Putin plays chess, but does everyone know that? Right now his geopolitical plan is nearing a crucial move.
I quote the popular Russian joke from Tyler Durden over at zerohedge.com
“What’s it like playing chess with Obama?” asks a top aid of Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Putin replies: “It’s like playing chess with a pigeon. First it knocks over all the pieces, then it shits on the board, and finally it struts around like it won.”
Putin opened with the annexation of the Crimea then allowed the downing of a Dutch airliner in July 2014. Western response: hot air.
In 2015 his APT28 / FancyBear group of hackers almost destroyed the French TV network TV5Monde.
Recently he bluffed with the ceasefire in Syria, then moved an S-300 anti-aircraft system into Syria, purportedly to defend the naval base at Tartus. From what? From an offensive move which may be triggered by his next series of moves. It’s a precaution, building a defensive flank and at the same time resolving the Syria issue as Aleppo is completely destroyed.
There is a vacuum period approaching in US politics, the critical phase in the current game, as the US moves into the short strokes period of the Presidential election. Obama is lame and both of his likely replacements have major weaknesses.
And now the US has solid evidence that Putin and Fancy Bear has been interfering in the Presidential election process, hacking the Democratic campaign management systems – even probing the systems used to collect the votes. How serious can it get?
This is all against a background of continuous probing of UK air defences by long range bombers. Who knows what his submarines are up to?
The overall picture is one of preparations for a major thrust and his next moves will be crucial as he capitalises on the US political vacuum. Where will the spearhead of his attack be?
Christmas will be interesting this year.
