Russia is being hammered by the Xi Jinping Flu that the Chinese apparently engineered in Wuhan and let loose on the world. China claims to have solved the problem but apparently didn't share that knowledge with their "friend" Russia. How much more will the Russian people allow Putin to just devastate Russia in service to China?
As I write this, Russia is firmly in the grip of the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Every day, there are about 22,000 reported new infections—twice as many as during the peak of the first wave in May 2020—and more than 600 deaths. The new Delta variant of the virus, which Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin says is responsible for 90 per cent of new infections in the Russian capital, has caught Russia almost completely unawares. Despite having access to the brain power and resources of one of the most technologically advanced nations in the world, Russian authorities have repeatedly squandered almost every chance to beat the pandemic.
Consider Putin's Russia. Russia is weak compared to China and worries about holding its Far East. Russia took a large and important part of that from China in the 19th century. As a result, Putin is appeasing China--recently extended for five more years--and risks permanent vassal status if Russia continues to trot ahead of China on a leash.
Yet when China unleashes a pandemic on the world, Russia gets no special consideration. The Xi Jinping Flu smashed across Russia as much as it did the rest of the world. No special warning for Russia. No border restrictions just for Russia.
And even though the Chinese apparently engineered the virus before blundering and letting it escape the Wuhan lab, China hid their role. Not even Russia, which is supposed to be China's "ally", received any special information that might have allowed Russia to contain the virus or develop an effective vaccine. China claims it beat the virus. Why didn't China share that knowledge with their so-called partner?
China was happy to have Russia suffer. And we don't even know the extent of the suffering in Russia because many pandemic deaths were hidden by classifying them as something else. And the suffering is far from over.
As Putin loudly accuses NATO of plotting against Russia, Russians sicken and die in huge numbers because of China. How much has this pandemic slowed down Russia's hopes of regaining strength to be able to hold their Far East?
And China told Russia they're damn well going to take this pandemic death toll, smile, and keep their mouths shut about China.
Conspiracy theories abound in paranoid Russia. Why isn't the most obvious conspiracy explaining Russia's sorry condition under Putin making the rounds?
Why haven't Russians stormed the palace and given Putin the same treatment they gave Nicholas II for effing up Russia so much?
UPDATE: The prosecution rests:
Many Russians are coming to realize that the 2014 invasion of Ukraine has been a disaster for Russia. Because of that invasion Russia has become the second most sanctioned country on the planet, surpassed only by Iran. ... The government downplays the impact of the sanctions but the average Russian knows better, and notes their living standards declining year after year. ...
Russian actions since 2014 have triggered a huge increase in military spending in Europe, especially East Europe. ...
After six months of effort, the government has only been able to persuade 16 percent of the population to get vaccinated against covid19. Russ now has four locally developed vaccines but all are similar and not trusted by Russians, or anyone else.
Heckuva job!
