Posted on 05/23/2006 11:34:06 AM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
MOSCOW — Its only known address is a half-collapsed abandoned building, and its only telephone number doesn't work. But somehow a secretive lobby group, with reputed links to Russia's intelligence services, has emerged as a possible source of inspiration for President Vladimir Putin's state-of-the-union speech.
When Mr. Putin gave his annual televised address on May 10, military analyst Ivan Safranchuk immediately thought the President's words about national defence sounded different from the rest of the speech.
"That part seemed out of place," the Moscow director of the World Security Institute said a few hours after Mr. Putin's appearance. "Maybe there was a different speechwriter for that section." More observers started wondering who wrote Mr. Putin's remarks, after political gossip websites pointed out the uncanny similarity between the President's text and an essay published by a private organization based in St. Petersburg that calls itself the Public Association of Veterans of Special Services.
If this lobby group did have a role in crafting Mr. Putin's speech, analysts say, it would be a troubling sign because the group also lobbies against democracy and favours a return to rule by emperors.
"It looks very serious," Mr. Safranchuk said. "It means these views have deeply infiltrated the Kremlin."
Mr. Putin's speech made headlines with the assertion that Russia must rebuild its military to resist foreign pressure. The President cited the nationalist writer Ivan Ilyin, saying the job of soldier should be considered an honourable profession. Russia's conscript army should be transformed into a two-thirds professional organization, Mr. Putin added, which would allow a reduction in the mandatory military service to 12 months from 24.
All of these ideas -- along with many of the sentences, paragraphs and the same quotation from Mr. Ilyin -- are contained in an essay on military reform posted at http://www.specvet.spb.ru.
The website claims to represent veterans of Russia's special services from the northern city of St. Petersburg. (Mr. Putin would theoretically qualify for membership, as he was born in the city and served the KGB and its successor agency the FSB.) Google's cached database of Internet sites shows the St. Petersburg site existed at least since February, and some Internet references suggest it was published months earlier, but it's impossible to confirm exactly when the military-reform essay was posted.
The site contains no names or contact details for its owners, and its only external link is to the FSB website. But registry information provided by Relcom Business Network Ltd., the site's Moscow-based host, says it is managed by somebody named Nikolay Petrov. Mr. Petrov did not respond to e-mails and there was no answer at his telephone number last week.
The website's postal address, southeast of downtown St. Petersburg, is a jumble of crumbling red bricks and empty window frames.
Alexander Yermolayev, a former KGB major-general who serves as executive secretary for a group of special-services veterans in Moscow, said he has heard of the St. Petersburg organization and believes it is legitimate. But the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 splintered the KGB veterans into many sub-groups, Mr. Yermolayev said, and his group has lost contact with the former officers from St. Petersburg.
"Such bodies as the special services present great danger if they are used as political instruments," Mr. Yermolayev said. "But nobody thought or cared about that when they divided and broke the structure." A source familiar with Russia's special services said the St. Petersburg group probably consists of former and current members of the GRU, the military-intelligence unit established in 1918 by Vladimir Lenin. Unlike the KGB, the GRU was never disbanded after the fall of the Soviet Union.
The website argues that Russia should be ruled by one leader who isn't regularly replaced by elections. "Democracy is a trap, and democrats are demagogues," the site says. "For Russia, democracy is as foreign as cannibalism." Instead of democracy, the website proposes a blended model of czarist rule, Communist-era authoritarianism and votes with limited enfranchisement: "Like a democratic Soviet Union, headed by Czar Alexander III," the website says, referring to fierce nationalist emperor.
"There will be elections, but not democratic," the site continues. "Only the elite would be allowed to vote." Under the website's model, all ministers and governors would be appointed by the elected ruler, whose terms might last 20 to 40 years. Leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church would bless the leader and encourage support for the regime. "Thus the ruler will serve God, and people will serve the ruler," the site concludes.
These ideas aren't entirely outrageous in the country's current political climate, in which many Russians associate democracy with the chaos and lawlessness of the 1990s. Leonid Sedov, a senior analyst at the independent VTsIOM-A polling agency, said roughly 80 per cent of Russians dislike the idea of democracy. While only 3 per cent want a return of the pre-revolutionary czars, he said, about 16 per cent think Russia needs an authoritarian ruler such as Stalin.
Good questions. That ship may have sailed already.
"The only differences I see now is that the surrogates du jour are the Radical Islamist and their Jihad on the world and the fact that the Communists went broke because of Communism. That, however, did not slake their thirst for power and control. It just caused them to adopt another ruse."
I wouldn't put too much on thinking that Radical Islam is their surrogate du jour. If they think so or if they were truly involved they've released the equivalent of a biological weapon, i.e, a weapon that has a habit of biting you in the butt after you've launched it.
Communism (Marxism) was destined to go broke because it was a fool's ideology. However, don't discount Ronald Reagan's contribution to speeding up the death of that system.
Modern day Russia is basically this: Laments loosing the "Empire" part of the Soviet Union, but NOT the communist part, the GULag part, the stagnation, the oppression and repression. Frankly, they miss their "Tsarist" empire. They're still fairly new at getting used to NOT being a real world power, so they appear to try to fight at a higher weight class than they should. They've incorrectly wagered that the US is too bogged down in Iraq and won't counter moves to our detriment.
We lost a lot of ground during the Clinton years and there has been a mixed message coming out of the current Administration on Russia. Time to refocus.
Square that with their cozy relationship with Saddam and now that nut in Iran.
Communism (Marxism) was destined to go broke because it was a fool's ideology.
As is their implementation of Social Security and the income tax in this country. Both dead end streets that create a lot of problems before experiencing their death throes.
Modern day Russia is basically this: Laments loosing the "Empire" part of the Soviet Union, but NOT the communist part, the GULag part, the stagnation, the oppression and repression. Frankly, they miss their "Tsarist" empire. They're still fairly new at getting used to NOT being a real world power, so they appear to try to fight at a higher weight class than they should.
That sounds like a perfectly reasonable analysis to me. However, I don't think as of yet they have abandoned the old methods or decided on a new direction. Until they do they are trying to keep their toes in both camps. That can't work either.
We lost a lot of ground during the Clinton years and there has been a mixed message coming out of the current Administration on Russia. Time to refocus.
What is mixed? We want them to behave as good world citizens and use their influence to defeat the war on terror. How hard is that?
Hamas not a terrorist organisation for Russia: Putin - 01/31/2006 - "We differ with the US and other western partners on the assessment of Hamas."
"Square that with their cozy relationship with Saddam and now that nut in Iran."
$$$$$$$$$$ and a HUGE mistake. Iran is potentially more dangerous for Russia than for us. I see Primakov's influence on these latest moves. The sooner that guy is out of the picture the better.
"However, I don't think as of yet they have abandoned the old methods or decided on a new direction. Until they do they are trying to keep their toes in both camps. That can't work either."
This is the root of all of their problems actually. They haven't been "trained" on how to operate a democracy. So, they rely on what they know best - unfortunately (and most of them will admit this) it's what they learned during the Soviet Union. That's what I mean when I said we lost a lot of time on this during Clinton/Bore years. We had a perfect opportunity to "mentor" and blew it. And the younger generation that is learning the "proper" way bolts for another country at the first opportunity. We need Russia to get it's "stuff" together because it would bring more stability in the world. Bush needs to have a real "heart-to-heart" with Putin about the recent mistakes Russia has been making. Unfortunately, Cheney's speech in Lithuania will cloud any inroads we could make there. Such issues should have been first discussed "in private" - then, if rebuffed, public speeches are warranted.
Thanks for the links.
"It has been known for awhile that Russia and China have had their hands in this war on terror and on the side of the terrorists. They were helping the Muslims in Kosovo, etc., even though the Serbs were Communists. They have been in Iraq and Iran as well as Libya and others."
I'm confused - how were the Russians helping Muslims in Kosovo? They would have a full revolt in their Armed Forces if they were helping Muslims.
Klintoon, the Harvard thieves, etc., are exactly what I was talking about.
Perhaps I am the one that is confused but I am pretty sure that I read not long ago, long after the fact, that evidence had arisen that China and Russia were involved in the Balkins, which I roughtly translated as Kosovo since I didn't remember if it was Serbia, Croatia, Albania, Macedonia, or what. I am also pretty sure is was about their helping the Muslims.
However, I wouldn't go to court on any of it.
See my answer to Romanov.
They were helping the Serbs - not the Muslims. We were helping the Muslims. Another Clinton debacle.
The Serbs and Russians are both Slavs, and are very close. There is no way the Russians would help the Muslims in the region.
I knew Clinton was helping the Muslims and I never believed the genocide excuse from the beginning. I must have screwed up what I read. Thanks for the correction. However, if I run across it and am right I will come rushing back. Othrwise, I will just slink off.
I think this is tinfoil hat stuff. It's up there with Bush and Skull-n-Bones secretly rule the world.
Is Putin still America's 'good friend' as he arms radical Islamic tyrants, as in the jihad trigger happy Iranians, and the likes of commie Hugo Chavez, among other sworn enemies of America?
Oh c'mon.
Bush canned a promise to the Armenians to please his Turkish pals, and supports a new checnya oh I'm sorry independant Kosovo.
Capitualting to terrorists is in stock at Gap this season, everyone wants at least one.
I fully agree, however Putin and the Chicoms are making sure Iran's Islamic metal cases have the means to trigger the unthinkable regarding the West.
And the west is making sure that he Muslims in Kosovo have no problems when the blow up the remaining churches, and behead the remaining Christans.
Imagine going to the first church in America (Kosovo was the religious center of Serbia before Muslims invaded), and seeing it taken over by Satanists who kill Christians for sport.
At least a nuclear armed Iran could be dealt with.
It's a known fact that once Kosovo is independant these Christians and churches are dead.
Check out their handiwork so far:
http://www.interfax-religion.com/kosovo/
We cannot mount a complaint against foreign governments attitudes towards islamic terror when we aid it in some cases ourselves. It's blatent hypocrisy and hypocrisy makes no allies.
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