Putin faces dilemma after vote win: How to prolong a system based on himself - Reuters
"Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee on September 22, Dunford made clear the military would refuse to execute what was the central element of Obama’s new Syria policy, i.e., intelligence-sharing with Russia-despite the president’s order it be done." -
Joint Chiefs Chairman Rejects Obama Plan to Share Syria Intel with Russia
Только совместными усилиями и посредством координации деятельности, обмена опытом и информацией по вопросам противодействия современным вызовам и угрозам, таким как терроризм и экстремизм, агрессивный сепаратизм и организованная преступность, возможно добиться эффективных результатов
Authorities in Russia's southern Siberian republic of Altai should credibly investigate yesterday's assault on investigative journalist and journalism trainer Grigory Pasko and swiftly bring those responsible to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Pasko, the director of an organization that teaches investigative techniques to reporters and bloggers across Russia, yesterday arrived in Barnaul, the capital of the Altai Republic, to train local journalists, according to local press reports.
Dizzy with Success by Russian Defense Policy
On Topwar.ru on 15 September, Aleksandr Staver and Roman Skomorokhov ask whether President Vladimir Putin, like his predecessor Stalin, has decided to curb (at least temporarily) his key program. Today it’s rearmament rather than collectivization.
The authors assess the program and its problems from a conservative viewpoint.
They assert the arms program is not being fulfilled and the MOD budget is being cut (whether admitted or not). In particular, they contend, it is new weapons programs that are suffering, so they argue for cheaper modernization of existing armaments.
Debate over rearmament is a constant. Staver and Skomorokhov don’t even mention that the start of the next arms program was delayed, or that the MOD and Finance Ministry are far apart on funding it.
For his part, Putin routinely says the current GPV will not be cut, and the armed forces will have 70 percent modern arms and equipment in 2020.
But 70 percent, according to the authors of this op-ed, is not enough. More is needed.
Then they turn to corruption. They allege that the ones who are “dizzy with the success” of the arms program are the ones who are stealing from it. They say a return to 1937 would put an end to this, and to other problems with rearmament.
Recall that even Putin and United Russia once talked about bringing treason charges for non-fulfillment of the GOZ, but nothing came of it.
So much for preamble.
“Dizzy with Success, or ‘Alarm’ in the Russian Army”“We are so used to the fact that our army is powerful that we almost don’t notice, or more precisely, don’t wish to notice that light ‘clouds’ threatening to turn into bad storms have appeared over Russia’s VS [Armed Forces]. We talk and write with satisfaction about our aircraft which, at a minimum, don’t lag behind Western ones. We ‘procrastinate’ with Armata and its offshoots, comparing it to the best models of Western armies. We discuss the advantages of our new missiles and systems.”“And now, today exactly, heard here and there are announcements by various government bureaucrats and army chiefs about delaying arms procurement to another time, so to speak. About delayed launches of ships. About adjusting the schedule for delivering something to the troops.”“So what’s with this. Why is this happening? Recently all officials, including the president and the prime minister, together talked about fulfilling the defense order almost as a matter of honor for Russia. Don’t many remember Putin’s April statement about the unconditional fulfillment of the state defense order? And can’t many say exactly how much it is fulfilled and whether it is fulfilled?”“The entire thing is that the necessary money is not in the budget! The crisis, which we are ‘successfully overcoming,’ still has us in its claws. We’ve talked a lot about the fact that sanctions hurt Europe and the USA, and how they [sanctions] are going to benefit us. We are developing, increasing output, winning markets… On any analytical program on our TV it’s possible to hear a full assortment of such pronouncements.”“The support of the president and the real successes of our servicemen in Syria inspire hope in us that all this will come true. The government will find money both for us and for the army. Industry will begin to work not only well, but both quickly and cheaply. New ideas of [arms] designers will be realized in the shortest time.”“Prime Minister Medvedev’s decision, signed on 5 September, to adjust the GOZ for 2016 was only the first call. It is understood that today there’s no clear data on this question. Naturally, it’s possible to suppose that defense sector enterprises won’t receive some part of the promised resources. And this, in its turn, means that GOZ plans for next year will be ruined. A snowball of corrections will accumulate gradually from the details.”“And not hiding the fact, by the way, does him credit, Putin himself already talks about the fact that by 2018 our army will be rearmed at 70%, and the state order will be reduced. And he talks about what is needed to take the place of the defense order, but not pots and pans.”“From the one side, one who is forewarned is forearmed. But from the other? It’s hard to guess with what enterprises will be occupied, with a miracle which drags them out of the debt hole. And where will workers who turn out to be redundant go at this moment? But we have already passed through such a scenario.”“However, certain specifics have already ‘hatched.’ The Ministry of Defense plans to make the famous “Armata” the main battle tank by 2020. With this aim, the purchase of more than 2,000 of such vehicles for military units has been proposed. According to the tank producer’s data, the order was already for 2,300 tanks. But not long ago on the Ministry of Defense website an altogether different figure appeared: there is a plan to buy up to 70 “Armatas” in 2017-2019.”“Naturally, the reasons for changing the [state defense] order aren’t named. I think over some time versions about some shortcomings, about the modernization of what we already have, [and] some others. Actually, the reason is banal. They are cutting the military budget and will cut it. It’s completely logical, you can’t take money from the shelf if there’s nothing on it. So folks say.”“The navy’s situation looks even more confused. Even the blind see the necessity for modernizing the Russian fleet. Ships, just like people, age, lose their striking power, and turn into respected veterans. But we need warriors. And these ‘warriors’ need to be built. A lot of them. The Soviet legacy can no longer guarantee a worthy answer to an aggressor.”“It seems as though construction began from 2007. Missile boats, small ships and even submarines began to leave the docks for testing. New submarines, frigates were laid down at the wharves. The rebirth had begun.”“Our excessive belief in the ‘love and friendship of fraternal peoples’ became the first ‘obstacle.’ When construction was stopped by the Ukrainian side [sic]. They stopped supplying Ukrainian engines to us. Actually, the question of ‘their’ components in combat equipment and armaments arose already in the last century. And they successfully solved it in the USSR. But in Russia they put it off ‘for later.'”“Then the ‘rockslide’ of announcements by military and government bureaucrats on cutbacks in the needs of the fleet began. I remind the readers about the project 11711 BDK [i.e. an LST]. A large assault ship which was needed to replace Soviet BDKs. In 2004, a requirement for 6 of such ships for the navy was announced. Then they decided to review the project.”“Today we see two ships. Two instead of six. It’s been decided to shut down the project. ‘Ivan Gren’ and ‘Petr Morgunov’ — that’s all that the fleet will receive after testing.”“It’s possible to talk endlessly about the submarine fleet. About new missile submarines. But even they, alas, for the most part remain only projects. The construction of boats of such a class is a very expensive undertaking. And this means still unmanageable.”“Even the Rocket Troops of Strategic Designation [RVSN] will not receive everything promised. Although, for all times the priority was always right on these troops. No, ‘Yars’ and similar systems will be supplied. But land-based ‘Sarmat’ systems most probably won’t be deployed to the original plan.”“I recall it was planned to replace by 2020 the already aged ‘Voyevod’ missiles (known to most by the NATO ‘nickname’ ‘Satan’) which have served out their time. Today it’s understood that these plans aren’t being fulfilled. Today already. In the best case, such a replacement will occur in 2021. Or a little later.”“So where’s the way out of the situation which has been created? Is there one generally? I believe there is. And today the way out is to use those developments which exist and have already been tested in combat.”“When the VDV [Airborne Troops] commander announced the establishment of tank and BMP companies in units subordinate to him, what kind of vehicles did he mention? He talked about T-72B3 tanks and BMP-2s. I hope no one will chide General Shamanov for stupidity and a lack of desire to have the most powerful and modern weaponry? So why exactly these vehicles?”“Simply because both the tank and the combat vehicle have huge modernization potential. And in the coming decades this potential will be used. And mass serial production has reduced the cost of this equipment in the extreme. And long use in the troops has revealed practically all ‘minuses’ of these vehicles.”“Modernization of the T-72 to the T-72B3 level costs a bit more than 50 million rubles. In other words, for one ‘Armata’ we can have several T-72B3s right away. Naturally, the T-90 would be more desirable, but it is cost prohibitive.”“It’s exactly the same situation with the famous T-50 system. The aircraft is ready. Moreover, it’s been put in series production. And in the plans it’s supposed to be the main fighter. This ‘hulk’ looks impressive in our plans. In 2020 we should already have 60 fighters in the force. And in the future their production should increase.”“In reality we’ll get exactly the same as ‘Armata.’ We want to do a ‘split,’ but our britches get in the way… It will be good if we have a regiment of such aircraft in 2020.”“But we have the fully combat capable, even compared to the American F-22 and F-35, Su-30MK. And, according to the assertions of its builders, the potential of these aircraft is far from used up.”“And what’s the result? As a result, we see the famous ‘half-full glass.’ Part of the readers are now sighing sadly. The army is ‘penned up.’ Another part thinks that the Russian Army, in the shape which we have it, can really confront the enemy. The third part giggles happily. They have failed to modernize. Oafs. We told them…”“It’s not for nothing that I called this article by a Stalinist name. This isn’t a greatness mania or a wish to show off knowledge of the works of the ‘leader of peoples.’ We truly have become a little ‘dizzy.’ Not everything has succeeded right away.”“I generally believe that the right way to move is walking or running. But not ‘leapfrog’ jumps. Movement should be measured and in one direction. Therefore, the modernization of the army should continue. Continue, no matter what. But not by busting a gut.”“I would be wary of talking about our weapons and combat equipment like junk. Particularly after what this equipment showed in Syrian battles. Just the same to talk also about the superiority of Western armies in some components. But if we view the army like the world, a ‘gap’ will always be found. But this gap is always ‘plugged’ by something else.”“The dizziness quickly passes if you leave the centrifuge or wheel. If, of course, you have a properly functioning outer office staff. I think healthy people serve in our Ministry of Defense.”“But just one moment. No one needs to have the fact that our bureaucrats are not simply greedily stealing everything possible explained to them. It’s a rare day when the Internet and television don’t report about the latest stuff that’s ‘flown off.'”“It’s necessary to stop those who ‘have become dizzy with success.’ With the methods of the person I quoted. Severe and long-term. Take that Zakharchenko. 9 billion rubles — that’s a great deal. The T-90, for example, today costs about 120 million rubles. That is 75 tanks laid in the brute’s hidey-holes. Two battalions. Not bad…”“And this is one of the deputies…”[Colonel Dmitriy Zakharchenko is, or was, deputy chief of Directorate T in the MVD’s Main Directorate of Economic Security and Countering Corruption until his arrest in early September. The foreign currency equivalent of 8 billion rubles was found in his apartment. See RIA Novosti for an early report on his case.]“And if they search his relatives, it’s certain it would be possible to scrape together a brigade easily and without effort.”“‘Effective managers’ of our times have shown that they can only steal effectively. From the budget just the same as from the GOZ.”“It’s necessary to change the situation really at the root. And tear this root with a crunch and snap on the image and likeness of ’37. With the confiscation of everything that’s possible.”“Only then will the state defense order be fulfilled on time and without problems. And the president won’t have to shuffle, talking about how 70 percent is sufficient so we should relax.”“So isn’t it?”
Read the whole story
· · · · · · · · · ·
TODAY: Reporter Grigory Pasko attacked in Barnaul; journalist who attempted to expose election fraud charged with it himself; Patriarch Krill hardens abortion stance; anti-Kremlin protester arrested once more; Putin linked to Gunvor in Dozhd TV broadcast; MH17 investigation likely to show Buk missile behind tragedy; rumours swirl around Investigative Committee; grain harvest applauded by Putin; ecologists express concerns over Siberian wildfires.
Investigative journalist Grigory Pasko has been attacked in the Siberian city of Barnaul, and told by the assailants to ‘get out of our city’, a day after he was accused of being a spy by a local blogger. Reporter Denis Korotkov, who filmed himself taking part in vote-rigging to demonstrate that the recent Duma elections were fraudulent, has himself been charged with electoral fraud. A medical clinic in Tomsk that repainted a stairwell in rainbow colours has fallen foul of local right-wing activists who have taxed it as ‘gay propaganda‘, noting, ‘rainbows appear in the sky as God wills it’. Russian Orthodox Patriarch Krill has signed a petition calling for a complete legal ban on abortion. Serial Kremlin offender Roslovtsev has been detained in Moscow’s Red Square whilst carrying a poster saying ‘I Am Not Afraid of 212.1!’ (the article of the Criminal Code which penalises public protests). A new report by Dozhd TV has apparently revealed the connections between Pyotr Kolbin, the former co-owner of the the Gunvor energy company (from which Vladimir Putin is believed to channel his wealth) and the President.
The findings of an international criminal investigation to be released today into the shooting down of flight MH17 are likely to show that the plane was brought down by a Buk missile fired from separatist-controlled territory in eastern Ukraine, say sources close to the matter. Responsibility for the incident, which killed 298 civilians, remains a source of contention for Russia and the West. Although condemned by the West as such, Amnesty International says it is hard to label Russian attacks in Syria war crimes. Following the alleged resignation of chief Alexander Bastrykin, the Kremlin refused to confirm rumours that the Investigative Committee itself may be abolished. Despite the prospects of an oil glut, the Russian Pacific island of Sakhalin is expected to increase oil production by 8% in 2016 from a year ago. President Putin has lauded farmers for ensuring that this year’s grain harvest has been the highest in post-Soviet times. The bumper harvest is not such good news for bread, however.
Environmentalists are opposing a new bill which would extend the spring hunting season. Fears for the future of Siberian forests are growing as the government continues to underestimate the gravity of wildfires. Moscow has had enough of Microsoft.
PHOTO: Tomsk stairwell recently repainted by the Family Medicine Center. (Alexey Shpomer / LiveJournal)
Read the whole story
· · ·
New York Times |
Russia Implicated in Shooting Down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 Over Ukraine
New York Times UNITED NATIONS — A Dutch-led investigation has concluded that the powerful surface-to-air missile system that was used to shoot down a Malaysia Airlines plane over Ukraine two years ago, killing all 298 on board, was trucked in from Russia at the ... Ahead of MH17 report, Russia says if plane shot down, Ukraine pulled triggerCNN Families: investigation found MH17 downed from pro-Russia rebel held territoryReuters Deadly rocket that brought down MH17 over Ukraine 'DID come from Russia', investigators revealDaily Mail The Guardian -ABC Online -UPI.com all 137 news articles » |
"Русский Еврей" |
Запад выдвинул России ультиматум по Сирии
Finanz.ru Евросоюз, США и Великобритания выступили с совместным заявлением по Сирии, потребовав от России и сил Башара Асада немедленно прекратить штурм Алеппо ивернуться к режиму прекращения огня. Ответственность за срыв перемирия, которое не продержалось и недели после ... Запад обвинил Россию и Асада в военных преступлениях в Сирии"Русский Еврей" Запад обвинил Россию в "варварстве" и военных преступлениях в СирииInvesting.com Россия Почему России и США трудно договариваться по СирииВести.Ru Новостной проект INFOX.ru -Главред -Комсомольская правда -US Department of State all 1,914 news articles » |
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Интернет-газета Гарри Каспарова |
Александр Скобов: Полная деградация придворных либералов до совсем уж низкопробного холуйства
Интернет-газета Гарри Каспарова Еще в 2010 г. массовый уход сислибов из официальных структур мог обвалить путинизм. Сейчас уже нет. За эти годы стараниями сислибов количество людей, готовых быть холуями, значительно выросло. Теперь они не станут уходить, ... |
Center for Responsive Politics |
Russian-born oil magnate gives big to Trump Victory
Center for Responsive Politics Donald Trump has an interesting relationship with Russia, to say the least. He's praised Vladimir Putin. His former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, had business dealings with pro-Russialeaders in Ukraine. U.S. intelligence officials are ... A Major Russian-American Oil Magnate Is Putting Big Money Behind Trump's CampaignMother Jones all 2 news articles » |
ABC Online |
MH17: Russia accuses Ukraine of complicity in flight's downing ahead of criminal report release
ABC Online Russia has accused Ukraine of refusing to release its own radar data. Kiev has previously said its critical radars were not working at the time of the crash. "Satellite images mentioned by the United States and Ukraine might have helped clear up the ... Russia claims new data show rebels didn't down MH17Washington Post Russia Claims New Radar Data Shows Rebels Didn't Down MH17RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty Russian radar data shows no missile attack on MH17 from rebel side, indicates Ukraine involvementRT Sputnik International all 18 news articles » |
Long War Journal |
Commander: IRGC supplies intelligence to Russia for airstrikes in Syria
Long War Journal A top Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander told Iranian media last week that the Guard and allies supply intelligence to Russia for airstrikes in Syria. Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi, who is senior advisor to the supreme leader and was ... Russia's engagement in Syria is escalatingThe National So now we know: Russia is as powerless in Syria as the WestTelegraph.co.uk Here's the Bomb Russia Is Using to Flatten AleppoForeign Policy (blog) RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty-RT-AMN Al-Masdar News (registration) all 1,686 news articles » |
CNBC |
Philippines' Duterte wants to 'open alliances' with Russia, China
CNBC He said Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev was expecting him in Moscow. China claims most of the South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion of trade moves annually. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have rival claims. Philippine President Says He'll Open Trade Alliances With China, RussiaNPR Duterte 'about to cross the Rubicon' with US, wants alliances with Russia & ChinaRT Duterte wants alliances with Russia and ChinaThe Japan Times USA TODAY-GMA News all 395 news articles » |
CNN |
Fact check: Was Russia behind the DNC cyberattacks?
CNN Fact check: Was Russia behind the DNC cyberattacks? Donald Trump rebuts Hillary Clinton's assertion that the Democratic National Committee cyberattacks were carried out by theRussians. CNN's Jim Sciutto checks the facts. Source: CNN ... and more » |
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CNN International |
Donna Brazile to Donald Trump on Russia: 'Don't tweet. Call me, boo.'
CNN International Brazile said she has proof that Russia is involved in the hackings this past spring that led to a trove of internal documents being leaked online. Multiple cybersecurity experts point to Russianmilitary and intelligence community hackers as the source ... DNC breach was likely Russia, not 400-pound hacker, law enforcement saysCNBC Russia vs. the 400-pound hacker: Clinton and Trump go toe-to-toe on cybersecurityCNET Presidential debate: Donald Trump describes 'the cyber'; Hillary Clinton goes afterRussiaGeekWire NBCNews.com-RT-Politico all 9,670 news articles » |
AgWeb |
Russia Reports Sluggish Wheat Sales
AgWeb Russian wheat exports haven't lived up to expectations so far this season as falling prices made some growers reluctant to sell grain to traders amid a halt in purchases by Egypt, the world's largest buyer. Outbound shipments in the three months since ... Egypt-Russia Talks on Agricultural Deliveries Tough But Successful - OfficialSputnik International all 40 news articles » |
RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty |
Talking to Russia Cannot Save Syria
The Atlantic The all-out assault on Aleppo by Russian and Assad regime aircraft, targeting as it does aid convoys, hospitals, homes, market places, and mosques, seems to have mildly surprised and deeply upset senior American officials. Saddled with a president ... Q&A: Amnesty Suspects Russian War Crimes In Syria, But Lacks Definitive ProofRadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty Commander: IRGC supplies intelligence to Russia for airstrikes in SyriaLong War Journal So now we know: Russia is as powerless in Syria as the WestTelegraph.co.uk Sputnik International -Foreign Policy (blog)- RT all 1,764 news articles » |
Yahoo News |
Russia backs Aleppo assault to strong-arm US: analysts
Yahoo News Beirut (AFP) - Russia has decided to throw its military might behind the Syrian regime's drive to recapture divided Aleppo in a bid to strong-arm Washington into accepting Moscow's demands, analysts say. After a short-lived truce collapsed, Russian ... Russia raises the stakes in the chaos of AleppoFinancial Times Talking to Russia Cannot Save SyriaThe Atlantic 'Pentagon sniping at Obama's strategy of cooperation with Russia'RT The National -Long War Journal -Foreign Policy (blog) all 1,932 news articles » |
New York Times |
A Voice Cuts Through, and Adds to, the Intrigue of Russia's Cyberattacks
New York Times BIYSK, Russia — Living anonymously, down a winding road in the wilderness of western Siberia, not far from the Mongolian border, the only person so far implicated in the flurry ofRussian hacking of the Democratic National Committee and other ... and more » |
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Wall Street Journal |
US Believes Russia Steered Hacked Documents to Websites
Wall Street Journal WASHINGTON—U.S. officials are increasingly confident that the hacker Guccifer 2.0 is part of a network of individuals and groups kept at arm's length by Russia to mask its involvement in cyberintrusions such as the theft of thousands of Democratic ... |
Deutsche Welle |
Pro-Putin party highlights Germany's complex relations with Russia 26.09.2016
Deutsche Welle "[Pro-Putinism] is indeed an interesting phenomenon that we have observed for some time," said Ulrich Herbert, political history professor at Freiburg University and author of the book "History of 20th Century Germany." "I wouldn't lend them too much ... |
New Europe |
Pro-Putin party in Germany
New Europe “[Pro-Putinism] is indeed an interesting phenomenon that we have observed for some time,” Ulrich Herbert, political history professor at Freiburg University and author of the book History of 20th Century Germany, was quoted as saying by DW. “I wouldn't ... |
Seven National Security and Executive Power Questions for Donald Trump
Lawfare (blog) Most Americans think of Vladimir Putin's Russia as an adversary nation. But you have repeatedly ... Is your mental health up to the job of having your finger on the nuclear button and having the authority to order US troops into action? You have ... and more » |
Minneapolis Star Tribune |
Trump's crush on Russia, Putin deserves scrutiny
Minneapolis Star Tribune In Putin's Russia, political protesters face heavy fines and years in forced labor camps. Those who oppose Putin also have a nasty habit of turning up dead. He has cracked down hard on Chechen separatists, Islamic insurgents in the North Caucasus and, ... After party win, Putin renews assertiveness at home and abroadAl-Arabiya all 100 news articles » |
Newsweek |
How Putin Is Restoring the Fallen Soviet Empire
Newsweek ... states and highlights how Russia-bordering regions like Estonia's Ida-Viru County, where Russian speakers number 80 percent of the population, and Latvia's Latgale, where Russians make up nearly 39 percent of the population, face the greatest risks ... and more » |
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Al-Arabiya |
After party win, Putin renews assertiveness at home and abroad
Al-Arabiya Yet if Putin secured a political highway towards a reelection in 2018, he still has to face a series of challenges. The Russian economic future remains dire. Even if inflation was reduced from 10 percent to 7 percent over the last six months, the ... Russias Brutal Clinton-Bashing, Trump-Loving Election CoverageDaily Beast all 162 news articles » |
Washington Post |
Trump, Putin and fascism
Burlington Hawk Eye Tonight, the imperfections will be front and center as Americans watch with trepidation as Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump meet in their first of three scheduled face-to-face debates. With a race as close, mean and historically significant as this one ... The Latest: Kaine highlights helping those with disabilitiesBoston Herald The Art of Hillary Dealing With TrumpRealClearPolitics all 4,316 news articles » |
MSNBC |
Trump campaign faces new questions about Russian ties
MSNBC They can either question the accuracy of the reports, or they can accept the reports at facevalue – perhaps Page really is secretly trying to strike deals with Vladimir Putin's government – and insist Page isn't a Trump adviser. Apparently, the ... U.S. intel officials probe ties between Trump adviser and Kremlin - YahooYahoo Trump's New Russia Adviser Has Deep Ties to Kremlin's GazpromBloomberg all 48 news articles » |
Huffington Post |
Putin and Assad Left Obama In The Dust Of The Aleppo End Game
Huffington Post Washington's haphazard policy has left Secretary of State John Kerry with an unenviable task. He is habitually down on his knees begging Russia to stop. But Putin unabashedly aims to prop up Assad and since, with Russia's help, Assad is currently ... Putin's Relations With the West Reach Rock-BottomNewsweek Talking to Russia Cannot Save SyriaThe Atlantic Britain accuses Putin of 'war crimes' in Syria at bitter UN meetingTelegraph.co.uk Ukraine Today -SBS- Aljazeera.com all 1,752 news articles » |
Живя в России, трудно не поверить в рассказы о том, что нефть находится в центре мировых геополитических игр, а Россия, как крупнейший ее производитель, выступает их важнейшим участником.
Статья из журнала:
Статья из журнала
Живя в России, трудно не поверить в рассказы о том, что нефть находится в центре мировых геополитических игр, а Россия, как крупнейший ее производитель, выступает их важнейшим участником.
Push уведомление в iPhone:
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September 27, 2016
Russia in Review: a digest of useful news from U.S.-Russia Initiative to Prevent Nuclear Terrorism for September 2-9, 2016
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A tattooed 26-year-old living near the Mongolian border is the only person publicly identified with Russia’s cyberattacks. And he’s apparently eager to talk.
Sputnik International |
East Libya's General Asks Russia for Weapons, Military Support Against Daesh
Sputnik International MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Haftar has addressed the request to both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu via his special representative Abdel Basset Badri, who also serves as Libya's ambassador to Saudi Arabia. |
Oil prices plunged anew as signs of discord re-emerged between Iran and Saudi Arabia over an oil production freeze being pushed by the Saudis and Russia.
Turkey’s president has used the failed coup to assert control over a febrile nation and advance his own ambitions
Chechnya’s Kremlin-appointed leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, was directly elected for the first time September 18 by a whopping 98 percent of voters, with 95 percent of the republic voting, according to official figures, tightening his grip on power in the north Caucasus region. The conspicuously high figures were expected as Kadyrov's iron-fisted rule tolerates little opposition and is backed by Russian President Vladimir Putin. VOA's Daniel Schearf was in Grozny for the election and has this report.
A broken ceasefire in Syria benefits the jihadis
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Financial Times |
Russia aims to turn Aleppo into another Grozny
Financial Times In the year since Russia began its air offensive in Syria, it has become clear that the depleted forces of its ally Bashar al-Assad cannot match its air strikes with momentum on the ground. Moscow's solution to this manpower shortage is now on full ... Syrian conflict: Why it's time to hold Russia to accountThe Globe and Mail Talking to Russia Cannot Save SyriaThe Atlantic The US has 'no plan B' in Syria to stop Russia operating without accountability, experts warnThe Independent RT-Long War Journal- Foreign Policy (blog) all 2,088 news articles » |
Voice of America |
Putin's Chechnya Strongman Tightens Grip as Future Stability in Question
Voice of America The landslide win was predictable as Kadyrov has ruled Chechnya for a decade, appointed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, with almost total control over the republic. Grozny's mayor, Muslim Khuchiev, accompanied by an entourage in full Caucasus ... and more » |
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Marine Corps General Joseph Dunford has just gone where no JCS chairman has ever gone before! Unsurprisingly, it took a Marine general to stand up to President Barack Obama in the wake of yet another of his dubious national security decisions.
The same mindless Obama/Kerry negotiating team that brought us an Iran deal undermining our national security, recently sought to bring us a similarly questionable deal with Russia. This one mandated the Pentagon’s participation in an intelligence-sharing agreement with the Russian Central Command in Syria-built upon a ceasefire paving the way for peace negotiations in Geneva, Switzerland.
But, unlike the Iran nuclear deal where the JCS Chairman did nothing, our current Chairman, General Dunford, publicly voiced his objection.
Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee on September 22, Dunford made clear the military would refuse to execute what was the central element of Obama’s new Syria policy, i.e., intelligence-sharing with Russia-despite the president’s order it be done.
Calling it a bad idea, Dunford said, “The U.S. military role will not include intelligence sharing with the Russians.” Sitting at Dunford’s side during the testimony was his civilian boss, Defense Secretary Ash Carter, who raised no objection.
The implication of his testimony was obvious-the president’s deal with Russia was undermining U.S. national security. Dunford, having freed himself from Obama’s vortex, was having none of it.
During his eight years in office, Obama has demonstrated an uncanny ability to endanger U.S. national security interests without ever being challenged by those responsible for doing so.
Congress completely abandoned its responsibility in this regard, most notably allowing Obama to end run the Senate to make a nuclear agreement with Iran effective. The deal-legally a treatynecessitating two-thirds approval by the Senate-was packaged as a non-treaty, i.e., an executive order, as Obama knew he could not muster such approval.
The agreement with Iran, after both presidential candidate Obama and President Obama promised over two dozen times not to, paved the way for Tehran to get nukes-legally in ten years; sooner if done illegally.
Unbeknownst to Congress was the fact the deal also included secret side deals-one of which allowed Tehran to conduct its own inspections with not even U.S. top negotiator Secretary of State John Kerry knowing the details. It also resulted in the lifting of sanctions against Iran and the transfer of billions of dollars, some of which cash transfers were hidden from Congress.
The Senate votes of those either knowing the details of the nuclear deal with Iran or, despite a responsibility to know them, failing to learn them, ultimately enabled Obama to subvert the U.S. Constitution and pass a treaty with less than the mandated two-thirds majority.
The agreement, which Obama promoted as opening the door to better relations between the U.S. and Iran, has resulted in that door being slammed in our face. Since the Senate passed the agreement, the number of naval confrontations with Iran has doubled, with Tehran now even threatening to shoot down our spy planes operating in international airspace.
But it was not the Senate alone that failed the American people in ensuring our national security interests were given top priority by killing the Iran nuclear deal.
Our Founding Fathers imposed limitations upon our military within the Constitution to ensure it always remained subordinate to civilian authority. For over two centuries now, the Constitution has worked effectively to ensure this.
Thus, last year, when the JCS reviewed the terms of an Iran nuclear agreement negotiated by civilian authority, and then JCS Chairman U.S. Army General Martin Dempsey gained full knowledge of its terms and secret side deals, it became incumbent upon him to act in our country’s national security interests as permitted within the Constitution’s guidelines.
There is no way a responsible military leader could have endorsed this deal, knowing secret side deals paved the way for a nuclear armed Iran. Dempsey had an obligation to advise Obama of such. And, when Obama disregarded his advice, Dempsey should have been driven by ethics to tender his resignation. This would have conveyed the message to the Senate it should reject the deal as well. Dempsey failed to do so, allowing the Senate to pass an unconscionable treaty.
It has become clear, as Obama manages to get Kerry and others in government, as well as in the military, to support his questionable national security initiatives, he wields a mesmerizing ability to lure others into his web of dangerous national security thinking.
Clearly, Obama has created a vortex in Washington spinning in a direction contrary to U.S. national security interests. That vortex has proven capable of sucking into it those in government responsible for ensuring a president’s questionable national security actions do not go unchallenged.
But hope may now lie on the horizon due to Dunford’s principled stance.
It is inconceivable to think our president sought to share intelligence with Russia for two reasons.
Firstly, as an ally of Iran, Moscow would obviously share what it learned with Tehran, compromising future U.S. collection efforts.
Secondly, Dunford, during his July 2015 confirmation hearings, had warned Congress that Russia posed “an existential threat to the United States… if you look at their behavior, it’s nothing short of alarming.”
Fourteen months later, Dunford’s assessment had not changed, testifying, “a combination of their behavior as well as their military capability would cause me to believe that they pose the most significant challenge, potentially the most significant threat, to our national interests.”
Fortunately for us, but unfortunately for the Syrians, the ceasefire failed after 300 violations negating, for the near-term at least, Obama’s intelligence-sharing scheme with Russia and thus sparing us any further compromise of our national security.
It is discomforting to know Obama still has four months remaining in office. It is comforting to know, however, that General Dunford, having successfully freed himself from Obama’s vortex, will be there to challenge any other dubious presidential decision seeking to undermine our national security.
A version of this piece also appeared on http://www.breitbart.com/
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MOSCOW—In Monday’s U.S. presidential debate, Hillary Clinton voiced her longstanding suspicion of Vladimir Putin, saying the Russian president is “playing a really tough, long game here.”
For the Kremlin, the mistrust is mutual.
While Mr. Putin has called Republican nominee Donald Trump a “colorful and talented person,” he has often described Mrs. Clinton, the Democratic nominee, in dismissive terms. Russian government insiders and former diplomats say the Kremlin sees Mrs. Clinton as openly pursuing a democratization agenda that it views as an existential threat.
“Clinton is the embodiment of a very clear school of thought of liberal interventionism,” said Fyodor Lukyanov, head of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, which advises the Kremlin. “Russia sees this as a threat to its sovereignty.”
That concern reflects a widely held view in the Kremlin. The Russian government has long been critical of pro-democratic revolutions, whether in the Middle East or neighboring Ukraine. Russian officials often accuse Washington of pursuing a policy of “regime change” that they say is directed at Moscow, with the U.S. both openly and covertly funding pro-democratic groups.
Underpinning some of the animus against Mrs. Clinton is also a history of sharp personal interactions between the former secretary of state and top Russian leaders, insiders add.
“She never liked to deal with Putin and [Russian Foreign Minister Sergei] Lavrov,” Mr. Lukyanov added. “I think the feeling is reciprocal.”
The relationship contrasts with that of Mr. Trump, who has repeatedly praised Mr. Putin for being a “strong leader.” That has alarmed many in the West, including Republicans, and the GOP nominee had to clarify remarks he made in August that suggested Russia had no presence in Ukraine, even after an invasion by its forces and the annexation of Crimea in 2014.
After security experts earlier this year blamed Russia for hacks of Democratic National Committee computer files, Mr. Trump said he hoped Moscow would find more of Mrs. Clinton’s emails from when she was secretary of state. Mrs. Clinton and others have said the hack raises serious issues about Russian interference in America’s coming election.
At the State Department, one of Mrs. Clinton’s first tasks in 2009 was to pursue a “reset” of relations with Russia, then led by President Dmitry Medvedev. But that effort got off to a somewhat awkward start: Mrs. Clinton presented a button that read “overload” in Russian instead of “reset” to Mr. Lavrov.
Despite the mistranslation, the pair both pressed the knob at a photo opportunity. But as her tenure as the top U.S. diplomat came to a close four years later, Mrs. Clinton wrote a private memo to President Barack Obama saying relations with Moscow had hit a low.
That low point came after Mrs. Clinton publicly condemned Russian parliamentary elections in 2011, which were marred by allegations of widespread fraud. Tens of thousands took to Moscow’s streets in protests that posed the largest-ever popular challenge to Mr. Putin’s rule.
Mrs. Clinton wrote in her 2014 autobiography that Mr. Putin “lashed out” at her for stoking dissent that Russia believes led to the protests.
“I remember thinking this is going to make my life very difficult as I prepare to arrive as ambassador,” said Michael McFaul, former U.S. ambassador to Russia, who arrived several months before Mr. Putin resumed the presidency in May 2012.
During Mrs. Clinton’s time in the cabinet, the term “GosDep,” a Russian acronym for the U.S. State Department, emerged as a negative buzzword akin to a political slur. But observers point to another reason for the Russian animus against the Democratic candidate: In the male-dominated world of Russian politics, a female U.S. president could be perceived as a threat.
“The Russian approach is just nasty—it seems to reflect their view that we shouldn’t have put a woman in that position,” said Jeremy Shapiro, research director of the European Council on Foreign Relations and former member of the State Department’s policy planning staff.
Mr. Putin, who speaks fluent German, has longstanding interaction with other female leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel. But brazenly chauvinistic comments about Mrs. Clinton are common in Russian public life.
“When the majority of those controlling the world are men, it will be hard for her,” said nationalist politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky in televised remarks in June. “How is she going to communicate with Arabs and Turks and those countries that don’t like women? She doesn’t even have the right to sit next to them.”
Mrs. Clinton is also a figure of fun in Russian media, in contrast to flattering portrayals of Mr. Trump. Footage of Mrs. Clinton’s recent coughing on the campaign trail has been played on loop on Russian state television, and when Valentina Matviyenko, who as chair of the upper house of parliament is the most senior female politician in Russia, fell victim to a recent coughing fit on live television, she joked: “Hillary is not behind this.”
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Wall Street Journal |
For Hillary Clinton and Vladimir Putin, the Mistrust Is Mutual
Wall Street Journal MOSCOW—In Monday's U.S. presidential debate, Hillary Clinton voiced her longstanding suspicion of Vladimir Putin, saying the Russian president is “playing a really tough, long game here.” For the Kremlin, the mistrust is mutual. While Mr. Putin has ... Putin praises farmers for Russia's strong grain harvestThe Seattle Times Putin faces dilemma after vote win: How to prolong a system based on himse...Reuters Meetings With Syrian Leadership Not on Putin's ScheduleSputnik International all 21 news articles » |
Putin Offers Russians Third Social Compact, This One Based on Fear Alone, Solovey Saysby paul goble (noreply@blogger.com)
Paul Goble
Staunton, September 28 – The Putin regime is offering the people of the Russian Federation a third social compact to replace the two earlier ones that have failed, Valery Solovey says; and unlike them, this one is based on the notion that Russians must support the current regime or things will get even worse for the country or for them individually.
In a brief comment on the Kasparov.ru portal, the MGIMO professor says that between 2003 and 2014, the relationship between the powers that be and the population was based on the following “economic” contract: the people would agree to give up freedom and democracy in exchange for material improvements in their lives (kasparov.ru/material.php?id=57EAAE834958C).
When the collapse of oil prices made it impossible for the state to meet its half of the bargain and thus raised the possibility of widespread dissension, Solovey says, Putin offered a second deal, one based on “patriotic” feelings in which the population would be willing to put up with hardship in exchange for “the annexation of Crimea and the restoration of former glory.”
Now, that patriotic deal is collapsing, and so the powers that be are offering a new one: “Support us or things will be much worse!” by which they mean there will be a Maidan or “a return to the cursed 1990s” or “the intervention of the West” or “civil war in Russia,” all alternatives designed to frighten people into supporting the current regime.
And in support of this argument, the powers that be have introduced a plethora of “punitive sanctions – legal, administrative, political-ideological, cultural and moral” – to ensure that no one is tempted to go beyond the limits of what the Kremlin is prepared to tolerate, the professor and frequent commentator says.
In some ways, Solovey suggests, this recalls the rules of convoys in the GULAG: “’a step to the left or to the right will be considered an attempt to flee, and jumping in place will be considered a provocation.’”
