This is a great recap and timeline of events, some I’ve heard and read but a lot I didn’t know.
At the start of the war I was listening to Arkady Ostrovsky’s (Economist Russia lead, I believe) “Next Year in Moscow” podcast series. In one of the early episodes he tells the story of penning an article about the launch of Putin’s ludicrous invasion of Georgia. Shortly thereafter, his phone rang in the middle of the night. It was Yegor Gaidar, the once Soviet Prime Minister and state economist. Gaidar, who the new regime hated due to shock therapy, simply told the younger Ostrovsky “You can’t even begin to comprehend just how dangerous these people are.”
It’s a gangster/mafia state stretching 11 time zones with some truly barbaric and evil people at the top (obviously Putin but Patrushev and many others). The world will heal when it Balkanizes. I can’t get over the courage and warrior spirit of Ukrainians, who I know Russians are jealous of. I’m still holding out hope for a miracle - today/tonight they carried out massive drone attacks. I think they’re in the “fuck it we have nothing to lose phase”. If I had military experience I think I would have gone over. I have donated where I can.
Thanks for the feedback! What I have discovered from my UK friends is how deep Putin is in the UK too.. going after the oligarchs showed this and so did Cambridge Analytica - but it is as bad there as here. I think Putin has done a masterful job owing the UK and US. He was winning. Few knew about his activities and the war has thrown all of that open. I seriously wonder if we can ever clean up in either country.. to the level needed.. deep clean. I doubt it. Putin may go after this but his legacy in destroying democracy at its very heart will be his living legacy.
Excellent, well-researched summary. Sadly, those who need to see these puzzle pieces will refuse to look. The blatant money laundering via real estate is clearly Trump’s primary source of income (short of the very successful embezzlement schemes tied to his political fundraising) and certainly also includes the golf courses in Scotland and the Washington DC hotel. The similarities to mob operations are apparent but the execution is so immature and lacking of nuance that it is unbelievable how long the Trump Organization has avoided criminal prosecution. I suppose it comes down to the mafia imperative that loyalty to The Family is paramount.
Thank you for your feedback! I have a lot on the UK aspect. It is only now getting the attention it deserves. They are deeply compromised. Perhaps the best way to characterize it is the Putin dirty money has compromised the entire UK system but seems to have only compromised Trump. However, as I have researched this, I have leaned not to make sweeping statements because you turn corner and discover yet another vast conspiracy taking place and wonder "how on earth did I not know this before now"! The brainwashing has reached saturation/critical mass. It will swing the system in favor of the forces of darkness after which recovery will not be possible. Pessimist or realist? Ask me in a years time! :)
This is a great recap and timeline of events, some I’ve heard and read but a lot I didn’t know.
At the start of the war I was listening to Arkady Ostrovsky’s (Economist Russia lead, I believe) “Next Year in Moscow” podcast series. In one of the early episodes he tells the story of penning an article about the launch of Putin’s ludicrous invasion of Georgia. Shortly thereafter, his phone rang in the middle of the night. It was Yegor Gaidar, the once Soviet Prime Minister and state economist. Gaidar, who the new regime hated due to shock therapy, simply told the younger Ostrovsky “You can’t even begin to comprehend just how dangerous these people are.”
It’s a gangster/mafia state stretching 11 time zones with some truly barbaric and evil people at the top (obviously Putin but Patrushev and many others). The world will heal when it Balkanizes. I can’t get over the courage and warrior spirit of Ukrainians, who I know Russians are jealous of. I’m still holding out hope for a miracle - today/tonight they carried out massive drone attacks. I think they’re in the “fuck it we have nothing to lose phase”. If I had military experience I think I would have gone over. I have donated where I can.
Thanks for the feedback! What I have discovered from my UK friends is how deep Putin is in the UK too.. going after the oligarchs showed this and so did Cambridge Analytica - but it is as bad there as here. I think Putin has done a masterful job owing the UK and US. He was winning. Few knew about his activities and the war has thrown all of that open. I seriously wonder if we can ever clean up in either country.. to the level needed.. deep clean. I doubt it. Putin may go after this but his legacy in destroying democracy at its very heart will be his living legacy.
Excellent, well-researched summary. Sadly, those who need to see these puzzle pieces will refuse to look. The blatant money laundering via real estate is clearly Trump’s primary source of income (short of the very successful embezzlement schemes tied to his political fundraising) and certainly also includes the golf courses in Scotland and the Washington DC hotel. The similarities to mob operations are apparent but the execution is so immature and lacking of nuance that it is unbelievable how long the Trump Organization has avoided criminal prosecution. I suppose it comes down to the mafia imperative that loyalty to The Family is paramount.
Thank you for your feedback! I have a lot on the UK aspect. It is only now getting the attention it deserves. They are deeply compromised. Perhaps the best way to characterize it is the Putin dirty money has compromised the entire UK system but seems to have only compromised Trump. However, as I have researched this, I have leaned not to make sweeping statements because you turn corner and discover yet another vast conspiracy taking place and wonder "how on earth did I not know this before now"! The brainwashing has reached saturation/critical mass. It will swing the system in favor of the forces of darkness after which recovery will not be possible. Pessimist or realist? Ask me in a years time! :)