Putin is Scared

There is a ton of evidence pointing in that direction

Earlier today, an undersea fiber optic cable connecting Sweden and Latvia was damaged. “External influence,” stated the Prime Minister of Latvia. The world knows exactly what type of ‘external influence’ regularly rips apart undersea cables in the Gulf of Finland and the Baltic Sea.

It is commonly known as Kremlin influence. Latvia and Sweden are still investigating the incident, as there were many vessels in the area. It might be either tomorrow or later before we get the full details of the ship and the crew involved in the attack.

The entire region has been on high alert since an oil tanker, went on an undersea cable-cutting spree on December 25, 2024. The vessel was immediately seized by the Finnish coast guard and a local court ordered that the oil tanker “Eagle S” remain impounded as investigations continue. The ship’s owner and crew are likely facing one of the longest years of their lives.

Post-attack, on January 14, 2025, NATO launched its Baltic Sentry Program, a maritime surveillance initiative aimed at deterring threats to critical undersea infrastructure in the Baltic Sea. NATO has deployed frigates, maritime patrol aircraft, and naval drones to enhance surveillance in the region.

This area is now monitored 24/7.

Thus, the odds are, if you commit sabotage, you will be arrested, and your ship will be impounded. It’s almost a suicide mission to execute any sabotage in the Gulf of Finland and the Baltic Sea. And yet, the Kremlin found a willing captain to cut an undersea fiber optic cable between Latvia and Sweden.

I don’t think any amount of money would have convinced the captain to agree to a suicide mission. That sounds a lot like coercion. The threat level must have been so high that they chose to get arrested.

Consider the desperation the Kremlin must feel to do this after the Eagle S was impounded by Finland four weeks ago.

If NATO begins rigorously inspecting every ship traversing EU waters for valid insurance documents, the Kremlin might as well wave farewell to its Dark Sea fleet that transports oil globally. This stringent enforcement would compel all vessels to carry legitimate insurance, binding them to sell oil below the EU’s price cap of 60 euros per barrel. Such a move would slash Russia’s oil revenues by nearly 20%.

The Kremlin is counting pennies; that’s how bad their economic situation is, but they still chose to risk their Dark Sea fleet. This clearly screams of desperation. The Kremlin has completely run out of ideas. There is no other way to interpret what happened earlier today. Things get even worse when we consider what Putin did yesterday.

After relentless hounding from Donald Trump and his administration, taunting the Kremlin about dropping the oil price cap to $45, the Kremlin has finally unveiled its strategic response to this escalating threat.

Putin’s plan? He’s going to suck up to Donald Trump, and he’s going to do it in the most public way possible. Yep, that’s their strategy. I’ve seen plenty of political suck-ups in my time. Senator Ted Cruz’s fawning over Trump was top-tier for ages. But now, we’ve got a new world record holder — Vladimir Putin.

I cannot but agree with him that if he had been president, if his victory had not been stolen from him in 2020, then perhaps there would not have been the crisis in Ukraine that arose in 2022- Vladimir Putin told Russian state media

After Trump threatened Putin with additional sanctions and criticized his governance, saying it’s “no way to run a country,” the Kremlin was caught off guard. Before they could calibrate a response, the ultranationalist community and state media had already spread Trump’s threats across the nation, further complicating Putin’s position. Now, Putin is publicly praising Trump, claiming the war would never have happened under Trump’s presidency.

Interestingly, since Trump assumed office, Ukraine has not ceased its assaults on Russian assets, maintaining an intense pace. Just yesterday, Ukraine targeted Russia’s third largest refinery, the Ryazan oil refinery, a critical facility that processed almost 5% of Russia’s refining capacity in 2024.

Ukraine is not just stepping up the frequency of attacks but also targeting more valuable assets since Trump’s inauguration. Yet, there’s been no protest from Trump’s administration. They are not even talking about Ukraine. They are only talking about Russia.

It’s also striking that since Trump took office, Putin has held back on major missile strikes against Kyiv — nearly a week has passed without retaliation, despite Ukraine’s consistent attacks on their refineries.

Putin seems lost, unsure of how to respond, especially as Trump seeks negotiations. Trump wants Putin to propose terms, but if Putin does and Trump rejects them — Putin will be in a whole lot of trouble.

Trump’s unpredictability only adds to the tension. If he demands that Putin keep Crimea but relinquish everything else, Putin has no response whatsoever. He can’t outright refuse and continue the war without facing consequences.

Trump has made it clear: if his demands aren’t met, he will further lower the oil price cap, impose more sanctions, and increase arms supplies to Ukraine. Putin appears cornered, with no attractive options for starting negotiations.

He is visibly frightened, and his exit doors are jammed.

Thanks for reading. Now, more than ever, it’s crucial to make critical information about Ukraine accessible. That’s why I’ve made 351 stories available to the public in 2024, including this one.