Agency assets run the Drive's Warzone. You don't need a paper trail or "damaging leak" to recognize their stamp. Not sure what people expect from that outlet? I think it's a good source for the keen eye to the sort of narrative the scribes want built for its viewer base. Standard fare.
Favored leadership by the liberal elites of Germany and France has come to power in the U.S. Just like Obama - the engineer - was. Ideological synergy is "back" in harmony per say. To believe that France and Germany are hostage to American foreign policy is a mistake (which is constantly portrayed by commentators here - merely a projection of the "puppet caricature" built in their brain to avoid recognizing the obvious fact - both nations are firm historical and geopolitical enemies of Russia which battle for zero sum control of the European region vs. Russia. In other words, this is a concerted strategic plan to contain Russia, with cooperation in no small part from those states because it serves their greater strategic interests (controlling the EU region (EU project), keeping Russia and its elites out, while still having some business (coexistence) and avoiding major war - a balancing play those states have played extremely well to their benefit and to Russia's detriment).
Berlin and France with the EU, in allegiance with the U.S have achieved what neither Napoleon nor Hitler could through cannon fire or bayonet..... it's through treachery and deceit in "peace time" that success is achieved and also due in no small part to Russian elite (Soviet) stupidity, incompetence, criminality and degradation. No need to look further than Russia's official current borders map and all the instability that surrounds it. It's designed to be that way so it's. Russia is incapable of resisting those designs, or to better phrase it... stamping them out before they ignite.... much less projecting power to put their eternal competitors in a similar bind like back in the Soviet days of socialist world revolution (peak Russian/Slavic global power to any point in the globe). The destruction of Yugoslavia....a correction of "historical wrongs" to Germanic people (in the view of German elites) was the first blow of the German elite against Russia after German reunification (such a Russian gift)...although one could say not renouncing to NATO could be the only humiliation you were ever going to need... the treachery and failure laid bare... but we usually judge the start of history by some gravely hostile action, such as war. It's always the U.S that is portrayed as the main boogeyman (for they take lead) but it's Merkel of Germany making the trips to Montenegro and elsewhere.... the EU project somehow magically absorb the principalities and subsidizes them.
Ukraine is an open wound in Russia's body that fails to heal itself.... a wound that Sputnik V can't cure. Certainly Putin and the Russian leadership don't have the cure, despite their weak attempts to manufacture a clean one.... that's is, through antibodies, with antibiotics (calls for peace, restraint, agreements, "gentleman understandings"
) and antibacterials (Russia pro-parties and insurrection). Clearly the only effective available "cure" to get the wound under control and to its natural healing phase is is through the ugly, hurtful burning of the skin (war). It's a crude solution, leaves a scar, hurts... but the only solution Russians can come up with vs. their adversaries. Some would say it shows lack of strategic foresight, and poor decision making at the leadership level (of those acting on information) for the result of the mess Russia is in....(who to blame? Gorby and the late CCCP, or Lenin and the Bolsheviks at the very start? Khrushchev or Putin? ... list could be endless on the tree). One thing is to know a coup or color revolution is coming and cooking for several years, another is to act on intelligence with successful, well funded, and well lead counter ops to stop it in its tracks years before it ever reaches the streets...takes a lot of proactive - not reactionary "human" work. Unquestionably, it's better to prevent a disease than have to cure it. By the time these malign ops by the adversaries reach maturity stage and the streets, you've more or less lost to the opposing side, no matter the resulting degree of ideal success of the operation from that point forward. Partial failures like Belarus or successes like Ukraine are good examples. The empire and its lackeys win with both results... which is why it employs them, regardless of the "ideal" success parameters - failures of reaching such often billed as Russian "victories" - an usual delusion of the victim to feel good about its assessment of his mediocre self-defense.
Anyway back to the analogy... the burning of the wound will solve the problem per say but it also scars the skin and hurts the patient significantly. Who creates and then pokes the wounds? The U.S and its allied partners. Russia has many such wounds currently, some hurting more than others, from Ukraine and Belarus... all the way down to Central Asia. The U.S and its partners create these wounds because they can... Russia takes it without inflicting little to nothing back directly at them (whether that be through inability, unwillingness, incompetence or a mix of all (my favored opinion)) - the calculus for them will always be easy if it stays this easy to "poke at the bear" - the bear bite back in peace time is not as advertised as in "war time" - merely growls lost in the wind. That is the power dynamics of the current time. It will continue to be that way for as long as the "West" is collectively stronger, and unified (without Russia at the helm - one of the main purposes of the historical hostility). Who is boss... simple human behavior behavior.
While the greater Russian body is in good healthy condition, even strengthening in some aspects, these wounds hurt, and the Empire and its allied partners know they hurt. They'll keep poking at them at will because 1. they largely created them, 2. they can and feel like it. Like it or not... ideal versions of this world where everyone is happy together in one big family is a fallacy that's contrary to human nature... those that fight those notions drink themselves to ebriety with foolishness of a foolish mind (in that respect).