Putin is ensuring that his 'bolthole' is sufficiently protected.

 Are we at all surprised that, as reported by Arpan Rai (left),

"Germany has said it will halve its military aid to Ukraine next year, despite concerns that US support for Kyiv could potentially diminish if Republican candidate Donald Trump returns to the White House.(The Independent on Microsoft Start: 18 July 2024) (my emphasis)

One only has to recall former German Chancellor Angela Merkel (Matthew Karnitschnig: Politico: 26 July 2021) pushing for the Nord Stream2 link between Russia and Germany, and the German Chancellor before her, Gerhard Schröder (The Independent: 04 February 2022), practically running Gazprom for Putin, to realise that Germany and Putin are joined at the 'economic' hip.

Not to mention Olaf Scholtz (left) cosying up to Xi Jin Ping of China, cementing the economic ties beween these two countries.

As reported by China Daily,

"After visiting Chongqing, a key southwest manufacturing base, and Shanghai, the national financial hub, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrived in Beijing to meet with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang.
...
In their meeting on Tuesday, China's top leader told Scholz that cooperation between China and Germany was not a "risk" but a guarantee for stable ties and an opportunity for the future.

That Chancellor Scholz came with a bumper delegation of government ministers and business executives suggests that he views things the same way." (China Daily: 16 April 2024) (my emphasis) 

MoneyControl : May 2024: YouTube

Arpan Rai further reports that,

"Alarm bells rang across Europe this week after Trump picked Senator JD Vance, who opposes military aid for Ukraine and warned Europe will have to rely less on the United States to defend the continent, as his candidate for vice president." (ibid Arpan Rai)

As also reported by Laura King (left),

"Publicly, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has telegraphed confidence his government can weather whatever storm might be approaching. On Monday, he told reporters in Kyiv that “we will work together” with any U.S. leadership.

Vance (right) is “an outspoken proponent of pro-Russian, pro-Putin policies,” said Berlin, a senior fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis. “And he’s particularly dangerous because he is a sharper communicator than Trump.”

Like Trump, his running mate has called for a quick end to the war — which Zelensky’s camp considers code for a demand that it cede territory to Russia, consigning Ukrainian citizens in occupied cities, towns and villages to a brutal fate." (LA Times on Microsoft Start: 17 July 2024) (my emphasis) (cf also: Veronika Melkozerova: Politico: 16 July 2024)

JD Vance joins staunch Putin-supporters Donald Trump and Victor Orban of Hungay, to the obvious delight of Putin himself.

This mild comfort of Putin is, however, tinged with his current paranoid fear.

As reported by Iona Cleave,

"Vladimir Putin has been forced to beef up defences around his heavily-guarded palace north of Moscow to defend against deep Ukrainian drone strikes.
...
Ukraine’s relentless drone strikes, that have successfully targeted Russian air bases, have forced Moscow’s military command “to prioritise limited air defence assets to cover what it deems high-value targets”, the ISW said.
...
The response to prioritise the palace has, however, stretched thin the defences in the surrounding region and St Petersburg, according to the Russian Telegram channel, VChK-OGPU." (The Telegraph: 17 July 2024) (my emphasis)

Furthermore, as reported by John Varga,

"Vladimir Putin may have inadvertently revealed where he plans to escape if he has to quit  the Kremlin in a hurry. (cf Iona Cleave above)

And it appears the Russian tyrant has raided his own army for vital military resources to ensure he remains safe in the event of a revolt.
...

During last year's Wagner rebellion, Putin is believed to have left Moscow in a panic and to have headed to his luxury estate (left) in northwestern Russia.
...
Former Russian oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky said contacts told him the Russian strongman had most likely made a beeline for his Valdai residence (cf Iona Cleave above), located 250 miles from the capital between the Tver and Novgorod regions. (Express: 17 July 2024) (my emphasis)

And as Alice Scarsi (right) also reports,

"To date, more than half a million Russian military personnel have been killed or wounded during Russia’s war. The average daily number of Russian casualties (killed and wounded) in May was 1,200 per day.

"It is estimated that 70,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded in the last 60 days alone." (Express: 17 July 2024) (my emphasis)

Whilst he may be receiving 'mild' comfort from the 'fawning' and supportive statements of Trump, Orban, and JD Vance, Putin is, nonetheless, ensuring that his 'bolthole' is sufficiently protected lest the fate that befell Muammar Gaddafi of Libya also befalls him.

UPDATE: 19 July 2024

Chris Mason and Sophie Williams: BBC: 18 July 2024

 

 

 

(to be continued)

Muammar Gaddafi's death has now taken centre stage in the mind of Putin

Hardly had that small tick on Trump's ear from the attempted assasination on his life stopped bleeding, and he was promptly escorted to his waiting limousine than Putin, conjuring up in his mind the harrowing images of that fateful day when Muammar Gaddafi of Libya was pulled from a drainpipe in 2011 and promptly killed, pronouced from his mouthpiece, Dmitry Peskov, that,

"The Kremlin said on Sunday it did not believe the U.S. administration was responsible for Saturday’s assassination attempt on U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump, but that it had created an atmosphere that provoked the attack.

Trump was shot in the ear during a rally in Pennsylvania, in an attack now being investigated as an assassination attempt. The attacker was shot dead and law enforcement officials said they had not yet identified a motive."  (Alexander Marrow: Reuters: 14 July 2024) ) (my emphasis)

Recall that in 2017 Putin angrily stated that,

"Russian President Vladimir Putin has compared anti-corruption protests that erupted throughout Russia over the weekend to Tunisia's 2011 Arab Spring and Ukraine’s 2014 Euromaidan revolution.
...
“This is a tool of the Arab Spring,” he added. “We know very well what this leads to. This was the reason for the coup d’etat in Ukraine, and it plunged the country into chaos.” (The Moscow Times: 30 March 2017) (my emphasis)

And whilst Putin was blaming Biden for the assasination attempt on Trump, Henry Foy reports that,

"Donald Trump will quickly demand peace talks between Russia and Ukraine if he wins November’s US presidential election and has developed “well-founded plans” for doing so, Hungary’s Viktor Orbán has claimed after private discussions with the Republican candidate.

That prospect means the EU should reopen direct diplomatic communication with Russia and start “high-level” negotiations with China to find a peaceful solution to the war in Ukraine, the Hungarian prime minister (Victor Orban) said in a private letter to EU leaders following consultations in Moscow and Beijing." (Financial Times: 16 July 2024) (my emphasis)

Parroting Victor Orban, Connor O’Brien, Joe Gould and Gavin Bade report that,

"Much of Europe was already panicked about a second Donald Trump presidency, worrying the U.S. would cut off aid to Ukraine if he wins in November. Then Trump picked J.D. Vance (right) as his running mate.

The 39-year-old Ohio senator is one of the most isolationist members of the Republican Party. He is vehemently opposed to using more funds to help Ukraine and has blasted what he sees as Europe’s over-dependence on the United States when it comes to military investment." (Politico: 15 July 2024) (my emphasis)

Victor Orban's call that, "..the EU should reopen direct diplomatic communication with Russia and China" to find a 'peaceful' solution to Russia's was with Ukraine comes against the backdrop, as reported by the Telegraph that,

"Ukraine’s navy said that Russia has withdrawn its last naval patrol ship from occupied Crimea, a major victory for Kyiv in its sustained military campaign against the Black Sea peninsula.

“The last patrol ship of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation is bolting from our Crimea just now. Remember this day,” Ukrainian navy spokesman Dmytro Pletenchuk (left) said." (The Telegraph: 16 July 2024) (my emphasis) 

 And as reported by Kieron Monks (right),

"Ukraine is testing a new jet-powered drone designed to destroy enemy aircraft, according to Ukrainian military news outlets, the latest innovation to emerge from the country’s rapidly-developing homemade drone industry.

Videos published by Military Journal show the sleek black device named “Bullet” performing aerial manoeuvres at an undisclosed test site. The drone has a maximum speed of 450km/h, a range of 200km, and can carry an explosive warhead of up to 3kg, according to the outlet." (i News: 15 July 2024) (my emphasis)

Coupled with F16's now being flown against Putin's drones and aircraft bombing Ukraine's civilians, the "Bullet" is now also causing Putin sleepless nights.

It is no wonder that Orban and, more recently J. D. Vance, is suddenly calling for a Trumpian 'peace' knowing that Ukraine is, bit by bit, forcing Putin's army from Ukraine's teritory.

In light of the attempted assasination of Trump, the memory of the death of Muammar Gaddafi of Libya seems to have taken centre stage in the mind of Putin, causing him to have untold nightmares about his own demise.

 

 

 

(to be continued)

Is Putin now ready to press the 'nuclear button'?

The 2024 75th anniversary of NATO at the summit this month in Washington DC that has just ended has both Putin and Chinese president Xi Jin Ping foaming at the mouth.

As NDTV reports,

"NATO allies on Wednesday announced they had started transferring F-16 jets to Ukraine and stepped up promises to Kyiv on eventual membership in the alliance at a 75th anniversary summit clouded by political uncertainties in the United States.
....
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the F-16 transfer "concentrates Vladimir Putin's mind on the fact that he will not outlast Ukraine, he will not outlast us and, if he persists, the damage that will continue to be done to Russia and its interests will only deepen." (NDTV: 11 July 2024) (my emphasis)

CBS News : 11 July 2024: Youtube

As Niamh Lynch (left) also reports,

"Speaking at an event on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington, Mr Blinken said the jets are en route to Ukraine from Denmark and the Netherlands.
....
He added that a robust package for Ukraine will be unveiled over the next couple of days that will build a clear bridge for Ukraine's NATO membership.

"Those jets... will be flying in the skies of Ukraine this summer to make sure that Ukraine can continue to effectively defend itself against the Russian aggression," Mr Blinken said.

Norway is also set to donate six F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine to defend itself from Russian attacks, the country's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said." (Sky News on Microsoft Start: 11 July 2024) (my emphasis)

Putin, in 'mouth-foaming panic mode', has immediately dispatched his EU poodle, Victor Orban of Hungary, to confer with Trump following the NVABTO summit in Washington.

As Jennifer Jacobs (left) and Alberto Nardelli report,

 "Former President Donald Trump will meet with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in Florida on Thursday, according to people familiar with the matter, less than a week after he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
...
The visit is likely to fan concerns that the Hungarian leader is working as an intermediary between Putin and Trump.

Trump and Putin professed a fondness for one another during the U.S. president’s first term—often garnering bipartisan criticism. More recently, the Republican leader has said he believed he could convince Putin to end his war in Ukraine and release Americans detained in Russia if he were elected to a second term." (Time: 11 July 2024) (my emphasis)

And just before the NATO summit in Washington, Putin exposed his evil to the international community.

As reported by Fred Pleitgen,

""CNN on scene of Ukrainian children's hospital struck by missile

Video: CNN's Fred Pleitgen reports from the Ukraine's largest children's hospital in Kyiv that was partially destroyed in a deadly missile strike." (CNN: 7 July 2024) (my emphasis) 

And against the background of this evil carnage of Putin, John Varga (left) reports that,

"Ukrainian special forces inflicted a major blow on Russian forces, after wiping out 15 boats in a daring nighttime attack." (Express: 10 July 2024) (my emphasis)

 As Arpan Rai (top right) and Tom Watling (bottom right) also report,

"Russian forces have lost 1,030 soldiers killed and wounded in the past 24 hours on the war  frontline in Ukraine, the Ukrainian military has said. The losses for Vladimir Putin’s troops include 48 artillery systems and 23 armoured combat vehicles, said the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine." (Independent: 12 July 2024) (my emphasis)

  And whilst Putin's EU poodle, Victor Orban, is working as an intermediary between Putin and Trump, Stuart Lau (left) reports that,

"NATO has backed on Wednesday Ukraine's "irreversible path" to joining the alliance in future, according to a summit communiqué.

As earlier reported by POLITICO, the language in the communiqué is more critical of China than in statements from previous summits, referring to China as a "decisive enabler" of Russia's war against Ukraine." (Politico: 10 July 2024) (my emphasis)

Which has rather disturbed Putin's 'bosom' buddy, Xi Jin Ping of China.

NATO admonishing China for supplying Putin with weaponry with which to kill the civilians and children of Ukraine has led to Xi Jin Ping,

" ... [accusing] Nato of smearing the country (China) and demanded the transatlantic alliance stay out of Asia, as its military demonstrated growing clout with record numbers of air operations near Taiwan and naval drills near the Philippines. Beijing lashed out on Thursday at Nato’s accusation that China had become a “decisive enabler” of Russia’s war against Ukraine. Nato’s 32 leaders demanded on Wednesday that China “cease all material and political support to Russia’s war effort” in its strongest-ever condemnation of Beijing." (Kathrin Hille, Henry Foy,and Felicia Schwartz: Financial Times: 10 July 2024) (my emphasis)

Firstpost: 11 July 2024: YouTube

 As F16's from EU countries and the US begin to dominate the skies over Ukraine, and as allies pledge $1 billion to bolster Ukraine's air defense at the recent NATO Summit (Alla Shcherbak) Putin, once again,

"... blames the current war on NATO and accuses it of engaging in unprovoked expansion, said it [Russia] was planning "response measures" to contain the "very serious threat" from the alliance.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying on Thursday that the Western military alliance was now "fully involved in the conflict over Ukraine". ( RFI: 12 July 2024) (my emphasis)

Does the "very serious threat" of NATO and supporters of Ukraine against Russia mean that Putin is ready to press the 'nuclear button'?

UPDATE: 13 July 2024

The world is readying itself for 'nuclear war'.

The Telegraph :23 June 2024: YouTube

 

 

 

(to be continued)

Putin has painted himself into a 'tight' political corner.

That the knives in the Kremlin are now been stuck in Putin's back is exemplified, as reported by Chris Samuel, that,

"Vladimir Putin would be prepared for Russia to share sovereignty of Crimea under a new "peace plan" to end the years-long war in Ukraine, it has been claimed.

Sources in Moscow and Kyiv claim the Russian President [Putin] has already sent interior minister and trusted ally Vladimir Kolokoltsev (left) to the United States with the package of proposals.

Despite being sanctioned by the US, Kolokoltsev arrived in New York on June 26 to take part in UNCOPS-2024, a UN summit of police chiefs." (Express: 4 July 2024) (my emphasis) 

What is interesting to note is that Russian Interior Minister, Kolokoltsev, is a "trusted ally" of Putin.

"Why?", one might ask, "is Putin suddenly sending Kolokoltsev to give US President Biden a 'peace' proposal that includes" :-

• Ukraine must completely withdraw from Donetsk and Luhansk, two regions now partially annexed by Putin's forcees.
•  Russia would hand over Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station as well as the nearby town of Enerhodar, and would discuss the possible transfer of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions back to Kyiv's control. 
• The Black Sea pensinusula of Crimea, meanwhile, would be turned into a “specially demilitarised administrative territory with dual subordination to Ukraine and the Russian Federation”.
• “Ukraine must take on itself legally binding international guarantees, not to block the supply of water to Crimea,” said Gordon, quoting a document. (ibid Chris Samuel)

 Kanal13 : 5 July 2024: YouTube

In effect, Putin is rolling back the political carpet to his demented idea of "Novorossiya" (Courtney Weaver: Financial Times: 30 December 2014)  in 2014 when he first invaded Ukraine's Crimea, and subsequently occupied chunks of Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk provinces.

As Chris Samuel also points out,

"Dmitry Gordon, a leading Ukrainian TV journalist, said he learnt details of the prososals from his country's "intelligence sources”.

Meanwhile, Russian Telegram channel Gosdumskaya - which claims insider sources in Moscow - also reported a similar set of demands from the Kremlin leader." (ibid Chris Samuel) 

The plot thickens, as reported by the Telegraph, that,

"Vladimir Putin has said he believes Donald Trump is sincere about ending the war in Ukraine, but does not know what his plan would involve.
...
Sources close to the former president [Trump] claimed this week that he was considering striking a bargain with Putin to block Ukraine from joining Nato.

“The fact that Mr Trump, as a presidential candidate, declares that he is ready and wants to stop the war in Ukraine, we take this completely seriously,” Putin said at a news conference in Kazakhstan at the end of a regional security conference.” (Telegraph: 5 July 2024) (my emphasis)

 Times of India : 4 July 2024 : YouTube

This sudden 'flurry' of 'peace' proposals emanating from Putin simply underscores the fact that he is on the verge of being deposed, and that his 'peace' proposals are nothing more than his Kremlin 'backstabbers' cobbling together a 'politically face-saving' device for themselves as Russia's defeat stares them in the face.

Putin's recent 'hob-nobbing' with Chinese President Xi Jing Ping, seeking his support in his war with Ukraine, has somewhat been eclipsed by Indian President Modi preparing to,

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to embark on his first visit to Russia since the onset of the Ukraine conflict on July 8. His visit underscores India's delicate balancing act, as it navigates maintaining its longstanding alliance with Moscow while seeking closer security ties with Western nations." (Mausam Jha : Mint: 5 July 2024) (my emphasis)

Mausam Jha goes on to report that,

"In recent years, the United States and its Western allies have strengthened relations with India as a counterbalance to Beijing's expanding influence in the Asia-Pacific region. Moreover, they have urged India to reduce its ties with Russia.
...
Russia's military actions in Ukraine have also had a significant human impact on India. In February, India stated it was actively negotiating with Russia for the release of its citizens who had been recruited for "support jobs" with the Russian military." (ibid Mausam Jha)

Further underscoring the politically 'face-saving' peace proposals of Putin and his 'siloviki', Kwan Wei Kevin Tan (right) reports that,

"China could hold the key to ending Russia's war in Ukraine, Finland President Alexander Stubb said in an interview with Bloomberg on Tuesday.

China's influence on Russia, Stubb said, stemmed from the latter's growing reliance on the Asian giant as it grapples with crippling economic sanctions from the West.

"I argue that Russia is so dependent on China right now that one phone call from President Xi Jinping would solve this crisis," Stubb said of the Chinese leader."If he were to say, 'Time to start negotiating peace.' Russia would be forced to do that." (Business Insider: 3 July 2024 ) (my emphasis)

 

Reality is finally beginning to dawn on Putin that he has painted himself into a 'tight' political corner.

 

No matter which way he turns in his 'political' bunker is he confronted with the inescapable fact that neither himself, nor Russia, can any longer continue against the will of the people of Ukraine, and the support for Ukraine from the West.

 

UPDATE: 6 July 2024

The Associated Press has just reported that,

"The message to NATO from President Vladimir Putin was simple and stark: Don’t go too far in providing military support for Ukraine, or you’ll risk a conflict with Russia that could quickly turn nuclear.
...

“Representatives of NATO members, particularly in small countries of Europe, should be aware of what they are playing with,” he said, adding they could be mistaken to rely on U.S. protection if Russia strikes them.
...
With the West allowing Ukraine to hit Russian territory, Putin threatened to respond by providing weapons to Western adversaries worldwide. He underscored the message in June by signing a mutual defense pact with North Korea, signaling Moscow could start arms deliveries to Pyongyang.

He also declared that Moscow would start producing intermediate-range missiles banned under a Cold War-era pact that Washington and Moscow scrapped in 2019. The Kremlin wouldn’t say where Moscow could deploy the new weapons that were prohibited by the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, which outlawed ground-launched missiles with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometers (310 to 3,410 miles).

Such nuclear-capable missiles are seen as particularly destabilizing because they can reach targets faster than ICBMs, leaving practically no time for decision-makers and raising the likelihood of a global nuclear war over a false launch warning." (AP: 6 July 2024) (my emphasis)

 

Holding a "nuclear gun" at the head of the world, Putin is telling the world that he is more than ready to push the 'nuclear button'.

 

 Lex Clips : May 2024 : YouTube

 

 

 

(to be continued)

Putin manically watches his back as Kremlin knives are being sharpened.

"In early November 1938, under the First Vienna Award, which was a result of the Munich agreement, Czechoslovakia—which had failed to reach a compromise with Hungary and Poland—had to cede after the arbitration of Germany and Italy awarded southern Slovakia and Carpathian Ruthenia to Hungary, while Poland invaded Trans-Olza territory shortly after." (Wikipedia)

Fast forward to 2023 and, as then reported by Nick Thorpe ,

" ... [Victor Orban's] (right) position is both pragmatic and constructive, although there is clearly personal antipathy between him and Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelensky.  
...
Mr Orban seems rather more at ease with Vladimir Putin than with Mr Zelensky, and is the Russian leader's closest ally in the EU.
...
One senior Hungarian diplomat told the BBC that the conflict in Ukraine was "an inter-Slav civil war", illustrating a tendency in Mr Orban's governing Fidesz party to view the world in ethnic terms." (BBC News : 15 December 2023) (my emphasis)

Metaphorically holding aloft the flag of Hitler, and clutching in his right hand the First Vienna Award of  1938, Orban told Ukraine's President Zelensky that, as Csongor Körömi (left) reports,

"Ukraine should not wait for Moscow to withdraw its troops before starting peace talks, the Hungarian premier said on his surprise visit to Kyiv on Tuesday.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán proposed the idea of an immediate cease-fire to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during their negotiations in Kyiv, Orbán said following the talks. (Politico :2 July 2024) (my emphasis)

Interestingly, "Orbán's visit to Kyiv came a day after Hungary assumed the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU." (ibid Csongor Körömi)

Firstpost : 2 June 2024 : YouTube

No doubt, having been elevated to the presidency of the EU, Orban is viewing Putin's demand that the Ukrainian lands his Russian troops occupy be recognised as a part of Russsia in simlar vein to his own [Orban's] demand that the Hungarians in Ukraine be given near full-autonomy as a (hidden) prelude to being later incorporated into Hungary.

But against the background of this political chicanery of Orban, Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali report that,

"The United States will soon announce more than $2.3 billion in new security assistance for Ukraine, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin (left) said on Tuesday during a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart at the Pentagon.

Austin also gave a nod to Ukraine's aspirations to eventually join NATO, more than two years after Russia's full-scale invasion. Referring to next week's NATO summit in Washington, he said, "We will take steps to build a bridge to NATO membership for Ukraine." ( Reuters : 2 July 2024) (my emphasis)

Furthermore,

• Ukraine has claimed to have put 1,100 Russian troops out of action in a single day.
  ...
  This figure rose by 1,100 since the previous update released on June 30. The General Staff's estimates are for Russian soldiers either killed or wounded in Ukraine. (Alice Scarsi:Express: 1 July 2024) (my emphasis)
•  As reported by Iona Cleave, "A large fire broke out at a suspected Russian air base in the city of Kursk, close to the border with Ukraine, on Tuesday.
  
  Local officials said that over 60 firefighters battled the unexplained blaze at the site of what is believed to be the Central Aviation Technical Base.". (Telegraph on Microsoft Start: 2 July 2024) (my emphasis)
• Yuliia Dysa reports that, "Ukraine's air force commander, Mykola Oleshchuk, said on Tuesday the military had carried out a "destructive strike" on a Russian ammunition depot in Moscow-occupied Crimea on Monday". (Reuters : 2 July 2024) (my emphasis)
• Mariya Knight and Lex Harvey report that, " Ukraine has foiled an alleged plot to overthrow the government that “would have played into Russia’s hands,” security officials in the war-torn country said Monday.
  
  In a Telegram post, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) claimed the plot organizers planned to trigger a riot in Kyiv on June 30 as a distraction to seize control of the Ukrainian parliament and remove the military and political leadership from power." (CNN: 3 July 2024) (my emphasis)
• Czech firm 'UAC', as reported by Defense Mirror, intends to produce hundreds of attack and reconnossaince drones for the army of Ukraine. (Defence Mirror : 3 July 2024) (my emphasis)
  

 Underscoring the pressure under which Putin's Russian forces in Ukraine are suffering from, 

"North Korea is believed to be sending thousands of tunnelling troops to help Russia open a new ‘underground front’ on the Ukraine border.

 Military engineers are being sent by Kim Jong Un ostensibly to help Russia with “restoration work” in the Donbas - but Kyiv suspects that they are being sent for a military ulterior purpose." (Will Stewart: Mirror: 2 July 2024) (my emphasis)

Furthermore, as reported by Kateryna Hodunova (left),

"Ukraine will not compromise its values or territorial integrity to end the war with Russia, Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak told reporters on July 3, commenting on statements by U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump" (Kyiv Independent on Yahoo News: 3 Jly 2024) (my emphasis)

As the French, British, and US elections loom, Putin is wilting under the pressures in the Kremlin.

Like his deluded ideas about recreating "Novorossiya" in those parts of Ukraine which his army is failing to hold onto, Putin is being forced to manically watch his back as Kremlin knives are being sharpened.

 

 

 

(to be continued)

Will Putin's followers jump with him into the "nuclear" abyss? Really??

As the 'tea leaves' left over from the Biden-Trump debate are scrutinized by western commentators, supporters of Putin in his war with Ukraine are finally publicly exposing themselves to the rest of the world.

And leading this motley right-wing crew is none other than Donald Trump, who stated that,

"With around a dozen mentions in an hour and a half, Russian President Vladimir Putin was repeatedly referenced by President Joe Biden and rival Donald Trump during Thursday's presidential election debate as they vied to show who was tougher on foreign policy.

"If we had a real president, the president that ... was respected by Putin, he would have never  invaded Ukraine," Trump said of Biden, kicking off a series of clashes between the two candidates over the wars in Ukraine and in Gaza.

"Go ahead, let Putin go in and control Ukraine, and then move on to Poland and other places. See what happens then. He has no idea what the hell he's talking about," Biden said of Trump. " (Costas Pitas : Reuters : 28 June 2024) (my emphasis)

And following closely behind Trump we have Kim Jon Un of North Korea, who has promised to spare Russian men living in Moscow and St. Petersbugh from being slaughtered in Ukraine by offering, instead, to have North Koreans slaughtered in Ukraine. 

As reported by Susie Beever (left),

"Kim Jong-un is set to send troops to Ukraine amidst growing fears of the escalating conflict between Russia and the West.
...
[US] Spokesman Pat Ryder said in a briefing: "I think that if I were North Korean military personnel management, I would be questioning my choices on sending my forces to be cannon fodder in an illegal war against Ukraine." The US would continue to monitor the alliance surrounding growing anxieties." (Daily Mirror : 26 June 2024) (my emphasis)

As also reported by Clea Caulcutt ,

"While Macron has increasingly recast himself as a defender of Ukraine — promising fighter jets to Kyiv earlier this month — Le Pen has a long track record of political flirtation with the Kremlin, with Macron even directly accusing her of being on the Russian payroll." (Politico : 28 June 2024) (my emphasis)

 Recall that in my blog entry of 30 October 2014 I reported that,

"It is rather ironic that the Kremlin and Putin's propaganda machines are constantly propagating the lie about 'fascists and neo-Nazis' being elected to the Ukrainian parliament, whilst at the same time rolling out the red carpet for neo-Nazi and right-wing European organizations.

 Marine Le Pen met with State Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin (right)

 

 

Thus it was that Marine Le Pen, the neo-Nazi leader of France, was treated like a cabinet minister by top Russian politicians, whilst the British Fascist leader of the BNP party endorsed Russian elections in Russia. As John Vinocur has commented," Marine Le Pen wants to neuter the EU as a political force. The Kremlin couldn't ask for a better ally." (my emphasis)" (blog entry 30/10/2014)

And against this backdrop of Putin's motley crew exposing themselves internationally:-

• The Biden administration is holding discussions with Israel and Ukraine about the possibility of transferring aging Patriot air defense systems currently in Israel to Ukraine as it continues to defend itself in the war with Russia, according to a senior administration official and a source familiar with the discussions, as the US urgently prioritizes air defenses for Kyiv. (Kylie Atwood and Oren Liebermann : CNN on Microsft Start : 27 June 2024) (my emphasis)
• Russia should not make a mistake that could hurt its relations with South Korea in an "irreversible" way, a Seoul official warned Thursday, in a tit-for-tat exchange of words after Moscow warned against Seoul hinting at potential arms support to Ukraine. (Kim Seung-yeon : Yonhap News Agency : 27 June 2024) (my emphasis)
• South Korea's potential arms support for Ukraine should not be viewed on the same footing as North Korea's suspected delivery of munitions to Russia, given the illegal nature of Russia's invasion, the chief of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has said.
  
  NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also said that NATO would welcome "any major support" from South Korea to help Ukraine in the fight against Russia, pointing out that issues like North Korean threats and the war in Ukraine" (Kim Seung-yeon : Yonhap News Agency : 28 June 2024) (my emphasis)

 These  developments include,

"Japan imposed trade restrictions on China-based companies as part of a fresh round of sanctions against individuals and groups supporting Russia's war on Ukraine, the foreign ministry said in a statement on Friday.

The new sanctions also target firms in India, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan. It marks the first time Japan has imposed sanctions on China-based firms in connection with the war in Ukraine, according to Japan's foreign ministry." (Sakura Murakami : Reuters : 21 Jun e 2924)  (my emphasis)

Putin's desperation in his war with Ukraine is exemplified by the fact that,

"World on the brink as 'shelling destroys key equipment' at Ukraine nuclear power plant.

The head of the IAEA said the the chances of a radiation leak were 'dangerously close' after the plant once again came under attack. 

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) was damaged after being shelled, increasing fears that a catastrophic release of radiation is "dangerously close". (John Varga (above left): Express : 28 June 2024) (my emphasis) 

As I wote in my last blog entry,

"The constant 'fist-waving of the deployment of the nuclear option' against Ukraine by his TV pundits should not be too lightly dismissed."

Will Putin's followers now also jump with him into the "nuclear" abyss?

UPDATE : 29 June 2024

John Varga reports that,

"Vladimir Putin is using huge financial incentives to persuade poor Russians to fight in Ukraine, offering them ten times their normal salary to take their chances in Russia's meat grinder.

The policy has allowed the Kremlin to avoid enforcing a nationwide mobilisation, a move that officials fear could spark serious civil unrest.

The Russian army has suffered catastrophic losses to it frontline troops since it invaded Ukraine in February 2022." (Express: 29 June 2024 (my emphasis)

This supports the reporting of Ella Sherman (left) that,

"Russian forces have committed only limited forces to this operation so far, which suggests that Russian forces continue to prioritize gradual advances through consistent grinding assaults over operationally significant gains through rapid maneuver," analysts at the Institute of the Study of War assess.
....
Putin theorized that the gradual progress Russian forces make will allow them to achieve the Kremlin's aims, as it prevents Ukraine from conducting effective counteroffensive tactics." (Business Insider : 28 June 4) (my emphasis)

Similarly, as Tom Porter (right) reports,

 "Russia is sending troops into head-on high-casualty attacks, known as human wave or "meat grinder" attacks. The attacks were used by Russia in brutal battles to seize control of the towns of Avdiikva and Bakhmut last year, but US officials told the Times they are proving less successful now.
...
Russia has offered relatively lucrative contracts to new recruits, has drafted thousands of prisoners into the military, and has contracted foreign mercenaries to replace its losses." (Business Inside : 28 June 2024) (my emphasis)

Putin's motley crew, including Kim Jon Un, Donald Trump, and Marine Le Pen,,  do not seem to be helping him!

 

 

 

(to be continued)