Thats in Russia …the other End of Russia from where Goldballoon is Galavanting
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from JC

The New York Times reported yesterday that Russian President Putin visited Ukraine for the first time since the Proxy War started, in a story headlined “Defiant Putin Visits Mariupol, Second Stop in Tour of Occupied Ukraine.” The sub-headline explained, “The surprise trip signals the Kremlin is trying to keep up business as usual, two days after an international court issued an arrest warrant for the Russian president.”

Oh, is THAT why Putin went?

Mariupol, now in Russian-controlled territory and home to about 300,000 souls, lies on the southern coast of Ukraine along the Sea of Azov:

The story makes for an interesting contrast with former vice-president Biden’s visit with former comedian Zelensky in Ukraine. Unlike Biden’s photo op, Russian media showed president Putin driving a car through Mariupol streets at night, chatting with local people, visiting the Philharmonic Hall, a new Russian arts school, a children’s summer camp, as well as future cultural projects like the New Russia museum and the new Museum of Christianity.

Whereas Biden just stiff-walked around a couple photo op sites in Kyiv with Zelensky. I doubt Biden has the energy to talk with the locals or take in the sights, which might just be the actual point Putin was making.

The Times says Putin was responding to an “arrest warrant” issued by the International Criminal Court two days ago, suggesting Putin’s visit was just something the Russians scraped together on the spur of the moment to “defiantly” show how little Putin cares about the ICC. The Times has zero evidence the trip had anything to do with the ICC’s move, it’s pure speculation, or maybe just a way for the reporter to work Putin’s ICC warrant into a travel article.

Meanwhile — once again — the Times reliably, if dishonestly, predicted Putin’s imminent collapse:

As the war enters its second year, Mr. Putin has found himself further isolated, with a growing list of sanctions and great hurdles to selling his nation’s gas and oil, which finance the war. It has prompted him to turn to Iran for weapons, including drones and missiles, and to Belarus, where he staged troops for last year’s invasion and is doing the same for a new offensive. Mr. Putin was just in Belarus in December to visit President Aleksandr G. Lukashenko. On Monday, he will host Moscow’s most important ally, China’s leader, Xi Jinping.

What a paper! They call Putin “further isolated” then immediately list three NEW Russian allies: Iran, Belarus, and CHINA. A growing group of allies is the reverse opposite of “isolated,” but that didn’t stop the Times. Apparently it’s a matter of opinion or something. Furthermore, as the Times well knows, Russia’s sanctioned economy is GROWING — in stark contrast to our sanctioner economy, which is shrinking and facing a banking crisis.

So.