Is Putin beginning to be eclipsed by his inner-inner circle emerging onto the international stage?

It should come as no surprise that both Putin and Donald Trump are flailing in their efforts to keep their heads above water as they continue to drown.

In the case of Putin it is obvious that, together with his health problems now forcing members of his 'inner-circle siloviki' to emerge from the shadows onto the international stage, Putin is having to employ the full force of his propaganda machine to stir up public hatred against Ukraine in the wake of the recent deadly ISIS assault on a concert venue in Moscow that left at least 137 people dead.

In the case of Donald Trump, his attempts to disguise his illegal paying off of a porn star to keep quiet about their affair during his first US presidential election campaign in 2016, a US presidential campaign aided and abbeted throughout by Putin himself, is now coming up for trial on April 15th.

As Marc Champion (left) explains,

"So it’s no surprise that conspiracy theories are multiplying just five days after terrorists murdered at least 139 people at a Moscow concert hall.

What’s different this time is the role of the state in spreading this nonsense, because the reality is so much more banal and .... so much harder to explain: A spectacular level of incompetence married, as I’ve written previously, to a destructive paranoia at the pinnacle of the Russian state." (Bloomberg UK : 28 March 2024) (my emphasis)

As Bloomberg UK reports,

"While Vladimir Putin continues to argue that Ukraine may have had a role in the Moscow attack that killed 139 people, some of the Russian president’s own inner circle disagree with him.
.....

Putin was present at discussions where officials agreed there’s no link to Kyiv, but remains determined to use the tragedy to try to rally Russians behind the war in Ukraine, according to one person with knowledge of the situation, asking not to be identified because the matter is sensitive." (Bloomberg UK : 26 March 2024) (my emphasis)

It is also no wonder that, as reported by Guy Faulconbridge,

"The North Atlantic Alliance is de-facto a party to the Ukrainian conflict and is actively  involved in organising the shelling of Russian territories," Patrushev (right) told the Argumenty I Fakty newspaper." (Reuters : 2 April 2024) (my emphasis)

whilst Associated Press (AP) reports that,

"Russia’s defense minister warned his French counterpart against deploying troops to Ukraine in a rare phone call Wednesday and noted that Moscow is ready to take part in talks to end the conflict.
Sergei Shoigu (left) told French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu that if Paris follows up on its statements about the possibility of sending a French military contingent to Ukraine, “it will create problems for France itself,” according to a statement from the Russian Defense Ministry. It didn’t elaborate." (Associated Press:3 April 2024) (my emphasis)

What is rather interesting is that Shoigu is stating that, "Moscow is ready to take part in talks to end the conflict.".

Could this inernationally public 'political boldness' of Shoigu have anything to do with the fact that, as reported by Charlie Bradley,

"A former MI6 boss said of Putin that "something [is] fundamentally wrong with him medically" as rumours of cancer and Parkinson's continue to spread.

Vladimir Putin's health has been the subject of speculation for years, with rumours suggesting he may have cancer, Parkinson's or some other health complication.

Independent Russian media outlets have even reported that Putin travels with a large group of health professionals, including oncologists." (Express : 31 March 2024) (my emphasis)And whilst Shoigu is stating that Moscow is ready to talk peace to end Putin's war with Ukraine, Maxim Rodionov reports that,

"Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree setting out the routine spring conscription campaign, calling up 150,000 citizens for statutory military service, a document posted on the Kremlin's website showed on Sunday.
...
In July Russia's lower house of parliament voted to raise the maximum age at which men can be conscripted to 30 from 27. The new legislation came into effect on Jan. 1, 2024." (Reuters : 31 March 2024) (my emphasis)

Charlie Bradley (left) further reports that,

"Russia is on the verge of turning against Vladimir Putin as the country's economy is running out of ways to fend off crippling Western sanctions, experts have warned.
...
Putin has managed to minimise the damage to Russia's economy so far by burning through his cash reserves.

But Yales researchers and economists Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Steven Tian warned the lives of Russian citizens will soon get a lot more difficult." (Daily Express : 1 April 2024) (my emphasis) 

Info Flow : 2 April 2024 : YouTube

 

WION : 29 March 2024 : YouTube

How the growing economic difficulties of the people of Russia, brought about by Putin's war with Ukraine, will affect the 2024 military call-up of Russian men now remains to be seen.

Let us remind ourselves that thousands of potential Russian conscripts fled the country during a previous military call-up and are now languishing in foreign countries, too afraid to return back to Putin's Russia.

The fact that the age limit of compulsory conscription has been raised by Putin from 27 to 30 signals that his supply of cannon fodder for his war with Ukraine is precarious.

Added to which, and as reported by Cameron Henderson,

"Kyiv will destroy the Kerch bridge connecting Russian to occupied Crimea “in the first half of 2024”, a senior official in Ukraine’s military intelligence service has said.

Razing the bridge is “inevitable”, the unnamed source told the Guardian, adding that Kyrylo Budanov, the head of the military intelligence, already had “most of the means to carry out this goal”.

Officials believe that permanently damaging the bridge would significantly impair the Kremlin’s ability to carry out a spring offensive as Moscow would be forced to transport military supplies by road through occupied southern Ukraine, or via a new 450-mile railway line that is under construction." (The Telegraph : 3 April 2024) (my emphasis)

 

CRUX : 4 April 2024 : YouTube

One can only begin to imagine what effect the destruction of the Kerch Bridge, Putin's legacy of physically joining Russia to Crimea, will have on Putin's state of mind.

Indeed, one should now consider what the destruction of the Kerch Bridge will have on Patruschev and Shoigu, members of Putin's inner-inner circle who already seem to be eyeing the reigns of power as Putin's health continues to deteriorate.

 

(to be continued)

Is fear beginning to consume Putin?

To what lengths will a person go to fly in the face of the factual evidence about the recent Moscow concert hall attack?

Step forward Putin, Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev, and Head of Russia's FSB security service, Alexander Bortnikov.

As reported by Paul Kirby,

"[Putin] acknowledged during a televised meeting on Monday: "We know the crime was committed by the hands of radical Islamists... we want to know who ordered it."

He argued that many questions remained unanswered, repeating an unfounded claim that the attackers had tried to flee south to Ukraine." (BBC News: 27 March 2024) (my emphasis)

Al Jazeera : 27 March 2024 : YouTube

And Patruschev, "when he was asked whether IS or Ukraine was behind the attack: "Of course, Ukraine."" (ibid Paul Kirby)

Bortnikov went even further, arguing that, "We believe the action was prepared both by the radical Islamists themselves and, obviously, facilitated by Western special services. Ukraine's special services themselves have a direct connection to this."" (ibid Paul Kirby)

As reported by Dominique Vidalon (et al),

"President Emmanuel Macron (left) said on Monday that the gunmen who killed 137 people in a concert hall outside Moscow were part of an Islamic State branch that was behind foiled attempts to attack France over the past few months.
This explains why the French government on Sunday increased the country's security alert to its highest level.." (Reuters : 25 March 2024) (my emphasis)

 Could this 'flying in the face of' the truth about the recent Moscow concert hall attack by Putin and members of his 'siloviki' have anything to do with the fact, as reported by Mia Jankowicz (right), that,

"Citing a person with knowledge of the situation, the outlet reported that Putin was in a meeting where officials agreed that Ukraine had no connection to the attack.

Even so, Putin was committed to the idea that it would help mobilize support for the war there, the person reportedly said.

Putin loyalists have continued to advance the theory without presenting any evidence." (Business Insider : 27 March 2024) (my emphasis)

Let us also recall Putin's recent threat of 'nuclear war' immediately after the sham presidential elections which he won with 88% of the votes cast.

The Independent : 18 March 2024 : YouTube

And whilst having shaken his 'nuclear' fist once again against the world, David Averre (left) reports that,

"Russia will shoot down any F-16 fighter jets that Western countries supply to Ukraine, Vladimir Putin declared today, before mocking the Czech Republic for being 'scared' of a Russian invasion he says will never come.  
...
'We have no aggressive intentions towards these states [NATO countries Poland, the Baltic States, and the Czechs] ,' Putin said, according to a Kremlin transcript released on Thursday.
,,,
But Putin quickly contradicted himself, adding that any F-16 flying in Ukraine would be 'legitimate targets', even if they are based in NATO countries.

'Of course, if they will be used from airfields in third countries, they become for us legitimate targets, wherever they might be located.' (Mail Online : 28 March 2024) (my emphasis)

The Times and the Sunday Times : 28 March 2024 : YouTube

According to Simon Tisdall (left),

"If Putin is incapable of telling, or at least of accepting, the difference between reality and make-believe, it’s because he himself squats atop an edifice of lies.
...
With Putin, it’s always all about him, about his own insecurity, his need for absolute power, his delusions of revived Russian imperial grandeur. It’s never about other people, let alone “the people”.
...
Putin has remade the Russian state in his own image: brutal, incompetent, ignorant, distrustful, delusional and isolated. It is fundamentally weak, as is he. Incrementally, as one calamity succeeds another, his grip slips, his authority weakens and fear of him dissipates." (The Guardian : 25 March 2024) (my emphasis)

Underscoring Putin's fear about his authority being weakened, Illia Novikov reports that, 

"Russia fired drones and missiles overnight at southern and eastern regions of Ukraine, authorities said, injuring more than a dozen people as the Kremlin’s forces persevered with attritional attacks designed to wear down Ukrainian defenses....

The regular bombardment of Ukraine by the Kremlin’s forces during the war has recently gained momentum, with missile barrages of the capital Kyiv and strikes on energy facilities across the country. The attacks also aim to weaken Ukrainian morale and act as retribution for Ukrainian long-range strikes on Russian soil." (The Independent on Microsoft Start: 28 March 2024) (my emphasis)

The Independent on Microsoft Start: 28 March 2024

Are Putin's accellerated bombings of Ukraine, and his increasingly contradictory statements, a sign that he is now so far removed from reality that 'fear' is beginning to consume him.?

 

(to be continued)

Threats of 'nuclear' war is all that Putin now has against Ukraine.

The dust having setlled on the "sham" presidential elections in Russia, and Putin's 'organised' celebrations of his re-crowning as the Czar of Russia now but a distant memory in the minds of those who were 'encouraged' to attend those celebrations, let us remind ourselves what Putin  promised in his war with Ukraine.

As reported by the News Agency of Nigeria,

"After the win, Putin told reporters that Russia must make its army stronger.
...
 After the win, Putin told reporters that Russia must make its army stronger and that the ‘noon against Putin’ protests had no effect.

The Russian president added that he would do everything he could to solve the tasks of what he termed Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine. (Pulse : 18 March 2024) (my emphasis)

BBC News : 19 March 2024 : Youtube

As Putin exhorts in his victory statement to the crowd in Moscow in the video above,

"... So together we will go forward and see it's actions not words is what makes us really stronger ..." (my emphasis)

And true to his word, as reported by Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy (left),

"Russia launched the largest wave of missiles and Iranian-supplied drones against Ukrainian cities since the start of the war two years ago, the White House said Friday.
...
"Mr. Putin is not waiting,'' Kirby said. ''He's not sitting on his hands. He's making lethal use of every single minute available to him. While our own Congress refuses to act, he's not wavering." (USA Today : 22 March 2024) (my emphasis)

USA Today on Microsoft Start : 22 March 2024

However, as reported by Yuliia Dysa and Marek Strzelecki,

"Ukraine's energy grid is receiving urgent assistance from Poland, Romania and Slovakia after a wave of Russian air strikes that damaged energy facilities and left more than 1 million people without power, national grid operator Ukrenergo said.

Polish transmission grid operator PSE is helping its Ukrainian counterpart by supplying 300 megawatts (MW) of power between 0600GMT and 1100GMT, PSE said on Friday." (Reuters : 22 March 2024) (my emphasis)

Added to which, Pavel Polityuk (right) reports that,

"Ukraine hopes to sign a deal in June to buy two nuclear reactors from Bulgaria as it seeks to compensate for the loss of its vast Russian-occupied six-reactor Zaporizhzhia plant, the head of nuclear firm Energoatom told Reuters.
...
"I [Petro Kotin, the head of nuclear firm Energoatom] set (the) task before our construction organisation and Khmelnytskyi station to have it ready to be installed by June," he said, referring to the first of the two reactors which would be ready for installation straight away." (Reuters : 22 March 2024) (my emphasis)

Ukraine's energy grid is withstanding Putin's near manic bombardment against it.

Underscoring Putin ramping up his war against Ukraine, Al Jazeera reports that,

“We are in a state of war. Yes, it started out as a special military operation, but as soon as this group was formed, when the collective West became a participant in this on the side of Ukraine, it became a war for us,” Kremlin spokesperson Dimitry Peskov (left) told Arguments and Facts, a weekly newspaper based in the country." (Al Jazeera : 22 March 2024) (my emphasis)

 

Putin has now placed the Russian economy onto a FULL 'war footing'!

As reported by Darya Korsunskaya, Alexander Marrow and Mark Trevelyan,

"The cost of the war is straining the state budget, where a third of spending is now going on defence, and has forced the government to drain almost 6.5 trillion roubles in the past two years from its rainy-day savings pot, the National Welfare Fund." (Reuters : 14 March 2024) (my emphasis)

Addded to which, Alessandra Scotto di Santolo (left) reports that,

"The EU is poised to grant Ukraine access to a substantial financial reserve worth £235 billion. This war chest, comprised of frozen Russian sovereign assets, is set to be made available to Ukraine as early as July, pending the enactment of new legislation by the bloc." (Express : 19 March 2024) (my emphasis)

This access by Ukraine's President Zelensky of Putin's £235 billion reserves is no doubt making him apoplectic with rage.

And, as Kateryna Hodunova (right) reports,

"Berlin has pledged 300 million euros ($325 million) to a Czech-led initiative to provide Ukraine with hundreds of thousands of artillery shells, Bloomberg reported on March 21, citing people familiar with the decision.

Czech President Petr Pavel said in February at the Munich Conference that Prague had found 500,000 155 mm shells and 300,000 122 mm shells outside Europe that could be sent to Ukraine within weeks if the necessary funds were allocated to the initiative." (Bloomberg : 22 March 2024) (my emphasis)

Which really raises the question : "Is Putin's accellerated onslaught against Ukraine an expression of his desperation to cling onto power?"

As Charlie Bradley (left) reports,

"Vladimir Putin is "desperately clinging on to power" as he does not trust his successor if he leaves, it has been claimed.

The war in Ukraine has seen thousands of Russian troops killed and the country's economy threatened by Western sanctions.
...
Russia expert Mark Galeotti says Putin's current situation shares similarities with the final stages of the Soviet Union before its collapse in the early 1990s." (Express : 22 March 2024) (my emphasis) 

Times Radio : 22 March 2024 : YouTube

Putin knows that his days are numbered as Russian paramilitary groups crossed into Russia and are now fighting government troops there.

As reported by Jaroslav Lukiv,

"Three Ukraine-based Russian paramilitary groups say they have crossed into Russia and are now fighting government troops there.

The Freedom of Russia Legion (FRL) and Siberian Battalion (SB) posted videos purportedly showing their fighters in Russia's Belgorod and Kursk regions.

The FRL and an exiled Russian politician claimed two villages were now in control of "liberation forces"." (BBC News : 12 March 2024) (my emphasis)

As Putin is ramping up his bombardment of Ukraine, so are Ukraines' allies ramping up their support of Zelensky and the army of Ukraine.

Putin and his 'siloviki' have nowehere else to go except to continue to threaten a 'nuclear catastrophe' against the world.

 

(to be continued)

Putin's fear of his demise continues to grow.

 In my last blog entry (12 March 2024) I wrote that,

"Added  to which, Russian wives demonstrating daily for the return of their conscipted husbands from Ukraine may yet prove to be Putin's Achilles heel." (blog entry 12 March 2024)

As now reported by Alexander Butler, Tom Watling, and Alisha Rahaman Sarkar,

"Massive demonstrations are expected across Russia today as critics of Vladimir Putin head to the polls in a show of defiance against his regime.
...
“We want this dark time to end. We want a clear, normal future,” the campaign’s website says. “But we, citizens of our country, with our pain and our hope, are not noticeable either to the authorities or to each other.” (The Independent : 17 March 2024) (my emphasis)

As further reported by Tom Watling,

"A fortnight after his death, [Navalny's] wife Yulia Navalnaya then endorsed the campaign as well. It has become what Russian independent media outlet Novaya Gazeta called “Navalny’s political testament”. (The Independent : 17 March 2024) (my emphasis)

BBC News : 6 March 2024

 Underlining the call of Yulia Navalnaya, and as reported by Jessica Baker, Juliana Cruz Lima, and Will Stewart,

"POLLING stations across Russia have been hit by a wave of fire and paint attacks on the first day of Vladimir Putin's sham election.

Several Russians have reportedly been detained for vandalism after pouring dye into ballot boxes and throwing petrol bombs at booths.
A woman allegedly threw a petrol bomb near a polling station" (The Sun : 15 March 2024) (my emphasis)

The Sun : 15 March 2024

Adding to ongoing protests in Russia during this 'sham' election, NHK News in Japan report that,

"More than 55 members of the United Nations have condemned Russia for holding a presidential elections in Ukrainian regions that it has unilaterally declared to have annexed.
...
It read, "We condemn in the strongest terms the Russian Federation's illegitimate attempts to organize Russian presidential elections in temporarily occupied areas within the internationally recognized territory of Ukraine."

It also said: "Holding elections in another UN member state's territory without its consent is in manifest disregard for the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity. Such elections have no validity under international law." (NHK News : 16 March 2024) (my emphasis)

NHK News : 16 March 2024

Putin may imprison and arrest those within Russia who are demonstrating against his 'sham' presidential elections, but he has to take heed of 55 countries condemning his illegal 'election' activity in Ukraine. 

Just as Putin has to take heed of the fact that 55 countries at the UN have condemned his 'sham' election taking place on Ukraine's territory, Business Standard report that,

"Ukraine launched a new massive wave of drone attacks Sunday as Russians cast ballots on the final day of a presidential vote set to extend President Vladimir Putin's rule for another six years.
...
The Russian Defence Ministry reported downing 35 Ukrainian drones overnight, including four in the Moscow region.
...
The attacks on the Yaroslavl region, which is located about 800 kilometres (500 miles) from the Ukrainian border, were some of the farthest launched by Ukraine so far." (Business Standard : 17 March 2024) (my emphasis)

Furthermore, as reported by The Telegraph,

"Crimean bridge closed and Moscow flights grounded by mass Ukrainian drone attack

Ukraine launched a massive wave of drone strikes overnight that forced the Crimean Bridge to close and grounded flights from Moscow.

Car traffic was suspended over the bridge connecting Crimea with mainland Russia for half an hour, Russian authorities announced, without explaining why.

Three airports in Moscow were forced to impose flight restrictions after five Ukrainian drones were shot down near the Russian capital, Russia’s state aviation watchdog reported." (The  Telegraph : 17 March 2024) (my emphasis)

Added to which,

"Ukraine will receive its first €4.5 billion tranche under the Ukraine Facility programme next week.

Source: European Commissioner for Budget and Administration Johannes Hahn (left), European Pravda reports

Details: "Very glad to pave the way for next week’s first disbursement of funds under the Ukraine Facility programme," Johannes wrote on Twitter (X) announcing the signing of the decision." (Ukrainska Pravda : 15 March 2024) (my emphasis)

At the same time, Le Monde (with AFP) reports that,

"French President Emmanuel Macron (right) said in an interview published on the evening of Saturday, March 16, that Western ground operations in Ukraine might be necessary "at some point". 

Last month, Macron refused to rule out putting troops on the ground in Ukraine, which prompted a stern response from Berlin and other European partners." (Le Monde : 16 March 2024) (my emphasis)

And, as reported by Geir Moulson and Vanessa Gera,

"Germany, France and Poland (left: Macron, Scholz, and Tusk) vowed on Friday to procure more weapons for Kyiv and step up production of military equipment along with partners in Ukraine, promising that Ukraine can rely on the trio of European powers as it tries to overcome a shortage of military resources.
...
“He [President Zelensky] knows that he can rely on us, and we are renewing this signal for support for Kyiv from here today,” he [Scholz] said after the meeting. “But a crystal-clear signal also goes to Moscow — the Russian president should know that we won’t let up in our support for Ukraine." (Irish News : 15 March 2024) (my emphasis)

Putin and his 'siloviki' know that the end of their Mafia-like criminal reign is in sight.

No amount of 'sham' elections can detract from the fact that Putin is simply re-crowning himself the 'Mafia Don of a criminal political enterprise'.

The Russian people are slowly awakening from their slumber throughout Putin's war with Ukraine.

And so Putin's fear of his demise continues to grow.

UPDATE 1: 18 March 2024 : 03.49am

As was to be expected, Putin was ostensibly re-elected president of Russia with a margin of 88% of the vote.

Having incarcerated ALL his legitimate opponents, and killed his main opponent, Navalny, who was in prison on trumped up charges, Putin then declared that together with his 'siloviki', he will continue on his current path of  war against Ukraine.

 Global News : 18 March 2024 : YouTube

ABC News (Australia) : 18 March 2024 : YouTube

BBC News : 17 March 2024 : YouTube

Chillingly, as reported by Jeremiah Hassel (left), 

"In a chilling comment following his election victory on Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that a "full-scale World War III" is "possible" should any Western troops enter Ukraine.

A reporter at a press conference the president held asked about French President Emmanuel Macron's recent comments suggesting troops might be sent to Ukraine to aid the country in its war effort.

Putin responded: "I think anything is possible in today’s world and it’s clear to everyone that this would be one step from a full-scale World War III." (Daily Mirror : 17 March 2024 : 21.59pm) (my emphasis)

UPDATE 2: 18 March 2024 : 06.23am

Putin's threat of 'nuclear' war may seem like 'sabre rattling'.

However, the reality of a 'nuclear' war should not be taken lightly.

As Charlie Bradley (right) reports,

"A NATO nuclear attack on Russia has been simulated in an alarming video, showing missiles   striking cities across Russia as Vladimir Putin is warned that 45 million people would be "vapourised."

Putin has discussed the threat of nuclear war on a number of occasions since his troops invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
...
Jake Broe, a former Nuclear & Missile Operations Officer in the US Air Force, has warned that Russia would be obliterated in a nuclear conflict.
...
Posting on X, he said: "If Russia uses a nuclear weapon against a NATO country, then this is what will happen to Russia in response." (Express : 15 March 2024) (my emphasis)

Modern Muscle : August 2023 : YouTube

 

(to be continued)

Demonstrating Russian wives could yet be Putin's Achilles heel.

In my blog post of 23 February 2015, I reported that,

Merkel and the Pope

"Pope Francis and German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed the conflict in Ukraine and the fight against poverty during a private audience on Saturday. (Daniela Petroff : AP : February 22, 2015) (my emphasis)

Since this was a 'private audience', we shall never know what was said between them. Was Merkel simply 'filling him in' on what the current German strategy towards events in Ukraine is, or was she summoned by the Pope." (blog post 23 February 2015)

And in my blog post of 15 June 2022 I reported that,

"Yet we now also learn about the Pope supporting Putin's initial arguments about NATO as the catalyst that caused him to start his second war with Ukraine.

As reported by Chico Harlan and Stefano Pitrelli

"He [the Pope] has conspicuously avoided condemning Russian President Vladimir Putin as the aggressor. He has criticized the West’s sanctions and defense spending. And in an interview published this month by an Italian newspaper, Francis appeared to echo a Kremlin talking point, describing the “barking of NATO at Russia’s door” as one of the triggers for Putin’s wrath." (Washington Post : 20 May 2022) (my emphasis)

And as we learn of the Pope, "describing the “barking of NATO at Russia’s door” as one of the triggers for Putin’s wrath.", MSN News (The Guardian) " (blog post 15 June 2022)

Should we therefore be surpised that, as reported by Daniel McLaughlin (left),

"Pope Francis has been criticised in Ukraine and by some of its allies for suggesting it should have “the courage of the white flag” and seek negotiations to end its war with Russia’s invasion force.

“I think that the strongest one is the one who looks at the situation, thinks about the people and has the courage of the white flag and negotiates,” the pope said in interview with Swiss media last month that was published in part over the weekend." (The Irish Times : 10 March 2024) (my emphasis)

The Guardian : 11 March 2024 : YouTube

Since Putin invaded, and illegally annexed, Ukraine's Crimea in 2014, Jesuit Pope Francis has always been an apologist for Putin. 

That Putin's other apologist since 2014, former German Chancellor Angela Merkel (left with Putin), rushed to the side of Pope Francis to "privately discuss" Ukraine with him AFTER Putin's illegal annexation of Ukraine's Crimea also speaks volumes for the current vaccilation of Germany's Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, to supply Ukraine with much needed Taurus missiles.

 And it now transpires that,

"[Angela Merkel's former Defence Minister, and current] EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is facing a new legal challenge after the European Parliament secretly voted in favour of opening proceedings against the EU executive over funds approved for Hungary last December.

The Strasbourg's legal affairs committee voted on Monday to take the Commission to court after it unblocked €10.2 billion frozen EU funds for Viktor Orban in December.

The move came ahead of the December EU summit which aimed at approving a news aid package for Ukraine which was being vetoed by the Hungarian Prime Minister." (Alessandra Scotto di Santolo (right):Express : 12 March 2024) (my emphasis)

With the Pope asking Zelensky to "raise the white flag" and fully capitulate to Putin, and Ursula von der Leyen pouring billions of Euros into the pocket of Victor Orban, Putin's staunch supporter and mouthpiece in the EU, Zelensky should now ask himself, "With 'friends' like the Pope, Angela Merkel, Olaf Scholz, and Ursula von der Leyen, who needs enemies?".

And against this political backdrop Charlie Bradley (right) reports that,

"Vladimir Putin's forces took the town of Avdiivka in February after months of fighting near the town, but a new Ukraine war map shows Russian advances have virtually ground to a halt.
...
This comes as the New York Times also reports that Russian troops have been held back near the villages of Berdychi, Orlivka and Tonenke in the Donetsk region.

Ukraine has been boosted in these areas by its most skilled battalions and American armoured vehicles and tanks." (Express : 11 March 2024)(my emphasis)

Added to which, Guy Faulconbridge (left) and Lidia Kelly (right) report that,

"Ukraine pounded targets in Russia on Tuesday with dozens of drones and rockets in a sweeping attack that inflicted serious damage on a major oil refinery and sought to pierce the land borders of the world's biggest nuclear power with armed proxies.
...
In one of the biggest Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia to date, Russia said it had downed 25 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions including Moscow, Leningrad, Belgorod, Kursk, Bryansk, Tula and Oryol. Many more drone attacks were reported.
Russian officials reported attacks on a slew of energy facilities, including a fire at Lukoil's (LKOH.MM) NORSI refinery and a drone destroyed on the outskirts of the town of Kirishi, home to Russia's second largest oil refinery." (Reuters : 12 March 2024) (my emphasis)

 

Richard Ashmore : Express : 10 March 2024

As his re-coronation as the Czar of Russia rapidly approaches, and as his navy has suffered devastating defeats  in the Black Sea (cf. Charlie Bradley), Putin has a new headache to contend with

As reported by Ania Nussbaum and Milda Seputyte,

"France received a show of support from Baltic countries and Ukraine after President Emmanuel Macron irked other allies when he left the door open to sending troops to Ukraine.

Lithuania’s Gabrielius Landsbergis, Estonia’s Margus Tsahkna, Latvia’s Krisjanis Karins and Ukraine’s Dmytro Kuleba praised Macron’s “outside of the box” approach during a joint press conference, after Paris convened a meeting of foreign affairs ministers in Vilnius on Friday.

“What Macron is reminding everyone and bringing again to the forefront is the sense of urgency,” Karins said. “This is what is needed.” (Bloomberg : 8 March 2024) (my emphasis)

Putin's and Medvedev's constant threats about "nuclear" war is now coming to bite them in the behind as the idea of troops from EU countries bilaterally joining Ukraine's forces outside of NATO takes hold amongst other EU members.

Added  to which, Russian wives demonstrating daily for the return of their conscipted husbands from Ukraine may yet prove to be Putin's Achilles heel.  

 

Aljazeera : 12 February 2024 : YouTube

 

(to be continued)