Okay now: He stays; he’s moved laterally; this one has a whole new department to become familiar with; and that one . . . oh-oh. That one appears to have been downgraded, and — oh, no! — is now out-ranked by his own son, who seems to have sprung fully formed from the head of Zeus. When they play games in Moscow, they play hard.

It’s no surprise to see changes at the start of a new administrative term, even with the same president. But some of this year’s moves in Moscow have caught people by surprise.

It all started with Defense Minister — or I should say, former Defense Minister — Sergei Shoigu. This was not a huge shock, as he had been under criticism for some time with regard to his management of the war . . . excuse me, the special military operation . . . in Ukraine. He has been a close friend of Vladimir Putin’s for many years, and even survived Yevgeny Prigozhin’s attempted mutiny against him last year (which Prigozhin himself didn’t survive for very long). But performance and results trump friendship every time, and Putin decided a change was necessary. And there was that little matter of one of Shoigu’s proteges at the Defense Ministry being arrested and charged with corruption . . . Still, we’re talking about an old friend, and so he was given a more-than-satisfactory new job. More about that later.

*. *. *

First, let’s see who replaces Shoigu as Defense Minister. Surely, it has to be someone of equal or greater military rank . . . What’s that you say? It’s a civilian? An economist? A freakin’ desk jockey?!!

Well, yes. But Andrey Belousov is, by all accounts, a brilliant economist who, according to my favorite Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, “. . . is not just a civilian, but a person who very succssfully headed the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia, for a long time he was aide to the president on economic issues, and was also the first deputy chairman of the government in the previous cabinet of ministers.”

But why a civilian to run a war? Because, according to Peskov, “Today on the battlefield, the winner is the one who is more open to innovation. Therefore, it is natural that at the current stage, the president decided that the Russian Ministry of Defense should be headed by a civilian.” [Anna Chernova, Helen Regan and Ivana Kottasova, CNN, May 13, 2024.]

Oh, well now . . . that explains it: because “the president decided.” The Gospel According to Saint Vladimir. Right. But it’s okay, because we are assured that General Shoigu will still be available to consult as needed. Don’t we all feel much better now?

*. *. *

And since you’re all dying to know where Shoigu’s new office will be, I won’t keep you waiting any longer. It will be right there in the Kremlin, as the new Secretary of the Russian Security Council. Wow! With Vladimir Putin himself holding the office of Chairman of the Security Council, and Dmitry Medvedev as Deputy Chairman, that places Shoigu at the table with both of them. That actually sounds like a promotion to me, but . . .

NOW HOLD ON JUST A DAMNED MINUTE! They already have a Secretary of the Security Council — Nikolai Patrushev, that scary, hawkish guy I’ve written about a couple of times. What’s going on with him?

Actually, the world was kept hanging for a day or two on that one. And finally it was announced that, after 16 years in his position as the right hand to God, his new job — for which he undoubtedly never applied — will be “overseeing the shipbuilding industry.” The Kremlin said that Patrushev “would bring his vast experience to a role of a slightly different character but that shipbuilding was ‘an absolutely strategic sector’ and did not rule out that he would be given further responsibilities.” [Guy Faulconbridge and Andrew Osborn, Reuters, May 14, 2024.]

Aw, come on, guys. We’re not stupid; we know a demotion when we see one. What’s really behind all this? Maybe Patrushev, who is now 72 years old, was getting ready to retire anyway? Maybe he’s having health problems, or just wants to spend more time with his grandkids? Or maybe he’s been a bad boy and displeased the boss. Who knows?

But apparently one humiliation wasn’t enough. So to rub a little salt into the wound, Patrushev’s 46-year-old son, Dmitry Patrushev, has been promoted from Minister of Agriculture to the position of Deputy Prime Minister in charge of agriculture.

Aw, gee whiz, Dad . . . I didn’t know. Honest.

Yeah . . . we’ll see how that family dynamic works out.

*. *. *

Incidentally, I’m sure you’ll be as happy . . . well, nearly as happy . . . as I am to know that my sweetheart, Putin’s Parrot, the inimitable Dmitry Peskov, has held onto his job as Kremlin spokesman, or Press Secretary, or whatever his official title is. He is, to my way of thinking, the closest thing to irreplaceable. His somber, sometimes angry, often bleak pronouncements never fail to capture my attention . . . and frequently even make me smile at the sincerity with which he delivers them. Stay the course, Dima; Kremlin news wouldn’t be nearly as much fun without you.

*. *. *

There have been announcements of other promotions of the “new generation” of Putin’s sycophants (or should that be “psycho-phants”?) — something at which Putin had hinted in the recent past: a whole new, younger group of lackeys for him to potty train. Frankly, I’ve never heard of any of them, so a little more digging on my part is in order. What a great excuse for another chapter or two.

In the meantime, the grown-up version of Moscow Musical Chairs continues. Let’s hope it’s not followed by a round of Russian Roulette.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
5/15/24

The nerve — the absolute gall — of Vladimir Putin to announce a major shuffling of the top government posts just when I’ve taken a break from writing in order to get some personal business attended to! I mean . . . the cojones!!! It’s as though he knows how much I love the analysis and writing, and positively abhor the other stuff, and he’s doing this just to drive me crazy.

Well, okay, that’s delusional. He doesn’t know I exist (thank Heaven!). But I am weak-willed when it comes to putting aside the necessities and indulging in the pleasures. So, I’m going to take a break from my break, and I’ll be back here tomorrow with my comments on the latest from the Kremlin. I’ll just have to find the answer to the 25-hour day . . . which will be easier than finding the answer to the workings of Putin’s brain.

Holy crap! He demoted Nikolai Patrushev??!!! I mean, what the hell . . .

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
5/14/24

So much happening in the world, no time to write about it. This is going to be harder than I thought.

Oh, boy! . . .

Brendochka
5/13/24

Staff Sgt. Gordon Black is 34 years old, a U.S. soldier with 16 years of service, most recently stationed in South Korea. He has a wife from whom he is estranged and who filed for divorce in 2022, a 6-year-old daughter, and parents back home in the U.S. And he reportedly has — or had — a girlfriend in Vladivostok, Russia, whom he met while in South Korea, where she had lived for five years and was working in a bar.

Black left South Korea last week for his new assignment at Fort Cavazos, Texas, where he was to report within two weeks. But instead of traveling straight to the U.S., he detoured to Vladivostok by way of China. Black’s mother and estranged wife believe the young woman, identified as Aleksandra Vashchuk, having returned home from South Korea, “lured” him to Russia for one last meeting. When he landed on May 2nd, he was arrested and charged with “secretly stealing property” of a person identified only as “citizen T.” He is being held until at least July 2nd, according to a spokesperson for the Pervomaisky District Court.

The U.S. Defense Department is investigating whether Black was specifically targeted by Russian intelligence services; the Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry has said Black’s detention had nothing to do with politics or espionage. We shall see what transpires by the end of his two-month detention. In the meantime, Staff Sgt. Gordon Black makes it onto the list of Putin’s HOSTAGES.

*. *. *

And reports of arrests for spurious reasons continue to crop up. Just two examples are the February 2022 detention of 21-year-old university student Danuta Perednya, sentenced to 6-1/2 years for reposting a message on social media app Telegram criticizing the war in Ukraine; and the October 2023 arrest of another university student, Olesya Krivtsova, for posting an Instagram story also criticizing the war in Ukraine. In the latter case — in circumstances far too reminiscent of the Stalin era — Krivtsova was reported to authorities by some fellow students at their university in Arkhangelsk. She has since been added to a list of terrorists and extremists, charged with discrediting the military. She has been placed under house arrest, and is facing as long as seven years in prison.

There has been little or no publicity concerning the estimated hundreds of such cases; there are just too many, and too often they simply fall between the cracks. But the Russian prison system is overflowing with them, for the simple act of reposting an article, or speaking out against the war in Ukraine. Clearly, the worst years of the Soviet Union are being revisited upon the Russian populace.

*. *. *.

And so, I once again implore you, please do not forget those who remain HOSTAGES; 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
5/12/24

I’m not ghosting you. But I’ve got some personal business — the kind of stuff that invades everyone’s life now and then — that needs my attention and will be taking up the majority of my waking hours. So I’ll be taking time off from writing, because if I can’t give it my complete concentration, I feel as though I’m shortchanging my readers.

One exception, however: My Sunday rant about Putin’s hostages will continue to appear. I made a pledge, and I intend to keep it. They will not be forgotten.

So, see you on Sunday, and weekly thereafter, until this other stuff is done. Then, to quote Arnold you-know-whom, I’ll be ba-a-a-a-ack. In the meantime, the world will continue spinning . . . hopefully, not completely out of control . . . without my pearls of wisdom and humor. Be good, be happy, and be safe.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
5/11/24

An extra post today, to share an emergency announcement:

According to our county’s Emergency Management Agency (and other news sources), we on Earth are expecting a “Severe (G4) Geomagnetic Storm” this weekend, with “at least seven earth-directed Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs)” already on the way.

At first glance, this sounds positively terrifying. But reading on, it appears that we’re not about to be blown into millions of pieces and flung into the stratosphere, or wherever we would be flung in such circumstances. This has apparently happened before — three times just since 2019 — and I seem to have slept through them. The principal effect should be felt in our HF communication, GPS, power grids, spacecraft, satellite navigation, and other technologies . . . possibly. And mainly north of the 45th parallel, which seems to run through the state of Maine, where they may even get to see the Northern Lights if they’re lucky. Don’t know about the rest of the world below the 45th.

If all of this is accurate . . . and I make no such assurances . . . I would suggest, simply out of an excess of caution, (1) coming down out of your spacecraft, if you’re in one; (2) turning off your TV, laptop, iPad, iPhone, and all that other stuff; (3) getting out the candles, lanterns, and a good book or board game; and (4) not driving in unfamiliar neighborhoods unless you still use paper maps. And speaking of vehicles, does anyone drive a Tesla? . . .

Now, I don’t know about you, but I’ve never heard of a Coronal Mass Ejection. However, I am of a long-ago generation, and we didn’t speak of such things . . . not in polite company, at least. So I’m rather looking forward to this weekend.

Oh-oh! I seem to have spoken in haste. That is not at all what I had in mind.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
5/10/24

Today I would like to pass along my two new favorite quotations, from much wiser and more eloquent individuals than I. Their words need no amplification; any commentary by me would be, not only superfluous, but downright presumptuous. So, for today, I shall stay silent and let others speak. You’re welcome.

*. *. *

“The greatest evils in the world will not be carried out by men with guns, but by men in suits sitting behind desks.” — C. S. Lewis

and . . .

When asked how fascism starts, this man’s reply was: “First, they fascinate the fools. Then they muzzle the intelligent.” — Bertrand Russell

Take from them what you will.

Just sayin’ . . . or not, for once.

Brendochka
5/10/24

Note: All of the following photographs have been seen many times before, individually. But thanks to CNN for putting them, and more, together in one place; you’ve made this endeavor much easier.

When I meet someone new, the first thing I look at is the person’s eyes. The rest can wait a minute, while I get a sense of the character of the individual. Because the eyes are where it shows. A gracious smile, a warm “pleased to meet you,” even a firm handshake, can all be rehearsed. But the eyes, as William Shakespeare told us, “are the window to your soul.”

I will never meet Vladimir Putin. But looking at a series of photographs of his life as compiled by CNN, I was immediately struck by the eyes in each and every picture. Whether laughing, serious, concentrating or relaxed, those eyes said only one thing to me: RUN! RUN LIKE HELL!

I present a few of them here, without commentary. See what you think:

And now, having looked carefully at each photograph, I would like you to think about your answer to one simple question:

“Would you buy a used car from this man?”

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
5/9/24

* If you must know — although the very end of the second word is not visible — I’m quite certain the writing on the young woman’s back says “F*ck off, Putin.” But it’s not her back he seems to be focused on.

To Vladimir Kara-Murza . . . Russian historian, journalist, author, filmmaker, human rights advocate, and Kremlin critic . . . to you, I offer my sincerest, most heartfelt congratulations on having been awarded the Pulitzer Prize for your columns written from your prison cell in Siberia. For your courage and ingenuity alone, you are more than worthy of this honor. For your words and thoughts, the world is indebted to you.

The announcement of the award was made yesterday, May 7th. It said that he was being recognized for his “passionate columns” as a contributor to The Washington Post from his Siberian prison “under great personal risk.” Despite the danger, his writing “warns of the consequences of dissent in Vladimir Putin’s Russia and insists on a democratic future for his country.” [Mariya Knight, CNN, May 6, 2024.]

Needless to say, Kara-Murza will not be able to accept the award in person; his wife, Evgenia Kara-Murza, will most likely stand in for him.

For those who have not been following his story, he was tried for criminal offenses including treason, spreading “fake news” about the Russian military, and cooperating with an “undesirable organization.” He was sentenced to 25 years in a “strict regime correctional colony,” where he is being kept in solitary confinement and denied essential medical treatment for a debilitating condition. His real crime: criticism of Vladimir Putin.

At the close of his trial in Moscow on April 10, 2023, he was allowed to make a statement. Rather than the traditional apology or plea for mercy, he spoke — as always — from the heart, knowing that he was doing himself no favor. His words, in part, are well worth repeating here:

“Members of the court: I was sure, after two decades spent in Russian politics, after all that I have seen and experienced, that nothing can surprise me anymore. I must admit that I was wrong. I’ve been surprised by the extent to which my trial, in its secrecy and its contempt for legal norms, has surpassed even the ‘trials’ of Soviet dissidents in the 1960s and ‘70s. And that’s not even to mention the harshness of the sentence requested by the prosecution or the talk of ‘enemies of the state.’ In this respect, we’ve gone beyond the 1970s — all the way back to the 1930s. For me, as a historian, this is an occasion for reflection.” [The full column can be found on the Washington Post website.]

Frightening words, harking back to the show trials of the Stalin era. But he speaks the truth, as is painfully obvious from even a cursory review of Vladimir Putin’s 24-year reign . . . officially as President, but in reality, as dictator of Russia. And for this, good men and women such as Vladimir Kara-Murza, Ilya Yashin, Alsu Kurmasheva, Boris Akunin, and countless others are rotting in Russian prisons, while others like Boris Nemtsov, Alexei Navalny, Anna Politkovskaya, Boris Berezovsky, Aleksandr Litvinenko, and more have paid with their lives.

As long as the noble survivors continue to speak out, perhaps there is hope. We cannot stand by and allow the good people of Russia to be dragged back into the horrors of the 70-year communist experiment. Even the honor of a Pulitzer Prize is not enough; the lives of these heroes must not have been sacrificed in vain. They need our unflagging support.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
5/8/24

And Vladimir Putin is playing games with them.

He has them, and he says he’s ready and willing to use them, if . . .

“If” what? Well, for example, if Ukraine were to strike Russian territory with U.K.-supplied weapons, Russia might retaliate with strikes on British military facilities and equipment on Ukrainian soil or elsewhere. And in preparation for such an eventuality, Russia will soon be holding drills simulating the use of battlefield nuclear weapons. The British and French Ambassadors in Moscow have been so advised . . . and so have we all.

What has brought this about, according to the Kremlin, are some recent comments by senior Western officials indicating possible increased involvement in Russia’s war against Ukraine. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, “The drills are a response to ‘provocative statements and threats of certain Western officials regarding the Russian Federation.’” [Associated Press, May 6, 2024.]

Yeah, sure . . . it’s all our fault. It’s always someone else’s fault. Russia isn’t responsible for having invaded Ukraine; the West invited trouble by considering admission to NATO of a country that — according to Putin & Company — is being governed by Nazis who are committing violent crimes against Ukrainians the Russian government claims are actually Russian citizens as a result of Russia’s illegal annexing of areas of Ukraine in 2014 and since 2022. Got that?

Gibberish! Jabberwocky! Balderdash!

Bullshit!

But so said Tsar Putin, and on the very eve of his fifth inauguration (today, in fact) as President of the Russian Federation. So it must be taken as gospel.

Unfortunately, French President Emmanuel Macron keeps yapping about the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine; and U.K. Foreign Secretary David Cameron has indeed said that British long-range weapons would be able to strike targets inside Russia. And these were all the provocation Putin needed to escalate his rhetoric. So he sent his mouthpiece — my favorite stand-up comic, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov — to take front and center. But Dmitry wasn’t feeling the humor this day when — referring to Western officials’ comments — he said:

“It’s a new round of escalation. It’s unprecedented and requires special attention and special measures.” [AP, id.]

And, being summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow, the British Ambassador to Russia was told “to think about the inevitable catastrophic consequences of such hostile steps from London.” [AP, id.]

Finally — never to be outdone, or to pass up an opportunity to spew a bit of venom at the world — Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of the Russian Security Council — “said in his typically hawkish fashion that the comments by Macron and Cameron risked pushing the nuclear-armed world toward a ‘global catastrophe.’” [AP, id.]

But in the midst of all of this furious, threatening hyperbole from Putin, Peskov, Medvedev, and the Foreign and Defense Ministries, what was most obviously missing was any mention of who started this whole mess back in February of 2022 and has been blasting the daylights out of sovereign Ukraine for more than two years. How convenient is Russia’s selective memory! But the world knows . . . and blame has been squarely laid at Russia’s feet. Further, “NATO countries said last week they are deeply concerned by a campaign of hybrid activities on the military alliance’s soil, accusing Moscow of being behind them and saying they represent a security threat.” To which Dmitry Peskov dismissively responded, without so much as cracking a smile, that such claims are simply “new, unfounded accusations leveled at our country.” [AP, id.]

Deny, deny, deny. It’s what they always do. It’s also what a three-year-old does when caught with a hand in the cookie jar. That, and threaten to hold his breath until he turns blue if he doesn’t get his own way. We’re dealing with three-year-olds here!

But they’re three-year-olds with weapons of mass destruction.

So is this just one more case of posturing and saber-rattling on Vladimir Putin’s part? Or is he actually prepared to commit suicide by making good on his threats? According to Andrii Yusov, spokesman for Ukraine’s Military Intelligence Agency, “Nuclear blackmail is a usual practice of Putin’s regime; it does not constitute major news.” [AP, id.]

I sincerely hope you’re right, sir.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
5/7/24