Was wondering when the Slavlands blog would report the Shevtsova news... I stumbled on it a few days ago on the GREY ZONE telegram channel.
So... first they sack her because of the corruption in the Russian MoD, and next they let her fly away to the "enemy" so that she can take care of her estates that she bought with money that should've gone to equip the troops... Looks like the reforms are speeding up...
I'm reading Decipher by Stel Pavlou, which is about a 12,000 year solar storm cycle that produces cataclysmic destruction on earth. It's got everything, Atlantis, pyramids, Antarctica, ancient underground cities, a lost language, carbon 60, you name it. It includes a great quote by Napoleon: "History is a set of lies agreed upon." Pretty much our motto here.
Anyway, solar weather, Auroras, the cult of Sol Invictus have all been in my milieu this month, and now Chizhevsky to research!
Just paid you. My subscription renewed the other day. Perhaps you can do the opposite of a PayWall and block out all mention of us becoming paid subs if we're already paid subs? Unfortunately, SubStack yet has that level of functionality.
I think it's fairly obvious that Escobar is willing to be a mouthpiece for anonymous sources in the security/intelligence establishments of China and possibly Russia, in spite of what he publicly admits. His long history of English language articles extolling the BRICS alone corroborates this notion. He may also have other anonymous sources in Western governments.
I've often wondered what the true source of backing for the Asia Times was. That's where I first encountered Escobar's writing. ATimes had other shadowy writers like the pseudonymous "Spengler" whose writing implied that he was some reactionary Catholic conservative. Back in 2009, Philip Weiss outed him as David P. Goldman.
Goldman had quite an interesting background. He was chief economist for a Wall St investment bank, and also the formerly pseudonymous chief economics correspondent for the Lyndon LaRouche movement, which is famous for promulgating narratives about the British crown, the Rothschild family, the Bush family, and the CIA's involvement in drug smuggling.
David P. Goldman is now a proud Zionist and regularly attended religious services at a Park Avenue synagogue according to Philip Weiss:
What he was doing posing as a Catholic reactionary and working for the ostensibly anti-Wall Street Lyndon LaRouche movement is quite a mystery.
Hopefully, Escobar's history as an AsiaTimes correspondent isn't quite as enigmatic as David P Goldman's. To me, Escobar comes off as open book: He clearly presents himself as a a journalist with sources empathetic or close to China and Russia. But you can never be certain of what is undisclosed.
Pepe is a monstrous ego who gets the Royal Tour of Russia every once in a while for further inflation. The only upside is that he no longer quotes French post-modernists to show how clever he is.
Sir all you do is talk about Z and their idiot ideas and conspiracy theories. This page is becoming too obsessed with Z and proving them wrong. Just give your analysis and ignore Z, it’s that simple.
Well, it depends on how far back with Escobar political analysis or political fantasies as you call them, you want to go. I’m talking about the period 2003 - 2005. And even before that in Southeast Asia, going back into the 90s. But I lost touch with him years ago.
must say i find the petty (in spirit - grand in material terms off) larceny of these officials a bit of a slog, especially given that they are obviously doing it all and likely more. all the same, the work needs to be done, so fair play to you for doing it.
the solar stuff at the end is a real gem and really interesting tangent. i've found Chizevsky's book as a starter but there appear to be many strands there to pick on.
would love more on the topic from you if you find the time.
Maybe they are not working for the 'West'. It's all just a swamp of corruption, with the denizens trying to exploit each other to make money and gain prominence. Naturally the most yiddish win.
Robert Baer was a CIA case officer for more than 20 years. He became very disillusioned after he found Washington had lost interest in recruiting agents, and his bosses and their masters were only interested in covering their asses and getting bribed by those with connections who want to use the American state to profit their commercial interests. He wrote an excellent book, 'See No Evil', about his experiences, including in the Russian fringe countries.
A senior Russian officer asked him how Washington would react if a coup replaced Yeltsin with Lebed. Washington said they preferred 'Democracy', so you can blame Putin on them!
Also he has stories about corruption in Tajikistan and Kazakhstan, as well as the self serving in Washington. A good read, from one of the guys who would have been doing the recruiting - if it had been allowed.
Some interesting articles in the Nafo propaganda of Jamestown Foundation, maybe it will help Rurik's hopefully upcoming deep dive on Belarus:
Complications in Belarus’s Relations With Armenia and Israel
Grigory Ioffe
Executive Summary:
Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka recently made a series of public pronouncements that have provoked Armenia and Israel and placed Belarus in an even more precarious geopolitical position.
Lukashenka’s flippant comments in Azerbaijan, tense relationship with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and series of anti-Semitic comments demonstrate how irresponsible official rhetoric can set off a breakdown in bilateral relations.
The row over Lukashenka’s comments presents a warning that careless public diplomacy and/or the misinterpretation of official comments or actions can contribute to the exacerbation of geopolitical tensions and the spilling over of conflicts
and one from that great Russian ally and fellow CSTO/EaEU:
Kazakhstan and the West Look to Strengthen Rare-Earth Cooperation
Nurbek Bekmurzaev
Executive Summary:
In June, Kazakhstan voiced its plans to declassify data on rare-earth and rare-metal deposits as well as a renewed effort to attract Western investment to mine and process the country’s vast reserves.
Russia’s war against Ukraine has exposed the European Union and Western countries’ reliance on China as the main exporter and Russia as the main transit country for rare earths delivered to Europe. Kazakhstan presents a promising chance to limit that dependency.
Attracting foreign investment and adopting new technologies will be key, and the United States, United Kingdom, and European Union are quickly becoming central players in maximizing the potential of Kazakhstan’s REE and RM industry.
and finally:
Russia Seeks to Maintain Battlefield Initiative on Eve of NATO Summit
Pavel K. Baev
Executive Summary:
Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to assert that Russia maintains the initiative in its war against Ukraine while facing a deteriorating economy, significant manpower shortages, and strengthened Western solidarity.
The growing supply of artillery shells, gradual improvement of Ukraine’s missile defense system, and increased air capabilities could turn the tide of the war in the coming weeks.
The rising trend in Western solidarity to ensure Ukraine will win the war through pledging arms and economic support is certain to gain new momentum at the coming NATO summit.
The ever-changing battlefield dynamics of Moscow’s war against Ukraine have made it impossible for predictions to be accurately tied to the political calendar. This unpredictability is particularly acute in the lead-up to one of the most critical events of 2024—the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Washington on July 9–11. Recently, Russia’s war-making has included renewed efforts to increase pressure on Ukraine and thus foster discord between the transatlantic allies (see EDM, May 28, June 3, 10). Those efforts have been centered on the offensive operation in the Kharkiv direction, which gained some ground in the first couple of weeks but has now been exhausted and started to roll back. Combat operations have reached an unstable equilibrium, granting NATO and its partners an opportunity to recalibrate their strategy for defeating Russia’s aggression calmly and carefully (Nezavisimaya Gazeta, June 26).
Russian President Vladimir Putin insists that Russian forces maintain the initiative on the battlefield and will receive new weapon systems, including intermediate-range missiles, which Moscow will reportedly begin producing soon (Izvestiya, June 28). Putin’s assertion reveals that the tactical fiasco in the Kharkiv region amounts to a strategic failure on Moscow’s part, as several key Ukraine supporters, including the United States, have granted Kyiv consent for using long-distance weapon systems to strike military targets inside Russia’s territory (see EDM, June 3; The Insider, June 24). The accuracy of these strikes depends on the supply of real-time intelligence, and Kyiv’s Western partners can assist with determining proper target coordinates. Meanwhile, Russian High Command still demands authorization for attacking the US-made RQ-4 Global Hawk and MQ-9 Reaper drones over international waters in the Black Sea, which would signify high-risk escalation (Izvestiya, June 29).
On the one hand, the near-intercept of an unarmed US drone by a Russian Su-35 fighter last week in Syria and a possible direct hit in the Black Sea theater could cast a shadow over the NATO summit (The Moscow Times, June 28; RIA Novosti, June 29). On the other hand, such an action could prompt Ukraine’s partners to focus more on coordinating joint increases in the supply of arms and munitions to Ukraine for the coming months. The question of charting a path for Ukraine’s accession to the alliance, which dominated the previous NATO summit in Vilnius, has begun to be resolved by a series of bilateral agreements on security commitments, including the most recent one with the European Union and the soon-to-be-signed agreement with Poland (Forbes.ru, June 27; Lenta.ru, June 29). These agreements represent a stepping stone to Ukraine’s eventual NATO membership, not a replacement as such (see EDM, May 16, 20).
The arrival of several squadrons of F-16 fighter jets combined with the increased supply of artillery shell and gradual strengthening of air defense systems could turn the tide of the war in the coming weeks. The Czech initiative to jointly purchase artillery shells from various (often undisclosed) sources has helped weaken Russian superiority in firepower, which Moscow has tried to sustain with the import of North Korean munitions (Nezavisimaya Gazeta, June 25). The deal to supply several batteries of MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air systems from Israel, which Moscow still hopes to derail, has significantly boosted Ukraine’s capacity for intercepting Russian missiles (TASS, June 28). The Russia side seeks to preserve its air superiority by launching missile strikes on bases that are preparing for F-16 deployments and threatening to hit facilities in Poland and Romania. The plan, carefully prepared by the allied “F-16 coalition,” remains firmly on track (RBC, June 20).
The steadily increasing Ukrainian edge in the quality of weapon systems is beginning to neutralize Russia’s main advantage in trench warfare—enormous manpower reserves (Re: Russia, June 27). The available data on Russian casualties is far from precise, but cross-examination of demographic statistics with evidence collected from social media and anecdotal sources provides a reasonably accurate picture of the heavy toll the war has taken on young and middle-aged Russian men (Meduza, June 27; Republic.ru, June 29). In late spring and early summer of this year, casualties have been higher than the number of new soldiers from conscription and recruitment (Novaya Gazeta Europe, June 27). The Russian prison population cannot supply “volunteers” in sufficient numbers. On June 27, Russian Investigation Committee head Alexander Bastrykin reported a new campaign to pressure labor migrants from Central Asia into the ranks of Russia’s shrinking battalions (Svoboda, June 27).
The high demand for manpower has degraded the Russian economy (see EDM, June 26, 27). The economy is struggling to follow the incompatible guidelines on expanding military production and to maintain the pre-war standards of public consumption despite growing inflation accelerated by high budget expenditures (The Insider, June 25). Ukraine is also suffering economic desolation as Russia continues its missile strikes on energy and civilian infrastructure, seeking to maximize the disruptive effects of blackouts (Finance.ua, June 18). Ukraine’s ability to withstand attrition depends increasingly on external funding, including the new credit tranche of $2.2 billion provided by the International Monetary Fund (RBC, June 29).
The European Union is sustaining the flow of economic aid and has taken a significant step forward in opening talks on Ukraine’s accession (Svoboda, June 25). Ursula von der Leyen, who secured a second term as European Commission president, plans to keep a firm hand on EU policymaking, and Ukraine remains a top priority (Kommersant, June 28). Moscow views the appointment of Kaja Kallas, current prime minister of Estonia, to the position of EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy as proof of the aggravated “Russophobia” in EU strategy (Mk.ru, June 29).
The rising trend in Western solidarity is certain to gain new momentum at the NATO summit, where the strategic goal of ensuring Russian defeat looks set to be reinforced. Moscow has no reason to expect that Mark Rutte, NATO’s new secretary-general, will show any more “understanding” of its ultimatums and deference to its “red lines” than the unwavering Jens Stoltenberg has done. Putin is loath to see Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy receive a new boost for his leadership in charting the course to bring the ugly war to a just peace. Even the Kremlin leader’s nuclear brinksmanship is unlikely to spoil this outcome.
Was wondering when the Slavlands blog would report the Shevtsova news... I stumbled on it a few days ago on the GREY ZONE telegram channel.
So... first they sack her because of the corruption in the Russian MoD, and next they let her fly away to the "enemy" so that she can take care of her estates that she bought with money that should've gone to equip the troops... Looks like the reforms are speeding up...
I'm reading Decipher by Stel Pavlou, which is about a 12,000 year solar storm cycle that produces cataclysmic destruction on earth. It's got everything, Atlantis, pyramids, Antarctica, ancient underground cities, a lost language, carbon 60, you name it. It includes a great quote by Napoleon: "History is a set of lies agreed upon." Pretty much our motto here.
Anyway, solar weather, Auroras, the cult of Sol Invictus have all been in my milieu this month, and now Chizhevsky to research!
I am game for the next solar cycle.
Слава Гиперборея
I hope you have a big bunker.
Just paid you. My subscription renewed the other day. Perhaps you can do the opposite of a PayWall and block out all mention of us becoming paid subs if we're already paid subs? Unfortunately, SubStack yet has that level of functionality.
I think it's fairly obvious that Escobar is willing to be a mouthpiece for anonymous sources in the security/intelligence establishments of China and possibly Russia, in spite of what he publicly admits. His long history of English language articles extolling the BRICS alone corroborates this notion. He may also have other anonymous sources in Western governments.
I've often wondered what the true source of backing for the Asia Times was. That's where I first encountered Escobar's writing. ATimes had other shadowy writers like the pseudonymous "Spengler" whose writing implied that he was some reactionary Catholic conservative. Back in 2009, Philip Weiss outed him as David P. Goldman.
Goldman had quite an interesting background. He was chief economist for a Wall St investment bank, and also the formerly pseudonymous chief economics correspondent for the Lyndon LaRouche movement, which is famous for promulgating narratives about the British crown, the Rothschild family, the Bush family, and the CIA's involvement in drug smuggling.
David P. Goldman is now a proud Zionist and regularly attended religious services at a Park Avenue synagogue according to Philip Weiss:
https://mondoweiss.net/2008/06/three-weeks-ago-i-did-a-post-about-the-writer-spengler-showing-how-he-used-multiple-personae-under-the-byline-shushon-he-wa/
https://mondoweiss.net/2009/03/spengler-unwittingly-outs-himself-as-david-goldman/
What he was doing posing as a Catholic reactionary and working for the ostensibly anti-Wall Street Lyndon LaRouche movement is quite a mystery.
Hopefully, Escobar's history as an AsiaTimes correspondent isn't quite as enigmatic as David P Goldman's. To me, Escobar comes off as open book: He clearly presents himself as a a journalist with sources empathetic or close to China and Russia. But you can never be certain of what is undisclosed.
Larouche as a name keeps popping up
Pepe is a monstrous ego who gets the Royal Tour of Russia every once in a while for further inflation. The only upside is that he no longer quotes French post-modernists to show how clever he is.
Prighozen...oh , I forgot his plane blew up.
He shouldn't have been playing with those grenades!
/sarcasm
Sir all you do is talk about Z and their idiot ideas and conspiracy theories. This page is becoming too obsessed with Z and proving them wrong. Just give your analysis and ignore Z, it’s that simple.
Have you seen the work of Raymond Wheeler, by any chance? He built on the work of Chizhevsky and others.
No feel free to link
https://www.jstor.org/stable/3624926
"Yeah, fuck the fucking sun; I fucking hate it, too! Long live the beast."
"The night time is the right time. The night time is the right time. The night time..."
Gold star to any Stalker out there who can tell me which comedy album from the 90s the above quote is taken from.
And no search engine cheating!
Fascinating info about Chizhevsky. Thanks! Link for more info on that https://theperihelioneffect.com/
Well, it depends on how far back with Escobar political analysis or political fantasies as you call them, you want to go. I’m talking about the period 2003 - 2005. And even before that in Southeast Asia, going back into the 90s. But I lost touch with him years ago.
Pretty smart guy
on form as always, ty sir.
must say i find the petty (in spirit - grand in material terms off) larceny of these officials a bit of a slog, especially given that they are obviously doing it all and likely more. all the same, the work needs to be done, so fair play to you for doing it.
the solar stuff at the end is a real gem and really interesting tangent. i've found Chizevsky's book as a starter but there appear to be many strands there to pick on.
would love more on the topic from you if you find the time.
Maybe they are not working for the 'West'. It's all just a swamp of corruption, with the denizens trying to exploit each other to make money and gain prominence. Naturally the most yiddish win.
Robert Baer was a CIA case officer for more than 20 years. He became very disillusioned after he found Washington had lost interest in recruiting agents, and his bosses and their masters were only interested in covering their asses and getting bribed by those with connections who want to use the American state to profit their commercial interests. He wrote an excellent book, 'See No Evil', about his experiences, including in the Russian fringe countries.
A senior Russian officer asked him how Washington would react if a coup replaced Yeltsin with Lebed. Washington said they preferred 'Democracy', so you can blame Putin on them!
Also he has stories about corruption in Tajikistan and Kazakhstan, as well as the self serving in Washington. A good read, from one of the guys who would have been doing the recruiting - if it had been allowed.
P.S. Larry Johnson interviewed Baer recently on his new channel 'Countercurrents'. He's still bitter.
Public influencers are what billionaires buy to push agendas and influence the public.
You cannot do this full time without a sugar daddy. There is no such thing as a part time revolutionary.
And revolutionary and political activity is not paid, except by billionaire sponsors.
Why are you doing it for free when everyone else is getting paid?
Some interesting articles in the Nafo propaganda of Jamestown Foundation, maybe it will help Rurik's hopefully upcoming deep dive on Belarus:
Complications in Belarus’s Relations With Armenia and Israel
Grigory Ioffe
Executive Summary:
Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka recently made a series of public pronouncements that have provoked Armenia and Israel and placed Belarus in an even more precarious geopolitical position.
Lukashenka’s flippant comments in Azerbaijan, tense relationship with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and series of anti-Semitic comments demonstrate how irresponsible official rhetoric can set off a breakdown in bilateral relations.
The row over Lukashenka’s comments presents a warning that careless public diplomacy and/or the misinterpretation of official comments or actions can contribute to the exacerbation of geopolitical tensions and the spilling over of conflicts
and one from that great Russian ally and fellow CSTO/EaEU:
Kazakhstan and the West Look to Strengthen Rare-Earth Cooperation
Nurbek Bekmurzaev
Executive Summary:
In June, Kazakhstan voiced its plans to declassify data on rare-earth and rare-metal deposits as well as a renewed effort to attract Western investment to mine and process the country’s vast reserves.
Russia’s war against Ukraine has exposed the European Union and Western countries’ reliance on China as the main exporter and Russia as the main transit country for rare earths delivered to Europe. Kazakhstan presents a promising chance to limit that dependency.
Attracting foreign investment and adopting new technologies will be key, and the United States, United Kingdom, and European Union are quickly becoming central players in maximizing the potential of Kazakhstan’s REE and RM industry.
and finally:
Russia Seeks to Maintain Battlefield Initiative on Eve of NATO Summit
Pavel K. Baev
Executive Summary:
Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to assert that Russia maintains the initiative in its war against Ukraine while facing a deteriorating economy, significant manpower shortages, and strengthened Western solidarity.
The growing supply of artillery shells, gradual improvement of Ukraine’s missile defense system, and increased air capabilities could turn the tide of the war in the coming weeks.
The rising trend in Western solidarity to ensure Ukraine will win the war through pledging arms and economic support is certain to gain new momentum at the coming NATO summit.
The ever-changing battlefield dynamics of Moscow’s war against Ukraine have made it impossible for predictions to be accurately tied to the political calendar. This unpredictability is particularly acute in the lead-up to one of the most critical events of 2024—the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Washington on July 9–11. Recently, Russia’s war-making has included renewed efforts to increase pressure on Ukraine and thus foster discord between the transatlantic allies (see EDM, May 28, June 3, 10). Those efforts have been centered on the offensive operation in the Kharkiv direction, which gained some ground in the first couple of weeks but has now been exhausted and started to roll back. Combat operations have reached an unstable equilibrium, granting NATO and its partners an opportunity to recalibrate their strategy for defeating Russia’s aggression calmly and carefully (Nezavisimaya Gazeta, June 26).
Russian President Vladimir Putin insists that Russian forces maintain the initiative on the battlefield and will receive new weapon systems, including intermediate-range missiles, which Moscow will reportedly begin producing soon (Izvestiya, June 28). Putin’s assertion reveals that the tactical fiasco in the Kharkiv region amounts to a strategic failure on Moscow’s part, as several key Ukraine supporters, including the United States, have granted Kyiv consent for using long-distance weapon systems to strike military targets inside Russia’s territory (see EDM, June 3; The Insider, June 24). The accuracy of these strikes depends on the supply of real-time intelligence, and Kyiv’s Western partners can assist with determining proper target coordinates. Meanwhile, Russian High Command still demands authorization for attacking the US-made RQ-4 Global Hawk and MQ-9 Reaper drones over international waters in the Black Sea, which would signify high-risk escalation (Izvestiya, June 29).
On the one hand, the near-intercept of an unarmed US drone by a Russian Su-35 fighter last week in Syria and a possible direct hit in the Black Sea theater could cast a shadow over the NATO summit (The Moscow Times, June 28; RIA Novosti, June 29). On the other hand, such an action could prompt Ukraine’s partners to focus more on coordinating joint increases in the supply of arms and munitions to Ukraine for the coming months. The question of charting a path for Ukraine’s accession to the alliance, which dominated the previous NATO summit in Vilnius, has begun to be resolved by a series of bilateral agreements on security commitments, including the most recent one with the European Union and the soon-to-be-signed agreement with Poland (Forbes.ru, June 27; Lenta.ru, June 29). These agreements represent a stepping stone to Ukraine’s eventual NATO membership, not a replacement as such (see EDM, May 16, 20).
The arrival of several squadrons of F-16 fighter jets combined with the increased supply of artillery shell and gradual strengthening of air defense systems could turn the tide of the war in the coming weeks. The Czech initiative to jointly purchase artillery shells from various (often undisclosed) sources has helped weaken Russian superiority in firepower, which Moscow has tried to sustain with the import of North Korean munitions (Nezavisimaya Gazeta, June 25). The deal to supply several batteries of MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air systems from Israel, which Moscow still hopes to derail, has significantly boosted Ukraine’s capacity for intercepting Russian missiles (TASS, June 28). The Russia side seeks to preserve its air superiority by launching missile strikes on bases that are preparing for F-16 deployments and threatening to hit facilities in Poland and Romania. The plan, carefully prepared by the allied “F-16 coalition,” remains firmly on track (RBC, June 20).
The steadily increasing Ukrainian edge in the quality of weapon systems is beginning to neutralize Russia’s main advantage in trench warfare—enormous manpower reserves (Re: Russia, June 27). The available data on Russian casualties is far from precise, but cross-examination of demographic statistics with evidence collected from social media and anecdotal sources provides a reasonably accurate picture of the heavy toll the war has taken on young and middle-aged Russian men (Meduza, June 27; Republic.ru, June 29). In late spring and early summer of this year, casualties have been higher than the number of new soldiers from conscription and recruitment (Novaya Gazeta Europe, June 27). The Russian prison population cannot supply “volunteers” in sufficient numbers. On June 27, Russian Investigation Committee head Alexander Bastrykin reported a new campaign to pressure labor migrants from Central Asia into the ranks of Russia’s shrinking battalions (Svoboda, June 27).
The high demand for manpower has degraded the Russian economy (see EDM, June 26, 27). The economy is struggling to follow the incompatible guidelines on expanding military production and to maintain the pre-war standards of public consumption despite growing inflation accelerated by high budget expenditures (The Insider, June 25). Ukraine is also suffering economic desolation as Russia continues its missile strikes on energy and civilian infrastructure, seeking to maximize the disruptive effects of blackouts (Finance.ua, June 18). Ukraine’s ability to withstand attrition depends increasingly on external funding, including the new credit tranche of $2.2 billion provided by the International Monetary Fund (RBC, June 29).
The European Union is sustaining the flow of economic aid and has taken a significant step forward in opening talks on Ukraine’s accession (Svoboda, June 25). Ursula von der Leyen, who secured a second term as European Commission president, plans to keep a firm hand on EU policymaking, and Ukraine remains a top priority (Kommersant, June 28). Moscow views the appointment of Kaja Kallas, current prime minister of Estonia, to the position of EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy as proof of the aggravated “Russophobia” in EU strategy (Mk.ru, June 29).
The rising trend in Western solidarity is certain to gain new momentum at the NATO summit, where the strategic goal of ensuring Russian defeat looks set to be reinforced. Moscow has no reason to expect that Mark Rutte, NATO’s new secretary-general, will show any more “understanding” of its ultimatums and deference to its “red lines” than the unwavering Jens Stoltenberg has done. Putin is loath to see Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy receive a new boost for his leadership in charting the course to bring the ugly war to a just peace. Even the Kremlin leader’s nuclear brinksmanship is unlikely to spoil this outcome.