Russia takes another hostage
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Anonymous
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Russia has taken another American hostage. This time a WSJ reporter.
This is what we get for “trading” Bout and Yarashenko. Colossal mistake that has made being an American overseas more dangerous. |
Anonymous
| What exactly was he doing in Russia?We spend millions "rescuing" people but can't keep our kids safe in schools. |
Anonymous
He’s a reporter in the Wall Street Journal’s Moscow bureau. Has been a reporter in Russia for years. Detained on what I’m sure are trumped up espionage charges. |
Anonymous
In that case, the US should respond in kind and arrest a few oligarchs' kids; there are enough of them at US universities. Instead, we'll probably trade back a real criminal. |
Anonymous
I don't know anything about this particular writer but the fact is that CIA has used journalists for years. https://www.rcfp.org/journals/the-news-media-and-the-law-winter-2003/will-history-government-usi/ Media manipulation by the CIA and FBI came to the forefront of public attention with the admission of the practices by Congressional intelligence committees in early 1976. Reports issued by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, known as the Church Committee after Chairman Frank Church (D-Idaho), outlined CIA and FBI practices that regularly used journalists for their own means. The CIA adopted regulations in 1977 that barred the practice of using journalists, all the while neglecting to publicize a loophole that would allow the agency to use journalists under “extraordinary” circumstances with the “specific approval” of the CIA director. The loophole came to public attention in 1996, when the Washington Post exposed the waiver in the regulation’s language that few even knew existed. An upheaval of dissent resounded from media groups including the Society of Professional Journalists, the American Society of Newspaper Editors and The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. At the time, reporter Terry Anderson was a testament to their case. Anderson, former chief Middle East correspondent for The Associated Press, was held hostage in Lebanon for seven years under the alleged suspicion that he was an American spy. However, he told the St. Petersburg Times in 1996 that his Muslim terrorist captors “believe all Americans are spies, particularly those who go around asking questions.” The CIA’s policy of utilizing journalists on “extraordinarily rare” occasions, according to advocates, was simply the nail in the coffin. There are several accounts of individuals affiliated with the U.S. media who have suffered similar accounts. The CIA also has not explicitly explained what constitutes “extraordinarily rare” occasions and circumstances. The 1997 Intelligence Authorization Act was signed into law by President Bill Clinton, allowing the ban on the use of journalists to be waived with notification to Congress and presidential approval. Attorney General guidelines established in 1992 allow FBI agents to impersonate journalists with approval from bureau headquarters. The Columbia Journalism Review reported in November 1992 that the FBI, after being probed of its practices by a journalist whose name and credentials were appropriated by the FBI without his knowledge, expanded this practice to its counterintelligence operations. |
Anonymous
| Tucker can talk to his buddy Pooti and get him out. |
Anonymous
| Maybe Dubya can look into Putin's soul again. |
Anonymous
They’re more likely to be in the UK or France, not US schools |
Anonymous
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I think the reason why the Russian Government arrested the WSJ reporter is because they are close to total economic collapse.
"More than 75 percent of Russian exports are fossil fuels, chemicals, and other products made with fossil fuels." "The price of Russian oil fell from $92.20 a barrel a year ago to $49.50 this month. That’s a 46 percent decline. Those figures come from the Kremlin Finance Ministry" "Russia no longer has oil buyers with strong finances. Its remaining overseas oil customers include Cuba, Egypt, North Korea, and Sri Lanka, all countries with little capacity to pay cash for imported oil." "The Western oil companies with the technological skill to extract oil from the harsh Russian climate—including BP, ExxonMobil, and Shell—have all withdrawn from Russia, which will likely mean damage to Russian oil fields, pipelines, and refineries due to a lack of technical expertise." " Airbus and Boeing jets are being cannibalized for parts" "Putin is also vulnerable because, despite almost as much land mass as America and China combined, the Russian economy is small. In 2021 Russia’s economic output, or gross domestic product, was less than $1.8 trillion, compared to $23.3 trillion for the United States." "California alone has a $3.4 trillion economy, almost twice the size of Russia’s but with only about a fourth as many people" "Russia’s ability to import is also weakened by the falling ruble, down 30 percent against the dollar since the war on Ukraine began in late February 2022. Computers, machinery, and vehicles account for more than 40 percent of Russian imports, items all needed to pursue the war that now cost much more at a time when money to buy these items is tighter than tight." "spending in the first two months of this year was 59 percent greater than in the same period in 2022 and 90 percent more than in 2021." "At the same time, government revenues fell 28 percent and oil revenues fell 46 percent." "In a year, [Putin] has drawn down more than a fifth of the Russian sovereign wealth fund. In September 2021, it stood at 14 billion rubles, but it shrank to 11 billion rubles this month, which is less than $150 billion. For a country the size and population of Russia, that’s not a lot—even without a war." https://newrepublic.com/article/171481/putin-russia-economy-going-broke-fast-why This was a lot to digest, so here's the simple version in basic math. Russia has limited exports besides oil. Putting it a different way, if 1 = the entire income of the Russian economy before the war, oil and government revenues means that the maximum Russia could make is 0.25*(72%) + 0.75*(46%) or about 0.53. That means Russia has about half the spending ability that it had before the war, and some of that revenue damage is permanent since Western businesses pulled out and may never return. But, that's not everything. Spending rose 90% and the 11 Billion Ruble sovereign Wealth Fund dropped in value by 30%. "The two funds are the Reserve Fund, which is invested abroad in low-yield securities and used when oil and gas incomes fall, and the National Wealth Fund, which invests in riskier, higher return vehicles, as well as federal budget expenditures. The Reserve Fund was given $125 billion and the National Wealth Fund was given $32 billion. The fund is controlled by the Ministry of Finance. One of the fund's main responsibilities is to support the Russian pension system.[1]" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_National_Wealth_Fund With that said, the question is whether the fund can quickly lose value in a case of internal crisis stemming from a lack of a real "hard currency" reserve? If so, that means Russian pensioners are at risk - and that's a Russian sacred cow (similar to Macron's retirement age). https://www.econlib.org/jeff-sonnenfelds-bombshell-about-the-russian-economy/ We know there is a labor shortage. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-03-29...-in-russia-s-economy#xj4y7vzkg When you look at the propaganda YouTube videos about how Russia is thriving under sanctions, it is clear that Russians are in little danger of running out of food (at least in select cities). However, take a closer look at this video. As yourself why such a big hypermarket (aka supermarket) has such stocked shelves, yet so few shoppers? Also ask why bulk goods would be sold so cheap? My guess is what you don't see are the expiration dates for these items. Russia has lost at least a million of it's population plus the war losses. This would tend to create, first a glut of goods, then due to the lack of manufacturing and production a sharp decline of goods. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbd2veJebME Also compare the video of Anna from Russia last year versus this year. Listen to her voice around [7:00]. She's scared carrying a camera compared to her earlier videos. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mo2hc6l5WN0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xASWIeROJhg Something has changed. |
Anonymous
| I still say we should randomly arrest any Russians with ties to Putin on bogus trumped up charges, and offer to exchange them. And there are quite a few Russians here in the US. |
Anonymous
| There’s this guy Artem Uss due to be extradited to the US from Italy, who ran off cutting his bracelet. Maybe Evan is a plan B in case Artem gets caught |
Anonymous
| He’s Jewish like Zelenskyy |