Time for Ukraine and for its President Volodymyr Zelensky is running out...
Many analysts estimate that the impending winter will be the worst since the outbreak of the war and that Kyiv will suffer relentlessly, being essentially defenseless against Russian missiles and drones.
Russian officials point out that Ukraine has crossed the point of no return, while it is estimated that, given the demographic collapse underway, the country may not even... exist in the next 50 years.
Zelensky sees that the final card he played, namely his threats to close Russian airspace, backfired on him like a boomerang...
Indeed, Russian media, and specifically Russian news agency RIA Novosti, cite a report by Bankingnews, arguing that this move by the Ukrainian President «gave Russia an additional reason for a strike»...
Indeed, Zelensky took yet another suicidal step, a move that brings the end of Ukraine closer...
Paper... threats
Messaging from Kyiv and its supporters over recent days shows that the gradual but relentless destruction of Ukraine's military-economic potential is entering a critical phase, and that the cornered, ostensible president of Kyiv has decided to exit «in grand style».
As recalled, on September 1 Zelensky announced that from now on the airspace over Russia, due to Ukrainian drones, is «in practice closed» and that flights within it for Western airlines «are no longer safe».
Support from Western media
This maneuver was supported by a forceful messaging campaign across Western and pro-Western media, where, following the exact same line, identical arguments and threats were presented, alongside matching statements from the same «curated» expert organization.
As has often happened in the past, final talking points were channeled through The Wall Street Journal in an article titled «Ukraine's next target, closing Russia's commercial airspace».
The core excerpts intended to stick with readers are: «The vast number of drones and the activity of Russian air defense attempting to shoot them down create mounting hazards for civilian aircraft, aviation safety specialists estimate. (...) It is probably merely a matter of time before, statistically speaking, another catastrophic incident occurs within or around this conflict zone».
Permanent pressure
At the same time, neither in Kyiv nor in Europe do they conceal the true background of the situation.
Specifically, spokesperson for the Southern Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Bratchuk, stated that «this is no longer merely a recurrence of isolated, sporadic emergency alerts, but a transition to permanent pressure aimed at paralyzing civilian air traffic across the European part of the Russian Federation».
Concurrently, the British newspaper The Independent admitted outright that this entire narrative was orchestrated because «the threat from Ukraine could force Putin to begin negotiations to end the conflict».
The reference to Bankingnews
The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, stated that Zelensky's threats against civilian aircraft in Russian airspace constitute a «declaration of intent for state terrorism» and that «Moscow will find a way to respond if Kyiv attempts to implement these threats».
Many foreign commentators agreed that Zelensky ultimately crossed the red line and, through his actions, effectively untied the hands of the Russian leadership.
As pointed out by Russian news agency RIA Novosti, Greek media outlet Bankingnews wrote that, «as a result, he himself (Zelensky) gave Russia an additional reason for a strike, in response to the attempt to close airspace».
Finishing off Zelensky
Why did Zelensky decide to proceed with a self-destructive move?
The issue is that Ukraine has objectively begun to collapse and, in all likelihood, Zelensky will soon be eliminated either by his own circle or by the British themselves, leaving him no option but to bluff to the very end.
As Italian newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano (IFQ) pointed out yesterday, «Ukraine is already destroyed, but Zelensky, in order to prevail over Russia, does not even worry about the risk of nuclear war», in which everyone will perish.
Harsh winter
As Bloomberg writes in the article «Ukraine braces for brutal winter at mercy of Russian air strikes», Ukraine «has essentially exhausted its missile defense capabilities», while Russia «exploits the widening gap, intensifying strikes and introducing other weapon types, such as a hybrid unmanned aerial vehicle named Banderol and jet-powered drones that have proved exceptionally difficult to intercept».
According to the report, August was the worst month for Ukraine since 2022, while its allies are in no hurry to supply their final stockpiles.
Non-existent air defense
The Russian military is applying pressure on the adversary across all fronts.
According to statistical data from the Ukrainian monitoring program Shahed Tracker, the effectiveness of Ukrainian air defense against Russian strike UAVs has been declining for the fourth consecutive month.
Over the past week alone, the Russian Aerospace Forces executed 18 massive and group strikes across Ukraine.
Every day new defense industry facilities, alongside energy, fuel, and logistics infrastructure, are neutralized.
Shortages of food and essential goods
In many Ukrainian cities, shortages of staple foodstuffs and basic necessities have emerged on store shelves.
Rolling power blackouts are becoming the standard.
Due to Ukraine's isolation from the Black Sea and from Western transit corridors, the country's national budget is dissipating rapidly.
The military is depleted
On September 3, a press conference of representatives from the country's agricultural and mining-metallurgical sectors took place in Ukraine, where it was declared that «in metallurgy the situation is critical», while «in the agricultural sector the condition is no better».
Concurrently, according to the Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Russia, Sergei Naryshkin, Ukraine's remaining mobilization potential will be practically exhausted within the coming year.
As Vladimir Putin recently stated, Ukraine «is trying to avert a catastrophic development of the situation, yet such prospects are already clearly visible».
Zelensky chose to turn himself into a cardboard kamikaze, yet what appears in store for him is merely a shallow pit and a cardboard placard marked «Unknown».
Anton Kobyakov (Putin advisor): The point of no return has been crossed in Ukraine, One birth for every 4 deaths
For his part, advisor to the President of Russia and Executive Secretary of the Organizing Committee of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF), Anton Kobyakov, argued that in Ukraine the «point of no return» has been surpassed and that the country confronts the danger of demographic collapse.
Kobyakov argued that Ukraine is exhausting its «human manpower for the front», while, as he noted, the country's Western partners are proposing lowering the draft age and initiating the mobilization of women into the armed forces.
«At the same time, the country records merely one birth for every four deaths.
In Ukraine the point of no return has been crossed; from here on it is purely demographic shrinkage», argued Kobyakov, stating that only Russia can save Ukraine from such an outcome.
Andrii Sybiha (Foreign Minister of Ukraine): Each day of war with Russia costs Ukraine 450 million dollars
One day of war with Russia costs Ukraine 450 million dollars, or approximately 39 billion rubles, stated the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Andrii Sybiha, in an interview with Kazakh media outlet Ulysmedia published on YouTube.
«One day of war costs us 450 million dollars», stated the head of Ukrainian diplomacy.
According to him, Ukraine requires a functionally effective economy.
Andrii Sybiha noted that precisely for this reason, rising prices for Ukrainian agricultural produce constitute a highly sensitive matter for Kyiv.
Politico: Frustration in Kyiv
Efforts by Ukraine to secure additional air defense equipment from its Western partners have yielded no results thus far, while Kyiv appears increasingly irritated by dwindling arms deliveries, reports Politico.
According to the publication, Kyiv is leaning on its allies to obtain more interceptor missiles and supplementary financing, without tangible results to date.
«Kyiv launched a new campaign, requesting air defense systems and financial aid from its Western partners...
However, a series of meetings this week (from the informal gathering of European Union defense ministers to the dedicated meeting of NATO ambassadors) produced zero results», the article states.
As Politico reports, Kyiv appears «increasingly irritated» by the curtailment of shipments of critical weapons systems.
An anonymous Ukrainian official, speaking to Politico, described the necessity of «begging» for each discrete aid package as «an endless and frustrating saga».
Politico also notes that, even if an adequate inventory of interceptor systems were available on the market, Ukraine currently finds itself in an exceptionally precarious financial standing.
www.bankingnews.gr
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