In Ukraine, Winter is now turning into Spring in its war with Putin.

Today, as reported by Guy Faulconbridge (left),

"Russian President Vladimir Putin's foreign intelligence chief has said French President Emmanuel Macron's refusal to rule out sending European troops to fight Russian soldiers in Ukraine was extremely dangerous and irresponsible.
...
Asked about Macron's remarks, Sergei Naryshkin, the head of Russia's Foreign Intelligence
Service (SVR), the main successor to the KGB's First Directorate foreign spying section, said they were deeply irresponsible." (Reuters : 6 March 2024) (my emphasis)

This response of  Sergei Naryshkin (right) follows on from the report of Warren Murray that,

"Emmanuel Macron (left) has urged Ukraine’s allies not to be “cowards” in supporting its fight against the Russian invasion. He “fully stood behind” remarks made last week not ruling out the deployment of western troops. “We are surely approaching a moment for Europe in which it will be necessary not to be cowards,” the French president said on a visit to the Czech Republic." (The Guardian : 6 March 2024) (my emphasis)

Sky News Australia : 6 March 2024 : YouTube

Was Macron specifically referring to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz when urging Ukraine's EU allies "not to be “cowards” in supporting its fight against the Russian invasion of Ukraine?

Andrew Naughtie & Tamsin Paternoster (left) seem to underline this possibility by reporting that,

"Scholz's government has lately been resisting pressure to share one of its most powerful military assets with the Ukrainians just when they need it most.
...
According to Benjamin Tallis, Senior Fellow at the German Council on Foreign Relations,"Following the Taurus leak, it seems that what Scholz is really afraid of is the weapon's effectiveness. This betrays his position of not wanting Ukraine to win – and it's an approach that lets down all Europeans by making us less safe." (Euronews : 6 March 2024) (my emphasis) 

What further betrays Scholz's position of not wanting Ukraine to win is the recent relocation of 5,000 German troops to Lithuania "amid mounting concerns about a potential attack from Moscow, whose Kaliningrad enclave borders Lithuania, along with its ally Belarus. (Euronews : 29 February 2024) (my emphasis)"

Admittedly, these German troops have been deployed as NATO troops in defence of a NATO member.

But cowering behind NATO's Article 5 as an excuse not to send Taurus  missiles to Ukraine further underscores the argument of Benjamin Tallis that Scholz simply does not want Ukraine to win in its war with Putin.

As was reported by Nathan Rennolds (left),

"German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has been criticized for a "flagrant abuse of intelligence" after he appeared to suggest British and French soldiers had been helping Ukraine fire missiles they had supplied.

Scholz made the comments while explaining his reluctance to send Germany's long-range Taurus cruise missile to Ukraine, which he said risked the country becoming directly involved in the war.
...
"What is being done in the way of target control and accompanying target control on the part of the British and the French can't be done in Germany. Everyone who has dealt with this system knows that," he said, The Associated Press reported.

"German soldiers must at no point and in no place be linked to targets this system reaches," he added." (Business Insider : 29 February 2024) (my emphasis)

And whilst Scholz is cowering behind NATOS's Article 5,

• Ukrainian intelligence says seven people have been killed and six more injured after a Russian patrol ship was hit and sunk in a sea drone attack. (Thomas Mackintosh : BBC News : 5 March 2024) (my emphasis)

BBC News : 5 March 2024 : YouTube 

• Ukraine shot down 38 of the 42 Shahed-type attack drones launched by Russia overnight on March 6, the Air Force said in its morning update. (Olena Goncharova : Yahoo News : 6 March 2024) (my emphasis)   
  

• Coalition members funding the short-term purchases [of ammunition for Ukraine] include Britain, Canada, Denmark, the Czech Republic and the United States, among others, Wouda told Reuters."Collectively we have actually found opportunities around the world to find ammunition in other places, outside of Europe," he said, declining to identify those places. (Anthony Deutsch and Jan Lopatka : Reuters : 6 March 2024) (my emphasis) 
  

• Ukraine has hinted that it was responsible for destroying a railway bridge in the Russian region of Samara, some 600 miles from the Ukrainian border. The Defence Intelligence of Ukraine said in post on messaging site Telegram that the blast had “paralysed” traffic in the area. (Chris Samuel : Express : 4 March 2024) (my emphasis) 
  

• And in a significant political development reported by Joel Gehrke, "India is working to secure the return of citizens who say they were conned into fighting for Russia in the war in Ukraine. “We remain committed, as a matter of top priority, to actively pursuing with the Russian authorities all the relevant cases of Indian nationals for an early discharge from the Russian army,” the Indian External Affairs Ministry said in a Monday statement." (Washington Examiner : 26 February 2024) (my emphasis)

• As also reported by Rebecca Robinson, "A distressing plea has emerged from a group of young men from India who claim to have been deceived into military service in Russia's war against Ukraine.... Subsequently apprehended by Belarusian authorities and handed over to Russian forces, they were coerced into signing undisclosed documents, effectively conscripting them into military service." (Express : 5 March 2024) (my emphasis)

The recent euphoria of Putin and his 'siloviki' over the fall of Avdiivka has now been eclipsed :-

1. by Macron not ruling out the deployment of western troops in Ukraine, 
2. by Scholz being inexorably forced towards supplying Ukraine with Tausus missile, 
3. by Ukraine gaining the momentum in pushing back Putin's forces, 
4. and by the India government pursuing the return of forced Indian conscripts into Putin's army.

In Ukraine, Winter is now turning into Spring in its war with Putin.

 

(to be continued)

 

Putin's 'nuclear' threat against the world underscores his growing fears of defeat.

On the 4th May 2015 I wrote that,

"Putin may be basking in the sunlight of his sky-high popularity ratings at home, but these ratings are as a 'millstone around his neck' since it has shut off any earlier 'exit strategy' of his war with Ukraine from the tangled web of deception that he has so assiduously woven around himself, and by his voracious tapping into that Russian vein of nationalism over his war with Ukraine." (blog entry 4 May 2015)

Fast forward to the 29th February 2024 and, during his annual address to the Russian people,  Zahra Khaliq (right) reports that,

"Russia is fighting against [a decling birth rate] at every level of government and the authorities. It is our religion and our moral values which are to the fore here. Big families must become the norm. In the next six years, we have to achieve a sustainable birth rate," he said, as he announced [at his annual address] extra financial support for larger families." (Daily Mirror : 29 February 2024) (my emphasis) 

WION : January 2024 : YouTube

And as reported by Will Stewart (left),

"This is the cringeworthy moment a Russian state TV presenter announces her plan to get pregnant after Vladimir Putin's call for women [at his annual address to the nation] to give birth to stave off a demographic crisis.

Natalya Litovko, 43, announced she and her husband had been inspired by the Kremlin leader's call in his state-of-the-nation address to fulfil their patriotic duty and procreate." (Mail Online : 29 February 2024) (my emphasis)

Mail Online : 29 February 2024

Following on from Putin exhorting Russian women to have more than 7 children, as did their great-great grandmothers, Lipika Pelham & Lou Newton report that,

"Several Nato countries, including the US, Germany and the UK, have ruled out deploying ground troops to Ukraine, after French President Emmanuel Macron said "nothing should be excluded".

Mr Macron said there was "no consensus" on sending Western soldiers to Ukraine." ( BBC News : 28 February 2024) (my emphasis)).

To which Putin responded,

"Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday warned NATO against sending its troops to help Ukraine, in an explicit nuclear threat.

"There has been talk of sending NATO contingents to Ukraine. But we remember the fate of those who sent contingents [in the past]. Now the consequences for the interventionists will be much more tragic," Putin said in a speech to Russia's parliament.

"We too have weapons that can hit targets on their territory. This really threatens a conflict with nuclear weapons, and thus the destruction of civilization," he added." ( Denis Leven (left): Politico : 29 February 2024) (my emphasis)

DW News : 29 February 2024 : YouTube

This latest "armageddon" threat of Putin comes close on the heels of, as reported by Nathan Rennolds (left) that,

"German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has been criticized for a "flagrant abuse of intelligence" after he appeared to suggest British and French soldiers had been helping Ukraine fire missiles they had supplied.

Scholz made the comments while explaining his reluctance to send Germany's long-range Taurus cruise missile to Ukraine, which he said risked the country becoming directly involved in the war.
...
"What is being done in the way of target control and accompanying target control on the part of the British and the French can't be done in Germany. Everyone who has dealt with this system knows that," he said, The Associated Press reported.

"German soldiers must at no point and in no place be linked to targets this system reaches," he added.

Defense sources told The Telegraph that his comments had increased concerns over the safety of military and diplomatic personnel from the two countries.

Former UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace accused Scholz of "not only dangerous use of facts but also often wrong facts." (Business Insider : 29 February 2024) (my emphasis)

As I wrote in my blog entry of 20 February 2015,

"As the Economist (May 10th 2014) pointed out many months ago,

"When Germans add the word Versteher (one who understands) to a term, they generally mix flattery with irony. So a Frauenversteher (one who understands women) is usually a man who boasts excessively about his knowledge of the opposite sex. The label is now being attached to so-called Russlandversteher or Putinversteher: members of the [German] elite or intelligentsia who gush with empathy for Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin, on talk shows, in journals and at dinner parties." (my emphasis)" (blog entry : 20 February 2015)

Nothing, it would seem, has fundamentally changed in the "Putinversteher" mentality of Germany's SPD political party, as evidenced by the current SPD Chancellor of Germany, Olaf Scholz (left) 'falsely' suggesting that,

"...  British and French soldiers had been helping Ukraine fire missiles they had supplied."

 Is this 'timid' attitude of Scholtz an indicator of just how much German businessmen are trying to protect the billions of Euros that they have invested in Putin's Russia?

It is becoming more obvious by the day that Putin and his 'siloviki' are been forced to throw everything (short of the proverbial 'kitchen sink') at Ukraine to assuage their growing fear of their doomed war with Ukraine. 

Putin's reaction to Macron's threat of  NATO soldiers joining Ukraine in its war with Russia underscores just how great is his fear that his war with Ukraine is doomed.

UPDATE : 3 March 2024

 In a detailed article entitled "Germany’s elites run scared as Putin rains down death on Ukraine", Daniel Johnson (left) writes,

• Not only does Scholz show every sign of being susceptible to this kind of intimidation [i.e. 'nuclear' armageddon being threatened] by Putin, but he probably also believes that his own political survival depends on not angering the Russian bear.

•  Two thirds (66pc) [of Germans] still agree that Ukraine should receive military support, but of those only just over half (54pc) are in favour of restoring Ukraine’s lost territories, while 41pc merely want Russia to be held in check [according to the respected Körber Foundation’s latest poll]

•  Unlike the supine Berlin elites, [German Defence Minister] Pistorius grasps that the military vulnerability of Europe’s largest economy is an open invitation to Russian aggression.

•  A year ago Berlin’s Centre for Monitoring, Analysis and Strategy revealed that public approval of pro-Russian narratives in Germany had increased “significantly”, particularly in the formerly communist East.

•  Last October a poll found that 40pc of all Germans at least partially believe Putin’s claim that Nato “provoked” the invasion of Ukraine. In the former East German provinces this figure rises to 59pc.

•  Faced with a fracturing country, Chancellor Scholz is paralysed by fear. Rather than seek to unify his people and provide leadership, he is shrinking. (Daily Telegraph : 3 March 2024) (my emphasis) 
  
  
  

                                                       Scholtz and Putin

 Daniel Johnson's article underscores the fact that the "Putinversteher" mentality detailed in the Economist article of May of 2014 is alive and thriving in Scholz's Germany, at the expense of the people of Ukraine being ruthlessly and continuously bombed by Putin and his 'siloviki'.

 

(to be continued)

The re-coronation of Putin as Czar will not stem the tide of his upcoming defeat by Ukraine.

Finally Putin's handpicked successor has emerged from behind the scenes. Non other than Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of Russia's Security Council and former head of the FSB (1999 - 2008).

As reported by Max Channon (left),

"Nikolai Patrushev, who is secretary of Russia's Security Council and has been tipped to one day succeed Putin, has previously issued a number of chilling threats aimed at the West.

He remains one of Putin's closest allies and has given multiple interviews justifying the invasion of Ukraine while providing his support to the Kremlin's hardline policies." (Express : 20 February 2024) (my emphasis)

As I wrote in my previous blog entry (02/05/2022),

"We now also learn that, as reported by IANS,

"Russian President Vladimir Putin may be forced to give up control of the war in Ukraine for days as he is set for cancer surgery, and will reportedly nominate hardline former FSB chief Nikolai Patrushev (right) to take temporary control of the invasion while he is under the knife, a Kremlin insider has claimed.
...

Such a move would be surprising since under the Russian constitution, power should pass solely to the Prime Minister [currently Mikhail Mishustin (left)], the Daily Mail reported." (Business Standard : 1 May 2022) (my emphasis) (cf. also :- Mail Online, The Mirror)" (Blog Entry : 2 May 2022)

In light of the increasing escalation of Putin's [Pu-truschev's] indiscriminate bombing in Ukraine, and his 'glove puppet' Dmitry Medvede's recent 'nuclear armageddon' threat, it would be dangerously foolish to assume that were Putin to become even more incapacitated than at present, that Patrushev would would draw back from continuing Putin's aim to restore the "imperial past" of Russia.  

As reported by the Associated Press (AP),

"Russia’s President Vladimir Putin on Thursday took a co-pilot’s seat in a nuclear-capable strategic bomber on a flight that appeared aimed at bolstering his image ahead of next month’s election he’s all but certain to win.

Putin’s 30-minute flight in a Tu-160M supersonic strategic bomber also seemed intended to send a reminder of Russia’s nuclear might amid soaring tensions with the West over the fighting in Ukraine." (AP : 22 February 2024) (my emphasis)

AP : 22 February 2024
 

Underlining the increasing tensions between Putin [Pu-truschev] and the West, and as reported by Ciaran McGrath (left),

"A close ally of Vladimir Putin has lashed out at the West, warning his  country was ready to take “revenge” in another deranged rant. Dmitry Medvedev (right), the former President of Russia, vowed this week that there would be no stopping until Ukraine's government was "destroyed."" (Express : 24 February 2024) (my emphasis)

More disconcerting, however, John Leicester reports that,

"Russian forces threatened to shoot down a French surveillance aircraft patrolling in international airspace over the Black Sea, a signal of increasingly aggressive behavior from Moscow as its invasion of Ukraine struggles to make headway, French defense officials said Thursday.

“A Russian air traffic control system threatened to shoot down French aircraft in the Black Sea when we were in a free international zone where we patrol,” the French defense minister, Sébastien Lecornu (left), said on RTL radio." (AP : 22 February 2024) (my emphasis)

It is no wonder, as reported by Max Channon, that,

"Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko (right) warned the West it was on the "edge of the abyss" of global conflict sending World War 3 fears soaring.
...
He said it was complete stupidity" to think Russia "is preparing to attack the Baltic countries". It comes just a day after Estonia's Prime Minister claimed the Baltic nation had thwarted a "hybrid operation" on NATO territory by Russian operatives." (Express : 21 February 2024) (my emphasis)

As I stated in my previous blog entry (19/2/2024),

"Putin and his 'siloviki' may have been emboldened by Ukraine's withdrawal from Avdiivka.

But, like his glove-puppet Dmitry Medvedev and his 'siloviki', this temporary euphoria of Putin belies a real fear that time is not on their side. (blog entry 19 February 2024)"

 This fear of Putin [Pu-truschev] and his 'siloviki' has been compounded by, as reported by Alexandra Brzozowski (left) that,

"EU member states on Wednesday (21 February) agreed to ban exports to three mainland Chinese firms and blacklist North Korea’s defence minister in new sanctions for the second anniversary of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
...
It also focuses much of its efforts on enforcing existing restrictions and targets some 200 hundred officials and entities, making it the largest package since the war started.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the agreement by the EU’s 27 countries and said it would further cut “Russia’s access to drones”." (EURACTIV:21 February 2024) (my emphasis)

 Further compounding Putin's [Pu-truschev's] fears, 

• Canada has signalled it's prepared to get behind a Czech Republic initiative to ship tens of thousands of artillery shells from different countries to Ukraine on an urgent basis. (Murray Brewster : CBC : 21 February 2024)
• Italy is set to sign a security agreement with Ukraine to help Kyiv strengthen its defence industry and fight hybrid threats such as cyber warfare, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Thursday. (Angelo Amante : Reuters : 22 February 2024)
• The UK has announced more than 50 further sanctions against Russia ahead of the second anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine. The sanctions target individuals and businesses sustaining Russian President Vladimir Putin's war effort. (James Gregory : BBC News : 23 February 2024)
• The [US] Treasury Department plans to impose more than 500 new sanctions on Russia and its war machine on Friday as the U.S. vows to keep up its financial pressure on Moscow with the war entering its third grueling year. (Fatima Hussein and Ellen Knickmeyer: Associated Press : 23 February 2024)
• The UK will invest almost £250m in producing artillery shells for Ukraine as it pledges to stand with the country until the end on the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion. (Kate Devlin : The Independent : 24 February 2024)
• and, critically, "U.S. House of Representatives Democrats have begun laying the groundwork for a potential bid to sidestep Republican Speaker Mike Johnson and force a vote on a $95 billion security assistance package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, House aides said on Friday.
  Representative Jim McGovern, the top Democrat on the House Rules Committee, filed legislation on Feb. 15 that could be used as a vehicle for a discharge petition, a rarely used procedural tool that eventually could force a vote on the bill if at least 218 House members - a majority of the chamber's 435 voting members - sign it. (Patricia Zengerle and Michael Martina : Reuters : 24 February 2024)

As Putin [Pu-truschev] is ramping up his indiscrimanate bombing of Ukraine, the US, EU, Canada, Italy, and Great Britain, are ramping up their support of Ukraine in its war with Putin [Pu-truschev].

Putin will, no doubt, be elected Czar of Russia in the 'rigged' upcoming presidential election in Russia.

But Putin's automatic crowning as Czar of Russia will not stem the tide of his defeat by Ukraine.

 

(to be continued)

Putin's temporary euphoria belies his fear that time is not on his side.

From February 16-18, 2024, the 60th Munich Security Conference was the center of international diplomacy.

At the top of its agenda was the ongoing war in Ukraine that was set off by Putin in 2014, when Ukraine's Crimea was invaded, occupied, and annexed by Putin, and the Donbas was occupied by Putin's forces. Subsequently, on the 24 February 2022, Putin re-invaded Ukraine in an escalation of the war that started in 2014.

But this time, however, Putin's ongoing war with Ukraine is threatening to spill over into EU NATO countries that is causing alarm bells to be rung across the EU, especially in the Baltic countries of Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania  and, more significantly, in Poland.

In his recent interview withTucker Carlson, Putin blames Poland for starting WW2.

As Rachel Maddow quotes Putin from this interview,

"Putin : The Poles had not given the Danzig corridor to Germany, and went too far, pushing Hitler to start World War II by attacking them. Why was it Poland against whom the war started, on 1st September 1939? Poland turned out to be uncompromising , and Hitler had nothing to do but start implementing his plans with Poland"   (MSNBC : 13 February 2024) (my emphasis)  

MSNBC : 13 February 2024

Recall that in my blog entry of 4 May 2015 I wrote that,

"Is it any wonder that both Hilary Clinton and Prince Charles  likened Putin's actions in Ukraine to those of Hitler during the 1930's?

"Now if this sounds familiar, it's what Hitler did back in the '30s," Clinton said Tuesday, according to the Long Beach Press-Telegram.

"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." (Hilary Clinton : The Washington Post : March 5, 2014) (my emphasis)" (Blog Entry : 4 May 2015)

And now, as Rachel Maddow further points out,

"Less than 48 hours after that interview posted online, former President Donald Trump, at a rally, said if he's president again, basically he would not honour that committment [of the US defending a NATO country if attacked, according to Article 5] .... if that country were attacked by Russia, "No, I would not protect you". (ibid Rachel Maddow in video above)

CNBC News : The National : 12 February 2024 : YouTube

Like Hitler in 1939, Putin's current threats against Poland are underscored by, as reported by  Miriam Kuepper (left),

"Vladimir Putin has snarled that the Ukraine war is a 'matter of life and death' for Russia that could determine its fate as his forces rain down death on cities in the east of the country.

The Kremlin has repeatedly framed the almost two-year conflict as a battle for Russia's survival in a bid to rally patriotic sentiment among its population, many apathetic toward the offensive." (Mail Online : 18 February 2024) (my emphasis)

Further undescoring Putin's current threats against Poland, his glove-puppet, Dmitry Medvedev, as reported by Alexander Khrebet (right),

"Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, on Feb. 18 threatened to use nuclear weapons against the U.S., the U.K., Germany, and Ukraine if Moscow loses all occupied Ukrainian territories.
...

"Attempts to restore Russia's 1991 borders will lead only to one thing - a global war with Western countries with the use of our entire strategic (nuclear) arsenal against Kyiv, Berlin, London, and Washington. And against all other beautiful historic places that have long been included in the flight targets of our nuclear triad," Medvedev said in a reference to the triad of intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and strategic bombers with nuclear weapons." (Kyiv Independent on Yahoo News : 18 February 2024) (my emphasis) 

One should not underestimate these "nuclear armageddon" threats of Medvedev.

More so since Putin is trumpeting as a victory the withdrawal of Ukraine's forces from Avdiivka. 

And it is common knowledge that the withdrawal of Ukraine's forces from Avdiivka primarily stemmed from the slowing down of urgently needed weapons, and particularly ammunition,  from EU countries, and especially from the US, where Republicans are witholding Biden's financial and military support for Ukraine. 

As Karen Gilchrist (right) reports,

"The West is suffering a “colossal failure of imagination” in thinking Russia’s war in Ukraine will not hit them next, European policymakers have been told amid calls for a doubling down of transatlantic support for Kyiv.

 Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (left) criticized a waning sense of urgency among delegates at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday as Moscow’s full-scale offensive nearly enters its third year.

“The sense of urgency is simply not clear enough in our discussions,” Frederiksen told a lunchtime session. “We have to speed up and we have to scale up.” (CNBC : 17 February 2024) (my emphasis)

CNN : Sebastian Shukla : Munich Security Conference: February2024

Putin and his 'siloviki' may have been emboldened by Ukraine's withdrawal from Avdiivka.

But, like his glove-puppet Dmitry Medvedev and his 'siloviki', this temporary euphoria of Putin belies a real fear that time is not on their side. 

UPDATE : 19 February 2024 

Charles Harrison (left) reports that,

"A NATO ally has provided a boost to Ukraine’s defence against Vladimir Putin’s invasion by donating its entire artillery to the war.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced that Denmark would transfer all of its artillery to Ukraine, calling on other European states to provide further support. “They need them more now”, she added.
...
Announcing the artillery donation, she said: “Ukraine is asking us for ammunition and artillery now. We, Denmark, have decided to transfer all our artillery to Ukraine. So, sorry, friends, there is military equipment in Europe, it is not only a matter of production.

“We have weapons, ammunition, air defence systems, which we do not use yet. They must be handed over to Ukraine.” (Express : 18 February 2024)

As Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen says,

“Ukraine is asking us for ammunition and artillery now. We, Denmark, have decided to transfer all our artillery to Ukraine. So, sorry, friends, there is military equipment in Europe, it is not only a matter of production." (ibid Charles Harrison)

 

(to be continued)

Putin's choice is between stemming Russia's failing economy or his re-coronation as Czar.

It should come as no surprise that Elon Musk, that 'Privileged Apartheid-Reared South African', has been dubbed 'Colonel Elon Muskov' amongst Russian pro-war fanatics.

As reported by Perkin Amalaraj and Will Stewart (left),

"Russian pro-war fanatics have dubbed Elon Musk 'Colonel Elon Muskov', amid claims that his Starlink satellite system is deployed by Vladimir Putin's forces in occupied Ukraine.
...
Russia's 83rd Guards Air Assault Brigade are among those using the service, around the Klishchiivka and Andriivka battlefields, says the Ukrainian GUR military intelligence agency.
...
It appears to be operative in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions of occupied Ukraine, giving a decisive military advantage to Putin's forces." (Mail Online : 12 February 2024) (my emphasis)

Like Senator Tommy Tuberville who, as reported by Rachel Dobkin (right),

"Senator Tommy Tuberville, an Alabama Republican, has received harsh criticism online for defending Russian President Vladimir Putin.
...
"Last night's @TuckerCarlson's interview with Putin shows that Russia is open to a peace agreement, while it is DC warmongers who want to prolong the war. That is why I'm voting to stop 60 BILLION MORE of our tax dollars to this conflict," the senator wrote." (Newsweek on Microsoft Start : 11 February 2024) (my emphasis),

Elon Musk,

" ..... told US Republican senators “there is no way in hell” that Russian President Vladimir Putin could lose the war on Ukraine, weighing in on a conflict that has been affected by Musk’s own Starlink satellite services.
...

The discussion included Musk, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Mike Lee of Utah, JD Vance of Ohio, former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and co-founder of Craft Ventures LLC David Sacks." ( Vinay Patel (left): Bloomberg on Business Standard : 13 February 2024) (my emphasis)

Putin must be cock-a-hoop at the public pronouncements by Musk and sympathetic Republicans in BOTH the US Senate and Congress ssupporting his invasion of Ukraine.

Putin's delerious joy at those public pronouncements by Musk and sympathetic Republicans in BOTH the US Senate and Congress follows on from, as reported by Yuliia Dysa (right),

"A preliminary analysis concluded that Russia hit Kyiv last week with the hypersonic Zircon missile, its first use in the nearly two-year-old war, the head of a Kyiv research institute said on Monday, presenting a new challenge to Ukraine's air defences.
....
Oleksandr Ruvin, director of the Kyiv Scientific-Research Institute for Forensic Examinations, said on his Telegram channel that his institute completed a preliminary analysis of missile fragments from a Russian attack on Feb. 7." (Reuters : 12 February 2024) (my emphasis)

The Telegraph : January 2024 : YouTube

But putting something of a damper on Putin's unbridled joy at Musk and sympathetic Republicans, Isabelle Stanley (left) reports that,

"Senators advanced a $95 billion foreign aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan on Sunday despite opposition from Donald Trump and Republican hardliners.

The Democratic-led Senate voted 67-27 in a rare Sunday session to clear the latest procedural hurdle and move the foreign aid measure toward an ultimate vote in the coming days." (Daily Mail : 11 February 2024) (my emphasis)

Added to which,

• Alexander Stubb declared himself winner of Finland's presidential election on Sunday after a campaign built on promises to make the most of his country's new membership of NATO and back Ukraine in its war with shared neighbour Russia. (Anne Kauranen : Reuters : 11 February 2024) (my emphasis)
• The governments of Poland, France and Germany have vowed to make Europe a security and defense power with a greater ability to back Ukraine. The move has taken on an urgency as fears grow that former Donald Trump might return to the White House and allow Russia to expand its aggression. (Euronews on Microsoft Start : 13 February 2024) (my emphasis)
• The Council of the EU on Monday adopted a decision and a regulation that pave the way toward using the profits generated by confiscated Russian assets to finance Ukraine's reconstruction.
  
  The move, which is in line with steps taken by the G7, establishes a legislative route by which profits generated by confiscated Russian assets under specific circumstances could ultimately find their way toward Ukraine via the EU budget. ( Joe Stanley-Smith : Politico : 13 February 2024) (my emphasis)
  

Putin [Pu-truschev], determined to inflict greater pain with his continued  missile onslaught on the people of Ukraine as his 'coronation as Czar of Russia' looms closer simply cannot stem the continued decline in Russia's economic coffers.

Musk and friends may be waving flags of support for him, but those flags simply will not help him economically.

Now, more than ever, Putin [Pu-truschev] realises that his choice is between stemming the continuing failure of the Russian economy or his looming re-coronation as Czar of Russia.

Mony Builders : January 2024 : YouTube

UPDATE : 16 February 2024

Steve Rosenberg (left) reports that,

"For us, who's better, Biden or Trump?" Russian TV correspondent Pavel Zarubin asked President Putin.

"Biden," Vladimir Putin replied in a flash. "He's more experienced, he's predictable, he's an old-style politician." (BBC News : 15 february 2024) (my emphasis)

How interesting that Putin should publicly state that he prefers Biden over Trump.

But why?

Rosenberg goes on to say that,

"Still, if Donald Trump does become the Republican Party's official nominee for the 2024 presidential election, he won't escape questions about Putin and Russia.

Only now, Team Trump can point to these Kremlin comments about Biden and use them to deflect the inevitable accusations that Mr Trump is the Kremlin's choice." (ibid Steve Rosenberg)

Putin's criticism of  the Tucker Carlson interview also rather underscores his 'maskirovka' motive of stating that he prefers Biden over Trump.

Giulia Carbonaro : Newsweek : 15 February 2024

As Elesa Zehndorfer (left) explains,

"When White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki commented on March 9 that "they [the Kremlin] have a sort of a maskirovka, a fake story, ready to go," what did she mean?

Psaki was referring to a central element of a Soviet-era approach to non-militarized warfare known as reflexive control, or reflexive mind control. It is a devastatingly effective technique. Used to win the hearts and minds of an electorate, it is frequently used to justify—or strengthen—military action. Currently, it is being deployed as a key strategic element of Russia's invasion of Ukraine." (Psychology Today : 22 march 2022) (my emphasis)

Elesa Zehndorfer rather puts into perspective Putin's recent 'pro Biden' comments! 

UPDATE 2 : 16 Febuary 2024 : 13.49

It has just been reported that Alexey Navalny has died in prison.

As reported by Kelly-Ann Mills,

"Vladimir Putin's most vocal critic has died just months after he was discovered in one of Russia's toughest jails, 20 days after going missing.

Alexei Navalny reportedly fell unconscious after he was put in solitary confinement before his death.
...
In his last post Mr Navalny had sent a Valentine’s message on February 14, to his wife Yulia, 47. It read: "Baby, everything is like in a song with you: between us there are cities, the take-off lights of airfields, blue snowstorms and thousands of kilometres. But I feel that you are near every second, and I love you more and more.” (The Mirror : 16 February 2024) (my emphasis)

R.I.P. 

The true nature of Putin and his 'siloviki' is revealed for all the world to see.

 

(to be continued)