The beginning of the end for Putin?

From all around the world, everyone has been stunned by what can only be described as a disorderly and undisciplined retreat of Putin's troops from the battlefield, following a collapse Russia's command authority, unit cohesion and combat morale. 

As reported by BBC News,

"Ukrainian officials said troops entered Kupiansk, a vital eastern supply hub for Russian forces, on Saturday.

Russia's defence ministry then said its troops have retreated from nearby Izyum to allow them "to regroup".

The ministry also confirmed the withdrawal of troops from a third key town, Balaklyia, in order to "bolster efforts" on the Donetsk front. (BBC News : 11 September 2022) (my emphasis)

As also reported by CBS News,

"Russia's Defense Ministry announced Saturday that it's pulling back troops from two areas in Ukraine's eastern Kharkiv region where a Ukrainian counteroffensive has made significant advances in the past week.
...
The news came after days of apparent advances by Ukraine south of Kharkiv, the country's second-largest city, in what could become the biggest battlefield success for Ukrainian forces since they thwarted a Russian attempt to seize the capital of Kyiv at the start of the nearly seven-month war.

 Izyum was a major base for Russian forces in the Kharkiv region and earlier this week social media videos showed residents of Balakliya joyfully cheering as Ukrainian troops moved in. (CBS News : 10 September 2022) (my emphasis) (cf Also: Emmanuel Parrise: Yahoo News (AFP): 10 Sept 2022)

And now, ominously for Putin's own survival, Allison Quinn reports that,

"More and more Russian officials are urging Vladimir Putin to get the hell out of the Kremlin as Moscow suffered another series of humiliating defeats in Ukraine this weekend.

Just one day after several municipal deputies in Putin’s hometown of St. Petersburg called on the State Duma to try the Russian leader for treason, their colleagues in Moscow joined in and demanded he step down because his views are “hopelessly outdated.”" (Yahoo (Daily Beast article): 11 September 2022) (my emphasis)

Allison Quinn goes on to further report that,

"The same Russian propagandists who’d spent the first six months of the war thumping their chests about a supposedly “inevitable victory” suddenly changed their tune. Margarita Simonyan (left), the editor-in-chief of RT who’d repeatedly called for Moscow to mercilessly obliterate Ukraine, suddenly posted a sentimental screed on Twitter calling for unity between the two nations.

Margarita Simonyan : YouTube : 28 APRIL 2022

Even the pro-Kremlin Telegram channels run by Russian military bloggers had a dramatic change of tune as Ukraine claimed new wins Saturday: They began to openly blast military leadership—and Putin personally—for the embarrassing failures. (ibid Allison Quinn)

Even more ominously disturbing for Putin is the report by Russia's TASS that,

"Germany will continue providing Ukraine with military support, including with weapons, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (right) said on Saturday in a televised
interview with RTL and nt-v channels during her visit to Kiev.

"Looking at eastern and southern Ukraine, we see how important the supplies of weapons are," she said.

"In particular, the weapons we supply have now made it possible to retake some cities," Baerbock claimed. "That is why we need to maintain support with [delivering] weapons in the coming few months," she added." (TASS : 10 September 2022) (my emphasis)

And now, as reported by Arthur Parashar (left),

"Vladimir Putin's disgraced invasion of Ukraine could hinge on Russia's inability to gain access to high-tech electrical components due to the sanctions inflicted on them

• Russia is being hit by a severe technology deficit which is inflicted by sanctions 
• Outcome of the war could hinge on Russia's access to high-tech microchips 
• Ukraine sent out international warnings of Russian attempts to get components 
• Russia believed to have 'shopping list' of components needed to fuel war effort  
  

Russian troops are now increasingly reliant on Soviet-era stocks of ammunition, having fired off more firepower than many could have anticipated - including themselves." (Mail Online : 10 September 2022) (my emphasis)

As the sanctions against Putin bites even deeper, and the rank and file of Putin's "siloviki" begin to openly critisize him, as evidenced by :

• Margarita Simonyan, the editor-in-chief of RT who’d repeatedly called for Moscow to mercilessly obliterate Ukraine, suddenly posted a sentimental screed on Twitter calling for unity between the two nations.
• Russian military bloggers beginning to openly blast military leadership—and Putin personally—for embarrassing failures 
• More and more Russian officials urging Vladimir Putin to get the hell out of the Kremlin  AND
  
• several municipal deputies in Putin’s hometown of St. Petersburg called on the State Duma to try the Russian leader for treason,

will Putin's top 'siloviki' be able to control this growing Russian anger with Putin when the people of Russia finally unseat him from power?

                                     Sergei Shoigu          Valery Gerasimo   Nikolai Patrushev        Viktor Zolotov

 

                                  Sergey Naryshkin        Sergei Lavrov    Valentina Matviyenko    Alexander Bortnikov

Or will they, too, be hounded and removed from power by the Russian people.

This is the $64 question that is now beginning to loom large as the collapse of Putin's regime begins to gain momentum.

 

 (to be continued)

Will Putin's 'siloviki' rescue Russia from Putin's dangerous paranoia?

It is rather ironical that, as reported by Susanna Twidale (left),

"Russian flows of gas via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which runs under the Baltic Sea to Germany, remained at zero on Tuesday after Russia scrapped a Saturday deadline to resume flows following maintenance.
...
Nominations for Russian gas flows into Slovakia from Ukraine via the Velke Kapusany border point were about 36.7 million cubic metres (mcm) per day for Tuesday, little changed from the previous day, data from the Ukrainian transmission system operator showed.
...
Russia's Gazprom said on Tuesday that it will ship 42.4 mcm of gas to Europe via Ukraine via the Sudzha entry point, in line with the previous day." (Reuters : 6 September 2022) (my emphasis)

So while Putin's gas flows to the EU via Ukraine, nonetheless we now have, as reported by Paul Kirby (right),  Putin declaring that,

"But Mr Putin said Moscow would react to a cap by halting supplies completely.

"We will not supply gas, oil, coal, heating oil - we will not supply anything," he said, if it went against Russia's interests. (BBC News : 7 September 2022) (my emphasis)

As also reported by Apoorva Kaul (right),

"Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that Moscow will stop the export of oil and gas if price caps are imposed on Russian energy. In his address at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok on 7 September, Putin termed Europe's idea to introduce price caps on Russian energy as "stupid," The Independent reported. He underscored that Russia will not "supply anything at all if it contradicts" the interests of Moscow." (RepublicWorld : 7 September 2022) (my emphasis)

It is rather interesting to note that whilst Putin was delivering his threats against the EU in Vladivostock, approximately 3986 miles to the East of Ukraine, CNN’s Vasco Cotovio (left) reports that,

"The Ukrainian military says it has repelled several Russian offensives across the battlefield, but has remained silent about its own counter-offensives in the northeast around Kharkiv and in the south near Kherson." (CNN : 8 September 2022) (my emphasis)

Sky News : YouTube : 29 August 2022

Not only is Putin seriously worried about the funding of his war with Ukraine, as the EU begins to turn off the taps of Euros flowing into his coffers, Matt Murphy now also informs us that,

"Russia has been forced to buy military hardware from North Korea as sanctions squeeze Moscow's ability to supply its military, the US says.

A US official revealed Moscow is the process of purchasing millions of rockets and artillery shells from Pyongyang for use in Ukraine.

And they said that Russia could be forced to buy additional North Korean weaponry as the war dragged on.

Buying from North Korea is a sign of "severe supply shortages", they added." (BBC News : 7 September 2022) (my emphasis)

CRUX : YouTube : 6 August 2022

And whilst many ordinary Russians may be bemoaning the fact that, as reported by BBC News,

"European Union foreign ministers have agreed to suspend a visa agreement with Moscow, making it harder for Russian citizens to obtain entry to the bloc.
...
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the substantial increase in border crossings from Russia made it necessary to suspend the agreement.

"This has become a security risk for these neighbouring states," he said. "In addition to that, we have seen many Russians travelling for leisure and shopping as if no war was raging in Ukraine." BBC News : 31 August 2022) (my emphasis),

we now learn from Amélie Bottollier-Dopois that,

"The United Nations said Wednesday there are credible accusations that Moscow's forces have removed children from Ukraine to Russia for adoption as part of larger-scale forced relocations and deportations.

"We are concerned that the Russian authorities have adopted a simplified procedure to grant Russian citizenship to children without parental care, and that these children would be eligible for adoption by Russian families," [Ilze Brands Kehris, the assistant UN secretary-general for human rights] said." (Barron's (Agence France-Presse) : 7 September 2022) (my emphasis) (cf also: Briefly South Africa : 7 September 2022)

It has taken three months for the UN to heed Ukraine's President Volodymir Zelensky warning of Putin's forced deportation of thousands of Ukraine's children to Russia. 

NBC News : YouTube: 2 June 2022 : YouTube

This evil theft of Ukrainian children by Putin stems from his near paranoid concern about the rapidly declining population of Russia.

In my very first blog post I wrote about Putin's public thievery of the "Kraft ring".

“You know, I do not remember either Mr. Kraft or the ring," Putin said, as reported by AFP. What thief, in the history of thievery, consciously committed a public act of thievery and afterwards claimed a lapse of memory of even meeting the person from whom he stole? To allegedly prevent a diplomatic scene, Robert Kraft then publicly stated that, yes, he did give the ring to President Putin. But, the plot thickens. Later Putin, rather nonchalantly, offered Mr. Kraft another ring in recompense, also suddenly claiming that the stolen ring was originally given to him by Mr. Kraft. Amazing how Putin emerges from a total lapse of memory to total recall." (blog entry : Tuesday, 10 June 2014) (cf also: John Breech : CBS Sport : 3 February 2017)

Putin is now trying to replenish the Russian population by stealing Ukrainian children.

As James Franey also reports,

"Vladimir Putin has revived a Soviet-era award aimed at halting Russia’s plunging birth rates amid the Ukraine war.

The despot has brought back the honorary title ‘Mother Heroine’, established under Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin and scrapped after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

 ....
Russia’s population has been in near-constant decline for decades, falling to 145.1 million after a decline of around 400,000 people in early 2022. (Mail Online : 17 August 2022) (my emphasis)

Economic Eye : YouTube : 26 April 2022

Putin's military blunders in Ukraine, his decling revenues, his theft of children, and his reliance on receiving bullets and rockets from Kim Jon Un of North Korea, paints a rather graphic picture of his decline into dangerous paranoia.

Will Putin's 'siloviki' rescue Russia from Putin's dangerous paranoia?

 

 (to be continued)

Is Putin's 'siloviki' beginning to abandon him?

Putin  is beginning to buckle under the weight of the IAEA (The UN International Atomic Energy Agency) and the counter-offensive of the Ukrainian army in eastern Donbas.

Having tried to 'fully' weaponise the Zaphorizia Nuclear plant for months, Putin has finally had to succumb to  the fact that the eyes of the world stared him down, and we now learn from Marcus Parekh and Josh White (left) that,
...
"United Nations inspectors in Ukraine were due on Thursday to visit a Russian-occupied nuclear power plant, Europe's largest, where nearby shelling has prompted bitter recriminations and global fears of disaster.
...
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) mission arrived in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia , 55 km (34 miles) away from the plant, on Wednesday and Ukraine's defence ministry said it was scheduled to visit the facility on Thursday.
....
Although Russian officials suggested the team would have only one day to inspect the site, the IAEA was preparing for longer." (The Telegraph : 1 September 2022) (my emphasis)

And as reported by Olga Voitovych, Jo Shelley, Tara John, Olga Konovalova, Rebecca Wright,

"As Ukraine ramps up its offensive to retake Russian-occupied territory in the country's south, its forces have regained four villages and broken through Russian defenses at multiple points of the frontline in the Kherson region, according to Ukrainian officials.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky also issued a warning to Russian forces during his evening address Monday, saying it was time for them to "run away, go home," and that "the occupiers must know we will chase them to the border." (CNN : 30 August 2022) (my emphasis)

DW News : YouTube : 29 August 2022

On the "gas front", Matt Murphy (left) reports that,

• Russia has completely halted gas supplies to Europe via a major pipeline, saying repairs are needed. 
• European leaders fear Russia could extend the outage in an attempt to drive up gas prices, which have already risen sharply in the past year.
• However, today's announcement was not expected to impact prices immediately. The UK's main natural gas price was in fact down by more than 15% on markets, as of 14:00 BST on Wednesday. 
• On Tuesday, French Energy Transition Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher accused Russia of "using gas as a weapon of war".
• 
  Earlier this week, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (right) promised to intervene in energy markets, telling a conference in Slovenia that they are "no longer fit for purpose".
• "We need a new market model for electricity that really functions and brings us back into balance," she said. (BBC News : 1 September 2022) (my emphasis) 
  

WION : 31 August 2022 : YouTube

Putin is now desperately clutching at straws, as evidenced by the fact that not only is he now trying to replenish his war hardware with UAV's from Iran, but he is also beginning to lean heavily towards Kim Jon UN, the North Korean dictator, to supply him Korean troops to replace his dwindling Russian troops, especially in the eastern Donbas.

As reported by Puerto Rico Digital News,

"Russian cargo planes have quietly picked up the first of scores of Iranian-made combat drones for use against Ukraine, U.S. officials said, in a move that underscores deepening ties between Moscow and Tehran while also highlighting Russia’s struggles to supply its overstretched military.
...
Transport planes departed Iran on Aug. 19 hauling at least two types of unmanned aerial vehicles, both capable of carrying munitions for attacks on radars, artillery and other military targets, according to intelligence gathered by U.S. and other spy agencies." (Puerto Digital News : 30 August 2022) (my emphasis) 

And as reported by Charlie Smith (left),

"Vladimir Putin is retreating to the Donbas as Russian losses in Ukraine take their toll, according to a military insider who warned they have "no manpower to continue".
...
The latest fighting comes as the Russian death toll in the six-month war has climbed to around 48,000 personnel, according to Ukraine.
...
Western officials have estimated the number of Russians killed at between 70,000 and 80,000, while the Kremlin has not updated its last count of 1,351 from March." (Express : 1 September 2022) (my emphasis)

Whilst Putin is now clutching at "political" straws in the face of adversity, the silence from his 'siloviki' is positively deafening!

As reported by Millie Cook,

"War expert Harry Kazianis warned the West's economic sanctions on Russia are "going to bite dramatically". He said Putin is facing an "existential situation", warning his "regime is in trouble" if he cannot win the war in the next 60 days. Mr Kazianis, a war strategy expert, explained that Europe's plan to shift its reliance away from Russian oil and gas will have a serious impact on the Russian economy, which is "already in an economic depression". (Express : 1 September 2022) (my emphasis)

Is Putin's 'siloviki' now beginning to slowly abandon him as the Russian economy accelerates faster into depression, and the body-bags of Russian soldiers mount up even faster?

(to be continued)

Putin now has his back to the wall.

It should come as no surprise that, as reported by Aljazeera,

"President Alexander Lukashenko says the Belarusian military’s SU-24 warplanes have been modified to carry nuclear weapons, and that Minsk would react immediately if the West caused it any problems.
...
Lukashenko – the authoritarian leader of ex-Soviet Belarus – said he had agreed on the move to modernise Belarusian warplanes with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Belta news agency reported on Friday." (Aljazeera : 26 August 2022) (my emphasis)

Aljazeera : 26 August 2022

This announcement by Lukashenko comes against the backdrop of,

"International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors are preparing to inspect Ukraine’s nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia as early as next week, possibly as early as Monday, according to the Wall Street Journal, which spoke with people dealing with the organization.
...
The goal is to prevent a possible nuclear catastrophe due to the ongoing fighting in the area occupied by Russian forces." (Ike Walton (left): Wire Service Canada : 27 August 2022) (my emphasis)

Adding to which, Rebecca Perring (right) reports that,

"[Putin] has turned to volunteers, mercenaries and prisoners, as he desperately scrambles to turn the tide in his raging war in neighbouring Ukraine as the battle enters its seventh month.
...
The increase includes a 137,000 boost in the number of combat personnel to 1.15 million and will come into effect on January 1.
...
Analysts said Putin was “mobilising by stealth” and warned he was preparing for the “long war”.
...
The move gives additional credence to Western estimates of heavy Russian losses during the war." (Express : 26 August 2022) (my emphasis)

And on the "gas" front, Matt McGrath (left) reports that,

"As Europe's energy costs skyrocket, Russia is burning off large amounts of natural gas, according to analysis shared with BBC News.
...
They say the plant, near the border with Finland, is

burning an estimated $10m (£8.4m) worth of gas every day.
...
Experts say the gas would previously have been exported to Germany.
...
Germany's ambassador to the UK told BBC News that Russia was burning the gas because "they couldn't sell it elsewhere". (BBC News : 26 August 2022) (my emphasis)

The German ambassador to the UK may be bemoaning the fact that Putin's gas destined for Germany is being needlessly being burnt off.

Meanwhile, however, his fellow Social Democrats in Germany are trying to politically resuscitate the Angela Merkel doctrine of appeasing Putin, for which she publicly stated that she has no regrets NOR will she apologise for.

France 24 : YouTube : 8 June 2022

Recall the ill-fated 2014 Minsk I and Minsk II protocols, which she mediated together with François Hollande, the then French president, to appease Putin over his illegal annexation of Ukraine's Crimea and, more importantly, his illegal occupation of the Donbas.

And now, in 2022, and as reported by Léonie Chao-Fong (left),

"A group of lawmakers from Germany’s Social Democratic party (SPD) are calling for peace negotiations with Russia and for a ceasefire to be reached in Ukraine as soon as possible.
...
In a letter entitled “The guns must be silent!” seen by Der Spiegel, the group representing the pacifist left-wing of the SPD urged for a diplomatic offensive to end the war in Ukraine quickly.
...
They called for a new attempt at a “modus vivendi”, in which conflicting parties agree to coexist in peace, arguing that such a relationship “must be found with the Russian government based on the acknowledgment of realities that one does not like, which rules out a further escalation of the war”. (The Guardian : 27 August 2022) (my emphasis)

What realities?????

It would seem that the German Putinversteher mentality is alive and well and still thriving amongst the German political class! 

Meanwhile, as reported by Julian Borger (right),

"Russia has blocked an agreement at the United Nations that was aimed at bolstering the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT) because Moscow objected to a clause about control over the Zaporizhzhia power plant in Ukraine.
...
The closing session was put off for more than four hours over Russian refusal to agree to a lengthy statement of support for the NPT which included a reference to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is occupied by Russian forces close to the frontline in Ukraine’s south-east." (The Guardian : 27 August 2022) (my emphasis)

The "Lukashenko Nuclear Threat (ibid Aljazeera)" is Putin's response to the eyes of the world that are sharply focussed on the Zaphorizia Nuclear facility in Ukraine.

Burning off large amounts of natural gas (ibid Matt McGrath) is Putin's response to the EU beginning to wean themselves off their dependency on Russian gas.

And turning to volunteers, mercenaries and prisoners, is Putin's response to replace the thousands of fallen Russian soldiers in his raging war in neighbouring Ukraine.

Putin now has his back to the wall.

 

(to be continued)

Putin's "nuclear" and "gas" blackmail-military-strategy is all that he has left in his war toolbox.

In my last blog entry (16 August) I wrote that,

"It is now time for Putin's stalwart 'siloviki' to finally act to prevent Putin from unleashing such a nuclear disaster [at the Zaphorizia nuclear plant in Ukraine] that will, inevitably, light the fuse of WW3." (blog entry : 16 August 2022)

Heather Chen: MSN (CNN) : 22 August 2022

It would now seem, as reported by Marco Giannangeli (left), that,

"Senior Russian officers are becoming increasingly concerned about Vladimir Putin's conduct of the Ukrainian war, intelligence sources have revealed.
...
It follows a meeting in Paris last month between MI6 and a senior Russian civil servant, where it was claimed that a coterie of high-ranking Russian Army and Air Force officers were drawing up contingency plans to “impede" Putin's control of military policy.
...
Though it was not clear when they would strike, arrangements have already been made to give the group of officers safe haven in the UK and elsewhere in Europe, sources said. 

Following the deaths of 14 Generals killed on the front lines and a raft of sackings, the Russian premier [Putin] is now personally making operational and tactical decisions “at the level of a colonel or brigadier” ( Express : 21 August 2022) (my emphasis)

Putin's strategy, it would seem, does not only have as its central theme his 'nuclear-blackmail' strategy regarding the Zaphorizia nuclear plant in Ukraine.

As summer begins to give way to autumn,  Putin is upping the stakes to ensure that the population of the EU, in no uncertain terms, suffer the freezing cold of the coming winter in their homes.

As reported by Christoph Steitz and Thomas Escrit
...
"Russia will halt natural gas supplies to Europe for three days at the end of the month via its main pipeline into the region, state energy giant Gazprom (GAZP.MM) said on Friday, piling pressure on the region as it seeks to refuel ahead of winter.

The unscheduled maintenance on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which runs under the Baltic Sea to Germany, deepens an energy standoff between Moscow and Brussels which has already helped send inflation surging in the region and raised the risk of rationing and recession." (Reuters : 19 August 2022) (my emphasis)

They further report that,

"The move will bring further disruption particularly for Germany, which depends largely on deliveries from Moscow to power its industry

The European Union has accused Russia of using energy as a weapon. Moscow has denied the charge and has blamed sanctions for the drop in exports" (ibid Christoph Steitz and Thomas Escrit)

It is therefore no wonder that German Chancellor Scholtz, currently on a three day visit to Canada, 

"....  plan to discuss energy security and the transition to clean energy, "including through secure access to key resources like clean hydrogen and critical minerals," according to the Prime Minister's Office." (Marie Woolf and Mia Rabson : CTV News (taken from: Canadian Press) : 21 August 2022) (my emphasis)

All, however, is not well with this visit.

As further reported by Marie Woolf and Mia Rabson,

"Ukraine has criticized Trudeau and his government for a decision last month to agree to a request from Germany to exempt Siemens Canada from sanctions against Russia so it could return a turbine for use in the Nord Stream 1 pipeline that supplies natural gas to Germany.
..
 Canada’s permit also allows Siemens to import, repair and return five other turbines used in Nord Stream 1, according to their maintenance schedule, and is valid until the end of 2024.
...
In an interview, the Ukrainian ambassador to Canada, Yulia Kovaliv (right), called again for the waiver to be cancelled." (ibid Marie Woolf and Mia Rabson)

                         Ukraine and Germany testify on return of gas turbine to Russia: Global News : YouTube : 4 August 2022 

And as reported by Todd Prince (left),
...
Putin has tried to turn the tables on the EU by reducing gas flows to the bloc at a faster pace, helping drive prices to record highs and sparking fears that Russia might completely halt exports this winter.
...
Even if the war in Ukraine were to end immediately, irreparable damage has been done to the decades-old symbiotic gas relationship between Europe and Russia, he said.

“After building a reputation as a reliable gas supplier for more than 50 years, Russia has thrown it out the window in five months,” Ed Chow [energy analyst at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)] said." (RFERL : 4 August 2022) (my emphasis)

It is therefore no wonder that, "a coterie of high-ranking Russian Army and Air Force officers were drawing up contingency plans to “impede" Putin's control of military policy." (ibid Marco Giannangeli)

The cost of Putin's "nuclear" and "gas" blackmail-military-strategy will be heavily borne by the Russian public, both present and future.

 

(to be continued)

Is Putin now on the brink of lighting the fuse of World War III?

Putin's 'nuclear' standoff at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant has generated world-wide condemnation that he simply cannot ignore.

As reported by Tim Lister (left),

"Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of maximizing the risk of a nuclear disaster at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which was taken over by Russian forces in early March.
...
"If the Soviet authorities tried to hide the Chernobyl disaster and its full consequences, then the Russian authorities are much more cynical and dangerous. They themselves do everything to maximize the risk of a nuclear disaster and lie to the whole world that someone else is allegedly to blame," he said." (CNN : 11 August 2022) (my emphasis)
...
Zelensky accused Russia of turning the nuclear power plant into a "battlefield."" (CNN : 12 August 2022) (my emphasis) 

Inquirer.net : YouTube : August 2022

                               

And as as now reported by Michelle Nichols (right),

"The United Nations has the logistics and security capacity to support a visit by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors to Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, a spokesman said, but a Russia diplomat imposed conditions, saying routing any mission through Ukraine's capital was too dangerous." (Reuters : 16 AuguThomas Manchst 2022) (my emphasis) (cf also: The South African : 15 August 2022)

Putin continues to find spurious arguments for NOT allowing the UN's IAEA to visit and inspect the safety of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. 

Why???

Perhaps the answer lies in the fact that, as reported by Marc Santora, Michael Schwirtz and Jack Nicas,

"Despite suffering grievous losses over nearly six months of war, Russia still holds a distinct advantage over Ukraine in a head-to-head fight featuring brutal artillery battles. But Ukraine’s military has achieved some new battlefield success, waging the war on its own terms.
...
Supplied with a growing arsenal of long-range Western weapons and aided by local fighters known as partisans, Ukraine has been able to hit Russian forces deep behind enemy lines, disrupting critical supply lines and, increasingly, striking targets that are key to Moscow’s combat potential." (Japanese Times (from: New York Times): 9 August 2022) (my emphasis)

As also reported by Thomas Manch,

"A further 120 New Zealand soldiers will deploy to the United Kingdom to train Ukrainian soldiers for frontline fighting against Russian troops.
...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the deployment on Monday afternoon, at her weekly press conference." (Stuff : 15 August 2022) (my emphasis)

Further adding to Putin's headaches, we now learn from John Varga (left) that,

"Putin's invasion of Ukraine has been a political and economic disaster for Russia, with the country now on the verge of becoming a pariah state. .... Moscow's increasing isolation on the world stage and the ruinous consequences of sanctions appear to have concentrated minds within Putin's inner circle.
...
With no end in sight to the war, reports have emerged that key officials close to the Russian president have decided to take matters into their own hands.
...
Ilya Ponomarev (right), an opposition activist and former MP, claimed

the mood among Kremlin elites was now one of panicand that there was a clear desire to negotiate an end to the war.

He said: "The signal of a desire to negotiate was sent by a person in Putin’s inner circle.
...
"I can’t name him. But you wouldn’t believe it. (Express : 14 August 2022) (my emphasis)

Supporting Ponomarev's claim that, "that key officials close to the Russian president have decided to take matters into their own hands", is the arrest of Igor Girkin.

As reported by Catherine Meyer-Funnell (left),

"Vladimir Putin is facing another global humiliation as Moscow have detained their own spy chief [Igor Girkin, also known as Igor Strelkov] as he was heading to the front line to fight, reports claim. (Express : 15 August 2022) (my emphasis)

Perhaps the offer of Kim Jung Un of North Korea to send 100,000 North Korean soldiers to help him in his failing war with Ukraine really underscores Putin's growing anxiety of the fractures ocurring within his 'siloviki'.

As reported by A.B. Abrams,

"Reports from a range of Russian sources and from the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics in eastern Ukraine have indicated that North Korea may deploy its armed forces for operations in the Ukrainian theater.

Reports of plans to dispatch military personnel to Donetsk and Luhansk.... emerged from the media outlets of the republics, before being more widely publicized on the Channel One Russia state TV channel.

Although yet to be confirmed, the possibility of North Korean forces being deployed in some capacity to Ukraine  ......  remains significant based on prior trends in Pyongyang’s overseas force deployments and the benefits it, the contested republics, and Moscow itself could gain." (The Diplomat : 10 August 2022) (my emphasis) (cf also: Brady Knox : Washington Examiner : 15 August 2022)

                                                              CRUX : YouTube : 6 August 2022

As Putin turns the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant into a battlefield, North Korean troops joining those of Putin's demoralised soldiers in his war with Ukraine will be the spark that ignites a wider conflict in Europe and in the Far East.

Is Putin now on the brink of lighting the fuse of World War III?

STOP PRESS

19 August 13.48 UK time

BBC News reports that,

"Russia has rejected appeals for a complete demilitarisation of the area around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southern Ukraine.
...
The calls come amid growing concern over safety at the site - Europe's largest nuclear plant - as both sides accuse each other of shelling the area.
...
UN Secretary General António Guterres sounded the alarm after meeting Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Lviv on Thursday.
...
"Any potential damage to Zaporizhzhia is suicide," Mr Guterres warned.
...
The Ukrainian president urged the UN to ensure demilitarisation of the nuclear plant - Europe's biggest. Mr Guterres added that "the facility must not be used as part of any military operation". (BBC News : 19 August 2022) (my emphasis)

Putin is now holding a 'nuclear gun' over the heads of EU countries that will be severely affected should his actions over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southern Ukraine cause a nuclear disaster.

As reported by Ellie Cook (left),

"Vladimir Putin has issued a veiled threat towards three European nations over the fate of the continent's biggest nuclear power plant.
...
As fears escalate of a nuclear disaster, the Russian defence ministry suggested that any such fallout would significantly impact three EU nations.
...
It pinpointed Germany, Poland and Slovakia as the countries most likely to be impacted by radioactive substances. (Express : 18 August 2022) (my emphasis)

Matthew Dooley (right) further reports that,

"The head of Russia's radiological protection forces Lt Gen Igor Kirllov presented a slide today which showed that in the event of a nuclear disaster, Germany, Poland and Slovakia would be heavily affected by the radiological fallout.
...
However, Olga Kosharna, an expert in nuclear energy and nuclear safety who previously worked at the State Nuclear Regulatory Authority of Ukraine, told Express.co.uk the radiation could reach several other surrounding countries depending on which way the wind is blowing during a "severe" accident.
...
She said: "In this scenario, [south blowing winds], the radioactive plume, [could] travel to Bulgaria, Romania, and the black sea region - in 23 hours it will reach Turkey." (Express : 18 August 2022) (my emphasis)

It is now time for Putin's stalwart 'siloviki' to finally act to prevent Putin from unleashing such a nuclear disaster that will, inevitably, light the fuse of WW3. 

   

(to be continued)