Links to Russia Stories

The boys in Moscow have had an easy week of it.  I went to Kyiv and back on Tuesday for a business meeting and to pick up a new computer and connect with old friends.  Sleeping on trains is a thing of the past for me so I went 24 hours with no sleep.  Wednesday was a write off.  Since then I have been busy setting up the new laptop, switching data and programs and learning Windows 10.  Took my old laptop in to Mir Computers, had it cleaned, polished and converted to Russian language Windows 7 for Lina.  It will likely give her a few more years of service and even at 5 years old was better than her old one.

Dozens of news stories went unread this week but here are a few that might be of interest.

More of Kremlin’s Opponents Are Ending Up Dead

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/21/world/europe/moscow-kremlin-silence-critics-poison.html

The Unsolved Mystery that Brought Putin to Power

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/439060/vladimir-putin-1999-russian-apartment-house-bombings-was-putin-responsible

Internet just quit; it must be Sunday.  "I used to hate computers but then the server went down on me". . . Back up again.  

On August 6-7, Russia claimed that Ukraine had sent undercover terrorists into Crimea to blow up infrastructure.  Two Russians were allegedly killed in the firefight while the Ukrainians were supported by artillery fire from the Ukrainian side.  They even "captured" three Ukrainians of the infiltrating group and a cache of explosives and weapons to prove it. Putin etc threatened extreme retaliation for the 'provocation".

This fake news story ranks up there with the crucified 3 year old, the 10 year old killed by Ukrainian artillery fire and the girl raped by refugees in Germany. There was no intrusion or Ukrainian artillery fire.  There was apparently one firefight between either Russian deserters and the Russian border patrol or between Russian military and Russian border patrol in a case of mistaken identity. Hence two Russians killed.

Of the three "captured" infiltrators, the first one appeared on Russian TV,  confessed and named names. (Of course all Stalin's victims confessed and named names too and for the same reasons, of belonging to fictitious political organizations or plotting to blow up non-existent bridges, etc.)  He had been kidnapped from Zaporozhzhia especially for the occasion and has not been allowed a lawyer or visitors to whom he might tell the real story.

The second is an anti-Ukrainian from L'viv who had completed two jail terms and fled to Crimea in time to avoid a third. The third was arrested several weeks prior to the alleged incident.  Oh, and the video of the "captured" weapons and munitions? Shows a full moon which was July 21. Isn't it fun?