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Is Vladimir Putin now caught in a Chinese finger trap? Oligarchs are starting to turn on Vlad Putin, just as the Chinese ambassador is now becoming the most important man in Moscow.
American Thinker ^ | 03/07/2022 | Monica Showalter

Posted on 03/07/2022 6:58:17 AM PST by SeekAndFind

As bad as Joe Biden and his wretched allies in Europe are, they aren't anywhere near the level of trouble that Vladimir Putin is, as the latter's war on Ukraine drags on with no results.

Putin has not only not won his war, he's now in hock to China, as another Chinese puppet-string actor, which is a wretched booby prize to succor. China's help is likely to provide some comfort to Putin's economy in Russia for now, but it leaves Putin in roughly the same position as Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela, who only stays in power due to Russia's patronage.

Richard Fernandez, via Twitter, has some observations:

What am I getting wrong? By starting the war Putin lost the gas sale of the century, ruined this year's wheat harvest and is in hock to China. Where's he making it back? — wretchardthecat (@wretchardthecat) March 6, 2022

It seems inescapable that, by going to war, Putin has undermined the system of oligarchs and strongmen of which he occupies the apex. From now on, the Chinese ambassador is the second most important man in Moscow. The longer the war the bigger he gets. — wretchardthecat (@wretchardthecat) March 6, 2022

As every bum knows, when you have to cadge drinks and mooch meals, you can pretend to be the big man but who are you kidding? — wretchardthecat (@wretchardthecat) March 6, 2022

Putin's the bum in that one, because he's bumming favors off China - finance, wheat buying, oil and coal buying, internet, help on bank and financial transactions.

Putin threw it all on the table when he opted to invade Ukraine and he's losing his shirt. Russia's economy is ruined when it could have been so good what with all those gas sales.

(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; News/Current Events; Russia
KEYWORDS: china; oligarchs; putin; ukraine
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1 posted on 03/07/2022 6:58:17 AM PST by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind
Worse still, the oligarchs who are the most important people in Putin's inner circle are starting to turn on him. Oligarchs are being targeted with sanctions across the board from Europe and the U.S., and now some have begun speaking out against the war.

Here is one list of them:

And here is another:

“As a Russian citizen I plead with you to stop Russians killing their Ukrainian brothers and sisters. As a British citizen I ask you to save Europe from war,” wrote [Evgeny] Lebedev, who is the son of oligarch and former KGB agent Alexander Lebedev.

...

Three other Russian business tycoons — metals magnate Oleg Deripaska, Alfa Bank founder Mikhail Fridman and banker Oleg Tinkov — also urged an end to the war.

Deripaska, who founded the Rusal aluminum company and is considered an ally of Putin, wrote on the Telegram messaging service that “peace is very important” and talks to end the war should begin “as soon as possible.”


2 posted on 03/07/2022 6:59:35 AM PST by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

I hope it’s true, but I won’t believe it until I see action.


3 posted on 03/07/2022 7:00:46 AM PST by babble-on
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To: SeekAndFind

Is Putin caught in a Chinese Finger Trap?

WHY YES HE IS! The KGB 9D chess master got full of himself and screwed up big time, a strategic disaster.


4 posted on 03/07/2022 7:01:21 AM PST by BiglyCommentary
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To: SeekAndFind

I think there is a increasing real chance Putin could face a Nikita Khrushchev style deposal. Those Russian oligarchs are losing their shirts and are not interested in losing more.


5 posted on 03/07/2022 7:02:43 AM PST by RayChuang88 (FairTax: America's Economic Cure)
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To: SeekAndFind

Everyone in Russia, from the lowest common man to the wealthiest oligarch, is getting screwed over royally by Vlad’s megalomaniac stunt.


6 posted on 03/07/2022 7:03:33 AM PST by BiglyCommentary
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To: SeekAndFind

Pretty good synopsis.


7 posted on 03/07/2022 7:07:35 AM PST by ought-six (Multiculturalism is national suicide, and political correctness is the cyanide capsule. )
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To: RayChuang88

“I think there is a increasing real chance Putin could face a Nikita Khrushchev style deposal.”

I think you are right. Russia will tolerate almost anything, but not national humiliation.


8 posted on 03/07/2022 7:09:49 AM PST by ought-six (Multiculturalism is national suicide, and political correctness is the cyanide capsule. )
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To: RayChuang88
Khrushchev was lucky. Earlier Soviet leaders who fell out of favor faced firing squads or at best exile and assassination (Trotsky). Putin dealt with at least one exiled dissident with poisoning with radioactive materials. Russians are as ruthless as our own Deep State, e.g., the Clinton death list.
9 posted on 03/07/2022 7:14:12 AM PST by Wallace T.
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To: SeekAndFind

The Chinese are not his ‘friends’.
They will stab him in the back at their earliest convenience.

They led him to believe they had his back.

They do.

With a knife....................


10 posted on 03/07/2022 7:14:38 AM PST by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegal aliens are put up in hotels.....................)
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To: Red Badger

That reminds me of when Saddam was panicking and asked Iran if he could fly his planes to their teritory. They said “Sure” and then just kept all of them. No honor among low life murderous scum.


11 posted on 03/07/2022 7:19:36 AM PST by BiglyCommentary
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To: SeekAndFind

The rising cacophony seemingly everywhere now that Ukraine/Zelensky good and Putin/Russia bad is deafening.

It’s an echo chamber with exponentially increasing volume.

And it comes at a time when the Deep State ‘west’ has shut off ANYTHING Russian, from oil, financial systems to media.

Nonetheless, Russia is purposely and happily exiting fiat-based FED-based SWIFT, moving to Precious Metals, and taking out pockets of Deep State.


12 posted on 03/07/2022 7:21:09 AM PST by C210N (Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.)
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To: BiglyCommentary

13 posted on 03/07/2022 7:23:21 AM PST by C210N (Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.)
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To: SeekAndFind

So Belarus and Kazakhstan are subordinate to Russia, and Russia has become subordinate to China. Poetic justice for Putin.


14 posted on 03/07/2022 7:23:22 AM PST by Chad_the_Impaler
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To: babble-on

I’m not sure we should be that happy about this situation. On a national level, Russia has been the hold-out to the globalists - a very imperfect and unfortunate one, to be sure; and one who joined them when it suited its purpose. However, if the globalists succeed in destroying Russia’s ability to be independent of them, that means it’s just China and the globalists who will control all of our livelihoods. If they can cancel Russia, doing the same to any of us might be next.


15 posted on 03/07/2022 7:24:01 AM PST by Madam Theophilus
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To: SeekAndFind

Apparently Putin didn’t think his cunning plan through enough.


16 posted on 03/07/2022 7:27:11 AM PST by SkyDancer ( I make airplanes fly, what's your super power?)
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To: C210N

“and Putin/Russia bad is deafening.“

Yeah, invading a neighboring sovereign nation for no reason generally doesn’t make anyone sympathetic to the invader.


17 posted on 03/07/2022 7:27:35 AM PST by HereInTheHeartland (remorse)
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To: SeekAndFind
I can picture Xi humming this to the melody of "I'll Take Manhattan":

I’ll take Siberia
Up to the Urals
And Kazakhstan too
My tanks come rolling through
Screw you

18 posted on 03/07/2022 7:30:00 AM PST by katana
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To: SeekAndFind

He can probably lose them if he’s able to keep China’s support.


19 posted on 03/07/2022 7:35:36 AM PST by bigbob
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To: SeekAndFind

“when you have to cadge drinks and mooch meals, you can pretend to be the big man but who are you kidding?”

Russia’s had to beg the West for aid to bail out their economy several times since the glorious revolution. I don’t think they have a lot of shame about it. To them, they probably see it as successfully conning their enemy out of a big payday.


20 posted on 03/07/2022 7:35:50 AM PST by Boogieman
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