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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsPutin is crazy... WAPO: Russia is harassing U.S. diplomats all over Europe
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/russia-is-harassing-us-diplomats-all-over-europe/2016/06/26/968d1a5a-3bdf-11e6-84e8-1580c7db5275_story.html?utm_campaign=Military%20EBB%206-28-16&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Sailthru
Russian intelligence and security services have been waging a campaign of harassment and intimidation against U.S. diplomats, embassy staff and their families in Moscow and several other European capitals that has rattled ambassadors and prompted Secretary of State John F. Kerry to ask Vladimir Putin to put a stop to it. ... U.S. ambassadors to several European countries complained that Russian intelligence officials were constantly perpetrating acts of harassment against their diplomatic staff that ranged from the weird to the downright scary. Some of the intimidation has been routine: following diplomats or their family members, showing up at their social events uninvited or paying reporters to write negative stories about them.
But many of the recent acts of intimidation by Russian security services have crossed the line into apparent criminality. In a series of secret memos sent back to Washington, described to me by several current and former U.S. officials who have written or read them, diplomats reported that Russian intruders had broken into their homes late at night, only to rearrange the furniture or turn on all the lights and televisions, and then leave. One diplomat reported that an intruder had defecated on his living room carpet.
In Moscow, where the harassment is most pervasive, diplomats reported slashed tires and regular harassment by traffic police. Former ambassador Michael McFaul was hounded by government-paid protesters, and intelligence personnel followed his children to school. The harassment is not new; in the first term of the Obama administration, Russian intelligence personnel broke into the house of the U.S. defense attache in Moscow and killed his dog, according to multiple former officials who read the intelligence reports.
...Since the return of Putin, Russia has been engaged in an increasingly aggressive gray war across Europe. Now its in retaliation for Western sanctions because of Ukraine. The widely reported harassment is another front in the gray war, said Norm Eisen, U.S. ambassador the Czech Republic from 2011 to 2014. They are hitting American diplomats literally where they live.
The State Department has taken several measures in response to the increased level of nefarious activity by the Russian government. All U.S. diplomats headed for Europe now receive increased training on how to handle Russian harassment, and the European affairs bureau run by Assistant Secretary Victoria Nuland has set up regular interagency meetings on tracking and responding to the incidents....
The whole article is something else.
BlueMTexpat
(15,369 posts)like this. OTOH, I would absolutely LOVE it if the DoS got rid of Victoria Nuland altogether.
SunSeeker
(51,572 posts)And Trump calls him a great leader!
Ya gotta admit, there's something really funny, in a twisted way, mind you, in that observation!
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)And maybe your children, depending on their emotional resilience.
Fascinating. Thanks, MADem. I've read about Putin's aggression against the nations bordering Russia, of course, but not this. (Btw, I just googled and scanned a bunch of "headers" to find another good one, and most present it as something that's happening to just American diplomats, whatever their articles say. A lot of us read only the headers on a lot of stuff. Drives me crazy!)
Putin must have been a delight on the playground of his elementary school. Earlier this year he sent nuclear-capable planes to circle Japan in some statement. This below describes what's going on along the border in the Caucasus.
With this latest land grab, the Russian-backed separatists managed to gain access to almost a mile of the BP-operated Baku-Supsa pipeline, which carries some 145,000 barrels of Caspian oil per day to the Black Sea. Perhaps more worryingly, the E60 highway that runs from Kyrgyzstan via Azerbaijan and Georgia all the way to the western tip of France is now just a stones throw away from the rebels in South Ossetia. Apart from being the primary Georgian road, linking the countrys east to its Black Sea shore, it also represents a key commercial highway. For example, during the 2008 Russian invasion of Georgia, the road played a key role in keeping the oil flowing from Azerbaijan to European markets. BP operates a second pipeline, the 1.2 million bpd Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan, which also runs along the E60.
This isnt the first time pro-Russian forces have pushed back the border. In 2010, Georgia lost two more kilometers in the Akhalgori region to South Ossetia, while in 2013 the border shifted twice: in spring, five villages covering roughly 100 hectares were fenced in overnight, while in autumn, two further settlements were absorbed."
http://thediplomat.com/2015/08/the-heavy-handed-russian-move-nobodys-talking-about/
MADem
(135,425 posts)I think it's been his dream to be boss of that old crew ever since he was a philandering KGB officer in East Germany.
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)some of that "old crew" and/or "new crew" decided to.
DetlefK
(16,423 posts)It was a round-table of journalists and editors from various news-sites, newspapers and countries. One of them was from Russia. The topic was the connection between the russian government and sports. Specifically, the topics were the involvement of the russian government in olympic doping and the excuses and encouragement the russian government makes with respect to russian soccer-hooligans.
The Russian countered that this collusion is simple western propaganda and hysteria. "Oh, those evil Russians! Oh, the KGB is involved in this! Oh, the russian government is responsible for all the bad things! You should listen to yourself, this is ridiculous."
(Strangely enough, when another journalist began listing examples, her enthusiasm left her.)
Sure, it could be propaganda.
But when the number of incidents mounts, when the russian government demands that the IOC schedule their surprise-blood-tests 2 weeks in advance, when a russian government-official on camera makes up excuses how russian hooligans just had to beat up people because they were provoked...
At some point, the counter-accusation that this is just western propaganda no longer holds.
MADem
(135,425 posts)When their teams look like they're related to the Incredible Hulk, you just gotta say "Hmmmm."
That "Anything to win" mentality is weird and dangerous.
DetlefK
(16,423 posts)According to recent polls, ~50% of Russians adore Stalin (he of terror-regime fame), because he saved Russia from Hitler. This outweighs his atrocities.
Doping athletes was considered completely normal in communist countries because sports was propaganda-warfare.
There was an actual byword that was used by politicians to justify doping: "A victory for the German Democratic Republic is a victory for Communism!"
And IMO that same old soviet imperialism can be blamed for the Ukraine-crisis:
Russia sees Eastern Europe as its sphere of influence, like in the good old days of the Soviet-Union.
The West does not recognize Eastern Europe as Russia's sphere of influence because the Soviet-Union no longer exists.
So, whenever something happens in Eastern Europe, Russia thinks that this was an attack-by-proxy on Russia itself.
Ukraine was historically, culturally and politcally always split into a western and an eastern half. The western half was oriented towards Europe and voted accordingly, the eastern half was oriented towards Russia and voted accordingly. Some sort of political crisis was only a question of time.
And when Ukraine split along the seams, Russia immediately thought it was all about them.
The West has one kind of social vision and Russia has another kind of social vision. And each tries to gather followers. When countries rather pick the West's vision than Russia's vision, maybe this is not geopolitical warfare. Maybe the West has simply made a better offer.
MADem
(135,425 posts)Rather like immature high schoolers, indeed.
I think it's time they grew up, and realized that they don't own all of the road anymore.
How ironic that the guys who used to whine about the "Imperialists" are the ones doing all the land grabbing.
fasttense
(17,301 posts)It seems to be a pet peeve of some members. So, I'm not inclined to believe all this. Yet, if it's true, and yes WAPO has been known to publish propaganda, this is a terrible sign of deteriorating relationships. It's as if Russia were still the old Soviet Union.
MADem
(135,425 posts)Cayenne
(480 posts)MADem
(135,425 posts)carpet poop?
Mmmmmkay, then.....
smh.
DetlefK
(16,423 posts)Russia still treats them as if they are rightfully Russia's vassals.
MADem
(135,425 posts)Cayenne
(480 posts)You're funny~!
ronnie624
(5,764 posts)Oddly, they seem to be in complete aggreement with some prominent, warmongering House wingnuts:
The problem is there have been no consequences for Russia, said Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio), who serves as president of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. The administration continues to pursue a false narrative that Russia can be our partner. They clearly dont want to be our partner, theyve identified us as an adversary, and we need to prepare for that type of relationship.
Adrahil
(13,340 posts)He understands that Russia cannot compete militarily without nukes, and Russia is a second-rate (at best) economy. but Russia is still has world class intelligence and clandestine operations capabilities. He intends to exploit them to undermine the U.S. however he can.
MADem
(135,425 posts)Great BBC background piece: http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-32066222
More salacious Mail treatment:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2056547/Vladimir-Putin-philanderer-wifebeater-KGB.html
The Newsweek effort: http://www.newsweek.com/2014/08/29/top-secret-family-life-vladimir-putin-265425.html
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)Nobody respects Russia, they just fear its nukes.
Angel Martin
(942 posts)"...One diplomat reported that an intruder had defecated on his living room carpet. ...
... Russian intelligence personnel broke into the house of the U.S. defense attache in Moscow and killed his dog, ..."
an appropriate response would be to feed a Russian diplomat's dog a powerful laxative, and then lock it in his house.
It's far less crude than what the Russians did - and the effect is much the same !
MADem
(135,425 posts)perhaps!
Actually, your scenario is far better.
The stupid idiot that crapped on the diplomat's rug probably didn't stop to think that now the enemy has his DNA....
Angel Martin
(942 posts)No. We want to retaliate against Russian diplomats here in the USA. tit for tat.
Recruit some of the Repub dirty tricksters. Roger Stone has spent a lifetime thinking up sneaky but (more or less) legal schemes against opponents.
Put that evil genius to work defending American diplomats by taking the fight to the Russians on the ground here in this country.
MADem
(135,425 posts)DUH on me!!!!!
Angel Martin
(942 posts)the wealthy west never does anything to retaliate on these things. Even the third world is less cowed than us.
I remember an example from the 80's where there was some sort of dustup between Moscow and Nigeria and the power got shut off to the Nigerian embassy in Moscow.
Well it didn't take very long before the electricity went off in the Russian embassy and Russian diplomatic quarters in Lagos.
And soon after that, the power was back on in the Nigerian embassy in Moscow.
Can't remember what book it was in but some of the western diplomats and intelligence services, USA, UK ... were watching this and were envious that Nigeria would take steps that they could never persuade their governments to do.
(although given the intermittent electricity in Lagos at the time it would always be credible to apologize and say that "the power failed, sorry"
MADem
(135,425 posts)He pulls a knife? You pull a gun....that's the CHICAGO way!!!
Albertoo
(2,016 posts)CentralMass
(15,265 posts)What a bag of @$$holes.