“After weeks of tension over a build-up of Russian troops close to Ukraine’s border, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has ordered a number of units in the area back to their bases,” the BBC reports. “The EU estimated that more than 100,000 Russian soldiers had amassed near the border as well as in Crimea, which was seized and annexed by Russia in 2014. Speaking in Crimea, Mr Shoigu said units on exercise would return to base. The aims of the “snap checks” had been achieved, he added. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who earlier challenged Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet him in the conflict zone, welcomed the decision to “de-escalate” tensions at the border.”
Shoigu reportedly claimed that “The troops have demonstrated their ability to provide a credible defense for the country,” but did not address rumors that have persisted across the Internet that part of the reason for Russia’s sudden capitulation was that Russian President Vladimir Putin and his oligarch buddies grifted so much money from the Russian military that much of the Russian military’s equipment has been allowed to fall into a state of disrepair, and that the country doesn’t have enough fuel for their tanks and support vehicles.
On a readout of an April 13th phone call between President Biden and Putin, it was reported that “President Biden made clear that the United States will act firmly in defense of its national interests in response to Russia’s actions, such as cyber intrusions and election interference. President Biden emphasized the United States’ unwavering commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The President voiced our concerns over the sudden Russian military build-up in occupied Crimea and on Ukraine’s borders, and called on Russia to de-escalate tensions. President Biden reaffirmed his goal of building a stable and predictable relationship with Russia consistent with U.S. interests, and proposed a summit meeting in a third country in the coming months to discuss the full range of issues facing the United States and Russia.”
Neither the White House, nor the Kremlin have provided further details of the call, but you know it would be a really difficult situation for Putin if he did something stupid, and then the United States went and nationalized all the assets of his billionaire Russian oligarch buddies…I mean we’re talking billions of dollars worth of assets. You do something stupid so a bunch of Russian mobsters lose billions of dollars like that? That’s kind of a tough situation. That’s the problem with sharks too is they know how to get theirs and if you screw up they’ll turn on you in an instant.