No big deal or anything but Russian oligarchs are dictating Russian foreign military policy, not the Kremlin.

[sonatine]

https://www.theatlantic.com/internat...africa/568435/

Wagner is basically the Russian Blackwater I guess you could say, except they are routinely hired by hyper-wealthy Russian tycoons and sent on various bloody global excursions and despite getting material support from the Russian military (transport, medical care, so on) they take orders from whoever the fuck is signing their checks.

Hence that little dustup in northern Syria this winter where they attacked US backed positions and we ended up carpet bombing a few hundred Russians into their next mortal coils. Note that this little disconnect between Kremlin agendas and boots on the ground orders is the single most likely trigger for a US/Russia limited nuclear exchange in think tank war gaming. It is also the premise of the movie Threads. Anyway, moving on....

Now they are in Africa, is the narrative behind the article, meaning obviously somehow Boko Haram will end up with next-gen American military hardware before one of them catches a short memory and decides to harvest a few thousand American souls because of our bromance with neo-leftist Saudi royals or whatever.

Also worthy of note is that China has already sunk its fangs into the African diamond/gold/rare minerals market so there is ample opportunity for 'misunderstandings' between those two nuclear powers as well.

Good times.

[GambleBotsChafedPenis]

they seem like an interesting bunch they do...i need to read up a lot more on them, but seems like they just basically raped Russia when they exited communism and entered into whatever brand of capitalism they are practicing...i only know about Prokhorov and abromovich and they seem like characters to say the least...It would be hella interesting to find out these two guys were involved in hiring mercenaries to carry out shit all over the globe...

[BCR]

Interesting shit. Thx for linking. It sounds like they may push the envelope on occasion, but I doubt they fall often outside the purview of the Kremlin.

[ErickAA]

It seems Putin has no problem throwing Oligarchs he doesn’t like in prison and throwing away the key, so i am guessing they don’t stray too far from what the Kremlin is ok with. Whether that is cause for assurance I don’t know.

[GambleBotsChafedPenis]

the thing that always surprised me about the oligarchs is why the hell hasn't Russia repatriated their shit? I mean by now if they are totally fucked in the head most of the oligarch wealth is outside the country so it cant be readily fucked with...but I mean these are the Russians so they could easily flex the muscle to get all that wealth back...guess that oligarch culture benefits the powers that be in some sorta way...

[MrTickle]

You’re growing on me Sonatine. Especially with your interest in foreign policy related to Russia.

If you’re interested in PWC Wagner then these two are compulsory listening

[sonatine]

You’re growing on me Sonatine. Especially with your interest in foreign policy related to Russia.

I've noted that youre light years ahead of me on the Russian politics front and scale my appreciation of your content accordingly.

I have an information security career which at this point has a lot of cross-over with good old boots on the ground counter-intelligence / threat assessment & mitigation, because thats where a lot of the cold war is these days, so lately I've been seeing a lot of very interesting pieces like this float across my radar.

Greatly appreciate the corollary data and will devour.

[ErickAA]

the thing that always surprised me about the oligarchs is why the hell hasn't Russia repatriated their shit? I mean by now if they are totally fucked in the head most of the oligarch wealth is outside the country so it cant be readily fucked with...but I mean these are the Russians so they could easily flex the muscle to get all that wealth back...guess that oligarch culture benefits the powers that be in some sorta way...

Russia has had several high profile cases of imprisoning oligarchs and confiscating their businesses/money. The new that are still operating freely are probably people Putin sees as assets.

[sonatine]

Interesting shit. Thx for linking. It sounds like they may push the envelope on occasion, but I doubt they fall often outside the purview of the Kremlin.

The narrative for years has been that Putin has effectively lost a measure of control of his subordinates. So one day Putin mutters over his morning tea "Fucking Nemtsov..." and the next day some guy in an Adidas track suit and a leather jacket shoots Nemtsov in the face outside Putin's window because his boss thinks its going to get him points with the big man.

It's easy to see how this scales up to some dim-eyed thug who was gifted a nickel mining consortium in exchange for loyalty to the crown reading Dugin's book and spending like 1% of his net worth to send in a battalion of bloodthirsty amateur murderers with PTSD and the latest / greatest military hardware to destabilize Kiev or whatever; points with the big man.

But yeah per the article, it was well outside the Kremlin's purview to fire on American troops for 4 hours, in fact it was a spectacular fuckup. When you have some bloated drunk in military fatigues (the extent of his qualifications beyond his signature on the wire transfer forms) staring at a map slurring 'I WANT THESE KURDS BROUGHT TO HEEL', he probably doesnt even know there are American forces embedded with them, and that they have air support.

[Baron Von Strucker]

they seem like an interesting bunch they do...i need to read up a lot more on them, but seems like they just basically raped Russia when they exited communism and entered into whatever brand of capitalism they are practicing...i only know about Prokhorov and abromovich and they seem like characters to say the least...It would be hella interesting to find out these two guys were involved in hiring mercenaries to carry out shit all over the globe...

I think this is fairly accurate, when the Russian’s and Czechs left Slovakia they took most anything of value, empty the factories of useful tooling. When they were gone the rest was scooped up by corrupt politicians and there friends. At some point the people got pretty mad and a lot of them were murdered or forced to leave the country. As it was a lot of the shit that was taken was soon to be out dated and some investors with some for site invested in the country. Now Slovakia has a very strong industrial presence in Europe. True mostly owned by foreign companies and could potentially pull out whenever they like but for now things are going well.
I don’t see this happening in Russia as they are the big villains in this scenario. So Lilly as usual the little people will be fucked and a difficult recovery is instore for them.

[GambleBotsChafedPenis]

the thing that always surprised me about the oligarchs is why the hell hasn't Russia repatriated their shit? I mean by now if they are totally fucked in the head most of the oligarch wealth is outside the country so it cant be readily fucked with...but I mean these are the Russians so they could easily flex the muscle to get all that wealth back...guess that oligarch culture benefits the powers that be in some sorta way...

Russia has had several high profile cases of imprisoning oligarchs and confiscating their businesses/money. The new that are still operating freely are probably people Putin sees as assets.

yeah I have definitely heard about those...cant remember the names, but definitely remember of hearing of a few of them being thrown in jail...

just surprised that they don't go after the high profile ones like Prokhorov and abromovich...guys who are well known all over the world...send a message...maybe it's just a ploy to go after the ones that nobody outside of Russia really gives a shit about...use the "playboy oligarchs" to spread the message of Russian capitalism and all that other good shit...

I think Prokhorov ran against putin or something to that effect awhile back...guessing that level of "insubordination" was sanctioned by Russia/kremlin...

[GambleBotsChafedPenis]

Interesting shit. Thx for linking. It sounds like they may push the envelope on occasion, but I doubt they fall often outside the purview of the Kremlin.

The narrative for years has been that Putin has effectively lost a measure of control of his subordinates. So one day Putin mutters over his morning tea "Fucking Nemtsov..." and the next day some guy in an Adidas track suit and a leather jacket shoots Nemtsov in the face outside Putin's window because his boss thinks its going to get him points with the big man.

It's easy to see how this scales up to some dim-eyed thug who was gifted a nickel mining consortium in exchange for loyalty to the crown reading Dugin's book and spending like 1% of his net worth to send in a battalion of bloodthirsty amateur murderers with PTSD and the latest / greatest military hardware to destabilize Kiev or whatever; points with the big man.

But yeah per the article, it was well outside the Kremlin's purview to fire on American troops for 4 hours, in fact it was a spectacular fuckup. When you have some bloated drunk in military fatigues (the extent of his qualifications beyond his signature on the wire transfer forms) staring at a map slurring 'I WANT THESE KURDS BROUGHT TO HEEL', he probably doesnt even know there are American forces embedded with them, and that they have air support.

know you aren't a fan of vice, but I thought they did a tremendous job of covering the shit that went down in Ukraine (starting from the annexation of crimea)...I binge watched all like 120 little dispatches...captivating shit...it's obviously very old news now, but if you are curious about this shit it's still interesting nonetheless...

[sonatine]

The narrative for years has been that Putin has effectively lost a measure of control of his subordinates. So one day Putin mutters over his morning tea "Fucking Nemtsov..." and the next day some guy in an Adidas track suit and a leather jacket shoots Nemtsov in the face outside Putin's window because his boss thinks its going to get him points with the big man.

It's easy to see how this scales up to some dim-eyed thug who was gifted a nickel mining consortium in exchange for loyalty to the crown reading Dugin's book and spending like 1% of his net worth to send in a battalion of bloodthirsty amateur murderers with PTSD and the latest / greatest military hardware to destabilize Kiev or whatever; points with the big man.

But yeah per the article, it was well outside the Kremlin's purview to fire on American troops for 4 hours, in fact it was a spectacular fuckup. When you have some bloated drunk in military fatigues (the extent of his qualifications beyond his signature on the wire transfer forms) staring at a map slurring 'I WANT THESE KURDS BROUGHT TO HEEL', he probably doesnt even know there are American forces embedded with them, and that they have air support.

know you aren't a fan of vice, but I thought they did a tremendous job of covering the shit that went down in Ukraine (starting from the annexation of crimea)...I binge watched all like 120 little dispatches...captivating shit...it's obviously very old news now, but if you are curious about this shit it's still interesting nonetheless...

i feel like ive already watched it but will watch again regardless when time allows. fwiw i do think vice does tremendous and essential investigative journalism when its not busy shitposting about how much damage louis ck's penis has done to feminist transgender weight lifters in pakistan.

[GambleBotsChafedPenis]

haha fortunately I've managed to avoid that kinda bullshit...

but man just watching those videos and seeing the total disorganization and shitscaredness of the Ukrainian military is pretty shocking...I mean I get the shitscaredness since it's the second most powerful army in the world knocking on your door, but seeing all the soldiers being like 'yeah we're good' really makes you think of what COULD happen to things in this world in a hypothetical sense...

[sonatine]

haha fortunately I've managed to avoid that kinda bullshit...

but man just watching those videos and seeing the total disorganization and shitscaredness of the Ukrainian military is pretty shocking...I mean I get the shitscaredness since it's the second most powerful army in the world knocking on your door, but seeing all the soldiers being like 'yeah we're good' really makes you think of what COULD happen to things in this world in a hypothetical sense...

its a terrifyingly complicated situation, like its literally up there with temple mount on the 'oh shit' scale. its been said before but for good measure; ukranians should be on the endangered species list because seriously this little standoff a) isnt going to last more than a generation or two and b) isnt even really a standoff, its just repatriation in achingly slow motion.

[DonaldTrumpsHairPiece]

Without judging the Russian game is above anyone else's.

They have no issue getting carpet bombed, it is part of the plan, draw in the stupid US and tie their shizz up for decades, smart.

[GambleBotsChafedPenis]

haha fortunately I've managed to avoid that kinda bullshit...

but man just watching those videos and seeing the total disorganization and shitscaredness of the Ukrainian military is pretty shocking...I mean I get the shitscaredness since it's the second most powerful army in the world knocking on your door, but seeing all the soldiers being like 'yeah we're good' really makes you think of what COULD happen to things in this world in a hypothetical sense...

its a terrifyingly complicated situation, like its literally up there with temple mount on the 'oh shit' scale. its been said before but for good measure; ukranians should be on the endangered species list because seriously this little standoff a) isnt going to last more than a generation or two and b) isnt even really a standoff, its just repatriation in achingly slow motion.

sorry for derailing about the oligarchs which in and of itself is a fascinating topic...

but yeah it's a really fucked up situation to say the least...putin's obviously doing this because he knows he can easily fuck with Ukraine...and it's sorta supported by the ethnic Russian populous in the east...haven't seen a lot within the last year on the situation but from what I understand it's still a vibrant combat zone...crazy to think that people are still living in Donetsk and that whole region where shit has been going on now for 4 years...cant believe there are actually still structures standing after all the bombings...I mean in these vice dispatches it looks like everything has been bombed to shit and that was right as things were heating up...can't imagine what stuff looks like after 4 more years of that...

[ftpjesus]

https://www.theatlantic.com/internat...africa/568435/

Wagner is basically the Russian Blackwater I guess you could say, except they are routinely hired by hyper-wealthy Russian tycoons and sent on various bloody global excursions and despite getting material support from the Russian military (transport, medical care, so on) they take orders from whoever the fuck is signing their checks.

Hence that little dustup in northern Syria this winter where they attacked US backed positions and we ended up carpet bombing a few hundred Russians into their next mortal coils. Note that this little disconnect between Kremlin agendas and boots on the ground orders is the single most likely trigger for a US/Russia limited nuclear exchange in think tank war gaming. It is also the premise of the movie Threads. Anyway, moving on....

Now they are in Africa, is the narrative behind the article, meaning obviously somehow Boko Haram will end up with next-gen American military hardware before one of them catches a short memory and decides to harvest a few thousand American souls because of our bromance with neo-leftist Saudi royals or whatever.

Also worthy of note is that China has already sunk its fangs into the African diamond/gold/rare minerals market so there is ample opportunity for 'misunderstandings' between those two nuclear powers as well.

Good times.

CLiffs: Putin has the same problem Trump has.. a bunch of rich behind the scenes assholes are the ones trying to dictate how the government runs. Id been hopeful with Putin running the Rothchilds out of Russia the problem wouldn't be as serious.. As for China and Russia going at it.. Wouldn't be the first time, happened at the start of the 20th Century as well..

You mentioned the Saudi issue... Interesting occurance Trump is a little irritated threatening to withdraw support for Saudis actions in Yemen..


As for Threads... That's another story.. That's nowhere near a limited nuclear exchange it just shows basically full bore NATO vs Russia nuclear exchange from British perspective.. You might as well have brought up The Day After.. 3Gigatons of exchanged weapons is hardly a limited exchange..

I still maintain the real Russian Collusion with Trump will be when the US and Russia team up yet again for WWIII against the Islamist Extremists in mostly Western Europe.. Ironic the old Warsaw Pact Countries have enough brains to not allow Muslims unfettered immigration..While the happy shiny idiots in Western Europe and UK are g etting pwned by "immigrants" and "refugees" most of which are males 18-35 not families as people claim.. Its a bloody silent Jihadi takeover and they are too stupid to figure it o ut..

[kirklaja]

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/don...-cohen-n872716
https://www.forbes.com/sites/nathanv.../#47d057784c20
https://jewishbusinessnews.com/2014/...er-swiss-bank/
https://www.streetinsider.com/SEC+Fi.../13280319.html
https://getcyalume.com/
https://www.army-technology.com/cont...sonal/cyalume/
http://www.evolvetechcorp.com/ep-why...hemlights.aspx
http://www.parttarget.com/6260-01-08...7_5270-58.html
http://files.shareholder.com/downloa...009_AR_10K.pdf
https://www.abilityone.gov/abilityone_program/faqs.html
https://www.abilityone.gov/abilityon...am/faqs.html#3
https://www.arsenalcapital.com/news/...e-technologies




bonus round:

[Tellafriend]

https://www.theatlantic.com/internat...africa/568435/

Wagner is basically the Russian Blackwater I guess you could say, except they are routinely hired by hyper-wealthy Russian tycoons and sent on various bloody global excursions and despite getting material support from the Russian military (transport, medical care, so on) they take orders from whoever the fuck is signing their checks.

Hence that little dustup in northern Syria this winter where they attacked US backed positions and we ended up carpet bombing a few hundred Russians into their next mortal coils. Note that this little disconnect between Kremlin agendas and boots on the ground orders is the single most likely trigger for a US/Russia limited nuclear exchange in think tank war gaming. It is also the premise of the movie Threads. Anyway, moving on....

Now they are in Africa, is the narrative behind the article, meaning obviously somehow Boko Haram will end up with next-gen American military hardware before one of them catches a short memory and decides to harvest a few thousand American souls because of our bromance with neo-leftist Saudi royals or whatever.

Also worthy of note is that China has already sunk its fangs into the African diamond/gold/rare minerals market so there is ample opportunity for 'misunderstandings' between those two nuclear powers as well.

Good times.

CLiffs: Putin has the same problem Trump has.. a bunch of rich behind the scenes assholes are the ones trying to dictate how the government runs. Id been hopeful with Putin running the Rothchilds out of Russia the problem wouldn't be as serious.. As for China and Russia going at it.. Wouldn't be the first time, happened at the start of the 20th Century as well..

You mentioned the Saudi issue... Interesting occurance Trump is a little irritated threatening to withdraw support for Saudis actions in Yemen..


As for Threads... That's another story.. That's nowhere near a limited nuclear exchange it just shows basically full bore NATO vs Russia nuclear exchange from British perspective.. You might as well have brought up The Day After.. 3Gigatons of exchanged weapons is hardly a limited exchange..

I still maintain the real Russian Collusion with Trump will be when the US and Russia team up yet again for WWIII against the Islamist Extremists in mostly Western Europe.. Ironic the old Warsaw Pact Countries have enough brains to not allow Muslims unfettered immigration..While the happy shiny idiots in Western Europe and UK are g etting pwned by "immigrants" and "refugees" most of which are males 18-35 not families as people claim.. Its a bloody silent Jihadi takeover and they are too stupid to figure it o ut..

Why do you think they are letting it happen?