PrairiePundit

 ISW: ... Putin and the Russian MoD may use Prigozhin as a scapegoat for the costly drive on Bakhmut once the offensive culminates. ISW assessed on February 5 that Putin relies on a group of scapegoats to publicly take risks in his place and shoulder the blame for Russian military failures and unpopular policies.[41] Putin will likely use Wagner’s high casualties, reports about poor morale, and war crimes to deflect from likely equal or possibly worse problems within the Russian Armed Forces. Kremlin-affiliated milbloggers have ambushed Prigozhin with interviews that exposed numerous Wagner controversies regarding the ineffectiveness and mistreatment of the Wagner convict force – likely in an effort to set conditions in the Russian information space to discredit Wagner.[42] Much of the Russian and Western coverage of Bakhmut already focuses mainly on heavy Wagner losses, allowing the MoD to cover up or downplay other losses suffered by Russian conventional forces. The revelation of...

 ISW: ... Significant numbers of Russian mobilized soldiers and their loved ones continue to publicize complaints that Russian and Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) commanders treat them poorly and use them as expendable manpower to patch holes in combat formations.[31] Formations from at least 17 Russian federal subjects have released video complaints appealing to various Russian leaders in February and March alone.[32] The increasing rate of public complaints about commanders, lack of equipment, and unit structure — despite ongoing censorship and punishment of scapegoats — indicate that many soldiers feel the threat of war and their present conditions are more hazardous than the consequences of speaking out. The Ural regional branch of a Russian state-owned news agency claimed on March 10 that Russia is preparing a large-scale recruitment campaign set to launch April 1 aimed at bringing in about 400,000 new contract soldiers. Federal subject governors reportedly have begun preparat...

  Fox News: Putin's war on verge of expanding outside Ukraine as it cries 'terrorism' in Moldova   Russia releases statements on Moldova threat that echo claims it made in leadup to Urkainian invasion I suspect that Putin may see it as a softer target after running into a buzzsaw in Ukraine that greatly weakened his military. 

 Fox News: Authorities in Moldova are gathering Tuesday for an urgent security meeting following a series of blasts in a Russia-aligned separatist region , just days after one of Vladimir Putin’s generals suggested that country could be the next target of Moscow’s military aggression in eastern Europe. At least two blasts this morning targeted radio antennas that broadcast Russian programs in Maiac, a town around seven miles from Moldova’s border with Ukraine, according to officials in the Trans-Dniester region. They come a day after several explosions believed to be caused by rocket-propelled grenades were reported to have hit the Ministry of State Security in the city of Tiraspol, the region’s capital. The Security Council of Trans-Dniester on Tuesday also reported damage to a military unit in the village of Parcani. They did not offer further details on that incident, but declared "a red level of terrorist threat" and promised to impose additional security measures in the...

Ralph Peters: DON'T feel bad if you can't find Moldova on a map. Our president can't find it, either. Our befuddled secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, could find Moldova, if she wanted to. But she doesn't want to. Because that would mean facing up to Russian mischief. And everybody knows the Russians are going to be our bestest-bestest friends, like forever , dude. They really mean it this time. Anyway, why should we care about an impoverished state the size of a cattle ranch where a population of barely 4 million survives on a per-capita income of $2,500? Why should the Obama administration care about people struggling to regain their snatched-away freedom and to unseat a Communist government that came to power in murky elections -- then blatantly rigged recent voting to keep control? Why care about hundreds of pro-freedom demonstrators beaten in the streets and jailed in cells once run by the KGB? Obama's congressional intimates are busy flying to...

Independent: The crisis in Moldova, dubbed the "Twitter Revolution", was last night threatening to turn into another showdown between Russia and the West. Just weeks after Barack Obama's government spoke of "pressing the reset button" with Russia, the conflict risks derailing the fragile diplomatic truce. Russia gave its backing yesterday to Moldova's President, Vladimir Voronin, when he accused EU and Nato member Romania of backing a coup attempt, and expelled the Romanian ambassador. Mr Voronin promised "harsh punishment" would be meted out to the organisers of protests which rocked the capital Chisinau on Tuesday after the ruling Communists claimed victory in weekend parliamentary elections. Moscow, deeply suspicious of anti-government protests in what it considers its sphere of interest, condemned the protests in the strongest terms. A foreign ministry statement supported Mr Voronin's actions and said "any ...

Reuters /Washington Post: Moldovan riot police regained control of the president's office and a burning parliament on Wednesday after both buildings were ransacked during a protest against the election victory of the ruling Communist Party. Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin, Europe's only Communist leader, called on the West to help restore order and accused the opposition of attempting a coup after violence swept the capital of Europe's poorest country . (Emphasis added.) One woman died and about a hundred people were hurt after protesters, who say Sunday's parliamentary election was rigged, ransacked Voronin's offices and looted parliament, where fires raged into the night. Reuters reporters at the scene said dozens of riot police in black helmets and bearing shields had regained control of the buildings in central Chisinau during the early hours and were standing outside both. Hundreds of demonstrators were no longer outside the buildings and it was not i...