Psyops, Mind Games, And Madmen - Wednesday July 8th, 2015 at 7:09 PM
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Russia's mind games with the Baltics are designed to confuse, distract -- and make us wonder whether Putin has lost his mind.
Prominent science foundation Dynasty decided Sunday to shut its doors, according to a concise one-sentence statement published Wednesday on its website.
The Kremlin has accused U.S. presidential contender Hillary Clinton of making “absolutely inappropriate and unfounded” remarks by including Russia among countries she said were sponsoring hacking.
Russian science foundation shuts down after being branded 'foreign agent' by Luke Harding and agencies in Moscow
Dynasty Foundation, which gave grants to young scientists, announces it is liquidating all activities after it was sanctioned under controversial Kremlin law
A Russian foundation that gave grants to young scientists and mathematicians has been forced to close down after it was branded a “foreign agent”, under a controversial Kremlin law.
In a one-line statement on its website the Dynasty Foundation in Moscow announced on Monday that it was “liquidating” all of its activities. The foundation had been operating since 2002 and had sponsored numerous scientific grants and prizes.
Continue reading...Breach at Italian Surveillance Vendor Prompts Security Alertby webdesk@voanews.com (Associated Press)
Software maker Adobe says it is fixing a critical flaw revealed by the spectacular attack on Italian surveillance company Hacking Team. Sunday's breach sent hundreds of gigabytes of Hacking Team's internal data coursing into the public domain. Although the focus has largely been on the Milan-based company's e-mail correspondence, Hacking Team also appears to have lost control of the surveillance software used to spy on its targets. Security researchers say malicious actors have wasted little time in looting the stricken company's electronic arsenal and are now adopting Hacking Team's tools for their own attacks. One such tool is aimed at taking advantage of previously unknown bug in Adobe Flash Player to hijack targeted computers. Adobe Systems Inc. says it hoped to patch the bug later Wednesday.
Slouching Towards Hysteria by Stephen Blank
The late Adam Ulam, one of the giants of Soviet and Russian studies, wrote in his biography of Stalin that while Russian history is tragic and glorious, it also is preposterous. Under Putin this quality has come to the fore as he and his trolls dutifully stoke what Henry Adams called the systematic organization of hatred. In the last week alone Russia’s Procurator General called for an investigation of the legality of the Supreme Soviet’s acknowledgement of the Baltic States independence in 1991 — a move that could not have been spontaneous but ordered from above. This move could easily be seen as providing a legal justification for an attempt to replicate the Crimean or Donbass operations in the Baltic, i.e. an act of war. The results of this preposterous move were not long in coming in. It only confirmed Russia’s reputation for being ominous while also making the government a laughing stock — never a wise move for a dictatorship. And government spokesmen tried to walk it back. But the damage was done
Now Alexei Pushkov, Chairman of the Duma’s Committee on International Relations, is calling for the Duma to enact sanctions upon Finland because it refused to allow the Speaker of the Duma, Lev Naryshkin, one of Putin’s closest confidants, to come to Finland, though the country hosted John Boehner, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. This further demonstrates Pushkov’s “expert” knowledge of Finnish affairs since in November 2014 he reported that Finland was willing to end sanctions on Russia. But beyond Pushkov’s personal chauvinism, hysteria, and ignorance, this move reflects not only the preposterous and hysterical streak in Russian policy, but the idea inculcated by Putin that Russia has a right to interfere in other states’ affairs but those countries do not have the right to full sovereignty or to respond in kind to systematic Russian threats like those Moscow has repeatedly made against Finland. In other words, Russia is special and answers to nobody.
Yet this glorious state had to admit at the same time that it has no way of preventing its people from joining ISIS, a revealing indicator of the ideological futility of Putin’s domestic project. While this threat is very real, it does betray a delusional view of the world on the part of Russian policymakers who are now insistently calling for Western cooperation with Russia against ISIS. Given Moscow’s continuing unwavering support for Bashar al-Assad, whose butchery and war crimes helped galvanize the formation of ISIS, this appeal to the West is all the more striking an indicator of just how preposterous Moscow’s foreign policy claims are — and not only in the Middle East. For there to be real cooperation with the West, Moscow would have to renounce its claims in Ukraine as well as its “gains” there that have come at the cost of impoverishing Russia. This, obviously, is most unlikely at least in the foreseeable future.
A sense of mounting hysteria about imaginary enemies is also associated with the preposterous nature of Russian politics. Indeed, hysteria and preposterousness feed off of each other. Thus we now see at home a renewed offensive against NGOs who are supposedly foreign agents determined to overthrow Russia, etc. Meanwhile in the real world, federal regions like Novgorod, a relatively wealthy region, have already defaulted on their debts and analysts like Standard & Poor’s believe that more regional defaults are likely. These defaults are directly traceable to Putin’s policies and the invasion of Ukraine. Moreover, not only are more defaults likely, future defaults are very likely to occur in poverty-stricken areas that depend on a high level of continuing federal subsidies and are duly accompanied therefore by extensive corruption.
This point applies in particular to the North Caucasus where a Jihadi war has continued uninterruptedly against the regime for 20 years. Despite splits in the Jihadi movement and fearsome repression, Russia clearly has no idea how to deal with Islamic terrorism and its admission that it cannot stop people from flocking to ISIS represents an admission of this failure.
Yet the regime continues manufacturing hysteria against imaginary enemies like Estonia, Finland, and the West, all the while neglecting the real threats to Russia. Putin’s statements to the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum that despite real problems the economy will revive betray a similar detachment from reality, and demonstrate an ingrained tendency to make unbelievable claims that perhaps Kremlin elites, isolated as they are by their own propaganda, actually believe.
Under the circumstances — where 20% of those polled report that they can only afford the bare necessities of life, a figure much higher than the 7% of those polled who made similar reports in 2009 at the trough of that global economic crisis — it is an open question how long the reign of the hysterical and preposterous can last. Russia’s economy has practically not grown since 2008 and thus is falling further behind its real and potential partners.
If economic performance is the true basis for enjoying the status of a great power, as Putin and his supporters clutch like a mantra (or fetish), then Russia’s days as a great power are numbered. Indeed, a dispassionate analysis of Russia that is free of the hysterical and preposterous claims made by Putin’s puppets can only conclude that the greatest threat to the security of Russia is the continuation of the current regime.
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 RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty |
United Russia to Unveil 'Straight Flag' in Honor of Traditional Family
The Moscow Times (registration) Russia's ruling political party has designed a “heterosexual flag” to honor traditional family values, the Izvestia newspaper reported Wednesday. Copies of the flag, which feature the outlines of a man and a woman holding hands with three children ... LGBT Flag FlapRadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty United Russia activists create 'flag for straights' to oppose 'gay fever'RT all 18 news articles » |
Legacy of Coup Probes Haunt Effectiveness of Turkish Militaryby webdesk@voanews.com (Dorian Jones)
Turkish forces remain massed on the Syrian border, with Ankara warning it may intervene to secure the frontier; but, with hundreds of senior military officers jailed or forced into retirement as a result of investigations over coup plotting, questions are being raised over what impact this has had on military capabilities. Despite the military buildup on the Syrian border, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has ruled out any imminent operation into Syria. The announcement came after the Turkish media, citing unnamed senior generals, warned against such an incursion. In the past five years, Turkey's military has lost hundreds of senior officers, who were either jailed or forced into early retirement on coup-plotting charges. Retired Turkish Brigadier Haldun Solmazturk said the military has still not recovered from the losses. "Not only the army, but also the air force and the navy, lost a lot of and very high-caliber generals, admirals, just because of these framed court cases. It would be illogical to argue this high rate of casualties did not have any impact on the Turkish military at all," he said. All those jailed under alleged attempts to overthrow the government in the past were subsequently released on appeal, and a few officers even returned to their ranks; but, Sinan Ulgen, a visiting scholar of the Brussels-based Carnegie Institute, warned the real damage of the investigations could be the relationship between the generals and the Islamist-rooted AK Party. "The military has traditionally not been friendly toward AK Party because of their perceived agenda and on top of that came the Balyoz and Ergenekon cases. Some of that was overcome when most of people who were held under those cases have been freed; however, there is a residue in the relationship and that makes cooperation more difficult," said Ulgen. He was referring to two high profile cases in which dozens of people were accused of plotting to topple the government. The armed forces have seized power three times since 1960, the last in 1980. In a bid to repair relations this year, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan apologized to hundreds of army officers, saying the investigations were a mistake and he had been misled. With growing suspicions that President Erdogan and his AK party could use any Syrian intervention for domestic political ended, retired Brigadier Solmazturk said distrust could be the main obstacle to such an operation. "The distrust with respect to this party, it is there, no doubt, it’s unquestionable, so this may be the main reason behind the army’s hesitation," he said. Distrust between generals and politicians, observers warn, could only add to the difficulties of any Turkish military involvement in Syria, which is already widely considered to be fraught with risk.
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Turkmenistan has accused Russian state gas company Gazprom of failing to pay for deliveries of Turkmen gas since the start of the year.
Tajikistan, Uzbekistan Deal With Migrant Laborer Problemby support@pangea-cms.com (Bruce Pannier)
The governments of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are moving to head off a potentially large problem caused by the shrinking market for migrant laborers in Russia.
U.S. Senators Denounce Azerbaijan's Crackdown On Civil Society by support@pangea-cms.com (RFE/RL)
Sixteen U.S. senators have written to Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliev expressing their concern about the “diminishing space” for civil society and press freedom in the country.
Two of Ukraine's largest banks have asked Moscow to compensate them for losses resulting from Russia's annexation of the Crimea Peninsula from Ukraine last year.
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One of the hostages taken captive in a Paris supermarket following the Charlie Hebdo massacre in January has spoken of how he made it his “mission” to ensure no one else died.
 РБК |
Берлускони получил три года тюрьмы по делу о подкупе сенаторов
РБК Бывший глава правительства Италии Сильвио Берлускони получил очередной тюремный срок. На этот раз он приговорен к трем годам лишения свободы. Решение вынес суд Неаполя, признав Берлускони виновным в подкупе сенаторов. Бывший премьер-министр Италии Сильвио ... Сильвио Берлускони пошел на новый срок — тюремныйКоммерсантъ Берлускони приговорили к трем годам тюрьмы по делу о подкупе сенаторовГазета.Ru Берлускони приговорен к трем годам тюрьмы по делу о подкупе сенаторов РИА Новости Комсомольская правда-Lenta.ru-Дни.Ру Все похожие статьи: 91 » |
Georgian troops are conducting joint military exercises with NATO countries at an airbase near the capital, Tbilisi.
Russians shouldn't gloat too much over what is happening in Greece as it offers Russians the chance to see what could happen to their own country if it loses the isolationist game it is playing with the West.
Russian senators released a list Wednesday of 12 foreign NGOs whose work they believe poses a threat to national security, and who should thus be declared "undesirable."
US: Prime Suspect Identified in OPM Cybersecurity Breachby webdesk@voanews.com (Ken Bredemeier)
The U.S. homeland security chief says investigators have collected "strong evidence" leading to a prime suspect in the massive cybersecurity breach of government records that compromised personal information about millions of federal workers and people applying for national security clearances. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said Wednesday the government is not ready to officially disclose who it thinks was behind the attack on its computers earlier this year, although Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, has said Chinese state interests are "the leading suspect." In two hacks into Office of Personal Management (OPM) computers, personal information about 4.2 million current and former government workers was stolen, as well as millions of records about people seeking government security clearances. Johnson told a Washington public policy research group, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the government is making a concerted effort to thwart new attacks on its computers. He said the U.S. has significantly increased the scope of its monitoring throughout the government but not to the degree it wants. "To be frank, our federal cybersecurity is not where it needs to be," he said. He said cyberattacks against the government and American business interests were widespread. "These threats come from a range of actors, including nation-states with highly sophisticated capabilities, profit-motivated criminals and ideologically motivated hackers or extremists," Johnson said.
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Ukraine Banks Ask Russia to Compensate for Crimea Lossesby webdesk@voanews.com (Reuters)
Two of Ukraine's largest banks - Privatbank and state-owned Oschadbank - have asked Moscow to compensate them for losses resulting from Russia's annexation of the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine last year, they said in statements on Wednesday. Already under pressure from an economic crisis in Ukraine, banks with significant assets in Crimea faced substantial writedowns after Russia seized the territory in March 2014 in a move condemned by Ukraine and the West. Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said Oschadbank, Ukraine's third-largest bank in terms of assets, plans to sue Russia for 15 billion hryvnia ($700 million) in compensation. The bank has not confirmed this figure, but in a statement it said it had "sent to representatives of Russia a formal notification in writing of claims arising from the unlawful treatment of Oschadbank's investments in Crimea." Seeking settlement It said it hoped to settle the case through a 1998 Russia-Ukraine intergovernmental agreement, according to which the sides seek to settle the dispute through negotiations within a six-month period. "If a settlement is not reached in the given timeframe, Oschadbank reserves the right to pursue the matter though the protection of the international courts," the bank said. Oschadbank and Privatbank, Ukraine's largest lender, had the most extensive network of bank branches in Crimea. Privatbank also said on Wednesday it was seeking international arbitration to make up for its losses on the peninsula and would pursue its case though courts in The Hague. Prior to the annexation Ukrainian banks operated over 1,000 branches in Crimea with assets and liabilities worth around 20 billion hryvnia.
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The weekend’s stunning repudiation of further European bailouts by a strong majority of Greeks shocked Brussels and beyond. That 61 percent of Greek voters want nothing to do with European Union “fixes” to their country’s grave fiscal crisis, which has preoccupied the EU for five years, represents a shocking development to Eurocrats.
What happens next is on everyone’s mind. Unless Athens comes up with a revised—and more plausible—finance plan very soon, expulsion from the Eurozone appears imminent. While that could cause financial instability for Europe, and may bring bad tidings far beyond, there’s one country that seems to be savoring this crisis.
That’s Russia. To the surprise of no one who pays attention to Vladimir Putin’s persistent efforts to undermine the EU and NATO, Moscow is poised to reap political benefits from Greece’s financial collapse.
The morning after the referendum, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras spoke with Putin to discuss the fallout—a full day before Tsipras spoke with President Obama.
Read the rest at The Daily Beast …
Filed under: Counterintelligence, Espionage, Strategy, USG
BBC News |
Russia Vetoes UN Resolution Calling Srebrenica a Genocide
ABC News Russia vetoed a U.N. resolution Wednesday that would have condemned the 1995 massacre of Muslim men at Srebrenica during the Bosnian war as a "crime of genocide," saying that singling out the Bosnian Serbs for a war crime would create greater ... Russia vetoes Bosnia genocide motionBBC News Russia threatens veto on UN vote calling Srebrenica 'a crime of genocide'The Guardian Russia vetoes UN resolution condemning Srebrenica massacre as a genocideThe Globe and Mail Reuters -RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty all 524 news articles » |
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