Is Russia really losing the conflict in Ukraine?

The Western media (true for the Romanian media, also) ranges from suggesting this possibility to outright proclaiming it. Yet, on the battlefield, the Russians are very close to sieging Kramatorsk and Slavyansk, the only big cities in Donbas remaining under the Ukrainians.

But the battleground success can be very misleading. I noticed before, in several articles on this blog, including when analyzing the inane 28-point “peace” plan drafted by some Russian imbeciles living large and impersonating “elites” in a country that deserves much better, that Russia’s leadership’s frame of mind is not conducive to victory, but to self-defeat and self-ruin.

Russia set out to demilitarize Ukraine and that should still be the goal. Any fighting capability that remains in Ukraine is bound to be used by the West to attack Russia on and on in the future. Yet Russia is self-confiding itself to the narrow framework of a “measured response”, a reply, a “retaliation” in kind, instead of taking concrete actions to defeat and occupy Ukraine, the only outcome for them at this moment.

The Russians have come to accept attacks on their civilian targets as commonplace in this conflict. The Ukrainians do not hide that their drone campaigns are destined to terrorize the Russians into revolting against their rulers and force them into conceding. But the said rulers limit themselves to half measures and parodic actions.

The burning of Russia’s private logistics, such as Wildberries and Ozon is not a small matter. Russia has a huge territory and real difficulties in hauling merchandise from one place to another, due to geographical constraints. Any distortion further adds to such hardships. Moreover, the distribution chains and the industrial chains are fragile, if they break it could take years to rebuild, if ever. Russia, instead of turning into an economic autarchy, is more and more resorting to smuggling, which clearly is not the answer.

These are not postcard victories for Ukraine, images to be served by the propaganda for a stupid Western audience. These are feats that really bite the ordinary Russian, whom their cretin elites count on remaining docile… For how long?

Clearly, the weaknesses in Russia’s conduct of the war (“special military operation”, please…) that I alluded to before, have not subsided but have amplified.

Emil Boc, acest Nicanor Alvarado de Răchițele

Nicanor Alvarado este dictatorul arhetipal, inventat sau distilat – cine spune că nu e/a fost real?! - de Garcia Marquez în “Toamna patriarhului”, care guvernează prin puterea cuvântului său și, uneori, prin autoritatea incontestabilă a propriei sale prezențe fizice (ceea ce, evident, nu se aplică aici…).

Și Boc diktează verbal, ferindu-se de cuvântul scris, dar la modul parodic și pițigăiat care i se potrivește apariției sale lipsite de anvergură, de substanță și cu o competență incertă. Să ne amintim cum recent a interzis verbal arborarea sportivă a steagului Rusiei, operațiune pentru care nu are nici o competență, nici chiar dacă dădea interdicția în scris.

Acum, tot verbal, Nicanor prilejuiește untold folosința unor spații publice ultracentrale și masive, plătite cu zero lei.

De esența actului administrativ (contra arbitrariului) este caracterul scris, pentru a se putea verifica motivele și, cel mai important, temeiul legal, adică articolul, alineatul și actul normativ care dă voie emitentului să dispună ceea ce dispune.

Nu sunt singurele cazuri de comandament verbal (și neacoperit de lege). Îmi amintesc fapta, nu însă și circumstanțele concrete. Mi-a rămas în memorie pentru că atunci și acolo m-a frapat desconsiderarea flagrantă a funcționalității poziției de primar și am descoperit paralela cu Nicanor Alvarado (ceea ce transpune Clujul în postura de dictatură tipică sud-americană, de republică bananieră, de deficit imens de democrație…). Ei bine, Boc a venit în consiliul local să țină un substitut de conferință de presă, în care a anunțat un diktat verbal (primul pe care l-am remarcat, or fi fost anterior și altele, sunt sigur, dar nu-l urmăresc, puțin mă interesează individul) cum că de atunci încolo se face X. Cum am zis, nu-mi amintesc ce anume X urma să se facă, dar sunt convins că angajații l-au făcut ca și cum le era sub nas în scris, că doar a zis “șefu’ ăl mare” (așa îi zic ăștia, vă vine să credeți sau nu).

Tipic pentru Cluj, nici un presar nu a înțeles enormitatea diktatului verbal. Trist pentru Cluj, nici un consilier local nu a priceput enormitatea încălcării dreptului administrativ. Nici atunci, nici acum.

Cum asigură diminutivul dictator pentru untold folosința Splaiului Independenței (unde ăia își pun inclusiv scenă), Aleii Stadionului, str. G. Coșbuc, spațiilor publice din jurul polivalentei și stadionului și dintre ele, complet gratis, fără un ban? Simplu. Neasumânu-și în scris și în drept ceea ce le asigură verbal și în fapt.

Nicanor dă o dispoziție în scris, este cea descrisă în comunicatul primăriei intitulat “Reorganizarea circulației în zona stadionului Cluj Arena”, prin care se anunță unele “restricții de circulație”. În teorie, închiderea circulației este nediscriminatorie neexistând exceptări de la închidere, nici una, de nici un fel.

Dar această dispoziție nu constituie pentru untold (și pentru nimeni) un titlu locativ, un drept locativ (de folosință) transmis. Nu au nici un drept conferit, zero. De altfel nimeni nu poate da bunul public gratis, că ar fi delapidare.

Și totuși, în fapt untold folosește discreționar (și, repet, gratuit) câteva hectare de spații publice betonate, centrale, pe care le este interzis, ca oricărui alt cetățean, să se găsească…

Mai mult decât atât, în mod ciudat, jandarmeria și poliția locală le protejează folosința ilegală, folosul tras din patrimoniul public, fără contraechivalent, transferul de resursă. În plus, spațiile publice folosite fără titlu sunt îngrădite și apărate de PP Protect. Niște privați care pun în executare (selectiv) o deciziei administrativă? Nicăieri decât în Cluj.

De aici rezultă că există niște dispoziții verbale, precise, pentru ca sub prtextul străveziu al “interzicerii” circulație să se asigure în fapt folosința (gratuită) de către untold a hectare de spațiu public betonat.

Am insistat să întreb de ce anumite mașini trec de barierele PP Protect, deși nu există nici o exceptare asumată în scris și cu temei legal, și un funcționar de la locală mi-a arătat convins un panou pe care scrie tot ce trebuie. Este cel din fotografie, emană exclusiv de la untold și nu are nici o valoare juridică în afară de faptul că demonstrează înstăpânirea lor pe bunul public, ocrotită de forța publică deturnată de la menirea sa.

King of the Hill

Să susții un “protest” al grefierilor care nu are o bază legală și care împiedică avocații să își facă munca, când acest protest se bazează pe un presupus regim de incompatibilități care trebuie nelimitat și la nesfârșit compensat preferențial, ar fi o crimă față de avocați, care, la rândul lor, au o grămadă de incompatibilități și care nu iau pensii speciale, ci derizorii. De data asta, UNBR nu a făcut-o. Felicitări.

Ce le displace cel mai mult “protestatarilor” direcți sau indirecți, la vedere sau mai în umbră, este dispariția legilor separate de salarizare pentru magistrați și grefieri și includerea lor la troaca comună din care toți bugetarii își iau osânza. E un moment de turnură, fără îndoială. Pentru prima dată în istorie societatea este chemată, prin aleșii săi, să stabilească niște comparații între veniturile bugetarilor. Nivelul actual al veniturilor magistraților nu este consimțit de societate, ci este sustras prin mii sau poate chiar zeci de mii de procese frivole “judecate” încrucișat: eu îți admit acțiunea ta, tu îmi admiți acțiunea mea, iată ce merituoși suntem amândoi… Și ce bogați ne-am făcut!
De multe ori aceste procese vizau preluarea unor sporuri acordate unor alte familii ocupaționale bugetare pentru că și ei îl merită automat pentru că sunt, susțin ei fără rușine, cei mai importanți bugetari, totul li se cuvine. Literalmente, scris negru pe alb în “hotărâri judecătorești”. Deci dacă statul dă unui funcționar un spor, automat trebuie să i-l dea și bugetarului king of the hill, magistrat. Noaptea minții.
Deci dacă de exemplu statul i-a dat profesorilor de gimnaziu un mic spor, l-au pretins si magistrații pe motiv că și ei sunt bugetari și amărâtul de profesor îi discriminează?! Dar în același timp au refuzat și refuză să fie prinși cu toți bugetarii în aceeași lege de salarizare... Vor toate drepturile tuituror bugetarilor, dar ei să rămână în afara legii salarizării bugetare să nu cumva ceilalti bugetari să ceară sporurile și drepturile lor…
Desigur că există grefieri care lucrează, majoritatea chiar, după cum majoritatea lucrează și în avocatură, dar există și grefieri cu tratament preferențial (colaboraționiștii, agitatorii, prestidigitatorii care repartizează “aleatoriu” unde trebuie cauzele care trebuie), și cred că narațiunea “protestului” e construită mai ales de aceștia. Tot ei trollează nelimitat orice opinie contrară, pentru că au timp, au bani, au organizare și nu prea au altceva de făcut decât comentarii pe ici, pe colo, la care își fac norma cu asupra de măsură chiar.
Deci acum devin posibile întrebări precum: Cât câștigă un judecător față de un medic, de exemplu, și un grefier față de un asistent medical? De ce judecătorul să câștige de N ori mai mult decât un medic și să mai și ia pensie specială, chirie decontată, 35 de zile lucrătoare concediu de odihnă plătit pe an? De ce un grefier să ia dublu față de un asistent medical, și să mai ia și pensie specială, chirie decontată, 30 de zile lucrătoare concediu de odihnă plătit pe an? Grefierii și magistrații vor să elimine decizia societății asupra acestor dileme esențiale. Vor să dicteze ei corelațiile care le convin…
Pentru cine nu și-a pus problema și crede încă lamentările ipocrite cu care partea vocală a sistemului judiciar mitraliază publicul de fiecare dată, să ne amintim că și funcționarii publici au multe incompatibilități, nici un fel de PENSIE SPECIALĂ, dar nu le menționează deloc ca bază pentru o îndrituire perpetuă la porție triplă sau cvadruplă de lături.

Cum desfășoară Tribunalul Cluj adunările generale ale judecătorilor: iată pentru ce le plătim pensii speciale, salarii exorbitante, chirii și 35 de zile lucrătoare concedii de odihnă

La nivel aparent, Tribunalul Cluj a organizat o ședința a adunării generale a judecătorilor în urma căreia s-a emis o hotărâre (nr. 4) de amânare a unei multitudini de cauze pentru a sprijini “protestul” grefierilor.

Aparent. Pentru că se pretinde că această adunare s-ar fi desfășurat sâmbătă, 30 mai, “în sistem online whatsapp”, ceea ce legea nu prevede și, deci, nu permite…

În plus, nu rezultă de nicăieri vreun vot și vreo contabilizare a voturilor.
Această schema de dribling seamănă leit cu slalomul făcut de același președinte al tribunalului pentru alegerile locale, unde s-a autodesemnat președinte de birou electoral județean și și-a desemnat nevasta președinte de birou electoral al municipiului reșdință de județ, deși potrivit BEC ea nu putea face parte din birourile electorale, fiind la o instanță ce nu participă, iar el era prohibit de la autodesemnare de lipsa unui temei legal în acest sens și de regulile conflictului de interese. Ca să nu mai zic că nu a organizat o urnă unică, ci atâtea urne de o singură persoană câte funcții trebuia să împartă, cică, prin “tragere la sorți”…
Noaptea minții.

Rhys Sterling - The Riviera Caper, pe Youtube

Cartea mea, The Riviera Caper, scrisa sub pseudonimul Rhys Sterling, prezentata pe Youtube, la link-ul:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69_5e9BMyeM

TRANSCRIPT:

The Riviera Caper has the charm of a sunlit thriller with a restless, modern edge. It opens on the French Riviera with a near accident that turn into an unexpected meeting and from that point on the novel quickly builds an atmosphere of elegance, movement and intrigue.

There is something immediately cinematic about it. The winding coastal roads, the Mediterranean light, the expensive restaurants, the polished strangers, the sense that behind the glamour there is always something unstable waiting to surface. One of the book’s trends is precisely this contrast between surface and substance. On one hand, there is beauty, style, travel and seduction. On the other, a feeling of drift, unease, dislocation.

Jay is not a conventional hero. He’s intelligent, watchful, ruthless, and often at odds with the world around him.

His background, his choices, his wondering life give the story a contemporary feel because he embodies a kind of restless outsiderhood that feels very current. He’s not simply moving through places. He’s testing them, measuring what they can offer and trying to understand where, if anywhere, he belongs. Sophie, meanwhile, brings another layer to the story. She’s not there merely as a romantic counterpart, but as someone equally shaped by ambition, fatigue, private dissatisfaction.

Her presence adds intelligence and tension to the novel and the exchanges between the two characters have enough wit and spark to keep the emotional thread alive alongside the broader plot.

Their meeting has the right balance of accident and inevitability.

Improbable in the way fiction sometimes must be, but convincing in the way it develops. What also stands out is the novel’s eye for social detail. Beneath the Riviera sheen, the book keeps glancing toward bigger realities: economic precarity, modern loneliness, class difference, migration, professional exhaustion, and the instability of contemporary life. These elements are not pushed to the front as heavy commentary, but they give the story texture and make it feel more grounded than a simple escapiscaper.

That is part of what gives the novel its interest. It moves through stylish settings about becoming shallow. The writing has an expansive reflective quality. It likes to linger not only on events but also motivation, memory, and the small ways a life is shaped over time that gives the book a distinctive rhythm of its own. Rather than rushing headlong, it allows the reader to inhabit the character’s worlds, their desire, and their contradictions. For readers who enjoy stories where travel, attraction, reinvention, and risk are all closely intertwined, this will be part of the appeal.

The Riviera Caper offers more than its title initially suggests. Yes, it has the ingredients of a sophisticated coastal mystery, but also carries a broader sense of personal drift and social observation. The Riviera Caper written by Rhys Sterling is right now available in bookstores and available in digital platforms.

Așteptăm cu încredere dispariția unui privilegiu feudal

Deputatul de Sibiu în Parlamentul României, Adrian Echert, a anunțat pe Facebook că privilegiul feudal al judecătorilor de la Înalta Curte de Casație și Justiție pe care și-l rezervă pentru pensie, acela de a trece în avocatură sau notariat FĂRĂ EXAMEN, este pe cale să dispară.

Zice Echert, cu mare dreptate:
“În România, dacă vrei să fii avocat sau notar, dai examen.
Toată lumea. Fără excepții.
Aproape.
Există un articol într-o lege — art. 290 din Legea privind statutul judecătorilor și procurorilor — care permite judecătorilor de la Înalta Curte să intre direct în avocatură sau notariat. Fără concurs. Fără examen. Fără aceleași reguli ca toți ceilalți.
Am depus un proiect de lege care abrogă acest articol.
A trecut deja de Camera Deputaților.
Regula trebuie să fie una singură. Pentru toți.
Nu poți cere cetățenilor să respecte legea dacă legea însăși face excepții pentru unii.
Egalitate înseamnă același examen pentru toți. Nu privilegii scrise în lege.”
Potrivit art. 290 din Legea nr. 303/2022 privind statutul judecătorilor și procurorilor, judecătorii de la Înalta Curte de Casație și Justiție, care au funcționat cel puțin 5 ani la această instanță și care au fost eliberați din funcție din motive neimputabile, pot opta pentru intrarea în avocatură sau notariat, fără examen sau concurs.

My interview with my publisher, Europe Books

Today we talk about The Riviera Caper, a book by Rhys Sterling published with our publishing house Europe Books.

Europe Books had the pleasure of interviewing the author Rhys Sterling to get to know him better, where he found the inspiration to write his novel The Riviera Caper, as well as how his passion for writing started.

Q: Where did you find the inspiration to write your novel?

 A: Ideas came to me naturally, and I find it easy to elaborate on them. I don’t find my inspiration in my own life, in the sense that the narrative it’s not derived from my actual life; it is a work of fiction. Nevertheless, one’s own real experiences have a way to seep into the fiction. Consequently, while remaining in the imaginary realm, the writer’s tastes, ideas, preferences, happenings, might permeate into the epic, although the intention was never to report on his own living. We thus can say that, inevitably, there is an inspiration coming from the body of knowledge obtained from what the writers experienced and lived. Apart from this, I drew my inspiration from reading. It doesn’t mean that I borrow ideas from other authors, but that the reading activity transposes me into a creative state of mind. When the mood sets in, the inspiration automatically enhances several-fold.

Q: What is the message you want to send out with your writing?

 A: I started out to write a book one could take to the beach during holidays to read it while getting a tan. Maybe even on the French Riviera, the locale of this novel. And have fun out of reading it. Of course, there is a message the book sends out. That is to be adventurous, live life to the fullest, get out of your shell and do not always seek the material side of life. Formally, the novel it’s an action book, a caper, but it is intertwined with a love story scrutinized with such minutiae that almost takes over as the main theme of the book. The book’s scope is even much larger than the caper and the love story. It encompasses aspects of coming of age, of finding the hero’s place in the world following university graduation, of lifestyle, ideas and dreams, the readers being presented with the main character’s microcosm, which is positive and full of hope.

Q: How did your passion for writing start?

A: The passion for writing – I guess I always had it in me. I thought of myself as a potential writer ever since the high school. I even fancied the thought of studying literature at the university. But pragmatism won, I went on to the law school instead and other activities took priority in life; I had to put off indefinitely the beginning as a writer. I went into various legal fields and built a career there. I did write occasionally, but only scientific papers. The thought of me becoming a writer still lingered on all these years. Much later I revisited my ambitions to become a writer and I ascertained I still had the drive. I decided to give it a go. So, I started writing without pressure, without a timetable, just to see where this new activity will get me. It led me to the completion of this first book, with which I am very satisfied. The journey was enjoyable and left me with the desire to repeat the feat.

Q: How was your publishing experience?

A: It was wonderful. I endorse Europe Books, my publisher, whole-heartedly. They gave me the opportunity to make my literary debut. Their approach does not involve an agent, but a direct one-to-one working relationship and comprehensive assistance throughout the publishing process. They do all the work usually expected from a literary agent on top of the publishing operations. It is a great plus for writers, whose only care remain to get the writing done. I could concentrate on this and I am very pleased with the publisher. I hope to continue the collaboration with my future novels. The timeframe they laid out was also advantageous and fast. All the steps involved were completed promptly, on time and professionally. Of course, none of these are of any use if the writer does not put in the hours, doesn’t do the hard work, doesn’t persist and doesn’t overcome the occasional hiccup and writer’s block. But if one commits to getting the job done, their expertise in publishing will prove a great help and very valuable.

Q: Are you planning to write more books? Can you tell us more about it?

A: Definitely. This book will have at least a sequel, I hope to finish it by autumn. The tables turn in the second book. The villain, let’s call him like this, Tanaka, seeks to get even with the hero of the current book and forces him to do a job in England. That’s why the prospective novel it’s called provisionally “The English Job”. Without unravelling too much of the plot, I can tell you that the story involves football, bet fixing and high stakes, has fast paced action and narrates some imaginative work from Jay. Maybe this first book will even turn into a series, as I envisage a third novel in which I’ll pitch the both of them, by then reconciled, against “the world” so to speak, flaunting the laws and trying hard to make their own luck. It hasn’t got a definitive plan yet so I can anticipate only with the title – “The Belgian Heist” – and the basic idea of the book: they get together to make a big and spectacular score.

Am debutat literar: mi-a aparut primul roman, “The Riviera Caper”

Debutul meu editorial s-a realizat in Vest, in limba engleza. Romanul este unul de aventuri si se intituleaza “The Riviera Caper”. L-am publicat sub pseudonimul Rhys Sterling (sugerat de IA). Actiunea se petrece pe Riviera franceza, scrierea facand parte din subgenul "caper" al genului "crime&mystery".

Iata rezumatul care se gaseste pe coperta cartii:
“On the sun-drenched edge of the French Riviera, chance is never accidental.
Jay Jones arrives in Southern France carrying little more than a backpack, a restless past, and a fierce desire for freedom. A former footballer, minimalist drifter, and reluctant law graduate, Jay is searching for a life untouched by debt, routine, and compromise. What he finds instead is Sophie Durant— an ambitious Nice-based lawyer whose ordered world collides spectacularly with his own when a roadside accident brings them together.
Their encounter ignites more than attraction. Against a backdrop of Mediterranean beauty, social inequality, and quiet disillusionment with modern life, their stories intertwine—two outsiders shaped by different systems, yet driven by the same hunger for meaning, independence, and adventure.
The Riviera Caper is a sharp, atmospheric novel about escape and reinvention, where romance meets social observation and idealism clashes with reality.
Moving from American highways to European coastlines, it explores freedom, class, ambition, and the seductive illusion of starting over.
Witty, reflective, and unapologetically human, this is a story about what happens when life veers off course—and why sometimes, that’s exactly where it’s meant to go”.
“Rhys Sterling is a lawyer from Cluj-Napoca, Romania, and The Riviera Caper is his debut novel”.
Romanul poate fi achizitionat de pe pagina de autor a editurii Europe Books. Se gaseste la link-ul: https://www.europebookstore.com/products/the-riviera-caper-rhys-sterling/

Beware of Witkoff, the feeler of the Emperor

Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s fixer, has entered the Iran mess and was recently talking to Iran’s leaders. That means Trump wants to feel the opponents and has sent his most capable feeler.
And the results were immediate. Iran renounced its position of force, gained with a lot of efforts, and is about to let the Mossad agents, the US agents and all kinds of turbulents go scat free, instead of hanging them. This is another goodwill gesture like many nonsense inactions offered by stupid Russian leadership who obeyed its own self-set constraints even when Ukrainians were openly pissing on these “overtures”.
But while Russia didn’t risk anything, apart from making themselves, encore, the laughing stock, the Iranians are at a serious peril. Their population perceives that the regime is trying to appease the Americans, Witkoff’s actions and Trump’s statements have a visible impact. The next color revolution will be much harder to tame; and this one was brought in a taming position with immense exertions.
“America helps us”, “America can help”, are tropes that inculcates themselves into the Iranian psyche as we write. This rises the bar a few notches. The secret subversion of Iran gains a new amplitude.
Cynically, the US blockades a country, squeezes its economy, pauperizes large masses and then suddenly they propose to lift the sanctions “if”. This fake promise dangled in front of starving hordes makes them revolt, most often violently. But: the US never actually lifts sanctions, no matter the concessions made.
America deprives the foreign population of food and all sorts of livelihoods and then they pose in saviors and stupid masses can’t tell the fakeness of the US’s playbook.
The Iranian regime now plays to the American tune. They defended well and with considerable effort, that they will not be able to replicate at the next uprising. The duped masses now firmly believe that their provoked revolt is 1. justified and 2. has good chances of succeeding courtesy of America. An America that has no qualms in shooting the protesters via agents on place and blaming the Iranian government (same as Maidan and other color revolutions).
Moreover, the Iranians are not shielded - by such supposed de-escalation measures – against an attack from America. Trump gave them a lot of assurances just before the previous huge bombings. Déjà vu. History is about to repeat itself? Watch out for Saturday, as Trump seems big on numerology; also, all his attacks were on non-trading days, i. e. the week-ends…
Witkoff, as we know, has been Trump’s diplomatic fixer, starting with Gaza (which is still unsettled and in limbo) and Ukraine. In Gaza, he got the hostages, alive and dead, freed, produced a fake peace in which Palestinians are killed and Israel acts with total impunity.
In Ukraine, he read Russians like open books.
Trump enjoys being considered erratic (“TACO”), quirky, capricious. His entourage also encourage this mis-perception. But they all act rationally and cunningly. They are not geniuses, but are not dupes.
Americans, especially frat-boys like Rubio and Hegseth, are adept at reading the other guys. All fraternity players play poker, that implies putting on a “poker face” (a mask) and trying to take out the mask of the adversary, i. e. to read it. Poker is a card game; Trump constant reference at having or not having cards denotes that they think in such terms among themselves.
When they graduate and move on to other things, their reflexes stay with them. Of course, they are just beer belching fraternity guys but they have these two dissimulative practices interiorized.
Furthermore, Witkoff is a businessman who made it in that tough world. He works also with masks and reading, but his job implies taking deception, theatrics and acting to a new level.
In a war, it’s paramount to read your opponent. Take Putin. You put out feelers, to feel the other party, the opponent, is really Putin the same idiot conned by nobodies Merkel and Hollande, or that was just an isolated self-defeat?
Witkoff was just a feeler. And he felt the crap out of the Russians. Out of the Europeans, too: they pay through their noses, they destroy their own industry like there’s no tomorrow and they will still suffer a huge loss: bye bye Greenland.
Now Nabiullina and Dimitriev come into play. Nabiullina lost 300 billion dollars out of sheer stupidity (and snobbism, she tried to ape the Westerners and sit at their table, just as all complexed Russians dream). Her pathetic attempts at “recovery” (stupid arbitrage request to be discarded on a forum non conveniens defense) didn’t help, but further undermined her, since they were absolutely pathetic. Idiot Putin kept her in her place, thus completely transferring all her errors to himself. He became the joke, instead of/along Nabiullina. Dimitriev also blundered galore. He was candid with Witkoff, sent to feel the Russians. Witkoff not only correctly read Dimitriev as being very stupid, but made him draft the 28-point moronic plan that self-declared Russia as heavily defeated and getting nothing while losing big. Thus Witkoff had a written proof to convince his principals that they deal with stupidity from Russia’s part.
These two events that are huge, colossal, we’re talking about events of epic proportions, that made the Russians the laughing stock of all the world.
After feeling the Russian idiocy, the Americans felt reassured and went on to grab assets and positions and better situate themselves: Venezuela, Iran, Greenland (soon Mexico?); meanwhile Russia is still quagmired in its precarious position in an existential war.

The Dimitriev Effect

America acts more rational than the Russians or Europeans. Even in regard with China, the US acts conscientiously and calculated.

The US has constantly probed the extent to which it can act and after finding the margins of their leeway, they acted accordingly. As a bonus, with every "crazy" act, America chips away from other spheres, be them territorial, commercial, military.

It's not about some TACO erratic impulsive capricious flexing of the muscles, it's about testing the boundaries.

America was instantaneously freed from any real need of sounding its permissible scope by the Russian redacted 28-points "peace" plan. I call it "The Dimitriev Effect". The effect was that for the US anything goes and that Russia has placed itself in the position of kowtowing to the Americans.

Nobody really read attentively the so-called plan. The only honest person in this regard was Kaja Kallas (stupid people are usually candid too) who admitted she hasn't read the plan but heard a lot of rumors it was bad...

Did Trump read the plan? Did he understand it? I believe yes, but it doesn't matter. He had Witkoff to read it for him and to give him first hand feedback.

The 28-point plan was calamitous for Russia, it included no recognition of territories in former Ukraine, an express precarious status (de facto) for all of them, the ceding of all 300 billion dollars lost by idiot Nabiullina (I guess nobody pretend anymore that Russia would ever see a dime from that) to America, implicit permission for the US (and other states I would say) to station troops and armament in Ukraine, rights of exploitation in Ukraine and even Russia.

Trump understood from this that he is the new Russian idol, to whom they were willing to strip themselves of everything that could be turned into offerings. Russia showed its hand and that hand indicated they were expected just to be servile and submissive in exchange on a pat on the back or a tiny smile from the big Don.

From there on, he correctly assessed that he has free hand in every matter Russia might have opposed.

So he captured the president of Venezuela, went along with the CIA+Mossad plan of a "revolution" for changing the Iranian regime, blockaded everyone everywhere (what a nice occasion was procured for him by the changing of the flag of the vessel seized to a Russian one), and, of course, will soon get - one way or another - Greenland. He made his overtures and just lets them sinks with the Europeans. Same as he did with the Russians.

It's not that Americans are great and intelligent, it's that the top Russian brass is that stupid (as personified by the consummate imbeciles Nabiullina and Dimitriev) and longing for the Don's validation.

The current Americans aggressiveness comes from Russia's gross mistakes.

Like any entity searching appreciation, of course the Russians could have a fit of hysterical outburst. That's very dangerous and untoward; they brought upon themselves this position they are in...

We, the world, can't be exposed to an immense peril just because they employed idiots in high positions.