Putin scrambles to protect Africa ties after his ‘War on Grain’ in Ukraine; humiliated he can’t travel to S. A

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin published a new article in an effort to justify himself to the African world, while at the same time Russian “millbloggers” criticized Russia’s air defense systems following the July 24 drone attacks on Moscow, reported U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War on July 24.

Analyzing the drone strike on Moscow on July 24, allegedly carried out by Ukrainian forces, ISW draws attention to the data of the Russian portal The Insider, whose sources have said the Russian authorities banned Russian TV channels from covering drone strikes.

"Government-run channels Rossiya-24 and Moskva-24, as well as RBC and some regional TV channels, were banned from covering the topic 15 minutes prior to the 11 o'clock newscast. Despite this, reports about the drones were still aired in the 10 o'clock newscast," The Insider wrote.

Russian "milbloggers" reacted with restraint to the strikes on Moscow, ISW analysts note. Some criticized Russian air defense for allowing drones to reach the center of Moscow, while others argued that the information effect of such attacks was minimal and short-lived.

Read also: Putin to skip BRICS summit in South Africa amid risk of arrest

The alleged strike by Ukrainian forces on Russian military targets in occupied Crimea on July 24 temporarily disrupted Russia's logistics through the occupied peninsula, writes ISW. Road traffic on the Dzhankoy-Simferopol highway was suspended, as well as rail traffic through the Dzhankoy district, reported Crimean puppet “governor” Sergey Aksyonov.

A well-known Russian "milblogger" claimed that Ukraine used four Storm Shadow cruise missiles for the strike: three "at an ammunition depot on the outskirts of Vilne [19 km southwest of Dzhankoy] and one at a repair base near Novostepove [south of Dzhankoy]."

At the same time, Mariupol mayoral advisor, Petro Andyushchenko, said that the strikes wounded three Russian servicemen at the Vesele military airfield (10 km southwest of Dzhankoy), adding that were additional explosions near Krasnohvardiyske (20 km southwest of Dzhankoy). The occupation administration will now try to "strictly monitor" social media posts that could help Ukrainian forces identify targets in Crimea, ISW notes, citing a statement by the occupation "authorities" in Crimea.

Vladimir Putin's new article on Russian-African relations is likely his attempt to mitigate the damage to Russia's position and his own reputation in Africa as a result of Moscow's withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative, as well as Russia's attacks on Ukrainian grain and port facilities.

The article is also his reaction to his inability to attend the upcoming BRICS summit in South Africa due to an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court. The ISW suggests that Putin was embarrassed by his inability to attend the BRICS summit in South Africa and is now trying to mitigate the consequences of this development.

Read also: African countries urge Putin to ‘show desire for peace’ in Ukraine

In his article, Putin outlined Russia's goals of establishing "partnerships" with Africa and called for continued "traditionally close cooperation on the world stage." Putin also emphasized Russia's trade with African economic partners and the importance of "uninterrupted food supply" for the "maintenance of the political stability of African states," accusing the "collective West" of allegedly using the grain deal for its own benefit "at the expense" of Russia and countries such as Ethiopia, Sudan, and Somalia.

ISW believes that Putin's article was intentionally published shortly after Russia's withdrawal from the grain deal and Russian attacks that destroyed tens of thousands of tons of Ukrainian grain and Ukrainian infrastructure needed to transport grain to areas of Africa that are heavily dependent on food from Ukraine.

The Kremlin continues to codify internal repression in Russia, which meets only minimal resistance from some Russian lawmakers.

Putin signed laws on July 24 that allow the Russian Ministry of Justice to conduct unscheduled inspections of persons classified as "foreign agents" and require Russian citizens, government officials, and organizations to comply with restrictions on "foreign agents."

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine