INTREP360 INTELLIGENCE REPORT

06.08.2026: PUTIN'S HUMILIATION

June 8^th, 2026

Greetings!

Photo Credit: Westminster College. U.S. Army Soldiers storming the beach at Normandy, France on June 6th, 1944.

It was solemn weekend – June 6th, the 82nd Anniversary of D-Day, honoring the Allied landings in Normandy, France, during World War II. May God continue to bless the servicemen who gave their lives for our freedom.

For Russian President Vladimir Putin – not so much. It was one of deep humiliation, and it began with a Ukrainian drone attack near Putin’s hometown of St. Petersburg – on the St. Petersburg oil terminal and nearby Kronstadt naval base last Wedensday just as the 2026 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) was set to open.

What was once billed as Putin’s Davos quickly became one of Putin’s Follies.

Photo Credit: AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky. Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures speaking at a plenary session at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Friday, June 5, 2026.

Putin, visibly rattled, chose his words carefully at a press conference later that day, acknowledging that “Russia has an air defense system. Yes, we need to improve it. Yes, we need to strengthen it, and we will do that.”

Only they didn’t, choosing instead to believe that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had made his point – was one and done. He wasn’t.

While Russia did adjust its air defense posture around St. Petersburg, it was mostly ‘for show’ – as Ukrainian drones returned on June 6th, and were able to strike targets – unabated – at the:

“Kronstadt Naval Base (the main base of the Russian Baltic Fleet) in St. Petersburg; the Petergofskaya Oil Depot and Neste Oil Terminal in Lomonosov (west of St. Petersburg across Neva Bay); and a weapons, ammunition, and vehicle arsenal of the Russian 1060th Material-Technical Support Center (Leningrad Military District) in Bolshaya Izhora (northwest of Lomonosov on the Neva Bay). Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) reported that the strikes also hit the Russian Navy’s 15th Arsenal near Lomonosov.”

The attack came shortly after Putin rejected an invitation from Zelensky in his open letter to the Russian dictator on June 4 proposing an immediate ceasefire along the current frontline and a face-to-face bilateral meeting in a third country to end the war.

Putin’s response was, “I see no point in meeting.”

Belarus, Armenia, and the road to Crimea added to Putin’s “Week of Humiliation.”

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THE OPEN LETTER

As we wrote in The Washington Star yesterday, Zelensky sent his ‘open letter’ to Putin on June 4th for all the world to read – the day after the initial attack.

The letter was quite direct, and likely meant to further humiliate the man known as ‘grandpa in his bunker’ on social media. It detailed all of Putin’s failures in Ukraine and concluded by reminding him of the cost of prolonging a war that he cannot win: “When Russia grows tired, change comes.”

Zelensky got the response he wanted – Putin publicly stating there would be no meeting. Then he repeated the fire mission. Advantage Zelensky.

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BELARUS

Unlike his North Korean counterpart, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Friday that he has ruled out sending troops to fight in Ukraine, saying his soldiers would not become “cannon fodder for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war.”

Sounds like Lukashenko may be trying to put some distance between himself and his ‘brother’s keeper.’

Keeping his options open.

Putin will remember that.

Photo Credit: AFP. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

Lukashenko, who owes his continued presidency to Putin, did feel compeled to say that “Minsk’s military and defense cooperation with Moscow remained unchanged,” and adding that “Belarus is prepared to defend Russia if necessary.”

But he’s in Putin’s ‘special military operation’ much deeper than that. Lukashenko has been a tool in Putin’s toolbox – the Minsk puppet allowed the Kremlin to launch their invasion of Ukraine from Belarusain territory, permitted ballistic missiles to be launched from within his country’s borders, and authorized his industrial military complex to continue supporting the Kremlin’s war effort.

Neither Zelensky nor Lukashenko’s neighbors will likely forget his actions.

Lukashenko made his bed, now he gets to lie in it.

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ARMENIA

In mid-May we wrote in the Kyiv Post that Armenia was in pursuit of membership into the European Union.

But Russia and Armenia have been at odds for some time. In February 2024, Armenia froze its participation in the Russian equivalent to NATO – the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) – following the Kremlin’s failure to provide military assistance during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with Azerbaijan.

Then on May 7th, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that “Armenia is not an ally of Russia on the issue of Ukraine” and continues to send humanitarian aid to Kyiv.

Putin was not happy and threatened Pashinyan with a “Ukrainian scenario.”

But for Yerevan, Putin’s distraction in Ukraine provided a window of opportunity.

And since Putin was pretty much ‘out of Schlitz’ for his Ukrainian scenario, he proposed a national referendum to let the people decide between the EU and the Russian led Eurasian Economic Union (EUEU). Putin assumed his FSB – pretty much the only asset in his inventory that provides results – would be able to influence the election’s outcome in Moscow’s favor.

Putin said if Armenia chooses the EU, an “intelligent and mutually beneficial divorce” from the EAEU might be necessary – more likely a restraining order will be necessary.

Photo Credit: Reuters. Nikol Pashinyan came to power in 2018 on the back of protests against former leader Serzh Sargysan.

Armenian voters took another step closer today with Pashinyan’s party winning a crucial election billed as being “key in deciding whether the country continues to move closer to the West.” His centrist Civil Contract Party secured 49.8% of the vote, with the Strong Armenia Alliance coming in second with 23.2% and the Armenia Alliance was third with 9.9%.

Add Armenia to the list of countries – Hungary, Romania, Moldova and the U.S. – where FSB election interence operations have failed.

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THE ISOLATION OF CRIMEA

Then there is the crown jewel – Crimea.

Retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen and former Commander of U.S. Army Europe Ben Hodges has called the Crimean peninsula ‘decisive terrain’ since the beginning of the war. And it is.

Read why here: https://www.newsweek.com/why-crimea-decisive-terrain-russia-ukraine-war-ben-hodges-zaporizhzhia-black-sea-putin-1823633

Ukrainian drones are interdicting Russian logistics along the ‘land bridge’ and targeting cargo ships attempting to deliver supplies to ports in Crimea. Deep strikes in Crimea are making the peninsula untenableas well.

The land bridge refers to the swath of Ukrainian territory currently occupied by Russian forces stretching from the Donbas region along the Sea of Azov to Crimea. The Wall Street Journal published an exceptionally informative article on the land bridge in August 2023. Read it here: https://www.wsj.com/story/the-strategic-importance-of-the-russia-controlled-land-bridge-in-ukraine-832d0728

Task & Purpose put together a great video documenting how Ukraine is accomplishing their interdiction mission.

Watch it here:

As we stated in our May 29th edition of INTREP360, “The fait accompli comes when Ukraine destroys the Kerch Strait Bridge to complete the isolation. According to Hodges, “Once you get the Kerch Bridge down again, this completely changes the game for Crimea, which is what matters the most.”

Putins ultimate, and likely final, humiliation.

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ICYMI #1

On Sunday, Mark appeared on Al Qahera News TV in Cairo, Egypt. He discussed the latest developments in Israel, Lebanon, and Iran.

He agreed with a fellow guest panelist who was appearing from Islamabad, Pakistani that the outlook for a peace deal was not good. Mark also reiterated until the IRGC is gone, achieving peace in the Middle East will remain elusive.

You can watch it here.

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ICYMI #2

We published two articles today in The Washington Star. The first on Iran’s Three-Ring Circus Is Performing for One Person: President Trump, the second on Lukashenko ruling out sending troops to fight in Ukraine.

You can read them here:

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Thank you for reading. We will see you tomorrow. Please subscribe, comment & share. We truly appreciate it!

Jon & Mark

Follow Jon on X at @JESweet2022 or on Bluesky at @JonSweet.bsky.social. Follow Mark on X at @MCTothSTL or on Bluesky at @MarkToth.bsky.social.