Putin now stands teetering on brink of the abyss of starting WW3.

As Putin faces military defeat in Ukraine, the 'referendum' ploy is now been adopted, primarily as a way of allowing Putin to 'save face'.

As Paul Kirby (left) reports,

"Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he believes Russia's leader is seeking an end to the war he began in Ukraine, and that a "significant step" will be made.

He said his impression from recent talks with Vladimir Putin was that he wanted to "end this as soon as possible". (BBC News : 20 September 2022) (my emphasis)

Paul Kirby (2) also reports that,

"Almost seven months after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, four areas under Moscow's control have announced plans for urgent so-called referendums on joining Russia.

The deputy head of Russia's Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, said early on Tuesday that holding votes in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk - also known as Donbas - would correct "historical justice" and be irreversible: "After the amendments to the constitution of our state, no future leader of Russia, no official, will be able to reverse these decisions." (BBC News : 20 September 2022) (my emphasis)

Putin's 'glove puppet', Dmitry Medvedev, has fully exposed what Putin meant when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he believed that, "significant steps will be made" by Putin to end his war with Ukraine.

Critically, Paul Kirby further reports that,

"Respected Russia analyst Tatiana Stanovaya (right) saw the latest move as an "unequivocal ultimatum" from Russia to Ukraine and the West. She said that if they did not react appropriately Russia would fully mobilise its armed forces for war. Annexation would give President Putin the right, as he saw it, to use any weapons to protected territory deemed by Moscow to be Russian." (ibid Paul Kirby (2))

And coming up from the rear we have that dyed-in-the-wool Soviet Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov (left), also now stating that,

"In a sign that the Kremlin was preparing to back the so-called referendums, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that from the start of the operation Russia had wanted residents to have the decision: "The whole current situation confirms that they want to be masters of their fate." (ibid Paul Kirby (2))

And then we have that pro-Kremlin state TV editor Margarita Simonyan also calling for a,

"Crimean scenario" of immediate votes, arguing they will enable Moscow to threaten Nato with retaliatory strikes by "untying Russia's hands". (ibid Paul Kirby (2))

 And now, just in, Chris Pleasance and Will Stewart report  that,

"Vladimir Putin appeared poised to go all-in on his war in Ukraine today, sparking fears of an escalation in fighting that could drag in NATO and spark World War Three.

In a day of rapid-fire developments, Kremlin stooges in Ukraine's Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions simultaneously announced referendums on becoming part of Russia between September 23 and 27, with the sham votes expected to easily pass.

Dmitry Medvedev, a staunch Putin ally, then vowed 'all forces of self-defence' will be used to protect what he called 'Russian territory' - teeing up a new phase in the conflict involving weapons and tactics the Kremlin has so-far held in reserve." (Mail Online : 20 September 2022) (my emphasis)

Chris Pleasance and Will Stewart also report that,

"Russian propagandists hailed news of a possible escalation in the war, with RT chief Margarita Simonyan saying: 'Judging by what is happening and what is about to happen, this week marks either the eve of our imminent victory or the eve of nuclear war. I can't see any third way.' (ibid Chris Pleasance and Will Stewart)

And 3 hours ago, at the 1st full U.N. meeting since 2019, MSN (CBC-Radio Canada) reports that,

"He cited the war in Ukraine and multiplying conflicts around the world ... " (MSN : 20 September 2022) (my emphasis)

As also reported by Adrienne Vogt, Mike Hayes, Aditi Sangal and Maureen Chowdhury,

"Finland's President Sauli Niinistö urged the international community to come together in solidarity to uphold laws and principles of human rights, against the backdrop of Russia's "unprovoked war" in Ukraine.

Speak at the United National General Assembly on Tuesday, Niinistö said Russia is "raging a brutal war in Ukraine" and while countries and members of the assembly might not always agree, “it our common obligation to uphold” rules around international laws and human rights, he said. " (CNN : 20 September 2022) (my emphasis)

Sky News now also reports that,

"Ukraine war latest: Putin due to address nation for first time since invasion - with leader set to announce escalation of war; 'mobilisation and martial law' mentioned in new Russian law; 'panic' in Kremlin

Russia's Kremlin-controlled lower house of parliament has approved legislation that toughens punishment for soldiers breaching their duties, in an apparent effort to boost discipline in the ranks.

The new law also offers a hint that Vladimir Putin is moving closer to a full mobilisation - with a declaration of war needed in order to conscript young men into the military (remember Moscow hasn't yet called this a war). (Sky News : 20 September 2022) (my emphasis) 

And hot on the heels of the Sky Report, Paul Withers reports that,

"The Turkish President has fired a huge warning to his Russian counterpart who is already struggling in the wake of impressive Ukrainian counter-strikes on Moscow's invading army.
...
Turkey has issued a huge warning to Russia after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ordered Vladimir Putin to return all "occupied" land - including Crimea.
...
Turkish leader Mr Erdogan has insisted the Black Sea peninsula should be returned to its "rightful owners"." (Express : 20 September 2022) (my emphasis)

The question that now hangs over the world, according to Andrew Roth (right),

"Is Vladimir Putin happy to risk nuclear war to avoid admitting defeat?

Vladimir Putin has backed himself into a corner in Ukraine. And true to form, the Russian leader is ready to escalate, perhaps up to the brink of nuclear war, rather than admit defeat.
...
Facing humiliation, Putin has issued a new threat: holding “referenda” in the regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, which could lead to them being annexed by Russia by early next week.

In the mind of Russia’s formalistic leader, that would turn the “special military operation” in Ukraine into a defensive war in Russia, opening up the possibility of a full mobilisation, declaration of war and even a nuclear strike. (The Guardian : 20 September 2022) (my emphasis)

Putin now stands teetering on the brink of the abyss of starting WW3.

STOP PRESS!!! 21 September 2022

7.26 am BST - 21 September 2022 : Steve Rosenberg reports that,

"Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has announced “partial mobilisation” in Russia “to defend the motherland, its sovereignty and territorial integrity, the security of our people.”

He says this concerns “only citizens in the military reserve, those who’ve served in the army.”

And he issued this threat (to the West):

“If the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, to defend Russia and our people, we will use all means we have. This is not a bluff.

"The territorial integrity of our motherland, our independance and freedom will be secured, I repeat with all the means we have.

"Those who try to blackmail us with nuclear weapons should know that the prevailing winds can turn in their direction.” (BBC News : 21 September 2022) (my emphasis)
 
PUTIN HAS LIT THE FUSE OF STARTING WW3.

(video) Holly Ellyatt : CNBC : 21 September 2022 

 

(to be continued)

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)