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Paul Craig Roberts
Institute for Political Economy
Putin Has Failed As A War Leader
Putin Has Failed As A War Leader
The German magazine Bild says Putin is all bluff, no action, and has revealed the Weakness of Russia. In other words, Putin’s blunder in not using sufficient force to bring the Ukraine conflict to a quick end has convinced the West that Russia can be defeated. This is very dangerous as it reinforces the neoconservatives’ confidence that they can achieve their goal of Washington’s hegemony. The provocations of Russia will continue to worsen and, as a result of Xi’s emphasis on a peaceful solution, seen as another sign of weakness, the provocations of China will increase. Where is the intelligence when Putin and Xi emphasize their willingness to be deceived again with another Minsk Agreement. Putin’s inability to act has put the world on the path to nuclear war. Here is the German article from two days ago:
Putin simply accepts attacks on Russian soil: Putin’s red lines are meaningless.
Why doesn’t the dictator react?
Putin – the loudly threatening autocratic ruler of Russia – has revealed the weaknesses of his country
By: Julian Skirt
05.04.2023 – 17:45
He threatened the West, terrifying millions – but nothing happened.
For almost 14 months, Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine is already underway. 14 months in which Kremlin dictator Vladimir Putin (70) repeatedly formulated “red lines.”
The concern of Chancellor Olaf Scholz (64, SPD) and other Western heads of state and government: Putin’s “measures” could mean the general mobilization of the Russian army, the use of all conventional Russian weapons in Ukraine or the extension of the war to countries such as Belarus, Georgia or Moldova.
Or even: an attack on a NATO country, the use of nuclear weapons against Ukraine or their supporting countries.
These “red lines” have already been exceeded.
It is now clear that all the Kremlin’s “red lines” disappeared just as quickly as they had been postulated by Putin. Russia has not made a single of its threats come true. And this even though Ukraine is now even bombing towns within Russia!
Even before the war began, Russia warned the West not to send weapons to Ukraine. A warning that allowed Olaf Scholz and other Europeans to be impressed. Only a handful of countries supplied Ukraine light defense weapons, including the United States, the Baltic States, Canada and Poland.
At the end of February 2022, Germany changed its policy. The consequences, except for the already throttled gas supply to Germany: practically none.
Already in May 2022, Ukrainian soldiers used German tank weapons against Russian targets in Ukraine
Photo: BILD
Shortly after the attack, Russia called on Ukraine to capitulate unconditionally. But Kiev refused, instead fought with all his strength. Here, too, Moscow threatened to use its entire military. Four weeks later, they retreated from the north of Ukraine and the suburbs of the Ukrainian capital.
In the summer of 2022, after new Western arms deliveries, new Russian threats followed: this would cross the “red lines” that would force Russia to escalate in Ukraine. But nothing happened and the more the West delivered, the smaller Moscow became.
A German Panzerhaubitze 2000 fights Russian troops in eastern Ukraine
Photo: MARKO DJURICA/REUTERS
Only “western armor and battle tanks” remained taboo. The reason is Russia’s threat to escalate the violence beyond Ukraine in this case. Russian propagandists also loudly discussed the attack on the supply lines within the NATO countries. The “red West-Panzer line” was to last months before it was exceeded by more than a dozen states in January 2023 – without any significant consequences on the part of Russia.
Most important “red line” exceeded
The most important of all red lines, a “attack on Russia,” exceeded Ukraine months ago, exposing another Putin bluff.
In October 2022, it was, most likely, after Kiev, which carried out the attack on the Crimea Bridge. In November, area in the Kherson region was just liberated from Russia, and since autumn there have been explosions almost daily in Russian villages, some of which are further away from the Ukrainian border than Moscow.
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The reason: allegedly Ukrainian drone attacks targeting military facilities, oil and gas facilities, air force bases and other war-related industries. All this was registered in Moscow, condemned, but never answered with the escalation that was present, which Putin’s regime repeatedly threatened.
These empty threats encouraged Ukraine to attack and destroy Russian army units in western Russia in western Russia, filmed by their own drones. Without thinking of Russia’s supposed “red lines.”
Ukrainian artillery meets a Russian self-propelled fat, 400 meters within Russia, in the Belgorod region.
Photo: Source: Armed Forces of Ukraine
The West has now seen through Putin’s bluff. Since March, dozens of Western tanks and armored personnel heads have been arriving in Ukraine every week. It will be 500 by the summer that Kiev is to use to deal one last, decisive blow to Russia’s invasion army.
And even fighter planes – Eastern and Western origin – for Ukraine are no longer completely excluded from more and more states.
The development shows that Russia’s “red lines” run in the sand and are lapsed as soon as they are crossed.
Although Putin’s army theoretically has the potential to escalate massively, including with the help of nuclear weapons. But knowing that this would also destroy its wealth and power, Putin is afraid of further escalations. Even if the transgressions of the “red lines” continue to destroy the Russian war success.
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⚡️🇷🇺🇺🇸📌 Key Statements from the #NATO Ukraine Commission and the #NATO Foreign Ministers’ Meeting from 4-5 April⚡️
🔹 #Finland became the 31st member of #NATO, the fastest accession process in modern history;
🔹 #Finland itself will decide on the deployment of foreign troops on its territory;
🔹 #NATO countries supported #Ukraine with about 150 billion euros, including 65 billion euros in military aid;
🔹 Countries agreed to develop a multi-year initiative to support #Ukraine;
🔹 #NATO noted the need to help #Ukraine make the transition from Soviet-era equipment and doctrines to #NATO standards and improve interoperability with #NATO;
🔹 #NATO will continue to support #Moldova, #Georgia and Bosnia and Herzegovina as they “face pressure from #Russia”;
🔹 The Alliance will continue close cooperation with #Mauritania and #Tunisia;
🔹 The need to counter #Russia’s growing rapprochement with #China was noted;
🔹 Heads of State and Government from #Australia, #Japan, #NewZealand and Republic of #Korea are invited to attend the #NATO Summit in Vilnius in July 2023;
🔹 South Korea has begun supplying more ammunition to #NATO allies, allowing deliveries to #Ukraine to continue;
🔹 #Japan has decided to open a special diplomatic mission to #NATO.
https://t.me/sitreports/6795
Posted by: Down South | Apr 6 2023 6:06 utc | 119
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🇺🇦Zelensky’s adviser Podolyak regrets that during the first months of the war they did not slaughter all the pro-Russian people, but says they can still be killed.
Then hundreds of people disappeared, they were killed under the guise of war without trial and investigation.
Same video on Twitter
Despicable Zelensky adviser Podolyak explains how they killed Russian Ukrainians by walking into their houses; he regrets that during the first months of the war they did not slaughter all the pro-Russian people.
However, he says, they can still be killed.https://t.co/475Yq0rNgy
— Make Peace Now; alternative news (@AlternatNews) April 2, 2023
Posted by: Down South | Apr 6 2023 6:13 utc | 120