It seems as though Viktor Orban is determined to become a total pariah amongst his fellow EU members . . . and all in order to find favor with Vladimir Putin.

So what has he done now? Oh, not much — just invited Russia, Belarus, Moldova, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, and North Macedonia to traipse freely throughout all the countries of Europe’s Schengen zone, basically unimpeded.

Let’s see now . . . What’s wrong with this picture?

A little background: Hungary’s existing “national card” program makes it easier for people from other countries to come to Hungary to live and work than if they were to apply for traditional work permits or business visas. The holder of a national card is allowed to work in Hungary without any special security clearance, and can bring their family with them. [Reuters, August 21.] After three years, it may even lead to permanent residency. [RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty, August 13, 2024.]

But now, the extension of the program to include Russia, Belarus, and the others named above has raised more than a few eyebrows — not surprisingly, as it is contrary to EU policy toward Russia and Belarus, in light of the existing EU visa bans and asset freezes on more than 2,000 citizens from both countries, imposed since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. [Id.]

“But isn’t that Hungary’s problem?” — you may ask.

Actually, no . . . because of the aforesaid European Schengen zone, which allows free travel, without the necessity for border checks, among the 29 member countries. This includes virtually all EU countries, with the exception of Ireland and Cyprus.

So, that covers most of Europe . . . including Hungary. Which means that anyone holding a national card from Hungary can also travel freely from there throughout Austria, Bulgaria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

The EU — which has already been at odds with Orban over his continuing close relationship with Vladimir Putin, his “Patriots for Europe” coalition, and his unauthorized visits to Moscow and Kyiv — is quite naturally worried about the likelihood of some (or possibly a lot) of those un-vetted Russians and Belarusians galavanting at will through the Schengen zone.

And considering the recent spate of revelations involving Russian illegals, assassins, and other ne’er-do-wells now back home in Mother Russia thanks to the prisoner swap of August 1st . . . who wouldn’t be worried?

Sandor Pinter, Hungary’s Minister of the Interior, wrote in a letter to the EU that “The National Card will be issued in accordance with the relevant EU framework and with due consideration of the possible security risks involved. In this respect, the Hungarian legislation and practice, which the Commission has not objected to so far, has not changed.” [Anita Komuves, Reuters, August 21, 2024.]

Well, of course the EU hasn’t objected to it before — it didn’t previously include Russia or Belarus.

Earlier this month, EU internal affairs chief Ylva Johansson warned Hungary that “its decision to ease visa restrictions for Russians and Belarusians posed a potential security threat and [that] she would take action if her concerns were not addressed.” Apparently, Johansson also posed specific questions to Pinter; he has said, in an annex to his letter, that he would provide detailed answers. [Id.]

Let’s see how that goes.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/24/24

This is beginning to feel like tryouts for the lead in the high school senior play. First we heard from Ushakov . . . then Chemezov . . . and now it’s Antonov. Who’s up next — is there a Popov in the wings, waiting to deliver the next Putin Proclamation?

And seriously . . . Where on earth is the actual Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov??!!!

Today’s broadcast of “The Daily Threat From Moscow” was brought to us by the current Russian Ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov. Referring to the Ukrainian counter-offensive (Russian version: “incursion”) in the Kursk region, Antonov said:

“I tell you sincerely that the president has made a decision. I am firmly convinced that everyone will be severely punished for what has happened in Kursk region.”

Well, I’m sure we’re all glad that he was speaking “sincerely.” We certainly wouldn’t want him to lie to us, would we?

Unfortunately, that was all he had to say about that — no details, despite Putin’s having just met with the governors of border regions and other senior officials. They’re playing this one close to the chest.

He did, however, go on to offer his assessment of the United States, complete with a prediction that it would at some point remove all restrictions on the use of weapons supplied to Ukraine:

“The current administration behaves like a person who extends one hand and holds a dagger behind their back with another one. They are, essentially, laying ground [for a decision] to simply remove all the existing restrictions at a certain point, without much thought.” [Lucy Papachristou, Reuters, August 23, 2024.]

I suppose times have changed; but there was a day when a diplomat was supposed to remain . . . well . . . diplomatic.

But back to my original point: this round of musical spokesmen being offered us from Moscow this week. It’s an odd assortment, including — so far — an “aide,” an industrialist, and a diplomat. But where is the actual Kremlin press secretary? Where is that adorable Dmitry Peskov? Have there been any sightings of him this week, perhaps on a Crimean beach, or at a casino on the French Riviera?

Wherever you are, Dima, do enjoy yourself. But come back to us soon, well rested and raring to go, because we miss your unique brand of sarcasm.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/23/24

– Bodies recovered from yacht sunk by water spout off coast of Sicily . . .

– Volcano erupts in Iceland for sixth time in eight months . . .

– Putin has plan of action to counter Kursk attack . . .

– Trump loses it — again . . .

– Woman is swallowed by sinkhole in Kuala Lumpur . . .

And that’s just part of this morning’s news.

I’m going back to bed now. Wake me when we reach the next millennium . . . if we reach the next millennium. Or when there’s actually some good news to report . . . whichever comes first.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/23/24

The loss of a loved one is incredibly sad. And for a monogamous animal — say, for example, a penguin — it is a terrible tragedy, though we humans don’t know just how much they understand or feel. But under ordinary circumstances, a penguin’s loss can be overcome when he or she finds another mate from their large community, and is able to continue breeding and increasing the herd . . . which, for penguins at least, is the real purpose of mating in the first place.

But what happens when one member of a gay penguin couple dies?

So you didn’t know that was a possibility? Never heard of Sphen and Magic, the Australian gentoo penguins who fell in love at the Sea Life Sydney Aquarium in 2018, and later adopted and raised two chicks together? Neither had I, until this week when I read about the loss of Sphen; and considering that they were world-famous, I must have been living under a rock not to have known about them. But I do now; and being a lover of penguins anyway (if you’ve ever seen Happy Feet, you’ll understand), I found the couple’s story particularly touching.

Magic and Sphen had been together for six years, Sphen being older by three years. The staff at the Aquarium noticed them bowing to each other one day, which is a gentoo way of flirting. And in the years since then, they had become a symbol of equality around the world, even inspiring a Mardi Gras float, being referenced in Australia’s education syllabus, and featured in the Netflix series Atypical. [Tiffanie Turnbull, BBC News, August 21, 2024.] Nobody was bothered by the fact that they were gay.

Gentoo penguins have an average life expectancy of 12 to 13 years. Sphen was 11 when his health began to deteriorate, and the decision was made to euthanize him to end his suffering. Magic, who is just eight years old, was taken to see Sphen’s body so that he would understand his partner would not be returning. It was reported that Magic immediately began singing, and was joined by others in the penguin colony. [Id.]

It seems they understand quite a lot.

His obituary noted that he is also survived by Sphengic and Clancy, their two fostered chicks.

You may have thought in the beginning that this was going to be a humorous piece; but it isn’t. I am heartbroken for Magic, and concerned that he may never find another partner to share the rest of his life. But I will try to follow his story from now on, and rest assured — I will share my findings with you.

In the meantime, my condolences to all of the good people at the Sea Life Sydney Aquarium who are in mourning for Sphen, and who I know are taking the best possible care of Magic, Sphengic, Clancy, and the rest of the colony.

I wish I could have known this special couple.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/23/24

I repeat: Where is Dmitri Peskov? And why are we suddenly hearing Kremlin policy from the mouths of people we didn’t even know existed until this week?

On Monday it was former Ambassador to the United States — now aide to Vladimir Putin — Yuri Ushakov, telling us to forget about peace negotiations with Ukraine as long as their “venture” — i.e., counter-offensive — into Russia continues.

And on Wednesday we were introduced to Sergei Chemezov — not even a government official, but CEO of major arms manufacturer Rostec . . . and, not incidentally, a close friend of Putin from their days in the service of the KGB in then East Germany.

Who’s next . . . Aleksandr Dugin??!!!

At any rate, General (his former KGB rank) Chemezov had a strong warning for the United States and its Western allies, saying that we “risk triggering a global war if Washington continues to ‘provoke’ the conflict in Ukraine and allow Kyiv to attack Russian territory.” [Guy Faulconbridge and Gleb Stolyarov, Reuters, August 21, 2024.]

Reiterating the Kremlin line that the conflict is a battle between the West and Russia, he further stated:

“In a situation where the West, led by the United States, provokes war, we must be ready. The third year of the special operation is under way — Russia feels confident.” [Id.]

This really is nothing new — we hear it almost daily from Putin, Medvedev, Peskov and others. What strikes me, though, is the consistent use of the word “provoke” in laying the blame at the feet of the Western nations. And they repeat it, and repeat it, and repeat it, without so much as a blink or a blush, as though it were true . . . when they know damned well who it was that lined their troops up at the border and invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

It was not the United States. It was not any NATO or EU member country.

IT WAS RUSSIA!

And no matter how many times they say otherwise, the facts do not, and will not, change.

IT WAS RUSSIA who started this war. And it is a war — not a “special military operation.”

How do we get this across to Putin & Company? That is the $64,000 question (or $64 billion, in today’s money). It’s like trying to get a recalcitrant child to understand that, no matter what he says, pigs cannot fly. Saying it — no matter how many times — doesn’t make it so.

Putin put in his two cents’ worth last week when he predicted Ukrainian troops would be beaten back from Russian territory; but they’re still there. He also said in June that he could deploy conventional missiles within striking distance of the U.S. and its European allies if they allowed Ukraine to use long-range Western missiles in Russia. [Id.]

Vladimir Putin is a man who has never gotten over the breakup of the Soviet Union, which he considers “the greatest geopolitical disaster of the [20th] century.” He took that event as a personal humiliation; and now he has been further mortified by his inability to defeat Ukraine — as he originally bragged — in a matter of days or weeks.

And now, is there some special meaning behind the sudden appearance of Ambassador Ushakov and General Chemezov? Or are they just filling in temporarily for Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov?

*. *. *

Which leads me back to my original question: Dima . . . where are you? And why are they sending in these second-stringers?

They’re saying basically the same things you would be saying. It’s just that you’re that familiar, relatable face we’ve come to know and . . . well, look forward to.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/23/24

* [From History.com, This Day In History, August 22, 2024.]

1776: The British Are Coming! The British Are Coming! On this date in the year of my country’s birth, British General William Howe came to Long Island, New York, with a reported “near twenty four thousand men ready to land in a moment,” hoping to capture New York City and gain control of the Hudson River. At Brooklyn Heights, the British Redcoats overcame the Americans and outflanked the entire Continental Army. The Americans suffered 1,000 casualties; the British only 400.

The British missed a couple of opportunities to finish the job, and finally, on September 11th, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and other congressional representatives reopened negotiations with General Howe and his brother, Admiral Richard Howe. But the British refused to accept the condition of American independence, and negotiations fell through.

Fighting resumed, and on September 15th, the British captured New York City, which remained in British hands for the duration of the war.

*. *. *

1968: The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!

Same date, different country, nearly 200 years later.

Moscow was annoyed (to say the least) at reforms instituted by Czech Communist Party General Secretary Alexander Dubcek. When Dubcek refused to back down, Russia did what Russia always does: they invaded Czechoslovakia on August 20th with more than 200,000 troops. On August 22nd, thousands of Czechs gathered in and around Vaclav Namesti (Wenceslas Square) in the capital city of Prague in protest against the Soviet invasion. What began as a peaceful demonstration erupted in violence at times, and several protesters were killed that day and during the days that followed.

Despite international condemnation, the Soviet Union pushed Dubcek from power and replaced him with a hardliner. Czechoslovakia remained under the control of the Soviet Union until its “Velvet Revolution” of 1989 — a time when Eastern European nations were breaking free of communist control, the Berlin Wall came down in Germany (November 9th), and as a result — some two years later — the Soviet Union itself splintered and ceased to exist.

All in all, a big day for invasions. It would be best if history did not repeat itself this way again — at least not for another 200 years.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/22/24

On the one hand, I’m sure Yevgeny Prigozhin would be happy to know that his Wagner Group lives on, a year after his own death in a fiery plane crash on August 23, 2023. But on the other hand, I’m not so sure he’d like what it’s been turned into.

To begin with, the former Wagner Group is now under the aegis of the GRU — Russia’s military intelligence directorate. It has been renamed, and is now known as the Africa Corps (AC).

If that sounds familiar, it should. The name was stolen directly from Germany’s World War II Afrika Korps, headed by the infamous “Desert Fox,” Field Marshal Erwin Rommel. Why Putin, or the GRU, or whoever chose the name couldn’t come up with something original — and more puzzlingly, why they would choose to adopt the Nazi reference — I can’t imagine; but there it is.

Some things haven’t changed. The war in Ukraine remains the AC’s first priority; but its heavy involvement in African political, industrial and economic affairs has floundered somewhat since the loss of its leader. Prigozhin was the founder of, and the brains and muscle behind, the Wagner Group; and he fiercely maintained its independence. His troops were loyal to him, and his sudden death created a void that has yet to be filled. Not all members remained with what is now the GRUs Africa Corps; some joined the Russian National Guard, while others are now part of a Chechen militia force. [RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty, August 21, 2024.]

Political analyst Mark Galeotti, speaking at Washington’s Brookings Institution on August 20th, said that those Wagner personnel who were blended into the GRU are “trying to run a blended diplomatic, commercial, and military structure, while they only have the skill set to run the latter.” [Id.]

The AC remains active in Libya, Mali, and the Central African Republic, and has begun making inroads into Burkina Faso and Niger. Even the government of the little island nation of Sao Tome and Principe, off of Africa’s west coast, has indicated that it would like to send its forces to a Russian training academy in Chechnya. [Id.]

And Russia is buying off Guinea Bissau by canceling and restructuring large portions of its debt, which would give Russia access to that country’s substantial cocaine trade and a link to the organized crime groups from both Africa and Latin America that convene there. [Id.]

That’s how they operate, and always have done: Like any successful Mafia-style group, they play on your weaknesses until they own you. Violence is an adjunct tool, to be used freely as needed.

According to Professor Christopher Faulkner of the U.S. Naval War College, “Africa Corps is still in its elementary phase . . . We’re just waiting to see what’s going to transpire and whether or not Moscow will actually invest in real genuine security in those states.” [Id.]

Security? Is that what they’re calling it now? What a great name for sending armed goons into a desperately poor, politically unstable country; promising miracles in return for the only type of payment the country can offer, and its only real asset: its rich natural resources; and installing your own chosen people at the head of the government, thus creating yet another Russian vassal state.

So it’s business as usual in Africa, but without Prigozhin to keep his troops operating efficiently. And the ultimate goal? Well, as Professor Faulkner said, we simply have to wait and see. But it does seem to have some of the earmarks of another Cold War-era Eastern Europe . . . only without having to acknowledge it as an invasion.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/22/24

I don’t mean when the government or your employer tells you that you are, by reminding you that you now qualify for retirement benefits that will never be enough for you to live on. Nor is it when AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) starts sending you solicitations for membership — because they start that crap when you turn 50, which (trust me) isn’t old. And it’s not when you have to take a special eye test to get your driver’s license renewed.

No, it’s none of those “official” milestones. Aging is different for each individual, of course. But there are many signs that you’re perilously close to becoming a senior citizen, or an octogenarian, if only you know what they are . . . and have the guts to face up to them. For example:

Remember when your dentist hinted that you might want to consider whitening your teeth? How old were you then — 40? 45? Uh-huh. That might have been a sign.

And when you discovered that those expensive body lotions and creams were sinking into your skin with an audible “slurp” but no longer keeping you moist and velvety?

Or when your beautician or barber began pulling a handful of hair out of the brush after using it on you, and you heard their quiet “Oh-oh”?

Remember the first time the kid behind the ticket counter in the movie box office assumed you qualified for a senior ticket? Didn’t you just want to smack him, even though he was right?

All signs. But just little ones. They became more noticeable over time, like when you couldn’t make it up the hill from your house without stopping halfway to catch your breath. Or the first time you grunted when you pushed yourself out of the easy chair.

Has your partner — or your next-door neighbor — begun complaining about your snoring? Good luck with that one!

Do people get annoyed when they have to repeat everything because you keep telling them they’re mumbling when they’re not? Well, that’s tough. If they don’t like it, let them pay for the hearing aids, because Medicare won’t.

And wait until the first time your bladder wakes you — or, worse, doesn’t wake you — in the middle of the night. You will never have an uninterrupted night’s sleep after that for the rest of your life.

But that’s okay, because you have to get up anyway, for another shot of Pepto Bismol after daring to have a slice of pizza for dinner.

By the way, it won’t be long after that when even mashed potatoes have the same effect. Welcome to the wonderful world of not eating much of anything.

Oh, and this would be a good time to start practicing tightening those butt cheeks, because the gas from the pizza — or even the mashed potatoes — will escape at the most inopportune times. Of course, if it can’t come out that way, it will likely find another exit, in the form of a very satisfying belch that you might not be able to stifle in time. Either way, I recommend looking innocently around the room as if trying to identify the culprit. It only works occasionally, but it’s worth a try. Otherwise, just laugh it off; everyone else will be.

Do your bottles of prescription medicines now outnumber the real teeth you have left in your mouth? If so, you’re well on your way, baby.

Oh, by the way, about that waistline . . . where did that go? And when? Well, it expanded, and it’s now hiding behind those boobs that no longer look proudly forward when you stand up. (And that goes for you men, too, you know.)

Shall we talk about the feet now? You probably never even heard of toenail fungus until a couple of years ago! But don’t despair; there’s stuff to treat that, too.

And let’s see . . . there are those prominent veins on your hands . . . the chicken neck . . . a bunch of little brown spots where you never had freckles before, and . . .

Ah, forget it! The list is too long. I’ve come to the conclusion that trying to battle the inevitable will only lead to clinical depression, which is the last thing you need. So try to overlook your aching back, your reflux, and your cataracts, and be grateful for the fact that you still have your mental . . . your mental . . . your . . .

Oh, damn! What was that word again?

Ah, fuck it!

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/22/24

Wait a second . . . Acuity! That’s the word!

Kevin Lik, now 19, is the youngest person in modern Russian history to have been convicted of treason. A dubious honor, at best.

Kevin was born in Montabaur, Germany, to a Russian mother (Victoria) and a German father. The marriage eventually dissolved, but Kevin and his mother remained in Germany, visiting friends and family in Russia every couple of years. Finally, in 2017, Victoria’s homesickness won out, and they moved back to her home town of Maykop in the North Caucasus region of Russia. Kevin was 12.

Kevin was an excellent student, and won national and local academic competitions, including a national German language contest and others in history and biology. They lived in the countryside, and he enjoyed taking walks around the area.

As the years passed, Kevin became more interested in politics, and was known occasionally to express his opinion at school. Both he and his mother were aware of the increasing restrictions and dangers of the Putin regime, and the decision was made to move back to Germany. By this time, Russia had invaded Ukraine, and in order to leave the country permanently, Kevin’s name had to be removed from the military register. Victoria was “invited” to sort out the paperwork at the local enlistment office, but when she arrived she was met by the police, accused of “swearing in public,” and sentenced to ten days’ detention.

That left Kevin alone at home. He stopped going to school and rarely left the house, but when he did, he returned to find that “things had been moved around.” [Sergei Goryashko, BBC Russian, August 19, 2024.]

*. *. *

When Victoria was released, she and Kevin tried to leave the country for Germany by way of the southern city of Sochi, which has an international airport. But they were obviously under surveillance, because Kevin noticed a man in a hoodie and mask photographing them on his phone. Almost immediately, a minibus pulled up.

“Eight or nine FSB officers jumped out,” Kevin says. “One grabbed me by the arm. Another came up, showed his ID, and said: ‘A criminal case has been opened against you under article 275: treason.’ My eyes were wide with shock.”

In a bizarre twist, Kevin and Victoria were taken to a pizzeria, where their captors actually ordered pizza and offered them some. They were then returned home in the middle of the night, where they were shown a video the FSB officers had made while they searched the apartment. One of the items they found was a broken telescope, which they said he must have used to photograph military vehicles from his window to send to German intelligence. They took his phone and laptop, and found pictures of the nearby military base.

And that was all they needed. He was arrested, and assigned a lawyer who recommended he sign a confession to make things easier. He was afraid they would also start pressuring his mother, and didn’t know what else to do. Because he was a minor, he was taken to a special facility in Krasnodar and placed in solitary confinement. A few months later, he turned 18 and was moved to a different prison where he was placed in the general population.

That was when things went from bad to worse. He was beaten by a group of inmates. “They tied my hands, beat me, and even put out a cigarette on me. They hit me so hard in the chest I couldn’t breathe.” [Id.]

Throughout this time, the investigation continued. A former teacher testified against him concerning a question he had once asked her during an academic competition in Moscow. Analysis of the photos he had taken in Sochi concluded they didn’t constitute a state secret, but that they could have been harmful to Russia if they had fallen into foreign hands.

His FSB file included details of his childhood trips to Russia with his mother, as far back as when he was two years old. He later learned that his phone had been tapped since 2021.

After ten months, in late December 2023, he was tried, found guilty of treason, and sentenced to four years in a penal colony in Arkhangelsk (Archangel) — a journey that took a month, via several other prisons. He passed the time by reading and studying until, on July 23rd, he was told by a prison officer that he had 20 minutes to “urgently write a petition” for a presidential pardon, which he did.

On July 28th, he was told to bring his toothbrush, toothpaste and slippers, which he took to mean he was being sent to a punishment cell. But he was locked in an office until 1:00 a.m. on the 29th, when a convoy came to take him away.

He said the thought of a possible exchange entered his mind, though nothing of the sort was indicated to him. He was flown to Moscow, kept in jail until August 1st, and then finally put on a plane with the other prisoners being swapped. The transfer was made in Turkey, and he was finally flown to Germany, where he was reunited with Victoria.

All of this despite the fact that he had done absolutely nothing wrong.

I’ve said it before, but I believe it bears repeating: In Russia today, under the reign of Vladimir Putin, there is no concept of justice or rule of law. After finishing the 20th Century in a burst of newfound freedom and hope for the future of their country, the Russian people have found themselves once more sliding into the morass of totalitarianism. It is not only a tragedy for the citizens of Russia, but also a terrifying danger to the peoples of the surrounding nations who once lived under the yoke of communist rule, and fear it may again be inching toward them. It must be stopped.

*. *. *

Now living in Germany with his mother, Kevin is happily finishing school. When asked for his feelings about his experience, he replies:

“I don’t have a desire for revenge, but I do have a very strong desire to participate in opposition activities.” [Id.]

I must say . . . he’s far more forgiving than I would be under the circumstances.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/22/24

“The first thing we do is, let’s kill all the lawyers.”

In the context of Henry VI, Part II (Act IV, Scene 2), those lines, when spoken by the villainous Dick the Butcher, make sense . . . in an ironically humorous way. But when applied literally — and most especially in today’s Russia — well . . . I’ll let you judge.

Alexei Navalny — the Russian dissident who for years was an ever-present thorn in Vladimir Putin’s side — died in prison in February of this year under, shall we say, questionable circumstances. But four months prior to his death, in October 2023, three of his attorneys — Vadim Kobzev, Igor Sergunin and Alexei Liptser — were arrested and accused of acting as intermediaries between Navalny and his so-called “extremist group” (the Kremlin’s description for his Anti-Corruption Foundation).

In February — the same month in which Navalny drew his last breath — two more of his lawyers were placed on a wanted list: Olga Mikhailova, who had earlier been charged in absentia with extremism after fleeing the country, and Aleksandr Fedulov, also now living outside of Russia.

The three imprisoned lawyers have in turn retained attorneys to represent them. Those attorneys have petitioned the Supreme Court to transfer the case out of a court in the western Vladimir region of Russia on the grounds that it may not be objective or impartial. They argued that the bulk of the prosecution’s evidence had been obtained in a raid that was in fact illegal, and had been ordered by a superior court in the same (Vladimir) region, which they considered to be a conflict of interest.

The petition also charged that the Vladimir courts had “pressured Navalny’s lawyers to disclose confidential communications with him before the politician’s February death in a remote Arctic prison.” [Associated Press, August 20, 2024.]

The Russian Supreme Court yesterday refused to release the three lawyers or to transfer their case to a different court, thereby effectively also denying any conflict of interest. The prisoners will now await trial at some unspecified date on charges of extremism. Conviction is a foregone conclusion; the only questions are how long a sentence each will receive, and where it will be served.

*. *. *

Yesterday, I commented on the case of U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Gordon Black, one of the remaining American hostages in Russia’s prison camps, whose appeal has just been denied despite the questionable evidence on which his conviction had been based. At that time, I wrote:

“I can’t even imagine how frustrating it must be, trying to practice law in Putin’s Russia.”

Considering the plight of Attorneys Kobzev, Sergunin and Liptser, it is painfully obvious that I grossly understated the situation. Defending a client against criminal charges not only carries with it a responsibility for the defendant’s life, but — in Russia — for the attorney’s own life as well.

The fact is, there is no justice in Vladimir Putin’s Russia . . . and there never will be, as long as he remains in charge. It is that simple.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/21/24