Politics and Government of Russia

franco wrote:"We are waiting for changes!"

World agenda
.........
2) Another possible direction for provoking a military conflict is the Baltic-Kaliningrad link;
.........
5) The Kurils, etc. are the same possible target.
.........
Author: Samsonov Alexander

People who actually think that anything will be happening in Kalingrad or Kurils outside WW3 is being a drama queen

PapaDragon wrote:

franco wrote:"We are waiting for changes!"

World agenda
.........
2) Another possible direction for provoking a military conflict is the Baltic-Kaliningrad link;
.........
5) The Kurils, etc. are the same possible target.
.........
Author: Samsonov Alexander

People who actually think that anything will be happening in Kalingrad or Kurils outside WW3 is being  a drama queen

That I never understood how there are people who can't seem to figure out that there is no such thing as limited regional conflicts, especially against a large nations territory like that of Russia, that doesn't drag the entire nation to war.

Russia would steam roll through all these US proxies around it if in case it came to a conflict.

I agree. But you are too nice. They are not just drama queens, but full fledged retards.

franco wrote:The point the authors are raising is the war that the West commenced a few years back to go after the hearts and minds of the 15-25 year olds Russian youth. The West realized that they were not succeeding with the overall Russian population so changed tactics. The West will never give up but will continue to come until they own Russia. Now they are on a 25 year plan to convert the Russian youth into adult pro-westerns. One of the authors referred to them as the TikTok's however my favorite is the Me Me generation. Perhaps something gets lost in the translations.

The government is aware of this hence:
- reintroduction of patriotic studies in school
- development of the Yunarmiya youth organization sponsored by the military and security (presently 750,000 plus)
- military political officers in the military
- extensive group of military boarding schools sponsored by military, security, Cossack and other patriotic groups to develop the leaders for the next generations
- purpose of these articles above is to point out the danger to society and parents specifically
 

Fair point and reason why I don't attack you is because I k ow what you say carries weight behind it.

We understand what you are saying, but how the author writes it, heavily discredits him and his points will be lost in such translation.

This is always been the game. Most people old enough now were educated by pro western education system and it still didn't work because the west exposed itself. Most of the youth seems to be rather pro Russia and while some liberal mindsets still plague the children (lgbtqmnop++-!!), For the most part, they still show nationalistic viewpoints.

The issue isn't them I view. It's the small regions with minority groups who love to talk about their nationalism (Tatarstan as example). And the promotion of it comes from nations like Turkey.

The west is broke. He has no 25 years.

MOSCOW. Jan 29 (Interfax) - The Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IMEMO), the Carnegie Moscow Center, and the Moscow State Institute of international Relations (MGIMO) have been included in the prestigious 2020 Global Go To Think Tank Index Report compiled by the University of Pennsylvania.

IMEMO ranks 33rd; MGIMO is 124th.

The Top 5 are: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (U.S.), Bruegel (Belgium), the Getulio Vargas Foundation (Brazil), the Center for Strategic and International Studies (U.S.), the French institute of international relations (France), and the Japan Institute of International Affairs was rated the best think tank of the year.

The analysis covered more than 11,000 analytical centers over the world (with its 143 think tanks, Russia ranks 12th in terms of numbers globally), 174 of which made it to the global index.

In Central and Eastern Europe, there were 17 think tanks from Russia, including the Center for Economic and Financial Research and Development of the New Economic School (in 15th place), the Academy of Sciences' Institute for US and Canadian Studies (26th place), the Independent Institute of Social Policy (29th), Yegor Gaidar Institute of Economic Policy (32nd), the Economic Expert Group (44th), the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC, 47th), and the Analytical Center of the Russian Government (54th).

IMEMO, the Institute for US and Canadian Studies, MGIMO, RIAC and the Council for Foreign and Defense Policies were also included in the rating of defense and national security think tanks; they are also, along with the Academy of Sciences' Institute of Europe, are in the rating of centers for foreign policy and international relations.

IMEMO also ranked number 12 in the Think Tank Conference category.

IMEMO Director Feodor Voitolovsky told Interfax that "think tanks as a phenomenon have existed for more than 100 years already."

"Over this period, not only have they become important suppliers of ideas and analytics for governments, but they have turned into important players of international communications and formation of the global agenda. Besides, expert advisory centers are important suppliers of professional expert knowledge about the world economy and politics to the public in a world torn apart by information rivalry and overflown with fake news. It is particularly important. Another key function of think tanks is so-called Track II diplomacy - expert consultations on challenging issues of global politics and international security. Representatives of the expert and analytical community face the same burden of responsibility as professional diplomats, but they may prove to be very helpful in formulating and openly discussing ideas that may further be used in official negotiations," he said.

RAS Institute for US and Canadian Studies Director Valery Garbuzov, in turn, said that independent analytical centers are a "necessary element within the mechanism of political decision making of any state."

"They play a special, unmatched role in developing and forming a country's foreign policy, in forming foreign policy of a government. Without preliminary analysis of possible options of decisions that are being adopted, effective government regulation of the economy, the social sector, and appropriate foreign policy conduct are hardly possible," Garbuzov told Interfax.

MGIMO Rector, RAS Academician Anatoly Torkunov, for his part, noted that the "University of Pennsylvania ranking differs from other recognized world rankings by its approaches to making assessments."

"Its specific features include consideration for the university's expert authority, the relevance of its employees' comments in the media, and the applied analytical potential of the university's team," he said.

Global recognition of achievements of MGIMO as a think tank gives "crucial impetus to the further development of scientific and expert infrastructure, to self-motivated search for subjects for analysis that are meaningful from a practical standpoint," he said.

"I am convinced that Russian studies of international relations and the role of people in them should become more accessible to the global audience, not only within the academic community, but also among people who make decisions. The establishment in 2020 of the world-class Center for Interdisciplinary Studies of Human Potential will help tackle this vital task," the MGIMO rector said.

An expert meeting dedicated to the publication of the 2020 Global Go To Think Tank Index Report will be held next week as part of the joint project of IMEMO and Interfax "Russia and the World: the professional conversation". The subject of the upcoming meeting will be Russian think tanks within the global dimension. The meeting will center on the positions of Russian think tanks in the global context, key avenues of their work, their development prospects, and challenges they face.

Note: just some numbers

Children need to be educated, and not spit on their fate

How tired I am of TV and radio, and the Internet. And not because they exist. And, willy-nilly, I have to listen to what they say there. On the contrary, I see the media and the Internet, including social media, as one of the ways to communicate with the world. To understand what is hidden in the heads of friends and enemies.

On the eve of the next announced performances on the Old Square, about which almost all social networks shout, I think it would be appropriate to talk about ... our children. Not about those someone's, some other dads and mothers, grandparents, but about ours. About those we are talking about:

"I have a smart child, brought up by me and understands well when they try to use him."

Those other people's children, in relation to whom I hear calls to punish, send to special schools, deprive of some rights, etc., are of little interest to me ...

True, it seems to me, if suddenly in a crowd of "protesters in general" If I see my son or grandson with a baton in a fight, my opinion will change dramatically. This is my child, which means he cannot be a criminal.

Is it legal to be tough with children

I have closely followed how the authorities would react to the January 23 riots.

At the same time, I looked closely at how the opposing side reacted to the results of the rallies. Although, to be honest, I have not seen rallies anywhere. It is clear that nothing serious could have happened in the outback simply because of the small number of protesters, although Vladivostok surprised me. But in Moscow and St. Petersburg ...

Maybe I'm a moss-covered conservative who did not see the current trends, but, in my opinion, a rally is when they not only walk around and yell some stupid things to infuriate law enforcement officers, but act, express their point of view on this or that event, call for some action.

I perceive a meeting or some kind of procession as an ordinary public event. The only difference is in what the protesters express. There is a religious procession - here is the procession of believers. Public event. Fans of "Spartak" or "Dynamo" came out to celebrate the victory of their team near the stadium. Isn't it a rally? Moreover, it was unauthorized. But understandable to any passer-by.

What I saw almost a week ago was a clear provocation, when the audience tried to use technologies already tested in Ukraine and Belarus. To provoke the police and other special services into harsh actions like those demonstrated by the police in France, Germany, the Netherlands, the USA ...

Our police have worked well. Without blood and without sacred sacrifices. But at the same time, a fairly large number of law enforcement officers were injured and mutilated. The property of power structures was damaged. How to deal with this? Why did this happen? Why does the crowd calmly go to clashes with the police?

It seems to me that the reason is that the actions of our police and other security officials are quite strongly regulated by law. You probably remember the episode when "civilians" beat a traffic police officer, and his friend, instead of using a weapon , ran to calm them down. How many times did you discuss this situation later? It was necessary that, it was necessary ... He was armed! ..

So what? The very first shot in the direction of the attackers, even if it did not hit, would mean at least a hassle about the use of weapons, and, as a maximum, time. And everything is according to the law. So the policeman will not use weapons the way they show every day in Russian militants. Well, this is a rare case. And what about the "democratizer"?

A crowd goes to the chain of law enforcement officers. Obviously to fight. It is clear that clubs are used here. But tell me, how to distinguish an adult, twenty-year-old fighter, from an almost two-meter 16-year-old teenager accelerator in this dance? But try to hit him with a club. What will the media howl? How many human rights defenders will broadcast on TV about police arbitrariness? How long will prosecutors and investigators check the legality of this strike?

It seems to me that it is necessary to clearly state in the law that participation in mass demonstrations of youngsters, under 14 or 16 years old, is punishable by a serious fine for the parents of the child. And if this child participates in fights and other clashes with the police and (or) when the law enforcement officer receives any injuries and mutilations from the actions of this child, the norm should be legalized that criminal liability for this begins from the age of 14 (16). So that the policeman is not afraid to be a policeman.

This time, the police managed to keep the situation under control without using harsh measures. But, we saw that militants and fascists had already appeared in the ranks of the protesters. And it was obvious even not to specialists. Where is the guarantee that next time these same militants will act in the same way, without using weapons? Where is the guarantee that there will be no corpses? We remember the first corpse on the Maidan. We remember where and how he appeared.

You have to answer for words and lies

It was very interesting for me to observe the opinion of readers on the Internet. Close the internet! Create a local network only for Russians! Block ... Force ... Shield children from Western influence ... And the like. Doesn't it resemble the Great Wall of China? Or "Yatsenyuk's wall"?

Do we confess that our children are no longer ours? That some blogger is more important to them than their father or mother? Are we signing our own powerlessness? But these are our children! We educate them in our own image. We put a particle of ourselves in them.

Once upon a time, in the days of ona, when there were no computers and other means of communication, and the TV showed a couple of channels, we were brought up in school and on the street just like today. Parents, as now, worked. Probably, there was no boy who at least once in his life did not commit something that could qualify as a misdemeanor. The street is like that ...

But the street had one very important educational function. The street taught us to be responsible for our words. It was impossible to hide behind some abstract nickname, it was impossible to use spyware, which supposedly cannot be traced. We just spoke on our own, or referred to whoever said it. And if someone was lying, the street's response was brutal.

With the advent of the Internet, information began to spread anonymously. The blogger said ... Moreover, the information became false in essence. Today, the majority of Internet users use a fake Wiki instead of encyclopedias. Don't we need correct knowledge? We require knowledge of the majority. If everyone thinks so, then this is the truth.

And that's when we lost our children.

The factor of responsibility for their words disappeared. But the opinion of the majority appeared, the whole world is with us and the like. A society of people without a face! A society where you can say everything and you won't get anything for it. It is not Vasya or Dasha Pupkin speaking, but the Crazy Chair and Wooden Malvina.

Remember the many messages in the same TikTok about the atrocities of riot police, about the order to use weapons against protesters, about the many killed, and so on? But these messages were immediately multiplied by numerous reposts and collected tens of thousands of likes in a short time. What is the answer? In response - a post about the fact that this is a lie, which was watched by a thousand people.

It is clear that among the many participants in the "children's" social networks there are adult professionals. And that these professionals themselves work "for children" or use real children for this purpose. But those who repost are real children. I recently reread the comments under one of my articles. And you know, I saw exactly the same technologies that are used for children.

If we discard the arguments about the economy, corruption, lagging behind the West and so on, then in the "bottom line" you will see a very simple, primitive:

“We, free, educated and successful people who do not steal, do not fight, are not in power, not journalists or propagandists, are against Putin. And all those who are for him are putinoids, uneducated cattle and genetic slaves. "

And all the rest of the "dregs" are wound on this primitive thesis.

But back to our children. What should be done? The answer is obvious.

Impunity breeds new misconduct and even crime. The fact that the government, including in Russia, controls the Internet, we saw in the examples that are shown on TV screens. How many bloggers have already been found ... So technically this is not a problem.

We need to start with bloggers. The desire for big money has generated a fairly large layer of people who work professionally as bloggers. They have an audience of hundreds of thousands and even millions of people. And at the same time, unlike the journalists of the official media, they are not limited by any laws.

I think that blogging, after the number of subscribers reaches some serious number (10 or 100 thousand), should automatically obey the same laws as the media. With all the ensuing limitations and responsibilities. You have to answer for words, including with a ruble or freedom.

You also need to work with children who repost explicit stuffing. Are there officers in the police who work with this particular category? So let them work.

Indeed, for most of them, a simple conversation is enough in order to no longer repeat mistakes. Just a call to the police's nursery and a reasoned conversation with the child and his parents. Such a social media user is no less dangerous than the bully who smashed the glass at the school with a soccer ball.

There are no lost generations

I often hear the opinion that because of our experiments in the field of upbringing and education, we have lost a whole generation. Such reasoning in the style of "heroes are not you." I wonder who is serving in Syria now? Working in business? Who is doing the same Internet? Aren't they representatives of this most allegedly "lost generation"?

Talking about "losses" is nothing more than another version of the thesis "about free and slaves" already mentioned by me above. And those who have just been drafted into the army and serve now are representatives of what generation? For some reason, we do not recognize these people as the representatives of their generation? For us, are representatives piled high, parasites, liberal whiners?

A generation, like a people, consists of specific people. All abstract and meaningless terms such as generation, man, people and the like do not oblige us to anything. The whole world is against ... And I'm for. It turns out that I do not enter this whole world? Or am I not a people if I do not support the ideas of “the whole people”?

Our children are an extension of us. They are just proof of our immortality. They cannot be lost. They may be slightly different. Like classic works of art. The story of Romeo and Juliet, repeated hundreds of thousands of times by other authors who simply inserted heroes into a more modern interior.

Therefore, children must be brought up, and not give a damn about their future fate.

To educate not only with loving stroking on the head, but also (at least sometimes) with reasonable punishments for misdeeds. Denying something is easy. How long have bad habits been banned? But the prohibition will be in effect only when the child himself begins to understand and accept it.

That is, you should help the child understand why this should not be done. This is the educational work of parents.

Author:
Alexander Staver

‘Smart Voting’ project aimed at interfering in Russia’s domestic affairs - senior lawmaker

MOSCOW, March 20. /TASS/. The so-called "smart voting" is a meaningless project aimed at interfering in Russia’s domestic affairs, State Duma (the lower house of parliament) Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin wrote on Telegram on Saturday.

Earlier, several political scientists described Volodin’s initiative to formalize the election promises of candidates as an alternative to the Smart Voting project.

"I disagree. Smart Voting is not about a specific form. It is a meaningless project, which is not aimed at resolving people’s problems. It based on the desire to grab power," the State Duma speaker pointed out. According to him, "the project’s founders reside abroad" and "there are Western governments and intelligence agencies behind them."

"Attempts to interfere in the domestic affairs of our country are made through this project. The only argument that is provided in order to involve politicians in the project is that it opposes the government," Volodin noted.

https://www.globalresearch.ca/why-russia-driving-west-crazy/5737020

Dostoyevsky in 1881:

Russians are as much Asiatics as European. The mistake of our policy for the past two centuries has been to make the people of Europe believe that we are true Europeans. We have served Europe too well, we have taken too great a part in her domestic quarrels (…) We have bowed ourselves like slaves before the Europeans and have only gained their hatred and contempt. It is time to turn away from ungrateful Europe. Our future is in Asia.

Dostoyevsky must have had a time machine.

PhSt wrote:

‘Smart Voting’ project aimed at interfering in Russia’s domestic affairs - senior lawmaker

MOSCOW, March 20. /TASS/. The so-called "smart voting" is a meaningless project aimed at interfering in Russia’s domestic affairs, State Duma (the lower house of parliament) Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin wrote on Telegram on Saturday.

Earlier, several political scientists described Volodin’s initiative to formalize the election promises of candidates as an alternative to the Smart Voting project.

"I disagree. Smart Voting is not about a specific form. It is a meaningless project, which is not aimed at resolving people’s problems. It based on the desire to grab power," the State Duma speaker pointed out. According to him, "the project’s founders reside abroad" and "there are Western governments and intelligence agencies behind them."

"Attempts to interfere in the domestic affairs of our country are made through this project. The only argument that is provided in order to involve politicians in the project is that it opposes the government," Volodin noted.

It never even worked. At last elections, all it did was give additional votes to LDPR and Communists, but also gave power to United Russia as party members switch allegiance to United Russia. Heck, some of the members who got in by "smart voting" I believe left due to issues like corruption and what not.

Smart voting isn't even a thing really. It's just Navalny and traitor co all looking to push their supporters to vote, in various regions, the next most popular party to get them more votes.

Seeing how it's parties like Communists and LDPR, these people hate Navalny and co as United.

It is and oxymoron cause there isn't anything smart about it

American ‘regime change’ specialists NED claim credit for Belarus protests & boast of funding Russian opposition during prank call

A pair of notorious Russian pranksters posing as leading Belarusian opposition figures have duped the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) into revealing the extent of US involvement in Eastern European political movements.

In a video call posted on the online channel of pranksters Vovan and Lexus, senior representatives of the American agency disclosed that they have actively financed and supported anti-government campaigns in the region. The officials from the NED, which is funded by Congress and describes its role as “supporting freedom around the world,” also revealed that they are coordinating efforts with prominent political activists in a range of countries, including Russia.

The officials believed they were talking to Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, the figurehead of Belarus’ opposition movement, and one of her advisors.

During the call, Nina Ognianova, who oversees the NED's work with local groups in Belarus, outlined the wide-ranging programs the agency bankrolls in the country, insisting that “a lot of the people who have been trained by these hubs, who have been in touch with them and being educated, being involved in their work, have now taken the flag and started to lead in community organizing.”

Ognianova claimed that, through this work, the NED played a role in igniting the colossal street protests that rocked Belarus after long-time leader Alexander Lukashenko declared victory in the country’s presidential election last August. The opposition and many international observers say the vote was rigged in his favor, and tens of thousands took to the streets for demonstrations each weekend after the election.

“We believe that this long-term trust-building that we have had with partners in Belarus has indeed brought the events, or the build-up to the events, of last summer,” Ognianova stated.

“We don't think that this movement that is so impressive and so inspiring came out of nowhere - that it just happened overnight,” she added, “but it has been developing and we have our modest but significant contribution in that by empowering the local actors to do the important work.”

Carl Gershman, the president of the US state-backed agency, told the pranksters that Washington-based funding and policy groups were already working with Tikhanovskaya and her team “very, very closely.” He then asked the opposition figure, who fled to neighboring Lithuania after the election, to set out her thinking on the situation “so we can understand what your strategy is... and how we can be helpful.”

The comments are likely to add fuel to Lukashenko’s previous controversial claims that the widespread domestic opposition to his government is being stoked from abroad.

The pranksters also pushed the NED’s top team to outline their current activity in Russia, asking what they were doing to support anti-Kremlin activists. Gershman replied that such initiatives are “obviously incredibly important and we've emphasized this, going back to the election in August when the demonstrations were taking place in the Russian Far East, and people were connecting with each other and saying we share the same ideals, so we're very committed to helping on that, and we will - working with our networks and our institutes.”

One of the duo, claiming to be Tikhanovskaya's assistant, questioned this, saying, “I know that NED is prohibited in Russia now,” referencing a 2015 government decision declaring it to be an “undesirable NGO.” A number of the group's senior leadership team began to laugh, with Gershman insisting “that doesn't matter. We don't have offices, we're not like Freedom House or NDI [the National Democratic Institute] and the IRI [International Republican Institute], we don't have offices. So if we're not there, they can't kick us out.”

“But we support many, many groups and we have a very, very active program throughout the country, and many of the groups obviously have their partners in exile,” the fund's president added. “So we are very active and we can be very helpful on this issue.” He added that they were “of course” in touch with Leonid Volkov, a Lithuanian-based activist frequently described as the chief of staff of jailed Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny.

Barbara Haig, the deputy to the NED’s president for policy and strategy, also hinted at the potential scale of US funding for political groups, saying, “we have a very ample program in Russia” which “goes even down to the grassroots in provinces - oblasts - outside of Moscow. It is very deep and it is very broad.”

Both she and Gershman expressed concern about Russian military exercises billed to take place alongside Belarusian troops later this year, with Haig asking if the group should be “looking at the deployment of Russian military in the country and how that might be changing over time, and whether we should be raising this with some of our contacts.”

Somewhat ironically, Haig also insisted that opposition groups in Russia are concerned about purported efforts to infiltrate and monitor their activity, saying that “security is a huge issue.” How the NED's most senior figures came to speak with the pranksters, who kept their cameras turned off and spoke in an unconvincing imitation of Tikhanovskaya's voice, is unclear.

The pair, whose real names are Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexey Stolyarov, have previously blagged their way into calls with the likes of Prince Harry, Amnesty International and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. However, they have been accused by some Western commentators of disproportionately targeting opponents of the Kremlin, with their comedy gotchas frequently seeking to generate political controversy.

The NED describes itself as a “private, non-profit, grant-making organization that receives an annual appropriation from the US Congress through the Department of State.” It acknowledges that its “continued funding is dependent on the continued support of the White House and Congress,” but states that its own “independent Board of Directors” is in charge of how the funds are spent. The agency insists that its “independence... also allows it to work with many groups abroad who would hesitate to take funds from the US Government.” Representatives of the NED have been approached for comment.

This needs to be all over the news in Russia 24/7 to further expose American involvement in Russia's liberal opposition 5th column vermins and their activities

This is rather huge news.

We know of course how pathetic the NED has been in causing trouble in Russia, as seen as recently with their "protests" which don't bring many people out. So I presume their people are these dolts.

But these pranksters are doing God's work for Russia - it's literally them gaining Intel from the perps themselves. Fact they gave names like Volkov will just damage his image even further.

Guaranteed this is being spread fast and far.

The problem is that most sheeple are not prepared to think. Such news goes in one ear and out the other. There really are hordes
of low brain activity meat out there who simply respond what tickles their fancy. In their little bubble of "reality", only self-affirming
news matters and the rest is just noise or "lies".

But regardless, Russian media and RT should spread this as much as possible and make sure it never fades. Trot this "whataboutism"
out every freaking time some western shit starts yapping about lack of freedom in Russia. This "lack of freedom" is chutzpah-speak
which means "lack of freedom for our agents of destabilization".

Nahalny and his clowns outfit claimed that they subsisted solely on the donations of their subscribers. Of course, this was
a total lie. In actuality, only 22% of the revenues of "FBK" (Nahalny's "anti-corruption" organization) were supported this way.
From 2017 to 2020, 78% of the money came from Evgeniy Chichvak and Boris Zimin. This amounted to 164.6 million rubles.
Both of these individuals are residents of NATzO countries after running away from Russia to escape the legal consequences
of their crimes.

The money was channeled in various ways including the hilarious nonsense of FBK directors like Volkov giving millions of rubles to
his own organization which paid his salary.

It is good to see these clowns subjected to public scrutiny. Their chutzpah should not be some shield of invincibility. If you
try to gain power in Russia, then expect to have some standards applied to you. Shrieking about human rights from your western
patrons does not make you legitimate and entitled to gain power.

Listened to Biden, 'I told Putin how it is with international 'rules of order''. You will notice in Biden's speech that he mentioned international norms, not international law. its because SehSha makes up its own 'international norms' and disregards 'international law'. Bidet's presser was carefully choreographed for the questions, patently obvious. It was a show, not a presser.

VVP's presser was mostly antagonistic questions which he replied to calmly.

In my opinion nothing has changed. No sanctions removed, the threat of 'consequences' if  Russian does not follow 'the rules', IOW do as we tell you.

Only real event is ambassadors will be returned. When is not exactly known. IMHO, a total waste of VVP's time. Or perhaps not?

auslander wrote:Listened to Biden, 'I told Putin how it is with international 'rules of order''. You will notice in Biden's speech that he mentioned international norms, not international law. its because SehSha makes up its own 'international norms' and disregards 'international law'. Bidet's presser was carefully choreographed for the questions, patently obvious. It was a show, not a presser.

VVP's presser was mostly antagonistic questions which he replied to calmly.

In my opinion nothing has changed. No sanctions removed, the threat of 'consequences' if  Russian does not follow 'the rules', IOW do as we tell you.

Only real event is ambassadors will be returned. When is not exactly known. IMHO, a total waste of VVP's time. Or perhaps not?

He wanted to look deep into Biden's eyes to see... how much of his mental faculties were left

franco wrote:He wanted to look deep into Biden's eyes to see... how much of his mental faculties were left

Not much point in it since what gets done is whatever his minders want to happen.

To be eligible for prisoner swap with US, Washington would have to confirm Navalny works for American intelligence, says Kremlin. 17.06.2021

Moscow has revealed that US negotiators did not request jailed Russian activist Alexey Navalny be included in a possible prisoner exchange, saying he would be ineligible if he is not a US citizen or a foreign intelligence agent.

Speaking on Thursday, a day after President Vladimir Putin met with his counterpart, Joe Biden, at a summit in Geneva, the Kremlin press secretary said the issue had not been discussed. Asked by the Echo of Moscow radio station whether Navalny was being considered for a prisoner swap, Dmitry Peskov said that the US team had not raised the issue.

“There was no such conversation and no such proposals were voiced,” he said. The official added that Russia would be unable to hand over the imprisoned anti-corruption campaigner unless it emerges that he is secretly “a citizen of the US and works for the special services – or, rather, this is confirmed by the Americans.”

In October last year, Navalny said that he would sue Peskov after the Kremlin spokesman implied that he had links to foreign spy agencies. “Probably, it is not the patient [Navalny] who works for the Western special services, but the Western intelligence services who work with him,” Peskov claimed. “I can even be specific: these days, specialists from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the United States of America are working with [Navalny].”

A poll by Moscow's Levada Center, registered as a ‘foreign agent’ by the Ministry of Justice over links to overseas funding, found that around half of Russians believe Navalny's alleged poisoning to have been faked. While the activist and his German doctors say he was dosed with the nerve agent Novichok, 30% of those surveyed said the opposition figure staged the event, and a further 19% believed that it was set up by Western intelligence agencies.

In the lead up to the summit in Switzerland, Biden warned that there would be “devastating” consequences if Navalny died in the penal colony where he is currently serving time for violating the terms of his parole. Asked by the media after the meeting whether his government had begun a “crackdown” against Kremlin critics, Putin said that the anti-corruption campaigner had simply violated his parole and knew he would be arrested on his return to the country.

A number of inmates are reportedly being considered for a two-way transfer since the summit. Konstantin Yaroshenko, a Russian airplane pilot, is mooted to be at the top of Moscow's list after he was arrested and taken to the US in 2011, where he was convicted over drug smuggling allegations.

For the American side, Paul Whelan, a former soldier and IT consultant arrested on espionage charges, is said to be a priority for any exchange. He made a personal video appeal to Biden from behind bars in the run up to the summit, and the American president announced that he had raised the case with Putin.

Another inmate languishing in a Russian prison who Biden discussed with his counterpart was Trevor Reed. A 29-year old former marine, Reed was arrested in Moscow in 2019 and handed nine years in prison for assaulting a police officer after a night of heavy drinking. Both Whelan and Reed deny the charges against them.

According to the Russian leader, the exchange was cordial and not overshadowed by disagreements over issues of domestic politics. “I don't think there was any kind of hostility,” he added, describing Biden as a “statesman.”

https://www.rt.com/russia/526842-navalny-prisoner-swap-america-peskov/

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday said his foreign minister and his defense minister will head the candidates’ list for the dominant United Russia party in September’s parliamentary election.

By placing Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on the list, Putin aims to increase voter enthusiasm for the party whose support has been waning.

The Sept. 19 election for all 450 seats in the Duma, the lower house of parliament, is widely seen as an important part of Putin’s efforts to cement his rule ahead of the 2024 presidential election. The 68-year-old leader, who has been in power for more than two decades, pushed through constitutional changes last year that would potentially allow him to hold onto power until 2036.

Both Shoigu and Lavrov have substantial popularity for their firm positions on the military and challenges to the West. Being on the party list does not oblige them to take parliament seats if elected.

Notably absent from the list announced at a party convention was Dmitry Medvedev, the former president and prime minister who is United Russia’s chairman. Medvedev left the premiership in January 2020 and took the less-visible post of deputy chairman of the national security council.

Although United Russia dominates the country’s politics and is Putin’s power base, its support is dipping. A survey in April by the independent pollster Levada Center found only 42% of voters would vote for the party in the parliamentary election.

Ahead of the September election, Russian authorities have moved to stifle opposition, most notably by outlawing the organizations founded by imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny. That prevents people associated with Navalny’s Foundation for Fighting Corruption and his sprawling regional network from seeking public office. Many of Navalny’s allies had hoped to run for parliamentary seats in September.

https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3036376/putin-names-lavrov-shoigu-united-russia-elections-list

****, more shit articles?

Why is this site allowing this that purposely spews nonsense like calling navalny opposition which he isn't?

I know this isn't your fault johnin but please add commentary at least.

GarryB wrote:

A survey in April by the independent pollster Levada Center found only 42% of voters would vote for the party in the parliamentary election.

The independent Levada Centre that is funded by western intelligence agencies and is registered in Russia as a foreign agent cannot be described as an independent pollster... any more than the BBC or CNN could be described as independent...

Quoting levada center is like asking antitty and bldm to endorse President Trump.

Levada often properly tracks support levels so it should not be dismissed out of hand. When clowns claim Nahalny should be president of Russia
because he is so popular, Levada's data can be cited to show them that he part of the lunatic fringe.

Levada is allowed to operate as long as it plays by some rules and is not just a western propaganda orifice. It serves the function of debunking
the routine excuse pulled by self-loving westerners that only their own sources are legitimate and the rest of the planet just lies and lies.