A remarkable conclusion to the year. Russia will return to the binding times of Ivan the Terrible - Alexey Kopytko.

By the end of the year, Russia has reached an intriguing milestone.

1. Russians shot down a civilian aircraft and then, to ensure it sank, attempted to submerge it in the sea. They failed; the pilots were rescued. There is already a partial response from airlines. Objectively, Russia should close dozens of airports. However, this would mean unconditionally acknowledging that the three-day victorious "SVO" has transformed back into a full-scale war on the territory of Russia itself after three years. And not just in some Kursk region, but across the entire European part, up to the Ural Mountains.

2. Another incident in the Baltic. Accidentally, the Estlink 2 energy cable was damaged between Finland and Estonia (part of the EU energy network) following a series of other accidental damages to European underwater infrastructure due to unnatural maneuvers by Russian-associated vessels.

Given the state of the Russian fleet (both military and civilian), Russia is essentially inviting a complete blockade of its traffic in the Baltic. The ecological diversion by Russians in the Kerch Strait (polluting both Crimea and the Caucasus with oil) and the sinking of a vessel in the Mediterranean Sea are just recent examples. Since the Russian fleet only causes destruction, closing the Baltic is the most logical and inevitable decision.

Russia will only benefit from this. It will return to the times of Ivan the Terrible, and the window of Peter I to Europe, which has let in all sorts of abominable plagues, will be securely sealed.

A truly historic achievement. A wonderful conclusion to the year.