Difference between revisions of "Russia"

From Wikispooks
Jump to navigation Jump to search
m (Text replacement - "|wikipedia=http://en.wikipedia.org/" to "|wikipedia=https://en.wikipedia.org/")
m (added quote)
 
(27 intermediate revisions by 5 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
 
{{nation state
 
{{nation state
 
|wikipedia=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia
 
|wikipedia=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia
 +
|spartacus=http://spartacus-educational.com/Russia.htm
 +
|campfire=https://www.campfire.wiki/doku.php?id=russia
 
|description=The largest nation state in the world
 
|description=The largest nation state in the world
 +
|predecessors=USSR
 +
|ON_constitutes=Mafia state
 +
|constitutes=Country, enemy image
 +
|leaders=Russia/President
 
|location=Asia
 
|location=Asia
 +
|capital=Moscow
 
|subgroups=FSO, FSB, FAPSI, GRU, SVR, KGB
 
|subgroups=FSO, FSB, FAPSI, GRU, SVR, KGB
 +
|sourcewatch=http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Russia
 +
|logo=Flag of Russia.svg
 +
|historycommons=http://www.historycommons.org/entity.jsp?entity=russia
 +
|map=Russian Federation (orthographic projection) - Crimea disputed.svg
 +
|wikiquote=http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Russia
 +
|wikileaks=http://wikileaks.org/wiki/Russia
 
}}
 
}}
 +
'''Russia''' is the largest [[nation state]] in the world. In [[2013]], Russia was #3 in the world in terms of military expenditure.<ref>http://www.iiss.org/en/about%20us/press%20room/press%20releases/press%20releases/archive/2014-dd03/february-0abc/military-balance-2014-press-statement-52d7</ref> It was the #2 nation worldwide as regards arms export from 2012-2016, a long way behind fellow [[UN/Security Council]] member, [[US]].<ref>https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2017-03/news/us-leads-rising-global-arms-trade</ref>
 +
An increased placement of more [[military]] capability and sometimes soldiers, through diplomatic or military channels of mainly NATO forces (mostly at American request) after the collapse of the [[Soviet Union]] in countries neighbouring Russia has caused a [[Cold War 2.0]] since the [[2010s]] according to Russia, although [[NATO]] denies this.<ref>[[Encirclement of Russia]]</ref>
 +
 
==History==
 
==History==
Formerly the [[USSR]], the country experienced turmoil after the end of the [[Cold War]].
+
{{YouTubeVideo
 +
|code=LUzc2Ilw_O8
 +
|align=left
 +
|width=
 +
|caption=The Week That Shook The [[World]]: The Soviet Coup - [[ABC News]] ([[1991]])
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
The Russian federation came from the collapse of the [[Soviet Union]] highlighted by a strange coup attempt in [[1991]].<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1991_Soviet_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat_attempt</ref>
 +
 
 +
===Deep State formation===
 +
{{SMWQ
 +
|authors=Adrian Campbell
 +
|text=Higher stakes meant aggressive mobilisation of media for an information war became a feature of 1990s electoral politics at regional level, following the pattern of the 1996 presidential election.
 +
 
 +
By then, the corruption associated with privatisation had made Yeltsin and the reformers unpopular – and many feared the communists would return to power. The democrats had to resort to desperate measures. Every possible resource was mobilised to ensure that Yeltsin was re-elected – including deals with powerful oligarchs with large media empires. The communists were defeated but the price was endemic cynicism about the democratic process.
 +
 
 +
The Yeltsin presidency remained beholden to Russia’s regional governors and the oligarchs. It fell to Putin to curtail the powers of these groups, campaigning in 2000 under the slogan of “the dictatorship of law”. That such a slogan could have popular support shows the degree to which the public had become disillusioned in the late 1990s. However, the direction towards concentration of power had been set almost a decade before Putin was elected president.
 +
 
 +
Russia’s reformers of the 90s largely achieved the irreversible economic change they wanted. They were less successful in creating a positive narrative for the new Russia. Reform had seemed to be based on the idea that Russia needed to learn as much as possible from the west. Over time, disillusion with this idealised view of the west grew and public opinion became more nationalistic.
 +
|subjects=Russia, Russia/Society, Russia/Foreign policy, 1996 Russian Presidential Election, Vladimir Putin, Communists, democracy, 1990s, 1999
 +
|source=https://theconversation.com/the-wild-decade-how-the-1990s-laid-the-foundations-for-vladimir-putins-russia-141098
 +
|source_name=The Conversation
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
{{FA|Russia/Deep state}}
 +
The Russian deep state saw a change of operatives in 1917 during the Russian revolution, and a smaller change again in 1991, during the break-up of the Soviet Union. Powerful sections include (almost exclusively Jewish) billionaires who became rich by looting the economy in the 1990s, mafia bosses, the infamous intelligence services (KGB, GRU, FSB...), and the military-industrial complex.
 +
 
 +
How strong the connections to the supranational deep state are, is a matter of some debate, but the Russian deep state is actively involved in Covid-19, the World Economic Forum and the Great reset.
 +
Western intelligence services are active in the country, and financially supports "the opposition" of NGOs and civil society activists, as they did during the last years of the Soviet era. Russian Bilderbergers tend to be from this sector.
 +
Formerly the [[USSR]], the country experienced turmoil after the end of the [[Cold War]].  
 +
 
 +
==Fossil fuel reserves==
 +
As well as the 8th largest [[oil]] reserves,<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_oil_proven_reserves</ref> Russia has the largest [[gas]] reserves of any [[nation state]], about 25% of total global reserves.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_natural_gas_proven_reserves</ref> It also has a lot of [[tar sands]].
 +
 
 +
==Oil & "Debt Default"==
 +
Russia has been suffering from sanctions following the [[2014 Ukraine Coup]], the Covid-19 Recession that saw the 5th highest death toll of the world nations, and a sudden Oil price war with US-ally [[Saudi Arabia]] during the [[Covid-19 Lockdown]]. Russia suffered a [[debt]] default caused by a suspicious technical error in [[Belgian]] computers processing the finances, which fuelled claims that it was the reason [[BP]] divested from [[Rosneft]], that Shell left and pipeline investments into [[Blue Stream]] were scrapped.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_impact_of_the_Russian_invasion_of_Ukraine</ref>
 +
 
 +
==Leadership==
 +
[[Vladimir Putin]] has been an important figure in Russian politics of the last 2 decades. He became [[FSB Director]] on 25 July 1998, [[Russian Prime Minister]] on
 +
9 August 1999 and [[Russian President]] on 7 May [[2000]].
 +
 
 +
==Policies==
 +
===Cyberwarfare===
 +
Unlike, American activities regarding [[cyberattacks]], Russian cyberwarfare is often the alleged cause of computer errors in the Western world.
 +
Cyberwarfare by Russia includes denial of service attacks, hacker attacks, dissemination of disinformation and propaganda, participation of state-sponsored teams in political blogs, internet surveillance using SORM technology, persecution of cyber-dissidents and other active measures.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyberwarfare_by_Russia</ref>
 +
 
 +
{{SMWQ
 +
|authors=Euan Grant
 +
|text=
 +
|subjects=Russia, Russia/Society, Russia/Foreign policy
 +
|source=Integrity/Initiative/Leak/4
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
In 2019 Russia was jailing [[Jehovah's witnesses]] under laws about "[[extremism]]".<ref>https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-politics-religion/russia-jails-jehovahs-witness-adherent-for-six-years-over-extremism-idUSKBN1YH132</ref>
 +
 
 +
==Russophobia==
 +
{{FA|Russophobia}}
 +
[[image:apartment bombing.jpg|left|274px|thumbnail|One of the [[Russian apartment bombings|apartment blocks destroyed by explosives]] in September 1999, a [[deep event]] which the Russian leadership exploited a [[casus belli]] for the invasion of [[Chechnya]].]]
 +
Irrational [[fear]] of Russia is termed "[[Russophobia]]". Western {{ccm}} and governments have been building up this [[enemy image]] after the success of [[Donald Trump]] in the [[2016 United States presidential election]].
 +
 
 +
==="Russian Propaganda"===
 +
{{FA|Russian Propaganda}}
 +
This website was accused by the [[spooky]] [[ProporNot]] [[website]] as being a supplier of "[[Russian propaganda]]" - notwithstanding its pages on events such as the [[9/99 bombings]]. The general pattern of [[NATO]]-friendly groups attempting to reboot [[Cold War]] was clear to many observers since about 2016{{cn}}, but the first clear documentary evidence of a deliberate campaign funded by [[UK Deep state]]-backed groups emerged only in late [[2018]] after the [[Integrity Initiative leak]] of 2018.
 +
 
 +
===US Election Interference===
 +
{{FA|Russiagate}}
 +
After [[Donald Trump]] was elected, unnamed Russians were accused of interference in the [[2016 US presidential election]], through social media such as [[Twitter]]).
 +
==Society==
 +
{{SMWQ
 +
|authors=Euan Grant
 +
|text=As commentators such as [[Mark Galotti]] and [[Edward Lucas]] have long pointed out, the [[Putin]] state has long co-opted Russian criminality to act as an information source, purveyor of corruption and in supporting [[Russia/Foreign policy]] aims including murders outside Russia. However, due to difficulties to say the least in obtaining convictions or even meeting criminal standards of evidence against persons outside the jurisdiction, much information which would demonstrate these links are often limited in numbers and quality. This is especially so due to the lack of understanding of the semi militarized ethos of Russian society.
 +
|subjects=Russia, Russia/Society, Russia/Foreign policy
 +
|source=Integrity/Initiative/Leak/4
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
==Sleeper terror cells==
 +
In December 2022, journalist [[Jack Murphy]] exposed that the [[US]] and an unnamed "NATO allied spy service" have created a network of standing sleeper cells. The sabotage network was activated to hinder [[Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine]] by waging a secret war behind Russian lines. While command and control over the sabotage program resides with the [[CIA]] for legal reasons, the NATO ally has a strong say in which operations go forward since it is their people taking the risks.<ref name=murphy>https://jackmurphywrites.com/169/the-cias-sabotage-campaign-inside-russia/</ref>
 +
 
 +
The allied spy service had emplaced caches of [[explosives]] and gear used by these cells more than a decade previously.  At the time, that spy service was allegedly acting unilaterally, without any CIA participation. After new [[2016]] infiltrations, more teams slipped into Russia over the next several years. Some smuggled in new munitions, while others relied on the original caches.<ref name=murphy/>
 +
 
 +
While no American personnel are involved on the ground in Russia in the execution of these missions, agency paramilitary officers are commanding and controlling the operations, The paramilitary officers are assigned to the CIA’s Special Activities Center but detailed to the agency’s European Mission Center.<ref name=murphy/>
 +
 
 +
With the CIA’s knowledge, the allied spy service provided the undercover sleeper cell operatives with "[[legends]]" – false biographies that would explain their presence in Russia – and the documents to back those cover stories up. There is also an extensive network of [[front companies]] that were established as platforms to support such behind-the-lines operations, some of which were created almost 20 years ago.<ref name=murphy/>
 +
 
 +
An intelligence operative said to Jack Murphy that "The elite-level teams that we have the best relationships with are almost always given [[air surveillance]] support for major sabotage ops" behind Russian lines, adding that some of the [[Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance|ISR]] platforms are models that have never been publicly revealed. "[[Drones]] we don’t even know about yet are loitering all over the [[Ukrainian]] and Russian airspace," the person said.<ref name=murphy/>
 +
 
 +
In addition Ukrainian intelligence and special operations forces are running their own operations behind Russian lines.<ref>https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11551131/Ukraine-sabotage-inside-Russia.html</ref>
 +
 
 +
 
 
{{SMWDocs}}
 
{{SMWDocs}}
{{Stub}}
+
 
 +
==References==
 +
{{reflist}}

Latest revision as of 18:05, 3 November 2023

Group.png Russia  
(Country, Enemy imageSourcewatch Spartacus WikiquoteRdf-entity.pngRdf-icon.png
Russian Federation (orthographic projection) - Crimea disputed.svg
Flag of Russia.svg
Capital cityMoscow
LocationAsia
LeaderRussia/President
TypeUnited Nations Members.svg nation state
Subgroups•  FSO
• Federal security service.png FSB
•  FAPSI
• GRU.jpg GRU
•  SVR
• RIAN archive 142949 Lubyanka Square in Moscow.jpg KGB
Interest ofFather Andrew, Lukas Andriukaitis, Leon Aron, Gaby van den Berg, Bill Browder, Stephen Cohen, Mary Ellen Connell, EUCOM, Ida Eklund-Lindwall, Evelyn Farkas, Yevhen Fedchenko, Future Of Russia Foundation, Keir Giles, Nigel Gould-Davies, Fiona Hill, Sijbren de Jong, Rebekah Koffler, Michael Kofman, Anatol Lieven, John Lough, Jacques Lévesque, Johanna Möhring, NewColdWar.org, Robert van der Noordaa, Alex Pravda, Project AERODYNAMIC, Tim Reilly, David S., Richard Sakwa, David Satter, Jerry Sullivan, Françoise Thom, Rod Thornton, Hunter Treseder, UK/Deep state, Andreas Umland, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, Helene Carrere d'Encausse
Owner ofRussia Today
Member ofAPEC, G-20, Global Counter Terrorism Forum, UN, UN/SC
SubpageRussia/Ambassador
Russia/Cyberwarfare
Russia/Deep state
Russia/Deputy Prime Minister
Russia/Encirclement
Russia/Espionage
Russia/Foreign policy
Russia/Military
Russia/Nuclear weapons
Russia/President
Russia/Prime Minister
Russia/Propaganda
Russia/Tsarist Russia
The largest nation state in the world

Russia is the largest nation state in the world. In 2013, Russia was #3 in the world in terms of military expenditure.[1] It was the #2 nation worldwide as regards arms export from 2012-2016, a long way behind fellow UN/Security Council member, US.[2] An increased placement of more military capability and sometimes soldiers, through diplomatic or military channels of mainly NATO forces (mostly at American request) after the collapse of the Soviet Union in countries neighbouring Russia has caused a Cold War 2.0 since the 2010s according to Russia, although NATO denies this.[3]

History

The Week That Shook The World: The Soviet Coup - ABC News (1991)

The Russian federation came from the collapse of the Soviet Union highlighted by a strange coup attempt in 1991.[4]

Deep State formation

“Higher stakes meant aggressive mobilisation of media for an information war became a feature of 1990s electoral politics at regional level, following the pattern of the 1996 presidential election.

By then, the corruption associated with privatisation had made Yeltsin and the reformers unpopular – and many feared the communists would return to power. The democrats had to resort to desperate measures. Every possible resource was mobilised to ensure that Yeltsin was re-elected – including deals with powerful oligarchs with large media empires. The communists were defeated but the price was endemic cynicism about the democratic process.

The Yeltsin presidency remained beholden to Russia’s regional governors and the oligarchs. It fell to Putin to curtail the powers of these groups, campaigning in 2000 under the slogan of “the dictatorship of law”. That such a slogan could have popular support shows the degree to which the public had become disillusioned in the late 1990s. However, the direction towards concentration of power had been set almost a decade before Putin was elected president.

Russia’s reformers of the 90s largely achieved the irreversible economic change they wanted. They were less successful in creating a positive narrative for the new Russia. Reform had seemed to be based on the idea that Russia needed to learn as much as possible from the west. Over time, disillusion with this idealised view of the west grew and public opinion became more nationalistic.”
Adrian Campbell [5]

Full article: Russia/Deep state

The Russian deep state saw a change of operatives in 1917 during the Russian revolution, and a smaller change again in 1991, during the break-up of the Soviet Union. Powerful sections include (almost exclusively Jewish) billionaires who became rich by looting the economy in the 1990s, mafia bosses, the infamous intelligence services (KGB, GRU, FSB...), and the military-industrial complex.

How strong the connections to the supranational deep state are, is a matter of some debate, but the Russian deep state is actively involved in Covid-19, the World Economic Forum and the Great reset. Western intelligence services are active in the country, and financially supports "the opposition" of NGOs and civil society activists, as they did during the last years of the Soviet era. Russian Bilderbergers tend to be from this sector. Formerly the USSR, the country experienced turmoil after the end of the Cold War.

Fossil fuel reserves

As well as the 8th largest oil reserves,[6] Russia has the largest gas reserves of any nation state, about 25% of total global reserves.[7] It also has a lot of tar sands.

Oil & "Debt Default"

Russia has been suffering from sanctions following the 2014 Ukraine Coup, the Covid-19 Recession that saw the 5th highest death toll of the world nations, and a sudden Oil price war with US-ally Saudi Arabia during the Covid-19 Lockdown. Russia suffered a debt default caused by a suspicious technical error in Belgian computers processing the finances, which fuelled claims that it was the reason BP divested from Rosneft, that Shell left and pipeline investments into Blue Stream were scrapped.[8]

Leadership

Vladimir Putin has been an important figure in Russian politics of the last 2 decades. He became FSB Director on 25 July 1998, Russian Prime Minister on 9 August 1999 and Russian President on 7 May 2000.

Policies

Cyberwarfare

Unlike, American activities regarding cyberattacks, Russian cyberwarfare is often the alleged cause of computer errors in the Western world. Cyberwarfare by Russia includes denial of service attacks, hacker attacks, dissemination of disinformation and propaganda, participation of state-sponsored teams in political blogs, internet surveillance using SORM technology, persecution of cyber-dissidents and other active measures.[9]


In 2019 Russia was jailing Jehovah's witnesses under laws about "extremism".[10]

Russophobia

Full article: Russophobia
One of the apartment blocks destroyed by explosives in September 1999, a deep event which the Russian leadership exploited a casus belli for the invasion of Chechnya.

Irrational fear of Russia is termed "Russophobia". Western commercially-controlled media and governments have been building up this enemy image after the success of Donald Trump in the 2016 United States presidential election.

"Russian Propaganda"

Full article: “Russian Propaganda”

This website was accused by the spooky ProporNot website as being a supplier of "Russian propaganda" - notwithstanding its pages on events such as the 9/99 bombings. The general pattern of NATO-friendly groups attempting to reboot Cold War was clear to many observers since about 2016[citation needed], but the first clear documentary evidence of a deliberate campaign funded by UK Deep state-backed groups emerged only in late 2018 after the Integrity Initiative leak of 2018.

US Election Interference

Full article: Rated 5/5 Russiagate

After Donald Trump was elected, unnamed Russians were accused of interference in the 2016 US presidential election, through social media such as Twitter).

Society

“As commentators such as Mark Galotti and Edward Lucas have long pointed out, the Putin state has long co-opted Russian criminality to act as an information source, purveyor of corruption and in supporting Russia/Foreign policy aims including murders outside Russia. However, due to difficulties to say the least in obtaining convictions or even meeting criminal standards of evidence against persons outside the jurisdiction, much information which would demonstrate these links are often limited in numbers and quality. This is especially so due to the lack of understanding of the semi militarized ethos of Russian society.”
Euan Grant[citation needed]

Sleeper terror cells

In December 2022, journalist Jack Murphy exposed that the US and an unnamed "NATO allied spy service" have created a network of standing sleeper cells. The sabotage network was activated to hinder Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine by waging a secret war behind Russian lines. While command and control over the sabotage program resides with the CIA for legal reasons, the NATO ally has a strong say in which operations go forward since it is their people taking the risks.[11]

The allied spy service had emplaced caches of explosives and gear used by these cells more than a decade previously. At the time, that spy service was allegedly acting unilaterally, without any CIA participation. After new 2016 infiltrations, more teams slipped into Russia over the next several years. Some smuggled in new munitions, while others relied on the original caches.[11]

While no American personnel are involved on the ground in Russia in the execution of these missions, agency paramilitary officers are commanding and controlling the operations, The paramilitary officers are assigned to the CIA’s Special Activities Center but detailed to the agency’s European Mission Center.[11]

With the CIA’s knowledge, the allied spy service provided the undercover sleeper cell operatives with "legends" – false biographies that would explain their presence in Russia – and the documents to back those cover stories up. There is also an extensive network of front companies that were established as platforms to support such behind-the-lines operations, some of which were created almost 20 years ago.[11]

An intelligence operative said to Jack Murphy that "The elite-level teams that we have the best relationships with are almost always given air surveillance support for major sabotage ops" behind Russian lines, adding that some of the ISR platforms are models that have never been publicly revealed. "Drones we don’t even know about yet are loitering all over the Ukrainian and Russian airspace," the person said.[11]

In addition Ukrainian intelligence and special operations forces are running their own operations behind Russian lines.[12]


 

Events carried out

EventLocationDescription
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine/PreparationA list of ways both sides prepared for the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine.
Evacuation from AfghanistanAfghanistanThe evacuation of foreigners from Afghanistan, one of the largest airlifts in history

 

Related Quotations

PageQuoteAuthorDate
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine/Preparation“Russia behind the Headlines has published an interview with Gorbachev, who was Soviet president during the discussions and treaty negotiations concerning German reunification. The interviewer asked why Gorbachev did not “insist that the promises made to you [Gorbachev]—particularly U.S. Secretary of State James Baker’s promise that NATO would not expand into the East—be legally encoded?” Gorbachev replied: “The topic of ‘NATO expansion’ was not discussed at all, and it wasn’t brought up in those years. … Another issue we brought up was discussed: making sure that NATO’s military structures would not advance and that additional armed forces would not be deployed on the territory of the then-GDR after German reunification. Baker’s statement was made in that context… Everything that could have been and needed to be done to solidify that political obligation was done. And fulfilled.” Gorbachev continued that “The agreement on a final settlement with Germany said that no new military structures would be created in the eastern part of the country; no additional troops would be deployed; no weapons of mass destruction would be placed there. It has been obeyed all these years.” To be sure, the former Soviet president criticized NATO enlargement and called it a violation of the spirit of the assurances given Moscow in 1990, but he made clear there was no promise regarding broader enlargement.”Brookings Institution
Russia Beyond
November 2014
Madeleine Albright“President Clinton and I first met Putin before that

when he was kind of acting president at, this was an APEC meeting in New Zealand, and at that stage Putin was trying to be very ingratiating and trying to make new friends - he was still cold - and the issue about him is he is very smart and in these meetings.

He did not have talking points and he took notes himself. He also is somebody I have to describe this because, they actually did kind of a jazz concert for President Clinton and President Clinton's driving around and Putin was sitting there like this..no rhythm whatsoever.. and and (sic), but the thing that is interesting is how smart he really is and directed he was.

The thing that I speak to more is something that happened before, that in 91 when the Soviet Union had fallen apart I was running a think-tank and I was asked to participate in a big survey of all of Europe after the end of the Cold War, and we had questionnaires and focus groups and things like that, and the focus group I'll never forget, is one outside of Moscow where this man stands up and says "I'm so embarrassed we used to be a superpower and now we're Bangladesh with missiles". And what I think happened I write it not so easy not so difficult to really deduce this, is Putin identified himself with that person who felt that the dignity and the grandeur of Russia had been lost and he has is bound and

determined to restore that in every single way.”
Madeleine Albright2018
Joe Biden“It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy. The world is looking. We're about to elect a brilliant 47-year-old senator president of the United States of America. Remember I said it standing here if you don't remember anything else I said. Watch, we're gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy. I can give you at least four or five scenarios from where it might originate," Biden said to Emerald City supporters, mentioning the Middle East and Russia as possibilities. And he's gonna need help. And the kind of help he's gonna need is, he's gonna need you - not financially to help him - we're gonna need you to use your influence, your influence within the community, to stand with him. Because it's not gonna be apparent initially, it's not gonna be apparent that we're right.”Joe Biden
Time Magazine
2008
Jimmy Carter““Well, he might be escalating it but I think that precedes Trump,” he said. “The United States has been the dominant character in the whole world and now we’re not anymore. And we’re not going to be. Russia’s coming back and India and China are coming forward.””Jimmy Carter
New York Times
2017
Institute for Statecraft/Purposes“It is vital to understand the reasons behind Putin’s warped reasoning – the fact that he is prepared to lie and to kill to protect his wealth and power – if we are to comprehend why the Kremlin has launched this information attack on the West. Only then can we begin to combat it. In Soviet times there was an ideological element, the battle of Capitalism versus Communism. That no longer plays a part. But Putin wants the West at least to respect Russia; better still to fear Russia. That is Putin’s mindset. If in Soviet times the leadership of the USSR relied on Western sympathisers with the Communist cause to help them in their mission, nowadays the Kremlin can call upon support in the West from three groups of people: naïve Russophiles who, despite all the evidence to the contrary, believe that Putin “can’t be all that bad, and anyway the Americans are just as bad”; those who are prepared to toe the Russian line in return for money; or those who are being blackmailed.”Integrity InitiativeMay 2018
Mélanie Joly“We’re able to see how much we’re isolating the Russian regime right now — because we need to do so economically, politically and diplomatically — and what are the impacts also on society, and how much we’re seeing potential regime change in Russia..The goal is definitely to do that, is to weaken Russia’s ability to launch very difficult attacks against Ukraine. We want also to make sure that Putin and his enablers are held to account.”Mélanie Joly10 March 2023
Jarosław Kaczyński“You can't constantly support a great power like Russia with billions in payments from the purchase of energy," [...] "This is inadmissible from a political and moral point of view. This must come to an end, and Germany should finally take a clear stance on this,”Jarosław Kaczyński3 April 2022
Bernard Montgomery“The next war on land will be very different from the last one, in that we shall have to fight it in a different way. In reaching a decision on that matter, we must first be clear about certain rules of war. Rule 1, on page I of the book of war, is: "Do not march on Moscow". Various people have tried it, Napoleon and Hitler, and it is no good. That is the first rule. I do not know whether your Lordships will know Rule 2 of war. It is: "Do not go fighting with your land armies in China". It is a vast country, with no clearly defined objectives, and an army fighting there would be engulfed by what is known as the Ming Bing, the people's insurgents.”Bernard Montgomery30 May 1962
NATO“Russia behind the Headlines has published an interview with Gorbachev, who was Soviet president during the discussions and treaty negotiations concerning German reunification. The interviewer asked why Gorbachev did not “insist that the promises made to you [Gorbachev]—particularly U.S. Secretary of State James Baker’s promise that NATO would not expand into the East—be legally encoded?” Gorbachev replied: “The topic of ‘NATO expansion’ was not discussed at all, and it wasn’t brought up in those years. … Another issue we brought up was discussed: making sure that NATO’s military structures would not advance and that additional armed forces would not be deployed on the territory of the then-GDR after German reunification. Baker’s statement was made in that context… Everything that could have been and needed to be done to solidify that political obligation was done. And fulfilled.” Gorbachev continued that “The agreement on a final settlement with Germany said that no new military structures would be created in the eastern part of the country; no additional troops would be deployed; no weapons of mass destruction would be placed there. It has been obeyed all these years.” To be sure, the former Soviet president criticized NATO enlargement and called it a violation of the spirit of the assurances given Moscow in 1990, but he made clear there was no promise regarding broader enlargement.”Brookings Institution
Russia Beyond
November 2014
Ronald Reagan“My fellow Americans, I'm pleased to tell you today that I've signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes.”Ronald Reagan1984
RussophobiaRF is not a “normal” country in most senses of the word. Crucially, Russians see life & the world very differently from us. While economics is of course important to them, in the broadest sense Russians are not nearly as driven by economic & financial considerations.”13 January 2015
Richard SakwaNATO exists to manage the risks created by its existence.”Richard Sakwa2015
Social media“Social media manipulation was pioneered by Israel in 2009, during its Gaza offensive, not by Russia and China. The UK and the US both have had online "psychological operations" for years. Calling out some actors but giving others a free pass does little to address the problem.”Clare Daly10 December 2021
Tim Sweijs“The Russian aggression in Crimea has deeper roots. The Russian forces are being transformed from a big group of army conscripts to smaller, agile modern units. Underneath that is also the militarization of society. There are TV-channels that don't broadcast 'The Voice', but competition between tank-divisions on some trail.”Tim Sweijs11 June 2015
The Twitter Files“After the 2016 upsets of Brexit and the election of Trump, however, the establishment soured on free speech. Both events were seen as undermining NATO, and both were blamed on foreign influence on social media—specifically Russia. The U.S. and UK governments in particular saw the need to identify and purge Russian influence operations online and set up a government–private apparatus to do so.”Peter Svab
The Epoch Times
17 January 2023

 

Events

EventDescription
1993 Russian constitutional crisis
2013 Volgograd bombings
2014 Winter OlympicsSports event in Russia.
2022 Russian invasion of UkraineIn a new episode of Cold War 2.0 Russia forcefully halted NATO expansion by invading Ukraine, with financial support of China. Although the EU and US denounced the "war crimes" as multiple cities were bombed, several countries opted less severe sanctions to keep importing diamonds and luxury goods and gas (and their loaned money) from Russia, seemingly creating a new iron curtain in Eastern Europe.
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine/Premature deathPremature deaths of mostly Russian businessman during and around when the Russian invasion commenced. There may be Ukrainian and others as well. As the list grows, it appears the men are being targeted in dozens of western countries as well.
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine/Wagner coup attemptAn attempted coup, by some seen as false flag by Putin to lure out generals and double agents within the Russian State, by others as the sign the Russian state will collapse in the 2020s.
2024 Crocus City Hall attackA mass shooting and multiple explosions on the edge of Moscow
9-99/Ryazan incidentMoscow FSB officers discovered wiring up what looked like a bomb in the basement of a building by night. Local FSB unaware. Claimed to be a terror drill but no documentation was presented. Instead documents were sealed and discussion of it prohibited in the Duma.
Havana syndromeAttack on US embassy staff and spies in different locations around the world.
Russian Civil War
Russian apartment bombingsA 'Russian 9/11' which boosted support for the second war that was launched in Chechnya
Smolensk air disasterA "crash of convenience" as James Corbett termed it.

 

Groups Headquartered Here

GroupStartEndDescription
Almaz-Antey2002Russian state-owned company in the arms industry.
Central Bank of Russia25 December 1990
Concord Management and ConsultingRussian company under US sanctions
FSB12 April 1995Russian intelligence agency, successor to the KGB
Fazze2020UK-based PR agency with alleged Russian connections, which promoted misinformation about the COVID-19/Vaccine.
Frunze Military Academy1918One of the most prestigious military educational institutions in the Soviet Union
GazpromRussian oil and gas giant corporation
KGB13 March 19546 November 1991
KasperskyThe alleged - by the US and UK - offensive cybersecurity firm for Russia.
Moscow State Institute of International Relations1944Educates very many of Russia's political, economic, and intellectual elite
Peoples' Friendship University of Russia1960
Rosneft1993Russian integrated oil and gas company. One of the few multinationals in the world not owned by the Western interlocking directorate of capital.
Russia Today10 December 2005A global TV channel backed by the Russian government. Allows Western dissidents on air and some deep politics to be discussed. Putting a positive spin on the government, but not too bad coverage of Russia either.
Wagner Group20142023A well known ruthless private military contractor. Its founders were involved in a chaotic coup in 2023.
Yaroslavl State University1970Up-and-coming provincial Russian university

 

Job here

EventJobAppointedEnd
Michael SulickMoscow Chief of Station19941996

 

Citizens of Russia on Wikispooks

TitleBornDiedDescription
Vladimir Bukovsky30 December 1942Russian dissident who spoke at the 1979 JCIT.
Alexander Litvinenko30 August 196223 November 2006An exiled Russian spook turned whistleblower who died of polonium poisoning in London.
Victor Vekselberg14 April 1957Russian–Israeli-Cypriot billionaire and businessman with heavy WEF AGM habit

 

Events Participated in

EventStartEndLocation(s)Description
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine24 February 2022Europe
Russia
Ukraine
Moscow
Kiev
Black Sea
Donbas
In a new episode of Cold War 2.0 Russia forcefully halted NATO expansion by invading Ukraine, with financial support of China. Although the EU and US denounced the "war crimes" as multiple cities were bombed, several countries opted less severe sanctions to keep importing diamonds and luxury goods and gas (and their loaned money) from Russia, seemingly creating a new iron curtain in Eastern Europe.
HMS Defender Crimea controversy23 June 202123 June 2021A diplomatic military controversy between Russia and the UK
WEF/Annual Meeting/201922 January 201925 January 2019World Economic Forum
Switzerland
"The reality is that we are in a Cold War [against China] that threatens to turn into a hot one."

 

Related Documents

TitleTypePublication dateAuthor(s)Description
Document:Absolute folly for Britain to get involved in SyriaArticle1 March 2018Leo McKinstryTory MP Johnny Mercer, a former soldier, has demanded: “Britain must come to Syria’s aid” and condemned those who oppose “military intervention”.
Document:Appendix A Ukraine Indicators and WarningsUkrainan view of Russian/separatist tactics and strategy26 February 2016Integrity InitiativeUkrainian officers tells British colleagues their opinions
Document:British Interests in Ukrainearticle15 May 2014David MaloneA forensic analysis of some of the British interests in Ukraine and - by inference, events leading up to and following the February 2014 coup
Document:Canada Takes A Hostage: Free Meng WanzhouArticle8 December 2018Christopher BlackCanadians should be angry about these traitors isolating Canada from China, from Russia, from Iran and their great cultures, and condemning Canada to be nothing more than an outpost of the American empire. For traitors they are as they betray the Canadian people by serving the interests of the Americans and their war machine. Free Meng Wanzhou, for so long as she is held hostage, so are we all.
Document:Economic Tasks - Vladimir Putinarticle30 January 2012Vladimir PutinA quintessentially orthodox IMF/WTO economic analysis from the Russian Prime Minister in the run up to the Presidential election in March 2012.
Document:Ed Miliband’s decision to oppose military action against Syria is an action of statesmanship of which Britons will be proudArticle28 August 2013Michael MeacherIt is all very well to rush to war in a surge of moral outrage, it is quite another to spell out clearly what are the war objectives and how exactly they are to be achieved.
Document:First Recorded Successful Novichok Synthesis was in 2016 – By Iran, in Cooperation with the OPCWblog post17 March 2018Craig MurrayBeginning in late 2016, Iranian scientists succeeded in synthesising a number of Novichoks in full cooperation with the OPCW. This makes a complete nonsense of Theresa May’s “of a type developed by Russia” line, used to Parliament and the UN Security Council.
Document:H.RES.758legal document18 November 2014United States CongressThis bill puts America on a footing for war against Russia. It has received close to zero coverage in the US and other establishment media.
Document:How Russia betrayed Americaessay10 March 2015Mike KingA useful mirror image of the Anglo-US-Nato official narrative about Russia
Document:Hushing Up - and Profiting from - Saudi Aggressions while Warmongering against Russiaarticle29 August 2015Stephen GowansThe gross hypocricy inherent in the foreign policy actions of Anglo-US-NATO governments
Document:Igor Strelkov and Russia's Fifth Columnarticle12 September 2014'The Saker'Extended commentary and analysis of the statement by Igor Strelkov about the West's war on Russia and Russia's 5th Column problem
Document:Integrity Initiative Weekly Report 9th to 15th July 2018report15 July 2018Euan Grant
Document:Introduction Banksproject proposalJune 2018Euan Grant"We shall be approaching a range of international banks and institutions, including the BBA and ABI, together with major accountancy firms. We will use the results of these discussions to inform academia, think tanks and central government in the UK, particularly NCA, HMRC and MOD. We will also seek to put our views and, with permission, those of others into the public domain in a range of countries."
Document:Introduction to Deloitte LLPintroduction letterJune 2018Euan Grant"We shall be approaching a range of international banks and institutions, including the BBA and ABI, together with major accountancy firms. We will use the results of these discussions to inform academia, think tanks and central government in the UK, particularly NCA, HMRC and MOD. We will also seek to put our views and, with permission, those of others into the public domain in a range of countries."
Document:It’s Nato that’s empire-building, not Putinarticle7 March 2015Peter HitchensRare honesty, peppered with obligatory obeisances to western official narratives, about Nato empire-building since 1990 from a western mainsteam media journalist.
Document:May 8 and the rehabilitation of Nazism in GermanyArticle12 May 2023Peter SchwarzOne day after the start of the war in Ukraine, Germany launched the largest rearmament offensive since 1945. Like the US, it is steadily escalating its proxy war against Russia in Ukraine and is not even shying away from nuclear annihilation.
Document:Mueller Scrambles To Limit Evidence After Indicted Russians Actually Show Up In CourtArticle13 June 2018'Tyler Durden'This is probably the first time in the history of litigation that a plaintiff (here, prosecutor) has told a court that it may not have obtained good service of process on a defendant that has appeared to defend the case on the merits. Robert Mueller to US District Court: "We didn’t really mean it, Judge! We had no idea they might actually show up!"
Document:Myths about Contemporary Russiaarticle28 April 2014Father AndrewAn article that comprehensively refutes the major western demonising myths about Russia
Document:NATO goes to war against RussiaStatement1 March 2022World Socialist Web SiteThere must be a new mass anti-war movement, based on the international working class. This opposition, however, must be developed as a conscious political movement for socialism. This means the building of the International Committee of the Fourth International and its affiliated Socialist Equality Parties in every country.
Document:Nato Expansion and Turkeyblog post17 May 2022Craig MurrayThere is another, specifically Turkish interest in play here, which is very much a factor in Erdogan’s willingness to stand up to Biden over Swedish and Finnish NATO entry. This of course relates to the permanent tension between NATO members Turkey and Greece.
Document:Nyet means Nyetdiplomatic communication1 February 2008William BurnsFebruary 2008 classified diplomatic cable from US ambassador to Russia William J Burns to the State Department about how Russia views NATO involvement in Ukraine
Document:On Naval Blockades and A Hard Days WarArticle11 October 2018Christopher BlackThe NATO leadership are in love with war. They enjoy frightening people. They enjoy the killing. It gives them a thrill talking about it when they sit down in their comfortable chairs and have their cocktails after a hard days war.
Document:Pitch for a long-Form TV series about Russia in the 1990smedia strategy planning26 December 2018Integrity Initiative
Chris Donnelly
Martha Bayles
Pitch for creating a long-Form TV series about Russia in the 1990s
Document:Proposal to understand and counter Russian Active Measuresproposal14 October 2018
Document:Russia is a Bangladesh with missilesarticle22 April 2016Madeleine Albright
Eduard Limonov
Insulting comments by Madeleine Albright about Vladimir Putin and Russia, responded to in kind by Eduard Limonov
Document:Russia is deploying nuclear weapons in Belarus. NATO shouldn’t take the baitArticle24 April 2023Nikolai SokovMoscow regards the United States and Europe as parties to the war; Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov declared that Russia and the United States are in a “hot phase” of war. These statements elevate the Russian war against Ukraine to the category of a “regional conflict” according to the 2000 and subsequent Russian Military Doctrines – a category that allows for limited use of nuclear weapons.
Document:Russia released statement on British role in attacks on Black Sea FleetArticle2 November 2022Lyndon LaRouche“Today, the Kiev regime employs unacceptable fascist war methods using terrorist tactics and in doing so is becoming increasingly similar to ISIS and al-Qaeda. This, however, is not surprising, considering that these groups were created by the same masterminds and instructors from Anglo-Saxon countries."
Document:Russia-US Conventional Military Balancearticle24 July 2015'The Saker'Further thoughts on the US-Russia conventional military balance in light of continuing NATO sabre-rattling around Russia's western/southern borderlands
Document:Russia’s “Save Ukraine” Memorandum: Prevent the Ukraine from “Going Fascist”article13 February 2014The geo-politics of the 2013-14 Ukraine riots and the US push for 'Regime-change' from the perspective of a high-level Russian think-tank.
Document:Russophobe Mythswebpage4 July 2009Anatoly KarlinA list of common Russophobe myths about Russia
Document:Russophobia - Reaping the WhirlwindArticle22 September 2022Scott RitterVladimir Putin’s order to begin partial mobilisation of Russian military forces continues a confrontation between Russia and a US-led coalition of Western nations that began at the end of the Cold War.
Document:Speaking notes for meetings in Israelspeaking notesJune 2018Dan KaszetaInstitute for Statecraft wants to build a relationship with the Israeli government
Document:Speech by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on 20 August 2017 to the Syrian Diplomatic CorpsSpeech31 August 2017Bashar al AssadThe US President is not the maker of policies, but the executor. Therefore, the “Deep State” in the United States does not govern in partnership with the President, but leaves him a small margin.
Document:Springtime for Russophobiaarticle6 September 2014Mark HackardOn the roots of the Russo-phobia of Western Establishments and its burgeoning in the wake of Russia's clear red-line over Ukraine
Document:St Petersburg International Economic Forumspeech23 May 2014Vladimir PutinVladimir Putin's address to the plenary session of the 18th St Petersburg International Economic Forum on 23 May 2014
Document:The Balkans: Courruption as a Weapon of War, the Vulnerabilities to Corruption and Malign Influenceproject proposal17 October 2018Euan GrantAwareness of Chinese, Turkish and V4 influence in non-EU Balkan States, and associated potential risks to be mitigated and opportunities that might be exploited; mitigating Russian (and associated) malign influence
Document:The Curious Case Of Russia’s Contradictory Stance Towards 5G TechnologyArticle18 May 2019Andrew KorybkoWhile RT is telling the English-language international audience to be wary of 5G technology, the Russian state itself is already experimenting with it and doesn’t seem the least bit concerned about the potential health effects that it could have on its people.
Document:The IMF Bank Jobarticle9 May 2014Edmund DalpeA hilarious piece of satire - but closer to the truth about who calls the shots on events surrounding the Ukraine coup and what it really about, than any or all of the western MSM talking-heads combined.
Document:The Jewish Role in the Bolshevik Revolution and Russia's Early Soviet RegimearticleJanuary 1994Mark WeberAn analysis of the murder of Tsar Nicholas II and his family in July 1918.
Document:The Last Bus to Idlib: Terrorist Safe-Haven in Syria About to Face a Cleaning OutArticle3 August 2018Steven SahiounieOne by one, all other areas in Syria under terrorist control have fallen, and now the final battle for Idlib province looms large on the horizon. The liberation of Idlib will begin soon, and the green buses can finally get back to their job of transporting Syrians as they live, shop and work in peace at last.
Document:The Meaning of the US Saber-Rattling at the Borders of Russiaarticle18 July 2015'The Saker'Some thoughts on the Russia - NATO military balance in light of NATO posturing, excercises and sabre-rettling around Russia's wetern and southern borders
Document:The Reasons for the Decline of MODreform proposal6 April 2018Integrity InitiativeThe Civil and Military Services have seen their intellectual capacity dramatically reduced as they have reduced in numbers, and for the past decade have made virtually no contribution to the redesign of the Whitehall structures of power. This now needs to change.
Document:The Russians are comingarticle9 May 2014William BlumThe west's tried and trusted - but lately tired and increasingly absurd - specter of an aggressive, expansionist Russia, demolished in style by the inimitable William Blum
Document:The Threat of War and the Russian Responsearticle23 September 2014Sergei GlazyevAn adviser to the Russian President analyses the current systemic global crisis and the way forward for Russia and the world
Document:The Time to Negotiate Peace in Ukraine Is NOWArticle24 October 2022Richard E. RubensteinAre things in Ukraine getting worse? Yes, for both sides. This is precisely the right time to give peace a chance.
Document:The World Is on the Brink of War Once Again as All Hell Breaks Loose in SyriaArticle8 February 2018Darius ShahtahmasebiWith the assistance of the media, the United States and Israel continue to bomb Syria in direct contravention of international law, targeting Russia's ally the Syrian Arab Army, without any significant journalistic or international opposition.
Document:The slandering of a Russian “Elon Musk”article19 October 2020'Rhys James'A tongue-in-cheek analysis of strange goings-on in the Russian Drone design and manufacturing industry; but with a hard edge to it which plausibly suggests Isaeli-Mossad shenanigans
Document:The tyranny of the political spectrumarticle5 March 2017PeterDetails of an exchange in the comments section of an article on the World Socialist Web Site between the author and a regular WSWS commentator which was quickly removed by the site operators. It illustrates the blinkered censorious nature of activists committed to both 'Left' and 'Right' - in this case the 'Left'.
Document:Think Piece: Current Russian Strategic Thinkingstrategic analysis19 January 2018Chris DonnellyChris Donnelly gives his view on Current Russian Strategic Thinking
Document:Time to Start Paying Attention: The US Just Bombed Russians in SyriaArticle9 February 2018Darius ShahtahmasebiIt is not clear if Russia has a retaliation of its own in mind, but we would do well to remember that when similar incidents took place last year, Russia indicated that they would begin targeting US jets if they had to. Almost immediately after this stark warning, Australia pulled its planes out of its air missions in Syria.
... further results
Many thanks to our Patrons who cover ~2/3 of our hosting bill. Please join them if you can.



References