Espreso. Global
OPINION

Putin has found another failed state in Europe

26 January, 2023 Thursday
05:48

No sooner had the ink dried on the German government's decision to transfer a company of Leopard 2 A6 tanks to Ukraine than a response came from Moscow

client/title.list_title

The speed with which Putin personally reacted to Berlin's allied support for Kyiv is simply astonishing. Apparently, the Kremlin's KGB lieutenant colonel, who once worked in the German Democratic Republic as a liaison with the Stasi, did not believe that Scholz would "betray" until the last moment.

So, in front of students at Moscow University, the bunker leader said that Germany was in fact still "occupied by the Americans," and since 1945, when the Allied forces divided the Nazi Reich into "sectors of responsibility," it had never been "a sovereign state in the full sense of the word."

I don't know about anyone else, but I am most interested in the expression on the face of former German Chancellor Angela Merkel when she received this strange news. Did it show a grimace similar to the one with which Frau Merkel met Putin's favorite dog, Koni the Labrador? The German ex-leader, to put it mildly, does not like four-legged animals, or rather, is afraid of them. That's why back in 2007, during a meeting with Putin's "friend," she experienced several unpleasant moments.

But it is also interesting that the Kremlin's master has always trumped the term failed state when it comes to Ukraine. It is an artificial entity with inept authorities that only hinders understanding between the "greats" - Russia and the European Union in particular. Then he went up a notch in his rhetoric, claiming that Ukraine was essentially Lenin's whim, and that Russia was left "ripped off" after the collapse of the USSR as a result of "unjustified territorial gifts." And then there was the war, or as Putin interprets it, a "special military operation" to "finally resolve the Ukrainian issue."

“Now Germany has also become a failed state for Putin. He has chosen it as the main target of his current propaganda attacks. Probably, because there are indeed American troops on its territory, and the Ramstein base is actually the technical component of Russia's future defeat in the military adventure launched by Moscow in Ukraine”

And now Germany has also become a failed state for Putin. He has chosen it as the main target of his current propaganda attacks. Probably, because there are indeed American troops on its territory, and the Ramstein base is actually the technical component of Russia's future defeat in the military adventure launched by Moscow in Ukraine. It is quite possible that we will soon hear figures of speech from the old KGB man like the fact that Russia, through Gorbachev's policy, gifted Germany the GDR, and now this historical flaw must be corrected.

I also think that Russia will now play the Königsberg card to the fullest and intensify the "nuclear fever". The head of the Russian delegation, Konstantin Gavrilov, has already begun to stir up the pot around sub-caliber armor-piercing shells with uranium cores, which  Leopard 2 F6 uses, at the OSCE Forum on Military Security and Arms Control in Vienna. "If Kyiv is supplied with such shells for NATO heavy military equipment, we will consider it as the use of dirty nuclear bombs against Russia with all the ensuing consequences," Gavrilov said, again hinting at "external control" of Germany from Washington. "First, the allies threatened Berlin with international isolation if it refused to supply Leopard tanks. Then, none other than US State Department spokesman Ned Price announced the 'good news' that the German 'beasts' would be sent to Kyiv," the Moscow diplomat fumed.

“In reality, Russia is turning into a failed state day by day. The collapse of state military institutions is clearly visible behind the chaos of those in charge. Now it is difficult to understand who is in charge of the "special operation" - is it Gerasimov, Prigozhin, or perhaps Kadyrov. The main characters of the state ideology are Wagner criminal scum - posthumous monuments are erected in their honor, they are treated like heroes of the nation”

But the point does not change. One always talks of their own ache. In fact, Russia is turning into a failed state day by day. The collapse of state military institutions is clearly visible behind the chaos of those in charge. It is now difficult to understand who is in charge of the "special operation" - is it Gerasimov, Prigozhin, or perhaps Kadyrov. The main characters of the state ideology are Wagner criminal scum - posthumous monuments are erected in their honor, and are treated like heroes of the nation.

Sooner or later, the power vertical will also collapse, especially in remote regions that are traditionally considered donors by Moscow. Now not only to the budget, but also as cannon fodder. And it doesn't matter that the governor's corps is mostly FSB generals. They, like no one else, feel the weakness of the center, and therefore are unlikely to want to become scapegoats during possible spontaneous riots. Moreover, as I understand it, there is no one to protect them: the military is on the Ukrainian front.

Well, as one of the characters in the prophetic World War Z movie said, "One day, everything collapses. No one needs to sign a contract or an agreement. Everyone needs to fix toilets."

About the author. Ihor Hulyk is a journalist and editor-in-chief of Espreso.West website.

Espreso TV does not always share the opinions expressed by the blogs’ authors.

Tags:
Read also:
  • News
2024, Monday
25 November
21:35
Ukraine authorized to use ATACMS missiles to strike Russia, White House confirms
21:17
Thousands of Ukrainians abroad commemorate Holodomor victims, call to stop Russia
20:58
EU fails to provide Ukraine with sufficient defense resources against Russia - top diplomat
20:40
From ATACMS to Storm Shadow: how Ukraine is boosting its long-range strike power
20:21
Exclusive
Russia's potential to wage war against Ukraine slowly dries up - expert
20:03
FPV drones give Ukraine edge in countering Russian UAV operations
19:45
Exclusive
No nuclear or radiation threat unless missile hits power unit directly - nuclear expert
19:24
UN mission documents 376 cases of war-related sexual violence in Ukraine
19:02
116 clashes occur at front on Nov. 25: Ukrainian forces repel 10 Russian attacks in Kursk region
18:39
International Drone Coalition to allocate €1.8 billion to Ukraine this year
18:20
Polish farmers threaten to block Poland's eastern border if their demands aren't met
18:01
North Korea expands missile production to fuel Russia's attacks on Ukraine
17:43
Exclusive
Russia unable to push Ukrainian forces out of Kursk region by late 2024 - military expert
17:22
OPINION
Putin believes the West will hand over Ukraine to him on silver platter
17:00
Russian army drops drone on people receiving humanitarian aid in Ukraine's Mykolaiv region
16:41
UK unveils largest sanctions package against Russian shadow fleet
16:17
Georgia's ruling party announces plan to hold presidential elections this year
15:50
Ukraine's FM Sybiha visits Italy for G7 to discuss strengthening EU support for Ukraine
15:18
Nearly half of Russian military families leave Crimea over combat fears
15:18
Updated
Russian troops strike Odesa's city center with missile
14:56
Exclusive
Austria ends 50-year gas flow from Gazprom after Russian gas seizure, sources reveal
14:49
Updated
Ukraine confirms strikes on key facilities in three Russian regions
14:34
OPINION
Why it’s critical for Russia to wear out faster
14:15
Russian saboteurs try to breach northeastern Ukraine border in Kharkiv region
13:57
DHL cargo plane crashes into building in Vilnius: casualties reported
13:36
Exclusive
Escalating threats rise on Zaporizhzhia front, military expert warns
13:16
Ukraine downs 71 Russian drones in night and morning attack on November 25
12:33
Exclusive
Ukrainian troops withdrawn from potential Russian traps in Kurakhove sector — military expert Zgurets
11:59
UK says Russia exploiting AI to target infrastructure
11:38
Anti-Western candidate Călin Georgescu wins first round of Romanian elections
11:18
217 clashes reported on Russian-Ukrainian front as Russia intensifies in Kurakhove sector
10:55
Fire breaks out after Russian attack on Ukraine's Kharkiv: casualties reported
10:36
Russia loses 1,610 soldiers, 6 tanks and 22 artillery systems in one day of war in Ukraine
10:16
Russian forces advance faster than at any point in 2023 — ISW
09:57
Ukraine details components of missiles supplied by DPRK to Russia
09:35
North Korean troops engaged in battles with Ukrainian forces — Ukraine’s General Staff
2024, Sunday
24 November
20:05
Oreshnik strike on Dnipro: SSU displays missile wreckage
19:40
OPINION
Escalation is real, describes Russia's whole war against Ukraine, and we are all witnessing it clearly
19:21
Russia deploys S-300 air defense systems on Cape Fiolent in occupied Crimea
19:00
Interview
Trump to seek Ukraine deal that prevents future Russian pressure - diplomat Bryza
More news