Notes today:

• Putin is “scraping the bottom of the barrel”.

After losing top generals and commanders in the war with Ukraine, Putin calls General Pavel out of retirement to lead the Russian invasion. He weighs nearly 300 pounds.

• Intercepted Call: “They just threw us in like f*cking meat.”

• Russia Is Hours Away From Its First Foreign Default in a Century

After months of teetering on the edge of default, Russia is now just hours away from a dramatic moment in the financial battle that the US and others have waged against the Kremlin over its invasion of Ukraine.