Putin Prepping "Phase 0"

Hi Global Recap readers,

Here's my writing process:

1. Gather all information in a note-taking app called Obsidian.

2. Write and organize everything there.

3. Transfer it to an email newsletter platform, beehiiv, for final edits.

Somewhere in that process, I accidentally left out an important story about Ukraine...

It’s a day late, but in case it slipped past your radar too, here it is. 👇🏼

🌐 WORLD
Fast Scroll News

🇬🇧 UK Parts Fuel Drones

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy accused allies of letting Russia procure British-made microcomputers for drones that struck Ukraine on October 5, killing four people in Lviv, including a 15-year-old.

• Discovery: Ukrainian investigators found UK-manufactured flight control chips inside drones used in the combined drone and missile strike.

• Casualties: The Lviv attack killed four civilians and injured six more, while separate strikes in Zaporizhzhia and Sloviansk left additional deaths and injuries, including children.

• Scale: Zelenskyy said Russia deployed 549 weapon systems containing 102,785 foreign-made components from companies in the UK, US, Germany, Switzerland, Japan, South Korea, and others.

• Response: The UK government insisted its arms export regime is "robust" but promised to review concerns about components reaching Russia.

• Next: G7 sanctions coordinators will meet this week to consider tighter measures against companies enabling Russia’s weapons supply chain.

🇷🇺 Russia Signals NATO Prep

Russian analysts warn that Moscow may be in phase 0 of gearing up for a potential war with NATO, a stage defined by quiet mobilization and strategic groundwork rather than open conflict.

• Definition: Phase 0 refers to the earliest stage of military planning, where states build logistics, test readiness, and shape narratives before any shots are fired.

• Signals: Experts point to Russia’s stepped-up military exercises, expanded defense production, and intensified rhetoric about NATO as evidence of this preparatory stage.

  • Although this may just be due to their need to keep supply for their war efforts in Ukraine, as we’ve previously surmized about signs that Putin is "buying time," it certainly seems like Putin is prolonging the war for some reason.

  • Because if he truly wants to end it (to secure more territory or even just to save face) why wouldn’t he actively seek negotiations? What possible outcome could justify draining his own resources and leverage for such a prolonged amount of time?

  • This analysis is further supported by recent drone activity in neighboring countries. Are they testing NATO’s readiness, or attempting to sow distrust among its members? Note Poland’s recent proposed law change that could bypass NATO approval.

• Implication: If accurate, this suggests Moscow is not only planning for Ukraine but also laying the foundation for a broader confrontation with the alliance.

• Warning: Analysts stress that phase 0 does not guarantee war, but it raises the risk of escalation if NATO misreads or ignores these moves.

🇸🇪 Thunberg Alleges Torture

Greta Thunberg told reporters in Stockholm that she and other Gaza flotilla detainees were "kidnapped and tortured" while in Israeli custody after their arrest at sea. However, when pressed to talk more about the details, she refused.

• Refusal: Thunberg said this is because she "doesn't want it to make headlines," which may take away from the suffering that people in Gaza experience daily.

• Conditions: She claims she lacked clean water and that other detainees were denied critical medication during detention.

• Response: Israel’s foreign ministry rejected the allegations, insisting detainees had food, water, restrooms, and legal counsel.

• More: She also alleged she was shoved and forced to wear an Israeli flag, while Thunberg criticized her government for offering limited support.

• Online: Two main views have emerged.

  • Critics call her hypocritical for claiming she doesn’t want “headlines” while still bringing up the issue. They argue that if she truly wanted to avoid attention, she would have stayed silent.

  • Supporters counter that she’s trying to acknowledge her trauma without centering herself or overshadowing the suffering of Gazans.

🇵🇱 Poland Rejects Extradition

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk flatly refused to extradite a Ukrainian man wanted by Germany over the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline blasts, calling the move against Poland’s interests.

• Suspect: The man, identified as "Volodymyr Z." (once again, not the Ukrainian President), was detained near Warsaw in late September and remains in custody for at least 40 more days while the court weighs Germany’s request.

• Statement: Tusk argued that the real problem was not the destruction of Nord Stream 2 but its construction, which he said tied Europe too tightly to Russian energy.

• Criticism: Without naming her, Tusk took aim at former German Chancellor Angela Merkel for authorizing the pipeline, saying it undermined Europe’s security.

• Investigation: German prosecutors suspect a group of Ukrainians with links to Kyiv’s armed forces and intelligence services, though no evidence shows senior officials ordered the sabotage.

• Parallel: Another Ukrainian suspect was arrested in Italy in August and is also fighting extradition to Germany.

🇮🇱 ISRAEL
Two Years, Still Bleeding

Israel marked the second anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in muted fashion, with hostages still in Gaza. Even without official ceremonies, the day was impossible to ignore.

• On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas militants killed about 1,200 people in Israel, most of them civilians, and abducted roughly 250.

• Two years later, Israel believes about 20 hostages remain alive in Gaza, while the remains of 28 others are still held.

• Survivors and families gathered quietly in kibbutzim like Kfar Aza, where 62 residents were killed and 19 taken hostage, and at the Nova music festival site, where more than 300 were murdered.

The War’s Toll

The war has reshaped Gaza and Israel alike, leaving devastation and division.

• Israel’s military response has reportedly killed over 67,000 Palestinians since 2023, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.

  • However, the figures do not distinguish between militants and collateral damage.

  • Critics also question their accuracy, noting that the data comes from a Hamas-influenced source.

  • Verification will likely remain difficult until the conflict ends.

• In Israel, reservists have been called up repeatedly, draining the economy and fueling resentment toward ultra-Orthodox Jews who remain exempt from service.

Politics and Power

The war has become even more complex because it is now tied to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s political survival.

• Critics accuse Netanyahu of prolonging the war to hold his right-wing coalition together, even after Hamas’s leadership was decapitated.

• Right wing allies have openly spoken of depopulating and annexing Gaza, drawing accusations of genocide from a UN commission and Amnesty International.

• Ten countries, including Britain, Canada, France, and Australia, recognized Palestinian statehood in September 2025, signaling Israel’s growing isolation.

What About Hamas?

It has become common to criticize Israel, with protests accusing it of committing "genocide." Yet few question why criticism of Hamas’s inaction is treated as taboo.

• Those frustrated by this imbalance argue that many avoid such criticism out of fear of being labeled "Islamophobic."

• Some link this reluctance to the rise of Islamist extremism in Western countries, where open discussion of the issue is often more constrained than in parts of the Arab world.

Above is a fascinating interview with Amjad Taha, a journalist from the United Arab Emirates, who analyzes the rise of extremist Islamism in the West.

• Ironically, one viewer commented, “What a racist channel.” Amjad Taha even mentions in the video that people who are not "more Arab than [he is]" are not confronting "Islamism" while his own community faces stricter scrutiny.

Global Reverberations

The war has spilled far beyond the region, fueling violence and political backlash.

• Antisemitic attacks have surged worldwide, including killings in Boulder, Washington, and Manchester.

• Britain’s PM Keir Starmer condemned pro-Palestinian student protests planned for the anniversary, calling them "un-British."

• Hamas, meanwhile, celebrated the Oct. 7 assault as a “glorious crossing,” claiming it restored the Palestinian cause to global attention.