1. 'Burevestniks', 'Poseidons', the 'encirclement in Kupiansk', and other similar things are a theater for two actors: for Trump and Xi, who were discussing Russia without Russia.2. Putin's biggest fear is the unclear position of Xi, who theoretically, under certain circumstances, might at some point agree to peace along the front line.3. It is still completely unclear how all these mythical encirclements could have helped Xi refuse to discuss this issue with Trump. The only logical explanation is that if nothing is done (or invented), the probability of China agreeing to the U.S. proposal is higher than it is now, when Putin is demonstrating his pseudo-madness.4. In light of all this, we can say for sure: Putin is demonstrating incredible external weakness, which will inevitably be compensated by an internal tightening of the screws.5. With all this, we cannot rule out that Putin genuinely believes in the mythical encirclements. And this is not just a public performance, but a sincere conviction. We saw six months ago how he sincerely believed that the front would collapse by autumn. In other words, there is a high probability that he is finally losing touch with reality. If this is true, it will reach the Russian elites with a lag of 3-6 months.SourceAbout the author: Vadym Denysenko, political scientist.The editors do not always share the opinions expressed by the authors of the blogs.