Tag: #kremlin

Putin Digs Yet Another Hole to Nowhere

September 24, 2026

Vladimir Putin continues to prosecute his war with Ukraine in the vain hope of emerging the victor in a conflict that has inadvertently revealed Russia’s weaknesses and vulnerabilities to the world. As Russia loses its hold on Crimea; experiences considerable loss of infantry, armament and territory; watches both its fossil fuel export industry disappear and major commercial enterprises collapse; and witnesses its financial institutions now following suit, Putin chooses to turn his attention toward escalating a hybrid war upon Europe as if to distract from his failure in Ukraine. Russia’s actions in the latter case have become so overt that denial only invites ridicule. Presumably the purpose of the approach centers upon weakening the resolve of nations supporting Ukraine although it may also ostensibly feed into the Russian public’s desire to strike out against the West which Putin has demonized as the agent of their discontent. … More Putin Digs Yet Another Hole to Nowhere

Russia’s World of Lies, Repression and its Breaking Point

May 3, 2026

Russian leadership has had a long history of lying to its people over the past century, more so than most other regimes. Its deceit has manifested in a variety of ways, the most egregious of which in recent times has been Vladimir Putin’s euphemistic “special military operation” (SMO). In actuality, it was a full-scale invasion of the second-largest nation by territory in Europe with the intent of overthrowing its government and installing a pro-Russian regime thereby returning it to the status of a dependent republic. An estimated 190,000 troops were gathered over the course of four months on Ukraine’s border on the pretense of a military drill similar to what was enacted less than a year previously. In January 2022, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov proclaimed Russia did not want war with Ukraine and yet without any trigger in the interim, it happened. … More Russia’s World of Lies, Repression and its Breaking Point

Vladimir Putin and the Hill He is Drawn to Die Upon

March 4, 2026

Is Vladimir Putin capable of coming to terms with the mounting concerns over the state-of-affairs in Russia brought about by his war in Ukraine? His predilection for conflict has dominated policy throughout most of his 25 years in leadership beginning with his war in Chechnya (1999 – 2009), and followed by incursion into Georgia (2008), the Donbas War (2014 – 2022), the Syrian Civil War (2015 – 2024), to the invasion of Ukraine (2022 – present). The strategy has maintained Putin’s version of the historic Russian “strong-man” ethos at the helm of Russia’s destiny, one in which the nation’s security comes at the expense of individual freedom. In the process, Putin has ensured for himself the power once possessed by his tsarist ancestors but now with the added benefit of a much more sophisticated internal security apparatus. The problem confronting him in this present moment is the wall he has run into both militarily and economically. The question confronting Russians now must revolve around whether Putin is mentally capable of overcoming his own shortcomings to save the country from ruin. … More Vladimir Putin and the Hill He is Drawn to Die Upon