Whether homegrown or foreign, the work of a crazed individual or a political organization, and whether aimed at a specific person or designed to create general chaos . . . these are questions that have yet to be answered.

But what we do know is that yesterday a bomb exploded at the entrance to the Balzi Rossi Restaurant in Moscow’s Kudrinskaya Square — which happens to be less than a mile from the United States Embassy.

As of this writing, there have been no reports as to the identities of the attendees at the private dinner being held in the upscale location. But three people — a security guard, a patron, and an unidentified woman (seemingly a courier) who was carrying the device — were killed when it was detonated, possibly remotely and likely prematurely. Some 21 others were injured; but the human toll could have been much greater if the guard had not stopped the woman in order to inspect the package, thus preventing her from entering the venue. [Anna Chernova, Alessandra Freitas and Darya Tarasova, CNN, August 1, 2026.]

The fact that the private event is said to have been heavily guarded, as well as the elegance of the setting, would indicate that this was no ordinary gathering. However, it’s early times, and we will have to await further details . . . if they are indeed forthcoming. That, I would guess, will depend upon the nature of the event and the prominence of the people in attendance.

Of course, wherever these incidents occur, they are always tragic. As a somewhat amusing side note, however, it would appear that the residents of Moscow are rapidly becoming acclimated to the new realities of life in their supposedly secure city — at least, according to the response of the restaurant’s chef, Carmine Alfieri. Following the blast, he thanked people on Instagram for their support, and said of his staff:

“We’re all fine, and our restaurant and kitchen are in perfect condition; there was just a minor issue at the restaurant entrance.” [Id.]

“Run that by me again?”

I have to wonder if perhaps Chef Carmine was shellshocked, and simply didn’t remember that three people had just been killed in his establishment. Or maybe this is now what passes for a “minor issue” in Moscow.

What a world we live in! But come to think of it, it’s not so different from 1993, when I lived there during the era of the “Great Mafia Wars.” We had drive-by shootings, burnt-out cars by the side of the road, daily kidnappings, and gangland-style executions.

You know . . . the good old days.

So maybe we’re just seeing another generation of the “same old same old,” but with a touch more sophistication . . . and way better cars.

And this time, the Kremlin will probably blame Ukrainians, instead of Chechens.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/2/26

With two wars raging, and international diplomacy in a state of total confusion, it’s questionable whether any official attention is presently being given to the ongoing issue of political prisoners in Russia and elsewhere. But that will not stop me from keeping their names alive and in the public eye.

So here again is my weekly tribute to those political hostages known to me, and the thousands of others around the world:

*. *. *

Prisoners of War:

The 20,000+ Kidnapped Ukrainian Children
The People of Ukraine

Immigrant Detainees in Russia:

Migrants from the Central Asian nations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan

Endangered Exiles:

Pavel “Pasha” Talankin
Mikita Losik
Yulia Navalnaya
Oleg Orlov
Countless Journalists and Other Dissidents

Political Prisoners:

In Afghanistan:

Mahmoud Habibi (Afghan-American)
Paul Overby (American, missing since 2018)

In Azerbaijan:

The “Azerbaijan 7”:
– Farid Mehralizada
– Ulvi Hasanli
– Sevinj Abbasova (Vagifqiai)
– Mahammad Kekalov
– Hafiz Babali
– Nargiz Absalamova
– Elnara Gasimova

In Belarus:

Andrei Chapiuk
Uladzimir Labkovich
Andrzej Poczobut
Marfa Rabkova
Valiantsin Stafanovic
Yuras Zyankovich

In Georgia:

Mzia Amaglobeli

In Russia:

The “Crimea 8”:
– Oleg Antipov
– Artyom Azatyan
– Georgy Azatyan
– Aleksandr Bylin
– Roman Solomko
– Artur Terchanyan
– Dmitry Tyazhelykh
– Vladimir Zloba

James Scott Rhys Anderson (British)
Aleksandr Andreyev
David Barnes (American)
Yevgenia Berkovich
Gordon Black (American)
Hayden Davies (British)
Yury Dmitriyev
Anastasia Dyudyaeva
Antonina Favorskaya
Konstantin Gabov
Robert Gilman (American)
Stephen James Hubbard (American)
Sergey Karelin
Timur Kishukov
Vadim Kobzev
Darya Kozyreva
Artyom Kriger
Michael Travis Leake (American)
Aleksei Liptser
Mikhail Loshchinin
Grigory Melkonyants
Boris Nadezhdin
Nika NovakSvetlana Petriichuk
Leonid Pshenychnov (in Russian-occupied Crimea)
Ilya Remeslo
Nadezhda Rossinskaya (a.k.a. Nadin Geisler)
Lev Schlossberg
Sofiane Sehili (French)
Igor Sergunin
Dmitry Shatresov
Robert Shonov
Grigory Skvortsov
Eugene Spector (American)
Joseph Tater (American, disappeared)Karina Tsurkan
Laurent Vinatier
Robert Romanov Woodland (American)

You have not been, and will not be, forgotten. Stay strong.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/2/26

Nothing seeps through the protective coating of his delusions.

Not the findings of the pool installers, waterproofers, structural engineers. Not the eyewitnesses who saw David Hearn’s innocent interaction with a piece of already-floating pool liner. And not the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, who finally credited the report of the experts at the Department of Interior based on the findings of their (presumably) thorough investigation of the damage.

None of it penetrates the thick layer of Kryptonite that seems to surround Donald Trump’s delusional belief that a vandal or vandals caused the failure of the half-assed relining job at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in June.

Faced with the incontrovertible truth, he is still unable to admit that he was — GASP! — wrong. Instead, he posted this on Truth Social today:

“I disagree 100% with Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, on the Reflecting Pool. I don’t know what she was thinking? To me, it was a pure case of VANDALISM.” [Katelyn Polantz and Alejandra Jaramillo, CNN, August 1, 2026.]

In general, I’m no fan of Ms. Pirro. But in this case, she did absolutely the right thing (though she did hedge on assigning blame for the bollocksed-up pool job). And for finally coming clean, I fear she may be next in line to receive the full impact of Trump’s wrath.

Any D.C. lawyers out there looking for a temporary government job?

It would all be rather funny . . . if it weren’t so damned sad.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/1/26

Some people just have a knack for making headlines . . . even when they’re not trying.

Of course, when you’re the Russian-born, exiled, billionaire head of Telegram messaging service, and you’ve really pissed off Vladimir Putin, it’s not hard to find yourself in the middle of a controversy.

It was bad enough when Durov’s first messaging service — Russia’s VKontakte, or VK — refused to turn over to the Kremlin personal data on his company’s customers. That decision cost him his company and his homeland. Since fleeing Russian “justice” in 2014, he has acquired citizenship in both France and the United Arab Emirates, and turned his talents to creating and running Telegram, where he continues to protect the privacy of his clients — even those who may be suspected of criminal activity.

Ironically, Telegram is widely used in Russia, where the government itself utilizes its services while attempting to restrict its accessibility to the general population.

But Russia is not the only country to have discovered the advantages of Telegram’s encrypted messaging services; Ukraine’s intelligence agencies have apparently been similarly engaged. And now Russia’s FSB — successor to the KGB — has determined that this is sufficient cause to designate Pavel Durov an extremist, charging him with “aiding terrorism,” and saying that his company failed to take down “channels, chats and bots [used by] Ukrainian special services and by terrorist and extremist organisations” in preparing and coordinating its highly successful attacks on Russian territory. [Reuters, July 29, 2026.]

The Russian government has gone so far as to issue an international arrest warrant for him . . . though it is unclear what mechanism they propose to use in order to execute such a warrant.

But I hardly think Durov — who currently spends most of his time in Dubai — is particularly worried about Vladimir Putin. In response to the news of the warrant, he posted this lovely image on social media:

Pavel Durov now joins the growing ranks of political opponents, dissidents, journalists, and others who have dared to cross Putin — many of whom have paid dearly for their principles. It’s a dubious distinction, but one that should come as no surprise to anyone.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/1/26

There’s so much scary stuff coming out of our nation’s capital these days, it’s rather shocking — and truly refreshing — to find something laughable to share with you.

Of course, I’m talking about the Reflecting Pool fiasco.

All those who are surprised to learn that that nice former Olympian, David Hearn, didn’t cut a 100 . . . 200 . . . 350-foot slit in the blue pool liner after all, please raise your hands.

No one? Okay, good. So we’re all agreed that the entire $14,650,000 disaster was actually the fault of the pool guy posing as a waterproofing expert, and the other guy (posing as an expert on everything) who hired him. Can we now get our tax money back into the U.S. Treasury where it belongs, so we can pay a real expert to undo the damage?

In what must be the most perfect example of total humiliation, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro finally had to admit that the damage was “the result of flawed installation by the contractor,” when she moved to dismiss the charges against Mr. Hearn. Her motion to the court read:

“The damage was the result of a botched installation and not vandalism as initially represented by DOI. Indeed, USAO-DC could only rely on the information provided by DOI that the damage was entirely caused by vandals.

“A recent visual inspection showed damage throughout the Reflecting Pool, even in the middle of the pool, where a vandal would not likely attempt to peel the lining. Given all of this newly discovered information, it is difficult to attribute the widespread damage to the Reflecting Pool to vandalism, let alone to establish that fact beyond a reasonable doubt.

“It was not until after the return of the indictment [of Hearn], that the [Department of the Interior] provided additional documents to the [US Attorney’s Office in DC] indicating that damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in June 2026 was the result of flawed installation by the contractor, Atlantic Industrial Coatings, and the rush to complete the project prior to events associated with the America 250 celebration in the weeks surrounding Independence Day 2026.” [Katelyn Polantz, CNN, July 31, 2026.]

“Newly discovered” evidence? What has everyone in the world been saying for the past two months? What about the original photographs? This information is about as newly discovered as the existence of gravity.

But let’s just blame someone — say, the Interior Department — and hope that people will overlook the U.S. Attorney’s frantic search for a scapegoat, the rush to judgment, the lies, and the refusal to admit that Donald Trump had bulldozed his way into yet another massive, expensive, ego-driven f*ck-up.

But you can bet that Hearn’s attorney isn’t ignoring the facts. In a statement following the dismissal, he said:

“The Trump administration’s case against David Hearn should never have been brought. Its dismissal today does not erase the abuse of government power in arresting and charging a patriotic American who did nothing wrong. The government’s approach was ready, fire, aim. The administration owes Mr. Hearn an apology.” [Id.]

And I’m thinking that “apology” might be accompanied by a very respectable monetary settlement.

I also suspect that the real perpetrator of this miscarriage of justice will be spending the weekend hiding out at Mar-a-Lago or Camp David or one of his golf retreats, locked away from the probing questions of all of those annoying reporters, and throwing a series of colossal hissy-fits.

But he can’t hide forever.

And that’s the part that’s really funny.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/1/26

I was reading through some of my earliest blog chapters yesterday, which of course led to a couple of hours of reminiscing about the adventures I’ve been fortunate to have had: climbing a mountain (admittedly a small one) while living in Czechoslovakia in 1991; flying in a float plane over the Alaskan glaciers; dodging the amorous advances of an inebriated Soviet official in London; and living amongst the KGB and the Russian “mafia” in Moscow in 1993, among others.

At the time, it didn’t occur to me that I was being especially brave. But from the safe vantage point of my “golden years,” I now realize that many of the things I did back then actually did require a bit of chutzpah. And that started me thinking about the nature of courage.

It is said that courage is not the absence of fear, but the ability to carry on in spite of the fear. I believe that. I also believe that, if we don’t take an occasional risk in the one short lifetime we’re given, we miss out on a lot of fun . . . and a wealth of great memories to carry us through the later, quieter years.

As Vincent Van Gogh once said:

“What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?”

Of course, Vincent then went and lopped off an ear, and eventually committed suicide, so I’m thinking he may have carried that philosophy a bit too far.

But in the brief 37 years of his life, he did manage to dig through the depression to find his creative self, in order to leave the world with some of its most magnificent works of art.

And that seems to me to require a very special kind of courage.

So, yes, I remain in favor of taking a risk now and then.

But do be careful not to cut off any body parts.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
7/31/26

I doubt that many people are likely to remember those old, politically incorrect anecdotes about the people of Poland, implying that in general they were not particularly bright, talented, or courageous. And in truth, they are best forgotten. The only one I recall was one person asking another: “What is the shortest book ever written?” And when the second person didn’t know the answer, the questioner said: “Great Polish War Victories.”

The jokes were not merely insulting; you have only to think of a few of Poland’s finest — the composer Frederic Chopin, the 18th-19th century military hero Tadeusz Kosciuszko, the members of the Polish Resistance during World War II, and the leader of Poland’s anti-Soviet Solidarnosc (Solidarity) movement, Lech Walesa — to realize that those “Polish jokes” were blatantly unfair and untrue.

Now, under the guidance of Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Poland is once more shoring up its defenses against Russian aggression, choosing to take preemptive action to avoid becoming Vladimir Putin’s next victim.

And not a moment too soon. Yesterday, both Polish and NATO forces scrambled military aircraft when a Russian missile — apparently part of another massive attack aimed at Ukraine — landed some 90 kilometers (55 miles) inside Polish territory,

Luckily, it landed in a field, leaving a massive crater but not harming any people or infrastructure. At an emergency government meeting called by Tusk, he stated:

“We were prepared to shoot down the missile if it had continued its flight. All indications suggest that it was a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile.” [Lex Harvey, et al., CNN, July 30, 2026.]

A NATO spokesperson said that two NATO fighter jets, a NATO refueling aircraft, a Polish early warning aircraft, and a Polish helicopter had been deployed. [Id.]

To those who foolishly continue to take Putin at his word when he proclaims that he has no expansionist plans beyond Ukraine, I would refer you to European leaders such as Donald Tusk: those whose countries have dealt first-hand with the horrors of war, and the never-ending aggression of the USSR/Russia.

The name of the country may have changed, but the threat from the Russian Federation under Putin remains as great as it was from the Soviet Union. And the people of Poland are smart enough to recognize that threat, and to know what they must do to counter it.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
7/31/26

I first mentioned it on August 4, 2023 — almost exactly three years ago — when I mused that the then-missing head of the Russian paramilitary Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, might be headed through Belarus toward the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad by way of the Suwalki Gap. And everyone, myself included, said:

“Where??!!!”

At the time, hardly anyone outside of Poland and Lithuania had ever heard of that small strip of land in the middle of nowhere. But a little over two years later, on September 15, 2025, its strategic significance had become obvious, and I posted an article devoted to it, titled “The Suwalki Gap: The Most Important Strip of Land You’ve Probably Never Heard Of.”

It was the only accessible land route between Russia’s ally Belarus and the Russian territory of Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea, where a substantial portion of Russia’s Baltic Fleet is located — all other borders with NATO members Poland, Lithuania and Latvia being severely restricted or closed completely. And it seemed to me that it wasn’t receiving enough public attention.

Still, Suwalki has not been much in the news in the interim . . . until last week, when it was announced that Germany had deployed soldiers to Poland to assist in reinforcing defenses on its eastern flank, with a specific focus on . . . you guessed it . . . the Suwalki Gap.

In an historic move — given the past contentious nature of the relationship between Poland and Germany — the two nations signed a bilateral security agreement increasing cooperation in military mobility, logistics infrastructure, maritime security in the Baltic, and cybersecurity. [Notes From Poland, July 22, 2026.]

In its announcement of the agreement, the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces said:

“This is what allied cooperation looks like in practice, which translates into greater military readiness and strengthens NATO’s defensive potential.” [Id.]

Such is the nature of political pragmatism. Throughout recorded history, alliances have been forged, and past differences forgiven (if not forgotten) in the interest of present and future necessity. World War II ended 81 years ago; Hitler’s Nazi regime is long gone, and Russia — once Europe’s ally in its defense against the Third Reich — is today’s aggressor as it continues its campaign to swallow Ukraine and beyond.

Vladimir Putin has already launched a “hybrid war” throughout Europe, in the form of aircraft and drone incursions into NATO air space, localized acts of terrorism, cyber-attacks, and old-fashioned spying activity. And the sovereign nations of Europe are taking his threats of expansionism seriously . . . as they should.

This defense agreement between Poland and Germany is an important step in the right direction, particularly given the uncertainty of the current U.S. administration’s foreign policy (such as it is). It’s time to bury the old hatchets, and look to the future.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
7/30/26

Dr. Gustav Gilbert was an American psychologist who, while serving as a Captain in the United States Army, was sent to work with the International Military Tribunal at the post-World War II trials of German prisoners at Nuremberg.

Upon arrival, he was appointed to serve as prison psychologist, in collaboration with a psychiatrist, Dr. Douglas Kelley, to evaluate and observe — but not to treat — the prisoners. Their work resulted in their becoming the confidants of the likes of Hermann Goering, Joachim von Ribbentrop, Rudolf Hess, and other infamous members of Hitler’s inner circle.

If anyone was acquainted with absolute evil, it would surely be Dr. Gilbert, who later defined the term thus:

“I told you once that I was searching for the nature of evil. I think I’ve come close to defining it: a lack of empathy. It’s the one characteristic that connects all the defendants. A genuine incapacity to feel with their fellow men. Evil, I think, is the absence of empathy.”

– G. M. Gilbert

I certainly would not argue with Dr. Gilbert’s conclusion; but I might presume to add this to it: that the absence of empathy may also be inextricably tied to a condition known as malignant narcissism. Besides Dr. Gilbert’s Nazi subjects, one need only think of others who have personified evil in just the last century: Joseph Stalin, Benito Mussolini, Idi Amin, Osama bin Laden . . . and others living today who are better left unnamed here.

Does this imply that all people who suffer from a lack of empathy are necessarily evil? I don’t think so . . . though they’re certainly not the most pleasant of people. But perhaps the combination of malignant narcissism and lack of empathy in an individual increases the tendency toward evil. Or are the two pathologies simply two sides of the same coin?

I’ll leave those questions to the professionals to answer. But it does make me wonder about some of those living persons I haven’t named.

You know who I mean.

Just a sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
7/30/26

Either Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has suddenly become delusional, or the Kremlin has run out of believable propaganda and is merely recycling the same tired nonsense, over and over again.

I suspect the latter.

As reported yesterday by Russia’s state-run TASS news agency, Lavrov declared that:

“This is no laughing matter: the entire West has united against Russia.” [Kyiv Post, July 29, 2026.]

No . . . really? What the hell did they expect, with their country in the fifth year of its brutal war of attrition against Ukraine? Undying devotion? Applause? Flowers?

In a clear sign that Ukraine’s recent military successes have had a serious psychological impact on the Putin regime, Lavrov attempted to deflect as usual, claiming that Ukraine’s progress has only been possible as a result of an alleged alliance of Western nations determined to “dismember” Russia and to turn the Russian public against its leaders. [Id.]

Ignoring the fact that it was Russia that started the war, and Putin who steadfastly refuses to reduce any of his ludicrous demands before he will even discuss a ceasefire, Lavrov accused the West of issuing ultimatums to Moscow. And then he re-drew the same old red line, reiterating that the Kremlin was unwilling to make any concessions:

“Russia should not become angry or fall into hysteria, but develop a healthy anger in its foreign policy.” [Id.]

“Come again?”

While it sounds like more of the same-old-same-old, there are now undertones of paranoia and desperation creeping into these statements from Moscow as Ukraine’s drones continue to take out more and more of Russia’s oil production and storage facilities, military material warehouses, tankers from their “shadow fleet,” etc.

And, while that desperation might inspire some leaders to capitulate, Vladimir Putin’s history would indicate otherwise. When angered, or backed against a wall, he tends to escalate.

Let’s hope not this time.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
7/30/26