The Moves Afoot- Putin Ploy

13 January 2026

In February 2022, Biden Administration assessed that Russia would be bogged down in an attritional and insurgent war in Ukraine and that would be the anvil upon which the Anglican dream of ripping apart Russia could be hammered. Cut to now approaching February 2026, four years on, Russia is on course to annex much of Eastern Ukraine and the Russian origin Odessa by any means visualised. Trump’s America First recasting of Monroe Doctrine has made him dangle to Europe the threat of annexation of Greenland, which had made the Kingdom of Denmark nervous and Greenlanders sound pathetic, crying hoarse over betrayal despite their loyalty. How Trump created the diversion called Venezuela, where the kidnap of the first couple Maduro makes for headlines in New York City, while the Venezuelans appear to have remained non plussed. Using Venezuela, Trump tested the waters of Europe’s oldest Imperial Colonial nations- UK, France, Germany Italy and Spain. By extension, should we add Denmark?

In the meanwhile, America seized a Russian flagged tanker in the waters off Venezuela. It is clear that Putin was offering easy meat, since the flagged and renamed Marinera, was being shadowed by a Russian submarine and a surface vessel, who chose to abandon it off Iceland when American Marine Commandos boarded it. The tanker had refused earlier attempts by US Coast Guard and Navy to be boarded and hence Special Forces were deployed as per sources. Considering the geolocation, Russians could have interdicted using their strategic bombers or even their own Spetsnaz from the submarine or surface vessel, but they chose to walk away.

Then the American influencers led by Senator Graham, Trump himself on Truth Social, talked up an end to the Iranian regime. Riots broke out across Iran and there was violence orchestrated in last 48 hours. It suddenly quelled, with a massive rally in favour of the regime in Teheran and other urban centres. So what was happening? It now is speculated that Russians were busy the whole of last week transporting and helping instal StarLink jammers, which they had expertise in after their SMO experience where secure communications for Ukrainian military and NATO advisors is through StarLink. So Iranians were able to jam the internet and soon the Mossad agents lit up using their Star Link gear which was then roasted and the agents numbering more than 600 were arrested by Iranian Police. The public was wary, for even the regime’s worst detractors know that leaning Westward now meant only exploitation by the former colonials and America. Venezuela stood as a convincing example for Iranian anti Islamic insurgents. So was this why Trump played the Maduro card? Iranian Public Television actually claimed that a hacker group called Handala had obtained the addresses and exact locations of Mossad agents and their handlers.

So whatever is happening, the logic of Trump trying to stay focused on America and not get embroiled in Middle East surfaces to the fore. The actions of Trump 2.0 since Day One has been to limit American footprint in Europe and Asia, which is why President Trump actually thought he was a good choice for Nobel, given how Obama had got one despite continuing or creating new conflicts. If you look at previous American regime change efforts, the Maduro Kidnap appears as a footnote in terms of military boots, body bags ( including civilian casualties of the invaded country), paling against a narrative of WMD for Iraq dubbed Operation Iraqi Freedom and God Knows what for Libya dubbed as Operation Unified Protector. So while the reach and power of American Military is yet unchallenged in conventional domain, the watering down of such power is either a deliberate ploy or a hat tip to the acknowledgement of multipolarity and the rise of China. Whichever way, History will be kind to Trump. It will make him appear pragmatic and easy dealing, compared to his immediate predecessor and Obama.

So, is Russia staying the hand in Caracas? Is Russia steadying the hand in Teheran? Is Russia now again a factor in Syria? Even as Gaza faces the wettest and clammy winter ever, in conditions that can be far from humanitarian, it must be said that the ceasefire holds. There are no IDF air raids or drone strikes in all of occupied Palestine, West Bank included, after the initial dragging out of the Trump deal. In contrast Biden accelerated the end of Assad Regime, dismantled the Beirut mandate for Hezbollah and allowed Bibi Netanyahu a free hand. Domestically Trump now appears far more credible despite the excesses of ICE.

One has long held the view, that Zionist aggression was a dividend of the collapse of the bipolar world. The end of Soviet Union, the rise of American unipolarity, allowed this free picking of regime change ordered by Tel Aviv, as now documented and dissected by security and geostrategic analysts globally. With the documentation of ISIS as a CIA, Mossad creation, with the embrace of Syrian leader Jolani, the attacks based on pagers in Lebanon, the internal unrest being staged in Iran, the link of the West’s premier intelligence agencies to narco terrorism and jihadi terrorism is out in the open. Add to this the consternation arising from reports that Indian civilians were involved under Mossad and arrested in Iran! It shows that no culture or religious denomination can escape the tentacles of the Zionist American Deep State cabal.

China appears to be playing this one out. Chinese have a huge inventory of contracts and statutes which are backed by sovereign guarantees for every Belt and Road project and investment package across the world, including Venezuela. Hence the choice of forcing these contractual obligations is right up front. Most possibly should Americans or for that matter, even Venezuelans decline to honour them, we could see litigation where parties will be Western companies who as financial institutions and assessors, coauthored those contracts or were cosignatories. Chinese would recover costs from these intermediaries who benefit if contracts are upheld put who get financially punished if they fail. And then there’s always the Chinese domestic cat to catch the mice if the foreign ones fail to.

Do not be surprised if 2026 turns out to be the year when settled boundaries get thrown up like confetti. If Greenland becomes the 51st Star after Hawaii in 1960, or that Novorus gets into Russia with Odessa as its capital. The status of Canada, Mexico, Baltic trio of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia are now increasingly weary and wary over the shadow of Big Brother next door. There will be concessions, there will be corridors, there will be supplication. In real politik, there’s simply no other go! You got to bend the knee to the guy whose knee is on your neck.

You can see how Europe’s refusal to treat Russia as inherent to its security calculus is going to cost it. Russia’s presence in Asia is stabilising because the Central Asians, the Persians, the Gulf countries all see Russia as a stabilising force and have worked to involve Russia. Even India has gone back to Russia, with PM Modi hosting a very visible and high value visit by President Putin in December of the past year. India has thawed her relations with China, after 3 years of ‘neither here nor there’, even as trade has continued to burgeon across the two most populous nations of the world. Will NATO collapse or compromise to the shift of sovereignty of Greenland? A collapse will mean a free fall for Eastern Europe, particularly the Arc from Poland to the Baltics, as it will face a now resurgent Russia.

In chaos there is always opportunity. China and India will try to gain as much from this throes that America under Trump is twisting and tossing the West with! And both gain from their better understanding of the one person who definitely saw this future- Mr Putin!