Putinova Rusija

Citat:
The Kremlin is braced for an expose on Vladimir Putin's alleged secret fortune, a senior Russian official has revealed.

Spokesman Dmitry Peskov, one of the president's closest aides, has dismissed the allegations as false and politically motivated before they have even been published.

He said a number of foreign secret services were behind the claims, which suggest that Mr Putin has amassed a secret personal fortune of more than £28billion ($40billion).

Klikni za razširitev

Citat:
It's coming tomorrow and its going to rock the world. 8 pm Sarajevo time. We're not paranoid- we're just experienced. @OCCRP @Billbrowder

A big project will be released tomorrow - Pay attention in Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Serbia and many other places. 8 pm Sarajevo time.

.@OCCRP is launching a major project Sunday night at 8 pm Sarajevo time. We are proud to be working with @ICIJorg. http://occrp.org

Working to the very end for tonites publication: 8 pm CET, less than 6 hours away. These are good stories. I hope you enjoy.

They are stories that HAD to be told. Now, for the first time, they can be. Tonite at 8 PM CET time. Find out at http://occrp.org

Klikni za razširitev

Citat:
Swiss Leaks (or SwissLeaks) is the name of a journalistic investigation of a giant tax evasion scheme allegedly operated with the knowledge and encouragement of the British multinational bank HSBC via its Swiss subsidiary, HSBC Private Bank (Suisse).[1]

In February 2015, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) website released information about bank accounts in Switzerland under the title Swiss Leaks: Murky Cash Sheltered by Bank Secrecy.[2] The investigation was conducted by over 130 journalists in Paris, Washington, Geneva, and 46 other countries.[1]

Investigators allege that 180.6 billion euros passed through accounts held with HSBC in Geneva by over 100,000 clients and 20,000 offshore companies between November 2006 and March 2007. The data for this period comes from files stolen from HSBC Private Bank by a former staffer, software engineer Hervé Falciani,[1] and handed to French authorities in late 2008.[3] The disclosed information has been called "the biggest leak in Swiss banking history".[4]

Klikni za razširitev

Citat:
Luxembourg Leaks (sometimes shortened to Lux Leaks or LuxLeaks) is the name of a financial scandal revealed in November 2014 by a journalistic investigation conducted by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. It is based on confidential information about Luxembourg’s tax rulings set up by PricewaterhouseCoopers from 2002 to 2010 to the benefits of its clients. This investigation resulted in making available to the public tax rulings for over three hundred multinational companies in Luxembourg.

Klikni za razširitev

Citat:
Offshore leaks is the name of a report disclosing details of 130,000 offshore accounts in April 2013. Some observers have called it the biggest hit against international tax fraud of all times, although it has been pointed out that normal businesses may use the offshore legislation to ease formalities in international trade.[1][2

Klikni za razširitev

Citat:
The database includes entities incorporated in 10 offshore jurisdictions: British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cook Islands, Singapore, Hong Kong, Samoa, Seychelles, Mauritius, Labuan and Malaysia. The information comes from two offshore service firms: Singapore-based Portcullis TrustNet and BVI-based Commonwealth Trust Limited (CTL).

Klikni za razširitev

Citat:
So while everyone was busy discussing the Panama Papers, it seems the Dear Leader President Putin has decided to consolidate several law enforcement organizations into one large “national guard.”
...
Seriously though, the Kremlin has been saying some rather ominous things about this new force. Rather than sticking with a somewhat credible and more noble story about the need to protect against terrorism (very necessary these days), they’ve come right out and said that it would be involved in the suppression of unauthorized mass gatherings.

Yes, that’s right folks. Putin has superior approval ratings and the dwindling opposition consists of a handful of traitors and limp-wristed hipsters of the creative class, but at any moment that unpopular, marginalized group could suddenly rise up, turn into Nazis, and successfully overthrow the Russian government within a few weeks. Therefore, Putin needs this private army.
...
This is all good fun, but in reality it shows that to some degree or another, the Kremlin is scared. There are things they, and in particular the FSO or Federal Guard Service, know and we don’t. If Peskov’s words were sincere and the national guard is about suppressing mass protests, it means they’re scared. If it is just another example of a trial balloon to intimidate the opposition, it still shows fear. Some dogs bark because they’re mean, but often they bark because they’re scared. Sooner or later, Russians are going to start calling the system’s bluff.

After everything that has happened since 2012, one would think that the Russian opposition would melt away. Almost totally frozen out of the media, extremely unpopular outside of Moscow with few exceptions, and with violent, in some cases fatal attacks against opposition figures, one would expect them to throw in the towel. But last February I saw that the cowardly intimidation campaign won’t work.

Putin, his circle, and the people who fervently support and maintain his rule are products of the 1990’s. They are largely rats, cowards who will go through any indignity to snatch some crumbs at the expense of their people. But what they failed to realize, for all their conceited delusions about knowing their own history, is that Russia may have its cowards but it also has people of unbelievable courage. This is the land that produced Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya and Viktor Leonov. People like them were a small minority, but their courage and endurance more than made good any deficiency.

The deluded pseudo-historians in the Kremlin camp love to invoke the supposedly legendary ability of Russians to endure any hardship for the sake of patriotism, but they are mistaken. They endure hardship, not humiliation, only insofar as the cause seems worthy. What humiliation or hardship could the Kremlin possibly inflict on dissenters at this point? They have slandered, harassed, tortured, and even killed- what more can they possibly do that Russians haven’t suffered before, often to a greater degree?

Credible information about Putin’s personal attitudes suggest that he sees Nikolai II and Gorbachev as weak, and that he believes he must be stronger than them. He also believes that the state is inherently legitimate regardless of its actions or the consent of the people.
...
In that case, the price for Russia’s freedom will be high, but history tells us that there are Russians who will gladly pay it. While I fear and loathe the suffering that will inevitably follow this regime’s fall, there’s one small consolation about the violent scenario- Putin will never get to enjoy that $2 billion his friend squirreled away.

Klikni za razširitev

Citat:
After the first full day of Panama Papers coverage we can finally get an idea of the reactions from around the world. Much of the Russian state-run media has preferred the “no news is good news” approach, and avoided reporting on the leak. A few have preferred to do some damage control, alternatively pointing out that the leaked documents show no direct link to Putin (nobody ever said they did) and claiming that it was a Western “information attack.” Of course that begs the question as to why there is no direct link to Putin himself if this is nothing but a contrived, nonsensical propaganda attack designed to smear the Dear Leader.
...
By far, the greatest reaction to the leak has come from none other than RT, which promptly lost its shit and published what has got to be one of the most hilarious “news” stories I’ve ever seen. I write “news” because it’s important to note that the following story appears in the news section of the site and not the Op-Edge editorial section, where one normally finds wacky conspiracy theories and fawning, even disturbing praise of the Dear Leader Vladimir Putin.

To fully appreciate this masterpiece we must start with the headline, which explains what RT thinks is the real story here:

‘Goebbels had less-biased articles’: Public slams MSM for Putin focus after Panama papers leak

...

They’ve collected a handful of negative tweets and Facebook comments that were left in response to certain outlets such as the BBC, and used these as evidence that the “public” is slamming the MSM over their alleged biased coverage of the leak.

...

Just imagine what it would look like if I made a reaction story based on say, the comment section of Yahoo! News:

‘The Musslum Kenyian Marxist usurper Obummer is taxing white people into slavery’: Public slams MSM over handling of bake sale story

...

This kind of whining is ridiculous because Putin’s fan club just loves to attribute everything good to Putin. He saved Russia! He improved living standards! He beat back ISIS! But the second someone brings up anything negative and dares question if there’s some connection to Putin and his 16-year rule over the country, the whole line flips 180 degrees. “Why must you blame Putin for everything? The weather was bad today- it must have been Putin’s fault!” It’s getting old, Putin fanboys. Real old.

Part of the nitpicking in the RT article centers on the fact that some of the stories about the leak featured Putin in their cover image, even when the story wasn’t specifically about him. Putin is, however, one of the most recognizable and arguably most powerful world leader implicated by the leak. Richard Nixon, by the way, didn’t break into the Watergate hotel. But what image do you think would we see heading an article about the Watergate break-in? The fact that RT went full-on foam-at-the-mouth screeching about this minor point just shows how super-sensitive they are about any perceived slight against their Dear Leader, and it also dispels any doubt that they are a legitimate news organization rather than a propaganda organ.

...

In the end of that hilarious article we see how RT, along with some of the Russian media, is trying to smear the ICIJ and CPI (Center for Public Integrity) as being part of a government conspiracy. They have also linked the organization to George Soros, a common bugbear for the Russian government. First of all, linking George Soros and the Bush administration’s drive for war is just plain stupid, seeing as how Soros was a well-known opponent of the GOP.

...

What about Iraq? Oh yes, let’s see how the ICIJ, an organization created by the CPI, consists of the “same people” who “saw” WMDs in Iraq. The CPI compiled a list of 935 false statements made by US leaders and their allies on the topic of Iraq. You can read it about it to your heart’s content here. They also launched an investigation into war profiteering by allies of the Bush administration thanks to contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan. When has RT managed to produce a real investigation of such malfeasance in its entire history? The truth is we don’t need RT as an “alternative” to the “MSM,” because we have organizations like the CPI, which is dedicated to real journalism and questioning leaders as opposed to worshiping and zealously defending a president.

Look, RT people. I know some of you read this blog. Some of you have contacted me in the past. I have a simple request. Please, either anonymously in the comments or via email- justify this. Explain this. Don’t claim you’re just like the “Western” or “mainstream media” because first of all, that’s demonstrably false and beyond debate at this point, and secondly you can’t claim to be a truer, more objective alternative to the “mainstream media” and then claim to be exactly the same when it suits you.

Please write in and try to justify this because as I write, just over 20 million Russian citizens live under the poverty line, up 2 million in 2015. Russia’s minimum wage after a recent hike is $110 a month, which is still below the subsistence rate. Thousands of Russians work without receiving salaries for weeks and in some cases months. Meanwhile your organization has received several hundred million dollars over the years with virtually no accountability or oversight, much of it going to foreigners with no journalistic abilities or expertise whatsoever.

Please, justify that. Explain it to me as though you’re explaining it to one of those Russians getting by on about $140 a month. Imagine you’re justifying it to a group of workers who have endured several months of salary arrears. Hell, break it down as though you were telling a group of orphans in a group home about the importance of “information war.”

Whatever you do, please try to give a coherent explanation as to why anyone should take your network for a serious news organization and not what it apparently is, a personal PR firm for Putin and a propaganda outlet for the Russian government. How many times have you made fun of that “propaganda bullhorn” label, and how many times have you then gone and produced material that shows you’re exactly that? Wouldn’t it be better if you just flat out admitted it openly?

Klikni za razširitev

Citat:
So here’s how I lost an easy 12,000 rubles. I know what some of you might be wondering- How much is that, exactly? Well to be sure it’s around $185 at the moment and I always need rubles to avoid getting screwed by bad exchange rates if I have to use my dollar-account card. More importantly, it would entail almost no work.

In case I hadn’t mentioned it before, I have done some voice over and dubbing work here in Russia. I did a couple bit parts in two mini-series episodes for First Channel back in 2007, for which I was handsomely paid, and I’ve done some voice over for investment videos as well as a demo reel for the entertainment channel STS.

...

Two days ago I was thrilled when an acquaintance of mine told me someone had contact him looking for an American who could do proofreading, translation, and most importantly, dubbing work.

...

In case it’s not painfully obvious at this point, what we have here is another hate documentary demonizing Europeans as gender-bending perverts who corrupt little children.

...

Moreover, one can always find all kinds of wacky ideas in the gender studies departments of universities which have absolutely no significant impact or even awareness outside of academia.

What matters is daily life in Europe and having lived half a year in Prague and having traveled through several European countries including Germany, Austria, Poland, Spain, and the UK, I cannot recall seeing a single gay pride parade, advertisement for a gay pride parade, or anything like the kind of nonsense the Russian media can’t seem to shut the [cenzura] up about. And while Poland is known to be very conservative, keep in mind that Spain is considered one of the world’s most gay friendly countries, and I don’t remember seeing anything that would indicate this while I was there. While I wasn’t specifically looking, I don’t remember noting any openly gay couples in Spain, let alone gay pride parades, festivals, and all the things the Russian media loves using to terrify babushkas and ignorant vatniks, some of whom live in near third-world conditions. Sure, their building may be crumbling, drunks pass out in the corridor, police hit people up for bribes, the roads are holed and the sidewalks obliterated, and the price of everyday goods continues to rise. “But at least Russian schools don’t teach their children to choose their own gender like those degenerate Europeans and Americans! They’ll pay for their lack of respect for the laws of nature! One day they’ll see! They’ll all see!” That’s the refrain the media sings.

Of course all that perversion that never stopped people like Dmitry Kiselyev, a notorious purveyor of such propaganda, from vacation in “Gayropa,” as they call it. No, it was an EU travel ban that put a stop to that. And of course Kiselyev is only one of countless Kremlin-supporting Russian businessmen, politicians, and celebrities who constantly denigrate and denounce perverted Europe while investing money there, sending their own children to study there, and spending vacations there, insofar as they are still allowed to, of course. Putin apparently isn’t concerned that his daughter living in the Netherlands might become a lesbian or a man. Foreign minister Lavrov isn’t concerned that his daughter will be similarly influenced living in the very cosmopolitan, gay friendly New York. Why aren’t Russia’s traditional values good enough for their children?

...

So there went 12,000 rubles. This now makes a total of 39,000 rubles I have lost due to maintaining my integrity, the remaining 27,000 was the price of lessons with a spoiled, rich little sack of shit who loves studying abroad in the US and UK but wanted to play patriot with me while we were sitting in her incredibly luxurious apartment. I returned the pre-payment minus the cost of the lesson, having decided that such a patriot would feel far more comfortable in a Russian university. These people live at the expense of the suffering Russian people, whom they treat with utter contempt. They don’t get to be patriots.

Klikni za razširitev

Citat:
Here is where we get to the crux of “realism” when it comes to Putin’s Russia. The fact is that it isn’t realistic at all; it is either out of touch with reality or in the worst cases, totally delusional. It is for this reason that I wish to present to the “realists” a bit of actual realism, so as to shake you out of these fantasies. Naturally this will be lost on the die-hard Kremlin supporters, particularly those with careers courtesy of the Russian state media or other lucrative business in Russia. This is for those naive types who are really struggling to meet Moscow half way and silently wonder what can we do to make Putin respect the Western position. It’s for those who think this is all just some big misunderstanding and if we could only find common ground Putin would be more than happy to cooperate toward a more prosperous, peaceful world, one in which Western businessmen can keep on making massive profits in Russia. If you’re one of those folks (e.g. John Kerry), brace yourself- this will not be gentle.

Give up. Putin and his elite don’t care about your genuine remorse for how the West has treated Russia, whether the slights are imaginary or real notwithstanding. Whatever concessions you give the Kremlin will be accepted with a smile, but nothing of significance will be given in return. As they smile and shake your hand, their media will be regaling the populace with tales of how Putin and his pals have once again outfoxed the degenerate, ever-weakening West, but also how everyone must still remain vigilant because that same collapsing hegemonic power is still a grave threat to Russia.

...

The specific nature of that rhetoric is such that any attempt to deescalate the conflict and promote peace and understanding is seen as weakness and submission. This is especially true as the government has mobilized vatnost, a certain mentality that obsesses over dominance and humiliation. To get an idea of why this is so dangerous, imagine that tomorrow the Kremlin and Washington totally make up and be friends on whatever terms. Obama goes on TV and informs America that Russia and the USA are definitely friends now, and that “New Cold War” is definitely off for good. Apart from some politicians looking to score tough-guy points, the vast majority of Americans won’t care. When I say they won’t care, I mean at all.

...

However, as I have stated above, in the same scenario Putin could never make the same announcement, no matter how many concessions America makes. He can never say: “Well it looks like our Western partners listened to their realists and not only recognized our claim to Crimea, but they also agreed to create a buffer zone of neutral, non-aligned states so as to ensure we cannot possibly be threatened by NATO. Therefore, let us stop this animosity toward America and the West and embrace each other in a spirit of brotherhood!” No, Putin could not say this because to the base he now relies on, this still sounds like capitulation. Thanks to the narrative the Kremlin has been disseminating through its media, the only acceptable ending entails America in ruins like the USSR in 1991, and because that’s not going to happen, Putin has to keep up the self-destructive dick measuring contest* they call the “New Cold War.”

To admit that the West is not a threat to Russia is to undermine the legitimacy of his rule and the measures that have been implemented to cement it. Without the NATO bogeyman, there is nothing with which to distract Russian citizens from the real conflict that has been going on this whole time- between the Russian ruling class and the majority.

Klikni za razširitev

Citat:
Recent developments in Moscow cumulatively add up to a Kremlinologist’s feast. Seismic shifts are shaking the Russian power pyramid. Yet there’s been precious little public commentary by western experts. Let’s do a brief recap.

Putin announces draw-down from Syria. Soon after, he also announces that he’s creating a “national guard.” As this article in the Daily Beast itemizes, he moves to decommission 50,000 plus personnel in pre-existing quasi-gendarmeries to create an overarching domestic corps loyal to him–what the article dubs a “Praetorian Guard,” effectively charged with the task of keeping him in power. And one other thing: He fires the ultra-powerful Kremlin insider Sergai Ivanov, formerly in charge of the dissolved corps.

Something big is afoot.

...

You might ask, what does a National Guard have to do with Chechnya and what does “politically problematic” mean and what’s wrong with Kadyrov anyway?
...
To unwrap the enigma you have to go back to the public murder of the opposition leader Boris Nemtsov near the Kremlin on February 27 of last year. And the subsequent disappearing act by Vladimir Putin which touched off a storm of speculation as to his whereabouts. Here’s a far more revealing article, this one in Newsweek, by a former State Department employee that almost nails the full truth but for some crucial omissions.

The article outlines the following timeline: Kadyrov had Nemtsov killed by Chechen hitmen. Russia’s siloviki, its strongmen in charge of state institutions, didn’t like it. They had waged a secret struggle against Chechnya’s boss because he didn’t share the spoils of his regional power with them. Ivanov led the siloviki. His group quickly leaked the facts about Nemtsov’s Chechen murderers as a move against Kadyrov. The siloviki recognized that Nemtsov’s murder was a bloody public act by Kadyrov to demonstrate greater loyalty to Putin than the siloviki. And now, Putin’s invention of an entirely new armed corps by merging other ministry troops deprives the siloviki of their armies and, effectively, their power. Ivanov included. With me so far? If not, blame the Kremlin because that’s how byzantine Russia has become.

Klikni za razširitev

Citat:
#Russia's state-sponsored Vesti claims that in 2006 @navalny replied to @Billbrowder's message from 2008 #TimeTravel

Klikni za razširitev

Citat:
Russia24: "1.5 bln of RU cash in #Panama was part of secret government plan to buy a strategic RU cable operator under the Americans' nose"

Russia24: "The President asked RU businesses to accumulate cash offshore in order to buy this asset secretly & then to sell it to Rostelecom

Reading today's "news" from Russia feels like binge-watching a new, very bad season of "House of Cards"

Klikni za razširitev

Citat:
NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden could have been acting under the influence of the Russian government, the heads of Germany's foreign and domestic intelligence agencies said on Friday.

“It's very remarkable that he exclusively published files about the work of the NSA with the BND [Germany's foreign intelligence service] or the British secret service GCHQ,” BND head Gerhard Schindler told Focus magazine.

“Leaking the secret service files is an attempt to drive a wedge between western Europe and the USA – the biggest since the Second World War,” Hans-Georg Maaßen, head of Germany's domestic intelligence agency (Verfassungsschutz), told Focus in the double interview.

...

“It's remarkable that there were no publications about countries like China or Russia, which are main targets for intelligence work by the NSA,” said Maaßen.

There is “evidence that the Kremlin uses every opportunity to discredit Germany. Disinformation, infiltration, seeking influence, propaganda and degradation,” the domestic spy chief went on.

Russian spying, including attempts to recruit MPs' aides or political foundations, had penetrated as far as the Bundestag (German parliament), he went on.

A hacking attack whose source is not yet publicly known also took down the Bundestag computer network last year, forcing the government to spend millions rebuilding the system.

Maaßen further claimed to Focus that he now has more people working on compiling documents for parliamentary inquiries “than in the area of Islamist terrorism”.

Klikni za razširitev