Good Morning,
Putin’s Wrath
He was angry, you could tell in his laboured breathing, red face, and the way he spat out the words. Russia’s leader Vladimir Putin seems to be losing some of his authoritarian composure, as his troops are being pushed backwards for weeks in Ukraine and the war just seems to go from bad to worse for Russia.
Putin reacted to the Ukrainian attack on his Kerch Straits Bridge over the weekend, by attacking population centres across Ukraine. (Correction) At least 19 killed, 100 injured in 83 missile strikes on every major city in Ukraine.
Putin vowed revenge while Ukraines President Zelenskiy promised to make the battle even more painful for Russia.
Putin seems disconnected from who gets hurt or killed in Ukraine, whether that be Ukrainian children and families, or thousands of his own citizens dying in the conflict.
The US said the "brutal" attacks had hit non-military targets, including a university and children's playground, and promised ongoing military aid.
United Nations chief Antonio Guterres said he was "deeply shocked".
Here’s what we need to know as we watch all this - The battles will become more fierce and Putin will become more unpredictable as he loses ground.
Ukraine will push for Crimea itself, Putin’s pride and reputation on the line. And the home of the Black Sea fleet will come into Ukraines crosshairs.
UK spy chief Sir Jeremy Fleming, head of GCHQ will say in a speech today, that Russia is running out of weapons and the costs to the Kremlin are staggering in terms of equipment and soldiers lives lost.
Fleming will say “Russia’s forces are exhausted. The use of prisoners to reinforce, and now the mobilization of tens of thousands of inexperienced conscripts, speaks of a desperate situation.”
America will step up to supply Ukraine more air defence and other weapons in the wake of this latest escalation by Russia.
One final note in a brief summary this morning - Belarus’ dictator Lukashenko has announced a military union with Russia without specifying what that entails.
He announced on Monday that a joint task force between the Belarusian and Russian troops will be deployed near its border with Ukraine after claiming Kyiv is planning to start a war with the nation.
Of course Ukraine is not looking for another fight. But like Putin, read between the lines and whatever is said by Lukashenko, needs to be consumed with skepticism in the Kremlin world of down is up.
Belarus has already been used as a launch pad against Ukraine, with Russian ground forces and aircraft and rockets being sent from there to Ukraine.
There are fears Lukashenko’s army could be drafted by Russia to open a new front against Ukraine, and try to cut off Kyiv. And many are closely watching as Belarus is announcing the placement of joint Russian-Belarussian forces along the EU borders with among others Poland.
Like I said - the war in Ukraine is escalating and more twists and turns are ahead.
Have a good day everyone.
Dana Lewis
We have offered this letter largely for free for two years. You f you value the content do you think you could switch to a paid subscription? Price? You tell me. It’s welcomed.