Is Putin's temptation to press his 'nuclear' button increasing?

The international community's continued condemnation of Putin's war in Ukraine has reached a new level of crescendo.

As now reported by Jon King, even Angela Merkel, the late Chancellor of Germany, who 'appeased' Putin since his illegal invasion of, and annexation of, Ukraine's Crimea in 2014, 

" has warned the West should not dismiss Vladimir Putin's threats over the war in Ukraine. The former German Chancellor said Western powers should not view Putin's threats as a bluff.

Her remarks came after the Russian dictator repeated a threat last month to use nuclear weapons to defend his country"

The former Chancellor emphasised that lasting peace in Europe can only happen with the inclusion of Russia, adding: "As long as we have not really achieved that, the Cold War is not really over either." (Express : 7 October 2022) (my emphasis)

True to form, as Putin' 2022 war with Ukraine continues to rage on, and without daring to mention Putin, she continues her 2014 'mantra' of appeasing Putin, whilst completely ignoring the fact that Ukraine's President, Volodymyr Zelensky, has categorically stated that,

"Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky (right) rejected Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi’s call for “dialogue and diplomacy” with Russia during their phone call on Tuesday, saying that “Ukraine will not conduct any negotiations” with Russian President Vladimir Putin in lieu of the “sham” referenda held in the four Russian-occupied territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia." (State Craft: 6 October 2022) (my emphasis)

Added to which, as reported by Robert Moore,

"For weeks, officials in Washington have been supremely cautious in discussing whether President Putin might use a low-yield tactical nuclear weapon in Ukraine.
...
President Biden last night abandoned all such moderate language and issued by far the most alarming assessment of the risk of a disastrous escalation in the war.
...
At a private event in New York, Biden appeared to suggest that the Russian leader might detonate a nuclear weapon in Ukraine, declaring: "We have not faced the prospect of Armageddon since Kennedy and the Cuban missile crisis." (ITV : 7 October 2022) (my emphasis)

 Biden Warning - nuclear war: MSNBC : Alex Wagner : 7 October 2022

As also reported by Will Stewart,

"'The cause is the Russian president Vladimir Putin who seriously intends to demonstrate the capabilities of nuclear weapons - tactical nuclear weapons,' he [Valery Solovei] said. 'Putin cannot allow himself to be defeated. He has two tools left in his sleeve - mobilisation, which he is using [and] nuclear weapons.'" (Daily Mail : 6 October 2022) (my emphasis)

Daily Mail : 6 October 2022

Hugo Bachega and John Simpson also report that,

"Speaking in English at the president's office in Kyiv, President Zelensky said: "They [Russia] begin to prepare their society [for nuclear war]. That's very dangerous.

"They are not ready to do it, to use it. But they begin to communicate. They don't know whether they'll use or not use it. I think it's dangerous to even speak about it." (BBC News : 7 October 2022) (my emphasis)

 BBC : YouTube: 7 October 2022

Having constantly threatened to press the 'nuclear' button since the start of his current invasion of Ukraine, is the 'nuclear' button becoming 'toxic' for Putin himself?

Merkel's retort that, "... Western powers should not view Putin's threats as a bluff [to use a nuclear weapon against Ukraine]" should now include the fact that US President Biden himself is warning Putin that he WILL face serious consequences should he press his 'nuclear' button.

We now also learn that,

"President Joe Biden deemed the disagreement between the Russian leader and a member of his inner circle significant enough to include in the US daily intelligence briefing.

... Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov acknowledged there has been disagreements among Russian officials around crucial decisions taken such as mobilisation. (Rosie Jempson (left): Express : 7 October 2022) (my emphasis)

Has this development within the Kremlin increased the toxicity of Putin's 'nuclear' button for himself?

Or is it, as Will Stewart reports,

"Putin 'wants to take the world with him when he dies' and 'the decision about using tactical nukes has already been made', says political expert (Valery Solovei) behind claims over Vladimir's health" (ibid Will Stewart) (my emphasis)

 As Ukraine's army continues to accellerate the pace at which it is gaining ground over Putin's forces in the Russian occupied territories of Ukraine in the south and the east, (cf. eg.: Express : 5 Oct 2022, Yuliya Talmazan : NBC News : 5 Oct 2022,  ABC News (Aus) : 4 Oct 2022) is Putin's temptation to simply press his 'nuclear' button increasing?

STOP PRESS!!!

11.24 am BST: Reports are just coming in of an explosion on Putin's "White Elephant" Kerch Bridge.

Alexandra Fouché and Hugo Bachega report that,

A large fire on the only crossing between Ukraine's occupied Crimean peninsula and Russia was caused by a lorry explosion, Russian officials say.
...
Road and rail traffic across the bridge has been suspended. Local authorities in Crimea say they will organise a ferry service between the Russian mainland and the peninsula.
...
Russia has used the bridge to move military equipment, ammunition, and personnel from Russia to battlefields in southern Ukraine.
...
As such, Ukrainian authorities said it was a legitimate target, as they vow to retake the peninsula." (BBC News : 8 October 2022) (my emphasis)

TRT World Now : YouTube : 8 October 2022 

DW News : YouTube: 8 October 2022 

 

CRUX : YouTube : 8 October 2022

(to be continued)

Is Putin's 'nuclear' threats now coming to fruition?

It should not come as any surprise that Elon Musk,  

• who grew up in South Africa during the fascist 'apartheid' years,
• and whose father's wealth, the very bedrock of the the privileged life of a white South African that he lived well into his teenage years, was gained from his father's contracts with the then fascist apartheid South African regime ,
• should now spew out Putin's and Angela Merkel's Minks2 protocols of 2015 as the basis for ending Putin's war with Ukraine. 

Elon Musk's privileged upbringing during the fascist apartheid years in South has soaked him in the fascist totilitarian ideology of apartheid South Africa in much the same way as the Russian people are being soaked in the totalitarian fascist ideology of Putin. 

Are we therefore surprised that Elon Musk has a somewhat "soft spot" for Putin?

As Christina Wilkie reports, Andrij Melnyk (right), former Ukraine ambassador to Germany, rather aptly responded to Elon Musk's tweet.

“F--- off is my very diplomatic reply to you,” Ukraine’s outgoing ambassador to Germany, Andrij Melnyk, wrote in response to Musk’s tweet. “The only outcome is that now no Ukrainian will EVER buy your f…ing tesla crap. So good luck to you.” (CNBC : 3 October 2022) (my emphasis)

And whilst Elon Musk exposes his tacit support for Putin, the Ukrainian army continues with its relentless 'pushback' of Putin's army on Ukraine's soil.

As reported by Andrew E. Kramer, Carlotta Gall and Anton Troianovski,

"Russian forces in Ukraine were on the run Monday across a broad swath of the front line, as the Ukrainian military pressed its blitz offensive in the east and made gains in the south, belying President Vladimir Putin’s claims to have absorbed into Russia territories that his armies are steadily losing." (IndianExpress (article originally appeared in The New York Times)): 4 October 2022) (my emphasis)

CNN's Nick Paton Walsh : YouTube : 3 October 2022

As also reported by Edna Mohamed and Farah Najjar (left),

"Ukrainian forces are advancing into Kherson, one of the four regions Russia formally annexed days ago despite widespread condemnation.

The gains come after Kyiv’s forces recaptured Lyman over the weekend in Donetsk, another region annexed by Moscow.

Meanwhile, thousands of newly mobilised Russian troops have been sent home as they were deemed unfit for duty." (Aljazeera : 3 October 2022) (my emphasis)
 
Meanwhile, as reported by Frances D'Emilio (right),

"Pope Francis on Sunday appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin for a cease-fire, imploring him to “stop this spiral of violence and death” in Ukraine and denouncing the “absurd” risk of the “uncontrollable” consequences of nuclear attack as tensions sharply escalate over the war.

Francis uttered his strongest plea yet about the seventh-month-old conflict, which he denounced as an “error and a horror.” (AP News : 2 October ) (my emphasis)

Ominously, as reported by David Averre (left),

"A huge freight train moving specialist military equipment associated with a nuclear-arms wielding division of Russia's Defence Ministry has been spotted on the move, prompting fears of an escalation in Putin's war.
...
Military analyst Konrad Musyka claimed the deployment of such units could signal a coming escalation in the conflict from the warmongering Russian president or constitute a precursor to large scale nuclear drills.
...
But he did suggest it could be a 'signal to the West that Moscow is escalating' the conflict, adding that Russia's Strategic Rocket Forces (RVSN) are known to undergo extensive training drills in autumn." (Mail Online : 3 October 2022) (my emphasis)

 Halftone BTS : YouTube : 2 October 2022 (cf. also: Daily Mail : 3 October 2022)

 So the $64 question is, 

• Is the deployment of these specialist military equipment associated with nuclear-arms simply an autumnal Russian military drill OR
• Does this signal to the West that Moscow is escalating' the conflict.

As Russian forces in Ukraine are on the run across a broad swath of the front line, as the Ukrainian military presses its blitz offensive in the east and is making gains in the south, is Putin's 'nuclear' threats now coming to fruition?

STOP PRESS!!!

We now learn from Rozina Sabur, Verity Bowman and Josie Ensor that,

• "The Kremlin has thanked Elon Musk after the billionaire Tesla CEO for putting forward his own controversial peace plan to end the war in Ukraine, prompting a backlash from Ukrainian officials.

• Meanwhile, Mr Musk's input was welcomed by the Kremlin, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying it was “very positive that somebody like Elon Musk is looking for a peaceful way out of this situation".  

• Dmitry Medvedev, a key ally of Vladimir Putin who serves as deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, tweeted his: "kudos" to Mr Musk. 

• He predicted the billionaire’s next tweet would say that “Ukraine is an artificial state”. 

• In follow-up tweets, Mr Musk said Russia should leave the annexed regions “if that is the will of the people”. 

• He said he did not care if his proposal was unpopular, arguing that he did care "that millions of people may die needlessly for an essentially identical outcome". (Daily Telegraph : 4 October 2022) (my emphasis)

As I stated at the beginning of this blog, 

 

"Are we therefore surprised that Elon Musk has a somewhat "soft spot" for Putin?"

 (to be continued)

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)