The speech of Zelensky to the UN Assembly (21 September 2022), more than anything else, rose above many of the self interests of many countries whose representatives listened intently to what he had to say.
Not only did he warn the sitting members at the UN Assembly about the dangerous universal legal implications to their own security and border protections of Putin's invasion of, and war with, Ukraine, he also made those sitting members aware of the criminal nature of Putin's invading army.
Putin's war with Ukraine, he informed the UN Assembly, is having global economic repercussions throughout the world and, more than anything else, is actually negatively impacting the free flow of grain and other foodstuffs to countries desperately in need of this food to prevent the starvation of their peoples.
He laid out a peace formula for the UN that :-
punishes crime
protects life
restores security and territorial integrity
guarentees security
and provides determination
At the end of his speech he received a standing ovation from those UN members present at his speech.
Whether the formula that he presented to the UN Assembly will, in future, be adopted by members of the UN Assembly now remains to be seen.
In an interview with Tom O'Connor(left), Sergei
Lavrov, that dyed-in-the-wool Soviet Foreign Minister and stand-in for
Putin at the UN Assembly meeting, yet again trotted out Putin's
delusional reason for his current war with Ukraine.
Lavrov: With its actions to nurture a Russophobic neo-Nazi regime in Ukraine, deploy military equipment and turn its territory into a springboard for containing Russia, the West left us no choice but to conduct a special military operation.
"I
would like to emphasize that the collective West, led by the United
States, is openly seeking to defeat Russia "on the battlefield."(MSN (Newsweek): 21 September 2022) (my emphasis)
Referring to the proposed 'sham' referendums that Putin's proxies threaten to hold in Ukraine's Donbas, Luhansk, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions,Lavrov (right) went on further to argue that,
"...We see the desire of people to be together with Russia, and therefore we shall treat their choice with respect. The corresponding intentions have been voiced recently by the leaders of the DPR, LPR, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions. All of them are entitled to use the right to self-determination in accordance with the UN Charter." (ibid Tom O'Conner)
Meanwhile, following on from Putin's announcement to the Russian people of what he termed as a "partial mobilization" and, incidentally, the first in Russia since the end of WW2, Laurence Peter and Laura Gozzi report that,
"Russian police are reported to have arrested hundreds of protesters rallying against the Kremlin's decision to call up thousands of extra troops to fight in Ukraine.
Russian human rights group OVD-Info put the total at more than 1,300. The largest numbers arrested were in St Petersburg and Moscow.
Dozens were held in Irkutsk and other Siberian cities, and Yekaterinburg.
Flights out of Russia sold out fast after Vladimir Putin's announcement.
Pictures on social media showed long queues at border posts, and on Google, the search for "how to leave Russia" skyrocketed."(BBC News : 22 September 2022) (my emphasis) (cf also: CNN: 21 September 2022, Express: 21 September 2022, amongst others)
These demonstrations follow on from the recent report of Allison Quinn(left) 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)
Putin's paranoid reactions to the recent successes of the Ukainian army in regaining a large swathe of Ukrainian territory that Putin's army seized at the beginning of his recent war with Ukraine is now, finally, filtering through to the Russian people.
Now the youth of Moscow and St. Petersburg are been dragooned into replenishing the thousands of Russian lives that have already been lost in Putin's war with Ukraine.
Will the citizens of Russia now begin to hold Putin accountable for his paranoid actions?
"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)
"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))
"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)
"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)
"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)
"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.
"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.
"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.
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.
"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.
"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)
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.
"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)
"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.
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)
"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.
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)
"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)
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)
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),
"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.
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.
"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)
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?
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)
"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)
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)
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.
"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)
"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!
"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?
