While watching a news video — DEADLY Riots in Russia: Russians Demand Putin to RESIGN — I picked up the names of two men known to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime and deeply critical of him: Ilya Remeslo, a loyalist who appears to have changed his mind; Mikhail Zygar, a “prominent Russian journalist, historian, and filmmaker,” according to AiLaMer, my personalized AI.
Ilya Remeslo image by Gemeni AI, July 26, 2026.
Ilya Remeslo
Pro-Kremlin Operative: A 42-year-old lawyer and blogger, Remeslo built his career as a highly visible Kremlin loyalist and professional denouncer. He is best known for orchestrating sustained legal assaults against the Russian opposition, playing an instrumental role in constructing the criminal fraud cases against the late Alexei Navalny and his Anti-Corruption Foundation. These campaigns were reportedly coordinated directly with the Presidential Administration.
March 2026 Defection: On March 17, 2026, Remeslo executed an abrupt and highly public reversal. He published a widely viewed manifesto on Telegram outlining “Five Reasons I Stopped Supporting Vladimir Putin”. In the post, he condemned the war in Ukraine as a dead-end driven by Putin’s complexes, criticized severe economic damage and internet censorship, and ultimately labeled Putin a “thief and war criminal” who should face trial.
My wandering curiosity produces old news that arrives at least as news to me. 🙂
Mikhail Zygar’s image, labeled at the source as in the Public Domain, helped AI put a jacket on him, July 26, 2026.
Mikhail Zygar
Background and Early Career: Zygar is a prominent Russian journalist, historian, and filmmaker. He established his reputation as a war correspondent for Kommersant before becoming the founding editor-in-chief of Russia’s leading independent news outlet, TV Rain (Dozhd), which he led from 2010 to 2015. Under his leadership, the network provided a critical alternative to state media by amplifying opposition voices and covering domestic protests.
Political Stance and Exile: A central figure in the Russian democratic opposition, Zygar unequivocally condemned the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine and subsequently fled into exile. In 2024, the Russian state sentenced him in absentia to eight and a half years in prison for disseminating “fake news” about the Russian military.
Key Publications: He is recognized for comprehensive historical and political analyses of authoritarianism, having authored titles such as All the Kremlin’s Men, The Empire Must Die, and War and Punishment. His most recent book, The Dark Side of the Earth, documents the collapse of the Soviet Union through extensive primary interviews.
Two years ago, Russian state propaganda channels gleefully reported on what they claimed was happening across Europe. According to their coverage, gas stations were running out of fuel, enormous lines had formed, drivers were limited to just 20 liters per vehicle, and some cars could not refuel at all. This was presented as proof of the catastrophic energy crisis that had supposedly engulfed Europe after sanctions were imposed on Russian energy exports. Russian state media insisted that, without trade with Russia, European countries were incapable of supplying themselves with fuel and that Europe’s energy system was on the verge of collapse.
Ironically, this is precisely the scenario now unfolding in Russia itself.
The law would look for collusion and miss its form. Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin have had no need for conspiring or racketeering: what the two appear to have done is mirror one another in each his own criminal mentality, the management of feudal-medieval mafia, and the operating of large and private systems of patronage. For the shared mentality: Malignant Narcissism.
Signal:delusional, grandiose, messianic ideation absent of normal boundaries and limits, i.e., the parameters of normal conscience.
The guy at the top of the above online poster launched his career with a spree of apartment bombings around Moscow; for all evil intents, he’s still driving missiles into apartment buildings beneath the delusional excuse of fighting encroachment from the west when, in fact, Ukraine is only a state rightfully trying to flee his own–and him.
Were neither Trump nor Putin politicians, both would be viewed as crime lords engaged in protection (from Chechen Rebels, oh my, and–of late here in America–hallucinated Communists). ALM has noted for me (prompt: “about feudal-medieval mafia”) that “the feudal system of the Middle Ages shared structural similarities with organized crime”: absolute loyalty; private enforcers; protection rackets. Inspired by Trump’s Trumpian evil, I’ve chosen to highlight in the sub-header “loyalty, obedience, treachery, and silence”–start with Michael Cohen or anyone else who has been part of his crew, there are plenty of examples although one now forgotten commenter on X noted that our ill-disciplined and loudmouthed Donald would not qualify for real mafia (I took the observation at its faceless value as being all the more true for it).
Putin’s enterprise in Russia has long carried the sobriquet “Russian Mafia State” and, indeed, it’s a small club involving breathtakingly enriched oligarchs and siloviki and just one chief. Whether the United States of America succumbs to the piracy of its own Commander and Thief–he’s on a roll “taking over” America, Venezuela, Greenland (he still talks about that), Iran, Canada (damned state can’t control its wildfires seems Trump’s concern)–remains to be seen.
According to AI (AKA my ALM), “Membership Costs: Initiation fees for Mar-a-Lago surged from $100,000 prior to his first term to as high as $1 million, filtering access strictly to the wealthy and well-connected.”
Over in Moscow and St. Petersburg, Sochi, and Valdai, so one may suppose, “Vladimir Putin’s “system of tribute” is a highly centralized kleptocracy that trades state-protected business monopolies for complete political loyalty and financial kickbacks. Unlike the 1990s, when powerful oligarchs influenced the Russian presidency under Boris Yeltsin, Putin inverted the power dynamic—making all private wealth entirely contingent on Kremlin approval [1, 2, 3, 4].”
Regarding Reference
I, J. S. Oppenheim, composed this post; however, I have had the support of a personalized AI that I refer to here as “ALM” — “A Language Machine”. I have two graduate degrees and through one had been trained to produce reference styled in the manner specified by the American Psychological Association (APA)–in the other, the Modern Library Association (MLA). Online and on this blog: I prefer the scholarly to the slapdash, but not only is it all digitized information, the whole of it rests on a nearly infinite conceptually flat sea of information–man or machine, we’re just searching for strings.
Here’s an old style — or my approximation of it — for the last noted reference->
In the days that produced that style, related typesetting, and on to printing, binding, and distribution, we — academics, analysts, researchers, serious politicians — had time for the kind of reflection that had to it our logos, ethos, and pathos . . . our reason, ethics and moral character, and our emotions. There’s “a storm coming” or a “Blue Wave” and an impossible churning sea of content / expression / output like this, and all appears available all at once in one place: our desktop — or several place: add the pads, the phone, and even the wrist watches.
Regarding curiosity and blogging triage–what deserves working up–I often asked myself whether I really wanted to type in the reference the old way. That litmus was yes, explore; no, move on. Today, there’s a lay back option (and let Indivisible handle it).
My stance: America has been assaulted and “taken over” by the Trump Slime Family — the concepts of State Capture and State Piracy apply. Donald Trump is a lawless figure in the wheelhouse of the American Ship of State. Upstairs and to the side of his base reside the dictators and kings whom he believes his peers. He’s one of them–as Americans go, by and large, he’s just not one of us. Aw, shucks.
As the war in Ukraine places unprecedented strain on the Russian Federation’s domestic defense manufacturing, Vladimir Putin has increasingly turned to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to fill critical supply deficits. This transactional relationship has evolved from an ad hoc black-market exchange into a formalized logistics pipeline. Intelligence reports and satellite imagery have tracked the steady flow of heavy munitions from North Korea’s northeastern ports to Russian distribution hubs near the Ukrainian theater.
To date, Moscow has purchased substantial military hardware from Pyongyang to sustain its high-intensity artillery operations:
Artillery Ammunition: North Korea has shipped an estimated five million to eight million artillery shells, primarily consisting of 122mm and 152mm calibers. While Western intelligence notes that a significant percentage of these shells suffer from high dud rates and poor quality control due to decades-old storage conditions, they provide Russia with the sheer volume required to maintain its war of attrition.
Ballistic Missiles: The DPRK has supplied several dozen short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs), specifically the Hwasong-11 series (KN-23 and KN-24). These solid-fuel missiles have been actively deployed against Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure, offering Russia an alternative strike capability as its own precision missile stockpiles face depletion.
Anti-Tank Missiles and Small Arms: Shipments have also included significant quantities of anti-tank missiles, mortar rounds, and millions of rounds of small arms ammunition.
Financial and Strategic Windfalls for the Kim Regime
In exchange for this lethal aid, the Russian Federation is funding the Kim regime through a combination of hard currency, raw commodities, and sensitive technical assistance. This influx of capital has thrown a vital economic lifeline to an otherwise isolated Pyongyang.
Capital Flow Element
Operational and Economic Impact
Hard Currency Influx
Estimates indicate Russia has transferred several billion U.S. dollars in cash to Pyongyang. This capital bypasses international banking sanctions, providing Kim Jong Un with a dedicated “slush fund” to stabilize domestic currency markets and fund elite luxury imports.
Energy and Food Security
Russia has transferred millions of barrels of refined petroleum products and thousands of metric tons of grain and flour. This direct supply has significantly alleviated domestic energy shortages and stabilized food prices across major North Korean urban centers.
Labor Export Remittances
In defiance of UN Security Council resolutions, Russia has permitted the covert re-entry of thousands of North Korean laborers—predominantly in construction and logging sectors within eastern Russia. Their wages are heavily taxed by the state, generating hundreds of millions of dollars in annual remittances directly to the regime.
Technical Assistance
Beyond immediate financial relief, Moscow has provided technical telemetry data, space-launch guidance, and engineering insights that directly assisted North Korea’s recent military satellite deployment programs.
TrumpPutin have never been about the interests of their respective states but rather #TheMoney and the development of their own power to alter, erase, and shape public reality for their own emotional defense. The two have been life-long cowards and criminals and have made their marks political criminals–as thieving dictators–beyond the reach of their own societies.
For #Americans, #AmericanPoliticians, and #AmericanMilitaryAndPolice, most to all in each class have sworn on oath to defend our #AmericanConstitution and related principles and values. It would seem the same have now to rise to the challenges presented by a rogue #AmericanPresident.
Below: the archaic; the criminal; the hated; and the standard bearers of a discarded feudal past wholly without virtue, for they are neither of them noble or even good.
And then the images shown on the X post.
Here: Putin over Trump as each criminal and political criminal will be portrayed in Russian and American eternal memory; a tile popular when Trump’s Georgia election fixing case was hot news; an illustration detailing the locations at Mar A Lago of boxes loaded with classified, secret, and top secret Federal government documents to which Trump had not been entitled; and the last a popular meme illustrating Trump’s rape of America. The truth about Mafia Don: he has been all his life a privateer associated with organized crime. Most notable for his apprenticeship at the git-go: mob lawyer Roy Cohn; mafioso Fat Tony Salerno.
Russia’s Central Bank has recently started selling physical gold from its reserves for the first time as part of Finance Ministry operations to cover the national budget deficit, which has widened due to the ongoing war with Ukraine and Western sanctions.
Key Details on Russia’s Gold Sales
Purpose: The primary reason for the gold sales is to generate rubles and cover the state budget deficit, particularly as oil and gas tax revenues have dropped.
Mechanism: Due to increased liquidity in the domestic gold market, the Bank of Russia is now able to conduct market operations involving the sale of physical gold in a manner equivalent to selling Chinese yuan to balance the National Wealth Fund (NWF).
Volume: The exact date sales began and the current volume have not been specified by the Central Bank. However, data indicates that the Finance Ministry has sold over 232.6 tonnes of gold from the NWF since the beginning of the war, reducing the fund’s gold holdings to 173.1 tonnes as of November 1, 2025.
Context: This marks a significant shift for Russia, which had been a major buyer of gold for years to diversify its assets and reduce dependence on the U.S. dollar, especially following the 2014 annexation of Crimea. The U.S. decision to freeze Russia’s foreign exchange reserves after the 2022 invasion has motivated a broader trend among central banks (including BRICS nations) to acquire more gold and move away from the dollar.
Russia’s Overall Gold Reserves
Despite the recent sales from the National Wealth Fund, Russia maintains significant total gold holdings.
Total Reserves: Russia holds over 2,300 tonnes of gold in its total national reserves, making it the world’s fifth-largest holder.
Strategic Shift: The country had aggressively built up these reserves to act as a buffer against sanctions, a strategy that has partially insulated its economy.
Domestic Market Focus: Sanctions prevent Russia’s Central Bank from buying gold on international markets, so domestic purchases from local miners have been a key part of its strategy.
Related Trends
Public Demand: Russian citizens have also been buying record amounts of physical gold to protect their savings from inflation and sanctions, with the government encouraging this trend by scrapping the Value Added Tax (VAT) on gold bar sales to individuals.
Sanctions Evasion: There have been international calls, notably from U.S. senators, for the State and Treasury departments to crack down on Russian gold sales to prevent the funding of its military operation
As the Phantom of the Soviet, Putin and his “New Nobility” project appear to be fading. Most clearly, he cannot today defend Russia, her field operations, her people, and not even select cities from Ukrainian payback. Many within Russia will find themselves surviving this winter in the cold and dark as services fail and the machinery and repairs wanted may not be available as required.
Rarely have so few, seemingly inconsequential words generated so many consequential ones.
In a mere 109-word paragraph tucked away in an autobiographical collection of interviews published in 2000, just as he ascended to power in Russia, Vladimir Putin tells a nightmarish tale: Once, when he and his friends were chasing rats with sticks in the dilapidated apartment building in St. Petersburg where he grew up, a “huge rat” he’d cornered suddenly “lashed around and threw itself at” him, chasing the “surprised and frightened” Putin to his door before he slammed it shut in the rodent’s face. For Putin, it’s a parable: “I got a quick and lasting lesson in the meaning of the word cornered.”
Might Putin try to erase the memory of the world by setting off a nuclear Armageddon?
Given Putin’s association with Malignant Narcissism and related ramifications, it appears he may need to be stopped by the mutiny of his remaining admirals and generals in unison. By Russian own nuclear doctrine, he cannot launch a nuclear warhead without military cooperation. According to AI today:
In Russia, the President makes the final decision to use nuclear weapons, but military commanders have control over the launch. The Cheget briefcase connects the President to the strategic command-and-control network, transmitting launch orders to the General Staff. The General Staff then gives authorization codes to the commanders who execute the actual launch.
The process for nuclear launch
Presidential decision: The President, as the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, makes the final decision to use nuclear weapons based on Russia’s doctrine.
Command and control: The President uses a device called the Cheget to send the launch order through the Kazbek command and control network.
Military authority: The Cheget transmits the orders to the General Staff, not to the individual weapons commanders.
Execution of the launch: The General Staff then issues the necessary authorization codes to the individual military commanders who have the authority to execute the launch procedures.
For Russians, the present state-of-affairs must seem both puzzling, at least (given the Soviet Era hangover having to do with propaganda and totalitarian control), as well as foreboding in light of Ukraine’s demonstrated ability to attack any vital state asset in the Russian land mass contributing to the state’s defense, economy, and industry. With the initiation of the selling of gold reserves, Putin has more or less signaled the beginning of the end of not only an intolerable venture into and toward Europe but his inability to resist the war being brought home to none other than himself–and it may be his own people who do it.
From the above, one may suggest that Vladimir Putin must be experiencing a bad day every day or, alternatively, enjoying a deluded day in a theater all his own–one may then wonder how his inner circle feels about that.
As noted here years ago, Putin’s fear of public humiliation and shame drives frame and maintain his own image as unassailable, courageous, and heroic — see “Why Putin Won’t Stop Until Stopped” (January 20, 2023). His problem: reality won’t accept his claims of successes — none to date have proven immune to Ukrainian drone push-back and other defensive measures — nor any denials of culpability. He embarked on the conquest of Ukraine under false premises in 2014, and while he annexed Crimea without a shot fired — and nothing more than diplomatic posturing from Washington for resistance — he’s just not getting further with anything he does. Russia’s admirals and generals may note well the fate of his once-proud Black Sea Fleet:
As Putin’s fortunes and prospects continue to decline in the face of western resolve (even without the fulsome resolve of American will while the nation weathers an administration whose loyalties to the American secular democratic republic appear doubtful), he’ll strive to sustain his illusion of the absolute control of Russia through the deadly and grinding machinery of the “mafia state” that he has built around himself, a state that may fear him more than it admires or loves him.
AI Recaps, August 24, 2025
Russian Nuclear Accusations Against Ukraine
Russia’s nuclear accusations against Ukraine are primarily disinformation campaigns, such as the late 2022 claim that Ukraine was preparing to use a “dirty bomb” on Ukrainian territory. More recently, on August 24, 2025, Russia accused Ukraine of launching a drone attack on the Kursk nuclear power plant, causing a fire and minor damage to a transformer, though radiation levels remained normal and no casualties were reported. These accusations are often seen as propaganda aimed at discrediting Ukraine and justifying Russia’s actions in the ongoing conflict. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]
Accusations of a “Dirty Bomb” (October 2022) [1, 2, 9, 10]
Russia’s claim: In late October 2022, Russia accused Ukraine of planning to detonate a radioactive “dirty bomb” on Ukrainian soil and warned international partners about it, according to The New York Times.
Ukraine’s response: Ukraine, in turn, accused Russia of secretly building dirty bombs at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant.
International view: U.S. intelligence officials considered the claims to be a Russian tactic, possibly as a “bluff” or a way to employ its “escalate to de-escalate” nuclear doctrine.
Drone Attack on a Nuclear Plant (August 2025)
Russia’s claim: Russia accused Ukraine of launching drone attacks, including one that struck the Kursk nuclear power plant. [3, 5]
Damage and effects: The attack caused a fire and damaged a transformer, forcing a reduction in the power plant’s capacity. However, the fire was quickly extinguished, with no casualties and normal radiation levels reported. [4, 5]
Ukraine’s response: Ukraine did not immediately comment, but a Ukrainian center called the accusations “typical methods” of Russian propaganda. [6]
International reaction: The UN’s nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, was aware of the reports but had not independently confirmed them, emphasizing that all nuclear facilities must be protected. [4, 5]
Ukraine’s long-range drone attacks have significantly degraded Russia’s oil refining capacity, knocking out approximately 13% of the country’s processing capability since early August 2025, leading to elevated fuel prices and production disruptions. The attacks have targeted major refineries and infrastructure like the Druzhba pipeline, with repairs complicated by Western sanctions that restrict access to specialized equipment and prolong outages. This campaign is a strategic effort to undermine Russia’s economy and its ability to fund the war, as evidenced by the soaring wholesale gasoline prices and potential reliance on government subsidies for Russian energy firms. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Reduced Refining Capacity: Around 13% of Russia’s total refining capacity has been knocked out, with estimates suggesting about 44.3 million tons of annual processing capability disrupted.
Prolonged Outages: Major facilities like the Volgograd, Samara, and Ryazan refineries have been rendered inoperable, with repairs expected to take months due to a lack of specialized parts, exacerbated by sanctions.
Supply Chain Disruption: The Druzhba pipeline was also struck, causing a temporary shutdown and raising concerns in Central Europe.
Economic Strain: Russian energy firms face reduced revenues, strained profit margins, and increased dependence on government bailouts.
Strategic Context:
Targeted Campaign: The strikes are a coordinated effort by Ukraine’s intelligence services (GUR and SSU) to dismantle Russia’s energy infrastructure, which they view as a crucial economic engine for its war efforts. [4, 5, 6]
Shift from Previous Ceasefire: This intensified focus on oil facilities marks a departure from a previous understanding that limited mutual attacks on civilian energy infrastructure. [5]
Economic Warfare: By targeting the oil sector, Ukraine aims to cripple Russia’s wartime finances and force a slowdown in oil production. [4]
Consequences:
Soaring Fuel Prices: Wholesale gasoline prices have surged sharply, with AI-92 and AI-95 gasoline prices reaching record highs in August 2025. [3, 7]
Market Instability: The ongoing disruptions and the financial strain on energy companies are reflected in underperforming stock valuations for firms like Rosneft and Gazprom. [2]
Russia’s Vulnerability: The attacks highlight the fragility of Russia’s centralized energy infrastructure and expose its struggles to protect against deep-penetration drone swarms. [2, 8]
The figure of $172 billion is Russia’s projected military expenditure for 2025, not a total cost to date, and represents about 8% of its GDP. While this isn’t a specific “war cost,” the Russian war in Ukraine has other significant economic consequences, including substantial direct military spending, which may have exceeded $132 billion through 2024 and reached over $450 billion by some estimates, along with broader economic costs like GDP losses and long-term effects on the economy. [1, 2, 3]
Breakdown of Costs and Projections:
2025 Military Expenditure: Russia’s planned military spending for 2025 is around $170-$172 billion, accounting for approximately 8% of its GDP. [1]
Direct Military Spending: Some estimates place Russia’s direct military spending on the war at $132 billion or more by the end of 2024. [2]
Total Direct War Cost: One source indicates the total direct costs of the war for Russia have exceeded $450 billion, though this is a broader figure encompassing all direct expenses. [3]
GDP Losses: Beyond direct military costs, Russia has also incurred significant losses to its GDP as a result of the war, with estimates for 2022 alone falling between $81 billion and $104 billion. [2]
Economic Impact: The war has led to Russia’s focus on a “war economy” that prioritizes military spending, which drives short-term growth but undermines long-term economic health.
Labour Shortages: The increased militarization of the workforce contributes to severe labor shortages.
Inflation: Wage growth in Russia has outpaced productivity, fueling inflation.
Sustainability: This approach creates a narrow and brittle economic foundation, making Russia’s long-term economic trajectory unsustainable.
The slings and arrows of outrageous slurs — “vile ignoramus” has become my latest favorite — appear never to reach the armored, delusional, malignantly narcissistic, and unreachable Ill Trumpolini (another fave). His realm: mafia realpolitik along the lines of “your money or your wife” — or both (plus other “property”) according to Jeffrey Epstein via assorted reportage. This week, he predictably added to his ignominious reputation by offering Putin everything asked for: expanded land assets for Russia; the submission of Ukraine to Russia; the abandonment of Ukraine by NATO to Russia.
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