Putin's "annexation" speech has revealed his dangerous insanity to the whole world

In 2014, writing about Putin's illegal annexation of Ukraine's Crimea, and his subsequent invasion of Ukraine's Luhansk and Donetsk, Karen Robes Meeks (left) reported that,

"Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday compared recent
actions by Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Ukraine to those implemented by Adolf Hitler in the late 1930s.

 "All the Germans that were ... the ethnic Germans, the Germans by ancestry who were in places like Czechoslovakia and Romania and other places, Hitler kept saying they're not being treated right. I must go and protect my people, and that's what's gotten everybody so nervous." (Press Telegram : March 5, 2014) (my emphasis)

Putin's arguments for his annexation of Ukraine' Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions mirrors the arguments which Hitler used to invade and annex the Northern, Southern, and Western areas of Czechoslovakia in 1938, which Hitler referred to as the Sudetenland (Wikipedia)

As Reuters points out, in his annexation speech (30/09/2022) Putin proclaimed that,

• "I want the Kyiv authorities and their real masters in the West to hear me, so that they remember this. People living in Luhansk and Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia are becoming our citizens. Forever. 
• "We are ready [for negotiations] ... But we will not discuss the choice of the people in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson. That has been made. Russia will not betray them." 
• "The battlefield to which fate and history have called us is the battlefield for our people, for great historical Russia, for future generations, our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren." (Reuters : 30 September 2022) (my emphasis)

Putin's Annexation Speech 30 September 2022 : BBC News 30 September 2022

Aila Slisco : Newsweek : 30 September 2022

More ominously, however, he also proclaimed that,

"The United States is the only country in the world that has twice used nuclear weapons, destroying the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and setting a precedent." (ibid Reuters)

In other words, Putin is using the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during WW2 as legitimising HIS potential use of a nuclear weapon in his war with Ukraine.

 And now, as Hugo Bachega & James FitzGerald report,

"Russia has withdrawn its troops from the strategic Ukrainian town of Lyman, in a move seen as a significant setback for its campaign in the east.
...
The retreat came amid fears thousands of soldiers would be encircled in the town, Russia's defence ministry said.
...
Recapturing Lyman is of strategic significance for Ukraine.
...
The town had been used as a logistics hub by Russia, and could give Ukrainian troops access to more territory in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions." (BBC News : 1 October 2022) (my emphasis)

This has led Ramzan Kadyrov (right), Putin's Chechen puppet, to openly call for the use of nuclear weapons by Putin.

As reported by John Varga, Liam Doyle, Sean Meleady,

" ... Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has reportedly told Vladimir Putin to consider using the nuclear option in Ukraine.... "

"... Mr Kadyrov wrote on Telegram: "In my personal opinion, more drastic measures should be taken, right up to the declaration of martial law in the border areas and the use of low-yield nuclear weapons". ( : Express : 2 October 2022) (my emphasis)

This re-taking of the strategic town of Lyman from Putin's army in Donetsk, which Putin on Friday has "annexed" from Ukraine, gives us an insight into his delusional state of mind.

Indeed, during his speech of "annexation" (30/09/2022) Putin proclaimed that,

"The dictatorship of the Western elites is directed against all societies, including the peoples of the Western countries themselves. This is a challenge to all. This is a complete denial of humanity, the overthrow of faith and traditional values. Indeed, the suppression of freedom itself has taken on the features of a religion: outright Satanism." (ibid Reuters)

As U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan (left) remarked,

"The fact that he's using words like 'Satanism' is to me precisely the kind of over the top rhetoric and ranting that you hear from someone who has no basis to justify what is a colonial and imperial land grab," said Sullivan. 

"Rather than fill in any kind of logic or moral defense of what he has done, he has to resort to these kinds of absurd arguments," he added. "And I think that can be plain for the world to see." (Aila Slisco (right): Newsweek: 30 September 2022) (my emphasis)

And it is these absurd arguments of Putin that, no doubt, has put many western nations on alert, especially the US and the UK, whom he singled out during his long  "annexation" speech.

As Alexei Goncharenko (left), Ukraine's MP for Odessa, stated,

"First of all I think that a psychiatrist should be invited to speak about it [Putin's speech] because ... he's insane inadequate person ... " (cf: towards end of BBC News video of Putin's speech) 

Indeed, absurd or not as many of his statements during his "annexation" speech may seem, Putin may heed the 'advice' of Kadyrov to, "[declare] .. martial law in the border areas and [to] use .. low-yield nuclear weapons" against the Ukrainian army, above the advice of his generals.

Putin's "annexation" speech has, more than anything else, revealed his insanity for the whole world to see.

 (to be continued)

Putin doing something drastic in Ukraine has dangerously increased.

As Abraham Lincoln once said, 

“You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time.” (Goodreads : Quotes) 

As reported by The Moscow Times (from AFP),

 "Kremlin-installed authorities were already claiming victory Tuesday in annexation votes in Ukrainian regions under Russian control, as Moscow warned it could use nuclear weapons to defend the territories.

[Putin's] spokesman Dmitry Peskov meanwhile said the votes would have "radical" legal implications and that the so-called referendums "will also have consequences for security," referring to Moscow's threats to use nuclear weapons to defend its territory." (The Moscow Times (from AFP): 27 September 2022) (my emphasis)  

Putin, it would seem, really believes that he can, "fool all  of the people [viz. the whole international community] all of the time." by declaring that,

"Saving people in the territories where this referendum is taking place... is the focus of the attention of our entire society and of the entire country," Russian President Vladimir Putin said earlier during a televised meeting with officials. (ibid The Moscow Times).

And then came the 'mantra' threat from his 'glove puppet', Dmitri Medvedev, shaking his puny fists whilst declaring that,

"I want to remind you — the deaf who hear only themselves: Russia has the right to use nuclear weapons if necessary," former leader Dmitry Medvedev warned Tuesday on social media." (ibid The Moscow Times)

Putin's belief that he can fool the whole of the international community with his blatant attempt at a landgrab in Ukraine is not fooling anyone.

In the words of Fergal Mythen (left), the Irish Ambassador to the UN, speaking at the UN Security Council Meeting on the 27 September 2022,

"These referenda will never deter us from supporting the people of Ukraine. Might does not make right.

These referenda are a cynical ploy to not only further undermine Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, but also trying to reset an unjustified war. This is a blatant landgrab to redefine areas of Ukraine as a part of Russia" (Lawrence O' Donnell: MSNBC: 28 September 2022) (my emphasis)

The US Ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield (left), is even more explicit about the ramifications of Putin's "sham" elections in the warzone of Ukraine.

Also at the UN Security Council Meeting on the 27 September 2022, she explained to Lawrence O'Donnell that,

"We had 14 members of the Security Council today say to Russia loudly and clearly, that what they're doing in Ukraine is unacceptable.... We will never accept it.... We will give the Ukrainians everything they need to defend themselves .... We will hold them [Russia] accountable for what they are doing in Ukraine ..." (ibid  Lawrence O' Donnell) (my emphasis)

And if Putin thought that the return of his old chum, Forza Italia leader Silvio Berlusconi, to the benches of the Italian government, will swing the Italian government behind him, he was in for a sore surprise.

As reported by Crispian Balmer,

"Nationalist leader Giorgia Meloni (left), set to become Italy's next prime minister, has pledged her full support for Kyiv after receiving congratulations from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy for her election victory.
...
Meloni replied swiftly. "Dear (Zelenskiy), you know that you can count on our loyal support for the cause of freedom of Ukrainian people. Stay strong and keep your faith steadfast!" she wrote in English on Twitter." (Reuters : 28 September 2022) (my emphasis)

This contrasts strongly with, as Crispian Balmer writes,

"Underscoring the depth of those ties [between Putin and Berlusconi] , Forza Italia leader Silvio Berlusconi said last week that Putin had been "pushed" into invading Ukraine and had wanted to put "decent people" in charge of Kyiv. (ibid Crispian Balmer) (my emphasis)

And during the running of the "sham" elections in Donetsk and Luhansk, and to the south Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, Aljazeera reported that,

"Sudden and unexplained gas leaks detected in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines from Russia to Germany have prompted investigations by European countries into the cause amid fear of possible sabotage." (Aljazeera : 27 September 2022) (my emphasis)

 

Since the discovery of these explosions that have rendered these pipelines from Russia to Germany inoperable, Dan Sabbagh (left) reports that,

"The incidents took place close to – but just outside – the 12-mile territorial waters of Denmark’s Bornholm in the Baltic Sea, the kind of calibration that might be expected from a state actor mindful of the country’s Nato membership." (The Guardian : 27 September 2022) (my emphasis)

DW : YouTube : 27 September 2022

Kate Duffy (left) reports that,

"German lawmakers break Europe's silence on suspected Nord Stream pipeline saboteur to point the finger at Russia" (MSN (from: Markets Insider) : 28 September 2022) (my emphasis)

She goes on to report that,

"Two senior German lawmakers have pointed the finger at Russia over suspected sabotage of the Nord Stream natural-gas pipelines. 

Roderich Kiesewetter, a government spokesman for crisis prevention, said in a tweet late Tuesday that the attack was an act of sabotage by Russia to deter and threaten Europe.

Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, chairwoman of the Bundestag's defense committee, also named Russia in comments on the suspected attacks to the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND) news network." (ibid Kate Duffy) (my emphasis) 

If it is the case that Putin is responsible for the crippling of Nord Stream1 and Nord Stream2, we can only assume that this is a direct economic attack by Russia on the EU.

If attacking the economy of the EU is not the case, then the paranoid behaviour of Putin doing something even more drastic in Ukraine has dangerously increased. 

  

 (to be continued)

At this critical stage in Putin's war with Ukraine, the stakes could not be higher.

Following on from the turmoil in Russia precipitated by Putin's mobilization call, Richard Cowen (left) reports that, 

"The United States would respond decisively to any Russian use of nuclear weapons against Ukraine and has spelled out to Moscow the "catastrophic consequences" it would face, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Sunday.
...
Sullivan's remarks represented the latest American warning following the thinly veiled nuclear threat made by Vladimir Putin last Wednesday in a speech in which the Russian president also announced his country's first wartime military mobilization since World War Two." (Reuters : 25 September 2022) (my emphasis)
 

Full Interview : Yahoo (Reuters) : 25 September 2022

At this critical stage in Putin's war with Ukraine, the stakes could not be higher. 

Like Hitler who, just before he committed suicide in his Berlin bunker, mobilized children to defend Berlin (left), Putin's mobilization decree has exposed how its shambolic implementation has led to, as Sophia Ankel (right) reports,

"Russia drafted an old man with diabetes, a 17-year-old, and people with no training to fight in Ukraine, reports say — a sign of desperation" (Business Insider : 23 September 2022) (my emphasis)

As also reported by Hyder Abbasi (left),

" ... Valentina Matviyenko  [chairwoman of the Duma]  (right) and Vyacheslav Volodin [speaker of the Duma] both took to the Telegram messaging app to address what they said were the many complaints from the public about the mistakes that were made when recruiting civilians into the military. " (NBC News : 25 September 2022) (my emphasis)

On a more sinister note, as reported by James Waterhouse, Paul Adams and Merlyn Thomas,

"Ukrainians have reported armed soldiers going door-to-door in occupied parts of the country to collect votes for self-styled "referendums" on joining Russia.
...
"You have to answer verbally and the soldier marks the answer on the sheet and keeps it," one woman in Enerhodar told the BBC.
...
In southern Kherson, Russian guardsmen stood with a ballot box in the middle of the city to collect people's votes." (BBC News : 24 September 2022) (my emphasis)

CNN : YouTube: 23 September 2022

And against this backdrop of Putin's "sham" and "dangerous" so-called elections in the territory that his soldiers occupy, Ron Popeski reports that,

"President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in an interview broadcast on Sunday that Ukraine had received sophisticated air defence systems from the United States.
...
It was the first acknowledgment that Ukraine had received the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS), long sought by Kyiv and whose shipment was approved by Washington late last month." (MSN (Reuters) : 25 September 2022) (my emphasis)

Furthermore, as reported by George Parker,

"Liz Truss will tell world leaders this week that Britain will match or exceed the £2.3bn it committed to Ukraine’s war effort against Russia in 2022 next year (2023) on her first overseas trip as UK prime minister." (Financial Times : 20 September 2022) (my emphasis)

So in both financial and military-equipment assistance, Zelensky can rest assured that US President Biden and UK Prime Minister Truss will continue to support the people of Ukraine in defending themselves against Putin's war with Ukraine.

The same cannot, however, be said for Italy, where the recent elections have brought to power the Far Right "Brothers of Italy" headed by Mussolini admirer, Giorgia Meloni (left).

As reported by Matt Clinch,

"Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party was created in 2012, but has its roots in Italy’s 20th century neo-fascist movement that emerged after the death of fascist leader Benito Mussolini in 1945." (CNBC : 25 September 2022) (my emphasis)

Alessandra Migliaccio, Chiara Albanese and Flavia Rotondi also report that,

"Giorgia Meloni struck a conciliatory tone after her election win, pledging to govern for all Italians as she was poised to lead the country’s most right-wing government since World War II.

Meloni’s coalition, which includes Matteo Salvini’s League and Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia parties, was credited with about 44% of votes in Sunday’s elections, according to preliminary results from the interior ministry." (Yahoo News : 26 September 2022) (my emphasis)

Critically, it should be noticed that whilst Giorgia Meloni supports Ukraine against Putin's war, the same cannot be said for her coalition partners of Berlusconi and Salvini.

Image left: Bosom pals Berlusconi and Putin when Berlusconi was Prime Minister of Italy 2008 – 2011 

And let us not forget, as reported by Hannah Roberts, that,

"Western sanctions against Russia are not working and actually harm Italy, according to Matteo Salvini (right), the leader of Italy's far-right League party, suggesting allied countries should reconsider their approach.
...
"Do we have to defend Ukraine? Yes," Salvini said. "But I would not want the sanctions to harm those who impose them more than those who are hit by them." (Politico : 4 September 2022) (my emphasis)

For Zelensky, with "friends" like these, who needs enemies.

The dire straits of the Italian economy may find the Italian government of  Giorgia Meloni shifting towards a neutral stance in Putin's war with Ukraine, causing serious fissures within the EU in its support for Ukraine.

(to be continued)

The fuse of Putin's nuclear war threat is burning fast towards WW3.

As Putin, true to his words, sets off his "sham" elections in Ukraine's Donbas, Luhansk, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, Dmitri Medvedev, Putin's glove puppet, underlines Putin's threat to set off a nuclear war after these sham elections.

As reported by Pavel Polityuk

"The referendums have been widely condemned by the West as
illegitimate and a precursor to illegal annexation. There will be no
independent observers, and much of the pre-war population has fled." (Reuters : 23 September 2022) (my emphasis)

When the already forgone results are announced and those territories, according to Putin, become part of the Russian Federation then, as reported by David Harding,

"Dmitry Medvedev, a former president of Russia and Vladimir Putin loyalist, has warned Russia will use nuclear weapons if it believes territories are under attack.

“Russia is ready to defend territories added to it with all means ...." (The Independent : 22 September 2022) (my emphasis)

It is therefore no wonder that yesterday Lavrov, after giving his 'defence of Putin and the war in Ukraine' to the assembled members of the UN Security Council, immediately scuttled off.

As reported by MSN (Bloomberg),

"Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov walked out of a United Nations Security Council meeting where the US and its allies were criticizing President Vladimir Putin’s government over the invasion of Ukraine, in a stark demonstration of the divisions opened up by the war.

Lavrov arrived at the meeting late, delivered his speech and left once it was done, refusing to stay for the speeches that accused Russia of committing war crimes and violating the UN Charter." (MSN (Bloomberg) : 22 September 2022) (my emphasis)

 Nick Schifrin : PBS News : 22 September 2022

And as Lavrov scuttled out of the UN Security Coulcil Meeting, many are now reporting on the panicked exodus from Russia of Russian men escaping Putin's mobilisation decree.

As reported by Marc Bennetts (left),

"From Moscow to deepest Siberia, Russian men of fighting age are scrambling to flee the country after President Putin announced that military reservists would be deployed to Ukraine. For some, it is already too late." (The Times : 23 September 2022) (my emphasis)

CNN : 23 September 2022 Russian men fleeing

The Cuban Missile Crisis in October of 1962, when Soviet First Secretary Nikita Kruschev threatened to place nuclear missiles in Cuba, and US President Kennedy immediately blockaded Cuba to prevent those Russian missiles from reaching Cuba, brought the world to the brink of nuclear war. (cf: Wikipedia) (left: Kruschev banging table at UN with his shoe)

Soviet First Secretary Nikita Kruschev backed down, and a nuclear war was averted.

And now the fuse of paranoid Putin's nuclear war threat is burning fast towards WW3.   

There is now simply no way that he can extricate himself from what he has started.

• He cannot stop the "sham" referendums that he has set in motion.
• He cannot stop the panicked exodus of Russian men from Russia.
• He cannot stop the mounting demonstrations against his war now occuring all over Russia.
• He cannot erase his threat of 'nuclear' war once he declares the "sham" elections valid, and immediately incorporates Ukraine's Donbas, Luhansk, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions into the Russian Federation.
  

Unlike Soviet First Secretary Nikita Kruschev, Putin has no 'politburo' that can reign him in.

The Soviet Politburo was a bureau of the Central Committee that was tasked with making day-to-day political decisions. (cf Wikipedia)

As Patrick Jackson reports,

"The US is taking "seriously" Vladimir Putin's veiled threats to use nuclear weapons to defend areas in Ukraine, a top White House official told the BBC.

John Kirby said the US was not changing its "strategic deterrent posture", but that Mr Putin spoke irresponsibly." (BBC News: 23 September 2022) (my emphasis)

We can now only hope that something unforseen stays Putin's hand from pressing the nuclear button.

STOP PRESS!! 24 September 2022

BBC News reports that,

"The EU must not ignore Vladimir Putin's threats that he could use nuclear weapons in the conflict in Ukraine, the bloc's foreign policy chief has said.

Josep Borrell (left) told the BBC's Lyse Doucet that Mr Putin's assertion he was not bluffing had to be taken seriously.

His remarks come as Russia begins a partial mobilisation and moves to annex four regions of Ukraine." (BBC News : 24 September 2022) (my emphasis)

 

 

We should all be reminded of the fact, as Jonathan Littell (right) points out, that,

"In August 1999, a then-unknown Vladimir Putin was named prime minister when his predecessor refused to condone a full reinvasion of Chechnya. Putin, however, was ready, and in return for their unconditional support he granted the military a free rein, allowing them to avenge their humiliating 1996 defeat in blood and fire." (The Guardian : 3 March 2022) (my emphasis)

The Putin of 1999 is the same Putin of 2022. 

And now, as President of the Russian Federation, he has his trigger finger hovering over the nuclear button as his war with Ukraine begins to collapse like a pack of cards.

(to be continued) 

Will the citizens of Russia now begin to hold Putin accountable for his paranoid actions.

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.

PBS News Hour : 21 September 2022 : YouTube

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?

(to be continued)

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)