The 'writing on the wall' of Putin's demise has begun to appear.

 Natalie Musumeci (left) reports that,

"Russia's entire political system is in a state of "shock" following the Kremlin's recent disastrous defeats in Vladimir Putin's war with
Ukraine, the Russian president's former speechwriter said.

"The Russian political system is in real shock now — this is no exaggeration," Abbas Gallyamov, a political consultant and ex-speechwriter to Putin, told
CNN in an interview published on Wednesday. (Business Insider : 16 September 2022) (my emphasis)

Natalie Musumeci further reports that,

"The whole system is in shock and what makes this situation worse is the absolutely inadequate reaction of Putin personally," [Abbas] Gallyamov (right) told CNN, adding that when Putin "is in shock himself" and "doesn't know how to act," the Russian leader "is trying to show that nothing bad is happening." (ibid Natalie Musumeci) (my emphasis)

Even China's Xi Jinping is keeping Putin somewhat at arms length, distancing himself from Putin's war with Ukraine.

As reported by Natasha Turak (left),

"Signs of tension have emerged between allies Russia and China, as Putin acknowledged his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping’s “questions and concerns” about Russian operations in Ukraine during the leaders’ first in-person meeting since the war began on Feb. 24." (CNBC : 16 September 2022) (my emphasis)

Finding himself in an ever decreasing tight political corner, Putin is now resorting to directly threatening the US, UK, and the EU.

As reported by Henry Moore,

"Russia's bloodthirsty dictator sent a chilling warning to the United States as he met with China's Xi Jinping yesterday.
...
"The United States and its allies, who supply weapons to the Kyiv regime, are actually becoming accomplices in its war crimes,” said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

“If Washington decides to supply Kyiv with longer-range missiles, it will cross the red line and become a direct party to the conflict."  (The Sun : 16 Setember 2022) (my emphasis)

It is therefore no wonder that,

"Gallyamov said that he believes that Russian elites will begin to look for a successor to be appointed within the next few months.

"I think the next thing which is going to happen in Russian politics within the next like several months, maybe up to half a year, is the elites will start looking for a successor, and so the political process will begin around this figure," he told CNN." (ibid Natalie Musumeci)

Putin's business elites, viz. those oligarchs who have amassed enormous wealth during the Putin years, and who have had their assets in the West frozen since Putin's invasion and annexation of Crimea in 2014, and during Putin's current war with Ukraine, now find themselves EXCLUDED from even travelling to the EU, the US, and Britain, amongst other countries.

Even where they have tried to squirrel away their money in taxpayer off-shore havens, such as the Cayman Islands, they now find their billions of dollars frozen under sanctions.

 

Business Insider: YouTube : 28 May 2022

Having nowhere to go in the West, and having their assets either seized or frozen in the US, UK, and EU, it is no wonder that these oligarchs now resident in Russia are focussing their minds on "life without Putin".

And in his latest telephone tête-à-tête with Putin, the rather 'Putinversteher' response of the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholtz, to confronting Putin over his war with Ukraine is beginning to waver slightly.

As reported by Daniel Stewart,

"German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has held a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he urged to seek a diplomatic way out of the war in Ukraine, launched by Russia at the end of February.

... Scholz urged Putin to facilitate a cease-fire in Ukraine and asked him to withdraw Russian troops in Ukraine, as well as to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of his neighboring country." (MSN (360 News): 13 September 2022) (my emphasis)

Following in the footsteps of Angela Merkel, whose dealings with Putin had, in the forefront of her mind, Germany's fourishing business agenda with Russia (left: German business jackboots walking over Ukraine towards Russia), Scholz is urging a diplomatic solution in the face of Putin continuing to bombard Ukraine with missiles as Ukraine continues to regain territorial sovereignty over Ukrainian lands occupied by Putin's army.

As the army of Ukraine continues to gain the upper hand in its war with Putin's Russia, the 'writing on the wall' signifying Putin's demise has begun to appear.

It is now only a matter of time.

STOP PRESS ... 17 September 2022

Alys Davies (left) reports that,

"US President Joe Biden has warned Russia not to use chemical or tactical nuclear weapons in the war in Ukraine.

Speaking during an interview with CBS News, Mr Biden said such action would "change the face of war unlike anything since World War Two".

He would not say what response the US would make to the use of such weapons.

Russian President Vladimir Putin put the country's nuclear forces on "special" alert following its invasion of Ukraine in February." (BBC News : 17 September 2022) (my emphasis)

 

(to be continued)

The beginning of the end for Putin?

From all around the world, everyone has been stunned by what can only be described as a disorderly and undisciplined retreat of Putin's troops from the battlefield, following a collapse Russia's command authority, unit cohesion and combat morale. 

As reported by BBC News,

"Ukrainian officials said troops entered Kupiansk, a vital eastern supply hub for Russian forces, on Saturday.

Russia's defence ministry then said its troops have retreated from nearby Izyum to allow them "to regroup".

The ministry also confirmed the withdrawal of troops from a third key town, Balaklyia, in order to "bolster efforts" on the Donetsk front. (BBC News : 11 September 2022) (my emphasis)

As also reported by CBS News,

"Russia's Defense Ministry announced Saturday that it's pulling back troops from two areas in Ukraine's eastern Kharkiv region where a Ukrainian counteroffensive has made significant advances in the past week.
...
The news came after days of apparent advances by Ukraine south of Kharkiv, the country's second-largest city, in what could become the biggest battlefield success for Ukrainian forces since they thwarted a Russian attempt to seize the capital of Kyiv at the start of the nearly seven-month war.

 Izyum was a major base for Russian forces in the Kharkiv region and earlier this week social media videos showed residents of Balakliya joyfully cheering as Ukrainian troops moved in. (CBS News : 10 September 2022) (my emphasis) (cf Also: Emmanuel Parrise: Yahoo News (AFP): 10 Sept 2022)

And now, ominously for Putin's own survival, Allison Quinn reports that,

"More and more Russian officials are urging Vladimir Putin to get the hell out of the Kremlin as Moscow suffered another series of humiliating defeats in Ukraine this weekend.

Just one day after several municipal deputies in Putin’s hometown of St. Petersburg called on the State Duma to try the Russian leader for treason, their colleagues in Moscow joined in and demanded he step down because his views are “hopelessly outdated.”" (Yahoo (Daily Beast article): 11 September 2022) (my emphasis)

Allison Quinn goes on to further report that,

"The same Russian propagandists who’d spent the first six months of the war thumping their chests about a supposedly “inevitable victory” suddenly changed their tune. Margarita Simonyan (left), the editor-in-chief of RT who’d repeatedly called for Moscow to mercilessly obliterate Ukraine, suddenly posted a sentimental screed on Twitter calling for unity between the two nations.

Margarita Simonyan : YouTube : 28 APRIL 2022

Even the pro-Kremlin Telegram channels run by Russian military bloggers had a dramatic change of tune as Ukraine claimed new wins Saturday: They began to openly blast military leadership—and Putin personally—for the embarrassing failures. (ibid Allison Quinn)

Even more ominously disturbing for Putin is the report by Russia's TASS that,

"Germany will continue providing Ukraine with military support, including with weapons, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (right) said on Saturday in a televised
interview with RTL and nt-v channels during her visit to Kiev.

"Looking at eastern and southern Ukraine, we see how important the supplies of weapons are," she said.

"In particular, the weapons we supply have now made it possible to retake some cities," Baerbock claimed. "That is why we need to maintain support with [delivering] weapons in the coming few months," she added." (TASS : 10 September 2022) (my emphasis)

And now, as reported by Arthur Parashar (left),

"Vladimir Putin's disgraced invasion of Ukraine could hinge on Russia's inability to gain access to high-tech electrical components due to the sanctions inflicted on them

• Russia is being hit by a severe technology deficit which is inflicted by sanctions 
• Outcome of the war could hinge on Russia's access to high-tech microchips 
• Ukraine sent out international warnings of Russian attempts to get components 
• Russia believed to have 'shopping list' of components needed to fuel war effort  
  

Russian troops are now increasingly reliant on Soviet-era stocks of ammunition, having fired off more firepower than many could have anticipated - including themselves." (Mail Online : 10 September 2022) (my emphasis)

As the sanctions against Putin bites even deeper, and the rank and file of Putin's "siloviki" begin to openly critisize him, as evidenced by :

• Margarita Simonyan, the editor-in-chief of RT who’d repeatedly called for Moscow to mercilessly obliterate Ukraine, suddenly posted a sentimental screed on Twitter calling for unity between the two nations.
• Russian military bloggers beginning to openly blast military leadership—and Putin personally—for embarrassing failures 
• More and more Russian officials urging Vladimir Putin to get the hell out of the Kremlin  AND
  
• several municipal deputies in Putin’s hometown of St. Petersburg called on the State Duma to try the Russian leader for treason,

will Putin's top 'siloviki' be able to control this growing Russian anger with Putin when the people of Russia finally unseat him from power?

                                     Sergei Shoigu          Valery Gerasimo   Nikolai Patrushev        Viktor Zolotov

 

                                  Sergey Naryshkin        Sergei Lavrov    Valentina Matviyenko    Alexander Bortnikov

Or will they, too, be hounded and removed from power by the Russian people.

This is the $64 question that is now beginning to loom large as the collapse of Putin's regime begins to gain momentum.

 

 (to be continued)

Will Putin's 'siloviki' rescue Russia from Putin's dangerous paranoia?

It is rather ironical that, as reported by Susanna Twidale (left),

"Russian flows of gas via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which runs under the Baltic Sea to Germany, remained at zero on Tuesday after Russia scrapped a Saturday deadline to resume flows following maintenance.
...
Nominations for Russian gas flows into Slovakia from Ukraine via the Velke Kapusany border point were about 36.7 million cubic metres (mcm) per day for Tuesday, little changed from the previous day, data from the Ukrainian transmission system operator showed.
...
Russia's Gazprom said on Tuesday that it will ship 42.4 mcm of gas to Europe via Ukraine via the Sudzha entry point, in line with the previous day." (Reuters : 6 September 2022) (my emphasis)

So while Putin's gas flows to the EU via Ukraine, nonetheless we now have, as reported by Paul Kirby (right),  Putin declaring that,

"But Mr Putin said Moscow would react to a cap by halting supplies completely.

"We will not supply gas, oil, coal, heating oil - we will not supply anything," he said, if it went against Russia's interests. (BBC News : 7 September 2022) (my emphasis)

As also reported by Apoorva Kaul (right),

"Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that Moscow will stop the export of oil and gas if price caps are imposed on Russian energy. In his address at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok on 7 September, Putin termed Europe's idea to introduce price caps on Russian energy as "stupid," The Independent reported. He underscored that Russia will not "supply anything at all if it contradicts" the interests of Moscow." (RepublicWorld : 7 September 2022) (my emphasis)

It is rather interesting to note that whilst Putin was delivering his threats against the EU in Vladivostock, approximately 3986 miles to the East of Ukraine, CNN’s Vasco Cotovio (left) reports that,

"The Ukrainian military says it has repelled several Russian offensives across the battlefield, but has remained silent about its own counter-offensives in the northeast around Kharkiv and in the south near Kherson." (CNN : 8 September 2022) (my emphasis)

Sky News : YouTube : 29 August 2022

Not only is Putin seriously worried about the funding of his war with Ukraine, as the EU begins to turn off the taps of Euros flowing into his coffers, Matt Murphy now also informs us that,

"Russia has been forced to buy military hardware from North Korea as sanctions squeeze Moscow's ability to supply its military, the US says.

A US official revealed Moscow is the process of purchasing millions of rockets and artillery shells from Pyongyang for use in Ukraine.

And they said that Russia could be forced to buy additional North Korean weaponry as the war dragged on.

Buying from North Korea is a sign of "severe supply shortages", they added." (BBC News : 7 September 2022) (my emphasis)

CRUX : YouTube : 6 August 2022

And whilst many ordinary Russians may be bemoaning the fact that, as reported by BBC News,

"European Union foreign ministers have agreed to suspend a visa agreement with Moscow, making it harder for Russian citizens to obtain entry to the bloc.
...
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the substantial increase in border crossings from Russia made it necessary to suspend the agreement.

"This has become a security risk for these neighbouring states," he said. "In addition to that, we have seen many Russians travelling for leisure and shopping as if no war was raging in Ukraine." BBC News : 31 August 2022) (my emphasis),

we now learn from Amélie Bottollier-Dopois that,

"The United Nations said Wednesday there are credible accusations that Moscow's forces have removed children from Ukraine to Russia for adoption as part of larger-scale forced relocations and deportations.

"We are concerned that the Russian authorities have adopted a simplified procedure to grant Russian citizenship to children without parental care, and that these children would be eligible for adoption by Russian families," [Ilze Brands Kehris, the assistant UN secretary-general for human rights] said." (Barron's (Agence France-Presse) : 7 September 2022) (my emphasis) (cf also: Briefly South Africa : 7 September 2022)

It has taken three months for the UN to heed Ukraine's President Volodymir Zelensky warning of Putin's forced deportation of thousands of Ukraine's children to Russia. 

NBC News : YouTube: 2 June 2022 : YouTube

This evil theft of Ukrainian children by Putin stems from his near paranoid concern about the rapidly declining population of Russia.

In my very first blog post I wrote about Putin's public thievery of the "Kraft ring".

“You know, I do not remember either Mr. Kraft or the ring," Putin said, as reported by AFP. What thief, in the history of thievery, consciously committed a public act of thievery and afterwards claimed a lapse of memory of even meeting the person from whom he stole? To allegedly prevent a diplomatic scene, Robert Kraft then publicly stated that, yes, he did give the ring to President Putin. But, the plot thickens. Later Putin, rather nonchalantly, offered Mr. Kraft another ring in recompense, also suddenly claiming that the stolen ring was originally given to him by Mr. Kraft. Amazing how Putin emerges from a total lapse of memory to total recall." (blog entry : Tuesday, 10 June 2014) (cf also: John Breech : CBS Sport : 3 February 2017)

Putin is now trying to replenish the Russian population by stealing Ukrainian children.

As James Franey also reports,

"Vladimir Putin has revived a Soviet-era award aimed at halting Russia’s plunging birth rates amid the Ukraine war.

The despot has brought back the honorary title ‘Mother Heroine’, established under Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin and scrapped after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

 ....
Russia’s population has been in near-constant decline for decades, falling to 145.1 million after a decline of around 400,000 people in early 2022. (Mail Online : 17 August 2022) (my emphasis)

Economic Eye : YouTube : 26 April 2022

Putin's military blunders in Ukraine, his decling revenues, his theft of children, and his reliance on receiving bullets and rockets from Kim Jon Un of North Korea, paints a rather graphic picture of his decline into dangerous paranoia.

Will Putin's 'siloviki' rescue Russia from Putin's dangerous paranoia?

 

 (to be continued)

Is Putin's 'siloviki' beginning to abandon him?

Putin  is beginning to buckle under the weight of the IAEA (The UN International Atomic Energy Agency) and the counter-offensive of the Ukrainian army in eastern Donbas.

Having tried to 'fully' weaponise the Zaphorizia Nuclear plant for months, Putin has finally had to succumb to  the fact that the eyes of the world stared him down, and we now learn from Marcus Parekh and Josh White (left) that,
...
"United Nations inspectors in Ukraine were due on Thursday to visit a Russian-occupied nuclear power plant, Europe's largest, where nearby shelling has prompted bitter recriminations and global fears of disaster.
...
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) mission arrived in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia , 55 km (34 miles) away from the plant, on Wednesday and Ukraine's defence ministry said it was scheduled to visit the facility on Thursday.
....
Although Russian officials suggested the team would have only one day to inspect the site, the IAEA was preparing for longer." (The Telegraph : 1 September 2022) (my emphasis)

And as reported by Olga Voitovych, Jo Shelley, Tara John, Olga Konovalova, Rebecca Wright,

"As Ukraine ramps up its offensive to retake Russian-occupied territory in the country's south, its forces have regained four villages and broken through Russian defenses at multiple points of the frontline in the Kherson region, according to Ukrainian officials.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky also issued a warning to Russian forces during his evening address Monday, saying it was time for them to "run away, go home," and that "the occupiers must know we will chase them to the border." (CNN : 30 August 2022) (my emphasis)

DW News : YouTube : 29 August 2022

On the "gas front", Matt Murphy (left) reports that,

• Russia has completely halted gas supplies to Europe via a major pipeline, saying repairs are needed. 
• European leaders fear Russia could extend the outage in an attempt to drive up gas prices, which have already risen sharply in the past year.
• However, today's announcement was not expected to impact prices immediately. The UK's main natural gas price was in fact down by more than 15% on markets, as of 14:00 BST on Wednesday. 
• On Tuesday, French Energy Transition Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher accused Russia of "using gas as a weapon of war".
• 
  Earlier this week, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (right) promised to intervene in energy markets, telling a conference in Slovenia that they are "no longer fit for purpose".
• "We need a new market model for electricity that really functions and brings us back into balance," she said. (BBC News : 1 September 2022) (my emphasis) 
  

WION : 31 August 2022 : YouTube

Putin is now desperately clutching at straws, as evidenced by the fact that not only is he now trying to replenish his war hardware with UAV's from Iran, but he is also beginning to lean heavily towards Kim Jon UN, the North Korean dictator, to supply him Korean troops to replace his dwindling Russian troops, especially in the eastern Donbas.

As reported by Puerto Rico Digital News,

"Russian cargo planes have quietly picked up the first of scores of Iranian-made combat drones for use against Ukraine, U.S. officials said, in a move that underscores deepening ties between Moscow and Tehran while also highlighting Russia’s struggles to supply its overstretched military.
...
Transport planes departed Iran on Aug. 19 hauling at least two types of unmanned aerial vehicles, both capable of carrying munitions for attacks on radars, artillery and other military targets, according to intelligence gathered by U.S. and other spy agencies." (Puerto Digital News : 30 August 2022) (my emphasis) 

And as reported by Charlie Smith (left),

"Vladimir Putin is retreating to the Donbas as Russian losses in Ukraine take their toll, according to a military insider who warned they have "no manpower to continue".
...
The latest fighting comes as the Russian death toll in the six-month war has climbed to around 48,000 personnel, according to Ukraine.
...
Western officials have estimated the number of Russians killed at between 70,000 and 80,000, while the Kremlin has not updated its last count of 1,351 from March." (Express : 1 September 2022) (my emphasis)

Whilst Putin is now clutching at "political" straws in the face of adversity, the silence from his 'siloviki' is positively deafening!

As reported by Millie Cook,

"War expert Harry Kazianis warned the West's economic sanctions on Russia are "going to bite dramatically". He said Putin is facing an "existential situation", warning his "regime is in trouble" if he cannot win the war in the next 60 days. Mr Kazianis, a war strategy expert, explained that Europe's plan to shift its reliance away from Russian oil and gas will have a serious impact on the Russian economy, which is "already in an economic depression". (Express : 1 September 2022) (my emphasis)

Is Putin's 'siloviki' now beginning to slowly abandon him as the Russian economy accelerates faster into depression, and the body-bags of Russian soldiers mount up even faster?

(to be continued)

Putin now has his back to the wall.

It should come as no surprise that, as reported by Aljazeera,

"President Alexander Lukashenko says the Belarusian military’s SU-24 warplanes have been modified to carry nuclear weapons, and that Minsk would react immediately if the West caused it any problems.
...
Lukashenko – the authoritarian leader of ex-Soviet Belarus – said he had agreed on the move to modernise Belarusian warplanes with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Belta news agency reported on Friday." (Aljazeera : 26 August 2022) (my emphasis)

Aljazeera : 26 August 2022

This announcement by Lukashenko comes against the backdrop of,

"International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors are preparing to inspect Ukraine’s nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia as early as next week, possibly as early as Monday, according to the Wall Street Journal, which spoke with people dealing with the organization.
...
The goal is to prevent a possible nuclear catastrophe due to the ongoing fighting in the area occupied by Russian forces." (Ike Walton (left): Wire Service Canada : 27 August 2022) (my emphasis)

Adding to which, Rebecca Perring (right) reports that,

"[Putin] has turned to volunteers, mercenaries and prisoners, as he desperately scrambles to turn the tide in his raging war in neighbouring Ukraine as the battle enters its seventh month.
...
The increase includes a 137,000 boost in the number of combat personnel to 1.15 million and will come into effect on January 1.
...
Analysts said Putin was “mobilising by stealth” and warned he was preparing for the “long war”.
...
The move gives additional credence to Western estimates of heavy Russian losses during the war." (Express : 26 August 2022) (my emphasis)

And on the "gas" front, Matt McGrath (left) reports that,

"As Europe's energy costs skyrocket, Russia is burning off large amounts of natural gas, according to analysis shared with BBC News.
...
They say the plant, near the border with Finland, is

burning an estimated $10m (£8.4m) worth of gas every day.
...
Experts say the gas would previously have been exported to Germany.
...
Germany's ambassador to the UK told BBC News that Russia was burning the gas because "they couldn't sell it elsewhere". (BBC News : 26 August 2022) (my emphasis)

The German ambassador to the UK may be bemoaning the fact that Putin's gas destined for Germany is being needlessly being burnt off.

Meanwhile, however, his fellow Social Democrats in Germany are trying to politically resuscitate the Angela Merkel doctrine of appeasing Putin, for which she publicly stated that she has no regrets NOR will she apologise for.

France 24 : YouTube : 8 June 2022

Recall the ill-fated 2014 Minsk I and Minsk II protocols, which she mediated together with François Hollande, the then French president, to appease Putin over his illegal annexation of Ukraine's Crimea and, more importantly, his illegal occupation of the Donbas.

And now, in 2022, and as reported by Léonie Chao-Fong (left),

"A group of lawmakers from Germany’s Social Democratic party (SPD) are calling for peace negotiations with Russia and for a ceasefire to be reached in Ukraine as soon as possible.
...
In a letter entitled “The guns must be silent!” seen by Der Spiegel, the group representing the pacifist left-wing of the SPD urged for a diplomatic offensive to end the war in Ukraine quickly.
...
They called for a new attempt at a “modus vivendi”, in which conflicting parties agree to coexist in peace, arguing that such a relationship “must be found with the Russian government based on the acknowledgment of realities that one does not like, which rules out a further escalation of the war”. (The Guardian : 27 August 2022) (my emphasis)

What realities?????

It would seem that the German Putinversteher mentality is alive and well and still thriving amongst the German political class! 

Meanwhile, as reported by Julian Borger (right),

"Russia has blocked an agreement at the United Nations that was aimed at bolstering the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT) because Moscow objected to a clause about control over the Zaporizhzhia power plant in Ukraine.
...
The closing session was put off for more than four hours over Russian refusal to agree to a lengthy statement of support for the NPT which included a reference to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is occupied by Russian forces close to the frontline in Ukraine’s south-east." (The Guardian : 27 August 2022) (my emphasis)

The "Lukashenko Nuclear Threat (ibid Aljazeera)" is Putin's response to the eyes of the world that are sharply focussed on the Zaphorizia Nuclear facility in Ukraine.

Burning off large amounts of natural gas (ibid Matt McGrath) is Putin's response to the EU beginning to wean themselves off their dependency on Russian gas.

And turning to volunteers, mercenaries and prisoners, is Putin's response to replace the thousands of fallen Russian soldiers in his raging war in neighbouring Ukraine.

Putin now has his back to the wall.

 

(to be continued)

Putin's "nuclear" and "gas" blackmail-military-strategy is all that he has left in his war toolbox.

In my last blog entry (16 August) I wrote that,

"It is now time for Putin's stalwart 'siloviki' to finally act to prevent Putin from unleashing such a nuclear disaster [at the Zaphorizia nuclear plant in Ukraine] that will, inevitably, light the fuse of WW3." (blog entry : 16 August 2022)

Heather Chen: MSN (CNN) : 22 August 2022

It would now seem, as reported by Marco Giannangeli (left), that,

"Senior Russian officers are becoming increasingly concerned about Vladimir Putin's conduct of the Ukrainian war, intelligence sources have revealed.
...
It follows a meeting in Paris last month between MI6 and a senior Russian civil servant, where it was claimed that a coterie of high-ranking Russian Army and Air Force officers were drawing up contingency plans to “impede" Putin's control of military policy.
...
Though it was not clear when they would strike, arrangements have already been made to give the group of officers safe haven in the UK and elsewhere in Europe, sources said. 

Following the deaths of 14 Generals killed on the front lines and a raft of sackings, the Russian premier [Putin] is now personally making operational and tactical decisions “at the level of a colonel or brigadier” ( Express : 21 August 2022) (my emphasis)

Putin's strategy, it would seem, does not only have as its central theme his 'nuclear-blackmail' strategy regarding the Zaphorizia nuclear plant in Ukraine.

As summer begins to give way to autumn,  Putin is upping the stakes to ensure that the population of the EU, in no uncertain terms, suffer the freezing cold of the coming winter in their homes.

As reported by Christoph Steitz and Thomas Escrit
...
"Russia will halt natural gas supplies to Europe for three days at the end of the month via its main pipeline into the region, state energy giant Gazprom (GAZP.MM) said on Friday, piling pressure on the region as it seeks to refuel ahead of winter.

The unscheduled maintenance on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which runs under the Baltic Sea to Germany, deepens an energy standoff between Moscow and Brussels which has already helped send inflation surging in the region and raised the risk of rationing and recession." (Reuters : 19 August 2022) (my emphasis)

They further report that,

"The move will bring further disruption particularly for Germany, which depends largely on deliveries from Moscow to power its industry

The European Union has accused Russia of using energy as a weapon. Moscow has denied the charge and has blamed sanctions for the drop in exports" (ibid Christoph Steitz and Thomas Escrit)

It is therefore no wonder that German Chancellor Scholtz, currently on a three day visit to Canada, 

"....  plan to discuss energy security and the transition to clean energy, "including through secure access to key resources like clean hydrogen and critical minerals," according to the Prime Minister's Office." (Marie Woolf and Mia Rabson : CTV News (taken from: Canadian Press) : 21 August 2022) (my emphasis)

All, however, is not well with this visit.

As further reported by Marie Woolf and Mia Rabson,

"Ukraine has criticized Trudeau and his government for a decision last month to agree to a request from Germany to exempt Siemens Canada from sanctions against Russia so it could return a turbine for use in the Nord Stream 1 pipeline that supplies natural gas to Germany.
..
 Canada’s permit also allows Siemens to import, repair and return five other turbines used in Nord Stream 1, according to their maintenance schedule, and is valid until the end of 2024.
...
In an interview, the Ukrainian ambassador to Canada, Yulia Kovaliv (right), called again for the waiver to be cancelled." (ibid Marie Woolf and Mia Rabson)

                         Ukraine and Germany testify on return of gas turbine to Russia: Global News : YouTube : 4 August 2022 

And as reported by Todd Prince (left),
...
Putin has tried to turn the tables on the EU by reducing gas flows to the bloc at a faster pace, helping drive prices to record highs and sparking fears that Russia might completely halt exports this winter.
...
Even if the war in Ukraine were to end immediately, irreparable damage has been done to the decades-old symbiotic gas relationship between Europe and Russia, he said.

“After building a reputation as a reliable gas supplier for more than 50 years, Russia has thrown it out the window in five months,” Ed Chow [energy analyst at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)] said." (RFERL : 4 August 2022) (my emphasis)

It is therefore no wonder that, "a coterie of high-ranking Russian Army and Air Force officers were drawing up contingency plans to “impede" Putin's control of military policy." (ibid Marco Giannangeli)

The cost of Putin's "nuclear" and "gas" blackmail-military-strategy will be heavily borne by the Russian public, both present and future.

 

(to be continued)