Moose & Squirrel v Boris & Natasha: what's the deal with the rooskies and trumpland?

[ixcuincle]

So much defense of Assange

 

Never forget that Assange basically led to the election of Trump.

 

Edited December 13, 2021 by ixcuincle

[Larry]

Hey I think that the Constitution absolutely protects the ability of the press to publish classified information.  

 

If there's a good enough reason.

 

For example, I think it's perfectly legit for the press to publish documents of the Trump administration conspiring to overturn an election and appoint a dictator.  If the Trumpies classified the documents, then publish the fact that they abused that mechanism, too.  

 

But what Assagne did doesn't qualify for that protection, IMO.  

 

What he initially did, with Snowden, was to publish a whole ****load of information that he knew was classified, and which he knew was trivial, simply to demonstrate that he could.  To invent a scenario, if the Ambassador to Sweden called the Swedish President a poopy head in a classified document, there is no legitimate reason to violate the classification and publish it.  

[TheGreatBuzz]

4 hours ago, Larry said:

If there's a good enough reason.

So who makes this decision?

[Larry]

5 minutes ago, TheGreatBuzz said:

So who makes this decision?

 

Me, of course.  I'm talking about my opinion.  

 

If you want to prosecute somebody, then there's lots of people who get to decide.  including 12 randomly-selected people.  

 

[China]

Kremlin Crony Threatens to Unleash Axe Killers on U.S. Congressman

 

Russian statesman Aleksei Zhuravlyov, who publicly advocated for the kidnapping and imprisonment of Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) this week, is not happy with the congressman’s five-word response to his threats: “**** around and find out.”

 

In fact, the tweet from Gallego, a former Marine and Iraq war veteran, seems to have stuck such a nerve with Zhuravlyov that he returned to 60 Minutes on Friday and erupted in a fiery, obscenity-laden bluster—with a death threat to boot. Trembling with anger, the State Duma member was banging on his stand and spewing profanities, which were bleeped out by the program.

 

“This guy, even though we can’t get him right now, we can issue our verdict in a Russian court… So, you know what, dear friend? We can sentence you here and we have plenty of people like [Ramón] Mercader—former Hero of the Soviet Union—who will carry out our verdict. Mercader is the one who ice-axed Trotsky to death, because the USSR sentenced him to die. You, [obscenity], look at that, American pindos, you’ll be sentenced here and there is nothing you can do. You’ll be running all over [obscenity] America in a bulletproof vest, because there’ll be people who will force you to respect [Russia].”

 

The outburst came after Gallego’s commentary about deterring Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine made waves on Russian state television. Gallego had suggested that only human casualties on the Russian side, in case of an escalation with Ukraine, might snap Putin back into reality. In response, appearing on Wednesday’s 60 Minutes—the most popular news talk show on Russia’s state-owned television—Zhuravlyov suggested that the U.S. congressman should be kidnapped and transported to Russia, as first reported by The Daily Beast.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

Thousands of Russian troops withdrawing from Ukraine border: report

 

Thousands of Russian troops are reportedly withdrawing from the Ukrainian border after conducting drills for roughly a month.

 

Reuters reported on Saturday that more than 10,000 Russian troops were leaving a number of regions near Ukraine — including Crimea, Rostov and Kuban — and returning to permanent bases.

 

The news service pointed to reporting from the Interfax news agency, which cited the Russian military.

 

“A stage of combat coordination of divisions, combat crews, squads at motorized units... has been completed. More than 10,000 military servicemen... will march to their permanent deployment from the territory of the combined arms' area of drills,” the Russian army is quoted as saying in the Interfax report, according to Reuters.

 

Russia had amassed tens of thousands of troops in regions north, east and south of Ukraine, Reuters noted, which alarmed Kyiv and Western nations that Moscow may be planning an attack.

 

U.S. intelligence earlier this year revealed that Russia was planning a military offensive against Ukraine as early as next year that would involve the deployment of 175,000 troops near the border.

 

The intelligence document, which was obtained by The Washington Post, included satellite photos of the military buildup.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[TradeTheBeal!]

Cool story, bro.

 

 

[Llevron]

Oh his new Russian bro he met at a casino put together a fake crossfit competition just to introduce him to this cool chick he ended up marrying for a few months and then divorcing. Nothing odd there. 

[China]

Putin threatens military action if NATO rejects Russian ultimatum

 

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Sunday that if NATO does not provide binding guarantees to curtail military deployments in Eastern Europe and to bar Ukraine from membership in the alliance, he will be forced to consider a variety of options, including a military response.

 

Putin's demands are contained in a pair of draft treaties Russia submitted to NATO earlier this month.

 

POLITICO reported that Putin, whose remarks aired on Russian state TV Sunday, expressed concerns about the possibility of missiles being deployed in Ukraine if the former Soviet satellite joins NATO.

 

"We have nowhere to retreat," Putin said. "They have pushed us to a line that we can't cross. They have taken it to the point where we simply must tell them: 'Stop!'" When asked about the exact nature of the response he was proposing, Putin said it would "depend on what proposals our military experts submit to me."

 

NATO is unlikely to agree to Putin's terms. "NATO member countries decide who is a member of NATO, not Russia," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters. President Biden has threatened increased sanctions if Russia invades Ukraine.

 

The Russian military announced Saturday that more than 10,000 Russian troops had returned to their bases after a month of drilling on the Ukrainian border, Reuters reports. Despite this reduction, Russia still has tens of thousands of troops stationed on the Ukrainian border, and intelligence analysts continue to warn that an invasion could be imminent.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

Another Russian defenestration:

 

 

[China]

Russia extends prison term for researcher of Stalin purges

 

A Russian court on Monday extended the prison term handed to an activist who investigated Stalin-era repression to 15 years on what he says are trumped-up charges.

 

Yuri Dmitriyev, 65, rose to prominence after uncovering mass graves of victims of Stalinist repressions. He was arrested on charges of sexually abusing his adopted daughter, which rights activists have dismissed as fabricated and politically motivated.

 

Dmitriyev was accused of making child pornography, indecent acts and illegal possession of a part of a weapon. He was acquitted in 2018, only to have the case reopened a few months later.

 

In July 2020, he was found guilty of sexual assault against his daughter and sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison, which several months later was extended to 13 years. He has already spent five years in prison.

 

On Monday, the sentence was extended yet again, to 15 years, by the Petrozavodsk city court in the Russian region of Karelia, on the border with Finland. Dmitriyev’s defense lawyers plan to appeal the ruling.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[Barry.Randolphe]

Is Russia really going to take on all of NATO? If they did, it would end up being WW3 since they'd need China and Iran to help

 

 

[Larry]

53 minutes ago, Barry.Randolphe said:

Is Russia really going to take on all of NATO? If they did, it would end up being WW3 since they'd need China and Iran to help

 

 

 

Almost certainly not.  Not directly.  

 

They get much better return on investment by promoting the political loonies.  

 

Look how many Americans they've killed, by spreading pro-Covid propaganda.  

 

[88Comrade2000]

13 hours ago, Barry.Randolphe said:

Is Russia really going to take on all of NATO? If they did, it would end up being WW3 since they'd need China and Iran to help

 

 

You really think we would fight Russia over Ukraine? I don’t think Joe has it in him to go to war over that. He would just sanction Russia. I don’t ser Europe fighting either since they use his natural gas.

 

Puty’s long term goal is to reconstitute the old Soviet Union and then probably expand it.

[CousinsCowgirl84]

2 hours ago, Rdskns2000 said:

You really think we would fight Russia over Ukraine? I don’t think Joe has it in him to go to war over that. He would just sanction Russia. I don’t ser Europe fighting either since they use his natural gas.

 

Puty’s long term goal is to reconstitute the old Soviet Union and then probably expand it.

it isn’t a matter of joe having it in him. How many American lives do you think Ukraine is worth? I like the idea of Isolating Russia economically. This isn’t the 1920s where many countries economy was based on its ability to project power to collect resources from colonies, the world is economically connected now and Russia relies on Europe (and vice versa) for a large part of its economy. That’s what Ukrain is partially about.

 

Several European counties have made it clear they will go along with US sanctions if Russia attacks Ukrain. I think it is a strong deterrent.

Edited December 28, 2021 by CousinsCowgirl84

[China]

Russian court shuts down human rights group Memorial International

 

Russia's Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the closure of Memorial International, one of the country's most respected human rights organizations, wiping out three decades of work to expose the abuses and atrocities of the Stalinist era.

 

The court ruled that Memorial International had fallen afoul of Russia's "foreign agent" law. But the group said the real reason for the shutdown was that authorities did not approve of its work.

The ruling is the latest blow to Russia's hollowed-out civil society organizations, which have gradually fallen victim to Putin's authoritarian regime.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[Barry.Randolphe]

8 hours ago, Rdskns2000 said:

You really think we would fight Russia over Ukraine? I don’t think Joe has it in him to go to war over that. He would just sanction Russia. I don’t ser Europe fighting either since they use his natural gas.

 

Puty’s long term goal is to reconstitute the old Soviet Union and then probably expand it.

 

Yes, but it wouldn't be the USA leading the way...it would be the EU asking for the US' help to push them back. Once they take Ukraine, what stops them from taking Finland/Sweden? How about Georgia/Armenia/Azerbaijan? 

[LadySkinsFan]

Sanctions and more sanctions by all of the NATO countries. We'll help them get gas somewhere else that's friendlier. **** Russia and their threats.

Edited December 29, 2021 by LadySkinsFan

[EmirOfShmo]

 

 

 

[China]

Moscow warns Finland and Sweden against joining Nato amid rising tensions

 

Moscow has warned Finland and Sweden against joining Nato amid rising tensions between Russia and the western military alliance. Maria Zakharova, the Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman, accused the alliance of trying to pull the two countries into its orbit, the Times reports.

 

“It is quite obvious that the ascension of Finland and Sweden to Nato would have serious military and political consequences that would require an adequate response from Russia,” she said, not specifying what response Russia might take.

 

Finland and Sweden both pursued a policy of neutrality throughout the Cold War and neither country has ever formally applied to join Nato.However, Sweden, which increased its defence budget after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, introduced legislation last year that would allow it to join Nato in the future if it decided it was in its interests. Swedish troops have held joint military exercises with Nato.

 

Finland has also said that it could apply for Nato membership in the future.

 

Ann Linde, Sweden’s foreign minister, said Russia’s demands would reduce the opportunities for countries to make independent decisions.

 

“We must have a rules-based world order, where we have international law and each country has the right to make its own security policy choice,” she said.

 

Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg visited the two countries in October and praised their willingness to work with the alliance amid Russia’s “aggressive posturing”.

[China]

Russian insider trading suspect could be key to unlocking 2016 election hack case

 

Vladislav Klyushin was extradited to the U.S. on insider trading charges in December, but the IT executive and Russian-intelligence insider could end up helping the U.S. government crack open the case of Russian hacking into the 2016 presidential election, according to a Monday report in Bloomberg News.

 

The report cites unnamed sources close to the Russian government calling him “the highest level Kremlin insider handed to U.S. law enforcement in recent memory,” who just 18 months ago received a medal of honor from Russian president Vladimir Putin.

 

Furthermore, the sources say that Russian intelligence has concluded that Klyushin has access to documents related to Russia’s campaign to hack into servers of the Democratic Party in 2016, and the subsequent effort to leak damaging information to the press in an effort to bolster Donald Trump’s chances at winning the presidency that year. The documents would establish that the hack was led by Russian military intelligence, giving the U.S. its best documentary evidence yet that the Russian government was directly involved in the hack.

 

“You may be seeing the signs that they are continuing to pursue this case, with real big implications for exposing in even greater detail what the Russians did to influence the outcome of our election,” Michael McFaul, former U.S. ambassador to Russia under President Barack Obama, told Bloomberg.

 

He added that Klyushin’s extradition is a “serious concern” for the Russian government that “underscores the risk that anybody, billionaires or others close to the Russian state, face when they break American laws if they travel abroad.”

 

Klyushin was extradited to the U.S. from Switzerland on Dec. 18 for wire fraud, securities fraud and obtaining unauthorized access to computers, along with five other Russian nationals, including Ivan Ermakov, who was also charged in 2018 by U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into the 2016 hack.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[Larry]

Right Wing Talking Point, in the next day or so:  

 

"The Biden Department of Justice is colluding with the Russians to try to smear their political opponents."

 

[CousinsCowgirl84]

https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/09/europe/nato-russia-meeting-intl-cmd/index.html
 

Interesting that NATO, a organization that was derided by many as wasteful and full of countries not paying their fair share, is now instrumental in the deterrence of Russian aggression.

 

Pretty sick burn:

 

Quote

Putin is an aging autocrat, obsessed with the legacy of his rule, and that of the failure of the Soviet Union," says Eronen. "Russia has been ravaged by Covid-19, and the future of its hydrocarbon export economy looks bleak."

This economic weakness is where the West, if it remains united, may possibly be able to force Putin's hand.

 

 

"His country has an economy roughly the same size as New York. If the West properly coordinated economic sanctions against him and against Russian business without fear, he would be backed into a corner very quickly," says Bill Browder, a prominent American-born financier whose push for the Magnitsky Act sanctionshas infuriated the Kremlin.

 

 

 

Edited January 9, 2022 by CousinsCowgirl84

[Ball Security]

1 hour ago, CousinsCowgirl84 said:

https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/09/europe/nato-russia-meeting-intl-cmd/index.html
 

Interesting that NATO, a organization that was derided by many as wasteful and full of countries not paying their fair share, is now instrumental in the deterrence of Russian aggression.

 

Pretty sick burn:

 

 

 

Bill Browder’s  the man.  I recommend reading his book Red Notice.

Edited January 9, 2022 by Ball Security

[Cooked Crack]