Unlike the Gaza deal, the summer drama surrounding the meeting between Putin and Trump in Alaska did not lead to a letup in military operations, but rather pushed both sides towards further escalation, in deeds and words. As in 1914, the "illusion of fate" is dangerously rising again, obliterating all possibilities for choice and diplomatic solutions.

Faced with the president's increasingly radical stance in his confrontation with Europe, the communists hope to regain a central role in Russian politics, breaking free from the absolute dominance of Putin's United Russia party and competing with the liberal-nationalists of the LDPR party, the ‘right-wing populists’ of national politics.

By 31 December, another 135,000 young Russians will be called up for military service under increasingly stringent conditions to prevent loopholes. The aim is not primarily to expand the army, but to redefine the very fabric of society, making the entire population feel at the front, even if it is mainly Caucasians and Asians who are sent to be slaughtered.

The military supply sector is growing and thriving with a continuous flow of resources, raw materials, finance and technology. Small and medium-sized enterprises and the consumer sector are having to contend with restrictions due to sanctions, tax increases and limited access to capital. Moscow's economy has already taken root in a model that will not be easy to change in the future.

Kalmykia, the only region with a Buddhist majority in the European part of Russia, welcomed delegations from 35 countries around the world. Putin himself sent a message praising its ‘precious spiritual traditions’. Lama Kirishov praised the ‘spirit of sacrifice’ of Buddhist soldiers participating in the special military operation in Ukraine.

Moldova, which is seemingly the closest target for Moscow's "hybrid war”, is headed to parliamentary elections tomorrow. Meanwhile, unidentified aircraft circling in the skies of Europe are like menacing totems, evoking the Siberian-rooted shamanism that, in today’s Russia, is one of the most radical expressions of its “defence of traditional values” against Western depravity.