Putin's 'nuclear threat' is the diplomacy of genocide against the people of Ukraine

 When that 'dyed-in-the-wool' Soviet Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, warns that,

"Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned the West on Monday not to underestimate the elevated risks of nuclear conflict over Ukraine and said he viewed NATO as being "in essence" engaged in a proxy war with Russia by supplying Kyiv with weaponry. (Lidia Kelly and Ronald Popeski : Reuters : 26 April 2022) (my emphasis) (cf. also: Rory Sullivan, Namita Singh, and Zoe Tidman :The Independent : 26 April 2022) ",

this signals that Putin now knows that his Russian army is failing in their war with Ukraine.

This is further reinforced by Putin having to announce to the Russian people that,

"This morning, the Federal Security Service stopped the activities of a terrorist group that planned to attack and kill one famous Russian TV journalist," he [Putin] said.
...
FSB chief Alexander Bortnikov said six neo-nationalist Russian citizens plotted to kill Russian journalist Vladimir Solovyov, a vocal supporter of Mr Putin and the war in Ukraine, at the behest of the Ukrainian state security service (SBU)." (Amar Mehta : Sky News : 25 April 2022) (my emphasis)
 

Now why would he announce that the alleged conspiracy theorists were "Russian citizens"?

Simply to reinforce in the minds of the Russian people that those Russian citizens who are against his war with Ukraine are, in effect, 'traitors' that need to be identified and punished.

Just as Lavrov is now wielding Putin's 'nuclear' big stick against the West, Putin is wielding his FSB and his 'legal' big stick against the people of Russia.

As he argues,

"However, as they [the West] begin to understand  that this is impossible, another mission    ( the conspiracy to kill a Russian journalist) comes to the fore to destroy Russia from the inside. There is a hitch there to. They cannot succeed in that." (cf: video above)

And hours after Putin gave this rather feeble and somehat confused speech, Chris Pleasance, Will Stewart, and Stephen M. Lepore reported that,

"Flames lit up the sky over Russia in the early hours after suspected Ukrainian missile strikes blew up two oil storage facilities supplying Putin's troops fighting for control of Donbas.

The Transneft-Druzhba Oil Depot, located in the city of Bryansk around 70 miles from the Ukrainian border, caught fire at 2am local time before a second fire broke out at a nearby military facility around 15 minutes later, Russian state media said this morning." (Mail Online : 25 April 2022) (my emphasis)

It is no wonder that, as reported by Simon Lewis,

"Russia is failing in its war aims but Ukraine is succeeding, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday after he and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met President Volodymyr Zelinskiy and Ukrainian officials in Kyiv." (MSN (Reuters) : 25 April 2022) (my emphasis) 

And as reported by Julian Borger (right),

"At a press conference in Poland after a surprise visit to Kyiv, Lloyd Austin was asked if he would now define US goals differently from those set out soon after the Russian invasion. In response, he started out with the established administration line about helping Ukraine retain its sovereignty and defend its territory.
...
Then Austin added a second goal: “We want to see Russia weakened to the degree that it can’t do the kinds of things that it has done in invading Ukraine.” That meant Russia should “not have the capability to very quickly reproduce” the forces and equipment that had been lost in Ukraine." (The Guardian : 25 April 2022) (my emphasis)

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's second goal refers not only to ensuring that Ukraine will, in future, be able on its own to protect itself from any future Russian invasion of its soil, but also that the genocidal nature of Putin's war with Ukraine will not happen to any other country in the future.

It is no wonder that in his speech (cf. Sky News video) mentioning that alleged plan to attack and kill a famous Russian TV journalist, Putin also said,

" What can I say in this connection, [alleged plan to kill a Russian journalist] to our surprise high-ranking diplomats in Europe and the United States call on their Ukrainian satellites to use all their capacities to achieve victory on the battlefield. Our partners from the USA and Europe use really strange diplomacy. Even diplomats now encourage this." 

Yet it is Putin that is now using the diplomacy of genocide to try to achieve his aims in Ukraine.

And it is to prevent Russia using this diplomacy of genocide in the future that US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, ".... want's to see Russia weakened to the degree that it can’t do the kinds of things that it has done in invading Ukraine.”

(to be continued)

Putin's anger will know no bounds if he fails in his battle for the Donbas.

In my blog post of Sunday, 9 November 2014, I wrote that,

"On July 25, 2014, rather presciently,  Alexander Motyl  (left) posed the question,

"Is Putin evil? His actions certainly are, if by evil we understand behavior that willfully, consciously and purposely destroys human life. Perhaps we can call his actions undeniably evil and Putin himself "evil enough." Evil enough for what? Evil enough for condemnation by people of good will." 

He further stated that,

"Ultimately, France and Germany, as well as all countries that aid and abet Russia's destructive capabilities, have to decide whether they care more about values or about money. Dictatorships can answer that question easily: Their leaders [like Putin] are indifferent to values." (Alexander Motyl : CNN : 25 July 2014) (my emphasis)

The alarm bells that were ringing shortly after Putin illegally invaded annexed Ukraine's Crimea in 2014, and subsequently sent his Russian soldiers into the Donbas, fell on deaf ears in France and Germany, and who continued to suck at the teats of Putin's Russian 'cash cow'. 

CNN : 25 July 2014

Today, in full public display, the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, is now anxiously wringing his hands in horror as he confronts the call of Ukraine's President, Volodomyr Zelensky, for Germany to relinquish the oil and gas hold that Putin now has over the German economy.

But, true to form, Olaf Scholtz cares more about ensuring that the German people will not have to pay an economic price for having had their standard of living grow, since 2014, partly on the back of  German business men marching across Ukraine into the warm economic embrace  of Putin's 'Golden Eldorado'.

As James Lee (right) reports,

"A furious row has erupted over a "defenceless" Ukraine as Chancellor Olaf Scholz faces demands he sends in tanks, saying "Germany is to blame" for its late response.
...
Speaking in an interview with German media, Mr Wadephul accused the German government of deceiving the public by promising further financial military aid.

He said: “Ukraine has not lacked money - also not due to the EU funds."

“The increase in funding is therefore just a nasty diversionary tactic.” (Express : 19 April 2022) (my emphasis)

As he further points out,

"However, with Germany still failing to assure Ukraine of heavy weapons, and France embroiled in an internal election, focus appeared to have shifted away from Ukraine.
...

President Emmanuel Macron, once the favoured broker-diplomat between Moscow and the West has stated talks broke down over the discovery of war crimes in the town of Bucha, committed by Russian soldiers.
...
European nations have called for more sanctions, yet, France for example, unlike the US, has stopped short of accusing Vladimir Putin of war crimes. (ibid James Lee)

And now, as reported by Mark Trevelyan,

"In a show of strength two months into its assault on Ukraine, Russia test-launched a new nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile which President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday would make Moscow's enemies stop and think.
...

"This truly unique weapon will strengthen the combat potential of our armed forces, reliably ensure Russia's security from external threats and provide food for thought for those who, in the heat of frenzied aggressive rhetoric, try to threaten our country." 

Russia's nuclear forces will start taking delivery of the new missile "in the autumn of this year" once testing is complete, Tass quoted Dmitry Rogozin, head of the Roscosmos space agency, as saying on Wednesday. (Reuters : 20 April 2022) (my emphasis) (video below : Global News : YouTube : 20 April 2022)

This boastful threat of Putin seems to ignore the fact that whatever may cause him to unleash this Sarmat missile that he has been waiting for will also lead to the unleashing of nuclear missiles against Russia; the setting off of the MAD doctrine of military strategy.

What this boastful threat of Putin does tell us is that he fears his Donbas strategy may not lead to the success that he anticipates, especially in light of the continued supply of sophisticated offensive weaponry to the Ukrainian army from the US and UK in particular.

As reported by Brendan Cole (left),

"Russia has an approaching deadline that will add urgency to its campaign in Ukraine over the coming three weeks, the British defense ministry said.
...
In its daily intelligence update on the Russian invasion, U.K. defense officials said that Moscow wants big military gains before its annual commemoration of the end of World War II on May 9." (MSN (Newsweek) : 21 April 2022) (my emphasis)

And herein lies the danger.

Putin's anger will know no bounds if he fails in his battle for the Donbas.

(to be continued)

At what point does one say, "Enough is enough!"

 At what point does one say, "Enough is enough!".

Simon Tisdall (left) is correct in pointing out that,

"Nato should talk less and do more, or Ukraine will be torn apart, bit by bit". (The Guardian : 17 April 2022) (my emphasis)

 As he further explains :-

•  Direct, limited Nato military intervention on the ground to create safe havens in western Ukraine, for example, or to target in-theatre artillery, naval and missile forces that bomb civilians, is entirely feasible. The mere threat might give Russia pause. Yet Biden will not hear of it. His fear that it would automatically escalate into all-out Nato-Russia warfare is almost certainly unfounded. 
• 
  Germany, Europe’s supposed leader, is another sorry case. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (right) says those who perpetrated atrocities in the town of Bucha “must be held accountable”. But that day of reckoning remains a distant dream as long as Scholz continues to reject national and EU-wide energy sanctions and argue over arms supplies
• While a whacking €100bn defence spending increase is promised to protect Germans, Scholz is delaying delivery of a few heavy weapons to protect Ukrainians (ibid Simon Tisdall) (my emphasis)
  

The constant threat of Putin, since February of this year, that he is not afraid to use his nuclear arsenal, has given critical EU leaders a paper shield behind which they now cower to justify, in the words of Simon Tisdall, "...  US-led Nato, the world’s most powerful military alliance, will sit on its hands, apparently prepared, if need be, to watch Ukraine dismembered bit by gruesome bit." (ibid Simon Tisdall) 

BBC News : YouTube : 27 February 2022

 And as NATO sits on the fence, wringing its hands in horror at the genocide being perpetrated by Putin in Ukraine, we now have the German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (below), including the German political and intellectual establishment, now having to admit that,

"Since Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February, many German politicians have publicly admitted they got Vladimir Putin wrong. Even German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has apologised, saying it was a mistake to use trade and energy to build bridges with Moscow." (Damien McGuinness : BBC News : 18 April 2022) (my emphasis)

 Steinmeier may now, rather belatedly, give his apologies as Putin continues to rain his death and destruction upon the people of Ukraine but what about Angela Merkel???

The silence from Angela Merkel, this former Chancellor of Germany, is positively deafening! 

Recall Angela Merkel, together with former German Chancellor, Gerhard Schröder (left), pushing Nord Stream2 as their pet 'economic' project since 2015 , a year AFTER Putin illegally invaded, and annexed, Ukraine's Crimea, ! 

And still true to form, as Damien McGuinness also reports,

"On military support for Ukraine, Berlin says it is prepared to send whatever weapons Kyiv needs. But there are allegations that some [German] ministries are getting tied up in bureaucracy. " (ibid Damien McGuinness) (my emphasis)

And whilst German bureaucracy dithers about sending heavy weapons, such as tanks and fighter jets, to Ukraine to fight against Russia, 

• Humanitarian corridors were closed Sunday due to failed talks between the two countries. That left as many as 100,000 civilians trapped in Mariupol with no way out. (NPR : 17 April 2022) (my emphasis)
• After enduring a brutal assault for more than a month, Ukrainian fighters in the besieged southeastern port city of Mariupol rejected a Russian deadline to surrender on Sunday and vowed to fight on." (CNN : 17 April 2022) (my emphasis) 
• ...
  

Travis Caldwell and Helen Regan : CNN : 18 April 2022

And as reported by Khaleda Rahman (left),

"Nina Khrushcheva, the great-granddaughter of the late Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, has warned that Russia may be prepared to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine. [  ] said she fears Russian President Vladimir Putin may eventually deploy tactical nuclear weapons to claim victory in Ukraine."  (Newsweek : 17 April 2022) (my emphasis)

Meanwhile, in France, President Macron still refuses to publically acknowledge that Putin is committing 'genocide' in Ukraine.

As reported by the Economic Times of India,

"The Ukrainian leader said he believed Macron was shying away from using the term "genocide" -- a term Biden has now used regarding the war in Ukraine -- because he thinks it would hurt the chances for diplomatic engagement with Russia.

Macron is in the heat of an election campaign, with a second-round vote against far-right politician Marine Le Pen set for next Sunday.
...
He told France's Radio Bleu on Thursday that it was not helpful to Ukraine "to enter into verbal escalations without drawing all of the conclusions."
...
"The word 'genocide' has a meaning" and "needs to be characterized legally, not by politicians." (Economic Times of India : 17 April 2022) (my emphasis)

Which rather underscores the fact that, since the beginning of Putin's second invasion of Ukraine, Macron still treads the discredited political line of appeasement with Putin that Germany's political elite now regard as "a mistake"!

As I have stated, "At what point does one say, "Enough is enough!""

(to be continued)

Putin's Battle for the Donbas will determine his fate.

 India TV News reports that,

"Russian President Vladimir Putin has appointed a new commander, Alexandr Dvornikov (left), who would take care of the Ukraine campaign. The newly appointed general is known for his brutal nature and was dubbed the "butcher of Syria". (India TV News : 11 April 2022) (my emphasis)

Alexandr Dvornikov was given the task to, "to come up with a plan to annex Donbass from Ukraine." (ibid India TV News).

In the words of Lt. General Mark Hertling (right), during a CNN interview,

Lt. General Mark Hertling : "He knows the area in which he's serving, and the way he's conducted his combat operations in the past has caused him to ... he's received a lot of medals from Putin himself but he has also been the kind of executioner that we've seen prosecuting his kind of campaigns where there is an awful lot of civilian attacks, civilian destruction, chaos on populations both in Syria and in Grozny .. So this is the guy that is going to be asked to deliver success before the 9 May May Day parade in Moscow."  (CNN : YouTube : 10 April 2022) 

As the White House Press Secretary, Jen Psaki, also explains in a Fox News interview (10 April 2022),

Jen Psaki : "The reports we're seeing of a change in military leadership, and putting a general (Alexandr Dvornikov) in charge whose responsible for the brutality of the atricities inside of Syria shows that there's going to be a continuation of what we've seen on the grounds in Ukraine. And that's  what we are expecting". (Fox News: Youtube: 10 April 2022) (my emphasis)
 

Already, as reported by Al Jazeera,

"Russian missiles destroyed an airport in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro and five emergency workers were injured in the attack.
...
“There has been another attack on Dnipro airport. There is nothing left of it,” Valentyn Reznichenko, governor of the central Dnipropetrovsk region, said on Sunday." (Al Jazeera : 10 April 2022) (my emphasis) (cf also: BBC News , Reuters )

And whilst Alexandr Dvornikov is starting his genocidal 'blitzkrieg' against the Ukrainian civilians in Dnipro, The Telegraph Online informs us that,

"Russia staged war games on Saturday in Kaliningrad — an enclave on the Baltic Sea sandwiched between Poland and Lithuania — Interfax news agency cited the Baltic Fleet Command as saying.
...
“Up to 1,000 military personnel... and more than 60 military equipment units were involved in the control checks,” Interfax news quoted the Russian Baltic Fleet Command’s press service as saying." (The Telegraph Online : 11 April 2022) (my emphasis)

Whilst these war games of Putin in Kaliningrad could be viewed as a 'maskirovka' diversionary tactic to deflect the eyes of the West from Alexandr Dvornikov's impending blitzkrieg in the Donbas, nonetheless it also ramps up a potential 'spill-over' into Lithuania, a NATO ally.

These Kaliningrad war games could also be directed against Finland and Sweden, who are on the verge of joining NATO.

As reported by Jennifer Hansler and Natasha Bertrand (left),

"Finland and Sweden could soon join NATO, moves that would likely infuriate Moscow and that officials say would further underscore Russia's strategic error in invading Ukraine.

NATO officials told CNN that discussions about Sweden and Finland joining the bloc have gotten extremely serious since Russia's invasion, and US senior State Department officials said the matter came up at this week's NATO foreign ministerial, which was attended by the foreign ministers from Stockholm and Helsinki." (CNN : 9 April 2022) (my emphasis)

As Finland and Sweden swiftly head towards joining NATO, the accelerating downturn of Putin's Russian economy is further compounding his fury against the failures of his army Generals to capture Kiev.

As explained in a BBC interview by Vladimir Milov (left), former Deputy Energy Minister in Putin's government,

Vladimir Milov : "[The effects of sanctions against Putin and his 'siloviki'] ... is being noticed. The basic shortages that we had are mostly the result of panic .... However, the worst is yet to come [....] So  I would say so far is just the very early stage ... there is more to come ... This is very alarming ... We haven't seen anything like that [effects of current sanctions] in ... like .. 30 years ...  We will see some real shortages, much sharper price rises in April ... May ... June ... and further down in summer ..." (BBC Talking Business : 9 April 2022) (my emphasis) 

In the same interview, Putin's former Chief Economic Advisor, Andrei Illarianov (right), explains,

Andrei Illarianov : "We have learned that for Mr. Putin, his territorial ambitions are much more important than anything else,  including the livelihood of the Russian population, the financial situation in the country, even the financial state of his government" (ibid BBC Talking Business) (my emphasis)

With Sweden and Finland fast heading into the arms of NATO, and the Russian economy and people beginning to feel the crippling effects of sanctions on their livelihoods and their jobs, Putin's pathological anger to ensure that he can hold a victorious May Day parade has led him to set in motion an impending bloodbath against both Russian soldiers and the  people of Ukraine in his Battle for the Donbas.

Putin's Battle for the Donbas will determine his fate.  

(to be continued)

For Putin, the stakes are rising.

The UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine, held on the 5 April 2022, revealed the political position of the participating countries in relation to Putin's war with Ukraine and, more importantly, their response to the brutal war crimes perpetrated by Russian soldiers in the village of Bucha, amongst many others.

With one voice, all of the participants at the Security Council meeting condemned these brutal war crimes and called for the stepping up of humanitarian assistance to those trapped by Putin's soldiers.

Nearly all of the participants laid the blame squarly for these war crimes at the feet of Putin, except for China and India.

Even more significant, neither the representatives for India and China referred to Putin as waging a WAR in Ukraine. 

The representative for India stated that,

"Humanitarian action must always be guided by the principles of  humanitarian assistance .. humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence. These measure should never be politicised. We continue to emphasise to all member states of the UN that the global order is anchored on international law, the UN Charter, and respect for territorial integrity and sovereignity of states" (UN Security Council Meeting : 5 April 2022) (my emphasis) (Full Video: DW News : YouTube : 5 April 2022)

Here it is interesting to note that India's political philosophy of 'non-alignment' i.e. "not taking any side, but sitting on the fence", does not quite square with India now refusing to identify that Putin is waging a war against Ukraine.

Indeed, by not publicly identifying that Putin is waging war against Ukraine, India, by definition, is letting Putin off the hook and, by implication, the world should only speak about crimes committed by Putin's soldiers but NOT war crimes.

If India is letting Putin off the hook of 'war crimes' China, on the other hand, is worried about sanctions being applied to Putin and his 'siloviki'.

In the words of China's representative at the Security Council meeting,

"... Every effort should be made to prevent the escalation of the localised (note: a 'localised' conflict, not a war) conflict.

...
Humanitarian issues should not be politicised ...

Sanctions are not an effective means to solve the problem but will instead accellerate the spillover of the crisis and bring new and complex problems. Today, with the deep development of globalization and the closely linked community of mankind  the implementation of all dimensional and indiscriminate sanctions is tantamount to politicising, instrumentalizing, and weaponizing the world economy trigerring serious crisis in the fields of global economy and trade, finance, energy, food, and industrial trade and supply chain, and endangering decades of development gain of the international community, and making people of all pay a hefty price."

Could this response of the Chinese representative have anything to do with the report of MSN (ABC News) that,

"In a high-stakes video call, President Joe Biden and China's President Xi Jinping spoke Friday morning for an hour and 50 minutes for the first time since November amid concerns that China will help Russian President Vladimir Putin's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
...
"President Biden detailed our efforts to prevent and then respond to the invasion, including by imposing costs on Russia. He described the implications and consequences if China provides material support to Russia as it conducts brutal attacks against Ukrainian cities and civilians," the White House said." (MSN (ABC News) : 18 March 2022) (my emphasis)

It is also interesting to note that before the Security Council meeting, none other than Putin's former 'President stand-in', Dmitry Medvedev, warned that,

"April 1 (Reuters) - One of President Vladimir Putin's allies warned on Friday that Russia, a major global wheat exporter, could limit supplies of agriculture products to "friendly" countries only, amid Western sanctions imposed on Moscow over the Ukraine crisis." (Reuters : 1 April 2022) (my emphasis)   

Yet even in the face of this political scrambling by Putin not to especially upset those Middle Eastern countries dependent on wheat supplies from Russia, but to limit supplies to the US, GB, and the EU, nonetheless the EU has expanded its sanctions against himself and his 'siloviki'.

As reported by Francesco Guarascio (left),

"The European Commission will propose on Tuesday to EU nations sweeping new sanctions against Russia, including banning imports of coal, wood, chemicals and other products worth about 9 billion euros ($9.86 billion) a year, an EU source told Reuters.
...
The European Union is also to propose a ban on exports to Russia worth another 10 billion euros a year, including of semiconductors, computers, technology for LNG gas, and other electrical and transport equipment, the source said.
...
Russian vessels and trucks would be prevented from accessing the EU, further crippling trade, the source said, with exceptions made for energy products, food and medicines." (Reuters : 5 April 2022) (my emphasis)

Putin is now desperately scraping the barrel of 'retaliation' against sanctions, just as China's President Xi Jinping is also worried that should he help Putin to continue his war against Ukraine, the very same sanctions against Putin and his 'siloviki' could be slapped on a Chinese economy that is already slowing down.

For Putin, the stakes are rising.

(to be continued)

Putin now finds himself against the ropes, flailing in all directions against Ukraine.

 In my blog entry of 17 March 2022 I wrote that,

"Putin's formidable war machine has encountered a Ukrainian force that will not be cowed into submission, no matter what he throws at them." (blog : 17 March 2022)

Since then, the rapidly changing events of Putin's second war with Ukraine has taken the world by storm.

The pushback of Ukrainian forces on ALL fronts against Putin's war machine is taking a heavy toll on Putin's retreating Russian soldiers. 

As reported by BBC News,

"Russia continues to face fierce resistance from Ukraine, more than a month into its invasion.
...
Ukrainian forces have begun attempts to retake some areas from Russia, which said this week it would scale back operations around Kyiv and the northern city of Chernihiv....
...
It has surprised President Putin, and the world, by mounting skilled and stubborn resistance against a larger, better equipped army. Equally, Russian forces have surprised the world by being disorganised and inept. (BBC News : 1 April 2022) (my emphasis) 

Ali Velshi : MSNBC : 1 April 2022

As also reported by Alex Thompson,

"North of the city [Kiev] the wasteland of destruction towards the dormitory town of Irpin, [Russian] bodies still lying uncollected ... the scars left by Russia's retreat from Putin's now abandoned battle for Kiev, the Ukrainain capital"  (Channel 4 : YouTube : 1 April 2022) (my emphasis)

Recall that two weeks ago (March 18 2022) US President Biden warned China's President, Xi Jinping, about the consequences if he provides material support to Putin in his war with Ukraine.

As reported by REFRL,

"U.S. President Joe Biden has outlined to his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, the "consequences" of any support for Russia in its war against neighboring Ukraine, the White House said.
...
"He described the implications and consequences if China provides material support to Russia as it conducts brutal attacks against Ukrainian cities and civilians," the White House said in a statement.
...
Biden also "underscored his support for a diplomatic resolution to the crisis," the statement said." (RFERL : 18 March 2022) (my emphasis)

As Ukraine's offensive against the Russia army continues to succeed, Lexi Lonas reports that,

"The Department of Defense announced on Friday the U.S. will provide Ukraine with $300 million of additional security assistance to Ukraine.
...
The money is aimed to bolster Ukraine’s defenses against Russia’s invasion that has been going on for more than a month.
...
This package includes tactical secure communications systems, a counter-unmanned aerial system, non-standard machine guns and other defense systems." (The Hill : 1 April 2022) (my emphasis)

US President Biden is not alone in warning Xi Jinping about the consequences should he provide material support to Putin to offset his current material military losses in his war with Ukraine.

As reported by John Follain, Alberto Nardelli, and Jorge Valero,

"European Union leaders plan to tell President Xi Jinping in a summit that China will hurt its global stature if it hands Russia an economic or military lifeline, a pointed message that will test Beijing’s commitment to keep the war from damaging its ties with Brussels.
...
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said China had a “special responsibility” to demand that Russia respect international law and to defend Ukraine’s sovereignty." (Bloomberg : 1 April 2022) (my emphasis) (video below)

Trying to hit back at EU sanctions against him, Putin is now demanding that EU purchases of Russian gas and oil must be made in roubles, which has been roundly rejected by EU members, as France 24 reports.

"Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Thursday that all EU purchases of Russian gas must be made in roubles starting April 1, a demand immediately rejected by French and German officials who said they were preparing for a possible halt in Russian supplies. Europe will not be "blackmailed" by Putin, Germany's economy minister said." (France 24: 31 March 2022) (my emphasis)

Sky News Australia : YouTube 1 April 2022

This knee-jerk demand of Putin that payments for Russian oil and gas be made in Roubles highlights the crippling effects of the current, and escalating, sanctions against Putin's Russian economy.

However, as reported by Kate Moody (left),

"Vladimir Putin has backtracked on a demand that European customers pay for Russian natural gas imports in roubles, staving off an immediate supply problem. 

But Germany has activated the first stage of an emergency law that would pave the way for gas rationing. Officials are urging households and businesses to reduce their energy consumption, as they try to diversify their suppliers." (France 24 : 30 March 2022) (my emphasis)

In the wake of Putin's forces retreating from areas near Kiev, what has emerged is the deliberate massacre of the civilians by Russian soldiers as they fled.

 

BBC News : 3 April 2022

As reported by BBC News,

The BBC's Jeremy Bowen said at least 20 dead men, some with their wrists tied, were found on the streets of Bucha.
...
Sergey Nikiforov told the BBC's Sunday Morning show: "We found people with their hands and with their legs tied up... and with shots, bullet holes, in the back of their head.
...
"They were clearly civilians and they were executed. We found half-burned bodies as if somebody tried to hide their crimes but they didn't have enough time to do it properly."
(BBC News : 3 April 2022) (my emphasis) 

Liz Truss (right), UK Foreign Secretary said,

"We will not rest until those responsible for atrocities, including military commanders and individuals in the Putin regime, have faced justice,"

She said it was essential the international community continued to provide Ukraine with military and humanitarian support - and step up sanctions.
...
Other nations have also condemned Russian forces' actions. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken described the images of bodies in the streets of Bucha as a "punch in the gut".
...
EU chief Charles Michel pledged further sanctions on Moscow. "Shocked by haunting images of atrocities committed by Russian army in Kyiv liberated region #BuchaMassacre," the European Council head wrote on Twitter....

Germany's foreign minister Annalena Baerbock denounced President Putin's "uninhibited violence", saying Russia must pay for its "war crimes" in Bucha in the form of more severe sanctions." (ibid BBC News)

Like a punch drunk opponent, Putin now finds himself against the ropes, flailing in all directions against Ukraine and its people.

 (to be continued)