So Russia is still waiting for the written reply from the USA to her demands.  The US promised it for next week.  As for the gazillion opinions, predictions, threats and other guesses, they consider this all has irrelevant hot air and have declared that Russia will only act on the basis of what the US written reply will say.

Fair enough.

Still, there are a few secondary developments which are happening these days, and I want to mention a few of them.

  • The purge of the Kazakh security services is merrily proceeding.  Its latest casualty appears to be Samat Abish, who used to be the deputy director of the 1st Deputy Chairman of National Security Council.
  • The delivery of S-400 to India will be completed soon, and it appears that the US does not have the courage to try to impose CAATSA mandated sanctions on India.
  • The Council of the Duma at a meeting on Monday unanimously decided to withdraw from the consideration of deputies a bill on the introduction of COVID-certificates with a QR code for visiting public places.  Good!
  • In a triumph for the Woke ideology (or personality disorder) Microsoft is now introducing, and this is not a joke, a, quote, “inclusiveness language checker“.

Compared to the big stuff going on between Russia and the USA, this is small fry news.

Let’s enjoy this short interlude for as long as it lasts.

I leave you with an open thread.

Andrei

The Essential Saker IV: Messianic Narcissism's Agony by a Thousand Cuts
The Essential Saker III: Chronicling The Tragedy, Farce And Collapse of the Empire in the Era of Mr MAGA