The front in Ukraine is collapsing, while people are out on the streets to protest against the Zelensky government. These events are not formally connected, and we're not talking about huge crowds protesting, nor are they made up of people with the same political background. A far right politician, connected to the massacre in Odessa, where protestors were hiding in the labor union building, which was set on fire with those people inside, back in 2014, made a fuss in the Rada. Others, mainly women fearing for their husbands and sons, are dissatisfied with the scavengers roaming the streets to find fresh cannon fodder. But the formal cause for these protests is the rushed move in the Rada supported by the Zelensky government and the SBU, against independent corruption investigators, formerly the pride and joy of the EU-establishment. But today 'Brussels' is struggling with this concept after these investigators formally accused Zelensky and his entourage, and multiple representatives in the Rada of being corrupt to the core. Which caused this move by the Rada and Zelensky to silence them.
Meanwhile the situation around Pokrovsk is dire. The Russians were on the move to encircle the city from the North, and by the looks of it Ukrainian commanders sent reinforcements that way to prevent it, weakening the South-Western flank, and the Russians made good use of it and walked right into town. It is unclear how many Russians are in Pokrovsk, but we've seen developments like this before, when Russian forces used pipelines to get behind enemy lines, causing a speedy, and disorganised retreat of the Ukrainians as panic broke out among the defending forces. Even Ukrainian sources are reporting that the chaos is such, that 'friendly fire' accidents are a 'major issue'. And pro-Ukrainian AMK-Maps is reporting that those Russians in the North are no longer moving East to close the encirclement, but are continuing North, past Pokrovsk already.
New talks in Istanbul started, and contrary to my earlier reporting, the Ukrainian delegation was unchanged, apparently. Because of US interference, if I understood that complicated intrigue correctly. The Russian delegation is unchanged as well, and there is little hope that progress towards a peace settlement will be made. Zelensky kept saying, until recently, that there was no way the talks in Istanbul were going to deliver results. But prodded by the Americans he went ahead and sent a delegation anyway. There will be prisoner exchanges and things like that, but nothing even remotely close to an opening towards a settlement, according to most commentators. Zelensky keeps pushing for a 'summit' between him and Putin, as if that would change anything. Well, maybe Zelensky would sacrifice himself as a suicide terrorist and kill Putin during their meeting? Or he might ask Putin to offer him amnesty after all that he did to advance the Russian agenda, as a valued Russian agent?
This is a crazy world we live in.
Take this German plan to provide 'Taurus' missiles assembled in Ukraine, which is about Germany launching strikes on Russian territory, and expecting no consequences. We've seen 'Red Lines' being crossed before, without the Kremlin striking responsible NATO-countries, so who knows? Maybe the Russians brush the delivery and use of these long-range weapons off as well, especially if they find a way to take them down before they do any damage, and proceed with winning the war? But what if they hit the Kremlin, or apartment blocks in Moscow and St Petersburg? Merz is on record saying that Germany is ready to fight Russia. I'm not so sure his generals agree. And better not ask the Germans themselves. A war with Germany, provoked by Germany, wouldn't automatically trigger 'Article 5', and I can list a number of NATO-countries which would refuse to engage, for various reasons. Among them *might* be the US. But it wouldn't be a prolonged ground-war like the war in Ukraine, since a Russian response would be either a salvo of 'Oreshnik' missiles, or nuclear from the 'get-go', or so it seems to me. Germany opting for a 'Third Time Lucky' attempt to go after Russia seems unwise to me. And I'm being polite. Merz may have found Starmer and Macron willing to sign up, but both men are toast in their own country, politically speaking, and could be out of a job before Merz himself is touched by the 'Zelensky Curse'.
Because the Russians are working in line with a larger plan to defend and support 'BRICS', which includes 'silent'-partners elsewhere in the world, they refrain from merely lashing out in response to what other countries do to them. You may like that plan, or not, or look at it to learn from it, but they do not shoot from the hip. If they decide to hit Germany, they thought it through, and consulted their partners in advance. But why would Germany even *want* to hit Russia with 'Taurus' missiles? It doesn't even make any sense, at all. All I see, is a failed attempt to unseat Putin and wreck the economy of Russia, by throwing Ukraine under the bus, and a hodgepodge of strange decisions, heralded as the introduction of a weapon, or yet another sanctions-package which is going to turn the tide. And then it doesn't. Somewhere, in a NATO-country, or in Kiev, someone was jubilant when that decision was made. Another knee-jerk 'Feel Good' response setting the NATO-countries back a few hundred Million, or Billions of Euros, and no doubt someone got rich because of it, and ordered another Ferrari, but that's it.
How about finding us some professionals?