Like Russia, Putin is now also running on 'fumes'.

Putin, manically pouring missiles and drones over the cities of Ukraine to try and intimidate the people of Ukraine into submission, is his deperate attempt to conceal that the four  walls of his bunker are relenlessly closing in upon him. 

As reported by Hanna Arhirova (left),

"Russia launched a large-scale missile and drone attack targeting regions across Ukraine early Saturday, killing at least three people and wounding dozens more, Ukrainian officials said.
… 
“Each such strike is not a military necessity but a deliberate strategy by Russia to intimidate civilians and destroy our infrastructure,” Zelenskyy said in a statement on his official Telegram account." (AP: 20 September 2025) (my emphasis)

This manic and desperate bombing of the civilians of Ukraine by Putin comes against the backdrop of Ukraine's calculated and deliberate continuous destruction of Putin's oil refineries and Russia's infrastucture.

As reported by Dmytro Basmat (left),

"Ukraine's General Staff said that it had struck two oil refineries overnight on Sept. 20 in Russia's Saratov and Samara oblasts, confirming earlier reports on social media from Russian residents.

The General Staff also added in its announcement that it had damaged the main transport infrastructure facility in Samara. It said that explosions and fires had been recorded, while the final results of these strikes are still being determined.

"All affected facilities are involved in supplying the Russian Armed Forces," the General Staff wrote." (Kyiv Independent on Yahoo News: 20 September 2025) (my emphasis)

 

MV TV News: 20 September 2025: YouTube

 

The Sun: 22 September 2025: YouTube

Furthermore, an economic bombshell has just landed upon Putin's head.

The Independent has just reported that,

"Rachel Reeves (left), the UK Chancellor, will announce plans to explore using frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine's war effort.

This initiative follows Russia's recent incursion into Estonian airspace, where three MiG-31 fighter jets remained without permission for 12 minutes, causing global outrage." (The Independent on MSN: 21 September 2025) (my emphasis)

Furthermore,

"The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, has previously suggested a loan to Ukraine backed by "cash balances" from frozen Russian assets, aiming to avoid outright confiscation."  (ibid The Independent)

In his financial desperation, Putin is now resorting to raise taxes to fund his war with Ukraine.

As reported by John Varga (right),

"Vladimir Putin plans to slap higher taxes on rich Russians as he desperately searches for more money to fund his war in Ukraine. The Kremlin boss said the government was considering increasing levies on dividends or raising tax rates on luxury goods - both of which measures would hit wealthy citizens." (Express: 20 September 2025) (my emphasis)

Konstantin Samoilov (left) sums up the current state of Putin's economy as "Russia Running on Fumes".

As he explains,

"Russia is on the borrowed time.....
...
Many millions of Russian men ... the best and the brightest have left the country. 
...
I am sure that the victory of Ukraine will not come from the front lines but rather from inside Russia where Moscow's elites will tear each other and the country apart..... Because Russian elites are addicted to money" (Inside Russia: 19 September 2025: YouTube)

In the video below he goes on to explain exactly why Putin is fast running out of money to support his war against Ukraine, which also explains why he now has to slap higher taxes on rich Russians, as reported by John Varga.

 

Inside Russia: 19 September 2025: YouTube 

Is it  any wonder that Putin now needs his war in Ukraine for his own survival?

As MI6 chief Sir Richard Moore (left) explains,

"There is "absolutely no evidence" Russia's president wants to negotiate peace in Ukraine, the head of Britain's foreign intelligence service has said.
… 
"MI6 chief Sir Richard Moore told a news conference on Friday Vladimir Putin was "stringing us along".

"He seeks to impose his imperial will by all means at his disposal. But he cannot succeed," Sir Moore said.

"Bluntly, Putin has bitten off more than he can chew. He thought he was going to win an easy victory. But he - and many others - underestimated the Ukrainians."
…
"Putin has sought to convince the world that Russian victory is inevitable. But he lies. He lies to the world. He lies to his people. Perhaps he even lies to himself," he said."

Putin is "mortgaging his country's future for his own personal legacy and a distorted version of history", he added, saying the war was "accelerating this decline". (Sky News on MSN: 20 September 2025) (my emphasis)

As Autumn leads to Winter, the looming question is :-

"How, now, will the people of Russia react to the economic deprivations that Putin is now forcing upon them to, in the words of  Sir Richard Moore, "impose his imperial will by all means at his disposal"? 

Like Russia, Putin is now also running on 'fumes'. 

UPDATE: 23 September 2025: GMT 08:02 

John Varga has just reported that,

""Ukraine's army conducted devastating strikes on Russian munition depots, inflicting serious damage. The attacks targeted warehouses storing large quantities of ammunition and over 19,000 drone units in August and September." (Express: 22 September 2025) (my emphasis)

Compounding the throbbing 'headache' overwhelming Putin from these critical strikes by Ukraine's forces, Laura Zilincanova (right) further reports that,

"The number of registered businesses in Russia has slumped to its lowest point since 2010, according to Ukraine's foreign intelligence service (SZRU). It claims Russia has lost approximately 486,000 business since 2022, leaving the country with 3.17 million business enterprises operating across the country, as of September 1, 2025.
… 
… In July, GDP grew just by 0.4% on the previous year and growth in corporate profits has weakened, while real wages have also decelerated, The Economist has reported. Trade sanctions have also limited access to markets for businesses, leading to dampened economic opportunities." (Daily Express on MSN: 22 September 2025) (my emphasis)

Furthermore, following Putin's 'drone' invasion of Polish airspace on 9 September 2025 , Daniel Smith-EL & Ethan Evans reported  that,

"Ukraine is reportedly on the brink of striking a significant deal with Poland, which could prove pivotal in its conflict with Vladimir Putin's Russia.
… 
"We will sign an agreement on cooperation between the ministries, as well as on acquiring drone control skills," he stated....  I think that the Poles are very much looking forward to this after such enormous efforts aimed at helping the population." (Wales Online on MSN: 19 September 2025) (my emphasis)

Perhaps most significantly causing Putin to clutch at his 'throbbing headache'; Perkin Amalaraj and James Clark Reynolds (left) report that,

"British jets are ready to 'confront' Russian planes violating NATO airspace, the Foreign Secretary told the UN on Monday as she accused Moscow of risking 'direct armed confrontation'.

Yvette Cooper condemned recent Russian incursions into NATO airspace as she addressed the UN Security Council for the first time as Foreign Secretary." (Daily Mail: 22 September 2025) (my emphasis)

 

DRM: 22 September 2025: YouTube  

And yet again, with nothing else left in his war-toolbox, Putin is again threatening 'nuclear war' by ostensibly offering to,

".... voluntarily maintain the limits on deployed strategic nuclear weapons set in the 2010 New START accord after it expires in February if the U.S. agreed to do the same." (Andrew Osborn, Vladimir Soldatkin and Jonathan Landay : Reuters: 22 September 2025) (my emphasis)  

This totally 'meaninglessness' offer of Putin's is yet another indication of the walls of his bunker relenlessly closing in upon him. 

Putin is now scraping the bottom of the 'political' barrel for his survival 

 

 

 

(to be continued)

Putin is nervously shaking his WW3 'nuclear war' fist during the Zapad 'war games' against NATO

In my previous blog entry I wrote that,  

"The danger is that Putin has now embarked upon 'reckless' behaviour, tantamount to precipitating WW3 and dragging the world down with him. 

No wonder France is quietly preparing its hospitals for the possibility of a wider conflict." (blog entry: 14 September 2025)

And now, as reported by Bryony Gooch (left). 

"The Kremlin issued a sharp warning to Nato when it said the alliance was “fighting against Russia” and was “de facto involved” in the war in Ukraine.

“Nato is providing direct and indirect support to the Kyiv regime,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov (left) told reporters. “It can be said with absolute certainty that Nato is fighting against Russia.”

Yet as Russia sends drones into Poland and Romania and organises drills with Belarus (cf: video below), experts say that Putin is testing Nato’s response through its more aggressive movements past Ukrainian borders." (The Independent on MSN: 17 September 2025) (my emphasis)

 

The Independent on MSN: 17 September 2025

And whilst Putin and Lukashenko of are playing at 'war games' in Belarus, Samya Kullab (left) informs us that,

"Ukraine anticipates a substantial $3.5 billion by next month for a critical fund to procure US weapons, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Wednesday, bolstering its protracted fight against Russia’s full-scale invasion.
… 
Meanwhile, a US-Ukraine fund devised to spur investments in the Ukrainian mineral sector is set to launch with $150 million of seed capital, senior Ukrainian officials said Wednesday. (The Independent on MSN: 18 September 2025) (my emphasis)  

Furthermore, Paola Tamma and Laura Dubois (right) report that, 

"Brussels is preparing ways to use Russia’s frozen assets to back €170bn of “reparation loans” to Ukraine, a move that would transform Kyiv’s finances but risk a major confrontation with Moscow.
… 
Washington has also been pressing its allies to tap Russia’s underlying assets, not just the profits that have been used to underwrite a $50bn loan to Ukraine last year. The G7 should “consider seizing (or otherwise use) the [Russian sovereign assets] principal innovatively to fund Ukraine’s defence”, according to a US note circulated to G7 members and seen by the Financial Times. (Financial Times: 17 September 2025) (my emphasis)

And on the 'hardware' side, Yuliia Dysa, Mike Stone and Jonathan Landay report that,

" Ukraine will receive missiles for Patriot air defence systems and HIMARS rocket launchers in the first batch of weapons being sent under a new funding programme agreed by the U.S. and Ukraine's European allies, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Wednesday.
… 
NATO allies hope to provide $10 billion in arms for Ukraine. The first two batches, worth $500 million each, will "definitely include missiles for Patriot and HIMARS," Zelenskiy said at a joint press conference with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola in Kyiv on Wednesday. (Reuters: 17 September 2025) (my emphasis)

Demented Putin's saturated bombardment of Ukraine's civilians with drones and missiles will soon have to contend with Patriot and HIMARS blowing them out of the sky before they reach their targets. 

The Zapad 'war games' in Belarus of Putin and Lukashenko now take on a more ominous threat from Putin.

Putin simply cannot confront the military 'hardware' of NATO. 

The Zapad 'war games' now taking place in Belarus signifies a more dangerous threat of 'nuclear war' between Putin's Russia and NATO.

As I reported on in my blog entry of the 28 April 2024,

"Underscoring Putin manically determined to bomb the people of Ukraine into submission, John Varga also reports that,

 "Vladimir Putin's closest ally [Belarus president Lukashenko (left)] raised the spectre of an impending nuclear armageddon after revealing his country now possessed "several dozen" Russian nukes.

The shocking news has prompted Nato to scramble to put its nuclear forces on full alert, after Belarus' murderous tyrant warned a major confrontation with the West could end in an atomic "apocalypse". (Express : 27 April 2024) (my emphasis) (blog entry: 28 April 2024) 

Furthermore, let us recall that in my blog entry (18 September 2024) I reported that, 

"And once again Putin, via his Belarus puppet Lukashenko, is threatening 'nuclear war' by invoking the Putin mantra about NATO involvement in his war with Ukraine.

As reported by John Dunne,

"Belarus leader Aleksandr Lukashenko has again warned of nuclear war and has deployed troops along the length of his country’s border with Ukraine. (right: Lukashenko and Putin)

He has regularly suggested that WW3 could be triggered if Ukraine’s western allies becoming even more embroiled in Ukraine’s battle against Russia.
...
"If they send NATO troops [to Ukraine], this will start WW3." (London Evening Standard: 18 August 2024) (my emphasis) (blog entry: 18 September 2024)

And pushing Putin further towards the brink of a 'nuclear' confrontation with NATO,  Konstantin Samoilov (left) reports in the video below that,

"Russia's Central Bank just switched to emergency mode with a key Rate cut. Debt service cost is spiking, fuel shortages are spreading to new regions, and oil revenues and tax intake keeps shrinking. Even officials now admit the economy is in trouble. 

The countdown to Russia's economic armageddon has begun" (Inside Russia: 18 September 2025) (my emphasis)

 

Inside Russia: 18 September 2025: YouTube 

Added to which, as Konstantin Samoilov also reports, 

"Every September Russian state TV usually drowns you in harvest bragging. Record wheat, bumper corn, smiling ministers, perfect charts; Russia is usually the breadbasket, right? Not this September. (video below) ( Inside Russia: 16 September 2025) (my emphasis) 

 

Inside Russia: 16 September 2025 : YouTube  

It is therefore, without a doubt, that Putin is nervously shaking his WW3 'nuclear war' fist during the Zapad 'war games' against NATO. 

 

 

 

(to be continued)

Putin threatens WW3 to hide his 'fears'.

As night follows day, it was to be expected that Trump would 'pretzel' himself to find an excuse NOT TO sanction Putin's Russia.

After all, the tariffs which he imposed upon THE COUNTRIES of the world, Trump conspicuously excluded Putin's Russia. 

Rachel Muller-Heyndyk and Joe Inwood (left) now report that,

"US President Donald Trump has said he is ready to impose tougher sanctions on Russia, but only if Nato countries meet certain conditions which include stopping buying Russian oil.
… 
Trump has repeatedly threatened tougher measures against Moscow, but has so far failed to take any action when the Kremlin ignored his deadlines and threats of sanctions." (BBC News: 13 September 2025) (my emphasis)

Not only is Trump giving Putin the time to continue his evil and insane bombardment of Ukraine's civilian population, he now ALSO requires NATO countries to,

"He described the purchases of Russian oil [by some NATO members notably Serbia, Hungary, and Turkey] as "shocking" and also suggested that Nato place 50 to 100% tariffs on China, claiming it   would weaken its "strong control" over Russia."  

As Caitlin McFall (rught) also reports,

"President Donald Trump on Friday said he was "sort of" running out of patience with Russian President Vladimir Putin "fast" after the Kremlin said negotiations with Ukraine were "on pause."
… 
"But it does take two to tango," Trump said after host Brian Kilmeade pointed out that Ukrainian President Volodymy Zelenskyy has offered to meet with Putin a number of times. "It's amazing when Putin wants to do it, Zelenskyy didn't. When Zelenskyy wanted to do it, Putin didn’t. Now Zelenskyy wants to and Putin is the question mark."
… 
Though despite actions taken by European allies, Trump has not imposed any new sanctions directly on Russia since he re-entered the White House, and is facing mounting criticism for not taking more immediate action against Putin after eight months in office. 
… 
While Washington has put tariffs on U.S. imports from India, there are carve-outs on items like pharmaceuticals and electronics – both of which the U.S. heavily imports from New Delhi. !" (Sky News on MSN: 13 September 2025) (my emphasis)

 

Sky News on MSN: 13 September 2025

Meanwhile, as Jan van der Made reports,

"Russia and Belarus are set to stage a massive military exercise in mid-September and with the war in Ukraine still raging, the move has raised concern across Europe. Germany has issued military warnings, while France is quietly preparing its hospitals for the possibility of a wider conflict." (RFI on Yahoo News: 11 September 2025) (my emphasis)

whilst Taipei News reports that,

"Putin has vowed to continue fighting unless Ukraine cedes more land, while talks have been paused with no immediate results expected, the Kremlin said." (Taipei News: 14 September 2025) (my emphasis)

Taipei News goes on to report that,

"Speaking at a conference in Kyiv, Zelenskiy said the West should not trust Putin.

“Putin’s goal is to occupy all of Ukraine, and no matter what he tells anyone, it is clear that he has set the war machine in motion to such an extent that he simply cannot stop it unless he is forced to fundamentally change his personal goals,” Zelensky said." (ibid Taipei News)

In testing the preparedness of the EU and the UK to confront his war machine, Putin knows that he can simply dismiss Trump's "feeble" and empty threats.

However, Putin's threats "masks" his own fears of the growing pressure against him which continues to build up inside Russia.

True to form, and steeped as he is in the Russian ideology of "maskirovka", military deception; with the Russian economy imploding, and the 'siloviki' and  'Russian Clans' slowly positioning themselves for a post-Putin Russia, Putin's current 'bluster' hides the fear of his own demise.

The danger is that Putin has now embarked upon 'reckless' behaviour, tantamount to precipitating WW3 and dragging the world down with him. 

No wonder France is quietly preparing its hospitals for the possibility of a wider conflict.

 

 

 

(to be continued)

There are clouds above Putin's head, and they're thickening.

In my last blog entry I wrote that,

"Putin is nearing a state of 'total' madness and will, now, do almost anything to stave off his imminent demise as pressure against him continues to build up inside Russia." (blog entry:  5 September 2025)

And on the 9th September, Konstantin Samoilov (left) revealed that inside Russia,

"An earthquake has just hit the Kremlin and two heads rolled. The prosecutor-general is out, only to be made the head of the Supreme Court. And the KGB era; a top-tier general has just got axed. And don't buy ... this is just a routine shuffle ... no..no..no.. This is no housekeeping. That's the opening move in the full political reset. 

Who ordered it ... Who benefits ... and what's next. ...

There are clouds above Putin's head, and they're thickening" (Inside Russia: 9 September 2025) (my emphasis) 

 

Inside Russia: 9 September 2025 : (Complete video:YouTube)

Then on the 10th September, Adam Easton (left) informed us that,

"At least three Russian drones were shot down by Polish and other Nato aircraft in Poland's airspace during overnight attacks on Ukraine, the Polish prime minister has said.

Donald Tusk said Poland had recorded 19 drone incursions, with some flying deep enough to temporarily close four airports, including Warsaw's main hub Chopin." (BBC News: 10 September 2025) (my emphasis) 

 

BBC News: 10 September 2025

Adam Easton went on to report that,

"Ukrainian Defence Minister Denys Shmyhal (left) told BBC Radio 4's World Tonight: 
"This is a moment when Nato allies, European civilisations, realise that the world is changed and that Russian aggression on Ukrainian territory is not just between Russia and Ukraine. This is part of global Russian strategy." (ibid Adam Easton)

 

Times of India: 10 September 2025: YouTube 

Immediately subsequent to Putin's 19 drones entering Polish airspace, causing the shutdown of Polish airports, and being shot down by the Polish Air Force, the world began to realize that the invocation of Article 4 of  NATO by Poland is just ONE STEP away from invoking Article 5 viz.

"... that an armed attack against one or more of [NATO members] in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all.",

This dangerous escalation towards WW3 by Putin's attack against Poland was a serious wake-up-call for many.

As Charlie Devereux (left) reports,

"Several European officials described the incursion as intentional and a sign of Russian escalation. Tusk said it was "the closest we have been to open conflict since World War Two" but that he had "no reason to believe we're on the brink of war". (Reuters: September 10) (my emphasis)

 

Sky News: Wednesday 10 September 2025 

And Trump's reaction?

A tweet on his platform "Truth Social"! 

As Callum Sutherland (right) reports, 

"President Donald Trump has reacted to Poland saying it shot down Russian drones that “posed a direct threat” over its airspace. “What’s with Russia violating Poland’s airspace with drones? Here we go!” Trump remarked via Truth Social late Wednesday morning. (Time: 10 September 2025) (my emphasis) 

In contrast;

"The U.S. Ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, also weighed in on the incident. “We stand by our NATO allies in the face of these airspace violations and will defend every inch of NATO territory,” he vowed." (ibid Callum Sutherland )  

Let it also not be forgotten that, as Christopher Miller (left) reports,

"Ukraine is at risk of shortages of air-defence weapons after a US defence department review of military aid resulted in slower deliveries just as Moscow intensifies air attacks, according to western and Ukrainian officials." (The Irish Times: 9 September 2025) (my emphasis)

 Putin's acolytes in the Kremlin are now scurrying to proclaim that this attack against Poland was not intended as such.

Really?

As Konstantin Samoilov remarked about the growing 'clan' struggles at the Kremlin and beyond,

"There are clouds above Putin's head, and they're thickening" (cf. video: Inside Russia) 

UPDATE: 12 September 2025: GMT 08:51 

Arpan Rai (left) has just reported that,

"Poland has rejected Donald Trump’s speculation that Russian drones breaching Polish airspace might have been "a mistake".

Talking to reporters yesterday, Trump said the incursion could have been unintentional while adding: “I’m not happy about anything to do with the whole situation.”

Poland’s foreign minister shot back at him on X, and wrote: “No, that wasn’t a mistake”.
… 
As European and Nato countries rally to Poland’s defence, the US has vowed that it will help defend Nato territory following the incursion.

The US would defend “every inch of Nato territory”, Washington’s ambassador to Nato Matthew Whitaker said. " (The Independent on MSN: 12 September 2025: GMT: 7:55) (my emphasis)  

As Zelensky himself reports,

"Since 1a.m. our military tracked the movement of Russian drones towards the Polish border.

And this movement was not an accident or a mistake.

It was deliberate" (The Independent on MSN: 12 September 2025: GMT: 7:55)

 

The Independent on MSN: 12 September 2025  

One can only assume that the US controversy about the full release of the Epstein files dominates the mind of Trump.

Unlike Putin's 'kompromat', Trump simply CANNOT 'bargain' to keep  these files from being made public. 

One is somewhat reminded of the Steele Dossier, which Trump and his ardent followers vehemently denied  during Trump's first presidential election in 2016 contained any truths about Trump's 'sexual proclivities'.

The 'feebleness' of Trump's excuse that,

"Russian drones breaching Polish airspace might have been "a mistake",

underscore Trump reaching out at straws to save himself from drowning under the release of the Epstein files.

And ..... who knows .....

Possibly also Trump's 'fear' of Putin's "kompromat" also being released .... 

 

 

 

(to be continued)

Putin is now fighting for his life.

 As the dust begins to settle on the "theatrical production" of Xi Jingping's "lavish parade" of China's so-called "military might" for all the world to see, Narendra Modi (left) was conspicuous by his absence on the podium overlooking this "spectacle" of Xi Jingping.

Rather, we learn from NDTV that,

"India and European Union on Thursday pledged to seal their much-awaited free trade deal by December with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the 27-nation bloc's top leaders Antonio Costa and Ursula von der Leyen pledging to promoting a rules-based global order, amid Washington's disruptive trade policies." (NDTV on MSN: 4 September 2025) (my emphasis) 

 

The Indian Express: 4 September 2025: YouTube

Furthermore, 

"In a joint phone call with Costa and von der Leyen, Modi reiterated India's consistent support for peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict and early restoration of peace and stability. The leaders underlined the role of the India-EU strategic partnership in jointly addressing global issues, fostering stability, and promoting a rules-based order for mutual prosperity, an Indian readout said." (ibid NDTV) 

 

The Economic Times: 5 September 2025: 

Yet, as Olesya Astakhova (left) reports,

" Sberbank CEO German Gref (right), one of Russia's most powerful bankers, warned on Thursday that the [Russian] economy was stagnating and that unless the central bank slashed interest rates then the country would fall into recession." (Reuters: 4 September 2025) (my emphasis),

whilst at the same time Putin continues in his "manic" bombardment of Ukraine's cities, threatening that,

"President Vladimir Putin has rejected proposed Western security guarantees for Ukraine, warning that any foreign troops deployed in the neighbouring country would be a “legitimate target” for Russia’s military.
... 
“We would recognise it as a threat to ourselves – the presence of international forces, or any foreign forces, or NATO forces on Ukrainian soil, near our border,” he told reporters." (Aljazeera: 5 September 2025) (my emphasis) 

This "empty" threat of Putin comes against the backdrop of a nationwide fuel crisis in Russia resulting from Ukraine's successful strategy of destroying Putin's oil infrastructure.

As  Gabriel Gavin, Veronika Melkozerova, Victor Jack and Seb Starcevic report,

"A creeping barrage of Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil infrastructure has knocked out a major share of the country’s crude refining capacity in recent weeks, triggering domestic shortages and leaving the Kremlin’s most important strategic industry teetering on the brink." (Politico: 2 September 2025) (my emphasis) 

 

Kanal 13: 1 September 2025: YouTube 

However, it is not only fuel shortages that now bedevil the Russian people,

The Russian economy continues to implode, adversely affecting the Russian people and causing an instability which, in the words of German Gref, "... the country would fall into recession".

 

GlobalEcon: 27 August 2025: YouTube 

Yet, unlike Canute, " ... who set his throne by the sea shore and commanded the incoming tide to halt and not to wet his feet and robes .... to let men know how empty and worthless is the power of kings" (Wikipdia);

in his demented mind Putin really believes that he can stop the tide of Russian's economic downfall, and his losing war in Ukraine, which is about to come crashing down on his head.

 And one of Putin's attempts at halting Russia's economic downfall is, in the words of Konstantin Samoilov (left),

"At midnight, September 1st 2025, Russia didn't sleep, it changed. A stack of new laws, rules, orders, regulations, fines, and technical amendments became the country's new operating system. Russian state no longer needs to prove you're dangerous. You must constantly prove you're harmless" (Inside Russia: 2 September 2025: YouTube)

 

Inside Russia: 2 September 2025: YouTube

And as Putin's world crumbles about him and he, rather feebly, tries to put on a brave face by standing alongside Xi Jinping during the "theatrical production" of China's military parade, his threat that, "any foreign troops deployed in the neighbouring country [i.e. Ukraine] would be a “legitimate target” for Russia’s military, rings even more hollow.

Putin is now fighting for his life.

UPDATE: 7 September 2025: GMT: 11:07 

BBC News reports that,

"European leaders have rallied around Ukraine following Russia's strike on Kyiv's main government building.

"Solidarity with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people," writes French President Emmanuel Macron as he condemns Russia's drone and missile attacks on Ukraine overnight. Macron accuses Russia of "locking itself ever deeper into the logic of war and terror." (BBC News: 7 September 2025) (my emphasis)

 

BBC News: 7 September 2025

Amongst other international leaders of State condemning Putin, Latvia's President Edgars Rinkēvičs (left) stated that,

"The message is clear - Kremlin wants war, not peace," Rinkēvičs says, adding that the response "must be more weapons to Ukraine, more pressure on Russia." (ibid BBC News)

As Anastasia Stognei and Courtney Weaver report,

"In China this week, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin was on a victory lap: returning to the embrace of India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, establishing a “no limits” partnership with China’s leader Xi Jinping, and signing a long-awaited Moscow-Beijing gas pipeline deal.

Back home, however, Russia’s wartime economy is flashing warning signs." ....

 While Putin insists the country is undergoing a “soft landing”, German Gref, chief executive of Sberbank, the country’s biggest state lender, has said the country is in “technical stagnation”. (Financial Times: 7 September 2025) (my emphasis) 

In his accelerating frantic and demented state of mind, as the Russian economy hovers on the verge of total collapse, Putin's indiscriminate bombardment of civilian targets in Ukraine indicates just how panicked he must be as the long knives of members of his 'siloviki' are been sharpened.    

Already there are growing rumblings amongst his staunchest supporters in Russia that he has sold-out Russia to China.

Putin is nearing a state of 'total' madness and will, now, do almost anything to stave off his imminent demise as pressure against him continues to build up in Russia.

 

 

 

(to be continued)