What Gives with Putin and Schwab, President Zelensky?

“Beginning his speech with a warm “dear Klaus,” Putin recalled how he first met Mr. Schwab in 1992 and since then had regularly attended events organized by the Fourth Industrial Revolution visionary. “Putin used his address to urge for “expanding the scale of [COVID] testing and vaccinations” across the globe–policies that have ushered in worldwide medical apartheid. “Echoing the sentiments of western leaders, Putin also argued that the global economy would need to be rebuilt from the ground up by central banks:

[T]he key question today is how to build a program of actions in order to not only quickly restore the global and national economies affected by the pandemic, but to ensure that this recovery is sustainable in the long run, relies on a high-quality structure and helps overcome the burden of social imbalances. Clearly, with the above restrictions and macroeconomic policy in mind, economic growth will largely rely on fiscal incentives with state budgets and central banks playing the key role.

“The Russian president has repeatedly stated vaccination should be voluntary–but his personal opinion has had no impact on actual policy. All 85 regions of Russia now have decrees requiring certain segments of the population to get the shot.

“On December 17, Putin voiced support for a nationwide QR code law–one of the most unpopular pieces of legislation in recent Russian history. The introduction of digital health IDs would in essence make vaccination compulsory for those who want to partake in life’s most ordinary activities. “In late November, after the health ministry approved “Sputnik-M”–Russia’s COVID shot for ages 12-17–Putin suggested authorities begin “thinking about” vaccinating children starting from the age of two. How many two-year-olds have died from COVID in Russia? (Trick question: the Russian government doesn’t disclose COVID-linked deaths by age group. In fact, the Russian government refuses to publish lots of highly important COVID-related data, including statistics on post-vaccination side effects. Why?)”

“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told CNN in an interview to air over the weekend that he believes the world should be prepared for Russia to possibly resort to the use of chemical or nuclear weapons, just a day after CIA Director William Burns made a similar statement about Russian President Vladimir Putin's "desperation" to win in Ukraine. “Zelensky reportedly told CNN's Jake Tapper that Putin could and would use such weapons because he does not value the lives of the Ukrainian people.

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“Russian officials, including Putin, have threatened the use of nuclear weapons under certain circumstances, including if another country intervenes in the "special military operation," the term Russia has used to refer to the invasion of Ukraine, which began in late February. “Burns said in response to a question during an event at Georgia Tech on Thursday that the U.S. remains "very concerned" about the use of nuclear weapons but has not seen evidence indicating that such an attack could take place anytime soon despite consistent threats from Russia of nuclear weapons. "Given the potential desperation of President Putin and the Russian leadership, given the setbacks that they've faced so far, militarily, none of us can take lightly the threat posed by a potential resort to tactical nuclear weapons or low-yield nuclear weapons," Burns said, according to the New York Times. "We don’t." “Some officials, including Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, have said Russia is not considering nuclear weapons, which would be used only in response to an "existential threat" to Russia. "Chemical weapons, they should do it, they could do it, for them the life of the people, nothing. That's why," Zelensky told CNN. "We should think not be afraid, not be afraid, but be ready. But that is not a question for Ukraine, not only for Ukraine, but for all the world, I think.”

"Late last month, Russian officials outlined the circumstances under which Russia would be prepared to use nuclear weapons, and said one of their priorities is maintaining "readiness of strategic nuclear forces." “Former Russian President and current Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said last month that Russia would use a nuclear weapon in response to one being used against it or one of its allies, or an attack on "critical infrastructure that will have paralyzed our nuclear deterrent forces," or if an attack is committed against Russia that constitutes an existential threat to the country. “Zelensky also called the threats of nuclear attacks a bluff earlier in the conflict, but his new comments to CNN echo other comments he has made that the world should be cautious of Russia's actions. "Not only me—all of the world, all of the countries have to be worried because it can be not real information, but it can be truth," Zelensky told CNN.”

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