Putin's deceptions, and China's political distancing from his war with Ukraine.

"Oh! What a Tangled web we weave

When first we Practice to deceive"

Putin's web of deceit about his war with Ukraine, and specifically against the Russian people, is beginning to crumble.

It has taken one brave Russian, Marina Ovsyannikova, a producer at the state broadcaster’s Channel One, to broadcast on Russian TV,

"An anti-war protester interrupted a live news bulletin on Russia's state TV Channel One on Monday, holding up a sign behind the studio presenter and shouting slogans denouncing the war in Ukraine.
...
The sign, in English and Russian, read: "NO WAR. Stop the war. Don't believe propaganda. They are lying to you here." Another phrase, which looked like "Russians against war", was partly obscured. (Mark Trevelyan and Conor Humphries : Reuters: 15 March 2022) (my emphasis) (cf also: BBC 14 March 2022)

This sign on Putin's TV News Broadcast has been seen by millions of Russians and cannot be simply erased from the minds of those who saw it.

Marina Ovsyannikova (left) has since been arrested and, following the passing of a recent law by Putin that "calling a war a 'war' " is now punishable by up to 15 years in prison, Marina now faces 15 years in prison for simply 'telling the truth'! 

 

Earlier, as reported by Bloomberg,

“There was zero progress in talks [held in Turkey between Russia and Ukraine's Foreign Ministers (AlJazeera) on 10 March 2022], so it’s hard for me to understand what kind of progress President Putin is referring to,” Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tells Bloomberg" (Bloomberg : 12 March 2022) (my emphasis)

Also, why is Putin having to recruit "thousands" of mercenary soldiers to supplement the "thousands" of Russian conscripts when that dyed-in-the-wool Soviet Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, made the astonishing claim that,

"Sergei Lavrov (right) has made the extraordinary claim that Russia 'did not attack Ukraine' and dismissed the 'pathetic outcry' over the Mariupol hospital bombing as peace talks broke down in Turkey today.
...
Speaking after the failed talks, Lavrov said: 'We are not planning to attack other countries. We didn't attack Ukraine, either.'
...
Despite his bizarre claim that Russia is not attacking Ukraine, he then admitted the hospital was deliberately targeted, saying it had been taken over by Ukrainian radicals and all the 'mothers and nurses were chased out of there'. (Jack Newman and Jack Wright : Mail Online : 10 March 2022) (my emphasis)

What is horrendously disturbing is that Ukraine's Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kubela (left) revealed that,

"Kuleba said after the meeting in the Turkish resort city of Antalya on March 10, 15 days into the war, that Lavrov did not commit to ensuring a humanitarian corridor in the besieged city of Mariupol." (RFERL : 10 March 2022) (my emphasis)

But as reported by MSNBC,

"Oleksiy Goncharenko, member of the Ukrainian parliament and now also a member of the civilian militia, talks about why he believes Vladimir Putin is targeting civilians in Ukraine on purpose, and the spirit that motivates him and his countrymen to fight back with everything they have." (MSNBC : 15 March 2022) (my emphasis)

Putin is now clutching at political straws. His web of deceit continues to engulf him as evidenced by his call to Emporer Xi of China to replace the armaments that he is losing in his war with Ukraine.

 

As reported by  Mark Trevelyan,

"Russia said on Sunday that it was counting on China to help it withstand the blow to its economy from Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine, but the United States warned Beijing not to provide that lifeline." (Reuters : 13 March 2022) (my emphasis)

But as reported by The Guardian (Reuters),

"Joe Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan (right), who is due to meet China’s top diplomat, Yang Jiechi, in Rome on Monday, warned on Sunday that Beijing will “absolutely” face consequences if it helps Moscow evade sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine.
...
The White House national security council declined to comment, however, on reports that Russia has asked China for military equipment since its invasion of Ukraine on 24 February.
...
The Financial Times, Washington Post and New York Times reported the request on Sunday, citing US officials." (The Guardian : 13 March 2022) (my emphasis) ( video: MSNBC (YouTube) : 15 March 2022)

Emporer Xi of China has been made fully aware of just what sanctions against China would mean as Putin's economy now begins to implode.

 

Is Emporer Xi of China willing to take the risk and help Putin to circumvent the sanctions against the Russian economy, as Putin's atrocities against the people of Ukraine continues to mount?

As Clay Chandler (right) writes,

 "And yet, as Russia's attack on its western neighbor drags into a third bloody week, the bloom is off the Xi-Putin bromance. Behind the rhetorical facade, Chinese officials are reassessing the value of the Russian entente, distancing themselves from Putin and scrambling to reposition China as a neutral observer of the Ukraine conflict." (Fortune : 11 March 2022) (my emphasis)

The political fruit of Putin's deceptions is China's political distancing from his war with Ukraine.

(to be continued)

Will Putin allow Russia to be blown into nuclear oblivion

When Hitler invaded Poland on the 1st September in 1939,

"The United Kingdom declared war on Germany on 3 September 1939, two days after Germany invaded Poland. France also declared war on Germany later the same day." (Wikipedia)

In his radio broadcast to the British people, Neville Chamberlain stated that,

"Up to the very last, it would have been possible to reach a peaceful settlement between Germany and Poland [read: Russia and Ukraine]. But Hitler [read: Putin] would not have it.
...
He [read: Putin] had evidently made up his mind to attack Poland [read: Ukraine] whatever happened.
...
And although he now says he put forward reasonable proposals which were rejected by the Poles, that is not a true statement. The proposals were never shown to the Poles nor to us.  And though they were announced by the German [read: Russian TV] broadcast on Thursday night, Hitler [read: Putin] did not wait to hear comments on them, but ordered his troops to cross the Polish [read: Ukraine] frontier the next morning.

His actions show convincingly that there is no chance of expecting that this man [read: Putin] will ever give up his practice of using force to gain his will. 

He can only be stopped by force, and we and France are today in fulfilment of our obligations, going to the aid of Poland [read: Ukraine] who is so bravely resisting this wicked and unprovoked attack upon her people.
...
But the situation in which no word given by [read: Russia's] Germany's ruler [read: Putin] could be trusted, and no people or country could feel itself safe, had become intolerable. And now that we have resolved to finish it, I know that you will all play your part with calmness and courage" 

 Please listen: Radio Broadcast of Chamberlain in 1939.

Fast forward to 2022 and, rather uneeringly, Chamberlain's speech of 1939 mirrors what now confronts not only the US, the UK, and the EU, but also the rest of the world.

So why is the world simply looking in horror at the daily atrocities commited by Putin on the Ukrainian people?

Chris Hayes : MSNBC : 10 March 2022

Fear ... fear that Putin will unleash a 'nuclear' war that will lead to the 1960's MAD ... Mutually Assured Destruction doctrine.

As Chris Hayes explains, the West is fearful of starting a nuclear war with Putin should they help the Ukrainian people by enforcing a "NO FLY ZONE" over Ukraine.

But in the words of Ukraine's President Zelensky,

"We are speaking about closing the sky .. You can't decide to close or not to close [the sky].. You can't decide .. If you united against the Nazism and this terror you have to close .. Not me .. Don't wait me asking you several times .... a million times .. Close the sky ... No .. You have to phone us .. to our people .. who lost their children and say "Sorry .. We didn't do it yesterday" (MSNBC : 11 March 2022) (my emphasis)

 

The fear of the West is also the fear of Putin.

Will Putin set off Mutually Assured nuclear Destruction if the West decares a "NO FLY ZONE" over Ukraine?

Will Putin allow Russia to be blown into nuclear oblivion, feeling content that the US and Europe will also, likewise, be blown into nuclear oblivion?

Will Putin's "siloviki" allow him to totally destroy Russia if a NO FLY ZONE over Ukraine is declared?

                       (left to right : Sergei Shoigu, Valery Gerasimo, Nikolai Patrushev, Viktor Zolotov)

                     (left to right: Sergey Naryshkin, Sergei Lavrov, Valentina Matviyenko, Alexander Bortnikov)

Are they prepared to risk their lives, and the lives of their families, for Putin?

In the words of Zelensky,

"You [the US, EU, and the UK] have to phone us .. to our people .. who lost their children and say "Sorry .. We didn't do it yesterday" 

(to be continued)

Putin is now 'dangerously' angry ...

 AlJazerra reports that,

"Russian forces are facing setbacks in their invasion of Ukraine, US intelligence officials have said, stressing that President Vladimir Putin’s plan to install a puppet government in Kyiv is unlikely to succeed amid fierce Ukrainian resistance.
...
During a congressional hearing on Tuesday, the heads of United States intelligence agencies told lawmakers that despite the issues with the invasion, Putin is likely to escalate the conflict in the coming weeks." (AlJazeera : 8 March 2022) (my emphasis)

This assesment comes on top of US President Biden's announcement that the US if placing a FULL embargo on Putin's oil exports to the US.

As reported by the BBC News,

"The US and UK are banning Russian oil and the EU is ending its reliance on Russian gas, stepping up the economic response to the invasion of Ukraine.
...
US President Joe Biden said the move targeted "the main artery of Russia's economy".
...
Energy exports are a vital source of revenue for Russia but the move is also likely to impact Western consumers." (BBC News : 9 March 2022) (my emphasis)

Even more significantly, as reported by Matt McGrath (left),

"As countries scramble to reduce their reliance on Russia's oil and gas in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine, few places are as exposed as the European Union.
...
But moving with a speed few thought possible, the EU has now laid out a strategy that could cut reliance on this fuel source by two thirds within a year.

...
The REPowerEU plan aims to make Europe independent of Russian fossil fuels by 2030, but the initial efforts focus solely on gas.
...
"It's hard, bloody hard," said EU Commission vice president Frans Timmermans.
...
"But it's possible if we're willing to go further and faster than we've done before."
.,.
The plan envisages ending reliance on all Russian fossil fuels "well before" 2030." (BBC News : 8 March 2022) (my emphasis)

Putin is now angry .... very angry .... 

As William Burns, former director of the CIA, reported to the US Senate yesterday (8 March 2022),

"I think Putin is angry and frustrated right now ...  He is likely to double down and try to grind down the Ukrainian military with no regard for civilian casualties. But the challenge that he faces now [ ...] ... He has no sustainable political endgame ..."(MSNBC : March 9 2022) (my emphasis)

The international public is now becoming critically aware of the real international danger posed by an angry Putin.

Putin is now in control of the Chernobyl nuclear site, and of the functioning nuclear plant at  Zaporizhzhia.

As reported by Mehdi Hasan,

"There have been many questions raised about Russia's strategy in this war. But one thing that has become clear is that Moscow is paying particular interest to Ukraine's nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia" (MSNBC : 9 March 2022) (my emphasis)

As also reported by Lawrence O'Donnell,

"Even though he's talking about nuclear weapons in this way, his actions do not indicate any actual change", 

to which Robin Wright, New Yorker columnist, responded,

"The big question, Lawrence, is whether this was an epic bluff [Putin threatening to use nuclear weapons], whether it reflected Russia's weakness rather than its strength. But the challenge for Putin now is he's not doing well in Ukraine, and if he's going to try and seize the country the danger is he's going to try things that are unconventional ... unexpected ... as his invasion was .."  (MSNBC : 9 March 2022) (my emphasis)

Putin is now 'dangerously' angry ...

 STOP PRESS @ 18.43 9 March 2022

Gordon Corera (left) has just reported that,

"Western officials have said they are "very concerned" about the risk of escalation in the war between Russia and Ukraine.
...
They are particularly concerned about the possibility of Russia using non-conventional weapons, they say.
...
This most likely refers to chemical weapons although the term also covers tactical (small-scale) nuclear weapons, biological weapons and dirty bombs.
...
"We've got good reason to be concerned," said one Western official.
...
Officials also pointed to some of the disinformation and claims coming from Russia as potentially "setting the scene" for some kind of "false flag" claim that the Ukrainians had used them - or developed weapons." (BBC News : 18.47  9 March 2020) (my emphasis)

(to be continued)

A politically and militarily cornered Putin, and a "local nuclear" strike

Mike Eckel has released on Twitter a translated letter from an FSB analyst.  

Events now being reported by UK Defence officials seem to support much of what is written in this letter.

As reported by the BBC,

"UK defence officials have said they believe Russian forces made minimal gains over the past 48 hours, with its troops remaining bogged down by stiff Ukrainian resistance and poor logistical support.
...
In a daily intelligence report published by the Ministry of Defence, officials said it is "highly unlikely that Russia has successfully achieved its planned objectives to date".
...
It comes as the Chief of the UK's Defence Staff, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, told the BBC that Russian troops had been failing to operate "in a competent fashion", and this was "impacting on morale".
...
He added that "those that have been leading the fight for Russia have suffered just terrible losses" since the invasion began. (BBC News :7 March 2022) (my emphasis)

The Twitter feed of Mike Eckel contains images of the letter. 

"Mike Eckel
@Mike_Eckel
this is purportedly a letter leaked by an FSB analyst about the Ukraine war, as published by a well-known Russian whistleblower. It is is very detailed, and very dark: among other things, says the war has to be finished by  June because by then, Russia's economy will be nothing"

 IMAGES OF LETTER: Please download and enlarge to read.

 

What also seems to support the veracity of the contents of this letter are the facts that :-

 

(1) As reported by Rachel Russell,

"Air Marshal Philip Osborn, a former chief of defence intelligence and director at Universal Defence and Security Solutions, said: "Putin's in a corner over the conflict in Ukraine. But that brings with it all kinds of risks as his options are not nearly as clear as they were at the start."
...
"He just can't hold that country. I think any nation who thinks it's going to hold a country of 40 million-plus people who just don't want you there regardless of the size is killing themselevs" (Sky News : 6 March 2022) (my emphasis)

(2) As also reported by the BBC,

"US has reportedly given Zelensky secure hotline to Biden
...
According to the Times, personnel from US Cyber Command based in the US and Germany are providing intelligence from satellite imagery and electronic intercepts to the Ukrainian military within "an hour or two" of being collected.
...
The US has also supplied Ukrainian President Zelensky with encrypted communications equipment, enabling him to call Biden on a secure line, reports the Times. On Saturday, Zelensky held a 35-minute phone call with Biden.
...
On Thursday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the US was sharing intelligence with Ukraine "in real time". No further details were given." (BBC News : 7 March 2022) (my emphasis)

And then there is the sudden volte face of Germany.

(3) As reported by MSN (Reuters)  a week ago,

"Germany will supply Ukraine with 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 Stinger surface-to-air missiles from Bundeswehr stocks so it can defend itself against Russia, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Saturday.
...
"The Russian invasion of Ukraine marks a turning point. It is our duty to do our best to support Ukraine in defending itself against Putin's invading army," Scholz said on Twitter." (MSN (Reuters) : February 27 2022) (my emphasis)

(4) Also of high significance, as reported by AlJazeera,

"Turkey warns against passing of warships from its straits
...
Ankara says it is implementing a 1936 pact on naval passage between Mediterranean and Black Sea during war times.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu (left) has said that his country warned the international community about passing of warships through the country’s straits since the war between Russia and Ukraine started. 

Under the 1936 Montreux Convention, Turkey has control over the Dardanelles and Bosphorus straits that connect the Mediterranean and Black Sea, and can limit the passage of warships during wartime or if threatened." (AlJazeera : 1 March 2022) (my emphasis)

(5) But critically, as reported by Ted Kemp, Chloe Taylor, Lauren Feiner,

"President Vladimir Putin was “forced to deny reports” that his government will impose martial law in order to stamp out Russian dissent against the war in Ukraine, according to the U.K. Defence Ministry.
....
Putin made the denial at an event in Moscow on Saturday local time. Rumors of impending martial law have swirled in Russia for days as the Kremlin tries to control opposition to the war in Ukraine.
....
Putin on Friday approved changes to Russian law that impose prison sentences of up to 15 years for “fake” news about the war in Ukraine." (CNBC : 6 March 2022) (my emphasis)

BBC Report:

"More than 4,300 people were detained at anti-war protests across Russia on Sunday, rights groups and Russian authorities say." (BBC News : 6 March 2022)
 

As the letter from the FSB analyst points out :-

A sinking Putin ...  In the words of the FSB analyst, "Is there the possibility of a local nuclear strike? Yes. Not for military puropses (nothing will not give - this is a weapon of defense breakthrough), but in order to intimidate others"

(to be continued)

Putin is now on the tip of pressing the button of nuclear war.

 The World Stands With The People Of Ukraine

Throughout the world people are raising their voices against Putin's second war with Ukraine.

 (top): South Africa, The Netherlands, Malaysia, Turkey, (bottom) Japan, Israel, Finland, Cyprus

 

And as the people of the world raise their voices against Putin's war with Ukraine, BBC News informs us that,

"Russian President Vladimir Putin has described sanctions imposed by Western nations over his invasion of Ukraine as "akin to a declaration of war".
.....
Mr Putin also warned that any attempt to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine would be seen as participation in the armed conflict." (BBC News : 5 March 2022) (my emphasis)

 

Putin is now openly threatening the US, the EU, the UK and, more significantly, throwing down the gauntlet to NATO.

As reported by Gordon,

"Putin, speaking about the ports of Belarus in the Baltic Sea, raises the stakes and hints at the attack of the Baltic countries after Ukraine, Gerashchenko believes
....
On March 4, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced support for the development of Belarus' "port facilities" in the Baltic Sea. He said this while speaking via video link at the flag-raising ceremony of the Marshal Rokossovsky ferry, TASS reports .
.....

According to Putin, he spoke about this with Alexander Lukashenko (left), who calls himself the president of Belarus.
.....
The head of the Kremlin said that his " Belarusian friends are interested in being present in the Baltic, interested in developing their own port facilities." (Gordon UA : 6 March 2022) (my emphasis) (Google Translate))

Putin's threat to invade ANY of the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia, or Lithuania, is propelling Finland and Sweden into the arms of NATO.

 John Simpson now reports that,

"Like other Scandinavian countries, besides Sweden, there has never been much support here to join the Nato military alliance. But when the spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry recently warned Finland and Sweden explicitly that any move towards Nato could have military consequences, people in both countries were deeply shocked.
.....
Since then, Russian warplanes have blatantly intruded into Swedish airspace.""BBC News : 6 March 2022) (my emphasis)

Responding to Putin's threat towards Finland and Sweden, Gerard O'Dwyer (right) reports that,

" Nordic governments are scaling up defense cooperation and preparedness planning against the backdrop of regional tensions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
.....
The Nordic states are looking to accelerate the deepening of joint defense measures that may lead to more serious discussions around the need for a Nordic-styled solution modeled on the North Atlantic Treaty’s Article 5, which considers an attack on one member state to be an attack on all states.
.....
NATO membership is certain to become a hot election topic in both Sweden and Finland based on fresh opinion polls since Feb. 24 that indicate popular majorities, for the first time, to joining NATO as part of enhanced national security strategies." (Defense News : 4 March 2022) (my emphasis)

Mahanology : YouTube : 27 Februarry 2022

On the economic front pressure is also mounting against Putin.

As reported by  John McCrank,

"U.S. payments firms Visa Inc (V.N) and Mastercard Inc on Saturday said they were suspending operations in Russia over the invasion of Ukraine, and that they would work with clients and partners to cease all transactions there.

Within days, all transactions initiated with Visa cards issued in Russia will no longer work outside of the country and any Visa cards issued outside of Russia will no longer work within the country, the company said." (Reuters : 6 March 2022) (my emphasis)

The immediacy of these suspensions will have a profound effect on the ordinary people of Russia who have become so dependent on using Mastercard or Visa.

Putin's criminal war actions are now being brought home on the Russian people.

How the Russian people will respond to this economic hammer blow on their use of Visa or Mastercard now remains to be seen.

Putin has thrust Russia into becoming a global pariah state.

Finland and Sweden are on the tip of joining NATO.

And Putin is now on the tip of pressing the button of nuclear war.

(to be continued)

Putin is now using his first nuclear option

Putin has fired his first NUCLEAR salvo in his second war in Ukraine! (AlJazeera : YouTube : 3 March 2022)

 As reported by the BBC,

• "A fire broke out at the nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant - Europe's largest - after a Russian shelling attack. Ukraine responders have managed to extinguish the blaze

• Ukraine’s State Emergency Services said there were no victims from the fire, which didn’t affect the reactor sites but a nearby five-storey training site

• Russia’s attack sparked immediate condemnation from Western leaders who called it a “horrific” and “reckless” act that threatened the safety of all of Europe

Ukraine President Zelensky had hours ago called on other nations to take more action immediately againsty Putin's “nuclear terror”  (BBC News : 4 March 2022) (my emphasis)

In the words of Lawrence O'Donnell,

"Tonight the nuclear nightmares of the Cold War returned to the world, thanks entirely to Vladimir Putin" (MSNBC : 4 March 2022) (my emphasis) 

And breaking news now, the BBC reports that,

"6:58
Breaking

Ukraine says Russian forces seized Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant

Russian troops have seized the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the Ukrainian authorities say.
...
"Operational personnel are monitoring the condition of power units," a local authority said on social media, quoted by Reuters news agency.
...
Station personnel continue to work and monitor the state of the power units, it said.
A fire broke out at the plant earlier - Europe's largest - after a Russian shelling attack." (BBC News: 4 March 2022) (my emphasis)

More disconcerting, as reported by Jessie Yeung, Adam Renton, Jack Guy, Laura Smith-Spark, Adrienne Vogt, Melissa Macaya and Maureen Chowdhury,

"Russian President Vladimir Putin told his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron that he will continue military operations in Ukraine during a 90-minute call initiated by Putin, an Élysée Palace source told reporters at a briefing on Thursday.
...

The Élysée source said "the worst is yet to come" in Ukraine following Macron’s phone call with Putin.
...
 "Without making a prediction, we should expect the worst is yet to come." The (French) president said so yesterday as well. 

There is nothing in what Putin said today that should reassure us," the source said. (CNN : 4 March 2022) (my emphasis)

As also reported by David Averre,

"Russia's foreign minister [ that dyed-in-the-wool Soviet Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov] warns: 'A third world war will be NUCLEAR and destructive'

• Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that WWIII will be fought with nukes

• He warned that a third World War 'will be a nuclear and destructive one'

• Lavrov also accused Kyiv of delaying peace talks at the behest of the US and said the invasion aims to prevent Ukraine from obtaining nuclear weapons of its own

• It comes as Russian losses in Ukraine mount in the face of fierce resistance
  

• He warned any nation who intervenes in the operation will face 'consequences greater than any you have faced in history' (Mail Online : 2 March 2022) (my emphasis)

Putin is losing the ground war. (video : MSNBC : 3 March 2022)

And because he is loosing the ground war, Putin is now using his nuclear option as he has always threatened.

In the words of Prof Claire Corkhill (left),

" "For the first time this morning, I'm frightened," Sheffield University nuclear materials expert Prof Claire Corkhill tells me.
...
It appears that only one of six reactors at the plant is now operating.
...
Corkhill says the reactors are being taken "offline" which means "they’re shutting down the nuclear reaction and putting them into a safe and stable state".
...
She adds this might have been Russia's intention.
...
“If you want to target their power supply, you attack a building close to the power plant and force operators to shut it down," she says.
...
Corkhill adds that a "worst-case scenario" would be that the plant’s electricity supply were damaged as "we could be looking at a scenario similar to what happened at Fukushima in 2011, where a loss of power led to a loss of cooling, which caused a meltdown of three of its nuclear reactors"." (BBC News : 4 March 2022) (my emphasis)

Just think back to when Khrushchev was deposed by Leonid Brezhnev. It was the Supreme Soviet Presidium that forced Khrushchev to retire. (Wikipedia)

"Beginning in March 1964, Supreme Soviet presidium chairman and nominal head of state Leonid Brezhnev began plotting Khrushchev's removal with his colleagues. While Brezhnev considered having Khrushchev arrested as he returned from a trip to Scandinavia in June, he instead spent time persuading members of the Central Committee to support the ousting of Khrushchev, remembering how crucial the committee's support had been to Khrushchev in defeating the Anti-Party Group plot."

Putin does not have the equivalent of a Supreme Soviet Presidium that can collectively make decisions, and that can remove a President.

Instead, Putin has a Mafia-like kleptocratic "siloviki clique" that he controls.

                       (left to right : Sergei Shoigu, Valery Gerasimo, Nikolai Patrushev, Viktor Zolotov)

                     (left to right: Sergey Naryshkin, Sergei Lavrov, Valentina Matviyenko, Alexander Bortnikov)

The recent public dressing down by Putin of Sergey Naryshkin indicates just what a strong hold Putin has on this 'siloviki' clique of his.

No-one should therefore expect that this "siloviki" clique can unseat Putin and end his dangerous war with Ukraine.

And it is this fact that makes Putin's first 'nuclear' salvo in his war with Ukraine a real danger for the world.

(to be continued)

Ukraine confronts the might of Putin's army

NBC News: YouTube: 28 February 2022 

 

Karoun Demirjian (right) also reports that

  

•  "Russia, careening toward economic crisis under the weight of devastating Western sanctions, has put its nuclear forces on alert as the Kremlin’s siege of Ukraine intensifies....

• The United States and its NATO partners have sent thousands of troops and advanced weaponry to harden defenses in the alliance’s eastern flank while funneling billions of dollars worth of military hardware to Kyiv — moves met by the Kremlin with threats of “consequences.”...
  

• There is no deconfliction line — nor, according to U.S. officials, does Moscow seem interested in one....
  

• The rapid escalation, observers say, has made the once-theoretical risk of direct confrontation between Russia and the West a tangible possibility with little hope of the tension subsiding, maybe for years to come.
  

• “My worry is that there’s a miscalculation, a misunderstanding, an accident, a mistake” that touches off more widespread conflict, said Jim Townsend, who managed Europe and NATO policy at the Pentagon during the Obama administration. (Washington Post (MSN) : 1 March 2022) (my emphasis)

Sanctions are beginning to be felt by the Russian people.

 

As reported by Anastasia Stognei  and Simon Fraser,

 

"Ordinary Russians face seeing their savings wiped out. Their lives are already being disrupted.
...
The sanctions against some Russian banks include cutting them off from Visa and Mastercard, and consequently Apple Pay and Google Pay.
...
Daria, 35, a project manager in Moscow, said this meant he'd been unable to use the metro." (BBC News : 1 March 2022) (my emphasis)

 

As reported by CBS news,

"NATOS's response force was activated for the first time in history to protect NATO allies closer to Russia and Ukraine ..." (CBS News : YouTube : 28 February 2022) (my emphasis)

Events are unfolding so rapidly that it is near impossible to keep up with them.

Putin is discovering that he has bitten off more than he can chew.

Ukrainian soldiers and the Ukrainian people are putting up a STIFF, and UNEXPECTED, RESISTANCE to the military onslaught of Putin's army against the people of Ukraine.

Putin knows that he is fast heading towards his downfall.

He is now at his most dangerous, as evidenced by the fact that,

"As the sixth day of Russia's invasion of Ukraine unfolds here's the latest:

• In Kharkiv - Ukraine's second city - at least 10 people were killed and 20 injured in a huge explosion when a Russian missile hit the regional government's headquarters
• The President of Ukraine calls this an act of "state terrorism" and accuses Russia of war crimes as residential areas are also attacked and civilians, including 16 children killed
• In an address to a special session of the EU parliament, he appeals for membership of the bloc, saying it will be stronger with Ukraine in it" (BBC News : 1 March 2022) (my emphasis)
  

 Перемога Україні : Victory to Ukraine

 

 

(to be continued)