Russia

  • Putin decides, but he doesn’t choose

    Putin is a master storyteller, and this has come out in repeated interviews. But his real role is to guide Russia as it makes choices for itself. It’s a very rhythmic process according to some people that have been where it matters as big decisions were made. It comes in from the four corners of the State and emerges as a promise of a kind to Russians.

    The reality is repeated throughout the ‘newspapers’ that make up the editorial era that still exists from the former Soviet Union. The new news is in the media broadcasts that rarely get a showing in the West. This is where most young Russians get their news about Putin now.

    However, he’s not a person that is seen as having moral judgement to play with and he has to speak and deliberate with the people. The necessities of the State are the substance of choices that are always on the table, and Putin has a hand in deciding what’s what.

    This is a complex way of working, and we know that democracy has a minuscule part to play in it. He’s a sort of President but also more of an imperial leader, according to American experts on the matter. Russians feel it deeply and this characterises some of his poise, and explains his position. They feel modernity is something that can be Russian, and Putin is still their best hope for it to be realised.

  • Putin is hedging his claim on power

    The display that Putin puts on for the Russian population is now a part and a feature of his time in power. He looks like he’s come to enjoy what he does, and feels that it empowers the Russian people to believe more in his program of events.

    Steve Rosenberg (BBC) asking President Putin questions about his style of leadership in Russia.

    This is a leader making sure that his actions are understood, even if much of what underlies them is already a reality in Russia.

    The oxymoron is that Putin feels he has to do this. The scheme of things in Russia is not like here, where a manifesto is rejected and a campaign falls flat out of hand. In their terms, everything is accepted because it comes from the top.

  • Russia’s fortunes lie ahead of itself

    The Russia of today is meaningfully a different place to the one that it was before in the Soviet Union, but it’s still got a long way to go if it’s to understand itself and to change its own ways.

    This is clear in its current trajectory, which is a futile, shameful conflict that doesn’t make sense to international observers and can’t be if it’s the means of a decline of a legitimate European democracy.

    Its ideas need working on, and this notion is coming through in its familiar refrain that still heats up discussions, leading to tensions.

    It believes it can return to old lands. It can resume old ways. It isn’t practical, but it’s a temptation to do more than is required of itself.

    It’s believed that Russia previously toyed with an idea of pushing back with a counter-invasion against Hitler in the Second World War.

    This is not the unfolding of it as it was, but it’s a completely separate idea to the one that’s in our school history textbooks.

    It was apparently based off a concept called “Popular Will”, or a study in the way people welcome particular outcomes if their leaders look familiar, or have ways and modes similar to theirs.

    This isn’t the truth, but it’s thought to be a problem in Russian trains of thought. It comes up – often by surprise – because it’s more of a feeling than a reality.

    The update to Russian thinking is to realise that it has limits to its acceptability elsewhere. It isn’t pride that’s a problem, but a restraint on its endeavour to move outward.

  • Putin needs to look beyond war

    Russia often feels it’s at the height of its powers in diplomacy. It takes its cue from what others say and because it has a lot to respond with it feels in control. However, most of this is found to be historical bias and not a lot of it translates here.

    The democratic cause Ukraine has to fight for is less historic but more pressing today than the past. It has more to it than mere feelings of nostalgia. It’s not a sentiment. It’s a reality of how people live and how we’re getting along here.

  • Putin is an old hand at media

    President Vladimir Putin is not unknown in media circles behind the scenes, yet what many don’t know is that he’s extremely adept at the business itself.

    I’ve spoken to a few news media executives that said they’ve met the Russian President and say how clever he is at understanding their business, and their concerns. They didn’t necessarily say that they know Putin is himself well-versed in the Journalism industry inside and out.

    In fact, according to a source, one of the key points of his Presidency is to “reform, reshape, and renew” the Russian media landscape for a new era. It involves retraining Russians on how to present the State in political terms, and what it means to depict a President in the modern era.

    Apart from this, he’s also a self-taught expert in Western media, and in particular the UK examples of it. He knows a lot about how newspapers developed their craft here, and of what it means to work in Journalism in this country.

  • Russia won’t befriend America anytime soon

    It’s believed that a President of Russia cannot befriend an American President, no matter how convenient an opportunity it may be.

    The fact that he met President Trump in Alaska for talks about Ukraine is not seen as the start of a friendship, but as more of a layover.

    It’s like a connecting point on a chilled out international diplomatic scene, or a necessary meeting point but a quick one at that.

    The restriction of a Russian leader is not out of character, but it puts the nation out of sync. It cannot know things as well as others.

  • Revealed: “The Russian Project”

    Russia is a fast developing state but it’s not reflected in its population. This is because there is a two- pronged approach to its affairs. The first is the improvement of its overall capabilities. The second is the advancement of its people.

    The former is taking shape and happening at a pace. It’s found in its recent announcement about nuclear. It’s also discovered in its increasing Intelligence capability.

    The latter is a project that isn’t yet seen but it’s on its way. It consists of a new state of affairs for a people that have felt misunderstood. It may be a similarly detailed plan to reassert their culture and values.

    These things are not slight initiatives but are representative of a new set of challenges. It’s the healthiest way for people to restart on a journey to normality and therefore offers diplomatic challenges that we can’t afford to overlook here.

  • Russian Intelligence has improved

    The Russian state of affairs is changing rapidly, but it’s not evidently clear yet. This is intended and it’s usually the case for large, powerful states.

    Russia is improving its capabilities, but it’s not something for us to celebrate.

    Its new nuclear power is something to consider, if not plan a response to. It may be an ongoing problem in diplomatic terms and also in the manner in which we have to relate to Russian advances.

    It’s also believed that Russian Intelligence has improved its capability markedly. This is indicated by subtle rearrangements that have been seen in public, and the considered way in which Putin has looked at the war in Ukraine.

    Any improvement of this capability at any level is a huge concern to us because of what it means.

    It could lead to better understanding of hostile Russian agents against us and our interests. It means we need to be more careful and pay more attention to the detail.

    It could mean a much more aware and dynamic news sector in its remit as a branch of the State. This may entail more criticisms and less of a reason to ignore it.

    It could increase the interaction we have to undertake – on a serious level – with any Russian institutions that have cultural sway or impact. This means greater dialogue.

    The services that a decent Intelligence service provides are invaluable to a state, and if so, may prove to be a boost in prospects for the pariah known as Russia.

  • Russian economics is changing

    The narrative that Russian businesses start to see decline immediately following a tight national situation is not accepted by everyone. The sanctions list that’s building up following its incursion into Ukraine is not a bunker-busting attack against its economic infrastructure. It has limited remit and its effect is seen in more personal terms.

    The changeover of the Russian economy to more modern lines is underway but it’s slow. It’s believed more and more Russians want a united Russia that sees its prosperity along intersecting lines. This means Russians want to benefit more completely from its nations prowess and to contribute to its strengths.

    The indications are that Russia may in fact be pursuing this line of inquiry in its fortunes. A recent report by TASS shows that South Korean company LG has recently applied for patents there. This doesn’t show fortunes are going to rise, but it means interest is being shown in a broad base of technologies.

    This fits into a suspicion that Russians are logging online in a fast-developing global market for consumer devices. It shows that streaming isn’t going away and that neither is the development of it in terms of content. It also proves that modernity isn’t a foe for a federal union rooted in its own past.

  • Win: Russian diplomat

    An apparent Russian diplomat implicated in a second stage kidnapping attempt to a remote location in England has now been recovered.

    An apparent Russian diplomat waylaid by alleged kidnapping attempts, seen here in Reading, Berkshire.

    It’s unclear which nation is involved in the plot, but it’s believed Spanish authorities have had a hand in her initial disappearance.

    It’s believed some States have been trouncing national borders to deposit highly sensitive persons.

    It’s done to cause diplomatic tensions, and to create havoc in order to study security measures.

    It’s not resulted in any security problems for us at this time, according to MI5 sources.

  • Russia denies NATO aggression

    The Ukraine-Russia conflict has so far managed to throw up every controversy into the air. In particular, Russia has defended its position by saying it has zero intention to attack a NATO-affiliated country.

    According to Russian news agency TASS, a spokesperson from the Russian Foreign Ministry has said the idea is “an orchestrated campaign to indoctrinate” NATO members, denying it’s a policy of the Russian state.

    This fight is not just a war of words, but also of competing interests in media coverage. It’s replete across our news stations the accusation that drones have flown overhead into NATO member states.

  • Putin has added focus to Russian politics

    The political regime of Putin isn’t lacking in ideas. He’s said to be a man of directives, according to those that know him. It’s not uncommon for regional leaders to get exasperated by it. He’s also a meticulous social organiser. It’s believed much of the nationwide events that hold together a unified identity in difficult times are driven by his resolve.

    His addition of focus to Russian politics is the driving power of this current military campaign. Of course, a Russian leader is going to hold all the power, but Putin is an adept political operator. He knows that giving advice is the key to keeping his Generals attention. He also knows that Russian pace slips if it’s not jolted by repeated interventions.

  • Ukraine is our first line of defence in Europe

    Ukraine is fighting a battle against a Russian state that has a lot of resolve behind its campaign to overturn democratic principles and to return regions into its iron grip of paternalistic control.

    This is the bitter reality of fighting on the battlefield in places where Russia had been expelled and should no longer be seen or heard of.

    The regional difficulties that emerge as political technicalities cannot override the notion that powers a Ukrainian’s soldiers belief in his or her country as Europe’s first line of defence.

  • Exclusive: Russia is accused of looting Germany

    The rise of Putin’s nuclear ambitions is now said to be thanks in part to the German state. It’s not a happy affair, however, as it’s alleged Russian agents stole vital technical equipment from the EU member and reverse engineered parts of it to create components for its newly updated nuclear arsenal.

    This is shocking news, but it’s concerning for world peace and the stakes are high. The aggression this suggests stipulates a return to hostile relations that once froze over the European continent, and many other countries besides. It’s also a humiliating loss, and sets Germany back as it pushes for its prosperity in its own development.

  • Putin’s Russia is fully nuclear

    The belief is now that Russia has full nuclear capability. This isn’t just suggested by its recent announcement of new technologies it’s put into submarines and missiles, but indicative also of material derived from research into the Russian state.

    The fact is, Russia is a stable threat to us all. If Putin speaks, it’s likely that his words will now be listened to as a lot more literal than before. If he’s taken as a joke, his nuclear deterrent is ready to repel any further humiliation.

    The response of nations across the world must be different if the Russian state makes a move. It’s not a threat it can use to make Ukraine surrender, for instance, but it’s something to reckon with.