The world is holding its political breath as Kim Jon Un's troops ready themselves to march, hand-in-hand, with Putin's army in Ukraine, whilst the Middle East brings us even closer to a cataclysmic showdown between Israel and Iran.
Most of all, the critical US presidential election is fifteen days away, which result will either sway the world into the direction of WW3 or into the direction of the concluding stages of Putin's war with Ukraine, as well as a critical stalling of Israel's impending war with Iran.
As Hannah Levene (left) reports,
"Military ties between North Korea and Russia increase as North Korea sends 3,000 soldiers to help Russia against Ukraine.
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Volodymyr Zelensky grows concerns as he learns on a trip to Brussels that North Korean specialists are already on the ground in parts of Ukraine's occupied territories." (LBC: 17 October 2024) (my emphasis)Cowering in his bunker, Putin is now having to go cap-in-hand to Kim Jon Un to bolster his fast diminishing forces in Ukraine as the rumblings of the Russian people begin to reach a crescendo, especiallly in Moscow and St Petersburg, AGAINST any new drafting of young Russian men into Putin's 'meatrinder' in Ukraine.
On the economic front, as the Bank of Russia itself admits,
"At the same time, demand in the economy and in particular consumer demand
remained high overall – despite a certain decline in August. The entirety of these factors is still behind high inflationary pressures notwithstanding of the recent rise in interest rates, a slower expansion in retail lending and in the broader economy.
Going forward, the current tight monetary policy is expected to ease labour shortages – a trend that seems to be emerging as employers show less appetite for hiring, explained by more moderate expectations for demand for their products and for investment. This is expected to combine with a consistently high saving ratio to cool down consumer demand and thereby movements in consumer prices (i.e. INFLATION)." (Bank Of Russia: No. 7: October 2024) (my emphasis)
(full video: Joe Blogs: Russian Industry Collapsing: 18 October 2024: YouTube)
Adding to Putin's panicked pacing around in his bunker,
- "The International Monetary Fund (IMF) increased the amount of credit funds allocated to Ukraine in 2025 by nearly $880 million, according to the IMF memorandum.
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The increase in financing for 2025 will come from credit funds that were initially intended for disbursement in 2026 and 2027." (Bohdan Babaiev (right): RBC Ukraine on Microsoft Start: 19 October 2024) (my emphasis) - "Canada announced the details of a $64.8 million military aid package to Ukraine Friday as National Defence Minister Bill Blair attended a NATO defence ministers meeting in Brussels." (David Cummings: CTV News (Canada): 18 October 2024) (my emphasis)
- "The Danish government is donating 2.4 billion kroner ($350 million) to Ukraine to help bolster the country’s air defense systems and buy new weapons.
The donation is part of Denmark’s 64.8 billion kroner fund to aid Ukraine in its fight against Russia and is aimed at supporting the Ukrainian military’s urgent needs and strengthen its longer-term defense capabilities, the Danish Minister of Defense, Troels Lund Poulsen, said in a press release." (Sara Sjolin (right): BNN Bloomberg: 18 October 2024) (my emphasis)
Coupled to Putin's economic and 'meatgrinder' recruiting woes, and the west continuing to support Ukraine financially, Will Stewart (left) and Oli Smith (right) report that,
"One of Russia's largest manufacturers of industrial explosives (the Sverdlov Plant in Dzerzhinsk) blew up in flames overnight after a swarm of Ukrainian drones.
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The state-owned Sverdlov Plant also manufactures aviation and artillery shells, aerial bombs, components for cumulative anti-tank guided missiles, and warheads for air defence systems." (Express : 20 October 2024) (my emphasis)
Furthermore,
"A day earlier a key Russian microelectronics plant (the vast Kremniy El complex in Bryansk region) caught fire after a jet-powered kamikaze drone strike by Ukraine.
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One of the biggest electronics bases in Russia with 1,700-plus workers, it also makes key hi-tech parts for multiple other lethal weapons." (ibid Will Stewart and Oli Smith )
Is it therefore any wonder that Putin is fast becoming the 'poodle' of Kim Jon Un?