Just three days ago I reported on the detainment of Russian journalist Konstantin Gabov in Moscow on charges of “extremism” — the most common excuse being used these days for the silencing of Putin’s most vocal critics.

And then I learned that on the same day — Saturday, April 27th — yet another journalist, Sergey Karelin, was also arrested, but near his home in the Murmansk region of Russia some 125 miles above the Arctic Circle, accused of “participation in an extremist organization.”

Karelin, who holds dual Russian-Israeli citizenship, previously worked for a number of media outlets including the Associated Press (AP), and Deutsche Welle (DW) (prior to DW’s being banned in Russia in 2022). His fate remains to be determined, pending trial in two months (or more).

*. *. *

Not enough for you? Then add Sergey Mingazov to the list. A journalist for Forbes, Mingazov was also placed under two months’ house arrest at his home in Khabarovsk (near the Chinese border) on Saturday, where he will await trial after being detained “for allegedly spreading fake news about the Russian army.” [Zarah Ullah, Katharina Krebs, Darya Tarasova and Christian Edwards, CNN, April 28, 2024.] His attorney has said that the specific charge was “reposting a publication about the events in Bucha [Ukraine] on Telegram.” [Olga Voitovych, Darya Tarasova and Jessie Gretener, CNN, April 27, 2024.] According to authorities, this amounts to “spreading ‘knowingly false information’ about the Russian armed forces ‘under the guise’ of reliable reporting.” [CNN, Id.]

While under house arrest, Mingazov has been banned from using the internet, and is restricted in his contacts with people other than relatives, investigators, lawyers, and medical professionals. It may be better than sitting in a Russian prison, but make no mistake: he is still a political hostage whose future does not look bright.

*. *. *

The Kremlin’s crackdown on the media has taken other forms as well. Several cases have been filed in absentia against Russians who have fled the country. And in February, German WDR radio correspondent Bjorn Blaschke was fined 40,000 rubles ($428) for “having discredited the Russian army.” According to an anonymous source at independent media outlet Ekho Moskvy, “Blaschke was pulled off a train by police while traveling from Vladivostok to Moscow for a tweet posted in 2022 linking the offensive on Ukraine to the rising cost of wheat and fuel in several African countries. WDR pulled the correspondent out of Russia after his arrest.” [Javier G. Cuesta, El Pais International, April 27, 2024.]

He was one of the lucky ones.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
5/1/24

To those who have missed the first 399 chapters of my blog (which I share daily on Facebook), allow me to give you a brief introduction to . . . well . . . me. My name is Brenda; my pen name is Brendochka, which is the nickname given to me many years ago by some Russian friends in Moscow, which is a long story that you will find in the earliest chapters of my aforesaid blog (at brendochka.com) if you would just read it.

Well, about me: I am retired. In the interest of full disclosure, I’m really pretty old. I have some disabilities and personal circumstances that keep me from doing many of the things I used to enjoy, mainly traveling. The two family pets are lovely but not very amusing; I’m not in the process of redecorating; and I haven’t found any interesting antiques to show you. Most of my friends are dead, and the few remaining ones live far, far away. So, there’s nothing really worth photographing. (I’ve even written about this — check out my 4/22/24 chapter on “The Inevitability of Invisibility.”)

What I do have, though, are words. Lots and lots of words. And I love putting them down “on paper,” so to speak, and sharing them with anyone who has the time and the interest to read them.

So I started this blog. I never expected it to go viral, but it was doing fairly well, especially after I began sharing it on Facebook. (The other day, someone in India read seven chapters.) However, I think it may have run its course, because my regular readership has dropped to . . . okay, so far today it’s zero. I think I know why, but I’d really like your input. If anyone is out there, that is.

Hello? HELLO??? Oh, there you are. Good . . .

To continue: I don’t post pictures of my activities because, as I said, I don’t have any really interesting ones any longer. Also, I am the least photogenic person I know. Do you really want to see photos of me sitting here tapping away at my iPad, or giving the dog her daily scratches, or maybe taking a stroll around the neighborhood? I thought not.

But I do write about interesting things that are happening in the world. That stuff fascinates me, and I tend to ramble on about it. Especially foreign affairs, and most particularly having to do with Russia. (If you had read my first 28 blog chapters, you’d understand why.) And sometimes I veer off onto subjects that just pop into my head, like the “joys” of aging, or lifestyles of yesterday vs. today, or what I really think of people like Donald Trump or Elon Musk or Kim Kardashian. Just stuff, and mostly in a humorous vein.

But, as you can see, I have never mastered the art of brevity, and I’m thinking that’s possibly why people don’t take the time to read me. Maybe Facebook just isn’t the right place for what I have to offer.

So if you’ve made it all the way through to the end of this monologue, could you perhaps do me a small favor and check out one or two of my blog chapters (still at brendochka.com), and let me know whether you think I should stop sharing them on Facebook. That’s all. I’m not going to stop writing the blog — just won’t take up all your valuable data space on FB with my thousands and thousands of words . . .

All right, I’ll shut up now. Thanks for sticking with me this far.

Brendochka
4/30/24

It’s a story as old as history itself.

Juliet, of course, pined hopelessly for her Romeo, but couldn’t overcome their meddling parents.

Elizabeth Bennet had her Mr. Darcy, but all that ridiculous pride and prejudice got in the way.

And remember your visions of Catherine Earnshaw as she longed to rendezvous with the brooding Heathcliff on the endless moors of England?

*. *. *

Those were all fiction, of course. But if life imitates art, or vice-versa, then why shouldn’t I also announce to the world that I have fallen — totally unexpectedly, hopelessly, ridiculously — “in love” with the most charming, eloquent, and witty man. Oh, not romantically in love, of course; that would be ludicrous considering our differences. But I have to confess that, on a more existential level, I absolutely adore . . .

Dmitry Peskov.

Yes, you heard me correctly. I’m talking about that Dmitry Peskov: darling of the news media, wit, raconteur, press secretary for none other than Vladimir Putin himself . . . Dmitry Sergeyevich Peskov.

I can’t help myself; I just cannot resist a man who makes me laugh. And yesterday, he went and did it again.

Let me give you a little background (I’ll try to be brief). You surely remember who Alexei Navalny was — the Russian dissident who was such a thorn in Putin’s side that he wound up being sentenced to 30 years in a Siberian prison camp. And you know that he died under suspicious circumstances at that camp; that there was a huge, angry reaction from the public following his death; and that most of the world blames Putin for his demise . . . and not without good reason.

Well, of course, the Kremlin has steadfastly denied that Putin had anything to do with Navalny’s fate, declaring that he never takes a personal interest in such matters, but leaves their handling to the appropriate government agencies. And just a few days ago, Putin received a “gift” from U.S. intelligence sources, when a finding was issued and reported upon as follows:

“Alexey Navalny’s February death in a remote Arctic prison camp likely wasn’t directly ordered by Vladimir Putin, despite Navalny’s outspoken criticism of the Russian president, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

“Despite the suspicious circumstances of the opposition leader’s death, the outlet reported Putin may not have intended Navalny to be killed when he was.

“The Journal, citing ‘people familiar with the matter,’ reported that several US intelligence agencies, including the CIA, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the State Department’s intelligence unit, share this opinion.” [Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert, Business Insider, April 27, 2024.]

While the reports were offset by a confirmation that the official U.S. position is still that the Russian government “bears ultimate responsibility for Navalny’s death,” the onus seemed to have been removed from Putin personally.

And if that isn’t just the biggest, most beautiful May Day gift old Vladimir Vladimirovich could have asked for . . .

But my friend Dmitry Peskov wasn’t having any of America’s largesse. Apparently, he’s never heard the old saying about not looking a gift horse in the mouth, because his mouth just couldn’t resist its usual hilarious response, as reported in Saturday’s press:

“Russia has dismissed a report claiming Vladimir Putin did not order the killing of famed dissident Alexei Navalny, who died in an Arctic prison in February.

”Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s spokesman, told Russia’s state-run media on Saturday that he had seen the Wall Street Journal report, which cited an assessment by U.S. intelligence agencies, and that there was little reason to believe it. He derided its logic and said it wasn’t worth looking into.

“‘I would not say that this is high-quality material that deserves any attention. Some very empty reasoning,’ Peskov said.” [Amanda Yen, Daily Beast, April 27, 2024.] [Emphasis is mine.]

. . . thereby completely negating what Putin has been insisting all along.

*. *. *

Now, I have no clue as to why the U.S. Government would have issued such a statement in the first place, though I’m sure there’s some weird logic behind it somewhere, probably having to do with international diplomatic considerations, or possibly just an overly-developed sense of “fair play.” But neither do I understand why Dmitry would respond as he did. I mean, everyone knows he’s funny as hell, but I really don’t think that’s what he was going for here.

Dima . . . dear, sweet Bubbeleh . . . let me give you a quick lesson in basic etiquette, which works on both a personal and a professional level: When someone hands you a gift, you don’t refuse it. You accept it graciously . . . you smile . . . say thank you . . . and then you . . .

. . . shut the f*ck up!!!

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
4/30/24

It’s late Sunday night, nearly Monday morning, and I’ve got . . . nothing. Nada. Zip. I’ve gone blank.

Not that there isn’t anything to write about. There’s always news, after all. It’s just that I’m momentarily burned out on all of the horror that confronts us every day, day after day. So I thought I’d just cheer myself — and hopefully you — up a bit with some of the absurdities and plain old silliness of life, past and present. I did not make any of this stuff up; I’m not that clever. It’s all from the pages of The Book of Useless Information (Publications International, Ltd., 2011). The book, by the way, was manufactured in China. For whatever that’s worth.

So here we go, with the first “Did you know . . . ?”

Charles Dickens was a master of inventiveness when it came to making up names for his characters. Who, for example, could ever forget Uriah Heep (from David Copperfield), Bumble (from Oliver Twist), or Pumblechook (from Great Expectations)? But after reading the list contained in my Book of Useless Information, I have a new favorite. And I anticipate that you, my readers, will not require an explanation of the reason that this fellow made it directly to the No. 1 spot on my list of all-time great names. Without further ado, from Dickens’ The Old Curiosity Shop, I present to you:

Dick Swiveller.

Okay, so much for the Monday morning blahs. I’m on a roll now.

*. *. *

I love music, most kinds. I even enjoy an occasional opera, though I must admit the plots, in addition to being unnecessarily complicated, are frequently downright depressing. Allow me to elucidate (if we’re talking about opera, I think it’s okay to use the upscale vocabulary).

— Tosca (by Giacomo Puccini, 1900): Floria Tosca is a celebrated singer whose lover is arrested by a corrupt police chief. She kills the police chief, but her lover is executed, and she commits suicide. * * * Now, there’s a plot that could have been wrapped up in 40 minutes of running time on an episode of Columbo. But no . . . onstage at the Met, it’s two hours and forty-five minutes of eye-rolling and breast-beating, not including two intermissions. Oy!

*. *. *

— La Boheme (also by Puccini, 1896): Set in the Latin Quarter of Paris, this opera focuses on the love affair between Rodolfo, a poet, and Mimi, a seamstress. The couple tragically separates for some reason or other, but they reunite shortly before Mimi dies of tuberculosis. * * * I wonder if that’s where the idea for the 1936 Greta Garbo movie “Camille” came from. In the movie, though, the dying heroine didn’t sing. She just coughed a lot.

*. *. *

— La Traviata (by Giuseppe Verdi, 1853): In Italian, “traviata” supposedly means “fallen woman.” Appropriately, then, this opera is the tale of a courtesan who is spurned by her respectable lover before dying in his arms. * * * Come on, now! “Respectable”? By whose definition? He’s been hanging around with this fallen woman, then he dumps her. That’s not respectable.

*. *. *

And one more, before I get seriously depressed:

— Madame Butterfly (by the prolific Puccini again, 1904): Possibly my favorite, both because of its hauntingly beautiful arias and the incredibly adorable name of its heroine, Cio-Cio-San (pronounced, if I recall correctly, “Cho-Cho-Son”). Anyway, she is a Japanese girl who embarks on a love affair with a U.S. naval officer, Lieutenant B. F. Pinkerton. (I have no idea what his initials stand for, and I’m not going to take a stab at it.) The couple has a child together, but the B.F. Lieutenant later runs out on her to marry an American woman, and Cio-Cio-San — as I’m sure you’ve already guessed — commits suicide. Don’t know what happens to the child. * * * This one actually was the inspiration (well, partially) for a stage play titled “M. Butterfly” but which took place in China, not Japan, and involved a French diplomat and an opera singer who — undetected by the besotted and bemused diplomat — is ultimately revealed to be a man.

And if that’s not intriguing enough, the play, which won the 1988 Tony Award for Best Play, was based most directly on the real-life 20-year affair between French diplomat Bernard Boursicot and the lovely Shi Pei Pu, a “female” Chinese opera singer who did indeed turn out to be male . . . as well as a Chinese spy. If you find it hard to believe, Google it — there was a huge scandal when it came to light in the ‘80s.

So which is stranger: truth or fiction? You tell me.

*. *. *

Well, for someone who was blank and burned-out an hour ago, I seem to have found enough to say. All of this nonsense has certainly made me feel better; I hope it’s done the same for you.

‘Til tomorrow, then.

Brendochka
4/29/24

Three days ago, Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) announced that:

“European lawmakers have approved a resolution that calls for the ‘immediate and unconditional release’ of all political prisoners held in Russia, including journalists Alsu Kurmasheva and Evan Gershkovich.

“The resolution was part of a joint motion in the European Parliament on April 25, condemning Russia’s ‘undemocratic’ presidential election last month and their ‘illegitimate extension’ to territories inside Ukraine that Moscow has illegally annexed.” [RFE/RL, April 25, 2024.]

“Aha!” I impulsively exclaimed. And then I reminded myself that this resolution of the legislative body of the European Union (EU) is just that: a resolution of condemnation. Russia is not a member of the EU. What can the EU do? Arrest the country? Throw Vladimir Putin into prison? Hardly.

What they can do, of course, is issue further, ever more onerous sanctions in an attempt to make life miserable for Putin and his cronies. That’s fine. But massive sanctions have already been piled one on top of another, and despite the financial hardships, Putin continues to find support from countries willing to ignore the sanctions: China, India, Iran. And his tyrannical reign marches steadfastly on.

But perhaps — just perhaps — the continued international pressure on Putin will finally have some effect. The resolution calls for “the immediate and unconditional release and compensation of all political prisoners .. . . unjustly imprisoned journalists, including Alsu Kurmasheva and Evan Gershkovich, and their families, for the restoration of freedom of expression and association in Russia and for increased international scrutiny and monitoring of human rights abuses in Russia.” [RFE/RL, id.] It also specifically names, among others, Vladimir Kara-Murza, Oleg Orlov, Ksenia Fadeyeva, and Ilya Yashin — names already sadly familiar to us as included in my weekly list.

There likely isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell of any freedoms or human rights being restored to the people of Russia as long as Vladimir Putin sits in the Kremlin. But if any — even a single one — of the hostages obtains a quick release, then the resolution can be deemed a success. And if the EU and other institutions and governments continue to apply pressure, then maybe . . .

Well, we’ll take every ray of hope we can get.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
4/28/24

Sunday again, and we have updates on three of our HOSTAGES, plus a new one to add. Not a good week.

Let’s start with the new kid on the block: Konstantin Gabov, identified by the Russian authorities as a Moscow journalist for the Reuters news agency, who has previously worked for Russian broadcasters Moskva 24 and MIR. On Saturday, April 27th, he was detained by Moscow police and accused of participating in “preparing photo and video material” for the late Alexei Navalny’s YouTube channel, “Navalny LIVE.” As is well known, Navalny had been designated a “foreign agent” and was serving a combined 30-year sentence in a Siberian penal colony when he died under suspicious circumstances on February 16th of this year.

Gabov is one of the lucky ones, so far: his initial pretrial detention is to be served under house arrest, rather than in prison. The April 27th statement from the press office of the Basmanny District Court reads in part:

“Gabov participated in the preparations of photo and video materials for publication on the NavalnyLIVE YouTube channel. The court ruled to place him in custody for the term of two months, i.e. until June 27, 2024.” NavalnyLIVE was referred to in the statement as an “extremist community”; the penalty for participation in such an organization can bring a sentence of imprisonment for two to six years. [The Insider, April 27, 2024.]

Having been associated in any way with Navalny has proven hazardous to one’s health in Russia, and has precipitated the exodus of members of his team to other, safer European locations . . . although even that is no guarantee of protection. In March of this year, one of Navalny’s team, Leonid Volkov, was attacked and brutally beaten with a hammer by assailants in front of his home-in-exile in Lithuania. Luckily, he survived. Arrests have been made in Poland of two suspects, but their message has been clearly received: no one is 100% safe from Moscow’s vengeance.

*. *. *

Gabov is not the only former associate of Navalny to make it onto our HOSTAGE list. Antonina Favorskaya, a photographer who covered Navalny’s trials for independent Russian news outlet SOTAvision, is already included (see below). She was initially accused of “disobeying a police officer” and detained for ten days in March, supposedly to be charged or released by March 27th. But that did not happen; instead, in a closed-door hearing in a Moscow court, she was ordered to be held for two additional months until May 28th “pending investigation on charges of allegedly participating in an extremist group.” [Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), March 29, 2024.] And so it begins.

*. *. *

Our other updates today are as follows:

Robert Woodland Romanov: At his scheduled court appearance on April 25th, this dual Russian-American citizen’s case was adjourned until mid-May — a typical delaying tactic designed, not to give both sides an opportunity to prepare their legal arguments, but simply to wear down the defendant, both mentally and physically.

Evan Gershkovich: The American Wall Street Journal reporter, arrested over a year ago, had his appeal against his continued detention rejected. No surprise there; Russian courts rarely, if ever, reverse themselves or each other.

Vladimir Kara-Murza: The most urgent of our HOSTAGE cases, dual Russian-British citizen Kara-Murza has been in failing health for some time. And this week it was reported that:

“As he languishes in solitary confinement in a Siberian penal colony, his doctors warn that he will not survive another year without proper medical treatment, which Vladimir Putin’s regime is denying as part of a slow-moving, torturous assassination.

”Now, Mr. Kara-Murza is slated for yet another arbitrary transfer nearly 3,000 kilometres back to Moscow for a sham hearing. In his current medical condition, the multiweek transfer is a form of torture that could kill him. And even if it doesn’t, there is a risk of enforced disappearance and outright murder.” [Brandon Silver, Irwin Cotler and Bill Browder, The Globe and Mail, April 24, 2024.]

*. *. *

I keep asking myself: How many ghosts does Vladimir Putin need hanging over his head before he calls a halt to the murder and mayhem of his regime? And how long will the people of Russia allow it to continue?

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
4/28/24

*. *. *.

So, once again I beg you, please do not forget them; their families and friends haven’t. And here, one more time, are their pictures as a weekly reminder that they are real, and truly suffering. In no particular order, they are:

Brendochka
4/28/24

On April 18th, I wrote about Russell Bentley, more-or-less of a loser from Texas who decided about ten years ago to make a radical change in his life by enlisting in the Russian army, where he was assigned to serve in the Russian-occupied region of Donetsk, Ukraine. He became a Russian citizen, married a Russian woman — Lyudmila — and, as a “combat veteran,” next reinvented himself as a journalist for the Kremlin-controlled media. As such, he spread propaganda about the alleged Nazi regime in Ukraine, and lived the life of a good little Putinist. The Russians didn’t care — or perhaps didn’t know — about his past drug conviction; he had successfully put that life behind him.

That is, until earlier this month, when Lyudmila reported — about a week after the fact — that her husband had been “brutally detained” and taken hostage by Russian troops on April 8th. Why? Well, they told her it was because he was accused of being a CIA mole operating in their midst for the past decade.

But where was Russell? At that point, no one knew . . . or, at least no one was admitting that they did. He was eventually reported by local officials, and by the battalion with which he had fought, as being dead. Oddly, this was confirmed — though without details — by editor-in-chief of Kremlin-controlled RT News, Margarita Simonyan . . . the same TV reporter who, as I mentioned in another, unrelated post on April 24th, is inexplicably fond of U.S. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. So you may give her word as much credence as you think it’s worth.

Unconfirmed reports have been circulating among Russian military bloggers to the effect that Bentley “suffered a gruesome death at the hands of Russian troops who mistook him for a spy.” [Allison Quinn, Daily Beast, April 24, 2024.] And his wife, who says she has not yet seen his remains or had any proof at all of his death, stated on Telegram:

“I know that his remains have been seen. But then I’m told that there are no remains. How is that?” But, assuming the worst, she has gone directly to the top of the hierarchy in her appeal for help in retrieving “what’s left of his body”: to Vladimir Putin himself. Because, in her words:

“Everyone knows that as soon as you appeal directly to Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, then all problems get solved. That’s why I want to appeal to the president of the Russian Federation with a request to provide maximum assistance to find my husband, either alive, if it’s possible, or to give me his remains so that I can bury him. . . . It’s more than hell. I beg you please, help.” [Daily Beast, id.]

Well, of course . . . that should do it. Your esteemed president didn’t have time to get involved in Alexei Navalny’s disappearance, but he will surely drop everything to help you find what’s left of your turncoat Texan. Good luck with that, Lyuda.

Seriously, I do sympathize with her. Life in Russia — and especially in the military — is not easy under the best of circumstances. As far as I can tell, this poor lady has done nothing wrong, other than marrying Russell Bentley. And now she lives with the delusion that the great Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin will put forth the effort to help her find Russell or his remains. It is truly a sad story, and I can’t imagine what will become of her. But I wish her well.

*. *. *

As for Russell Bentley himself, only questions remain. Foremost, of course, is the issue of his whereabouts and his condition: is he dead or alive, and in what location? Is he really dead? And if so, why was he killed? Was he horribly mutilated as rumors suggest? Would his remains even be identifiable? Was it all a big, blundering, stupid mistake; or was he actually a CIA spy, successfully remaining undetected for ten long years? Of course, we’ll never know the answer to that last question. And finally, if he’s still alive and hiding out (or being hidden) somewhere . . . why? And again, in what condition?

As usual when dealing with the Russian government, we are left with nothing but questions. And, as so frequently happens, I’m not sure we really want the answers in the puzzling case of Russell Bentley.

Although for Lyudmila Bentley, knowing would surely be better than a lifetime of wondering.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
4/27/24

But for one brief, shining moment . . .

No, it wasn’t Camelot. Though I did think, just for a few seconds, that perhaps . . . but no, it was incredibly foolish of me . . . stupid, even, to believe, or just to hope, that my words might have had some influence, some effect on the President of the Russian Federation. He doesn’t even know I exist (fortunately). But what a coincidence!

Let me explain. Just five days ago, on April 21st, I posted an article on my blog and on Facebook about the former Mrs. Putin and her current husband as to their legal troubles in France, where they now reside. It seems there is an ongoing investigation by the French government into some money laundering activity, in connection with which some of the couple’s properties — a villa in the south of France and an apartment in Paris — have been seized. And for some unknown reason, this little legal dust-up has upset folks at the Kremlin in Moscow . . . most particularly the lady’s ex-husband. Perhaps he was concerned that he might somehow become the recipient of some of the fallout from the investigation. In any event, President Putin’s Principal Puppet — Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who never fails to amuse — had this to say on his boss’ behalf:

“Any encroachment on private property is illegal from the onset. The French authorities are undermining the foundations of their legal system. We have said it many times.”

And my immediate reaction was:

And now, just as I’ve managed to cease ROFLMAO, along comes a news item concerning a “reminder” from the self-same Vladimir Putin to Russia’s prosecutors that “seizing assets and turning them over to state ownership is only justified in cases where failing to act might jeopardise Russia’s national security.” [Reuters, April 25, 2024.]

You can no doubt understand how, in a sudden blaze of conceit, I might have considered the possibility . . . Well, anyway, I’m sure a lot of people (besides myself) were aware of the incredible irony in that statement, coming as it did from the man behind — not only the seizure of numerous successful commercial and industrial enterprises in his own country that were privatized in a huge sell-out after the fall of the Soviet Union just over 30 years ago — but also huge swaths of Ukrainian territory since Russia’s invasion, now in its third year.

What’s that old adage about “people who live in glass houses . . .”?

*. *. *

So now, having dissed the French government for taking a couple of properties as collateral in a criminal investigation, Putin had to cover his yagoditsy (buttocks) and work on his public image, since — according to a statement by prosecutor General Igor Krasnov last month — “More than 1 trillion roubles’ ($10.9 billion) worth of strategic enterprises and assets were transferred to state ownership by Russian courts last year.” [Reuters, id.]

Oops!

There may also have been recent grumblings amongst the business elite, because at a Moscow business forum — the Congress of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs — Putin addressed the attendees as follows:

“I would like to stress: we are not talking about a privatisation review, but about cases when the actions or inaction by the owners of enterprises and property complexes cause direct harm to the country’s security and national interests.

“The seizure of business is justified only in the situation I have just described.

“Claims against current owners of assets are inappropriate, especially for those who work successfully, solve social issues and help ensure national security.” [Reuters, id.]

In other words: Behave, and you shall continue to prosper.

Way to go, Vlad. But you forgot to mention a couple of things, such as what constitutes “harm to the country’s security and national interests,” and who makes that determination in each case. (Actually, we already know that second part, don’t we?) Or what a business owner must do to “help ensure national security.”

The Reuters report also noted that the Russian Ministry of Finance “has listed about 30 companies in which the state may reduce its shareholding, while keeping a controlling stake, as it seeks to foster more domestic private investment and bolster budget revenues.” [Emphasis is mine.]

Yeah, there’s always that bottom line to consider, too.

*. *. *

I find it interesting to see the Russian President — any Russian President — worrying about his public image. In a country that has always been ruled from the top by an iron-fisted autocrat, it has never seemed necessary before. And Putin has just been reelected (surprise!) for another six-year term. So why now? What is he afraid of? Is the memory of Yevgeny Prigozhin’s attempted revolt — though unsuccessful — still too vivid? Does the continuing public worship of the late dissident Alexei Navalny invade his dreams at night? Are there rumors of a latent putsch running through the Kremlin’s hallways? Or is he simply trying some new tactic, hoping to convince the world that he is — while still the strong man of Russia — a more reasonable man . . . perhaps even the potential leader of his envisioned new world order?

Who knows? But it’s fascinating to watch, and listen . . . and wait for tomorrow’s news from Moscow.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
4/26/24

My day is totally complete. I didn’t have to search for a topic for today’s blog; this one, like, jumped right off the page and smacked me across my smiling face:

“Kim Kardashian clears up whether she blow dries her jewelry and other rumors.” [Lisa Respers France, CNN, April 23, 2024.]

Oh! My! God! Can you, like, believe it??!!!

I mean, like, Kim actually told such great stuff to Jimmy Kimmel, right there on his show! Stuff like — OMG! — when she was “like seven and eight years old,” she lived next door to Madonna, and would walk her dog after school in exchange for the jewelry she didn’t wear anymore. Madonna’s jewelry — not, like, the dog’s. Jeez!

Wow, she sure started that entrepreneur stuff early. No wonder she’s so rich.

Anyway, one time Madonna gave her, like, a shoe box with a bunch of neon bracelets, and when she wore them to school, “Everyone was like, ‘Oh my God I love your bracelets.’ And we were like, ‘Thanks. Madonna gave them to us.’”

Those were her exact words! How totally awesome is that?!!

And then — I can’t believe it — she told Jimmy Kimmel how she blow dries her jewelry and anything with a zipper before she puts them on because she can’t stand being freezing cold, so she, like, warms all the metal stuff first. Isn’t she the smartest?!!

Oh, and wait — I haven’t told you the best part yet. She, like, washes her feet every night before bed. But she didn’t, like, mention the rest of her body. I wonder when she washes all that? And how does she, like, reach that awesome backside . . . ?

Anyway — and this is totally awesome — she sleeps with her eyes partially open!

Partially? How does she do that? I mean, I tried, and they always, like, closed the rest of the way by themselves when I fell asleep. She’s, like, a genius, man! A creepy, awesome, freakin’ genius!

I am so, like, stoked now. My day — no, my whole life! — is complete. I just had to share this with all my FB BFFs. I’m going to go wash my feet now, jump into bed, and try that half-closed eye thing again. I’ll let you know if it works this time.

Oh my God! She is so, like, my idol.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
4/25/24

What can I say about Marjorie Taylor Greene?

Wow — that came out sounding like a eulogy. Maybe it was a Freudian slip. Because actually, I wish we could say a final farewell . . . to her so-called career as a U.S. Congresswoman, and her bully pulpit . . . before she drags too many people with her on the downslide into the soul-sucking sludge of her ranting, raving, Putin-loving anti-Americanism.

Now ask me what I really think of her.

*. *. *

Most people today aren’t old enough to remember “Tokyo Rose.” She was not a single individual, but a group of English-speaking Japanese women broadcasting anti-American propaganda during World War II for the purpose of demoralizing American and allied troops and their families. Happily, it didn’t work. But those were the days before the internet and social media. And, in comparison to the quantity and quality of the trash to which we are subjected today, those 1940s broadcasts were simplistic and amateurish.

But where Greene is concerned, I am not laughing. Although the New York Post — hardly a worthy example of exemplary journalism on a normal day — did provide me with the best guffaw I’ve had in a while when they cobbled together this image:

But a lot of people, including her own Republican colleagues in Congress, are seriously worried about her sanity. She has threatened to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) due to his amazing work in the passage of a bill that provides desperately-needed aid to Ukraine in its war against Russia. (The Speaker finally does something really right, and this is what he gets for it — proving once again that no good deed goes unpunished.) She spouts falsehoods about so-called Nazism in Ukraine — echoing the official Kremlin excuse for their “special military operation” — and continually passes along false “information” on subjects ranging from U.S. border issues to aid for Israel. She is fueled by anger and hatred, and refuses to let the truth stand in the way of her daily screeds.

She is the female Donald Trump.

And Vladimir Putin simply adores her. Well, why shouldn’t he? She’s out there proselytizing for him, free of charge. Former Representative Ken Buck (R-Colo), referring to her by her new moniker, recently said, “Moscow Marjorie is focused now on this Ukraine issue, getting her talking points from the Kremlin and making sure that she is popular and gets a lot of coverage.” [Lee Moran, Huffpost, April 22, 2024.]

And Moscow’s media mouthpieces couldn’t agree more. In an expected tirade against the House of Representatives’ passage of the bill authorizing further aid to Ukraine, the man known as “Russia’s No. 1 propagandist,” Vladimir Solovyov, took to the airwaves to declare that “a war with NATO is unavoidable.” He went on to castigate Joe Biden for “destroying” Trump, and Speaker Johnson for “betraying” the Republican party. “This is all you need to know about American politics. They’re traitors!” [Julia Davis, Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), April 22, 2024.]

Following Solovyov’s rant, Margarita Simonyan, head of Kremlin-controlled news outlet RT and a frequent guest on Solovyov’s program, had her turn. She spoke about Greene in what she considered to be the most glowing terms: “Greene is a real beauty. She is a blond who wears white coats with a fur collar. She’s demonstrably heterosexual.” [Fact-checked by Snopes.] She also referred to her as one of the few “normal people” in America.

Well, there you go! The gospel according to one of Putin’s Puppets, whose expertise in all things American seems to have been gained while once having worked as a waitress in Maine. [CEPA, id.]

*. *. *

I make light of this, but at the same time I’m seriously worried . . . worried that this is the best we can come up with when electing our country’s legislators. Not to mention the likely slate for the upcoming presidential election. We are in serious trouble, people.

Now I’m waiting to hear what my favorite Russian funnyman, Dmitry Peskov, has to say about us next. That should cheer me up . . . he always does.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
4/24/24