Putin’s first phase attack on Ukraine having failed in its purpose of a takeover complete with puppet government, there are fears he will bolster his dented pride by expanding operations elsewhere.
Transnistria, a breakaway segment of Moldova, controlled by pro-Russian separatists since 1992 which hosts 1,500 Russian troops and a large arms depot, borders western Ukraine, may be his first call. A series of mysterious explosions there a few days ago, blamed by Moscow on Ukrainian infiltrators, are said by Kiev to be false flag operations designed to provide a pretext for an infusion of Russian troops.
A Russian move into Transnistria would pose an imminent threat to the sovereignty of Moldova, which has shown interest in joining NATO. It would also menace Odesa, the Ukrainian port city, part of the grand plan to give Russia control over the Black Sea coast.
This is a reprise of previous posts but worth updating. The former Soviet satellite states and Russia have charts, either from the 1917/18 era or 1990/1991 – both of which dates have key planets in mid fixed signs. So they are in the line of fire of this year’s Eclipses as well as tr Uranus, for example, opposition the Pluto in Scorpio of the Lithuania and Latvia charts at 17 Scorpio from this June onwards. The Moldova Pluto is at 15 Scorpio so catches the disruptive tr Uranus opposition from May 12th this year. And 2023 looks equally turbulent.
The EU and UK also have tr Uranus rattling up their Venus at 15 and 16 Aquarius and Germany has Pluto at 17 Taurus – which could be financial and not necessarily directly linked but they will certainly be unsettling.
The one chart that is definite about Putin is his 4th term chart of 7 May 2018 11.05 am Moscow, which has a confident, lucky Taurus Sun opposition a popular-at-home 4th house Jupiter. There’s also a ruthless Mars Pluto in Capricorn in a crises-ridden and unstable square to Uranus Mercury.
Tr Uranus will conjunct the Sun and square the Sun/Jupiter midpoint, then oppose the Jupiter between late May and mid year which could suggest a confident push. But he will run into a frustratingly stuck and infuriatingly trapped tr Pluto conjunct the Mars from early this August till early December, which was around early this year and last – and worse a destabilizing tr Pluto square the Uranus from February 2023, on and off until late 2024. This last is often a transit associated with topple-off-perch moments for an administration. Plus in 2023 the Pluto moves by Solar Arc to close the conjunction to Mars to exact by mid 2023 which is usually a dead-halt if not total implosion influence.
2023 is the year when both the Russia 1917 and 1991 chart indicate major upsets and significant changes.
This year’s fraught Lunar Eclipses will be rattling up many of the above charts so all stormy ahead. But at least there is a smidgeon of hope that Putin may keel over at some point in 2023 – despite the UK Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss, trumpeting on about a 10 year war.
[While UK support is heart-warming, I’m not sure that some of the grandstanding London politicos aren’t throwing around provocative comments just to grab attention and risk causing problems if not doing actual damage.]
See previous post: 8 March 2022
Thanks Solaia!
Marjorie, out of curiosity do you change the Russian calendar of 1917? I believe there was some difference between their’s and ours. How much of a difference does that make?
@Linda, hopping in here. Yes, astrologers do this, as Julian Calendar in use in parts of Russian Empire – interestingly enough, this never was readapted in Finland – was 13 days behind more astronomically accurate Gregorian Calendar. Eastern Orthodox Churches, with some exceptions still observe Julian Calendar for Church Year.
Following on from my earlier post about the Saros Series of eclipses and today, I wondered some more about the historical roots of the hateful conflict we’re witnessing now. Seems as if 1,000 years or so isn’t such a stretch after all. I came across this (BBC website) for July 2015:
“The legacy of a medieval prince has added a new dimension to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, as both countries mark the 1,000th anniversary of his death.
Russians celebrate Prince Vladimir the Great as the man who converted their country to Christianity, but for some Ukrainians this represents an attempt to steal their history.”
And this:
“Prince Vladimir was baptised in Crimea and Putin returned Crimea to Russia,” historian Nikolai Svanidze told the RBK website.
“This parallel should enhance the president’s standing in the eyes of his contemporaries and descendants, as well as give a blessing to Crimea’s merger with Russia.”
Putin unveiled a statue of Vladimir the Great also known as Saint Vladimir in Moscow, in 2016. Curiously, the planets for his death in July 1015 (JC) include Uranus at 10 Taurus, conjuct Jupiter 8 Taurus. Neptune is at 29 Capricorn. A very long game indeed…..
@Jane, and both Vladimir Putin and Volodymir Zelenskyy are named after the Vladimir the Great. I actually developed bit of an interest towards this period as a teen/young adult through work of Kaari Utrio, a historian and romance writer, whose main work was a trilogy set in 1000’s, with good part of the first novel spent in court of Yaroslav the Wise. Makes it clear how profound ties they had to Scandinavia. Not only Yaroslav’s queen was Ingegerd or Irina, daughter to Swedish king Olof Skötkonung, but routes to Miklagard or Constantinople were still wide open.
This is, BTW, one part of history Soviet and Russian historians have been trying to deny. They are also incredibly reluctant of offering ancient DNA for Western study. I just read something about Scyntians, and apparently, last DNA testing done to very well preserved Scyntian findings is mtDNA (almost always more “mobile” through to patrilocal society model being prevalent) done in early 2000’s. There’s such a “Great Russian” nationalist push here that’s echoing some Nazi believes on blood heritage.
Thanks Solaia – your reply is such an interesting coincidence. I’d been curious about Anne of Kyiv, daughter of Yaroslav the Wise, who became Queen of France. A number of her descendants became Kings of France – some sources claim all the subsequent kings of France were related to her but I am not sure about that. It’s a hidden history connecting Yaroslav’s children through their marriages and children to the courts of Sweden, Denmark, Poland, Austria, Germany, Hungary, Norway and the Byzantine Empire as well as France. Anne herself was well educated and spoke several languages, unlike many of those she encountered at the French court, including her husband!
Yes, the push towards a nationalist genetic heritage agenda is very sinister. Also, it is ridiculous in light of modern DNA discoveries which demonstrate how much many people moved around, inter-married, and so on throughout our shared human history. Just possibly Pluto in Aquarius may be a helpful sign of the sense of a wider shared humanity in all of us. Ever the optimist…..
@Jane, I would think there is truly a major breakthrough, in good and bad, in genetics with Pluto in Aquarius, Uranus in Gemini. I don’t know if astrological association to genetics has really been established, but I have some reasons to think it might be a 3rd house/Gemini discipline.
I hope so! I’ve read some research on DNA patterns and folk music melodies, a study showing how people travelling across from Asia and other locations brought certain types of music to Europe. That would be a Gemini/Sagittarius theme, perhaps the Moon’s Nodes could be involved, symbolising ‘the people’.
Pluto in Aquarius and Uranus in Gemini might also suggest wider publicity of the ethnic diversity of historical times too. We still see ‘historical’ representations of scenes in Europe that are all white, for example. Recent DNA discoveries, like the African and Mediterranean crew members of a Tudor warship wreck (Mary Rose), need representing on films and tv. It might go some small way towards quashing ‘nationalist’ fantasies.
Thank you, @Solaia and @Jane, for these fascinating insights into these subjects and historical figures I must check out.
@Nicole – hope you enjoy the Kyivan princesses (and princes) stories! They’re not exactly well-known in the UK, but I studied women’s history, so have a particular interest. In 2016 the Ukraine Postal Service released a set of postage stamps featuring ‘Kyivan Princesses on European Thrones’. Needless to say, Russia claims them as ‘Russian’, choosing to ignore their true lineage.
Marjorie.
My sources tell me that Ben Wallace, Secretary of State for Defence, is the one to watch – at least in terms of the future leadership of the Tory Party. Certainly his education at Millfield School rather than Eton would throw some spanners in the works – as would his Sandhurst and Army experience as opposed to PPE at Oxford.
Any chance of a birth chart for him? I believe he was born 15 May 1970 in Farnborough
He’s on a Jupiterian roll this year and next. See post Feb 22
Thank you. I am new to this site and missed it.
As usually, I seem to have many thought on this subject, some of which I’ve brought up in comments. However, there’s a larger consideration based on what has happened in the past couple of weeks, as the War in Ukraine has continued. Some of the most interesting, and I think consequential developments are:
– Ukraine has been able to withhold Russia’s attacks, now mainly concentrated to Donbas. I’ve seen translated posts by Igor Girkin, 2014 Donbas military action vet and Donbas “Minister of Defense” that year, where he paints frankly grim picture of Russian military capacities in the area. I don’t see this changing any time soon, with the weather keeps chilly and wet, but “the green” inevitably advancing.
– “The West”, NATO and some non-NATO countries military aid is now arriving to Ukraine, helping their military to restock. Biden Administration has sent a 33 billion US$ aid package to Congress, half of which to military, and I think this should pass. I think the scope here is, ultimately, to build an air defense system “dome”, quite likely purchase Israeli Iron Dome. But, there will be attack arms available very soon.
– It’s rumored Chief of General Staff of Russian Military Valery Gerasimov has been sent to Ukraine. This would be a major indication of things not going as planned. Gerasimov was covered in “ditto heads” post February 27th, and while he seem to have some successes this year, he is going to absolutely hit the wall in 2023.
– I have seen other “ditto heads” surfacing too, after almost two months of silence, with truly absurd statements. Shoigu allegedly had a heart attack or two, but looked the healthier part in his meeting round a very small table with Putin last week. Naryshkin and Patrushev have driven the narrative of NATO/West attacking Russia in Ukraine.
– Putin has resumed public appearances, but doesn’t look well in rare released pictures and clips. Since DJT is notably still alive and kicking after looking a complete mess in 2017-18 (I still think the had a stroke when he visited Walter Reed, though), I will not make any bold predictions. I will, however, say that he and his siloviks did work at KGB in the early 1980’s, and rapid Brezhnev-Andropov-Chernenko-Gorbachev cycle. Also, Andropov was exactly the same age Putin is now “officially” (69, going 70), when he died. Siloviks definitely have a succession plan in case Putin will be completely incapacitated.
– Nuclear war rhetoric has been on overdrive in Russian State Television. But I think this is essentially to divert viewership from collapse of their society in very short time.
– Re. Finland and Sweden NATO application, I think it’s now a done deal Finland will announce application this month, and Sweden will likely follow. Finnish President Sauli Niinistö – who was hospitalized for a couple of day with post-covid19 pneumonia – will meet Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf May 17th and 18th, and they have “security issues” on agenda. It’s Mercury Retro, but I see some stuff fits our charts, with notable similarities between Finland 1917 and Sweden 1865, for instance Sagittarius Moon will be conjunt Finland / Sweden Sun May 17th.
What I think will follow:
– Ukrainian War isn’t over, but after “hot” period with Aries Mars in June, is likely to stall, because Russia has used manpower and military resources. They are already holding firepower in Kyiv and Kharkiv, a town they could easily reach with shelling and missiles, and rather use these strategically.
– It’s not unlikely either ceasefire or peace treaty will be signed sometime late this year, and that may be more unpopular in Ukraine than Russia (where people don’t care).
– How is this going to unravel to Putin and his cronies, who, it seems, are mostly having a very bad 2023? I think the likeliest option is Putin being incapacitated, and this triggering an open fight for power in Kremlin.
Also, it could be the US, EU, and other nations tying lifting sanctions to acknowledging war crimes or even genocide in Ukraine, and having those responsible trialed in The Hague. This would be something completely new for Russians – the accountability for war crimes committed, even on lowest level, has never been addressed in their history.
Third option, when the sanctions already in place hit, they hit very hard. While Russian Energy Embargo is far from perfect, they will struggle to pay public sector salaries, not to mention pensions. Russians may be used to not being paid for a month or two, but after that, it will get ugly, especially since it seems they were already struggling with this with the first covid-19 wave and lockdowns that lowered the demand for industrial energy. While people would not blame Putin – he is the allknowing Tsar, after all – for this, it would mean his system collapsed.
Solaia: “Ukrainian War isn’t over, but after ‘hot’ period with Aries Mars in June, is likely to stall, because Russia has used manpower and military resources. They are already holding firepower in Kyiv and Kharkiv, a town they could easily reach with shelling and missiles, and rather use these strategically”.
I understand the Western allies (I am not sure which country but assume the US) have missiles which marginally out range the Russian missiles. In other words, the Ukrainians supplied with these weapons are able to keep the Russians at bay. Also the Ukrainians are being given superior knowledge regarding exact Russian troop positions. One step closer and the Russian troops would be obliterated – and they know it.
I think in the end simple economics will win the war. As you say, when the people are not being paid and have no food, they will either starve or rebel. The fact that the Ukraine is the bread basket of Eastern Europe is in my opinion the reason for the invasion in the first place. Ironic then that the destruction of the Ukrainian agricultural system may result in the very famine in the other Soviet countries that Putin was trying to avoid.
The last famine, when millions starved to death, is too close to the hearts of the Ukranian people. They will never let the Russians, via a puppet government, allow it to happen again.
Liz – your mention of the Holodomor in 1932-3 is chilling, and memories of Stalin’s infinite cruelty must still resonate – as indeed they should and must if we’re to learn anything at all from history (yes, faint hopes here!).
Looking for some astrological insight, I noticed that the eclipse Saros cycle we have now is the same ‘family’ as 1932 – S.S 6 North, and S.S 6 South. The 6 North Saros began on 15th May, 850 o.s. with Uranus at 17 Taurus, and the Nodes at 10 Taurus. April 30th’s eclipse is at 10 Taurus, in the 6 North Saros Series, as is 15th May’s 25 Scorpio Lunar Eclipse.
For S.S North, Bernadette Brady writes:
‘ This family of eclipses is concerned with the individual’s relationship to father figures, authority figures, or the need to take responsibility and control…’
S.S South began on 6th March, 1049, with Saturn at 27 Capricorn, echoing Pluto’s position now. The eclipses belonging to this Saros Series occur this year in October and November 2022
.
Brady writes:
‘This eclipse series is about being forceful and taking power. It has a manic flavour….with great force or strength manifesting in the relationship area.’
From: ‘The Eagle and the Lark’ by Bernadette Brady
I think it might be worth looking at the position of minor planet Ceres in all of this, since it is named for an ancient Mediterranean grain goddess.
Jane. I googled Ceres and found the following:
Ceres: Asteroid of Nurturance
“Long before summer was about vacations and time off from school, the season was associated with the goddess Ceres, whose joy was said to cause the earth to bloom and grow. Mythologically, Ceres was the Roman goddess of agriculture, grain, fertility, and motherly relationships. In Greek traditions, she was known as Demeter, and most infamous for the relationship to her daughter Persephone. As the well-known story goes, Persephone was abducted—though some myths say she went willing—into the underworld by Hades, and Demeter spent her days mourning.
After she threatened to destroy all crops and food, Zeus heard Demeter’s pleas and allowed Persephone to return to her mother. However, Hades tricked Persephone into eating pomegranate seeds, and therefore, having eaten the food of the underworld, Persephone could never entirely leave, rather spending half of the year in the underworld and the other half with her mother above ground. This was said to create the seasons: fall and winter occur when Persephone is in the underworld and Demeter is unhappy, and spring and summer when Persephone returns.”
I think Ceres is in Cancer at the moment – though I am happy to be corrected. The position relates to land, houses, property, as well as agriculture and the seasons/cycles of growth and decay. My interpretation would be that Ukraine is currently in its ‘winter of discontent’ to quote from Richard III. I hope this is soon made ‘glorious summer’ when homes will be rebuilt and crops resown.
No one is going to use a nuclear weapon in a country they want to occupy. The risk is if it lands in another country, also creating a major diversion. Hence the thinly veiled threats.
I think Russia will do what it likes regardless of what western politicians say.
@Delia, yes, precisely. Bar directly attacking Russia, I really don’t think there’s much that would “provoke” Putin or Russia more than what’s happening now.
This is now about spinning the story and saving face at home and possibly with very few remaining allies.
“This year’s fraught Lunar Eclipses will be rattling up many of the above charts so all stormy ahead. But at least there is a smidgeon of hope that Putin may keel over at some point in 2023 – despite the UK Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss, trumpeting on about a 10 year war.”
I don’t know how exactly did she framed it – although I would suspect poorly -, but a “frozen conflict” akin the one between Koreas dragging for a decade or more is certainly an option many experts have brought up. Personally, I don’t think Russia would be able to keep this up, though. 1950’s World was different, North Korea is a relatively small country, more or less size of Greece, with only 10 million inhabitants in the early 1960’s. So, obviously, much more manageable than the largest land mass with 193 (!) ethnic groups and 21 national republics.
Liz Truss is almost inciting Russia , we have useless and dangerous mp’s in this country.
Keir Starmer would have been much clearer, more humble and calmer in power at this time, than these grandstanding Tories
@Jackie, Starmer is essentially saying the same, but obviously, better.
And while I don’t, usually have a clue about Shadow Cabinet, I happen have been following Shadow Cabinet Secretary of Foreign Affairs David Lammy in Twitter, due to him being MP for Tottenham and a Spurs fan. He visited Finland a couple of weeks ago, and met our Foreign Minister (from Green Party, definitely very aligned with Labour leadership on human rights etc.). This is interesting, given Finland’s NATO ascension process. I would actually think Labour is even a bigger champion for Finland and Sweden in NATO than Tories, due to the fact complete Nordic presence would diminish Turkey’s role.
ADDENDUM…..Venus also rules Putin’s 12th House of hospitalization. A possible outcome is hospitalization
due to the corona virus. https://i.postimg.cc/5tZgwy0c/Putins-Solar-Eclipse.jpg
That would be ironic!
The April 30 eclipse is hitting major points in Putin’s chart. His 1st and 8th Houses will be hit hard by this eclipse.
Trans Mercury, lungs, on his 8th House cusp could suggest Covid-19 or Omicron. The 1st House refers to one’s body/health.
https://i.postimg.cc/5tZgwy0c/Putins-Solar-Eclipse.jpg
Putin’s birth date is questionable therefore any speculation on what’s where isn’t porductive.
….and even if the brith date IS correct, I don’t think we can rely on the birth time. Nothing useful can be gained from these house positions. I’ve always had the suspicion that someone guessed the birth time without evidence or proper rectification, in order to put natal Pluto on the MC and make the chart “look” right!
”
While UK support is heart-warming, I’m not sure that some of the grandstanding London politicos aren’t throwing around provocative comments just to grab attention and risk causing problems if not doing actual damage
”
Cynically – a distraction from partygate.
Geopolitically – trying to cosy up USA and trumpet about special relationship, and trying to prove UK is a more reliable partner(read puppet) than EU. Especially important in the post-Brexit era.
“The foreign secretary’s belligerent comments on Russia reduce Ukraine to a pawn in the Conservatives’ power struggle
“The foreign secretary, Liz Truss, is playing with fire. —-She is clearly revelling in her imagined proxy war on the Russian bear and no one in Whitehall appears able to restrain her.”
“It is not unknown for democratic leaders to play war games to excite their electorates, but this must be the first Tory leadership contest fought on the frontiers of Russia. It is hard to imagine a more delicate and dangerous time for such antics than now.”
“ That this conflict should be hijacked by Britain for a squalid forthcoming leadership contest is sickening.” Simon Jenkins, Guardian
She simply has not got the depth or intelligence to do that job.
That just about sums up Truss.
Politics is full of people whose conceit and ambition runs way ahead of their abilities but Truss is definitely one of the worst examples. I would imagine the Foreign Office officials cringe every time she opens her mouth.
Marjorie, looking at the Putin 4th term chart, I can’t see how Uranus is going to conjoin Jupiter when Uranus is in Taurus and Jupiter in Scorpio. You then say Uranus is square Sun/Jupiter and is going to oppose Jupiter (which is indeed the case). Have you perhaps mistyped something here? Or have I ignorantly missed something?
What I can see is that in 2023 Uranus transits over the Sun in that chart, and Pluto squares the MC, and later on, Uranus. In the meantime the fact that Pluto is sitting on the Mars in that chart, cuts both ways: it could mean that Russia is using its considerable artillery power on others, or given that Mars is in the 6th, and may represent the Russian army, (or a male work-force) the army gets a kicking too.
None of these bodes well for the success of the 4th term rulership. And I think you are right that 2023 is going to be problematic for many countries.
“tr Pluto square the Uranus from February 2023, on and off until late 2024. This last is often a transit associated with topple-off-perch moments for an administration.”
Re the Putin 4th Term chart – what may emphasise/trigger the ‘topple-off-perch’ moment is the Solar Eclipse at 29 Aries on 19th April 2023. In May 2023 Jupiter – the king, czar or general? – arrives at 29 Aries too. Could be a new leader perhaps, and/or some kind of revolution and upheaval? More than one “topple off perch” event?
Then in May 2023 there’s a Lunar Eclipse at 14 Scorpio on the Russia 1917 Sun. Tr Uranus is then squaring the Russia Uranus at 19 Aquarius. An eclipse on the Sun could suggest leadership themes as well.
The Mars/Uranus/Nodes line up at 18 Taurus in late July and early August this summer could be pivotal too, opposing the Putin Term Jupiter in Scorpio, and the Russia Mercury at 17 Scorpio.
Well, here’s hoping! However, I have to wonder what or who might replace Putin….
Bashar al-Assad in Syria could be quickly removed but who – or what – moves into the power vacuum?
Same with our friend Vlad. If/when he keels over – or takes a long walk on a short pier – who or what group replaces him? Would the replacement be any less dangerous or volatile than Putin is now? How do the former soviet republics re-arrange their responses to new players in Moscow?
Will NATO dissolve once Putin’s hold dissolves?
Certainly an exciting time to be seen following Vlad’s leaving.
I think Truss’s comments also have to do with the NATO meeting earlier this week where scenarios were likely discussed. Putin can make all the threats he wants but as soon as a single foot strays into NATO territory the rules of engagement change. And the more desperate he gets the more likely he is to take a foolish gamble. It will likely be unpleasant but could be a turning point in the struggle.
BJ also needs to be reminded that careless talk costs lives after spilling the beans to Putin ally Modi about UK military training given in Poland. Boris just doesn’t see any point of view but his own.
I also wonder what the astrological prospects are for Zelensky. It has been mentioned elsewhere on this forum that come October his transits are concerning. Thanks for the update Marjorie.
“Putin ally Modi”
I don’t think Modi is a Putin ally.
India’s geopolitical situation is that it cannot sever military ties with Russia. USSR (and later Russia) has been supporting India in its conflict with Pakistan, whereas the west (UK and USA) has been aiding Pakistan. A large part of weaponry for India’s defence is supplied by Russia. The weaponry is very crucial to defend against two of India’s neighbours (Pakistan and China).
Economically, India cannot sever ties with the west. In the initial years after independence in the late 40s, India got more friendly with USSR (because of the anti-west mood after 300 years of colonisation) and tried to emulate the Soviet’s economic model. After the fall of the USSR and with its own economic troubles, India started adopting capitalism. With the west’s hunger for cheap everything, and also with a well educated but jobless youth, India was able to tap into globalization.
India’s interests are best served by remaining neutral. Indian neutrality is not new. During the cold war, even though India was very much aligned with USSR, it was one of the founding members of the Non-Aligned Movement.
So, Modi is not Putin’s ally. The current stance is what will be best for India. Moreover, India has tried to remain neutral in war matters for most of its post-independent history.
EU is paying a billion euros into Russian coffers every day. EU is worried now as the war is in its borders and fears Putin will have eyes on EU’s territory next. EU was very much slent when Russia invaded Checnya and Georgia or even, Crimean event of 2014? Germany and France approved the sale of weapons to Russia even after 2014 by using a loophole in the sanctions, and Germany continued to build NS2. For now, it suits the EU geopolitically to be against Russia. But, economically, it continues its ties with Russia. We do not call EU a Putin ally, or do we? 😉
@Sounh: I agree the EU is hypocritical buying gas while supplying arms but at least there is real support for Ukraine which I haven’t seen from either India or China which is interesting given the number of Indian students who were studying in UA and China’s own interest in the mineral wealth of that country. I think that makes them an ally of said despot. But I guess we will have to agree to differ on that point.
@Souhn, I respectfully disagree here. The dynamics India has with Russian leadership is very different, and much more profound than that EU has. Two main reasons: 1) The EC was founded, specifically, to ensure energy supply in Capitalist Western Europe. Founding members were and are also NATO founding member. During the Cold War, Soviet Union actively opposed to EC membership of militarily neutral capitalist countries Austria, Sweden, and Finland. We were only able to start membership procedures to EC in 1991. Former Soviet or Block countries, also have either joined NATO first, EU then, mostly because EU has much larger legislative scope than NATO. But essentially, both Soviet Union and Russia now have an adversary stance to EC/EU, so regardless on how “EU” views Russia/Soviet Union, their stance is adversary. This wasn’t, essentially, understood by some of the founding members who thought “mutual benefit through the trade” policy would work with Russia. 2) EU is made of 25 sovereign countries, with different histories and stances on Russia. Baltic Countries, Finland, and Poland which either have been fully or partially part of Russian Empire and/or Soviet Union, have always had a very different outlook to Russia than Western European countries.
India, on the other hand, viewed Soviet Union as their champion against former imperial hosts and their heirs. What’s absolutely lacking in comments of Indians even today is the basic willingness to admit that Russia/Soviet Union were and are an Imperial power as well. While they might have been “friendly” to peoples in developing World beyond their borders, they were and are ruthless to nations within and close their borders.
I think Liz Trusses comments are more to do with her own political ambitions than with the actual conflict. Her rhetoric has little bearing on the conflict, and she knows it. She is sensing a leadership contest soon.
In current circumstances she could be the most likely winner if Johnson goes.
Memo to Liz Truss: Careless talk costs lives.
I think it’s more directed towards her conservative base than Russia. With tories anticipating losses in May elections, Truss is sensing an opportunity.
Totally agree – she is shamelessly electioneering. But my reservation is that Russia will take slight at any “provocation” and act accordingly (by their lights). They are spoiling for a fight and Truss “trying to be Maggie” is unhelpful in a tinder-box situation.