I cannot fathom how complicated the globe has become in the last year.

Even China leader Xi faces real internal party opposition. And Putin is almost 70 years old.

"Putin’s Attack on Ukraine Is a Religious War"

John Schindler

Russian court accidentally delivers guilty verdict on Putin’s Ukraine war (2018 - 2019) - Atlantic Council blog Dec 2021.

The biggest European battles since WWII are currently raging in eastern Ukraine. However, while international attention is firmly focused on the monumental Battle of the Donbas, the ultimate outcome of the Russo-Ukrainian War is likely to be decided hundreds of miles to the south.

When the war first began on February 24, few envisioned such a long or large-scale campaign. On the contrary, the Kremlin anticipated a rapid and comprehensive victory that would bring Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic integration to a shuddering halt and drag the country back into Russia’s orbit.

Instead, Russia decisively lost the Battle for Kyiv and was forced to retreat entirely from northern Ukraine. Putin responded to defeat in the north by regrouping and concentrating his forces in eastern Ukraine, where Russia continues to advance slowly but steadily while paying a high price in both casualties and military equipment.

Beaten in the north and struggling in the east, Russia’s most significant progress of the campaign so far has come in the south. Large swathes of southern Ukraine were captured during the first days of the invasion and remain in Russian hands. This has enabled Moscow to establish a land bridge connecting the occupied Crimean peninsula with the Russian proxy entities created by the Kremlin in eastern Ukraine eight years ago. Ukrainian troops have succeeded in preventing further Russian offensives towards the key southern port city of Odesa, but Kyiv currently lacks the military forces and heavy military equipment to liberate the regions that have fallen under Russian control.

With Russia seeking to consolidate its hold over occupied areas and Ukrainian forces preparing for a coming counter-offensive, the struggle for southern Ukraine is far from over. The outcome of this confrontation will likely determine whether Vladimir Putin is able to achieve his goal of extinguishing Ukrainian statehood and incorporating large parts of the country into a new Russian Empire.

Swift sanctions are essentially dead in the water. Only seven banks, representing a quarter of the Russian banking sector, are subject to the sanctions. What happened is that once this sanctions list went through the mill of talks with member states, only this pared-down lists survives. The EU originally promised to hit 70% of the Russian banking system. One reason for the exclusion of Sberbank is the deposits held by savers in the bank’s EU subsidiaries. It would have triggered massive deposit insurance claims.

Putin “bring into question the future of its statehood” of Ukraine

The 5000 word Russian and China joint statement before the invasion is all one needs to know.

NATO green lights members to send fighter jets to Ukraine

Russian forces have been and continue to bomb schools and hospitals at an alarming rate according to the Kyiv Independent. Enough said.

Chinese Defense Minister said that the United States is .. guilty of escalating the conflict.. in Ukraine

Wei Fenghe added that relations and cooperation between China and Russia will continue to strengthen.

The US is losing its leadership in the world, and the West is not able to influence Russia.

The coalition of the West and its allies against Russia may not be enough to break the impending impasse in Ukraine.

In March and April 2021, Russian president Vladimir Putin ordered the Russian military to begin massing thousands of personnel and equipment near its border with Ukraine and in Crimea, representing the largest mobilization since the annexation of Crimea in 2014. This precipitated an international crisis due to concerns over a potential invasion. Satellite imagery showed movements of armour, missiles, and heavy weaponry. The troops were partially withdrawn by June 2021, but the crisis was renewed in October and November 2021, when over 100,000 Russian troops were massed around Ukraine on three sides by December. Despite the Russian military build-ups, Russian officials from November 2021 to 20 February 2022 repeatedly denied that Russia had plans to invade Ukraine.

China rumor false

With Putin currently arresting, firing, and placing blame on the FSB security branch and many Army generals, and threatening NATO and EU, the question of how disturbed Putin has become imho raises the preparedness level to Defcon 3.

Russian government added that it will continue to kill foreign nationals in Ukraine whom it considers mercenaries.

Putin will make everyone more mad at Russian army.

read from user

It will be difficult, if not impossible, to change Kremlin behavior while Putin is in power.

Russia to respond with cyberattack on infrastructure because of drones to Ukraine

The speech is important?

The speech is not important - rather, the speech is foretelling and worrisome.

Putin contradicts earlier statements and admits Russia will face serious problems ahead at home, an abrupt change in tone by Putin.

Hard to find speech in entirety om Twitter with translation so here are quotes of the Putin speech today to Russian cabinet -

1 West is trying to dismantle Russia.
2 Sanctions are acts of economic aggression, economic war and barbaric and aggressive.
3 Russians must protect themselves from the Western fifth column.

Admitted that Russia will -

4 face massive inflation, unemployment, and difficult days ahead, following economic sanctions.

5 more of Putin speech - twitter of Mary Ilyushina -

Tactics of military operation chosen by Ministry of Defense have fully justified themselves. Our soldiers and officers show courage and heroism. They are doing everything to avoid losses among the civilian population.

I want to say this for the first time: at the very beginning of the special operation, in order to avoid bloodshed, the Kyiv authorities were asked not to engage in hostilities, but simply to withdraw their troops from Donbas. They didn't want to. Well, it's their decision.

If our troops operated only in Donbas republics, this would not be final solution, would not lead to peace and would not eliminate threat to Russia... the armed conflict would drag on endlessly, fueled by the revanchist hysteria of the Kyiv regime.

I did finally find jpost story on speech - search for - Putin says West is trying to dismantle Russia, compares them to Nazis .

There is video online as well provided by various users on Twitter with breakdown of speech.

What To Do About China
Gordon Chang via The Gatestone Institute on internet

China buys all the cheap Russian oil in market everyday

de-dollarization

20 pc

Putin's hunger plan meant to work on three levels.

First. Part of a larger attempt to destroy the Ukrainian state, by cutting off its exports.

Second. Generate refugees from North Africa and the Middle East, areas usually fed by Ukraine. This would generate instability in the EU.

Third. World famine is a necessary backdrop for a Russian propaganda campaign against Ukraine. Actual mass death is needed as the backdrop for a propaganda contest.
When the food riots begin, and as starvation spreads, Russian propaganda will blame Ukraine, and call for Russia's territorial gains in Ukraine to be recognized, and for all sanctions to be lifted.

Russia is planning to starve Asians and Africans in order to win its war in Europe. This is a new level of colonialism, and the latest chapter of hunger politics.

Russia has already stolen millions of tons of agricultural products by truck, rail and boat in the last 30 days from Ukraine, all documented.

ww3 if russia use chemical bomb

putin more crazy soon