“We’ll never know the truth. So pick yer theory. One’s as good as the next.”
There’s a crowd here that claims it was a Ukraine/CIA operation. Until there’s some reliable evidence, the ISIS story is the most likely. After all, Russia has created a lot of enemies. I think only the Serbians like the Russians now.
True. You have a whole world full of people who hate Russia. Especially her erstwhile “allies”.
Former USAF officer.
1) Russia having a lot of enemies and who likes them. The majority of mankind, defined by the leadership of countries representing the majority of 7B people, have chosen not to support various US/UK initiatives, particularly in the UN. And they phoned congratulations to Putin on his election. So there is that, the majority of mankind, which one achieves with Chinese and India phone calls, plus the others.
2) As for the Moscow story, the very first thing that occurs to me is the source of the ISIS story. It was apparently a claim on a Telegram channel that was taken up within seconds by the entire global (non BRICS) MSM. No one that I know of investigated the Telegram channel’s internet address nor on what date that channel was created. There was far, far too fast an avalanche of media support for that story. Whatever happened to thorough investigation?
3) Another item of great puzzlement is the simple geography. Tajikistan traverse would require visas into 3 countries (Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and then Russia) in a vehicle loaded with weapons. Crossing all those borders and risking just one event of vehicle inspection. This is not how anyone rational would plan such a thing. Far too much risk of discovery.
4) The avalanche of media stories careful to note the appearance of these people in court. Evidence of beating. But of course Russia’s FSB would use drugs to extract information. Far more effective than beating. So this puzzling, as was having them travel 100+ miles before pickup.
5) There is no need for Russia to manufacture a story of Ukraine involvement. They have no need for such a story. Their configuration on the war is already defined and being relentlessly pursued. They have no one to persuade of anything wrt Ukraine. They certainly know anything they say will be denied by any guilty party.
6) Overall, in a very large sense, getting four guys who are fathers of young children to take this action bespeaks the involvement of some major state actor, and frankly, it’s above Ukraine’s paygrade.