunged by 10% and capital investment fell by 8.4% in the economy's worst performance since 2009.
• Even pro-Kremlin media now admit that the country is facing a full blown economic crisis.
• Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev warned earlier this month that the fall could force Russia's 2016 budget to be revised." (BBC News : 25 January 2016)

By contrast, Holly Ellyat (left) of CNBC reported from Davos (cf: also James Quinn : Daily Telegraph) that,

"Despite rampant inflation and only a recent recovery from recession, Ukraine will be able to eke out modest growth in 2016, Ukraine's finance minister told CNBC Thursday.
 ....
Natalie Ann Jaresko [Ukraine Finance Minister] told CNBC on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos.

"We've turned the corner and I think this year, we're looking to see growth and even if it's slight growth, it's growth. Coming out of a recession, restoring stability and providing new jobs and new consumer purchasing power to the people (is the aim)." (CNBC : Thu, 21 Jan '16)(my emphasis)

We now have to ask ourselves the following questions.

(1) Why is the so-called leader of the eastern Ukraine rebel held area of Donetsk,
      Alexander Zakharchenko (right) once again,

• "[refusing] to hold a local ballot in accordance with Ukrainian law
• [banning] the participation of any Ukrainian parties in future local elections [in the rebel held area of Donetsk]"? (UT : Jan. 24, 2016)

(2) Why has the French Finance Minister, Emmanuel Macron, stated on a recent visit to
      Moscow  that,
 

"The goal that we all share is to be able to lift the sanctions this summer because the (Minsk peace) process will have been respected," Macron told French business executives during a visit

to Moscow."? (Yahoo News (Moscow (AFP)) : 25 Jan. 2016) (my emphasis)

But perhaps, most important of all,

(3) Why has US Secretary of State, John Kerry, just last Friday (22 Jan. 2016)

"....held out the prospect of lifting the sanctions if the Minsk agreement is implemented in full.

"With effort and with bona-fide legitimate intent to solve the problem on both sides, it is possible in these next months to find those Minsk agreements implemented," Kerry said in a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland."? (ibid Emmanuel Macron) (my emphasis)

The statements of Emmanuel Macron and John Kerry throws into sharp relief

• the unbridgeable gulf that has grown between Putin and his proxy, Alexander Zakharchenko, in the rebel-held Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, 
• as well as the possible understatement of Putin's economic woes by so many western economic pundits, woes that can be ameliorated if sanctions against Russia are lifted.

Poroshenko, however, still has to convince the Ukrainian parliament (the Rada) that the implementation of points 3 & 9 of Minsk1 viz.

• Decentralisation of power, including through the adoption of the Ukrainian law "On temporary Order of Local Self-Governance in Particular Districts of Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts".
•  To ensure early local elections in accordance with the Ukrainian law "On temporary Order of Local Self-Governance in Particular Districts of Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts". (Wikipedia)

has to take place if the Minsk2 agreement is to be fulfilled, and an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine be brought about.

But these are the sticking points for many in the Ukrainian Rada.

To appease his critics in the Rada, President Poroshenko stated that,

"Ukraine will not give its eastern regions greater autonomy until a lasting ceasefire with pro-Russian separatist rebels is in place, President Petro Poroshenko said on Sunday, in comments that could antagonise the rebels and the Kremlin." (Natalia Zinets : Reuters:  Sun Jan 24, 2016) (my emphasis)

Poroshenko added that,

"Another condition is giving international monitors unfettered access to the border between Ukraine and Russia to monitor the flow of troops and arms into eastern Ukraine." (ibid Natalia Zinets) (my emphasis)

However he also warned that,

"Those political forces that want to torpedo the Minsk agreements at any cost...and to block the constitutional process, must clearly understand the consequences of their actions," he said.

"They will lead to the resumption of the 'hot phase' of the conflict, including a full-scale -- and not local, as it has been so far -- conflict with Russia," he added. (RFERL : Monday, January 25, 2016) (my emphasis)

Underscoring Poroshenko's warning, Diane Francis (right) of the Financial Post reports that,

“If Ukraine collapses, another migration of a few million people to the EU will occur,” said financier George Soros during the panel discussion [at Davros].

“The German finance minister [Wolfgang Schaeble (left)] proposed an EU-funded Marshall Plan to help with its migration issues. That should include funds to help pay for Ukraine’s important role in defending Europe against Putin.” (The Vancouver Sun : January 24, 2016)

Yet we have John Kerry and Emmanuel Macron being rather upbeat about the FULL implementation of Minsk2 within a few months from now.

In other words, they envisage

• a full and sustainable ceasefire between Ukraine and Putin's rebel-proxies,
• the implementation of a "temporary Order of Local Self-Governance in Particular Districts of Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts",
• early local elections in accordance with the Ukrainian law (and under international supervision) "On temporary Order of Local Self-Governance in Particular Districts of Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts", and
• the giving to international monitors unfettered access to the border between Ukraine and Russia

within a few MONTHS from now. 

The critical condition of Poroshenko that international monitors have "unfettered access to the border" now controlled by Putin, and that Kerry and Macron seem to believe that this will be implemented a few months down the line, is either wishful thinking on their part, or the fact that Putin has decided to 'throw in the towel' and completely abandon his rebel proxies in eastern Ukraine.

For John Kerry and Emmanuel Mecron to expect Putin to 'throw in the towel', without him losing face, seems simply to be 'too good to be true'. 

Now recall that on Apr. 27, 2015, 9 months ago, Angela Merkel stated that, 

"The decision by all heads of states [during the European Council meeting in March] means that the duration of the sanctions is related to completing the Minsk agreements of February this year. " (UT : Apr. 27, 2015) (my emphasis)

However,

"... Merkel's comments did not clarify whether Russia's ongoing illegal occupation of Crimea was tied to maintaining sanctions. The EU, US and other western nations imposed sanctions on Moscow last year following their seizure of Ukrainian territory." (ibid UT) (my emphasis)

Is the ghost of Catherine the Great, that German "daughter of Prince Christian of Analt-Zerbst, a small German principality", [who] at "15 years old, [was selected by] Empress Elizabeth of Russia to be the wife of her nephew and heir, the future Emperor (Czar) Peter III, of Russia, and who "annexed Crimea "in violation of the Peace Treaty of Kϋϛϋk Kaynarca.", hovering over Angela Merkel? (Crimea Historical Society)

Is it not ironic that the two Germans, Catherine the Great and Angela Merkel, are giving Crimea to Russia, the first by conquest, and the second by ..... political expediency?

Is it therefore any wonder that Poroshenko is now putting Crimea back on the agenda, expecting to,

".... bring the Russian-occupied part of eastern Ukraine and annexed Crimea back under government control by the year’s end."? (KyivPost :  Jan. 14, 2016)

(to be continued)

Putin's abyss ... Alexander Litvinenko

The  published Report (21 January 2016) of the inquiry, chaired by Sir Robert Owen, into the 2006 murder of ex-Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko in London, has sent shockwaves throughout the world.

"Taking full account of all the evidence and analysis available to me, I find that the FSB operation to kill Litvinenko was probably approved by Mr Patrushev and also by President Putin," Sir Robert wrote." (BBC News : 21 January 2016) (my emphasis)

"[Sir Robert] Owen said the method of killing, with radioactive poison, fit with the deaths of several other opponents of Putin and his government, and noted that Putin had "supported and protected" Lugovoi since the killing, even awarding him a medal for service to the nation." (FirstPost (Associated Press) :  Jan 22, 2016) (my emphasis)

This findings of Sir Robert Owen has pulled the rug out from under the feet of Putin's assiduously cultivated image of himself since his days as deputy mayor of St. Petersburg in 1992.

Putin's inner-circle clan members, Boris Gryzlov (left), a real Kremlin heavyweight recently appointed as Moscow’s representative to peace talks about Ukraine, and Vladislav Surkov (right), another close adviser to Putin who recently held talks about the implementation of Minsk2 with Victoria Nuland, will now have difficulty in presenting Putin as anything other than a 'murderer' of political opponents.

The 'macho' image of Putin has been universally shattered, and will have a direct effect on those who have to deal with him on the international stage.

It is not so much that Putin has had one of his opponents murdered, as in the case of Boris Nemtsov or Anna Politkovskaya, but rather that the murder of Litvinenko took place in London rather than in Russia itself.

And Putin's executors of Litvinenko's murder are currently living in Moscow under the protection of Putin himself.

One is here reminded of the murder of  Leon Trotsky in Mexico by Stalin's assasins all those years ago.

This international exposing of Putin as a murderer, whilst the 2016 World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos is still taking place, and at which Holly Ellyat reports that,

"[Natalie] Jaresko said Crimea's annexation was still a raw topic for Ukraine and that the country's president was keen to keep the spotlight on Crimea. "(The Ukrainian president) recently held a press conference where he talked about trying to begin a dialogue so that Crimea doesn't fall off the agenda, because this has never fallen off the agenda for Ukraine," she said." (CNBC : 21 January,2016) (my emphasis)

will now internationally present Putin's annexation of Ukrainian Crimea in a different light.

It is now not merely Putin who annexed Ukrainian Crimea, but rather Putin 'the murderer' who did it.

Furthermore, given the fact that last Friday (15 January, 2016) one could almost hear Putin's 'Grey Cardinal', Vladislav Surkov, pushing Putin's agenda,

"...for assurances over some form of enhanced autonomy (Kosovo-style) or a federal-style solution [for eastern Ukraine] – which are still clearly unacceptable to Kyiv." (Timothy Ash : KyivPost : Jan. 18, 2016) (my emphasis),

we now has to wonder that whatever Nuland and Surkov may have agreed upon at this meeting, where they discussed the implementation of the Minsk2 agreements in Ukraine, and that took place behind closed doors in the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, may come to haunt Victoria Nuland.

Victoria Nuland now treads a very thin line, lest she falls into the same trap as did Neville Chamberlain who, after his meeting with Hitler, waved that piece of paper exclaiming, "peace for our time", and which was shortly followed by Hitler's  invasion of Poland and WWII.  


Putin's 'Grey Cardinal', Vladislav Surkov, may have been all "compromise and promising" over the full implementation of Minsk2 at their private meeting in Kaliningrad.

But now the words of Sir Robert Owen, like the Sword of Damocles, hangs over her head.

(to be continued)

Putin beginning to flounder

Timothy Ash  (left) speculates about that 'closed' meeting (15.01.2016) in the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad  between Victoria Nuland, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State, and Vladislav Surkov,, that,

"... Moscow seems to be willing to deal – and this was likely the topic of discussion for Nuland/Surkov, and also for Boris Gryzlov in his recent trip to Kyiv. The question will be how far Poroshenko wants to push Moscow at this stage, and will the West be cajoling him along to accept a compromise which still might be difficult for him to sell back home, and could still destabilize domestic politics in Ukraine. (KyivPost : Jan. 18, 2016) (my emphasis)

 Victoria Nuland                        Vladislav Surkov

 

Vladislav Surkov, known as the Kremlin's 'gray cardinal' by Russians, was

" .... brought [ ] in from the cold [ by Putin] as his personal advisor on the breakaway regions of Abkhasia and South Ossetia, as well as Ukraine, which is the position he holds to this day." (Cicero Magazine : June 17, 2015)

Timothy Ash further speculates that,

" I think what is clear is that Russia is now facing a much more difficult economic outlook than even a few months ago. The drop in oil prices over the past month, amid the Saudi-Iran schism, seems to have been the game-changer for Moscow – and survival of the regime seems to now be the name of the game (or at least there is serious concern how long Russia’s balance sheet can hold up to ensure social stability) (ibid KyivPost) (my emphasis)

Supporting his view that, "survival of the regime seems to now be the name of the game" is the fact that,

• Russian gas giant Gazprom on Tuesday fired off a new salvo in Moscow's feud with Ukraine by demanding some $2.5 billion for Kiev allegedly breaching its supply contract. (AFP (Yahoo News) :January 19, 2016) for gas that Ukraine DID NOT BUY from it. Furthermore, "Moscow failed to explain why Gazprom had decided to ask for the money nearly four months after it was allegedly due." (cf: Ania Tsoukanova and Max Delany) 

and,

• [Russian] Finance Minister Anton Siluanov (right) said the budget could only balance this year at $82 a barrel for oil. “We have to take well-thought-out measures on how to bring the budget in accordance with the new realities,” he said. “In the current difficult conditions, we must speak of a very thrifty, strict budget policy, in order not to end up with high deficit levels or a high volume of debt.” (Daniel Schearf: VOA : January 13, 2016)

Added to which,

".. French presidential envoy Jacques Audibert and his German counterpart Christoph Heusgen came to Kiev as part of a sudden resurgence in efforts to resolve one of Europe's deadliest crises since the 1990s Balkans wars." (Ania Tsoukanova and Max Delany : AFP (Yahoo News) : 20 January, 2016) (my emphasis)

Jacques Audibert and Christoph Heusgenmet,

"... also visited "practically all" lawmakers to see if they intended to pass a stalled Western-backed constitutional amendment granting special status to rebel-run parts of the eastern regions of Lugansk and Donetsk.

But a Ukrainian source said the French and German diplomats were met with a stern rebuff." (ibid Ania Tsoukanova and Max Delany) (my emphasis)

This sudden flurry of meetings being attended by top ranking Putin cronies, and focussed on trying to obtain a 'diplomatic face-saving' implementation of the Minsk2 protocols for Putin, also comes amid a growing dissatisfaction with the red tape, incompetence, and corruption that now rules annexed Ukrainian Crimea.

As Shaun Walker reports,

"Crimea deserves more than it has got over the past two years,” said Leonid Grach, the last communist leader of the territory before the Soviet Union collapsed.
“It should have been an example region of what can be done ... instead it feels like we are Russia’s unloved stepdaughter.”

....

“The money [Putin has poured into Ukrainian Crimea] has not gone to solve problems but has lined the pockets of the Crimean nouveaux riches,” he said. (The Guardian : Tuesday 19 January 2016) (my emphasis)

As another indicator of the survival strategy that Putin is now confronted with, there is an uptick in his flooding the EU with verifiable 'false' propaganda.

As reported by Andrew Rettman (left),

"The Azov Regiment, a squad of irregular, nationalist fighters in Ukraine, has debunked a YouTube clip threatening terrorist attacks if Dutch people vote No in a referendum on the EU-Ukraine trade treaty." (EU Observer : BRUSSELS, 19. Jan. 2016) (my emphasis)

The EU now has its own "Disinformation Review",

"... It is a weekly publication, which collects as many examples of the Russian disinformation attacks as possible, and in real time.
...
The review is being prepared by our recently established special EU Task Force (StratCom East) countering the Russian disinformation campaign." (EEAS : 14/11/2015)

This uptick in the spreading of 'false' propaganda about Ukraine by Putin's propaganda machine, together with the recent cyber attacks emanating from Russia on Borispol Airport and the Ukrainian electricity grid, is further consolidating Ukraine as a state that is becoming truly independent from Russia.

As Timothy Ash puts it,

"The harder that Moscow now presses Ukraine in the trade, economy, debt and energy fields, the more independent of Russia Ukraine becomes, and the weaker foothold that Russia will have for the future in Ukraine.

Thus having lost the battle for “heart and minds” in Ukraine after the annexation of Crimea and the military intervention in Donbas, there will be little reason for Ukrainians to economically interact with Russia – and even more to develop other economic relationships Westwards. (ibid Timothy Ash) (my emphasis)

And lest we forget.

Ukrainian army pilot Nadia Savchenko

Still held in a Russian prison.

(to be continued0