Interlude: кто кого? - Putin's MO

No, not his medical officer (the US seems to be giving him something of a clean bill of health just now, despite the shakes and the dreadful steroid-y appearance of May).  In between posts on UK nuclear power plants, here we refer to a detail of the way Putin is conducting his operations, military and ‘civil’.

Exhibit A: Odessa and the grain deal

No sooner has Russia signed the grain export deal, it bombards Odessa, the very port in question.

Exhibit B: Nord Stream 1

Despite much nervousness on the subject, gas deliveries from Nord Stream (1) did indeed recommence last Friday after its routine summer maintenance – albeit at the level of only 40% of capacity (despite demand for 100%), just as had been the case for several weeks before the maintenance, on a pretext the Germans and many independent sources insist is spurious.  Two days later, this flow is reduced to 20% on an even more spurious pretext.

There’s a pattern here.  Make a modest conciliatory gesture, followed immediately by a punch in the face.  Proves who’s boss.  кто кого?  Don’t imagine we ever take any of our options off the table: we reserve our rights to do Absolutely Anything.  

I imagine they taught this stuff at KGB interrogation school. 

ND