“The Kremlin strategy is simple: awards for individuals, finances for parties, and gas for countries”.

All with simple goals: promote divisiveness, sow confusion and promote Russia. Information is the weapon, cash is a tool, promoting Russia is the goal.

Russia does not play well with others. Perhaps Russia needs to be treated like a petulant child and made to sit in the corner.

</end editorial>

Prague, Feb 9 (CTK) – Czech Communist (KSCM) politician Jiri Mastalka, who is rather unknown in his homeland, was decorated by President Vladimir Putin for his defence of Russia and its interests in the European Parliament (EP), David Klimes wrote in daily Hospodarske noviny (HN) on Tuesday.

Why did the relatively insignificant MEP Mastalka receive the highest Russian decoration that a foreigner may get, the Order of the Friendship, for his contribution to Czech-Russian relations? Klimes asks.

He says Mastalka is a perfect example of how Putin provokes conflicts and challenges the consensus in the European Union.

The Kremlin strategy is simple: awards for individuals, finances for parties, and gas for countries, Klimes writes.

Mastalka cannot influence whether this or that country will drop the sanctions imposed on Russia, but he has been a very useful advocate of Russian interests in the European Parliament for a long time, Klimes writes.

When the EP passed a sharp resolution against the imprisonment of Russian activist Alexei Navalny, it was Mastalka who defended the Russian steps the most firmly: “The court verdict on the Navalny brothers cannot be considered manipulated without evidence,” he said. Mastalka also showed surprise that other MEPs mind that Russian NGOs must report to the authorities whether they get money from the West, Klimes writes.

When the EP was discussing a report on Russia, Mastalka strongly disagreed with it: “It blames Russia for almost all sins that one can imagine.”

Mastalka remains an ardent defender of Moscow even though Putin’s Russia becomes increasingly aggressive. When the EP discussed free trade with Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, Mastalka criticised the European Commission for not taking into account the historical relations in the region, including ties to Russia, Klimes writes.

Last year, Mastalka did not support the EP criticism of a Kyrgyz law against “homosexual propaganda” because he said “sexual exhibitionism of any kind is an uncultured expression of freedom” and “a source of pointless and growing conflicts.” In his speech he even regretted the dissolution of the Soviet Union: “The economic and social slump following the dissolution of the Soviet Union is the essential reason of the worsening of the position of women.”

If one looks at the latest list of those decorated by the Russian Oder of Friendship, one can see that Putin’s challenging of the common EU stances has been well considered, he says.

Along with Mastalka, Austrian Vice Chancellor and Economy Minister Reinhold Mitterlehner received the order and he could immediately show his gratitude to Putin during his official visit to Moscow where he declared that the EU sanction policy did not help to any progress. In exchange, Russia promised that the Austrian oil processing company OMV would further cooperate on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, Klimes writes.

Mitterlehner has faced some criticism in Austria for anti-European stances. Mastalka seems unlikely to be criticised in the Czech Republic where nobody knows about his addresses in the EP that undermine the European criticism of the Kremlin.

Individuals are attracted to see the world in the pro-Kremlin way by various decorations or excursions (two other Czech KSCM lawmakers visited the separatists in the Donetsk republic in January, for example), while political parties are interested only in money. Even the U.S. intelligence believes that money flows from Russia to the West and that it is a problem, Klimes writes.

In 2014, the Hungarian Jobbik, the Greek Golden Dawn, the Italian Northern League and the French National Front received loans from Russian banks.

Putin tries to break the European unity on anti-Russian sanctions by favouring some EU politicians, for example Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Greece is another potential ally. Though Putin refused to lend money to Greek PM Alexis Tsipras last year, he cordially welcomed Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos in January. Pavlopoulos then said he hoped the Russia-EU relations would improve, Klimes writes.

There are more such European politicians whom Putin tries to please, Klimes says, adding that it is well-known how Russia-loving Czech President Milos Zeman is.

Last week, Putin praised the special Bavarian-Russian relations in Moscow during the visit of Bavarian Prime Minister Horst Seehofer who has been opposing Chancellor Angela Merkel in refugees affairs, and Seehofer seemed very happy about it, Klimes writes.

Copyright 2015 by the Czech News Agency (ČTK). All rights reserved.
Copying, dissemination or other publication of this article or parts thereof without the prior written consent of ČTK is expressly forbidden. The Prague Daily Monitor is not responsible for its content.

Source: http://www.praguemonitor.com/2016/02/10/hn-putin-awards-czech-advocate-russian-interests-ep

At first glance the sale of Opera response might be “so what”?

Would you want a Chinese browser on your system?

</end editorial>

by Rahil Bhagat / February 10, 20161:16 AM PST

Norway-based Opera Software has received a $1.2 billion acquisition offer from a group of Chinese companies, and has indicated it intends to accept.

The company on Wednesday said its board is unanimously recommending shareholders approve the takeover, which will give the browser-maker a stronger push into China under new stewardship.

The Chinese consortium in question includes Chinese Internet security company Qihoo 360, Internet-firm Beijing Kunlun (who invested roughly $93 million into Grindr earlier in the year) and investment funds Golden Brick and Yonglian.

According to Opera, the $1.2 billion figure is a premium of approximately 56 per cent when compared to Opera’s stock during the last 30 trading days.

Despite claiming 350 million users, the company’s browser has struggled in the oversaturated western market. China could be a profitable venture for Opera, thanks in part to Google’s Chrome browser not coming preinstalled on Android phones there there like it is elsewhere, but doing business in the country without local partners is nigh impossible. Through the partnership, Opera will be able to leverage the networks of Kunlun and Qihoo 360 to better penetrate the Chinese market.

“There is strong strategic and industrial logic to the acquisition of Opera by the Consortium,” said Lars Boilesen, CEO of Opera. “We believe that the Consortium, with its breadth of expertise and strong market position in emerging markets, will be a strong owner of Opera.”

Opera, founded over 20 years ago in 1995, was one of the first proper online businesses, releasing its namesake browser in 1997. Though it was never top dog, there has always been a strong, loyal following for its light, speedy software.

The company also made one of the first true mobile browsers, which was one of the best in the early days of Android. In recent years, Opera has been mainly focusing on its advertising and data compression technology, Opera Max.

At this point, the company still needs the go-ahead of its shareholders and government entities before the buyout can be finalised.

Source: http://www.cnet.com/news/opera-to-be-sold-to-chinese-consortium-for-1-2-billion/#ftag=CAD590a51e

There is Russian crazy, then there is North Korean crazy.

Putin might be corrupt, professionally unpredictable and borderline “tetched in the head”, but when he fires somebody, they generally retire to their dacha on the Black Sea or their house in London.

Anytime I hear news about North Korea, now, I always think of The Interview (2014 film), the Josh Rogin/James Franco parody.  smh  I only hope I never meet Kim Jong Un, I might giggle.

</end editorial>

SEOUL — North Korea has executed its army chief of staff, Ri Yong Gil, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported on Wednesday, which, if true, would be the latest in a series of executions, purges, and disappearances under the country’s young leader.

The news comes amid heightened tension surrounding the isolated North Korea after its Sunday launch of a long-range rocket, which came about a month after it drew international condemnation for conducting its fourth nuclear test.

A source familiar with North Korean affairs also told Reuters that Ri had been executed. The source declined to be identified, given the sensitivity of the matter.

Ri, who was chief of the Korean People’s Army General Staff, was executed this month for corruption and factional conspiracy, Yonhap and other South Korean media reported.

Yonhap did not identify its sources. The source who told Reuters the news declined to comment on how the information about the execution had been obtained.

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service declined to comment, and it was not possible to independently verify the report.

The North rarely issues public announcement related to purges or executions of high-level officials.

A rare official confirmation of a high-profile execution came after Jang Song Thaek, leader Kim Jong Un’s uncle and the man who was once considered the second-most-powerful figure in the country, was executed for corruption in 2013.

In May last year, the North executed its defense chief by antiaircraft gun at a firing range, the South’s spy agency said in a report to members of parliament.

The North’s military leadership has been in a state of perpetual reshuffle since Kim took power after the death of his father in 2011. He has changed his armed forces chief several times since then.

Some other high-ranking officials in the North have been absent from public view for extended periods, fueling speculation they may have been purged or removed, only to resurface.

(Reporting by Jack Kim; Editing by Tony Munroe Robert Birsel)

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/r-north-korea-executes-army-chief-of-staff-south-korean-media-2016-2 via Yahoo

Russia is not bombing Daesh targets as much as it is fighting Assad rebels.

Russia also appears to be doing something called “war profiteering”.  Why isn’t Russia bombing this plant instead, taking away Daesh income?

Follow the money, find the Russian corruption, indeed.

</end editorial>

Moscow says it’s at war with the jihadist group — but both sides aren’t opposed to cutting economic deals amid the bloodshed.

BY CEREN KENAR, RAGIP SOYLU

FEBRUARY 9, 2016

Officially, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government and his Russian allies are at war against the Islamic State. But a gas facility in northern Syria under the control of the jihadi group is evidence that business links between the Syrian regime and the Islamic State persist. According to Turkish officials and Syrian rebels, it is also the site of cooperation between the Islamic State and a Russian energy company with ties to President Vladimir Putin.

The Tuweinan gas facility, which is located roughly 60 miles southwest of the Islamic State’s de facto capital of Raqqa, is the largest such facility in Syria. It was built by Russian construction company Stroytransgaz, which is owned by billionaire Gennady Timchenko, a close associate of Putin. The company’s link to the Kremlin is well-documented: The U.S. Treasury Department previously sanctioned Stroytransgaz, along with the other Timchenko-owned companies, for engaging in activities “directly linked to Putin” amidst the confrontation over Ukraine.

The story of the controversial plant involves the Assad regime, Russian-Syrian businessmen, the Islamic State, and moderate Syrian groups, which together tried to activate the facility for the financial and logistical benefits it could provide for them.

The Syrian government originally awarded the contract to construct the Tuweinan facility to Stroytransgaz in 2007. The construction utilized a Syrian subcontractor, Hesco, which was owned by Russian-Syrian dual national George Haswani. Last November, the Treasury Department sanctioned Haswani for allegedly brokering oil sales between the Islamic State and the Assad regime, charges he denies.

The partnership between Hesco and Stroytransgaz goes far beyond this one deal. The companies have worked in joint projects in Sudan, Algeria, Iraq, and the UAE since 2000, according to Haswani’s son-in-law, Yusef Arbash, who runs Hesco’s Moscow office.

Construction continued slowly until a coalition of Syrian rebel groups seized the facility in a joint operation with the al Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front in January 2013. Abu Khalid, a member of the Qwais al-Qarani brigade, which was a part of the rebel coalition, said that when they entered the area, Russian engineers and advisors had already fled, leaving Syrian employees behind. “We decided to protect this plant; we thought it is belonging to Syrian people since it was owned by the Syrian state,” he said.

The Islamic State has been in control of the facility since early 2014.

A senior Turkish official said that after its seizure, Stroytransgaz, through its subcontractor Hesco, continued the facility’s construction with the Islamic State’s permission.

A senior Turkish official said that after its seizure, Stroytransgaz, through its subcontractor Hesco, continued the facility’s construction with the Islamic State’s permission. He also claimed that Russian engineers have been working at the facility to complete the project.

Syrian state-run newspaper Tishreen published a report appearing to corroborate this claim. In January 2014, after the facility was captured by the Islamic State, the paper cited Syrian government sources, saying that Stroytransgaz had completed 80 percent of the project and expected to hand over the facility to the regime during the second half of the year. The article didn’t mention that the facility was under the control of the Islamic State.

According to David Butter, an associate fellow at London-based Chatham House, who has seen a letter written by George Haswani explaining the details of the project, the facility’s first phase of production started towards the end of 2014, and it became fully operational during 2015. “Some of the natural gas goes to the Aleppo power station, which operates under the Islamic State’s protection, and the remainder is pumped to Homs and Damascus,” he said.

Abu Khalid said that Russian engineers still work at the facility, and Haswani brokered a deal with the Islamic State and the regime for mutually beneficial gas production from the facility. “IS allowed the Russian company to send engineers and crew in return for a big share in the gas and extortion money,” he said, using an acronym for the Islamic State and attributing the information to Syrian rebel commanders fighting the Islamic State in the area. “Employees of the Russian company were changing their shifts via a military base in Hama governorate.”

Haswani has rejected the Treasury Department’s allegations that he worked as a middle man in oil deals between the Islamic State and the Assad regime. But he has never denied Hesco’s continued work on the gas facility after the Islamic State captured it.

The details of the Tuweinan deal brokered between the Islamic State and Hesco was first reported by the Syrian media collective Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently in October 2014. The group claimed that Hesco signed an agreement with the Islamic State promising to leave a larger chunk of the profit to them. In October 2015, the Financial Times reported that the gas produced in the plant was sent to the Islamic State-held thermal power plant in Aleppo. The deal provides 50 megawatts of electricity for the regime, while the Islamic State receives 70 megawatts of electricity and 300 barrels of condensate. The engineers who worked at the plant told the Financial Timesthat Hesco also sends the Islamic State roughly $50,000 every month to protect its valuable equipment.

While Syria remains politically fractured, the deal at the Tuweinan gas facility shows that the rival parties are still cutting economic agreements amid the war. Aron Lund, editor of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s website Syria in Crisis, said that similar gas and oil arrangements exist all over Syria. “You have them between the IS and the regime, but also between IS and rival Sunni Arab rebels, between the Kurds and the regime, Kurds and rebels, the rebels and the regime, and so on,” he said. “You have lots of informal trade connections that emerge among armed groups, smugglers, or private business to fill the gaps between the various sides as the country falls apart, while national institutions, infrastructure, and much of the economy will necessarily remain shared.”

Source: http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/02/09/why-are-russian-engineers-working-at-an-islamic-state-controlled-gas-plant-in-syria/?utm_content=buffer4676f&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Dear Colleagues,

Please find the enclosed report, “Countering ISIS: One Year Later”, which summarizes the conference on the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), or Da’ish, conducted at the National Defense University in December 2015.

The report re-assesses the assumptions, policies, and strategic objectives of the U.S.-led effort to counter Da’ish, and examines the strategic challenges, regional dynamics, adaptations in Da’ish enablers, and successes and failures in Iraq and Syria over the past year.

If you have any questions or would like additional information or follow-up, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Best,

Denise Natali Ph.D

Senior Research Fellow

Institute for National Strategic Studies

National Defense University

FINAL 1 ISIS One Year Later Report (.pdf)

For the first time that I can remember, all four elements of national power are represented in a US national document.

DIME, Diplomacy, Information, Military and Economic, represents the four elements of national power as taught at the US Senior Service Schools. 

Perhaps there is hope for the future. Old dogs can learn new tricks.

</end editorial>

Baku – APA. The 2017 Budget of the United States, released by President Barack Obama today, includes funding for countries “most targeted by Russian aggression”, the White House announced.

The US Budget document stated $4.3 billion had been allocated for the purpose of “countering Russian aggression and supporting European allies”. This included bolstering capabilities across the region to counter Russian aggression, with a particular focus on Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova.

In a surprisingly frank, honest and open article, The Moscow Times cites a number of internal problems in Russia.

This is the most honesty I have seen out of The Moscow Times since the Finnish owners were forced to sell their majority shares due to Russian law.

Previously, The Moscow Times was reliably shocking in that it uncovered and printed appallingly questionable, duplicitous, immoral, unethical and illegal activities within the Russian government. Since the sale, their articles have been lower key, less investigative and somewhat soft on the Russian government.

This article actually addresses the falling ruble, high inflation, soaring costs and the dearth of foreign delicacies.  In other words, almost fair and objective reporting.

The biggest missing piece is any acknowledgement of why National Intelligence Director James Clapper would say that Russia is considered aggressive. The 400+ encroachments by Russian planes, boats and submarines into foreign airspace and waters is not mentioned. Also not mentioned is the formerly frequent reminders that “we have nukes”. Russia is increasingly paranoid, seemingly convinced that NATO and the West will invade, has encircled Russia both literally and figuratively, and that all Western actions are intended to “control” Russia and deter them from reaching their goals. Also not mentioned is the immense amount of fabricated, misleading, distorted and unsubstantiated propaganda and Active Measures passing for news, originating in Russia.

The only thing missing is the lipstick used on the pig.

</end editorial>

By Anna Dolgov

Feb. 10 2016 12:20

Source: http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/us-national-intelligence-director-says-russia-is-paranoid-aggressive/559181.html

Russia is “paranoid” about NATO and is likely to continue “aggressive” actions this year to support its claim to great power status, U.S. National Intelligence Director James Clapper said in Senate testimony Tuesday.

In a report on “Worldwide Threat Assessment” that Clapper presented to the Senate, Russia topped a list of “leading threat actors,” followed by China, Iran and North Korea.

“Russia is assuming a more assertive cyber posture based on its willingness to target critical infrastructure systems and conduct espionage operations even when detected and under increased public scrutiny,” Clapper said in the report.

“Russian cyber operations are likely to target U.S. interests to support several strategic objectives: intelligence gathering to support Russian decision-making in the Ukraine and Syrian crises, influence operations to support military and political objectives, and continuing preparation of the cyber environment for future contingencies.”

Concerned about cyber threats, U.S. President Barack Obama has asked for $19 billion for cyber security in his fiscal 2017 budget proposal, an increase of $5 billion over this year.

“I think the Russians fundamentally are paranoid about — about NATO,” Clapped testified in the Senate. “They are greatly concerned about being contained. And, of course, very, very concerned about missile defense, which would serve to neuter what is the essence of their claim to great power status — which is their nuclear arsenal.”

“So, a lot of these aggressive things that the Russians are doing for a number of reasons — great power status to create the image of being co-equal with the United States, et cetera — I think could probably, could possibly go on, and we could be into another Cold War-like spiral here,” Clapper said.

Clapper’s “threat assessment” report also singled out Russia in connection with an array of other threats facings the U.S. this year.

In the area of weapons of mass destruction, Russia has violated the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty by developing a ground-launched cruise missile, Clapper said. Moscow has denied the accusation when it was previously voiced by U.S. officials.

In the area of “space and counterspace,” Russia, along with China, continues to improve the capabilities of its military and intelligence satellites and grow more sophisticated in their operations, the threat assessment report said.

In the area of counterintelligence, “the leading state intelligence threats to U.S. interests will continue to be Russia and China, based on their capabilities, intent, and broad operational scope,” Clapper said.

In the field of economics and natural resources, Russia will “almost certainly” continue to build up its

military presence above the Arctic Circle and seek international support for its continental shelf claim, the report said.

“Moscow might become more willing to disavow established international processes or organizations concerning Arctic governance and act unilaterally to protect these interests if Russian-Western relations deteriorate further,” it said.

On the day the report was presented to the Senate, Russia’s Natural Resources Minister Sergei Donskoy

presented to the United Nations headquarters in New York his country’s claim to Arctic Ocean seabed, and to the vast natural resources near the North Pole.

Russia’s neighboring states, including America’s NATO allies, also feel some “anxiety” over Russia’s meddling in Ukraine and its “willingness to covertly use military and paramilitary forces in a neighboring states,” Clapper said in the report.

Russia will “almost certainly eschew direct military conflict with the United States,” the report said. But Moscow will likely pursue its ambitions through “lower levels of competition,” such as “diplomatic and economic coercion, propaganda, cyber intrusions, proxies, and other indirect applications of military power — that intentionally blur the distinction between peace and wartime operations,” Clapper’s report said.

The “paranoid” and “aggressive things” in Moscow’s recent policies that Clapper outlined have boosted Russia President Vladimir Putin’s domestic approval ratings.

They have also helped state-run broadcasters and government officials to convince much of the nation that Russia is a major global power — despite the bitterly felt nosedive of the ruble, falling wages, soaring costs of many home mortgages, the disappearance of popular European delicacies from grocery stores, and the increasingly prohibitive costs of foreign vacations.

Amid a wide range of economic troubles, the number of Russians who consider their country one of the most powerful in the world increased by 9 percentage points over the past year, reaching 36 percent of the population in late January, according to a survey by independent Levada Center pollster.

Source: http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/us-national-intelligence-director-says-russia-is-paranoid-aggressive/559181.html

But this view has been challenged by research from a Chinese-born scholar who believes that students’ failure to think independently is just as likely due to Communist Party propaganda during education rather than any deeply ingrained cultural difference.

Tao Zhang, a lecturer at Nottingham Trent University, interviewed 16 Chinese students studying for master’s degrees in journalism and media at her university.

While most were unconvinced by the party line in undergraduate-level propaganda, Dr Zhang argues it nonetheless erodes their ability to think independently.

In addition to their own discipline, Chinese undergraduates have to study four compulsory topics: Marxism; Mao Zedong Thought; modern Chinese history; and “moral, legal and civic education”.

The textbooks for these subjects “treat students as passive targets of political-ideological propaganda” and deprive them of the chance to “develop their critical disposition and exercise rational thinking and reasoning”, according to “Why do Chinese postgraduates struggle with critical thinking? – some clues from the higher education curriculum in China”, provisionally accepted by the Journal of Further and Higher Education.

Asked what they understood by critical thinking, one student told Dr Zhang: “It was new to us. We did not hear of it in China and find it very difficult. We have no idea of how to be critical and critical of what.”

In the UK, “you need to present evidence and references to support your views and we did not have to do that in China”, they added.

Three-quarters of the students interviewed said that they had ignored the content of the propaganda and only studied it to pass their exams. However, two of those Dr Zhang spoke to said that it had deeply influenced their thinking.

“I can construct an analysis but the end always has a positive outlook and a slogan like this: ‘China is good, socialism is good’. It can’t be negative,” they explained. But they said that they were now aware of an alternative way of thinking.

Two others had actively rejected the propaganda, and said that they were aware of how their history textbook omitted to mention the Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989.

david.matthews@tesglobal.com

Source: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/chinese-students-lack-critical-thinking-due-propaganda

What appears to be a pre-fabricated Russian “news” report.

This has NOT hit the news yet. This was sent to me by a Ukrainian source, who received it from a Turkish Reserve officer.

Russia will appeal, but they’ll also bomb Turkey. Want to bet? A provocation like this deserves payback.

Russia, we all know you’re setting this up.  Quit your crying and sit in the corner.

The picture on the right is from an incident last year, where Turkey “relieved the garrison at Suleyman Shah’s tomb“.  This is further evidence of Russian fabrication of the story.

</end editorial>

(Translated by Google Translate)

“What really started ?

Turkish troops entered the territory of Syria through the border town Kuatanyah (Qahtaniyah) and plunged 600 meters into the territory of the province of Al- Hasaka (Hasakah), there ‘stood up’ the flag of Turkey and stated that it is a closed military zone.

Russia in such cases immediately promised to appeal in the UN Security Council.

The information is checked whether Turkey is really divisions or group of bandits provocateurs who covered the flag of Turkey?”

System promotes version of a story with most popular headline, images

By Jack Marshall

Feb. 8, 2016 2:34 p.m. ET

The Washington Post is experimenting with technology to automatically optimize articles on its website for maximum readership.

A new internally-developed tool, dubbed “Bandito,” allows editors to enter different article versions with varying headlines, images and teaser text into its content management system. The technology then detects which version readers are clicking or tapping on more, and automatically serves that version more frequently on the homepage and other areas of the Post’s site.

Publishers frequently use so-called A/B tests to compare different versions of articles and to establish which headlines and images appeal to readers, but the Post’s tool is particularly interesting because it automatically implements changes based on the information it collects. This allows editors to essentially “set and forget” the tool, the company said, which makes the process more efficient.

“We have terrifically reported stories and I just want to best explain to readers why they should be interested,” said Eric Rich, editor of The Washington Post’s Universal News Desk.

Bandito was built in-house at the Post and is evidence of the influence its owner, Jeff Bezos, is having on the company. In the more than two years since Mr. Bezos bought the Post from the Graham family for $250 million, the billionaire Amazon.com Inc. founder has made his mark by championing technological experimentation, and a focus on customer experience and data-driven decision making.

According to Mr. Rich, the tool is now driving editorial staffers to present articles in ways they may not have considered previously. For example, it’s helped them understand that images with human faces often result in more clicks than those without, and that headlines beginning with the word “how” often drive greater readership.

The first iteration of the tool optimizes content based purely on the number of clicks articles receive, but the company plans to soon factor in other metrics also, including how much time readers spend with articles after they click.

“This isn’t just about clicks. Clickbait works for a while, but not long-term,” said Sam Han, engineering director of data science at the Washington Post.

“Engagement is a better metric to focus on, but we’re not going to optimize just to that. We’ll find a good balance.”

According to Mr. Han, the company plans to develop the tool to help power other features of the site, such as its video players, and to further optimize content for different types of users. For example, it plans to optimize for international audiences versus domestic readers, and for desktop users versus mobile users.

Bandito may even begin to factor in other more detailed information about Post readers into its decision-making, such as whether or not a user is an existing subscriber, and types of content they’ve engaged with in the past.

“We will be more careful in that area because of privacy, and because we need to be sure we’re providing right-leaning and left-leaning content equally,” Mr. Han said, in reference to articles of a political nature.

Beyond regular editorial content, the Post said it also plans to use the tool to help boost the readership of sponsored posts created by its BrandStudio ad division.

Instead of working with vendors to power features on its site, Mr. Rich said the company sees advantages to building its own tools.

“We’re building everything in-house now. We control what we’re making; we can make it to specifications we understand and can iterate and evolve,” he said. “I don’t have to call a vendor and rely on customer support. I have the engineer sitting 40 feet away from me.”

Write to Jack Marshall at Jack.Marshall@wsj.com

Source: http://www.wsj.com/articles/washington-posts-bandit-tool-optimizes-content-for-clicks-1454960088

A year ago, multilingual editors and writers ran online news websites worldwide for the Trans Regional Web Initiative – a Pentagon effort to support U.S. military efforts against Islamic extremism, Iranian subversion, Russian and Chinese aggression and other threats.

Now, with their jobs eliminated in Congress’s budget wars, some of them are working for President Vladimir Putin’s publicity machine as it ramps up its operations in the United States.

Zlatko Kovach is one of them. Just blocks from the White House, the 48-year-old editor runs the Washington office of Sputnik, which styles itself as a straight news service that aspires to compete with the Associated Press and Reuters. Three of Kovach’s fellow ex-Pentagon contract workers joined him. Two have moved on, but Sputnik is actively recruiting others.

Kovach, a naturalized American citizen, doesn’t see his move as unpatriotic but rather as economically justified. “Despite the big superpower relations, the media has developed in such a way as that’s the nature of the market,” he said. “It isn’t harming the U.S.”

Sputnik is part of a news and information outlet known in the United States as RT, the initials of its parent entity, Russia Today, which operates under the Ministry of Communications and Mass Media in Moscow. With State Department approval, RT opened the Washington office of Sputnik last year just as civilian contractors who shaped U.S. military messaging overseas were put out of work when Congress shut down most of a $22 million program.

They practiced what used to be called psychological operations, or PSYOP, a name that was changed to something more benign-sounding in the Pentagon’s alphabet soup of acronyms: MISO, for “military information support operations.”

Under either name, the purpose has been, as the Pentagon puts it, to influence foreign audiences’ “emotions, motives, objectives reasoning and ultimately the behavior of foreign governments, groups, and individuals in a manner favorable to the originator’s objectives.”

The Web Initiative program, begun under the George W. Bush administration in 2008, drew criticism both from opponents of such information operations as a matter of policy and supporters who wanted them to work better. A classified Government Accountability Office report in 2013, leaked to USA Today, faulted the program for a lack of co-ordination with other U.S. efforts.

Senator Carl Levin (D-MI), then the powerful Armed Services Committee chairman, led a bipartisan group of lawmakers to eliminate funding after reform efforts failed. Some elements of the Initiative remain in operation at the Pentagon’s Special Operations Command.

The move by Pentagon contractors such as Kovach to the employ of the Russians is a symptom of a larger problem with national defense strategy, some observers say.

“What seems to be clear is that the anti-status quo powers in the world today – Russia, China, Iran, and the Islamic State – know the value of information warfare and invest heavily in it,” said Robert W. Reilly, a former director of the Voice of America, the federal government’s civilian international broadcasting arm.

“This is illustrated by the fact that these people” – former Pentagon contractors – “have nowhere else to go and are being picked up by Putin,” said Reilly, who served as a senior adviser for information strategy at the Defense Department following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. “I’m not trying to rationalize what they’re doing, but it’s a powerful illustration of who takes information warfare strategy seriously and who doesn’t.”

The Pentagon may have to restart some of its efforts from scratch. Citing U.S. ineffectiveness at stopping ISIS recruitment propaganda, and finding NATO allies clamoring to counter Moscow after its 2014 intervention in Ukraine, Congress authorized new Defense Department information efforts in the 2016 defense authorization bill. Leaders from Vice President Joseph Biden to Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) have called for improved information campaigns to help keep Moscow in check
.
That was too late for Kovach and others like him. A graduate of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, he speaks six languages. He worked for General Dynamics on the Pentagon contract to run the Southeast European Times, a multilingual website (setimes.com), aimed at the volatile Balkans region.

He arrived in the United States a refugee from Communist Yugoslavia and now lives in the Washington  area, proud to be an American. Hawkish on defense issues, he notes that he was born on the Fourth of July.
Kovach is the only one of his colleagues who would speak on the record about why he went to work for RT/Sputnik. He said he views Sputnik as just another job in a new world of journalism. As editor for the Washington office, he said he receives no instructions about how to edit the roughly 40 articles a day his team produces.

“The nature of the game has changed,” he said. “You have media that’s shrinking. U.S. government communication efforts were being canceled. The media is evolving. There is a media space, and the question is, who’s going to fill that space? Then I had to ask, who’s offering jobs?”

Source: http://aminewswire.com/stories/510662541-putin-propaganda-picks-up-ex-pentagon-contractors

(Translated by my Chrome browser)

02/11/2016 at 6:40 • Updated 02/11/2016 at 3:54 p.m.

By Isabelle Mandraud (Moscow correspondent)

http://www.lemonde.fr/europe/article/2016/02/11/l-inquietante-propagande-russe-sur-la-crise-des-refugies-en-europe_4863070_3214.html

Europe is sinking into insecurity and its leaders prove unable to address them well when they do not lie deliberately for electoral purposes. This is the vision presented daily by the Russian media who devote much of their information to the migration crisis in Europe, highlighting, almost exclusively, the far-right movements. Since the incidents the night of New Year in Cologne, in which many women were assaulted by migrants and asylum seekers, Germany is particularly affected by this aggressive campaign, but not only. All European countries are concerned.

While tens of thousands of Syrians flock to Turkey back door to escape the Russian bombing north of the country denounced by Westerners, the pressure on the image of a destabilized Europe is growing. All Russian networks are mobilized, TV, agencies, websites, and their antennas and offices in London, Berlin, Paris, or Vienna, to broadcast in several languages, a “version” of events distorted.

M ^me targeted Merkel

January 16, Perviy Kanal, the first Russian channel, has spent his evening paper, long subject to Lisa F., a young Berlin 17 years of Russian origin“kidnapped and raped” by foreigners. The report was starting “on the new order that has developed in Germany” where “according to testimony, the migrants started to rape of minors” . Whatever the denials of German investigators and prosecutors in Berlin – who filed a complaint against the journalist – this version was supported by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov himself. And far to back down, the chain called, Tuesday, February 9, the German journalists to show “solidarity” with their Russian colleague, “the first to have spoken” in this case.

Relatives agencies Kremlin are not left out and the last target first Chancellor Angela Merkel would have lost control of the situation and lead the country to the brink of chaos through his reckless policy. “The refugee crisis reached a turning “ , said Sputnik, on 9 February, echoing a ” broad public opinion “ that the German ruling would evidence of ” moral imperialism “ and try ” to repentance for historical sins Germany “ . The gatherings of the German anti-immigration movement Pediga (acronym for “European Patriots against the Islamization of the West”) are closely followed and his assertions about the “lies”and “concealment” of the police are abundantly relayed. The treatment of choice is not due only to the news. In the eyes of the Kremlin, M ^me Merkel is primarily the leader of a Europe which opposed the annexation of the Crimea, which has imposed sanctions on Russia because of the murderous conflict in eastern Ukraine.

“Putin is using the refugee crisis to weaken Merkel” writes Judy Dempsey, an analyst with the Carnegie Foundation Europe, which sees a “direct correlation”between the support of the Kremlin chief to its Syrian ally Bashar al-Assad and the declining popularity German Chancellor home. “as the war in Syria lasts, the more it weakens Merkel and a weakened Merkel means Europe itself weakened and divided” , says M ^me Dempsey.

Stress the instability of the world

France is not spared. The event held on 6 February despite its prohibition by the French branch of microscopic Pediga, joined by General Christian Thornton, former commander of the Foreign Legion, and especially the trials that followed have been an endless stream ” information. ” On February 8, the agency Russia Today, literally flooded its networks with the “arrest” of General Santos. – Whose immediate court appearance was postponed because of his health “This arrest has sparked a storm reactions on social networks, many of the users having strongly condemned “ , assured the pro-Kremlin agency, before displaying a few minutes later, ” the reactions of political leaders from right scandalized “ . The evidence gathered and collected tweets actually came from all representatives of the National Front – Robert Ménard, Gilbert Collard, Stephane Ravier – except Thierry Mariani, MP of the French abroad, member of the Party Republicans, and large friend of Russia Vladimir Putin.

In Austria, Sweden and Brussels, the tone of “new” is always the same, and pests securities, regardless of the media. “Vienna: a migrant violates a ten year old child in a pool”, ” events in France and the Czech Republic against migrants “,” Belgian Journalist assaulted while reporting in Cologne, “” Austria is not going to return an asylum seeker who raped a 72 year old woman, “” prosecutors Swedish will not be obliged to report sexual assaults by refugees “…

“It’s a theme that emphasize the instability of the world, the dangers he would wish to sudden changes or more pluralism and that causes the urge to close , analyzes the Russian political analyst Kirill Rogov . the image of an unstable West is very important in the Putin propaganda for two reasons: to demonstrate that the government takes a positive policy and there is no possible alternative. “

The results are also not expected. According to a survey from the Institute Public Opinion Foundation (FOM) published February 8, 59% of Russians believe that Europe should not accept refugees against 34% in September 2015, and 75% believe that the influx of refugees may affect Russia.

Source: http://www.lemonde.fr/europe/article/2016/02/11/l-inquietante-propagande-russe-sur-la-crise-des-refugies-en-europe_4863070_3214.html

Sasha, a 15-year old boy, was forced to leave his native Donetsk, Ukraine and move to Lviv after the occupation by Russian forces, mercenaries and terrorists, designed and put online the novoross-army.com website.

The website predominantly targeted Russian and Ukrainian mercenaries who joined the army of Novorossiya.

This website was designed to ‘distribute aid among veterans’. It also gathered data of volunteers who were ready to provide aid to militants who fought for Novorossiya.

But there was a trick. In order to start using this website a person had to fill in a registration form, because the website ‘contained sensitive information that could not be shared in the public domain’ “Ukrainians can find out our secrets”. “We should take necessary precautions”.

Results of this operation: Sasha gathered data on 2,027 militants, including names, noms de guerre, emails, etc.

He passed this information to “Myrotvorets” team that manages the largest database of war criminals that took part in occupation of Crimea and Donbas and attempted occupation of Kharkiv, Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk and other regions of Ukraine.

Sasha.  We salute you.

NovoRossiya, fooled by a 15 year old. #RussiaFail  OPSEC Lesson Learned.

Her father was Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, who was assassinated in February 2015. Now Zhanna Nemtsova, who works for DW, launches a book in Germany, as she wants to “wake up Russia.”

Russia says do as we say, not as we do.

In a mysterious challenge to the West, Russian PM Medvedev is warning of a permanent or world war if ground troops from any nation, other than Russia, enters Syria.  This is most certainly pointed at Turkey.

Once more Russia bloviates, demanding that another country accede to their demands.  But don’t you dare tell Russia what to do. If you do, you will certainly hear “we have nukes” from Russia.

This sounds just like grade school and the schoolyard bully. “I’ll tell my dad!”

We all know now that schoolyard bullies were all hot air, bluff and bravado.  Well, maybe some kids didn’t learn that lesson.

</end editorial>

BY DAMIEN SHARKOV ON 2/12/16 AT 6:11 AM

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has warned of the possibility of a permanent or “world war” if countries begin sending ground troops to Syria, in an interview with German newspaper Handelsblatt.

Medvedev is currently in Munich for diplomatic talks on the Syria crisis, which have so far split participants into two camps: those opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the leader’s international partners such as Iran and Russia.

When asked where Russia stood on Saudi Arabia’s offer to send troops into Syria as part of a U.S.-led coalition, Medvedev said putting boots on the ground was not in anyone’s best interest.

Try Newsweek for only $1.25 per week

“Russia will limit itself to the use of rockets and aircraft in the military operation in Syria and we will not resort to [deploying] ground troops during our participation in the conflict,” he said. According to him “a ground operation” in Syria, where several parties are carrying out air strikes, would result in “dragging everyone involved into war.”

The Russian prime minister warned that the start of ground operations in Syria could result in a prolonged conflict in the country, that “could last years, maybe even decades.” The politician urged world leaders to “remain seated at the negotiation table and not start yet another war on this Earth.”

“We know perfectly well what scenario all that leads to,” he said.

Medvedev is heading the Russian delegation in Munich that also includes Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as U.S., Middle Eastern and European diplomats continue to discuss the nature of the Syrian peace process.

On Friday, Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced all parties had agreed a “cessation of hostilities” in Syria. But they made the announcement with a pinch of salt, adding that the “real test” will be whether all parties to the Syrian conflict honor those commitments.

Source: http://www.newsweek.com/russian-pm-medvedev-warns-new-world-war-if-troops-go-syria-425787

By ShareAmerica –

Nov 4, 2015

Hundreds of people work 12-hour shifts day and night at the Internet Research Agency, an unassuming building in St. Petersburg, Russia. But contrary to its name, more fabrication than research happens there — thousands of fake Twitter, Facebook and other social media accounts have been created in a once-secret attempt to sway public opinion against the West.

By now, this den of trolls has long been in the headlines. One journalist mapped its Twitter-bots, while another discovered other potential “factories” by studying Google search terms by geographic location. A third reporter showed how trolls linked to the agency created elaborate online hoaxes about supposed chemical spills, outbreaks of Ebola and murders in the United States. The St. Petersburg agency was recently sued by a former employee for one ruble — a symbolic move to highlight the operation’s existence.

The round-the-clock operation is financed through a holding company headed by President Vladimir Putin’s “personal chef,” Evgeny Prigozhin, reports Radio Liberty. What was the idea behind it?

“The main problem is that in the foreign Internet community, the ratio of supporters and opponents of Russia is about 20/80 respectively,” one project leader writes in a leaked document reported in June 2014 by BuzzFeed.

Some trolls have come forward to tell all. Former professional troll Marat Burkhard, who left Internet Research Agency of his own accord, told Radio Liberty about his experience. He described how the building’s curtains are drawn if a journalist shows up. Employees are forbidden from going out on the street.

Any employee who arrives a minute late faces a 500 ruble fine (about US $9) . “You just have to sit there and type and type, endlessly,” Burkhard said.

Grooming trolls

Here’s more of what Burkhard and other former trolls said:

Some of the agency’s trolls are “fanatics,” but most “are just young people who want to make money. They’re so politically illiterate that Putin, Obama … they don’t know the difference,” said Burkhard.

The jobs they apply for often sound innocent, with titles such as social media specialists, Internet operators and copywriters.

“First they make you write about something neutral — Vegetarianism: Pros and Cons,” Burkhard said. Later, “to plump up the political content, they send in a guy to talk about the topic of the day, so that at least the employees have a little background on the topic. But the guy himself has an extremely low level of understanding, so it all looks completely absurd.”

Short exams test employees’ beliefs, he said. “Anyone who makes a couple of mistakes has to retake it,” and those who continue to underperform get fired.

Technique: ‘Villain, picture, link’

According to the BBC, in social media accounts, the trolls often pose as housewives and “disappointed U.S. citizens.” But the deception doesn’t stop there. Burkhard said his department, which commented on news in Russian community forums, specialized in creating the illusion of conversation.

“We did it by dividing into teams of three,” he said. “One of us would be the ‘villain,’ the person who disagrees with the forum and criticizes the authorities, in order to bring a feeling of authenticity to what we’re doing. The other two enter into a debate with him — ‘No, you’re not right; everything here is totally correct.’ One of them should provide some kind of graphic or image that fits in the context, and the other has to post a link to some content that supports his argument. You see? Villain, picture, link.”

This technique fits into a broader strategy of influencing people. The Kremlin “is used to playing all sides,” writes policy expert Andrew Wilson. “In Russia, the Kremlin sought to direct all the pieces on the political chess board; both sides — black and white. And, to undermine the metaphor of how chess is actually played, it also policed the edge of the board and determined who could actually play.”

Messaging

“Putin is great,” “Ukrainians are fascists,” and “Europe is decadent” were the main messages Lyudmila Savchuk told Agence France Presse that she was instructed to spread on Internet forums. “Our job was to write in a pro-government way, to interpret all events in a way that glorifies the government’s politics and Putin personally.”

Savchuk sued the secretive agency for one ruble to draw attention to its practices. “I want to get it closed down,” she told the Telegraph. “These people are using propaganda to destroy objectivity and make people doubt the motives of any civil protest. Worst of all, they’re doing it by pretending to be us, the citizens of Russia.” Though a court awarded her the symbolic ruble, the agency continues to operate.

Multiple accounts, big quotas

Burkhard said he had to write at least one comment of 200 characters or more about every five minutes, or 135 comments in a 12-hour shift. Each post needed to include precise keywords and tags for search engines.

Leaked documents reveal other requirements: Trolls should post on news articles 50 times in an average workday. Each blogger should maintain six Facebook accounts, publishing at least three posts a day and discussing the news in groups at least twice a day. By the end of the worker’s first month, he or she should have 500 subscribers and get at least five posts on each item a day. On Twitter, the bloggers should manage 10 accounts and tweet 50 times a day.

A ‘troll army’

Among the Internet Research Agency’s departments — which include news, video, “demotivators” and community forums that Burkhard said never fraternize — the English-speaking division plays a special role. People there will “bombard the websites of CNN and the BBC. They have their own types of targets — the New York Times,” he said.

Efforts to create a million-dollar “troll army” have been revealed by BuzzFeed and the press at large. The torrent of trolls has caused many Russian newspapers and foreign-language outlets reporting on Russian events to close their comments sections.

Digital battlefield

While fostering dissent overseas through its onslaught of trolls, Russia is taking steps to stifle Internet freedom in its own country. In 2014, the New York Times reported that the Kremlin has blocked the websites of opposition leaders.

Putin made his skepticism of the Internet known in 2014 when he called it a “CIA project,” a comment the Moscow Times picked up on. (The inventor of the World Wide Web corrected him in a Reuters article.)

“The Internet has become the main threat — a sphere that isn’t controlled by the Kremlin,” human rights advocate Pavel Chikov told BuzzFeed. “That’s why they’re going after it.”

Source: https://share.america.gov/trolls-everything-you-wanted-to-know/#%2EVr4yO3bJyNc%2Elinkedin

Russia uses imprecise language, saying the US is “undermining traditional nuclear deterrence” with no further explanation.

I’ve read at least four different versions and this point is never made clear. How is a defensive missile shield offensive?  How does it undermine nuclear deterrence?  It removes the Russian threat of offensive missile use, it deters Russia, Russia cannot wield sufficient intimidation to bluster its European neighbors. Russia continues to calumniate NATO and claim Russia’s innocence.

This quote accurately portrays the situation: “NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Russia’s threats and exercises of its nuclear forces were “aimed at intimidating its neighbors.””

Once again, Russia reminds the world “we have nukes”.   Russia’s combat power, otherwise, is of tactical importance, and the world knows it. Russia is literally weak and lacks any of the elements of national power needed to be a superpower, and they know it.

Russia continues its information war against the West, using words as a substitute for actual power.

</end editorial>

---

 Officials say threats blur lines on warfare; Moscow accuses U.S. of undermining deterrence

By JULIAN E. BARNES

Feb. 13, 2016 2:40 p.m. ET

7 COMMENTS

MUNICH—The North Atlantic Treaty Organization sharpened its criticism of Russia on Saturday, as alliance officials argued that Moscow was dangerously blurring the line between conventional and nuclear war.

France and other member states have pushed for NATO to be more aggressive about criticizing Russian military exercises that include the tactical use of nuclear weapons, and the not-so-veiled threats coming from Moscow to use the weapons against European countries.

Russia has said the Iskander missiles it has placed in its territory of Kaliningrad are dual-use, meaning they could carry nuclear warheads. Last year the Russian ambassador to Denmark threatened to aim nuclear missiles at Danish warships if Copenhagen supported a U.S.-backed missile-defense shield in Europe.

Russian officials on Saturday said it was NATO and the U.S. that were behaving recklessly and undermining traditional nuclear deterrence.

In a speech to the Munich Security Conference, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Russia’s threats and exercises of its nuclear forces were “aimed at intimidating its neighbors.”

In an interview afterward he said it was critical to avoid lowering the threshold for using nuclear weapons. “No one should think it is possible to use nuclear weapons in a limited way as part of a conventional conflict,” Mr. Stoltenberg said.

“We have seen statements, exercises, rhetoric which is blurring the line between conventional conflict and nuclear conflict, and that is what we have to avoid,” Mr. Stoltenberg said.

Gen. Philip Breedlove, NATO’s top commander, said the alliance was calling Russia to account for its rhetoric. “There is a lot of language that is too loosely constructed and we have to call that out and we have done that,” he said in an interview.

Alexander Grushko, Russia’s ambassador to NATO, denied that Moscow was blurring any line and said it has been transparent about its nuclear exercises.

Mr. Grushko said Russian military doctrine states that nuclear weapons wouldn’t be used except to defend Russia.

“Our strategy is very clear,” he said in an interview in Munich. “It says nukes can be used when there is a threat to the very existence of the state.”

Mr. Grushko accused NATO and the U.S. of destabilizing strategic nuclear deterrence with pursuit of missile defenses, space-based weapons and the development of global-strike capabilities. In 2002, the U.S. withdrew from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, which limited missile-defense systems, angering Moscow.

“We are very transparent,” Mr. Grushko said. “Russia is responsible for strategic stability, strategic stability that was undermined by the unilateral steps of the United States.”

U.S. officials say that their missile-defense system for Europe is meant to stop any missiles from Iran or other rogue actors, arguments Moscow routinely rejects.

Russia has others worried too. Peter Hultqvist, the defense minister of Sweden, which is outside NATO, asked at the conference why Moscow continually talks about its nuclear weapons.

“This is a concern for us,” he said. As a result, Sweden was deepening ties with partners, he said, a reference to Sweden’s increased military exercises with alliance members.

Both Mr. Stoltenberg and Gen. Breedlove noted that NATO has its own nuclear weapons, which it maintains to deter attacks on member countries.

Gen. Breedlove said the alliance continues to exercise and test itself to ensure it can carry out the nuclear mission, if needed. “It is important that we make sure it is ready, capable and credible,” Gen. Breedlove said.

Source: http://www.wsj.com/articles/nato-accuses-russia-of-loose-talk-on-nuclear-weapons-1455392401

Source: http://aktivnyye.com/t/20160212-fringenet2.html

активные мероприятия

Aktivnyye Meropriyatiya  |  Active Measures

Disinformation Flows – A Second Look

2016 February 12

 I decided to take another look at the data I dumped the other day, using referrers as a way of identifying flows of information between websites that together comprise a global network of wingnuts, starting with ZeroHedge. Below you will find two subsets of that data, but before we get to them I’d like to comment on the value of exercises such as this. While studying the flow of disinformation between and among sites may be interesting, it is also potentially quite useful. To the extent any of these sites are involved in supporting Russian objectives that run counter to Western interests, they – and more to the point, the people who operate them – should be of interest to the security services of the Western countries in which they live, work, and acquire services related to their websites. At the same time, one frequently finds direct links from these websites to Russia and individuals in Russia clearly associated with the Kremlin and Russian intelligence services. It is always worthwhile to look for criminal activity occurring on the periphery of such websites, particularly on the backend of the operations, involving people who host the sites, register the domain names, and otherwise provide logistical support. And finally, many sites involved in Kremlin disinformation work now solicit donations online, raising the distinct possibility that the online fundraising accounts are being used to move or launder funds. Take a close look at my recent posts regarding Southfront and Eurasia Daily for examples of some of what I’m referring to.

© 2015-2016 Andrew Aaron Weisburd

Source: http://aktivnyye.com/t/20160212-fringenet2.html

Russia’s former Anti-doping chief is dead.

Was he going to talk?

In Russia, one never knows.

</end editorial>

The former head of Russia’s anti-doping agency Rusada has died, the organisation says.

Nikita Kamaev’s death comes two months after he resigned his post following a doping scandal in Russian athletics.

Rusada said the cause of death was “a massive heart attack”.

Russia was suspended from international athletics last November. The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) accused Russian athletics of state-backed doping, corruption and extortion.

“He will remain in our memories as an experienced and understanding leader, distinguished by his high professionalism,” the Rusada statement said, adding that Mr Kamaev, 52, was able to create a “friendly atmosphere” in his team.

His death comes just two weeks after that of Rusada founding chairman, Vyacheslav Sinev.

‘Felt ill after skiing’

Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said: “It’s a very unexpected death. [Mr Kamaev] seemed healthy and everything was fine.”

Image copyrightAP

Rusada’s former director general, Ramil Khabriev, told the BBC: “I think he had a massive heart attack. His wife told me that he’d been cross-country skiing outside Moscow.

“He came home and felt ill and she called an ambulance. But when the ambulance came, they couldn’t restart his heart. He died at his mother’s country house.

“I never heard him complain about his heart… but those close to him say that he got tired after physical exercise and felt unwell.

“Of course the [doping] scandal affected him. He was distressed by it. He would send me links to reports on it every day. He followed what was published very closely.”

Mr Sinev, who left the agency in 2010, died on 3 February.

But Mr Khabriev said there was no link as Mr Sinev had been ill for a long time with heart problems and was supposed to undergo a transplant.

Prohibited

Russia was provisionally suspended from international athletics, including the Olympic Games, in November by the International Association of Athletic Associations (IAAF).

The IAAF took action following the Wada report.

The suspension will remain in place until Russia convinces athletics authorities it has sufficiently changed its practices.

Along with Argentina, Ukraine, Bolivia, Andorra and Israel, Russia was deemed in breach of Wada codes.

Rusada was prohibited from carrying out any Wada-related anti-doping activity.

Mr Kamaev resigned from Rusada in December along with all the organisation’s other top executives as Russia began work on lifting the ban in time for its athletes to compete at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in August.

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35575774