Spilling into the open as a mob boss is issuing a warning to the people about Wagner group and his band of convicts. Lines seem to have been long drawn out. The deaths and sabotage carried out in Russia the last 12 - 18 months are going to make an epic story when finally known. Not sure if FSB is united or split but appear to be anti Wagner/Chechen Russian Mob Boss Warns 'There Is a Change of Power' in the Country ARussian mob boss warned civilians of a "change of power" in the country, saying that convicts recruited by the Wagner Group, a Russian mercenary outfit, for Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine will eventually wreak havoc in society. In a video appeal that circulated on social media this month, Grisha Moskovsky spoke out against Yevgeny Prigozhin, a Putin ally and founder of the Wagner Group, and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, saying that they are creating two power groups. He appealed to Russians to be cautious. "Now two gangs are forming in Russia. Two gangs, one gang is the Wagner's and the other gang is Kadyrov's. Now there is a change of power in Russia," he said. "Who is a scoundrel and who will come to power." He continued: "But this will not bring good to Russia and Russians." Moskovsky pointed to the fact that the Wagner Group has been recruiting large numbers of prisoners for Putin's war in Ukraine. The mercenary unit has been recruiting in penal colonies in far-flung regions of Russia, according to Olga Romanova, head of the prisoner advocacy group Russia Behind Bars.
Third crypto boss dies after Russian billionaire's helicopter crashes A Russian billionaire has become the third top cryptocurrency trader to die suddenly in recent weeks. Vyacheslav Taran, 53, the co-founder of trading and investing platform Libertex, died after his helicopter mysteriously crashed in a resort town near Monaco. The vehicle plummeted on November 25 afternoon, killing Mr Taran, who had lived in Monaco for a decade, as well as a veteran pilot. Is this just someone lost too much money in crypto? Or taking out the bankers that are hiding the assets? Or taking out bankers who had crpto assets seized or stolen.
It needs to be highly regulated, but of course, once the regulations come, the allure of crypto will go.
While I lament that Putin has Americans who like him, I do think it is worth considering that whoever replaces him - whether now or down the road - could be worse for us and for the people of Russia. And instability probably isn't what we want given their nuke arsenal.
I'm not a fan of "strong men" autocrats generally. I can't prove to you that he's had journalists and political opponents killed, but would it matter to you if he did or would you note that we do bad things, too? I don't like that Putin and other Russian officials (not doubt with his agreement) are going in the wrong direction on issues like free speech and gay rights. The fact that he gave duel citizenship to Steven Seagal really ought to be enough though. Is there anything negative you would say about him?
Yes, I was sorely disappointed in the way he went paws up in the wake of the global Covid hysteria. In that vein he was as useless as almost any other head of state. BTW, why do some threads, like this one, not occur on the Too Hot forum ? I can only access this when it is highlighted on the main forums page.
On the matter of autocracy, what does it really matter whether authoritarianism is asserted with a smile or with a scowl ? See also: US My main interest, in this conflict, is the possibility that the neocons might be chastened by the pushback from another country that is not willing to be their prison bitch. I’m not holding my breath though ...
The U.S. has done horrible things over the years. Our foreign policy is fair criticism. But, for example, mocking presidents is a time-honored tradition in America. In Russia, they passed a law making it illegal to disrespect Putin and other government officials. In America, the media and citizens were relentless against Trump. Now we have people openly chanting F Joe Biden on national tv and calling him a pedo. I just think it's a fundamentally false comparison in terms of free speech and political freedom.
the old Putin maybe, this wounded, sheltered, scared Putin isn't get the proper feedback anymore. Sycophants feeding a proud, angry, wounded man what he wants to hear isn't good for anyone except the guy that has his ear, aka Wagner Group. I am pulling for the oligarchs here but I fear they have become too soft.
I've listened to and read quite a bit about him. The conventional wisdom is that he is particularly dangerous when cornered - that's probably not unique to him but at least what I've heard the subject matter experts say about him in particular. I'm legitimately trying to seek news from both sides because it's hard to decipher what's going on in the fog of war and given that I can't read or speak Russian. I'm also getting even more suspect of the stories saying he's about to die from cancer or be shanked any day now. Hard for me to tell what is propaganda and what is not. One of the few places I hear the other side is the Useful Idiots podcasts, and I frankly don't find much they're putting out convincing. Guys like Matt Taibbi (one of the founders of the podcast) has seemed to have a soft spot for Russia for a long time. I don't know if that's because he lived there for years or if they have dirt on him. The one thing I've felt during this war which I think is true is that I think Russia probably could have inflicted many more deaths and much more destruction than it has to date even with conventional weapons. I think they've been holding back even if Ukraine has put up a much better fight than most expected. But I tend to think this is more about natural resources and fear of democracy than Russia's concern about NATO. And the fact that so many fascists seem to be supporting Putin and Russia is also telling. All that said, our media has a history of beating war drums, possibly for ratings. I think it's healthy for us to question everything we're hearing. That's why I'm willing to engage guys like DD as long as I think they're not trolling and actually believe what they're saying. At the very least, I may learn something.
it is obvious he is ill and susbtantially politically weakened. Foreign leaders, even those under his own sphere, routinely disrespect him in public meetings. Edgoran made him sit and wait in the photo session. Kazak president refused to look him in the eye and barely shook his hand. multiple other similar incidents out there. A healthy Putin would not have tolerated any of that fyi Kazak president went and met with Macron day after meeting with Putin. Kazak president also removed Putin guy from head of their secret police this year and is seeking separation from Russian influence.
