As the aggressor escalates the war, this Russian regime is no better than its Soviet predecessor in its determination to subjugate parts of Europe and enforce its malign influence throughout the world.
The tragedy is that we could have seen it crushed once and for all, only had we the will to do so. The reality is that we have forced Ukraine to defend itself with one arm tied behind its back: We forbad it to use our munitions to take the fight to Russia, and we consistently failed to implement a sanctions regime that would have brought its relatively small and hydrocarbon-based economy to its knees.
Even as things stand, there are enormous strains in Russia’s fuel markets as a consequence of sustained Ukrainian drone attacks on attacks on Russian refineries. With the result that kilometre-long queues at petrol stations are not in Russia’s eastern Regions, and wholesale prices for petrol and diesel have hit record highs. Officially, the reasons are no longer hidden – refineries are shutting down after Ukrainian drone strikes. During peak summer days, up to 14% of processing capacity was idle. Some of the largest refineries have stopped receiving supplies of crude oil.
Ukraine’s drones are also targeting the export terminals and pipelines.
In addition, Russian refineries were constructed by Western oil companies and they are fast running out of parts, only some of which can be supplied by China
Russia’s problem is that its refineries are concentrated in closer to Europe, within reach of Ukraine’s drones, but industrial consumption had been growing in the east thousands of kilometres away, creating a logistical vulnerability, hence the queues at petrol stations.
Lest any Russian stuck in a queue at the petrol station complains, the state is increasing its surveillance of all its citizens.
Starting this month, the Russian Messenger Max will become mandatory for preinstallation on all devices in Russia. The app accesses the device’s camera every 5-10 minutes, even when running in the background. In effect, a smartphone turns into an Orwellian monitor for the security services, switching on without the owner’s knowledge.
The app collects all your contacts and text input, it tracks location. All the user’s conversations will be available to state security services.
And what might they do with recalcitrant Russians, and anyone else for that matter, caught expressing dissent?
Well, reports indicate that Russia is about to withdraw from the European Convention on the Prevention of Torture (not that its membership made any difference to the citizens of Bakhmut).
As the sell-out of plucky and resourceful Ukraine proceeds, we should reflect on the missed opportunity to remove the greatest challenge to world peace, prosperity, and freedom.