Putin now finds himself against the ropes, flailing in all directions against Ukraine.

 In my blog entry of 17 March 2022 I wrote that,

"Putin's formidable war machine has encountered a Ukrainian force that will not be cowed into submission, no matter what he throws at them." (blog : 17 March 2022)

Since then, the rapidly changing events of Putin's second war with Ukraine has taken the world by storm.

The pushback of Ukrainian forces on ALL fronts against Putin's war machine is taking a heavy toll on Putin's retreating Russian soldiers. 

As reported by BBC News,

"Russia continues to face fierce resistance from Ukraine, more than a month into its invasion.
...
Ukrainian forces have begun attempts to retake some areas from Russia, which said this week it would scale back operations around Kyiv and the northern city of Chernihiv....
...
It has surprised President Putin, and the world, by mounting skilled and stubborn resistance against a larger, better equipped army. Equally, Russian forces have surprised the world by being disorganised and inept. (BBC News : 1 April 2022) (my emphasis) 

Ali Velshi : MSNBC : 1 April 2022

As also reported by Alex Thompson,

"North of the city [Kiev] the wasteland of destruction towards the dormitory town of Irpin, [Russian] bodies still lying uncollected ... the scars left by Russia's retreat from Putin's now abandoned battle for Kiev, the Ukrainain capital"  (Channel 4 : YouTube : 1 April 2022) (my emphasis)

Recall that two weeks ago (March 18 2022) US President Biden warned China's President, Xi Jinping, about the consequences if he provides material support to Putin in his war with Ukraine.

As reported by REFRL,

"U.S. President Joe Biden has outlined to his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, the "consequences" of any support for Russia in its war against neighboring Ukraine, the White House said.
...
"He described the implications and consequences if China provides material support to Russia as it conducts brutal attacks against Ukrainian cities and civilians," the White House said in a statement.
...
Biden also "underscored his support for a diplomatic resolution to the crisis," the statement said." (RFERL : 18 March 2022) (my emphasis)

As Ukraine's offensive against the Russia army continues to succeed, Lexi Lonas reports that,

"The Department of Defense announced on Friday the U.S. will provide Ukraine with $300 million of additional security assistance to Ukraine.
...
The money is aimed to bolster Ukraine’s defenses against Russia’s invasion that has been going on for more than a month.
...
This package includes tactical secure communications systems, a counter-unmanned aerial system, non-standard machine guns and other defense systems." (The Hill : 1 April 2022) (my emphasis)

US President Biden is not alone in warning Xi Jinping about the consequences should he provide material support to Putin to offset his current material military losses in his war with Ukraine.

As reported by John Follain, Alberto Nardelli, and Jorge Valero,

"European Union leaders plan to tell President Xi Jinping in a summit that China will hurt its global stature if it hands Russia an economic or military lifeline, a pointed message that will test Beijing’s commitment to keep the war from damaging its ties with Brussels.
...
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said China had a “special responsibility” to demand that Russia respect international law and to defend Ukraine’s sovereignty." (Bloomberg : 1 April 2022) (my emphasis) (video below)

Trying to hit back at EU sanctions against him, Putin is now demanding that EU purchases of Russian gas and oil must be made in roubles, which has been roundly rejected by EU members, as France 24 reports.

"Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Thursday that all EU purchases of Russian gas must be made in roubles starting April 1, a demand immediately rejected by French and German officials who said they were preparing for a possible halt in Russian supplies. Europe will not be "blackmailed" by Putin, Germany's economy minister said." (France 24: 31 March 2022) (my emphasis)

Sky News Australia : YouTube 1 April 2022

This knee-jerk demand of Putin that payments for Russian oil and gas be made in Roubles highlights the crippling effects of the current, and escalating, sanctions against Putin's Russian economy.

However, as reported by Kate Moody (left),

"Vladimir Putin has backtracked on a demand that European customers pay for Russian natural gas imports in roubles, staving off an immediate supply problem. 

But Germany has activated the first stage of an emergency law that would pave the way for gas rationing. Officials are urging households and businesses to reduce their energy consumption, as they try to diversify their suppliers." (France 24 : 30 March 2022) (my emphasis)

In the wake of Putin's forces retreating from areas near Kiev, what has emerged is the deliberate massacre of the civilians by Russian soldiers as they fled.

 

BBC News : 3 April 2022

As reported by BBC News,

The BBC's Jeremy Bowen said at least 20 dead men, some with their wrists tied, were found on the streets of Bucha.
...
Sergey Nikiforov told the BBC's Sunday Morning show: "We found people with their hands and with their legs tied up... and with shots, bullet holes, in the back of their head.
...
"They were clearly civilians and they were executed. We found half-burned bodies as if somebody tried to hide their crimes but they didn't have enough time to do it properly."
(BBC News : 3 April 2022) (my emphasis) 

Liz Truss (right), UK Foreign Secretary said,

"We will not rest until those responsible for atrocities, including military commanders and individuals in the Putin regime, have faced justice,"

She said it was essential the international community continued to provide Ukraine with military and humanitarian support - and step up sanctions.
...
Other nations have also condemned Russian forces' actions. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken described the images of bodies in the streets of Bucha as a "punch in the gut".
...
EU chief Charles Michel pledged further sanctions on Moscow. "Shocked by haunting images of atrocities committed by Russian army in Kyiv liberated region #BuchaMassacre," the European Council head wrote on Twitter....

Germany's foreign minister Annalena Baerbock denounced President Putin's "uninhibited violence", saying Russia must pay for its "war crimes" in Bucha in the form of more severe sanctions." (ibid BBC News)

Like a punch drunk opponent, Putin now finds himself against the ropes, flailing in all directions against Ukraine and its people.

 (to be continued)

Unless Putin is forcibly stopped now, the barbaric killing of Ukrainians will continue.

The diplomatic brouhaha about the recent remark of US President Biden that Putin  'should not remain in power' reveals much about those Heads of State decrying his remark.

As reported by Elizabeth Elkind,

"France's President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday warned against an escalation 'in words and action', hours after US President Joe Biden on Saturday branded Russian President Vladimir Putin a 'butcher' who 'cannot remain in power' (Mail Online : 27 March 2022) (my emphasis) (cf also : BBC News : 27 March, Euronews : 27 March)

She further reports that,

"The [Council of Foreign Relations President Richard Haass] .. told Politico that Biden needs to send Blinken or National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, or another similar high-ranking official, to speak with their Russian counterparts and assure them the US would not seek regime change. (ibid Elizabeth Elkind)

French President Emmanuel Macron, who is a up for election for a second term next month, and who is positioning himself as the political 'voice' of the EU, should heed what Mikhail Khordokovsky said in a recent interview with Beth Rigby (Sky News: YouTube: 17 March 2022)

Beth Rigby : Are you angry that some of the oligarchs that have been sanctioned by the US, the UK, the European union, that people will not speak out ... leading figures in Russian society .. Very few of them will speak out .. Does that make you angry? Or is that what you expected ..

Mikhail Khordokovsky : I had expected those people not to be very brave, to be greedy, for whom their own wealth is worth much more than thousands of lives. But I did have some hope for some of them. And of course I am very upset about the way they behave today.

Further on in the interview :

Beth Rigby : How do you feel about [Putin] now. Do you hate him? Do you fear him? 

Mikhail Khordokovsky : I have been fighting Putin for almost twenty years, and I thought I knew his limits, his red lines. Today he is a real fascist. Without any exaggeration, a fascist pure and simple, a Russian fascist. ...... [ ] And so he has found his mission. But even having acquired this mission and having become a real fascist for who a mission is worth much more than any number of human lives. .... [ Further on in the interview Khordokovsky remarks that] "A thug [Putin] is not ready for any compromise"

Now it could be argued that diplomacy requires you to use language that cannot be mis-interpreted, since such mis-interpretations could have serious repercussions.

And already we have Putin's mouthpiece, Dmitry Peskov (left), railing against what US President Biden said about Putin.

As reported by Fatma Khaled (right),

"His [ US President Biden] remarks were met with backlash from multiple officials, including Peskov who warned that "each time such personal insults narrow the window of opportunity for our bilateral relations under the current [U.S.] administration. It is necessary to be aware of this."
...
The Kremlin spokesperson [Dmitry Peskov] also said that "a state leader should keep their temper." (MSN News (Newsweek) : 27 March 2022) (my emphasis)

Fatma Khaled further reported that,

"Former CIA director David Petraeus (left) said on Sunday during a TV appearance on ABC's This Week ...

"Headlines will move on to something else within a few days, but in the mind of Putin...it could complicate matters," he added." (ibid Fatma Khaled)

In essence, what these critics of US President Biden's remarks are really bemoaning about US President Biden's remarks about Putin is that these remarks simply anger him to dig in his heels against diplomatic compromise and, more dangerously, act even more barbaric against the people of Ukraine.

But, as Khordokovsky so succinctly put it (cf: Beth Rigby interview above) , 

"But even having acquired this mission [invading Ukraine for the second time] and having become a real fascist for who a mission is worth much more than any number of human lives. ..... "A thug [Putin] is not ready for any compromise"

No matter how you slice or dice it, since Putin's 2014 invasion of, and annexation of, Ukraine's Crimea, and his subsequent war with Ukraine in the Donbas, the West has failed the Ukrainian people by trying to appease Putin, with former German Chancellor Angela Merkel leading the brigade of appeasement since 2014, up until her retirement in 2021.

And today??

Ukraine has become Putin's Auswich, Dachau, Sobibor, and Treblinka, all rolled into one, whilst the likes of French President Macron ," warn[s] against an escalation 'in words and action' " because of what Biden said (cf: Elizabeth Elkind), and Putin's mouthpiece, Dmitry Peskov, actually supporting Macron by stating that, "a state leader [viz. President Biden] should keep their temper." (cf. Fatma Khaled) (video below:  Joe Scarborough : MSNBC : 28 March 2022)

 

Yet the Macron's of this world have been cowed by Putin as he constantly brandishes his 'nuclear' cudgels against them.

And so Putin's bombings of Ukraine's civilians, and his soldiers' raping of Ukrainian women, continues while the world watches on.

In the words of Khordokovsky, "[Putin's mission to force the Ukrainian people into submission to his will]  is worth much more [to him] than any number of human lives. (cf: Beth Rigby interview)

Unless Putin is forcibly stopped now, the barbaric killing of Ukrainians will continue. 

(to be continued)

Now at his most dangerous, Putin has no political "wiggle room" left to 'save face'.

There is an old English saying, "The Worm Has Turned".

This saying is used to describe when a person or group of people who have been treated badly for a long time suddenly become forceful and stop accepting a difficult situation. (Cambridge Dictionary).

We are now beginning to hear that 'all is not well' amongst Putin's 'siloviki'.

As reported by Lawrence O'Donnell ,

"Tonight there are growing signs of dissention in the ranks of the inner circle surrounding Russia dictator Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin is confirming today that Anatoly Chubais (right), [ ... ] has stepped down from his role as Moscow's Climate Envoy, making him the highest ranking official to break with Putin over the invasion of Ukraine. Multiple outlets are now reporting that he has left the country ..." (MSNBC : 24 March 2022) (my emphasis)

Besides Anatoly Chubais, who oversaw the privatization of Russia's industry during the Yeltsin regime, we now also learn that none other than the defence minister Sergei Shoigu, who has described Ukrainians as “non-humans”, now also finds himself out in the cold.

As reported by Will Stewart and Alahna Kindred,

"Vladimir Putin's defence minister has vanished with "heart problems" as the Kremlin's war effort in Ukraine stalls.
...
Sergei Shoigu (left) has not been seen for 12 days and old footage or pictures have been shown of him on TV, say reports in opposition" (The Mirror : 23 March 2022) (my emphasis)

MSNBC : 26 March 2022: YouTube

 And it has now also emerged that,

"Russia’s highly regarded central bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina (right) sought to resign after Vladimir Putin ordered an invasion of Ukraine, only to be told by the president to stay, according to four people with knowledge of the discussions.
...
Some central bank officials describe a state of hopelessness in the weeks since the invasion, feeling trapped in an institution that they fear will have little use for their market-oriented skills and experience as Russia is cut off from the world. At one point, the pace of departures was intense enough that the IT department was short of hands to terminate accounts." (Bloomberg : 23 March 2022) (my emphasis)

Amongst other developments, as revealed by Andrei Soldatov to Isaac Chotiner (right),

• 
  Putin publicly berated the director of the S.V.R., [Sergey Naryshkin] the foreign-intelligence agency (cf also: Business Insider, The Guardian , amongst numerous other reports)
  
• Two and a half weeks later, we got news about the F.S.B. foreign-intelligence branch, because the F.S.B. also has a foreign-intelligence branch coming under attack. We now know about two people, two top-level officials at this department, being questioned and placed under house arrest.
  
• the deputy head of the National Guard [ ... ] was detained, the official version is that he was just asked to resign (The New Yorker : 22 March 2022) (my emphasis)

And against this backdrop of turmoil, arrests, and resignations, Nebi Qena and Cara Anna report that,

"NATO estimated on Wednesday that 7,000 to 15,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in four weeks of war in Ukraine, where fierce resistance from the country’s defenders has denied Moscow the lightning victory it sought.
...
By way of comparison, Russia lost about 15,000 troops over 10 years in Afghanistan." (AP News : 24 March 2022) (my emphasis)

As explained to Lawrence O'Donnell by Phillips O'Brien, Strategic Studies Professor at the University of St. Andrews,

 

" Lawrence O'Donnell : "What do you see as the military status of the war .. "

 

  Phillips O'Brian : "The fundamental problems the Russians are facing is that they have started a campaign with no idea what they were taking on and they don't seem able to admit what they have done " (MSNBC : 23 March 2022) (my emphasis) (cf also: DW : YouTube : 23 March 2022)

 

 

Now the Moscow Times informs us that,

 

"Russia will force Europe to start paying for gas supplies in rubles, President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday in televised remarks.
...
“I have decided to implement a set of measures to transfer payments for our gas supplies to unfriendly countries into Russian rubles,” Putin said, ordering the changes to be implemented within a week." (Moscow Times : 23 March 2022) (my emphasis)

 

No doubt this ploy of Putin is to try and support the exchange value of the Ruble.

This sudden change towards Rubles as payment may also have been brought about by the fact that,

"The lines for sugar in Saratov were hard not to compare to the Soviet era, part of a recent run on Russian staples that have revived fears that the Kremlin’s invasion in Ukraine will lead to a virtual slide back to the shortages or endless queues of the Soviet Union

[.....]

More worryingly, medicines such as insulin have begun disappearing from pharmacy shelves. Some polls have indicated that Russian doctors are facing shortages of more than 80 medicines at pharmacies, including insulin and a popular children’s anti-inflammation medicine." (Andrew Roth : The Guardian : 23 March 2022) (my emphasis)

 

 

All of which underscores US President Biden's assertion that,

"President Biden on Wednesday warned there is a "real threat" that Russian President Vladimir Putin could use chemical weapons against Ukraine.

“I think it’s a real threat,” Biden said when asked about his level of concern about Putin's use of chemical weapons." (Alex Gangitano : The Hill : 23 March 2022) (my emphasis)

Today US President Biden will be attending a full day's meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

 

As reported by Ashley Parker, Tyler Pager, and Emily Rauhala,

 

"President Biden arrived Thursday at NATO headquarters in Brussels for a full day of emergency meetings aimed at stopping Russia’s war in Ukraine — and keeping the military alliance unified in efforts to pressure Moscow as the war enters its second month." (MSN (Washington Post) : 24 March 2022) (my emphasis)

 

It now remains to be seen what will ultimately emerge out of this NATO meeting.

 

And as members of his 'siloviki' begin to abandon the sinking ship of Putin's fatal and misguided invasion of Ukraine, and with  his General of the Russian Army, Sergei Shoigu, now incommunicado, Putin simply has no political "wiggle room" to 'save face'. 

(to be continued)

Would Putin, in his current state of mind, accept a stalemate and start negotiations?

If there is perhaps one singular fact that gives the lie to Putin's constant refrain in his second war with Ukraine being motivated by the so-called "de-nazification" of Ukraine then it is the death of Boris Romantschenko, aged 96, who survived in the Buchenwald Concentration Camp from 1942 to1945.

As reported by the BBC,

"A Ukrainian man who survived the Nazi Holocaust during World War Two has been killed during a Russian attack on the eastern city of Kharkiv.
...
Boris Romantschenko, 96, died during Russian shelling of his apartment block on Friday, relatives said. (BBC News : 21 March 2022) (my emphasis)

At the same time, as reported by Mark Nicol,

"A pro-Kremlin Russian tabloid said nearly 10,000 Russian soldiers have died fighting in Ukraine before quickly scrubbing the casualty figure from its website.
...
Komsomolskaya Pravda on Sunday published a story citing Russian Defense Ministry officials who disputed casualty numbers reported by their Ukrainian counterparts. However, the story was changed after its initial publication with the number deleted, indicating that tight controls remain on information available to the Russian public concerning the war." (Mail Online : 22 March 2022) (my emphasis) (cf. also: Jake Thomas : Newsweek : 21 March 2022)

As also reported by EuroMaidan,

"In intercepted phone calls with relatives, Russian soldiers admit they shell civilians and loot shops; they also say they were sent to Ukraine as cannon fodder or that command abandoned them. They admit heavy losses in Ukraine: some want to retreat or desert and describe disappointment, others are quite indifferent and ready to continue the fight.

 Soldier: “No food, no water… One package of field food for the two of us and that’s all. Yesterday there was heavy shelling. We lost one vehicle and the Kamaz with ammunition and food. No sense to remain here. No ammunition, no fuel…(EuroMaidan : 21 March 2022) (my emphasis)

Meanwhile, Putin now threatens to break off diplomatic relations with the US because US President Biden refered to him as a "war criminal".

As US Deputy Secretary of State, Wendy Sherman (left), explains,

"I think that we all have seen what we have seen, we know what's happening, and Vladimir Putin is reponsible" (MSNBC : 21 March 2022) (my emphasis) 

Interviewer Andrea Mitchel also asked Wendy Sherman what the US would do if Putin starts to use chemical weapons against Ukrainians. (cf also: Arpan Rai and Tom Batchelor : The Independent : 22 March 2022)

Wendy Sherman responded,

"Well this will certainly be on the agenda when the President travels to Brussels later this week, and then on to Poland. He will be meeting with NATO allies, with the European Council, and with the G7, and our concern about the use of chemical and biological weapons will certainly be on that agenda [ ..... ] and the President has said, Secretary Blinken has said .. we have all said in our discussions with the media, that there will be severe costs to Russia a should they take such horrible action." (ibid Wendy Sherman)

 (ibid Arpan Rai and Tom Batchelor : 22 March 2022)

This concern of the West, that Putin may now use chemical and biological weapons, stem partly from reports that :-

• Russians are starting to feel the economic pinch after Western countries imposed an unprecedented set of sanctions over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. (AlJazeera: 17 March 2022) (my emphasis)
• Russia has requested Chinese MREs (Meals, Ready-to-Eat) in a move that “underscores the basic logistical challenges” the Russians have been experiencing, according to CNN, which “raises questions about the fundamental readiness of the Russian military.” (Task and Purpose : 15 March 2022) (my emphasis)
• Vladimir Putin’s troops are also said to be running low on ammunition and food, with Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence stating that Russia has supplies that will last “no more than three days”. (Emily Ferguson : MSN News : 22 March 2022) (my emphasis)
• Ukrainian military are reporting that a company that produces and repairs Russian tanks has suspended work at its plant in the central Russian region of Chelyabinsk due to a shortage of imported parts [.....] "due to the lack of receipts of foreign-made components" (BBC News : 22 March 2022) (my emphasis)   

In the words of US President Biden,

"US President Joe Biden has given his strongest warning yet that Russia may be preparing to use chemical and biological weapons in Ukraine ...Biden says Russian leader Vladimir Putin has "his back to the wall" as a result of Ukrainian resistance, and there was a danger he could resort to more severe tactics" ((BBC News : 22 March 2022) (my emphasis)

As also reported by Joseph Choi (right),

"The war between Russia and Ukraine is nearing a stalemate, with neither side nearing victory or willing to give in, according to a NATO intelligence official.
...
Speaking to NBC News, the unnamed NATO official said, “If we’re not in a stalemate, we are rapidly approaching one." (The Hill : 21 March 2022) (my emphasis)

Former US Ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul believes that,

"A stalemate would be a fantastic outcome because wars end in two ways Ari ... either one side wins or a stalemate ... And a stalemate creates the permissive conditions ... I would say the pre-conditions ... for an actual negotiated settlement .." (MSNBC : 22 March 2022) (my emphasis)

The $64 question is :-

"Would Putin, in his current state of mind, accept a stalemate and start negotiations?"

(to be continued)

A dangerous Putin is running out of time

The siege of Mariupol, and the criminal and inhuman devastation of that city by Putin will, as Ukraine's President, Volodomyr Zelensky, says,

“To do this to a peaceful city, what the occupiers did, is a terror that will be remembered for centuries to come,” he said. (BBC News : 20 March 2022) (my emphasis)

 As reported by BBC News,

"Ukraine's deputy prime minister has accused Russia of committing acts of "genocide" during its invasion of her country.
...
Speaking on Sky's Sophy Ridge programme, Olha Stefanishyna (right) said she "absolutely believes" that acts of genocide have been committed by the Russian regime, and said that President Vladimir Putin and leaders in the Kremlin "are war criminals". (BBC News : 20 March 2022) (my emphasis)

And whilst the people of Mariupol were been systematically slaughtered, including children, Putin held a rally in Moscow in which he exhorted the crowd to,

"... namely to liberate the people [in the Donbas territories that he invaded in 2014 and, in the case of Ukraine's Crimea, annexed into the Russian Federation] from this genocide, of these sufferings,... this is the main reason, motive, and goal of the military operation which we have launched in the Donbass and Ukraine. This is what the goal is." (Global News : YouTube : 19 March 2022)

It is against this backdrop that the current diplomatic frenzy to convene Peace Talks is, in the eyes of many, yet another Putin ploy to continue his "razing Ukrainian cities to the ground" strategy, as evidenced by what is, at this very minute, happening in Mariupol and many other cities around Ukraine.

As reported by Dave Lawler,

"The outlines of a potential deal to end the war in Ukraine are coming into focus, but sources on the Ukrainian side tell Axios they fear Moscow's newfound enthusiasm for diplomacy is a ruse." (Axios : 17 March 2020) (my emphasis)

British Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss (left), is even more explicit. 

As reported by Markus Parekh,

"Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said on Friday that she fears peace talks between Russia and Ukraine are being used as a "smokescreen" by the Kremlin to allow forces to regroup.
...
In an interview with The Times, Ms Truss said: "If a country is serious about negotiations, it doesn't indiscriminately bomb civilians that day."
...
The minister said she was "very sceptical" about the negotiations, and added: "What we've seen is an attempt to create space for the Russians to regroup."
...
"We don't see any serious withdrawal of Russian troops or any serious proposals on the table." (The Telegraph : 19 March 2022) (my emphasis)

Which brings into sharp focus Xi Jinping, President of China.

Recall that in my blog entry of (15 March), I wrote that,

"[A]s reported by The Guardian (Reuters),

"Joe Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan (right), who is due to meet China’s top diplomat, Yang Jiechi, in Rome on Monday, warned on Sunday that Beijing will “absolutely” face consequences if it helps Moscow evade sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine.
...
The White House national security council declined to comment, however, on reports that Russia has asked China for military equipment since its invasion of Ukraine on 24 February.
...
The Financial Times, Washington Post and New York Times reported the request on Sunday, citing US officials." (The Guardian : 13 March 2022) (my emphasis) ( video: MSNBC (YouTube) : 15 March 2022) (cf also: The White House : Briefing Room : 18 March 2022)

David Dodwell outlines why President Xi Jinping is worried about sanctions against China.

"Nick Lardy, China expert at the Washington-based Peterson Institute for International Economics, estimates that China's trade jumped from around US$4.6 trillion in 2020 to US$6.05 trillion last year - accounting for about 17 per cent of trade worldwide. Up to last September, China also accounted for 19 per cent of global investment, he estimates.
...
Aligning with a reckless and isolated Putin would jeopardise all this amid rising anxiety over the recessionary and inflationary effects of the pandemic. As Lardy noted, "having a significant portion of the Chinese economy subjected to Western sanctions is a risk that President Xi [ ...] is not likely to take". (MSN News : 18 March 2022) (my emphasis)

As Yukon Huang (left) also explains,

" ... Beijing would seem unlikely or incapable of coming to Moscow’s rescue. UN data indicates that China exported only about $70 billion of goods to Russia in 2021, while exports to the EU and United States totaled over $1 trillion. Beijing will not want to lose access to Western markets by violating the sanctions." (Carnegie Endowment : 16 March 2022) (my emphasis)

President Xi Jinping may, indeed, not risk having the Chinese economy subjected to Western sanctions.

These are the cold hard facts that President Xi Jinping has to contend with.

There is now also a growing consensus internationally that all is not quite well with Putin.

As reported by Rebecca Jones (right),

"Intelligence sources have also suggested Putin's "bloated face" could be potential side effects of prolonged use of steroids.
...
Citing sources close to the Kremlin, senior figures from Australia, New Zealand, the UK and the US, believe there is a physiological explanation for his globally reviled decision to invade Ukraine.
...
"There has been an identifiable change in his decision-making over the past five years or so.
...
"Those around him see a marked change in the cogency and clarity of what he says and how he perceives the world around him." (Express : 14 March 2022) (my emphasis)

As also reported by Imogen Braddick and Katie Davis,

"It's thought the Russian leader's decision to invade Ukraine might have been sparked by not only his unhinged mental state, but also by a worrying physical health condition. 

Putin has appeared notably more bloated around the face and neck in recent weeks - suggesting he might be undergoing treatment with steroids for a health condition.

It was also reported visitors to the Kremlin had to walk through an elaborate disinfectant-spraying tunnel.
...
Therefore, many have been left puzzled as to why he would take such a huge gamble on taking over the whole of Ukraine in one go - unless he was unwell and had limited time.
...
It increases the suspicion that perhaps his physical health means he is running out of time. " (The Sun : 4 March 2022) (my emphasis) (cf also: BBC News : 20 March 2022)

(to be continued)

Putin will not break the fighting spirit of Ukrainians.

Yesterday, US President Biden made public that Putin is a war criminal. 

As reported by Brittany Bernstein,

"President Biden said Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is a “war criminal” for his attacks on Ukraine.
... [  ]
The comment came in response to a question from a reporter who asked if Biden is “ready to call Putin a war criminal.”
...
The president first appeared to misunderstand the question and replied, “No.”

Biden then added: “Did you ask me whether I should call?”
“Oh, I think he is a war criminal,” the president clarified. (Yahoo News : 16 March 2022) (my emphasis)

 

MSNBC : YouTube : 16 March 2022

What is meant by a "war criminal"?

War Crimes are crimes that come under the collective name of core international crimes. Core international crimes are some of the gravest crimes in international law, examples of them can include: the crime of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and torture.
...
War Crimes:

Violations of the laws or customs of war, including:

• 
  atrocities or offences against persons or property, constituting violations of the laws or customs of war
• murder, ill treatment or deportation to slave labour or for any other purpose of the civilian population in occupied territory
• killing of hostages
• torture or inhuman treatment, including biological experiments
• breaches of the Geneva Conventions.
• plunder of public or private property
• wanton destruction of cities, towns or villages
• devastation not justified by military necessity
• destruction of property that is of particular cultural significance
  

Since the start of this second war of Putin against the Ukrainian people, the world has been watching in real-time as an avalanche of images and TV footage of his war with Ukraine lays bare the crimes being committed by Putin.

As reported by bne IntelliNews,

"The Ukrainian government claims that Russia dropped a powerful bomb on the Mariupol Drama Theatre where hundreds of mostly women and children were sheltering from the bombardment of the city on March 16. 
...
The theatre was a well-known refugee point used by locals to avoid the shelling of the city. A satellite image released by the private US company Maxar Technologies shows the words “Children” painted on the ground in front and back of the building that is clearly visible from the air as of March 14. " (bne IntelliNews : 17 Match 2022) (my emphasis) (cf also: Fox News (video below) : AlJazeera : BBC News)

 

And against this horrendous bombing backdrop, Putin is exhorting the Russian people to get rid of the "traitors" in their midst that are calling his "war" with Ukraine, a "war",  during which he also called upon the Russian people for the "self-purification" of Russia! (video : Tomasz Przechlewski : YouTube : 17 March 2022)

These exhortations of Putin came after that dyed-in-the-wool Soviet Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, announced that,

"As Russia has pursued its war with Ukraine, it has held parallel negotiations with Kyiv ostensibly seeking a peace deal from its own invasion of a neighbouring country.
...
Those talks, which appeared to be a sideshow to the continuing war, received an unexpected boost on Wednesday as both sides indicated that discussions had yielded some progress." (Andrew Roth : The Guardian : 16 March 2022) (my emphasis)
...
BUT SHORTLY THEREAFTER
...
"Putin gave [that] defiant speech to top officials on Wednesday in which he said Russia’s “special military operation” was going to plan and that Russia would achieve its goals in Ukraine and not bow to the west."
...
Using highly charged rhetoric, Putin likened the west to Nazi Germany by accusing it of launching an economic “blitzkrieg” against Russia in order to “demoralise our society, to bulldoze us”. (ibid Andrew Roth) (my emphasis) 

As Alexander Gabuev remarks,

“Some chances [for peace] are there but I’m pretty sceptical that a negotiated solution will be achieved in those talks,” said Alexander Gabuev, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Moscow Center. “Russia will not only seek leverage for the talks on the battleground but will seek victory on the battleground. If the more gentle – if you can call it that – tactics are not working, then Russia will just unleash all of their firepower. On Kyiv in particular.” 

Putin's formidable war machine has encountered a Ukrainian force that will not be cowed into submission, no matter what he throws at them.

 

As reported by  ua-Football, (Google Translated)

"A military medic from Marganets, Olga Semidyanova , died in battles with Russian invaders. She left 12 children.

Olga died in battle on March 3 at the turn of the Donetsk and Zaporozhye regions. Now the children of the deceased cannot even bury her because of the ongoing heavy fighting.

The daughter of the deceased soldier, Yulia Volkova, said that during the battle, the forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine retreated, and the battalion commander gave the command to send all the women away from the front line, but Semidyanova wanted to stay with her brothers and the company and continued to save Ukrainian soldiers to the last.

In the battle with superior enemy forces, the medic was wearing a bulletproof vest and a helmet, but this did not save her from injury. Russian troops fired from tanks and small arms. Semidyanova was hit by a rifle, she died from a wound in the abdomen, having lost a lot of blood." (ua-Football : 16 March 2022) (my emphasis)

Putin will not break the fighting spirit of Ukrainians.

(to be continued)