"a recent investigation conducted by Novaya Gazeta, one of the few independent newspapers left in Russia, complicates this cozy tale of counterterrorist cooperation. Based on extensive fieldwork in one village in the North Caucasus, reporter Elena Milashina has concluded that the “Russian special services have controlled” the flow of jihadists into Syria, where they have lately joined up not only with ISIS but other radical Islamist factions.
In other words, Russian officials are adding to the ranks of terrorists which the Russian government has deemed a collective threat to the security and longevity of its dictatorial ally on the Mediterranean, Bashar al-Assad."
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/08/23/russia-s-playing-a-double-game-with-islamic-terror0.html
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Understanding Provocation [Provokatsiya]
One of the most powerful tools the Kremlin has in its secret arsenal of Special War is provocation, what they call provokatsiya.
While Moscow cannot claim to have invented this technique, which has existed as long as there have been secret services, there’s no doubt that Russians have perfected the art and taken it to a whole new level of sophistication and deviousness. At times, it can become a strategy all on its own (not always, mind you, with edifying results).
Provokatsiya simply means taking control of your enemies in secret and encouraging them to do things that discredit them and help you. You plant your own agents provocateurs and flip legitimate activists [in this case, dupe actual Jihadis -ETL], turning them to your side.
When you’re dealing with extremists to start with, getting them to do crazy, self-defeating things isn’t often difficult. In some cases, you simply create extremists and terrorists where they don’t exist. This is causing problems in order to solve them, and since the Tsarist period, Russian intelligence has been known to do just that.
While this isn’t a particularly nice technique, it works surprisingly well, particularly if you don’t care about bloody and messy consequences. ..."
http://20committee.com/2014/03/29/understanding-provocation/
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In other words, it's like starting a fire, or pouring gasoline on a fire, in order to be the 'big hero', being first on the scene to put it out. Except in this case, you get to grab control over the buildings and town you helped 'saved' from the fire you helped to start.
“Thanks. It could indeed be that Putin ordered the hit. After all, Russia needs ISIS in order to justify their expansionist actions in the Middle East.”
Putin didn’t order the hit. Putin turned his back while Israel performed the hit. It maintains the fragile balance. Assad cannot be deposed. You lose Assad, with Erdogan in Turkey, ISIS is guaranteed a launching platform across the Caspian as well as a land bridge to Russia as well as Iran.
So the bigger question is, why is Obama calling them ISIL and not ISIS? Also, why is Obama giving Iran the ability to nuke Israel? And the reason is, Obama is Sunni. Therefore he supports ISIL, which is why we didn’t go after them early on when we could have wiped them out. And why did Obama give Iran nukes? Same reason he isn’t lifting a finger to help Christians. He’s muslim. He hates Jews, he hates Christians. And he is also stupid because Iran’s first target isn’t Israel, nor is it America.
Putin’s expansion is in Europe. He is rebuilding the Soviet empire slowly, but it will happen. And it has to happen because with muzzies landing in Europe at an alarming rate, Russia will face their own muzzie problems. Especially in the former Soviet republics that are now predominantly muslim.
And when you look at the southern flank of Russia, you see something else. China. Recent explosions there?
So the big question is, why are Russian generals talking shop with Israel in Tel Aviv? And why was an Iranian general killed? The general was killed as a warning to Iran to stay focused on the big picture which is the Russian firewall in Syria. Whoever says this is not about Sunni vs Shia is sadly mistaken. It’s been about that for 100’s of years. The Saudis are fighting a guerrilla war against the Shiites. Their army is ISIS. Why did those moderate muslims America trained go over to ISIS? If you are Sunni, where else are you going?
Israel is not dumb. They know exactly the politics of the middle east and are the only ones who can look at the game board and know exactly what is going on. They have two allies in the middle east in Jordan and Egypt. The Sunnis tried that southern flank crap on Israel by going into Egypt, with Obama’s blessing as well as his cooperation with ISIS in Libya. See how well that worked out. No one is touching Jordan. Reason? Palestinians. Know one knows which side they are on so why bother?
The next couple of months are going to be very interesting. As to who Russia is bombing in Syria? They are bombing Sunni’s with the goal of scaring ISIS so they move south. The final war might very well be in Iraq.
“Provokatsiya simply means taking control of your enemies in secret....”
Russians aren’t the only ones who use or have used that technique, and like the article says, “Moscow didn’t invent it”. But they are better at applying it and getting desired results.