Vladimir Putin has been 'neutralised' by a stealthy coup as rumours about his health and well-being continue to flourish: Former FSB chief Nikolai Patrushev was behind the plot, claimed chairman of the pro-Kremlin national Islamic Committee, Geydar Dzhemal. 'I think that Putin is neutralised at the moment, but of course, he is alive,' said Dzhemal, seen as a Kremlin loyalist. 'He is under the control of the power-wielding agencies, who have, in my opinion, organised a coup d'etat.' | Длань Божия или рука Москвы? Русские православные иерархи за границей - пастыри овец или агенты разведки?
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Putin has not been seen in public for nine days which has caused certain consternation in Russia
Former FSB chief Nikolai Patrushev was behind the plot, claimed chairman of the pro-Kremlin national Islamic Committee, Geydar Dzhemal.
'I think that Putin is neutralised at the moment, but of course, he is alive,' said Dzhemal, seen as a Kremlin loyalist.
'He is under the control of the power-wielding agencies, who have, in my opinion, organised a coup d'etat.'
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March 12, 2015
The Sick Man Of Moscow
Russian President Vladimir Putin has not been seen in public for the past nine days leading to concern that the hardman leader may have been overthrown or suffered a medical emergency.
 Haaretz |
Who will be Israel's next premier? Surprises to expect post-election day
Haaretz Who will disappear? Who will become kingmaker? And could someone other than Netanyahu or Herzog become Israel's next prime minister? By Jonathan Lis | Mar. 15, 2015 | 10:11 AM. submit to reddit. A vandalized campaign billboard advertising the Zionist ... Netanyahu may be tossed out by Israel voters in electionsNew York Daily News Israeli leader Netanyahu: Foreign powers want to push me outChron.com Netanyahu offers finance ministry to rival days before electioneuronews Ynetnews -The Denver Post -Reuters all 2,269 news articles » |
USA TODAY |
Netanyahu fights to stave off election defeat
USA TODAY JERUSALEM — Hard-line Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is fighting for his political life this weekend, as a rival aided by a former consultant to President Obama threatens to oust the long-serving Israeli leader in Tuesday's parliamentary election. Netanyahu, Lagging in Polls, Offers Finance Ministry to RivalBloomberg Netanyahu may be tossed out by Israel voters in electionsNew York Daily News Who will be Israel's next premier? Surprises to expect post-election dayHaaretz Reuters -U-T San Diego all 168 news articles » |
TEL AVIV (Reuters) - Israel must try to repair relations with the United States no matter who wins Tuesday's election, said Michael Oren, a former Israeli ambassador to Washington and a potential foreign minister if his party joins the next government.
Oklahoma isn't alone in race-related fraternity incidentsby By KIMBERLY HEFLING and JESSE J. HOLLAND
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Their reputations sullied by race-tainted incidents, many colleges are clamping down on campus fraternities. Despite some swift and tough actions by schools - and in some cases, public humiliation - episodes such as the racist chants by members of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapter at the University of Oklahoma keep surfacing....
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking in a pre-recorded film about Russia's seizure of Crimea, said the life of Ukrainian former president Viktor Yanukovich was in danger as a result of the "revolution" that set out to seize power in Kiev.
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 Toronto Star |
In Ukraine, a clash of two mentalities
Toronto Star Ukrainian novelist Andrey Kurkov's irony cuts as elegantly as a scalpel, and the blade is aimed at the corrupt, ignorant, money-grabbing, power-seeking and sometimes brutal authorities who have dominated the territory of the former Soviet Union. Born in ... Putin Reveals Details of Russia-Crimea Reunification, Maidan in DocumentarySputnik International In Ukraine, a clash of two mentalities | Toronto StarThe Echo How the Ukrainian crisis is like three-dimensional chessWashington Post (blog) Focus News -The Australian Financial Review all 81 news articles » |
US Delegation Travels to Cubaby webdesk@voanews.com (VOA News)
A U.S. delegation travels to Cuba Sunday for a third round of talks between the two countries about re-establishing diplomatic relations and easing economic and travel sanctions imposed decades ago. Assistant Secretary of State Roberta Jacobson is heading up the U.S. delegation set to meet with Josefina Vidal, director-general of the U.S. division of Cuba's Foreign Ministry. The historic talks between the U.S. and the Castro government began earlier this year. The development is...
Are Regional FSB Offices Being Told to Find Specific Numbers of ‘Enemies of the People’? by paul goble (noreply@blogger.com)
Paul Goble
Staunton, March 14 – One of the most horrific features of Stalin’s Great Terror at the end of the 1930s was the dissemination of quotas to regional officials to identify, arrest, and punish a specific number of Soviet citizens as “enemies of the people,” an action that radically increased the spread of Stalin’s repressions across the country.
Now, there is evidence that the regime of Vladimir Putin -- whether it is in its last days or not -- has sent similar lists to regional FSB offices, something that could open the way to uncontrolled repression and that at the same time could become a major reason that the force structures, who remember what happened to themselves under Stalin, may seek Putin’s ouster.
The possibility that such lists have been disseminated is suggested by Kseniya Kirillova, a Novry region-2 commentator, in an article today about the travails of Yury Kuznetsov, a Ekaterinburg blogger who has been in hot water in recent months for his posts in support of Ukraine (nr2.com.ua/blogs/Ksenija_Kirillova/V-Rossiyu-vernulis-raznaryadki-na-vragov-naroda-92162.html).
Kuznetsov was called into the FSB and the Investigative Committee for his posts, but “at the end of January,” a decision appears to have been made not to bring charges against him. But “now,” Kirillova says, Kuznetsov has new reasons to fear that the criminal investigation against him is “all the same beginning.”
He told Novy Region-2 that the Sverdlovsk oblast office of the FSB had spoken with two of his colleagues at work, one of whom apparently stated that Kuznetsov had called for “killing Muscovites.” In fact, the activist had called for “killing in oneself imperial ambitions in order to become a normal Russian man.” The security police also questioned his wife.
Kuznetsov’s friends and supporters say that they have learned from leaks out of the FSB office that “a directive was sent already in January ‘from above’ not to put forward” any cases “on ‘Ukrainian’ affairs’” that might not lead directly to guilty verdicts, an order that may be causing the security police to be more careful.
But such suggestions, Kirillova says, have led some among this same group of people to draw another and even more disturbing conclusion: The FSB may have been given “’lists’ in which are indicated the number of ‘enemies of the people’ which must be identified in each specific region,” a clear echo of “the best traditions of the era of the ‘Great Terror.’”
Kirillova suggests that there is indirect confirmation for this in Putin’s own recent reference to a “15 percent” increase in the number of “extremist crimes,” an indication that he is thinking in statistical terms about such activities and insisting that his subordinates in the security agencies do the same.
Further, she points out, if the FSB in each region is required to come up with a specific number of “enemies of the people,” that would go a long way to explaining why its officers would be calling on the population to denounce others, for selfish or unselfish and “patriotic” reasons, and thus providing the basis for new cases.
Regional media have been playing up the patriotic angle, Kirillova notes, pointing to the case of a concerned citizen ready and able to denounce someone she didn’t know, much as happened in Stalin’s times, and who thus has helped the FSB now bring charges against that individual as a member of “’the fifth column.’”
That history and others like it, the commentator says, are “indicative in all respects.” There is the “vigilant citizen” concerned only about the good of her country, that she is prepared to denounce someone she has no direct knowledge of on the basis of the denunciations of others, and what is “the main thing,” the security police act on such suspect “evidence.”
If this continues, then in the near future, Kirillova concludes, “the epidemic of denunciations will only grow, while the occasions for the manifestation of ‘popular vigilance’ will become ever more insignificant,” leading “either to full-scale repressions” or “the paralysis of the work of the force structures as such,” condemned as they will be to investigate everything.
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 International Business Times AU |
What the Bolsheviks and Nazis can teach us about Russia today
Washington Post (blog) The following is a guest post from Rutgers University-Newark political scientist Alexander Motyl. In a post at The Monkey Cage last week, Motyl argued that realist scholars were doing a poor job explaining Russian behavior. Here, he suggests an ... Russia Dismisses US Concerns Over Russian Bombers Refuelling In Vietnam...International Business Times AU US concerns over Russia bomber flights using base in Vietnam are 'puzzling ... |
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A Post-Putin Russia Might Be Bad News for Everyone, Including Ukraine, in the Short Termby paul goble (noreply@blogger.com)
Paul Goble
Staunton, March 14 – If Vladimir Putin is ousted or when he dies, the Russian government likely to emerge at least in the near term would not be the liberal, democratic and peaceful one in which so many are placing their hopes. And in the short term, such a regime almost certainly would behave even worse toward Ukraine than Putin has.
There are three reasons for such conclusions, all of which should be carefully attended to by those who in Russia, Ukraine and the West who despise what Putin has done and what he represents, will welcome his departure as a necessary step, but who have come to believe that his departure alone will mark a turn to the better in all respects.
That is likely to be so in the longer term, given the history of successions in the Kremlin, a history that suggests each new leader will ultimately choose to legitimate himself by denigrating or worse his predecessor. But that same history suggests that the successors are unlikely to make such changes as quickly as many would like.
First, the coalition that appears to be forming behind the scenes consists of the so-called “siloviki,” senior officials of the security services and the military.Many of them are more cautious than Putin has done because they know better than he the costs of invading and annexing part of a neighboring country.
But not all of the are: many of the “siloviki” believe that Putin has failed to act in ways that would have brought Moscow a victory in Ukraine, and they will push for more aggressive moves in order to prove their point as well as to justify an increased role for themselves in the constellation of a post-Putin regime.
And whether they are in the cautious or the aggressive camp, they are not liberals and they are not democrats. They are part and parcel of the authoritarian regime which was never completely dismantled in 1991 and which has been restored with extreme vigor by Putin over the last 15 years.
Hoping that they will suddenly see the light is a dangerous delusion.
Second, those who may be angling to push Putin out have an even more compelling reason for taking aggressive action in Ukraine and perhaps elsewhere as well. If they were to back down immediately, many in Russia would be unwilling to accept them as legitimate. Instead, most Russians would view them as people the West had somehow installed.
The West, of course, would have nothing to do with such a change should it occur. But Russians, fed with Putinist propaganda about the supposedly “all-powerful” Western security services and their ability to create “fifth columns” and overthrow governments via “color revolutions” as in Ukraine, would likely find it hard to believe that.
Consequently, even those who would like to get out of the Ukrainian morass would see a further move there, perhaps involving the seizure of Mariupol, as being necessary to their immediate survival in office and thus support it even if in the longer term they would be willing to yield on this point.
And third, any such post-Putin regime would not cease to be a Russian one. It would be interested in promoting its understanding of Russian national interests, and its members would undoubtedly conclude that given what looks to the to be the West’s feckless response to his challenges, they would benefit by continuing part of his strategy even if they rejected some of it.
Moreover, any such regime would almost certainly further tighten the screws on its own people lest they try to exploit the uncertainty that any leadership change in that country always produces. For the Russian people, the first weeks and months could be worse as well, even if in the longer term, things would likely get better.
Moreover, any such regime would almost certainly further tighten the screws on its own people lest they try to exploit the uncertainty that any leadership change in that country always produces. For the Russian people, the first weeks and months could be worse as well, even if in the longer term, things would likely get better.
Indeed, given that many in Western governments would be so pleased by any indication of a change of heart in Moscow – even a minimalist and superficial one – as has been the case up to now, those in a post-Putin government would at least at first likely continue to test the limits rather than pull back more than they might be willing to do later.
Consequently, as pleased as many would be with the departure of Putin from the political scene, all of them should keep in mind that despite what is likely to be a media circus on that event, his exit alone will not usher in a new heaven and a new Jerusalem.It is far too early to celebrate. It is absolutely necessary to remain vigilant.
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Длань Божия или рука Москвы by Радио Свобода
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Русские православные иерархи за границей - пастыри овец или агенты разведки? Об этом в программе «С христиа...
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 RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty |
Three Scenarios For A Succession In Russia
RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty So what would happen in Russia if Putin suddenly and without warning left the political stage? Over the last few days, we have seen the anxiety that even the rumor of such an event can produce in Russia and around the world. If Putin is the guarantor ... |
Russia is preparing for something at the Kremlin while Putin's absence baffles...Business Insider
A Russia After PutinThe Atlantic
Daily Beast-Wall Street Journal
all 1,949 news articles »
 Свопи |
Адам Осмаев отверг утверждения о причастности к убийству Немцова
РБК Командир украинского добровольческого батальона имени Джохара Дудаева, воюющего на стороне украинских силовиков, Адам Осмаев отверг утверждения, что он имеет какое-либо отношение к убийству оппозиционера Бориса Немцова. По словам Осмаева, он хорошо относился к ... Товарищи Немцова обнародуют его доклад об УкраинеBBC Russian Сотрудники изолятора не пускают адвоката к Хамзату Бахаеву, одному из подозреваемых в убийстве Бориса НемцоваРадиостанция ЭХО МОСКВЫ СМИ: Убийце Бориса Немцова обещали $85 тысяч на свадьбуСвопи Slon.ru - Редакция деловых новостей -Актуальные новости Санкт-Петербурга и мира - Информационное агентство <<Телеграф>> -Инвесткафе Все похожие статьи: 793 » |
 TheBlaze.com |
Expert: Vladimir Putin's Disappearance Could Mean Russia's Undergoing a Coup
TheBlaze.com Russian President Vladimir Putin attends the closing ceremony of the 2014 Winter Paralympics at the Fisht Olympic stadium in Sochi, Russia, Sunday, March 16, 2014. Putin hasn't been seen in public since March 5, leading the world to wonder where he is ... A Russia After PutinThe Atlantic Three Scenarios For A Succession In RussiaRadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty Russia is preparing for something at the Kremlin while Putin's absence baffles ...Business Insider Daily Beast-Wall Street Journal all 1,977 news articles » |
 Зеркало недели |
Яшин: доклад Немцова о роли России в украинском конфликте обнародуют в апреле
Газета.Ru Доклад политика Бориса Немцова о роли России в конфликте на Украине обнародуют в апреле 2015 года. Об этом сообщает «Би-би-си» со ссылкой на оппозиционера Илью Яшина. По словам Яшина, для того чтобы закончить доклад Немцова, была собрана команда экспертов. Доклад Немцова опубликуют в апреле Регион Киев Медиа Товарищи Немцова обнародуют его доклад об Украине BBC Russian Доклад Б.Немцова о роли России в украинском конфликте обнародуют в апрелеПрессОРГ24 - Новости Украины Час Пик-Интернет издание Багнет |
Все похожие статьи: 103 »
US Cancels Consular Services in Saudi Arabia, Cites Riskby webdesk@voanews.com (VOA News)
The U.S. Embassy in Riyadh has canceled consular services for Sunday and Monday in the Saudi Arabian cities of Riyadh, Jeddah and Dhahran because of heightened security concerns. In a statement issued Saturday, the embassy said the telephone lines would not be open either on March 15-16. The embassy advises U.S. citizens to cancel all nonessential trips to Saudi Arabia and be extra cautious when traveling through the country . The statement does not specify reasons for the extra precaution. It advises all Americans to avoid crowds, identify safe areas and prepare for emergencies while in Saudi Arabia.
Russian Billionaire Oligarch Faces Bankruptcy
Forbes Russian mining giant Mechel is going bye-bye. And that's going to hurt one very wealthy oligarch. Economic Minister Alexei Ulyukayev said Friday that the debt-ridden Mechel's bankruptcy was now “inevitable”. Mechel is Russia's leading coal producer. |
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 РИА Новости |
Представитель деревенской прозы Валентин Распутин: биография
ИА REGNUM За день до своего 78-летия в Москве скончался писатель Валентин Распутин. Он ушел из жизни в больнице, так и не выйдя из комы. Семья решает вопрос о месте и времени прощания и похорон. Возможно, что траурная церемония пройдёт в столице РФ, а похоронят писателя в ... Писатель Валентин Распутин скончался в Москве накануне 78-летияArbat City Умер писатель Валентин РаспутинЖурДом - новости Сми Писатель Валентин Распутин скончалсяАргументы.ру Байкал-Daily: новости в реальном времени -CPV.ru -Бизнес-курс Все похожие статьи: 301 » |
A colleague of slain Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov says a report Nemtsov was compiling on Russia's role in the eastern Ukraine conflict will be released in April.
Kerry Says Political Deal Possible 'In Days' At Iran Nuclear Talks by noreply@rferl.org (RFE/RL)
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on the eve of nuclear talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif that it is possible "in the next days" to reach a framework political deal with Iran if Tehran can show its nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes.
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko spoke by telephone on March 14 with both calling on Russia and Russian-backed separatists fighting in eastern Ukraine to implement the Minsk ceasefire agreements.
Yesterday’s live coverage of the Ukraine conflict can be found here. An archive of our liveblogs can be found here. For an overview and analysis of this developing story see our latest podcast.
Please help The Interpreter to continue providing this valuable information service by making a donation towards our costs.
For links to individual updates click on the timestamps.
For the latest summary of evidence surrounding the shooting down of flight MH17 see our separate article:Evidence Review: Who Shot Down MH17?
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 BBC Russian |
Соратники Немцова обнародуют его доклад об Украине
BBC Russian Руководитель московского отделения РПР-ПАРНАС Илья Яшин заявил, что к середине апреля будет опубликован доклад Бориса Немцова о роли России в конфликте на Украине, над которым оппозиционный политик работал перед своим убийством. В интервью Би-би-си Яшин также ... и другие » |
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President Petro Poroshenko has submitted a draft law that outlines the boundaries of particular districts in the areas under pro-Russian separatist control in eastern Ukraine that could be granted "special status."
 NBCNews.com |
European Union Army Plan Aims to Protect Continent from Russia, ISIS
NBCNews.com Now sad and weary, Dzhepparov is a veteran activist among the Tatar community, a Muslim minority that has vocally but peacefully opposed the Russian annexation of Crimea a year ago. He believes his family was targeted because of their political activism. Crimea still erasing its Ukrainian past a year after Russia's takeoverThe Guardian Opinion: Crimea reflects Russia's fateDeutsche Welle Life in Crimea: One year on from Russia's takeoverBBC News Kyiv Post-Sputnik International all 44 news articles » |
 Комсомольская Правда в Украине |
МВД Украины обвинило ополченцев в обстреле позиций полка «Азов»
Коммерсантъ 15 марта утром ополченцы Донбасса произвели несколько залпов из минометов по позициям штурмового полка Национальной гвардии Украины «Азов» в районе села Широкино Волновахского района Донецкой области, сообщает «Интерфакс» со ссылкой на управление по связям с ... МВД Украины обвинило ополченцев в минометном обстреле полка «Азов»Газета.Ru Террористы обстреляли позиции Азова в Широкино - ШкирякЛІГА.net Советник Авакова: силовики подверглись обстрелу в районе ШирокиноРИА Новости Комсомольская Правда в Украине -СЕГОДНЯ -УНИАН Все похожие статьи: 163 » |
Putin has Made the New Yalta He Wants Impossible, Rubtsov Says by paul goble (noreply@blogger.com)
Paul Goble
Staunton, March 15 – Because of his aggression against Ukraine, Vladimir Putin has ensured that “there will never be a new Yalta, a division of the world among victorious allies,” Aleksandr Rubtsov says. “In the ‘best’ case, there will be a temporary collusion,” but “a blackmail victim will always wait for the opportunity to violate it – and he’ll find it.”
In a commentary in yesterday’s “Novaya gazeta,” the Moscow philosopher draws that and other conclusions by suggesting that Joseph Nye’s ideas about “soft force” mean that the use of hard force is now viewed by most countries but not Russia as “an atavism” and “a dead end” leading to nowhere (novayagazeta.ru/politics/67631.html).
Such atavisms can be frightening, Rubtsov says, “but the ability to frighten is no longer conceived as a measure of power, greatness and glory.” Instead, it is viewed as exactly the reverse, as an indication of underlying weakness. And that reversal is part of a more general shift in the post-modern world to review and revise many of the assumptions of the modern.
In the post-modern world, Rubtsov continues, the use of force to project power and any particular ideology is viewed with distaste, a reaction in large part to the collapse of “the great totalitarian megaprojects – Soviet and German.”
“The Soviet model,” he writes, “lasted longer on the wave of the Victory and even was able to combine its conquests with the effects of ‘soft power’ domestically and abroad.” But thinking that permanent mobilization would allow it to withstand the values on offer in the West of everyday well-being is a profound mistake, one that Russia’s current leaders have made.
Dynamism and growth now, the Moscow philosopher continues, comes not from the mobilizing power of the state but rather “from very private persons with initiative, imagination and brains.” And that in turn means that state-centric mobilization is being reversed everywhere and even intensifying.
One source of this shift is the changed relationship between East and West. “Everyone for example knows how the Western model influenced the new East, but often they underestimate that of the old East on the post-modern West. It is quite strong and includes a preference for soft influence … as well as preferences for the internal over the external, the spirit over technology, and contemplation over action.”
The West has taken that over because “the most powerful critic of the West is Western.” Indeed, Rubtsov says, the rejection of the notion that every country must follow the path of Westernization is “a Western discovery.” But if East and West are learning from each other, Russia is insisting on standing apart and above with its messianism and fundamentalism.
As a result, what is emerging in Russia now is “not a new Eurasia but the old Horde – by its internal arrangements, its ability to hold territory, and its revived tactics of raids” on others and efforts to revive some kind of Moscow-centered empire even though it has little to offer its neighbors and does much to alienate them and others, Rubtsov says.
Almost all it has left to “offer” is the use of force so that “the head of the country will feel himself equal in the world of the most unequal,” leading to the emergence of “a vicious circle” in which the use of hard force causes Russia to lose still more opportunities for use soft force and thus leads it to use hard force once again.
The logical end of this trend, he says, is “not so far away. Already no one likes [Russia],” and there are ever more doubts even about the “loyalty” of its supposed allies. Consequently, whatever compromises Moscow can extract from the West from its operation in Ukraine, “there will never be a new Yalta” because the West sees Russia with new, post-modern eyes.
Nor will there emerge some Russian-drawn “new world order,” Rubtsov continues. The most that Moscow can achieve will be “co-existence under conditions of the destruction of the old order – and that only for a time.” Russia is not contributed to stability: it is creating precedents for others to use violence – and some will.
As a result, for the world as a whole, there are no positive or even “non-catastrophic” results of what Moscow has done. And for Russia too, Rubtsov says, the prognosis is increasingly grim. The Kremlin has been able to use a kind of soft power in its “hybrid approach to neo-totalitarianism.” But that will not last long.
For the moment, “the unity of the nation is being achieved without mass repressions if one understands those as ‘physical’ ones.” Rather, it has been created by “’soft power,’” by the use of the media to promote “mass enthusiasm” without having to employ terror. But the regime has created the instrumentalities of the latter – and it may tragically use them in the future.
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· · · · ·
The Kremlin has said President Vladimir Putin will watch a Russian television documentary film about the annexation of Crimea by Russia.
Onetime US Prisoner Now Key in Battling ISby webdesk@voanews.com (Matthew Hilburn)
One of the key figures participating in the fight against the so-called Islamic State group in Iraq is a Shi’ite militant who less than a decade ago helped coordinate a brazen attack on U.S. troops that left five American soldiers dead. Qais Khazali commands the Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq (AAH), “League of the Righteous,” an Iranian-funded Shi'ite militia, which, along with other Shi'ite militias, is playing a powerful role in helping turn the tide against the Islamic State group in Iraq. His story illustrates the complex dynamic on the ground in the Middle East where a variety of forces are fighting for control of parts of Iraq and Syria and where traditional enemies find themselves fighting a common foe in the Islamic State group. It highlights, too, some of the challenges facing the Obama administration and the West as to whom they align with in the battle against Islamic State militants. Khazali was born in 1974 in the Shi'ite slum on the outskirts of Baghdad once known as Saddam City. Sadr's teachings Like many disenfranchised young Shi’ites who bristled living under Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, Khazali was attracted to the teachings of Shi'ite cleric Sayed Mohamad Sadiq al-Sadr and became one of the scholar’s leading students. Sadr was gunned down by government forces in 1999 and Sadr’s son Muqtada assumed leadership of the movement. After Baghdad fell in 2003, Muqtada formed the Mahdi Army and waged war on the U.S. coalition. For a while, Khazali served as the group’s spokesman but ultimately broke away to form a militia of his own. AAH targeted coalition forces and Iraqi police with improvised explosive devices (IEDs), rockets, mortars and sniper fire and would later claim more than 6,000 attacks. One of the most spectacular occurred in January 2007, when about a dozen AAH fighters attacked a government compound at Karbala, killing five U.S. soldiers. The attackers wore American military uniforms and badges, carried American weapons and drove in black SUVs identical to those used by the U.S. military. The U.S. military later concluded that only Iran could have orchestrated the operation. US interrogation Khazali was later captured and detained at the American prison known as Camp Cropper. He was extensively questioned by U.S. intelligence. “He is the kind of person I could see myself, or others, following,” said Derek Harvey, a retired Army colonel and former intelligence adviser who spent hundreds of hours interviewing Khazali at Camp Cropper. Harvey said they discussed many topics, including history, Islam, Shia politics, family and Iraqi nationalism, and described Khazali as “extremely thoughtful,” highly logical and possessing a “magnetic personality.” “If he’s not trained [in logic], he’s a natural,” Harvey told VOA. “He’s the kind of person who can bring together different people, and he has tremendous purpose and drive and great ambition.” From inside prison, Khazali continued to wield influence. As detailed in a 2014 Reuters report, Khazali ordered -- with a phone call from jail -- that attacks on American and British forces be halted. Harvey would not get into the specifics of his conversations with him but said Khazali “knew things that were going on in Baghdad before I did” -- even behind bars. Khazali was released in late 2009 along with other AAH members in what appeared to be an exchange for British hostage Peter Moore, though the U.S. and Britain have denied making any deal. “When he came out of jail, he had more legitimacy,” said Behnam Ben Taleblu, an Iran research analyst at Foundation for Defense of Democracies, where he has tracked AAH’s rise. AAH fighters sent to Syria In 2012, Tehran called on its allies to help protect the Assad government, and AAH sent fighters into Syria. There, the militia was able to hone its fighting skills. “I think sending our men to fight in Syria was the right decision," Khazali told the BBC in 2014. “Al-Qaida has had a lot of practice in street fighting. If our guys hadn’t gotten the experience in Syria, al-Qaida and ISIS could have taken Baghdad,” he said in the interview, using an acronym for the Islamic State group. Today, AAH has grown to a 10,000-member force and is considered as one of the most powerful of the dozens of Shi’ite militias that operate in Iraq. Analysts believe much of the group’s prowess is due to the training and money it receives from Iran -- as much as $2 million a month, according to Iraqi intelligence officials. The group’s main Iranian patron is thought to be Iranian general Qassem Suleimani, commander of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, a man the U.S. formerly designated a terrorist. AAH helped break the Islamic State siege of Amerli in August 2014 and is currently taking part in the battle to retake Tikrit. US concerns U.S. General Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, recently said the role of Shi’ite militias in reclaiming Tikrit might be “a positive thing.” “This is the most overt conduct of Iranian support, in the form of artillery and other things,” Dempsey recently told the Senate Armed Services Committee. But at the same time, U.S. officials are said to be worried about what might happen when Tikrit falls. Human Rights Watch said AAH and other Shi'ite militias have a history of revenge attacks on Sunni civilians, including kidnapping and executions. In addition, Tikrit is the location of Camp Speicher, where in June 2014 Islamic State militants executed hundreds of Iraqi troops, most of them Shi'ite. Asaib Ahl al-Haq recently posted a statement on its Facebook page promising to “impose justice and avenge the martyrs of Camp Speicher.” “If this becomes an excuse to ethnic cleanse, then our campaign has a problem and we're going to have to make a campaign adjustment,” Dempsey said. For now, the Pentagon said it is keeping a close eye on the situation. Watching Iran Iran will be watching closely as well, said Alireza Nader, a senior analyst at RAND, to make sure that AAH doesn’t grow too strong. “They want to make the Shia political and military spectrum is fractured so that no one group emerges to challenge Iran,” Nader said. Retired Army colonel Harvey said it is unlikely AAH and Khazali will put down their arms even if IS is ultimately defeated. “They’ve been empowered, and their brand has been enhanced tremendously,” he said.
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Adam Osmayev, a Chechen commander of a Ukrainian volunteer battalion has denied any involvement in the murder of Russian opposition figure Boris Nemtsov.
Unless He Changes Course, Putin’s Fate Will Be That of Nicholas II or Milosevic, Strelkov Saysby paul goble (noreply@blogger.com)
Paul Goble
Staunton, March 15 – Igor Strelkov, the one-time defense minister of the “Donetsk Peoples Republic and a passionate supporter of the Russian world idea, told his supporters in Ekaterinburg that Vladimir Putin will suffer the fate of Nicholas II who was shot in the Urals in 1918 or of Slobodan Milosevic who died in a Hague prison in 2006.
Strelkov, in the Urals region of Russia to collect money and other forms of support for his colleagues fighting in Ukraine, said that what is going on now resembles what happened in 1914 when Russians decided to “support Serbia and fulfill their patriotic duty” by going to war (znak.com/svrdl/news/2015-03-14/1036787.html).
But then as that war dragged on, as victories were replaced with defeats, and as the economic crisis intensified, many Russians, influenced by the work of a fifth column which he said at that time “included grand dukes, the top industrialists, and the State Duma,” lost their patriotic feelings.
The fifth column then as now, Strelkov said, “all cried about patriotism, but they created a conspiracy, as a result of which Russia suffered a crushing defeat and landed in a time of troubles for many years.” Now, once again, the opponents of Russia in the West and at home have “exactly the same plan which they are carrying out” to the letter.
By annexing Crimea and moving to support Novorossiya, he continued, President Vladimir Putin had won “a simply colossal” level of support. But then those around him got to work, and what looked to be a sure and easy victory was taken away.
“First,” they talked about “Novorssiya, then, not, and not Novorossiay but the Donetsk and Luhansk Peoples Republics. And then not the peoples republics but the self-proclaimed ones. And now already these are particular districts of Ukraine. And people do not understand how this can be,” Strelkov said.
Unless Putin can escape from their baleful influence, he continued, “not only the liberals but also [Russian] patriots will turn against Putin,” and in that event, “he will share the fate of Milosevic who was overthrown” by a similar alliance because in the end he was pursuing a policy that neither the liberals nor the patriots liked.
In his two-hour talk, Strelkov said that Putin has made many mistakes in Ukraine because he has not followed up on his victories but allowed others to steal them away. That is the result of the work of the fifth column around him, including Vladislav Surkov, who are “patriots by day” but supporters of the opponents of the Kremlin by night.
“The most characteristic sign” of such people, he continued, is that “they live and work here [in Russia], but all their money, property and families are abroad.”
Strelkov added that despite the ceasefire and all the talk in the media, true Russian patriots in “Novorossiya” plan to renew the fight because “Ukraine is part of Russia,” and many people “in Odessa, in Kharkov, in Kherson, and in Nikolayevsk are waiting for Russia. In fact, many are waiting for Russia in Kyiv including those who consider themselves Ukrainians.”
At the same time, however, he was very critical of some of his former colleagues in Donetsk and Luhansk, saying that the situations there were dire with “a fratricidal struggle” and even a Makhno-type movement, a reference to the irregular rule of the atamans during the Russian civil war nearly a century ago.
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A Forgotten but Instructive Russian Anniversaryby paul goble (noreply@blogger.com)
Paul Goble
Staunton, March 15 – Ninety-eight years ago today, Nicholas II abdicated the throne for himself and his son, ushering in the Provisional Government and great hopes for Russian democracy at home and abroad, hopes that were soon dashed by destructive orders of the new government itself and by the Bolshevik revolution less than nine months later.
Because of the power of Soviet propaganda, most people think of October 1917 as the only revolution Russia underwent in that year, but in fact, as many historians, memoirists, and writers like Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn have pointed out, what happened in October was possible only because of what happened in late February and early March.
And as some commentators are pointing out now, referring to the conclusions of earlier writers, the February-March events, “the forgotten revolution” of 1917 at the time of “the forgotten war,” World War I, may be instructive not only about how Russia got to where it is but about where it may be going as well.
One Russian émigré writer, often cited by Russian nationalists, Ivan Solonevich, even published an essay entitled “The Great February Falsification” to dispel what many think about those events. “In February 1917, there was no revolution; there was a palace conspiracy” (xn----8sbaivctd3ahy1n.xn--p1ai/index.php/publitsistika/aktualnye-temy/287-zabytyj-perevorot-fevralya-marta-1917-goda.html).
That conspiracy, he wrote, “was organized by members of the landed elite with the participation and agreement of certain members of the dynasty … by the financial elite … and by the military elite. Each of these groups had its own distinct interests,” but these “contradicted the interests of the country, the interests of the army and victory.”
“Left-wing forces had no involvement, and only after the abdication of the Emperor did they step by step by step begin to act,” Solonevich continued, with the rise first of Milyukov and Kerensky, then the soviets, and “finally Lenin.” Lenin himself, V.A. Abrosimov points out in his assembly of commentaries on February 1917, confirmed that in his “Letters from Afar.”
Another memoirist the Cossack writer cites is Grand Duke Aleksandr Mikhaylovich who wrote in 1933 that “the Imperialorder could have continued to exist if ‘the red danger’ had been exhausted by such people as Tolstoy and Kropotkin, by terrorists like Lenin and Plekhanov, by old psychopaths like Breshko-Breshkovskaya or Figner or by adventurers like Savinkov and Azef.”
The Romanov throne fell, the grand duke continued, “not because” of their work but because of that of “bearers of aristocratic names and court titles.” Had it not been for their efforts, “the Tsar would have been able to satisfy the needs of Russian workers and peasants; and the police would have been able to deal with the terrorists.”
But perhaps the most persuasive case for this point of view was offered by Pavel Milyukov, the leader of the Kadet Party and the first foreign minister of the Provisional government. In a letter to one of his associates, he wrote “You know, that a firm decision to use the war for carrying out a coup was taken by us soon after the beginning of this war.”
“Note too,” Milyukov wrote long ago, “we couldn’t wait any longer because we knew that at the end of April or the beginning of May [1917], our army would go over to the attack,” and that would damp down the anger and discontent of the population in a new “explosion of patriotism.”
For many in the West, this may seem like ancient history. But for a historically saturated country like Russia, it is anything but. And in case anyone doubts that, the website on which this assemblage of quotations was posted features a picture of Russian volunteers ready for fighting in Ukraine, something that should allow everyone to connect the dots.
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 РИА Новости |
Путин сказал, когда возникла мысль об "отторжении Крыма"
BBC Russian Президент России Владимир Путин заявил, что мыслей об "отторжении Крыма" у него не возникало вплоть до начала "захвата власти" на Украине, имея в виду протесты на Майдане, которые привели к смене власти в Киеве. "Мы не можем бросить эту территорию и людей, которые ... Путин об этническом разнообразии Крыма: мы хотим, чтоб была единая семьяГазета.Ru Путин: я занимался Крымом личноВести.Ru Путин рассказал, кто стоял за госпереворотом на Украине в прошлом годуКомсомольская правда Интерфакс -Российский Диалог -Свежие новости сегодня. Последние новости интернет издания "Fresh-News" Все похожие статьи: 149 » |
 Зеркало недели |
"Дождь": Путин заболел гриппом и улетел на Валдай
NEWSru.com Телеканал "Дождь" утверждает, что узнал причину отсутствия президента России на публике в последние дни: источники канала заявили, что Владимир Путин заболел гриппом. Из-за этого были отменены запланированные на эту неделю публичные мероприятия, в том числе саммит в ... Песков отказался комментировать информацию о местонахождении ПутинаTelegraf.by Руководитель пресс-службы Путина “внезапно” уехал во Францию (слухи)"Русский Еврей" Все похожие статьи: 44 » |
Even if the president reappears, his absence reveals the chilling degree to which he has consolidated power in the country.
Vladimir Putin's mysterious sabbatical from public life is now in its eighth day, and, still, nobody knows where he is. The Kremlin, whose spokesman Dmitry Peskov has the unfortunate task of insisting nothing is wrong, denies that the Russian president is incapacitated. On Saturday, Moscow announced that Putin will surface on Monday in St. Petersburg, where he's scheduled to meet Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambaev. The meeting would be Putin's first public appearance since March 5, when he met with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.
Putin's reemergence will, probably to the disappointment of journalists everywhere, put a slew of salacious rumors to rest. Even if the president resumes power as before, however, his extended absence raises an uncomfortable question. What would happen in Russia, hypothetically, if Putin dies?
Until this week, analysts had little reason to contemplate the scenario. Putin is just 62 years old and, as Russian propaganda regularly reminds the world, in good shape. But nobody expected Kim Jong Il, just 69, to die young—until he did in 2011. And there's even a precedent in recent Russian history. Three leaders of the Soviet Union, Leonid Brezhnev, Yuri Andropov, and Konstantin Chernenko, died in rapid succession from 1982 to 1985, a series of events that brought the reformist Mikhail Gorbachev to power.
Given Russia's size, nuclear arsenal, and regional influence, the passing of its leader would have significant consequences—no matter who it is. But a Putin death could be particularly destabilizing. Since assuming Russia's presidency in 2000 following the resignation of predecessor Boris Yeltsin, who had appointed the then-unknown ex-KGB officer Prime Minister just months before, Putin has spent the next 15 years centralizing state power. Many democratic institutions established in the 1990s—such as the popular election of regional officials—exist just in memory, and the only office for which Russians vote directly is Putin's itself. Putin controls Russia's television, where 90 percent of the population receives its news, and strictly censors the Internet. Political opposition in Russia is largely weak and fragmented—outspoken critics end up in prison or dead, a trend continued with the assassination of Boris Nemtsov in Moscow last month.
Contemporary Russia is often compared to China, a fellow authoritarian power with which Moscow enjoys a chummy relationship on the UN Security Council. Xi Jinping, Putin's Chinese counterpart, is thought by some to be China's most powerful ruler in decades. But Xi must still contend with powerful rivals from within the Communist Party. Putin appears to face less intra-party competition. Because of the personal nature of his rule, Vladimir Putin was named the world's most powerful individual by the political scientist Ian Bremmer in 2013.
If Putin dies, power would in theory pass to Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, who under the Russian constitution would then have three months to organize a presidential election. The boyish Medvedev, technically, held the job from 2008 to 2012, and may be in position to govern again—this time without Putin looking over his shoulder.
A smooth transition to power, rather than a protracted power struggle, would seem to be the best case scenario for Russia. Even then, a post-Putin Russia would probably not deviate far from the authoritarian's policies. Putin remains broadly popular in the country, despite an economy teetering under the weight of Western sanctions and collapsed oil prices. A relatively liberal, pro-Western government, such as Boris Yeltsin's, is unlikely to emerge.
"I am hesitant when people call for a Russia without Putin." Dmitry Oreshkin, a pro-opposition analyst who heads the Moscow-based Mercator political research group, told Vocativ. "What do they think is going to follow him? Some liberal politician? No, things would only get worse."
Maybe it's better to hope that Putin shows up on Monday in St. Petersburg.
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Book prize judges criticise decision to axe Putin exposéby Vanessa Thorpe Arts and media correspondent
US academic’s acclaimed study of Russian corruption not available in the UK due to libel fears
The judges of one of the country’s top book prizes have complained that a study of corruption in Russia under president Vladimir Putin has not been published in the UK because of fears of legal action.
As the shortlist for the annual Pushkin House prize for the best book about Russia was announced last week, judges lamented that the new work, Putin’s Kleptocracy, by US academic Karen Dawisha, was not eligible for the prize because it is not for sale here.
Continue reading... The Atlantic |
A Russia After Putin
The Atlantic The Kremlin, whose spokesman Dmitry Peskov has the unfortunate task of insisting nothing is wrong, denies that the Russian president is incapacitated. On Saturday, Moscow announced that Putin will surface on Monday in St. Petersburg, where he's ... Expert: Vladimir Putin's Disappearance Could Mean Russia's Undergoing a CoupTheBlaze.com Three Scenarios For A Succession In RussiaRadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty Russia is preparing for something at the Kremlin while Putin's absence baffles ...Business Insider Daily Beast-Wall Street Journal all 1,972 news articles » |
Dmitry Peskov’s patience finally ran out. “We’ve already said this a hundred times, this isn’t funny any more.” Vladimir Putin, Russia’s strongman leader, ever-present across the past 15 years, was missing. And Mr Peskov, his mustachioed mouthpiece, was struggling to contain the story.
 НТВ.ru |
Посольство и консульства США приостановили работу в Саудовской Аравии
НТВ.ru Посольство и консульские отделы США в Саудовской Аравии 15 и 16 марта не будут предоставлять своим гражданам консульские услуги из соображений безопасности. 137. Поделиться ссылкой на выделенное. Twitter · Facebook · Вконтакте · Google+. Прямая ссылка:. США закрыли посольство и консульства в Саудовской АравииПолит.ру США приостановили оказание консульских услуг в Саудовской АравииИнтерфакс Посольство США в Саудовской Аравии временно закрыто по соображениям безопасностиКоммерсантъ Агентство Бизнес Новостей -euronews Все похожие статьи: 36 » |
 Gazeta.ua |
Порошенко внес в Верховную Раду законопроект об определении отдельных районов Донбасса
NEWSru.com Президент Украины Петр Порошенко внес в Верховную Раду законопроект об определении отдельных районов Донбасса с особым порядком местного самоуправления. Принятие этого документа является одним из условий Минских соглашений. Проект закона, опубликованный на ... Порошенко внес в Верховную Раду закон о зоне особого статуса в ДонбассеКомсомольская правда П.Порошенко внес в ВР проект постановления о районах Донбасса с особым статусомПрессОРГ24 - Новости Украины В Раду внесено постановление о зоне действия закона о статусе ДонбассаАргументы и факты УНИАН -Интерфакс -ИА REGNUM Все похожие статьи: 220 » |
 Вести.Ru |
Более 100 граждан ФРГ воюют на стороне ополченцев на востоке Украины
Вести.Ru Как отмечает издание, в рядах ополченцев в основном переселенцы из бывшего СССР, но есть и бывшие солдаты бундесвера. Согласно законодательству Германии, немецким добровольцам, участвующим в боевых действиях на востоке Украины, не стоит опасаться уголовного ... Немецкая пресса рассказала о более 100 воюющих за ополченцев граждан ФРГРБК СМИ насчитали на Украине сотню ополченцев из ГерманииГазета.Ru СМИ насчитали в рядах ополченцев более сотни немцевПолит.ру Главная | Deutsche Welle -РЫБИНСКonLine -Корреспондент.net Все похожие статьи: 17 » |
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Opponents of Vladimir Putin last night feared a new wave of political assassinations after a series of chilling death threats were issued to friends of murdered politician Boris Nemtsov.
Officials in charge of the Government’s wine cellar, provided bottles of 2004 Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos, despite the batch having been found wanting according to a hospitality stock report.
IBNLive |
Nun, 70, gang raped in India, officials say
CNN (CNN) A 70-year-old Catholic nun was gang raped by a group of robbers in the Indian state of West Bengal, officials said Saturday. Officials from a local convent school said the attackers broke in after midnight and three or four of them raped the woman after ... Britain bets big on Bengal as business gatewayTimes of India India gang rape: Nun, in her 70s, attacked at missionary schoolCBC.ca Elderly Nun Gangraped in BengalThe New Indian Express New York Times all 284 news articles » |
Poroshenko, Biden Call On Separatists to Abide by Pactby webdesk@voanews.com (VOA News)
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko have called for Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine to fully implement Minsk peace agreements. In a telephone conversation Saturday, Biden and Poroshenko discussed the European Union-mediated agreements, reached in the Belarussian capital in February and in September of last year. The deals between the Ukrainian government and the rebels called for a cease-fire and verified withdrawal of heavy weapons,...
CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela on Saturday staged a military exercise to counter an alleged U.S. threat, deploying soldiers and partisans across the country to march, man shoulder-fired missiles and defend an oil refinery from a simulated attack.
Soil samples taken after an Islamic State car bombing attempt in January prove the use of chlorine gas, Kurdish authorities say.
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Soldiers rolled out shoulder-fired missiles, fighter planes and armored trucks Saturday for the first of 10 days of military exercises that the president of socialist-governed Venezuela says are needed to protect against a looming threat from the U.S.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The White House has issued a new warning to the Senate to stay out of negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program....
SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (AP) -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Saturday delivered a highly cautious assessment ahead of the next round of nuclear talks with Iran, citing "important gaps" in the way of a deal before an end of March deadline....
More radical forces might come to power in Russia
Putin might lose power in Russia
A sudden and
mysterious disappearance of Vladimir Puti
n gave rise to many rumors and versions. Former presidential adviser, Andrey Illarionov reports that in a few days it will be announced about the resignation of Vladimir Putin and the power will be taken by a group of officers and security forces
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