Eastern Europe: Olivier's sphere of influence

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > Eastern Europe: Olivier's sphere of influence

Nitrox: Jul 5, 2002

https://zona.media/online/2021/01/23/navalny-msk-spb#38591

This page is being updated, with the current link showing the start of Julia Navalny

# ? Jan 23, 2021 18:35

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? May 14, 2024 07:07

Erulisse: Feb 12, 2019; A bad poster trying to get better.

Its good to be back home. Been a mess

# ? Jan 23, 2021 19:36

fatherboxx: Mar 25, 2013

https://twitter.com/alexskryll/status/1353046115491471360

Holy poo poo this dude

https://twitter.com/gorozhanin_spb/status/1353006270073204742

Cops being cops

fatherboxx fucked around with this message at 20:22 on Jan 23, 2021

# ? Jan 23, 2021 20:20

Erulisse: Feb 12, 2019; A bad poster trying to get better.

Erulisse posted:

Its good to be back home. Been a mess

So, a trip report.

It's been strangely and uniquely fun being there, "socialising" in a wierd way, even along with ex-proputinists that understood what the gently caress is happening. Lots of cheerful conversations, chanting. Unification.
On the other hand, battling rosgvardia it dawned that this is not it, this is not an end and nothing will happen. The regime is really so strong and has so many laws that contradict constitution that only european human rights court can judge correctly but russian doesnt. I was eagerly waiting for something like that since coolzone in usa started but this is too disheartening honestly. Its like, literally battling against impossible odds. This didn't make us step down but we knew, people were chatting but still had hopes. Technically russia can announce that these "violent" protests (police violence but semantics) were against the law and during pandemic. Okay, yes but Constitution chapter 31, fuckers. Also lol pandemic doesn't stop duma (and also death of deputat Vaha Agaev who "voted" after his death for a few laws) from doing its dirty job. And police issues fines based on federal laws not constitution.
Yes, the world knows. So what? Sanctions? Pfft they don't care, there are a lot of freeports around the world and boy these fuckers have money. Our money. We need more, we need a revolution. We need hanging as much as Belarus needs it. We need death sentences brought back as China does it. We will keep fighting.
Furthermore, my ukranian friends commented on that. It hurt but it was true. Not many stood up in russia for what was happening in Ukraine. But I still believe that we are one with all slav countries. We are together and strong and we will endure. Belarus, Ukraine, Russia. We are in this together, finally.
edit: reflecting a bit about ukraine. Yeah we had our "official" lines divided but as people we should stand strong together. We as nation failed our brothers many times because we were scared. Too many of our citizens are brainwashed that ukraine, belarus, even next city is not a friend. drat, if I got my babushka to finally believe in what is happening, in what actually her beloved idiot putler is, than we can and will be together. We are stronger together and should support each other in any good or bad that is or going to happen.

ps
Yakutsk are drat heroes, - 53celsius and these fuckers went out on the streets. Heroes.

pps
people were passing email address to financially help with fines but its on my wrecked phone, please post if anyone has it.

ppps
my arm hurts

Erulisse fucked around with this message at 22:06 on Jan 23, 2021

# ? Jan 23, 2021 22:01

Nitrox: Jul 5, 2002

Thank you for that report. I totally agree with you on the semantics. Things are not going to happen incrementally

# ? Jan 23, 2021 22:30

wisconsingreg: Jan 13, 2019

Putin today in one of his "public" q&as said it wasnt his palace, what was the direct evidence navalny presented that it was?

# ? Jan 25, 2021 14:02

Anne Frank Funk: Nov 4, 2008

There isn't any direct evidence.

# ? Jan 25, 2021 14:06

Paladinus: Jan 11, 2014; heyHEYYYY!!!

The palace just happens to be in a no-flight zone and guarded by federal security, while all financial records point to Putin's close friends and relatives. Even if Putin has no intention to live there, and Navalny might have overplayed that angle in the video, the evidence of gross corruption is absolutely there.

# ? Jan 25, 2021 14:23

fatherboxx: Mar 25, 2013

Vasukhani posted:

Putin today in one of his "public" q&as said it wasnt his palace, what was the direct evidence navalny presented that it was?

Well, he said that neither he nor his immediate family owns the palace
Which is exactly what Navalny has said and which is expected - it is legally owned by someone else, just as with any other corrupt official in Russia

# ? Jan 25, 2021 14:25

Budzilla: Oct 14, 2007; We can all learn from our past mistakes.

Vasukhani posted:

Putin today in one of his "public" q&as said it wasnt his palace, what was the direct evidence navalny presented that it was?

There is never evidence tying Putin to the palace (or many other schemes) but in the video of the palace various points about the no fly zone (only reserved for nuclear reactors and military bases), boats having to avoid the palace coast line by 1 mile and FSB leased area that directly hugs most of the palace grounds makes it look like someone with multiple connections in Russian government has a hand in this. If the video has 75+ million views Putin should at least give a decent answer.

# ? Jan 25, 2021 14:26

Erulisse: Feb 12, 2019; A bad poster trying to get better.

Anne Frank Funk posted:

There isn't any direct evidence.

There was never any direct evidence besides everyone in the country knowing who owns this place since ~2010.

# ? Jan 25, 2021 14:28

wisconsingreg: Jan 13, 2019

Budzilla posted:

There is never evidence tying Putin to the palace (or many other schemes) but in the video of the palace various points about the no fly zone (only reserved for nuclear reactors and military bases), boats having to avoid the palace coast line by 1 mile and FSB leased area that directly hugs most of the palace grounds makes it look like someone with multiple connections in Russian government has a hand in this. If the video has 75+ million views Putin should at least give a decent answer.

Yeah I guess that is a pretty non-answer when he should have said who tf owns it if not him

# ? Jan 25, 2021 14:50

HUGE PUBES A PLUS: Apr 30, 2005

I don't own the property, some third party shell company based in another country owns it.

It's amazing how being filthy rich affords you the luxury of owning nothing.

# ? Jan 25, 2021 14:56

SlothfulCobra: Mar 27, 2011

Apparently it's a pretty common asset laundering trick. Yanukovych had a similar deal with his mansion in Ukraine. It's a weird way of hiding how much money you stole/embezzled/got bribed by.

https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2018/10/05/654769859/episode-868-moneyland

Guy wrote a book on how much of the financial industry (and even certain governments) are dedicated to do no-questions-asked anonymous banking and asset laundering, and how so many of those services are regularly used by murderers and dictators and whatever in addition to just the normal wealthy scum who don't wanna pay taxes.

https://www.amazon.com/Moneyland-Inside-Story-Crooks-Kleptocrats/dp/125020870X

# ? Jan 27, 2021 19:19

Oracle: Oct 9, 2004

SlothfulCobra posted:

Guy wrote a book on how much of the financial industry (and even certain governments) are dedicated to do no-questions-asked anonymous banking and asset laundering, and how so many of those services are regularly used by murderers and dictators and whatever in addition to just the normal wealthy scum who don't wanna pay taxes.

https://www.amazon.com/Moneyland-Inside-Story-Crooks-Kleptocrats/dp/125020870X

I used to work for one of those 'rich people banks' as they're called and the wealthy scum get some serious blue ribbon services from their banks.

Like, 'pick your mistress up from the airport take her to her favorite boutique hotel we booked for her and make sure her favorite flowers are waiting in the suite while never forgetting your wife's (who's also in town) birthday and making sure the twain never cross paths' levels of service.

# ? Jan 27, 2021 20:11

Somaen: Nov 19, 2007; by vyelkin

The last investigation by Bellingcat and The Insider dropped and it's remarkable that the secret services are targeting not just federal level and internationally connected challengers like Nemtsov or Navalny, but also regional-level barely known independent journalists or young politicians even if they're connected to a puppet party

I saw tankies posting that you shouldn't support Navalny because supposedly he is going to give everything to the oligarchs and wants to destroy Russia and if you want change you should join/start a leftist movement, but it's a really demotivating situation for political activism in Russia if besides lack of fair courts, made up charges and an incredibly brutal prison system you also have to deal with government death squads

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2021/01/27/navalnys-alleged-fsb-poisoners-linked-to-deaths-of-journalists-activists-investigation-a72757

quote:

An elite Russian chemical weapons squad that tailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny for years before allegedly poisoning him with Novichok was involved with at least three other killings, according to a joint investigation published Wednesday.

In December, CNN, the Bellingcat investigative outlet, Russia�s The Insider and Germany�s Der Spiegel used phone records, flight logs and other documents to track the movements of a Federal Security Service (FSB) unit specializing in toxins and nerve agents. That investigation said the unit�s members were deployed alongside Navalny�s Siberian trip at around the time of his Aug. 20 poisoning.

�Travel coincidences make it impossible to doubt the involvement of this group of poisoners,� The Insider wrote.

Timur Kuashev was found dead at age 26 in a forest near his home in the North Caucasus republic of Kabardino-Balkaria after going missing in late July 2014. Before his death, he had complained about threats from law enforcement officials following his critical reports and opposition activities. The investigation into his death is still ongoing, with friends and colleagues disputing autopsy findings that he died of heart failure. The medical examiner had found a syringe mark under his armpit.

FSB chemical-weapons agent Konstantin Kudryavtsev, who was named in the Navalny investigation and later allegedly confessed to the poisoning in a trick phone call with Navalny himself, arrived in Kuashev�s home city of Nalchik on July 13, 2014, The Insider reported. In the coming days, fellow FSB unit members Ivan Osipov, Denis Machikin and Roman Matyushin flew to nearby airports. All three agents returned to Moscow on July 31 and Aug. 1, the day Kushaev�s body was found, The Insider reported.

Ruslan Magomedragimov, an activist with the �Unity� civic movement, was found dead at age 45 near Makhachkala in the republic of Dagestan on March 24, 2015. His official cause of death was ruled to be suffocation, but his relatives said there were two points on his neck similar to injection marks from a syringe, The Insider said.

According to The Insider, Osipov flew to Makhachkala twice in January 2015, while Kudryavtsev flew there from March 11-16. Osipov flew to Vladikavkaz, a four-hour drive from Makhachkala, on March 20 and returned to Moscow on March 26. The Insider noted, however, that "the probability of coincidence cannot be completely excluded," as Osipov traveled to Makhachkala several other times.

Nikita Isayev, the former head of the �New Russia� movement, died at age 41 on a train from Tambov to Moscow on Nov. 16, 2019. Shortly before his death, he had been appointed as an adviser for regional development by the head of the A Just Russia party, Sergei Mironov. During his career, he advocated for environmental issues in Russia's regions. His official cause of death was a heart attack, but his body was cremated before the autopsy results were released.

The joint investigation cited its documents as saying that FSB agents had tailed Isayev since December 2018, including two members of the team that tailed Navalny � Osipov and Alexei Alexandrov. However, it noted that Isayev "was absolutely loyal to the Kremlin as a politician" and that there was no plausible motive for him to be killed by the FSB. The investigation pointed to Isayev's frequent trips abroad as evidence that he might have worked for Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service and that he could have done something viewed by the special services as treason, but stressed that it had no evidence of this theory.

# ? Jan 28, 2021 16:08

Brown Moses: Feb 22, 2002

We've more on the way, and it's arguably worse, and given their travels it looks like these are just a fraction of their operations.

# ? Jan 28, 2021 20:53

Nitrox: Jul 5, 2002

Brown Moses posted:

We've more on the way, and it's arguably worse, and given their travels it looks like these are just a fraction of their operations.

is it possible to flag other operatives by watching who is in close proximity of this bunch?

# ? Jan 29, 2021 07:14

Brown Moses: Feb 22, 2002

Nitrox posted:

is it possible to flag other operatives by watching who is in close proximity of this bunch?

That's basically what we've been doing, looking at the phone records records to see which numbers they call, then using various methods to ID who the numbers belong to. Those methods could be a simple Google search, searching for phone numbers on the various leaked databases we've gathered, looking them up on Russian phone directory apps, and other methods. Once we've done that we have a sense of which numbers are likely unimportant (wives, girlfriends, and mothers usually), and those that are of interest. Then we look into those numbers' phone records, and do the same process as well as looking for numbers that appear in different phone records, which indicates teams of people calling each other. Then once we establish some names we can work getting enough info to look them up on travel databases, and see who travels together. That includes people we've ID'd, but also other passengers who travel with those people on multiple occasions, often revealing other agents we've not been aware of, or agents we've identified that are now travelling under false identities.

# ? Jan 29, 2021 09:15

Brown Moses: Feb 22, 2002

Another Russian news site got footage from inside Putin's Palace, which, as Navalny said, is currently being totally renovated due to major mold and design issues

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBcWdHe8j_g

# ? Jan 29, 2021 11:01

fatherboxx: Mar 25, 2013

Good to know Grover is now a successful contractor in Russia practicing the science of EVROREMONT

fatherboxx fucked around with this message at 13:44 on Jan 29, 2021

# ? Jan 29, 2021 13:41

Somaen: Nov 19, 2007; by vyelkin

quote:

We've more on the way, and it's arguably worse, and given their travels it looks like these are just a fraction of their operations.

I thought I saw Dobrokhotov or Grozev tweet hinting that one of the targets was a bellingcat/the insider related journo. I can't find it and doubting my memory now but in any case stay safe and thanks for the the good work you do

# ? Jan 29, 2021 14:19

French Canadian: Feb 23, 2004; Fluffy cat sensory experience

Brown Moses posted:

Another Russian news site got footage from inside Putin's Palace, which, as Navalny said, is currently being totally renovated due to major mold and design issues

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBcWdHe8j_g

Maybe there was no mold and it's just an excuse to give a remodeling contract to someone as a favor...or just plain old embezzlement and triple charging for drywall.

# ? Jan 29, 2021 17:20

Xerxes17: Feb 17, 2011

French Canadian posted:

Maybe there was no mold and it's just an excuse to give a remodeling contract to someone as a favor...or just plain old embezzlement and triple charging for drywall.

Doing that to Putin would not be a smart move.

# ? Jan 30, 2021 03:17

Zudgemud: Mar 1, 2009; Grimey Drawer

Xerxes17 posted:

Doing that to Putin would not be a smart move.

Putin owns the contractors, and borrows the house.

# ? Jan 30, 2021 11:01

Xerxes17: Feb 17, 2011

Zudgemud posted:

Putin owns the contractors, and borrows the house.

Well I was going with the assumption that this is in fact his house.

# ? Jan 30, 2021 11:35

Sekenr: Dec 12, 2013

Erulisse posted:

So, a trip report.

It's been strangely and uniquely fun being there, "socialising" in a wierd way, even along with ex-proputinists that understood what the gently caress is happening. Lots of cheerful conversations, chanting. Unification.
On the other hand, battling rosgvardia it dawned that this is not it, this is not an end and nothing will happen. The regime is really so strong and has so many laws that contradict constitution that only european human rights court can judge correctly but russian doesnt. I was eagerly waiting for something like that since coolzone in usa started but this is too disheartening honestly. Its like, literally battling against impossible odds. This didn't make us step down but we knew, people were chatting but still had hopes. Technically russia can announce that these "violent" protests (police violence but semantics) were against the law and during pandemic. Okay, yes but Constitution chapter 31, fuckers. Also lol pandemic doesn't stop duma (and also death of deputat Vaha Agaev who "voted" after his death for a few laws) from doing its dirty job. And police issues fines based on federal laws not constitution.
Yes, the world knows. So what? Sanctions? Pfft they don't care, there are a lot of freeports around the world and boy these fuckers have money. Our money. We need more, we need a revolution. We need hanging as much as Belarus needs it. We need death sentences brought back as China does it. We will keep fighting.
Furthermore, my ukranian friends commented on that. It hurt but it was true. Not many stood up in russia for what was happening in Ukraine. But I still believe that we are one with all slav countries. We are together and strong and we will endure. Belarus, Ukraine, Russia. We are in this together, finally.
edit: reflecting a bit about ukraine. Yeah we had our "official" lines divided but as people we should stand strong together. We as nation failed our brothers many times because we were scared. Too many of our citizens are brainwashed that ukraine, belarus, even next city is not a friend. drat, if I got my babushka to finally believe in what is happening, in what actually her beloved idiot putler is, than we can and will be together. We are stronger together and should support each other in any good or bad that is or going to happen.

ps
Yakutsk are drat heroes, - 53celsius and these fuckers went out on the streets. Heroes.

pps
people were passing email address to financially help with fines but its on my wrecked phone, please post if anyone has it.

ppps
my arm hurts

Well, good luck! I don't know about Russia situation much, to offer anything particular to say, however from technical side - learn protest logistics and coordination of said logistics. This is something we had to learn after august events. When you are out for hours, people are gonna need water, they will need food, probably hot beverages now in winter. When there are 10s of thousands, shops will not handle it at the same time. Sometimes its a better idea to buy a shitton of water, drive to the protest and give it out to people, if you coordinate with other volunteers it will be more efficient. Another thing is fines - some people will not march for various reasons but will happily donate money, other people want to march but are so poor that fear for their family well being but will go if they know that a solidarity fund will cover their fines or a lawyer. General solidarity is very important, helping out each other in various ways is a powerful force especially in big cities where everybody is a stranger to one another. For instance we now have real neighbour communities that do poo poo together while previously barely said hi to each other. Like maybe you have an artist in your building who will happily paint a mural with some help from neighbours etc.

# ? Jan 30, 2021 14:10

Somaen: Nov 19, 2007; by vyelkin

# ? Jan 31, 2021 12:03

Erulisse: Feb 12, 2019; A bad poster trying to get better.

I am too radical for that. We need violence towards pigs, seriously. They know they are untouchables and nothing ever will happen to them. They are not scared, they are having fun beating and torturing.
This is sad, i am dumber than median goon and socially inept so only way I can see this poo poo resolving is either we give up and putler will "harden the leash", giving even more power to police and natsgvardiya (nats sounds like nazi sad haha here) because they will not go away freely, nor him nor his friends; or the whole country breaks into full scale civil war. I left early because I can't take it anymore, I'm so angry I almost lost control.
Beyond that is the sad part about people who either lived through 90s or heard about them from their friends and family and are somehow scared that the bandit times of 90s will come back (no, they do not respond why we can't move forward, they are dead set that 90s will be back at the moment putler is dismissed) or think that there is no one to take over instead of putler. Like, if he jails every politician who doesn't agree, how there will be? It's a shitshow without clear end. I'm beyond my regular depression. Also a bit more personal, I have like almost no friends left but two. Found out most of them are (all while disliking the current government!) either "who if not putler"/"I want peace so gently caress off even losing freedoms"/"don't care about politics and politicians, they all suck".

# ? Jan 31, 2021 16:03

Doctor Malaver: May 23, 2007; Ce qui s'est pass� t'a rendu plus fort

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/feb/01/we-are-bellingcat-by-eliot-higgins-review-the-reinvention-of-reporting-for-the-internet-age

Brown Moses levels up... again!

# ? Feb 1, 2021 10:09

Budzilla: Oct 14, 2007; We can all learn from our past mistakes.

It's good to see all these protests happening but I do not have high hopes that they will lead to better outcomes for Russian citizens. They will probably be cracked down on and they will fizzle out and Putin will give more power to the Rosgvardia.

# ? Feb 1, 2021 12:27

HUGE PUBES A PLUS: Apr 30, 2005

4000 people arrested this past weekend and now his wife is in custody. Hearing Russians in Moscow chant long live Belarus shows an awareness of their own predicament, however.

# ? Feb 1, 2021 12:33

Nitrox: Jul 5, 2002

Doctor Malaver posted:

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/feb/01/we-are-bellingcat-by-eliot-higgins-review-the-reinvention-of-reporting-for-the-internet-age

Brown Moses levels up... again!

It's a very well written article, and does a very good job at explaining the basics of what citizen journalism actually is

# ? Feb 1, 2021 13:47

Sekenr: Dec 12, 2013

Erulisse posted:

I am too radical for that. We need violence towards pigs, seriously. They know they are untouchables and nothing ever will happen to them. They are not scared, they are having fun beating and torturing.
This is sad, i am dumber than median goon and socially inept so only way I can see this poo poo resolving is either we give up and putler will "harden the leash", giving even more power to police and natsgvardiya (nats sounds like nazi sad haha here) because they will not go away freely, nor him nor his friends; or the whole country breaks into full scale civil war. I left early because I can't take it anymore, I'm so angry I almost lost control.
Beyond that is the sad part about people who either lived through 90s or heard about them from their friends and family and are somehow scared that the bandit times of 90s will come back (no, they do not respond why we can't move forward, they are dead set that 90s will be back at the moment putler is dismissed) or think that there is no one to take over instead of putler. Like, if he jails every politician who doesn't agree, how there will be? It's a shitshow without clear end. I'm beyond my regular depression. Also a bit more personal, I have like almost no friends left but two. Found out most of them are (all while disliking the current government!) either "who if not putler"/"I want peace so gently caress off even losing freedoms"/"don't care about politics and politicians, they all suck".

Well, this is pretty much exactly what Belarus is or was. I know Russians don't like this idea but I felt for a long time that Belarus seems eerily like a proving grounds for more unpopular or repressive laws, Luka does some poo poo, skip forward a few years and Kremlin also does something similar. Things seem to start accelerating lately with 2 systems becoming more alike.

# ? Feb 1, 2021 14:20

Somaen: Nov 19, 2007; by vyelkin

Erulisse posted:

I am too radical for that. We need violence towards pigs, seriously. They know they are untouchables and nothing ever will happen to them. They are not scared, they are having fun beating and torturing.
This is sad, i am dumber than median goon and socially inept so only way I can see this poo poo resolving is either we give up and putler will "harden the leash", giving even more power to police and natsgvardiya (nats sounds like nazi sad haha here) because they will not go away freely, nor him nor his friends; or the whole country breaks into full scale civil war. I left early because I can't take it anymore, I'm so angry I almost lost control.
Beyond that is the sad part about people who either lived through 90s or heard about them from their friends and family and are somehow scared that the bandit times of 90s will come back (no, they do not respond why we can't move forward, they are dead set that 90s will be back at the moment putler is dismissed) or think that there is no one to take over instead of putler. Like, if he jails every politician who doesn't agree, how there will be? It's a shitshow without clear end. I'm beyond my regular depression. Also a bit more personal, I have like almost no friends left but two. Found out most of them are (all while disliking the current government!) either "who if not putler"/"I want peace so gently caress off even losing freedoms"/"don't care about politics and politicians, they all suck".

Hey, I understand, most people in eastern europe are apathetic and don't want to rock the boat unless it gets REALLY bad, especially in a country where you can be jailed for a tweet or retweet. The oligarch class is not going to budge without a fight, but they're out-of-touch senile gopniks, their time is coming to an end and a new generation is there to try and build something better. At worst, let's outlive the evil bunker grandpa.

And again a message of support from Bernie :unsmith:

https://twitter.com/SenSanders/status/1356271580599508995

# ? Feb 1, 2021 21:24

HUGE PUBES A PLUS: Apr 30, 2005

https://twitter.com/XSovietNews/status/1356550344717795329

# ? Feb 2, 2021 12:00

HUGE PUBES A PLUS: Apr 30, 2005

https://twitter.com/RFERL/status/1356654610300166146

https://twitter.com/AlexKokcharov/status/1356656024858611714

# ? Feb 2, 2021 18:31

HUGE PUBES A PLUS: Apr 30, 2005

https://twitter.com/XSovietNews/status/1356688865801756672

# ? Feb 2, 2021 20:40

Necronormiecon: Mar 12, 2019; Farewell, sweet Nerevar. Better luck on your next incarnation.

Glad to see this thread is no longer about the Ukrainian 1488 guy sharing his opinions.

I live not far from where the Moscow protests are happening. Been hearing screams, chanting and police sirens all evening. I guess I should go protest with the others.

# ? Feb 2, 2021 22:00

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? May 14, 2024 07:07

HUGE PUBES A PLUS: Apr 30, 2005

Cool to see you back. Please don't get beat up and or arrested.

# ? Feb 3, 2021 18:04

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > Eastern Europe: Olivier's sphere of influence

«‹›463 »