Will Western interference in Russian affairs ever get the same scrutiny as vice versa?
…from PressTV, Tehran
[ Editor’s Note: I was surprised to see PressTV describe Navalny as a blogger, when he is possibly the biggest tool the US has for destabilization inside Russia. In the heyday of the Russian opposition, with heavy American NGO support, the opposition was pulling about 35% of the vote.
But when Putin threw the NGOs out, the opposition only pulled 15% in the following election, showing that US support, like paying demonstrators, had a huge effect.
Some would say that Russian countermeasures were to be expected after the years, decades really, of the US doing all it could to politically colonize and asset strip Russia. And this was no one off event.
There are many in the intelligence field that would tell you that it is an active area of government, and considered just another day at the office, but one that must be kept quiet, so as not to upset the voters by their learning they are just along for the ride to eat the leftovers.
I am still waiting for someone with standing to pose having an international conference on a scale like what led up to the formation of the UN, one that would begin a discussion on a new organization pledged to not interfere in the affairs of others and engage in economic domination.
Of course such an attempt would require the emptying out the archives on how that has actively been going on for the benefit of the few, at the cost of the many. It is way past time that this sordid story should be aired. Let me know what you think in the comments… Jim W. Dean ]
Jim's Editor’s Notes are solely crowdfunded via PayPal
Jim's work includes research, field trips, Heritage TV Legacy archiving & more. Thanks for helping. Click to donate >>
First published … February 12, 2021
Russia has warned that it is ready to sever ties with the European Union (EU) if the 27-member bloc hits Moscow with new economic sanctions following recent tensions over the case of Western-backed blogger Alexei Navalny.
Relations between Russia and the West have come under renewed pressure over Navalny’s detention and an alleged crackdown on protests for his release in the past couple of months.
The arrest has sparked talk of new EU sanctions, especially after Moscow expelled German, Polish and Swedish diplomats for taking part in pro-Navalny protests last week.
France and Germany have demanded a response by the EU and signaled willingness to press on with plans to levy sanctions on Moscow. Reuters, citing three European diplomats, said the bloc is likely to impose travel bans and asset freezes on allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin as soon as this month.
EU foreign ministers are set to discuss the issue at their next meeting on February 22.
Asked in an interview, posted on the Russian foreign ministry’s website whether Moscow would now move towards cutting ties with the EU, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, “We proceed from the fact that we’re ready (for that). In the event that we again see sanctions imposed in some sectors that create risks for our economy, including in the most sensitive spheres.”
“We don’t want to isolate ourselves from global life, but we have to be ready for that. If you want peace then prepare for war,” he added.
Last month, Russian police detained Navalny upon arrival in Moscow from Germany, five months after he was transferred to a hospital in Berlin for alleged poisoning.
Moscow has repeatedly rejected the allegation, saying the West is exploiting the case for political reasons and using it as a pretext to impose more sanctions against Russia.
Navalny was jailed on February 2 after a Russian court ruled that he had violated the terms of a suspended 2014 sentence to participate in protests. The Russian government had earlier declared the gatherings illegal.
Moscow warns of Western plot to destabilize Russia
On Thursday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova pointed to baseless allegations made by American and European officials about Navalny’s case saying Western countries have launched a large-scale intelligence campaign to destabilize Russia.
Zakharova said US and Western officials, as well as some international organizations, accuse Moscow of violating human rights during illegal pro-Navalny protests and claim that the rights of Russian citizens to freedom of expression and association had been breached.
The spokeswoman also said the mainstream media in the West claims that participants in unauthorized gatherings in Russia are leaders of the Russian opposition but they are in fact “foreign infiltrators.”
“Obviously, the big conspiracy against Russia is aimed at destabilizing the country, but these efforts are doomed to failure and I believe that the Western partners have realized this fact, and therefore they are more angry,” Zakharova said.
The Russian official also cautioned the European Union against new sanctions on Moscow and said a tit-for-tat response “will follow inevitably.”
“We would want to warn our EU partners against a new incautious step,” Zakharova said, adding, “It is absolutely unacceptable to use human rights and refer to democratic principles as a geopolitical instrument.”
Zakharova stressed that the EU decision would look cynical amid the “total disregard by Brussels” for violations of rights of Russian-speaking population and Russian-language media in EU countries, as well as crackdowns on protest movements in European countries.
“Globally, this is fraught with growing arbitrariness in international relations and basically with an erosion of international law,” she said.
“Once again, we reaffirm our fundamental position that it is unlawful to impose unilateral restrictions in bypassing the UN Security Council and we urge the EU to return to equitable constructive dialogue and to look for workable compromises that would ensure the balance of interests through the existing diplomatic channels that always remain open.”
Jim W. Dean is VT Editor Emeritus. He was an active editor on VT from 2010-2022. He was involved in operations, development, and writing, plus an active schedule of TV and radio interviews. He now writes and posts periodically for VT.
ATTENTION READERS
We See The World From All Sides and Want YOU To Be Fully InformedIn fact, intentional disinformation is a disgraceful scourge in media today. So to assuage any possible errant incorrect information posted herein, we strongly encourage you to seek corroboration from other non-VT sources before forming an educated opinion.
About VT - Policies & Disclosures - Comment Policy
Navalny embezzled 500K from Russian timber company, he got caught.
In Russia, a bribe is a bribe, a payoff is a payoff, a thief is a thief.
In the USA a bribe is a lobbyist, a payoff is a lawyer, a thief is being owner of a bank.
Navalny a CIA cinderella type cartoon character – First poisoned! And poisoned out of jealousy of his good looks and great popularity by the wicked Christian Orthodox witch himself Putin,
Then Navalny nursed back to health only because he wisely left Russia, seeking treatment in the superior modern western hospitals, and after kissing the magic frog to regain good health, He returns to motherland to seek rightful place on throne stolen from him by that evil wicked witch. Now Navalny unjustly jailed again, so everyone take to the streets and overthrow the wicked witch Putin!
Sounds good and how much can I make?
Rather than an international governmental body, Jim, we need an international Banking body with the shareholders being every Human being born.
Smedley Butler saw the problem with Our current banks.
” Ending interference in the affairs of other countries in the pursuit of economic domination”
well said Jim W. Dean
Sanctions are the US weapon of MASS DESTRUCTION & President Biden has happily promised to use them anywhere & everywhere in the world to further US DOMINATION.
The US used them along with bombing Iraq before the TOTALLY illegal SHOCK & AWE invasion of that country & that US woman diplomat blatantly stated that the “killing” of all those children was a price worth “paying” !
Unfortunately US patriotism (USA_USA_USA ) PROPAGANDA is pumped out 24/7 to dumbed down US Citizens to maintain the American killing fields to be kept active & available.
.
.
A perfect analysis and wise reflection, Jim. The United Nations has almost never been able to fulfill its international mandate. They have not been able to investigate the White Helmets organ trafficking in Syria, reported by Moscow as a terrorist organization, due to this fake-rescue ONG was formed by a former British military intelligence officer and financed by the governments of London and Washington. But they haven’t even been able to investigate the death of former secretary general Dag Hammarskjold, who was killed 60 years ago by a plane crash that all serious investigations have described as an attack. In a previous article on VT I well described who Alexei Navalny is, convicted of embezzlement and alleged American spy.
https://veteranstoday.com/2021/02/05/fake-eu-moscow-cant-jail-navalny-convicted-for-embezzlement-brussels-can-arrest-500-for-lockdown-unrest/
About conference what led up to the formation of the UN was Stalin who insisted to UN headquarters were in US soil because he thought it was the only way into US getting engaged with the resolutions of this one unlike 1920’s League of Nations where never becoming an official member and as former Prime Minister of France Clemencau said once…. President Wilson bores me with his fourteen points. Why, God has only ten!!! 🙂
Mr. Dean, thank you for this article and your personal, measured approach. I always respect your articles and topics. I don’t want to discuss citizen Navalny. He is a political whore and a traitor.
As for our relationship with Europe, I will say this: Lavrov had a very tough conversation with the EU emissary. Many media outlets write that we do not value relations with the EU. Lavrov’s words were actually exaggerated. Russia has always been an honest partner for Europe. The locomotive of the EU is Germany. Germans are pragmatic and business people. The US nightmare is a close economic alliance between Germany and Russia. And they will interfere with us. The question is that Germany is an absolutely dependent country. Very sorry. Apparently, a period of disappointment has come. Russia is tired of incompetent people from Brussels. There is no one to negotiate with. There is no way to do business, ’cause of f sanctions. Nobody in Russia wants to deal with stupid negotiators. Unfortunately, modern Europe has become a hypocritical, toothless old woman. And if this time they managed to anger Mr. Lavrov, it means that we will no longer play the cheap European games of political imbeciles. Lavrov is a very authoritative, serious, intellectual person, minister of foreign affairs. You will not find another such specialist in the whole world. This is a stubborn fact.
@Máiréad:
The wife says to her husband: go fields tomatoes with water from a hose in the garden.
Husband: it is raining heavily outside!
Wife: no big deal, take an umbrella.
The Bolsheviks are line-dancing in Bruge. Comme d’habitude, cherchez le Jeuf. As a former recording engineer I enjoyed broad experience including a couple of ME (Arabic) orchestras who made wonderful music. Then, at some point in time, I was listening to some Israeli modern jazz(?) instrumentals (never again, please!). Cacophony visits Chaos. But then, that’s what they do, right?
Comments are closed.