The risk is real
It seems like an act of desperation, a sign of weakness:
Vladimir Putin
is mobilizing hundreds of thousands of reservists to go to war against Ukraine on his behalf.
A war that officially cannot be called that even after this step.
This war is not going the way the Kremlin ruler imagined.
With the next escalation he at least wants to
avert complete military defeat
.
He stages fake referendums in the areas still occupied by Russian troops in order to then be able to incorporate them.
Putin's twisted and cynical logic behind this: when Ukraine tries to retake the regions in the east, it attacks Russian territory - which Putin must defend.
By any means.
This is where Putin's admission of weakness becomes a danger.
He once again blatantly threatens to use nuclear weapons, emphasizing, "It's not a bluff."
Unfortunately, one has to take the dictator from Moscow at his word: The risk that he will not shy away from a nuclear attack is real.
There is no need for great Kremlin psychology.
In the end, it doesn't matter whether Putin grabs the bomb because he has completely lost touch with reality or because he sees himself cornered by reality.
Nobody in the West wants a direct confrontation with Russia.
And yet Putin's unpredictability should not be a reason to shy away.
The response of the international community can only be maximum unity, maximum aid to Ukraine and maximum pressure on Russia.
And wherever possible, the West must support the opposition in Russia to Putin.
The protests against partial mobilization and the rush to fly abroad are signs that many people do not approve of Putin's order.
In any case, growing, noticeable resistance in our own country to Putin's escalation course would be extremely welcome in this situation.
Interview with ex-Foreign Minister Gabriel: "Former conscientious objectors are calling for tanks for Ukraine, and our generals are urging caution"
You can find more news and background information on the war in Ukraine here:
Moving appearance by Zelenskyj in front of the UN, North Korea does not want to supply Russians with weapons:
The Ukrainian President addressed the UN with impressive words via video - there was a standing ovation.
The Federal President fears further escalations.
And: Kyiv and Moscow exchange prisoners.
That happened in the night.
“Russia will have problems”:
Kremlin chief Putin mobilizes reservists and schedules mock referendums in eastern Ukraine.
British military expert Ed Arnold does not believe that this maneuver will quickly turn the tide of the war.
Greens and FDP want to grant asylum to Russian deserters:
Hundreds of thousands of Russians could soon be forced into military service in Ukraine.
The FDP and the Greens want to offer deserters a way out.
Russians take to the streets against partial mobilization – more than 1,300 arrests:
Russians across the country are protesting against Vladimir Putin's war decision.
SPIEGEL correspondent Christina lever reports that the security forces in Moscow cracked down.
When will the Security Council finally be reformed?
When Putin attacked Ukraine in February and announced the start of his "special military operation" in a TV speech, the UN Security Council was in New York at an emergency meeting.
Now it looks as if the Kremlin ruler wanted to present the international community again: while around 150 state leaders from all over the world met at the United Nations headquarters for the general assembly, Putin spread his second declaration of war - the partial mobilization of his troops.
The outrage at the further escalation is great.
A few hours ago, Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelenskyj
addressed the world in a video message in New York.
He demanded that Russia be punished for the attack on his country, which included not only sanctions but also isolation in international organizations:
Russia should - this is not a new demand - lose its veto right in the highest UN body, the World Security Council
.
This will meet on Thursday in New York, the foreign ministers of Ukraine and Russia will be there, and Annalena Baerbock will also be taking part.
In fact, the group will probably
only reveal their powerlessness once again
on this occasion .
After all, Zelensky is right:
as long as military aggressors, as long as war criminals have a say in their own fate and can thus prevent punishment, the Security Council is unable to act.
This realization is certainly not new, nor are the calls for reform, which have so far led to nothing.
And even if US President Joe Biden speaks out on the big stage in favor of a reorganization of the body -
I do not believe that the self-blockade can be resolved now of all times
and that more states will be admitted to the circle of the powerful.
Depriving Russia of the right of veto against its will is in fact impossible.
Eventful session of the UN General Assembly: Putin's stun grenade
Poor Trumps, Rich Trumps
Unfortunately, I have to admit it, but
Donald Trump is a real bank for us
: Whenever we place a message about the former US President on the page, it is almost certainly within a few minutes the most-read message on SPIEGEL.de .
Because that's the way it is, we have to force ourselves from time to time not to regurgitate every nonsense that the 76-year-old spouts (that's not even that little).
In the current case, there was no danger in terms of relevance: after years of investigation and legal wrangling, New York Attorney General Letitia James filed civil charges against Trump, his company and his three children Donald Junior, Eric and Ivanka.
The accusation: fraud.
Trump and Co. are said to have manipulated the finances of the Trump Organization on a large scale and for years
.
Sometimes the goodwill was inflated, sometimes reduced, depending on whether you needed a loan or had to pay taxes.
According to the prosecutor, the Trumps should pay at
least
$250 million in compensation .
She also wants to prevent the ex-president or his children from ever doing business in New York again, taking out loans or buying real estate.
And James has turned over their findings to federal prosecutors and the IRS for possible criminal prosecution.
Trump's reaction was predictable, he once again suspects a
politically motivated "witch hunt"
.
The usual question that follows such stories in the Trump case:
Can all this be dangerous for him?
Well, Trump's run-ins with the judiciary fill books, whether before, during or after his presidency.
Even now, the allegations of fraud are not the only ones that could have legal consequences (storming the Capitol, dealing with secret documents, interfering with elections).
But all these investigations and procedures take so much time that they are unlikely to be completed before the next presidential election at the end of 2024.
It is therefore unlikely that they will prevent Trump from running again.
One thing is certain: we will be able to delight you, dear readers, with many Trump reports.
Pretty sure today.
Legal action against the ex-US President: What does the New York civil lawsuit against Trump mean?
Here is the current quiz of the day
The starting question today:
For which city in Germany does the abbreviation A stand on the license plate?
Loser of the day...
…is
Mark Zuckerberg.
The "Bild" newspaper brought me to the "Bloomberg Billionaires Index", a kind of world ranking of the super-rich.
The ranking shows how bad things are for a number of multi-billionaires these days.
Many red numbers can be seen there, which means: the assets are shrinking!
Mark Zuckerberg is hit the hardest.
According to the Bloomberg Index, the meta boss has already lost $71 billion this year, more than anyone else on the list.
That is indeed a house number, but you don't have to ask for a donation account out of sympathy.
Zuckerberg's net worth is still around $56 billion.
But: In the top 50 he is only in 20th place.
By the way, Elon Musk
is enthroned at the top
.
He, too, has already made losses this year, but only 2.8 billion dollars – the Tesla boss writes them off from petty cash.
According to Bloomberg, Musk's net worth is nearly $270 billion.
Small consolation for Zuckerberg: He becomes a father for the third time.
He and his wife Priscilla Chan announced on their Facebook page that they are expecting a baby.
With that, Zuckerberg is also a winner of the day.
The latest news from the night
Two years after George Floyd's death - police officer involved again sentenced:
Former police officer Thomas Lane is already serving a prison sentence for his role in the violent death of George Floyd.
Another judgment was added.
Nasa encounters tank problems again during the "Artemis" test:
The moon mission "Artemis" by the US space agency Nasa is postponed again.
The reason: a leak when refueling with liquid hydrogen.
Due to breakdowns, the unmanned mission is repeatedly delayed.
»I am very impressed by Niemann's game«:
World chess champion Magnus Carlsen kept silent in the conflict with US grandmaster Hans Niemann.
Now he hinted at his allegations of fraud – and referred to an alleged “mentor” of his opponent.
The SPIEGEL + recommendations for today
The economy is faltering, the job market is booming – how can that be?
Germany is facing a severe economic slump, but workers apparently do not have to worry too much.
This is due to a fundamental trend.
'The public only talks about how annoying these people are':
'Last Generation' activists are shutting down pipelines and blocking roads.
Protest researcher Christian Volk on the question of how far one can go for climate protection.
Is Stonehenge being built here?
The enigmatic stone circle in southern England is said to be more than 4000 years old.
But photos from the 1950s suggest otherwise.
are they real
How can you be happy in times of crisis?
The so-called joie de vivre fair promises fun at the sea.
Our author went there - and learned a lot about the risks and side effects of simple answers to big questions.
Have a good day.
Heartfelt,
Yours, Philip Wittrock