Putin is now drinking at the last chance saloon

The critical situation facing Ukraine, brought about by its diminishing supplies of ammunition and air defences, lies firmly at the feet of certain EU members, but particularly Chancellor Scholtz and the German SPD party, together with the fascist German AFD party, refusing to give Ukraine the Taurus missile that would be a game changer against Putin's relentless onslaught against the people of Ukraine.

As Andrew Naughtie & Tamsin Paternoster (left) reported more than a month ago,

"Scholz's government has lately been resisting pressure to share one of its most powerful military assets with the Ukrainians just when they need it most.
...
According to Benjamin Tallis, Senior Fellow at the German Council on Foreign Relations,"Following the Taurus leak, it seems that what Scholz is really afraid of is the weapon's effectiveness. This betrays his position of not wanting Ukraine to win – and it's an approach that lets down all Europeans by making us less safe." (Euronews : 6 March 2024) (my emphasis) 

What further betrays Scholz's position of not wanting Ukraine to win is the recent relocation of 5,000 German troops to Lithuania "amid mounting concerns about a potential attack from Moscow, whose Kaliningrad enclave borders Lithuania, along with its ally Belarus. (Euronews : 29 February 2024) (my emphasis)" (cf also: blog entry 6 March 2024)

Meanwhile, in the United States, the Republican Party, following the dogmatic decree of Donald Trump, continues to withold critical aid to Ukraine that will also serve as a game changer in Ukraine's defence against Putin's current frantic attemp to bomb Ukraine into total submission.

So much so that Putin's glove puppet, Dmitry Medvedev, also warns against the US supplying Ukraine with the necessary ammunition and military equipment that could halt Putin's near demented bombing campaign against the people of Ukraine.

As the Hindustan Times reports,

"Vladimir Putin's ally and ex-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has lambasted Joe Biden. Medvedev warned the U.S. President of an apocalypse after his Ukraine remark. The claim that the conflict with Moscow could be ended with more American weapons is a call for slaughter, the former Russian president said. On April 10, Biden reiterated his call to the U.S. Congress to release $60 billion in aid for Ukraine. Biden said the Ukraine war could end if the house leader allows a vote." (Hindustan Times : 11 April 2024) (my emphasis)

Hindustan Times : 12 April 2024 : YouTube 

 As General Sir Richard Barrons (left) also points out,  

"Ukraine is not yet at that point [of conceding defeat].

But its forces are running critically low on ammunition, troops and air defences. Its much-heralded counter-offensive last year failed to dislodge the Russians from ground they had seized and now Moscow is gearing up for a summer offensive.

So what will that look like and what are its likely strategic objectives?

"The shape of the Russian offensive that's going to come is pretty clear," says Gen Barrons.

"We are seeing Russia batter away at the front line, employing a five-to-one advantage in artillery, ammunition, and a surplus of people reinforced by the use of newish weapons." (Frank Gardner : BBC News : 13 April 2024) (my emphasis)

Emboldened by his current onslaught against the people of Ukraine, Putin now views any international attempt to convene a peace conference to try and end his war with Ukraine with utter contempt.

As reported by the Associated Press (AP),

"Russia’s President Vladimir Putin on Thursday mocked a scheduled round of Ukraine peace talks in Switzerland, warning that Moscow will not accept any enforced plans that ignore its interests." (Associated Press (AP): 12 April 2024) (my emphasis)

The AP goes on to report,

"Russia has dismissed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s peace formula requiring Moscow to pull back its troops, pay compensation to Ukraine and face an international tribunal for its action.

Speaking during Thursday’s meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Moscow, Putin said that Russia is open for negotiations, but will never accept “any schemes that have nothing to do with reality.”" (ibid Associated Press (AP))

(Associated Press (AP): 12 April 2024)

Sam Ormiston also reports that,

"Vladimir Putin has claimed that Russia is open to peace talks, but only if they are held on Moscow's terms.
...
"He also denied that Russia was responsible for attacks on energy infrastructure in Ukraine, despite evidence to the contrary." " (13 April 2024) (my emphasis)

Indeed, Putin's current 'emboldment' is leading him to come perilously close to precipitating a confrontation with NATO.

As reported by Katie Boyden (left),

"NATO jets have been scrambled this morning over Russia’s latest missile and drone attack on Ukraine.

The NATO planes were scrambled to defend Poland’s airspace as Russia used long-range rocket strikes to attack Ukraine in a five-hour bombardment.

Late last month the Polish prime minister warned ‘we are in a pre-war era’ as Vladimir Putin’s missiles struck close to its border." (Metro : 11 April 2024) (my emphasis)

Katie Boyden goes on to further report that,

"[Putin's] latest attack [against Ukraine] comes amid concerns that Putin could be planning for a war with NATO ‘sooner than expected’ – before mocking the military alliance." (ibid Katie Boyden)

 It is this potential showdown between Putin and NATO that is, as Ian Casey and Jonathan Beale report,

"A UK high-power laser weapon could be sent to Ukraine to take down Russian drones, the defence secretary says.
...
The greatest advantage of lasers is cost and, in theory, an "unlimited magazine" of ammunition - as long as there is a reliable source of power. But the big drawback is that they can only fire at targets in the line of sight, unlike most missiles.
...
The MoD says firing the DragonFire system for 10 seconds is the cost equivalent of using a regular heater for an hour, with the operating expense typically less than £10 a shot." (BBC News : 12 April 2024) (my emphasis)

 Putin may be 'emboldened' to threaten NATO, but he is not 'emoldened' enough to actually cross NATO'S Article 5 red line viz. 

"The principle aims to deter potential adversaries from attacking NATO members. Article 5 guarantees that the resources of the whole alliance can be used to protect any single member nation. This is crucial for many of the smaller countries who would be defenseless without their allies." (CNN :  Paul LeBlanc : 7 March 2024) 

Putin's current indiscriminate and heavy bombardment against the people of Ukraine yet again indicates that he is 'Drinking at the last chance saloon'. 

 

Times Radio : 22 March 2024 : YouTube 

 

(to be continued) 

Putin is now dangerously tottering on the edge of the abyss into the unknown.

The ramping up of Putin's brutal onslaught against Ukraine through his continuous bombing of civilian targets in Ukraine has revealed a startling truth about some EU countries sitting on their hands in making good on their promises to supply Zelensky with much needed ammunition and air defence systems.

As reported by David Axe (left),

"Seven weeks after Czech defense policy chief Jan Jires announced his government had identified 800,000—later, a million—artillery shells that Ukraine’s allies could buy for Ukraine, Estonian defense minister Hanno Pevkur said his own government had found another million shells and rockets for Ukraine.
...
With 2.5 million additional shells and rockets through the end of the year, the Ukrainians could match Russia’s own ammo supply, Pevkur claimed. It would be the first time in a year that the Ukrainians could fire as many shells and rockets as the Russians could fire." (Forbes : 7 April 2024) (my emphasis)

David Axe goes on to report that,

"Exactly where Estonia might source the shells and rockets, Pevkur wouldn’t specify. “Mainly from non-European countries,” he said, “but there are also some in Europe." (ibid David Axe)

And as Al Jazeera reported in mid March of this year,

"Ukraine is running out of ammunitionammunition and NATO members are not doing enough to help Kyiv, the alliance’s secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg (right), has said, in unusually blunt comments about the state of the war.

“Unprecedented aid from NATO allies has helped Ukraine survive as an independent nation. But Ukraine needs even more support and they need it now,” Stoltenberg told reporters at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Thursday." (Al Jazeera : 14 March 2024) (my emphasis) 

Adding to the urgency of supplying Ukraine with ammunition and air defence equipment to counter Putin's bombs raining down on the people of Ukraine, Dmitry Medvedev, Putin's glove-puppet, is further making  some EU members 'cower' before Putin as he once again threatens 'nuclear armageddon',

As the Hindustan Times reports,

 "The Russian Security Council's deputy chairman, Dmitry Medvedev, issued a chilling threat to the US-led NATO bloc if they deploy troops in Ukraine. Medvedev said that the deployment of foreign forces in Ukraine would lead to a dangerous escalation. He said all NATO soldiers would be treated as enemies, and "We should take no prisoners! .." (Hindustan Times : 5 April 2024) (my emhasis)

(Hindustan Times : 5 April 2024 ; YouTube)

Underlining the 'fear of Putin', the Hindustan Times reports that,

"The New York Times reported that the U.S. and Germany will oppose the NATO membership of Ukraine during the bloc's summit in Washington in July. It added that the two nations fear that the U.S.-led bloc will be dragged into the 'biggest land war since 1945' with Russia if Ukraine joins NATO." (Hindustan Times : 6 April 2024) (my emphasis)

(Hindustan Times : 6 April 2024 : YouTube)

And as I reported in my blog entry (6 March 2024) about German Chancellor Scholtz's 'fear of Putin' in particular,

"Scholz's government has lately been resisting pressure to share one of its most powerful military assets with the Ukrainians just when they need it most.
...

According to Benjamin Tallis, Senior Fellow at the German Council on Foreign Relations,"Following the Taurus leak, it seems that what Scholz is really afraid of is the weapon's effectiveness. This betrays his position of not wanting Ukraine to win – and it's an approach that lets down all Europeans by making us less safe." (Andrew Naughtie & Tamsin Paternoster Euronews : 6 March 2024) (my emphasis)

This fear  rings rather hollow, and has more to do with Willy Brandt's 'Ostpolitik' of the 1970's that mirrored,

"The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact of 1939 [that] defied ideological differences and established trade and geopolitical agreements between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union." (Wikipedia)

And whilst some of Zelensky's erstwhile 'supporters' in the EU continue to withold funding the purchase of the necessary ammunition and air defence sytems to protect the people of Ukraine from Putin's accelerrated rain of bombs against them, Tommaso Lecca  reports that,

"There will be "significant consequences" for China if its companies "support Russia's war against Ukraine," U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned Saturday.

Yellen's statement following talks in Guangzhou came after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday at NATO headquarters in Brussels that "China continues to provide materials to support Russia's defense industrial base." " (Politico : 6 April 2024) (my emphasis)

Bloomberg Television : 6 April 2024 : YouTube

 

But as David Morgan reports"Infighting among Republicans who control the U.S. House of Representatives, and a threat to oust Speaker Mike Johnson from his leadership role, have put him under pressure, to further delay action on a long-sought aid bill for Ukraine, Israel and other key allies. " (Reuters : 5 April 2024) (my emphasis) As John T Psaropoulos also reports,“If there is no US support, it means that we have no air defence, no Patriot missiles, no jammers for electronic warfare, no 155-millimetre artillery rounds,” he said. “It means we will go back, retreat, step by step, in small steps.”Some $60.1bn in United States military aid the administration of Joe Biden requested last December has been stalled by a small group of lawmakers loyal to former President Donald Trump, who hopes to return to power in the November election. [said Ukraine's President Zelensky]" (Al Jazeera : 4 Aptil 2024) (my emphasis)Putin and his 'inner-inner siloviki' (read Patruschev and Shoigu) know that Ukraine can fully scupper their current inch-by-inch military advancement PROVIDED critical ammunition and arms shipments to Ukraine does not falter.As NATO Chief Jens Stoltenberg urged in mid March of this year, "But Ukraine needs even more support and they need it now" (cf Al Jazeera 14 March 2024)Putin's desperation to bomb the people of Ukraine into total submision is a desperation brought about by his knowing that time is not on his side.Putin is now dangerously tottering on the edge of the abyss into the unknown.UPDATE : 8 March : 03.52 am Ian Aikman reports that,

"A new drone attack on Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia power plant has raised the risk of a "major nuclear accident", the UN's atomic watchdog has warned.
...
Mr Grossi specified there had been "at least three direct hits" against the plant's "main reactor containment structures".

"This cannot happen," he said. "No one can conceivably benefit or get any military or political advantage from attacks against nuclear facilities. This is a no go."" (BBC News : 8 April 2024) (my emphasis)

The ink has hardly dried on this blog entry when Putin's irrational and dangerous behaviour is on full view for the whole world to see.UPDATE 2: 9 April 2024Tom Watling, Arpan Rai, and Barney Davis report that,

"The US warned against Russia’s “dangerous game” after the reactor building at the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in eastern Ukraine was damaged in a “kamikaze” drone attack.
...
 Mr Miller repeated America’s call on Russia to end the occupation of Europe’s largest nuclear facility which is facing heavy crossfiring amid the Russian invasion." (The Independent : 9 April 2024) (my emphasis)

They further report that,

"French foreign minister Stéphane Séjourné has said that it was no longer “in Paris’s interest” to hold discussions with the Russian government as Moscow manipulates the content and coverage of their bilateral talks.

This has now brought the “long tradition of cooperation with Russia in the fight against terrorism” to a grinding halt, the minister said." (ibid Tom Watling, Arpan Rai, and Barney Davis)

 

(to be continued)

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

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

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

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

As Marc Champion (left) explains,

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

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

As Bloomberg UK reports,

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

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

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

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

whilst Associated Press (AP) reports that,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Charlie Bradley (left) further reports that,

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

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

Info Flow : 2 April 2024 : YouTube

 

WION : 29 March 2024 : YouTube

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

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

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

Added to which, and as reported by Cameron Henderson,

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

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

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

 

CRUX : 4 April 2024 : YouTube

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

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

 

(to be continued)

Is fear beginning to consume Putin?

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

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

As reported by Paul Kirby,

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

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

Al Jazeera : 27 March 2024 : YouTube

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

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

As reported by Dominique Vidalon (et al),

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Independent : 18 March 2024 : YouTube

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

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

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

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

According to Simon Tisdall (left),

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

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

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

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

The Independent on Microsoft Start: 28 March 2024

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

 

(to be continued)

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

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

As reported by the News Agency of Nigeria,

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

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

BBC News : 19 March 2024 : Youtube

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

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

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

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

USA Today on Microsoft Start : 22 March 2024

However, as reported by Yuliia Dysa and Marek Strzelecki,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

And, as Kateryna Hodunova (right) reports,

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

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

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

As Charlie Bradley (left) reports,

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

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

Times Radio : 22 March 2024 : YouTube

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

As reported by Jaroslav Lukiv,

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

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

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

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

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

 

(to be continued)