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Vladimir Putin Hints at Russian Role in Hacking of U.S. Election, patriots did it?

T

Tovarisc

Member
Shifting away from his previous blanket denials of Russian involvement in cyberattacks last year to help the presidential campaign of Donald J. Trump, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia denied any state role on Thursday but said that “patriotically minded” private Russian hackers could have been involved.

Mr. Putin’s comments, made during a meeting with Russian and foreign news agencies in St. Petersburg, were a departure from the Kremlin’s previous position: that Russia had played no role whatsoever in the hacking of the Democratic National Committee and that, after Mr. Trump’s victory, the country had become the victim of anti-Russia hysteria among crestfallen Democrats.

Raising the possibility of attacks by what he portrayed as free-spirited Russian patriots, Mr. Putin said that hackers “are like artists” who choose their targets depending how they feel “when they wake up in the morning.”

“If they are patriotically minded, they start making their contributions — which are right, from their point of view — to the fight against those who say bad things about Russia,” he added.
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All the same, Mr. Putin stuck firmly to earlier denials that Russian state bodies or employees had been involved, an accusation leveled by United States intelligence agencies. They concluded in January that Mr. Putin himself had directed a Russian “influence campaign” involving cyberattacks and disinformation intended to tilt the November election in Mr. Trump’s favor.

“We’re not doing this on the state level,” Mr. Putin said on Thursday.

The boundary between state and private action, however, is often blurry, particularly in matters relating to the projection of Russian influence abroad. Nominally private Russian citizens have fought alongside Russian-speaking rebels in eastern Ukraine and have taken part in various campaigns to advance Moscow’s agenda in Eastern and Central Europe.
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The evolution of Russia’s position on possible meddling in the American election is similar to the way Mr. Putin repeatedly shifted his account of Russia’s role in the 2014 annexation of Crimea and in armed rebellions in eastern Ukraine: He began by categorically denying that Russian troops had taken part before acknowledging, months later, that the Russian military was “of course” involved.
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Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/01/...eakingNews&contentID=65381707&pgtype=Homepage

He is also going to give 1on1 interview to NBC's Megyn Kelly.
gF7Ibrr.png

https://twitter.com/megynkelly/status/870248260002361344
 
Link

Link

The Autumn Wind
Phase II

And when is he going to sit down with a real journalist? Maybe Kelly will surprise me, but I'm not counting on her to ask any tough questions.
 
Q

QuantumBro

Banned
Link said:
Phase II

And when is he going to sit down with a real journalist? Maybe Kelly will surprise me, but I'm not counting on her to ask any tough questions.
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There's four hours of Oliver Stone discussing with Putin about how the Deep State murdered JFK next week.
 
V

Viewt

Member
Sorry, Megyn, not buying it. You can't leave for NBC and put on a trench coat and convince me that you're a real journalist now.
 
M

mnz

Unconfirmed Member
Have their been longform interviews with Putin on US TV before? Ones where he actually get to do his whole spiel? I always thought his rhetoric would work really well in the US political climate.
 
J

jWILL253

Banned
The uber-patriotic far right selling themselves out to reds so they can elect Trump will be the most ironic event in human history.
 
T

Tovarisc

Member
OG Shaka Zulu said:
Megyn Kelly gets rewarded by nbc for years of racist vitriol. None of these networks are our friends :-(
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I get sense that this 1on1 interview with Putin wasn't pre-planned thing, but opportunity that Putin gave NBC / her with very short warning. She was in town to cover what ever that forum is for NBC. How often you have seen Putin to give 1on1 interviews to Western media?
 
Z

Zaph

Member
This is playing out exactly like that original article predicted - Putin will frequently shift in statements or interviews to keep the speculation going. Trump obviously isn't some master stroke manchurian candidate, Putin just wants to keep American democracy undermined and consumed in doubt.
 
L

Lubricus

Member
Zaph said:
This is playing out exactly like that original article predicted - Putin will frequently shift in statements or interviews to keep the speculation going. Trump obviously isn't some master stroke manchurian candidate, Putin just wants to keep American democracy undermined and consumed in doubt.
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KGB training in action. Reducing the effectiveness of one's enemy means your goals are easier to accomplish.

In 1997, a Russian political scientist named Aleksandr Dugin and a serving Russian General named Nikolai Klokotov sat down and wrote a text that would become the foundation of Russian geopolitical strategy over the next 20 years. It was called ”Foundations of Geopolitics" and it was all about how Russia could reassert itself in the world.
Chillingly, the book now reads like a to-do list for Putin's behaviour on the world stage.

Perhaps surprisingly, the document is not a secret. It has long been known to observers of Russian foreign policy, and has served as a text book among a generation of military strategists. But with the scandal over Russian influence in the US elections, growing by the day, it's surprising how little coverage this important text has been given.

The book starts out by saying that the shrewd thing for Russia to do is to steer clear of direct military confrontation. Instead, the book counsels Russian leaders to favour political stealth. It emphasises the need for the infiltration of Western institutions, and the use of soft power to shape the world in Russia's favour. Sound familiar yet? We haven't even got to the good stuff.
The text then goes into a very specific list of to-dos, about Russia's posture towards almost every nation on earth.

Let's start close to Russia. The book argues that Ukraine should - surprise, surprise - be annexed by Russia. ”Ukraine as a state has no geopolitical meaning, no particular cultural import or universal significance, no geographic uniqueness, no ethnic exclusiveness, its certain territorial ambitions represents an enormous danger for all of Eurasia and, without resolving the Ukrainian problem, it is in general senseless to speak about continental politics." It goes on to argue that the only use for an independent Ukraine would be to provide a barrier to Europe, but that it's not necessary.

Next, it turns to Britain. The book's authors say Russia should encourage Britain to leave the European Union, and thus weaken it. That's right. Russian strategists were openly arguing in favour of Brexit in 1997, when it was still just a glimmer in Nigel Farage's eyes.
Score so far, Putin: 2, Rest of World: 0.

How about the rest of the world? It identifies Iran as a key ally for Russia, and recommends that Turkey should receive a series of ”geopolitics shocks" using Kurds and Armenians to keep it off-balance. I'd give that Putin: 4, Rest of World: 0.

The document even mentions Australia, if only in its relation to China. It says that China should be encouraged to have its geopolitical posture aligned to its south – Indo-China (except Vietnam), the Philippines, Indonesia, Australia - so that Russia can remain predominant on the ”Eurasian" mainland. It also talks about making Germany and France the predominant powers in the European Union, in order to unbalance that alliance, and encourage an anti-Atlantic sentiment on the continent. Score so far is Putin: 6, Rest of World: 0.

But perhaps most amazing part of the book is when it calls for Russia to ”introduce geopolitical disorder into internal American activity, encouraging all kinds of separatism and ethnic, social and racial conflicts, actively supporting all dissident movements – extremist, racist, and sectarian groups, thus destabilising internal political processes in the U.S. It would also make sense simultaneously to support isolationist tendencies in American politics." If that reads like an accurate description of Trump's inner-circle, again remember that this text was written twenty years ago.
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http://www.news.com.au/world/europe/1990s-manifesto-outlining-russias-plans-is-starting-to-come-true/news-story/343a27c71077b87668f1aa783d03032c
 
L

Lord Frieza

Member
Lubricus said:
KGB training in action. Reducing the effectiveness of one's enemy means your goals are easier to accomplish.



http://www.news.com.au/world/europe/1990s-manifesto-outlining-russias-plans-is-starting-to-come-true/news-story/343a27c71077b87668f1aa783d03032c
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Yeah, people have brought that up and it's pretty crazy. At this point, I want to know how we combat this. It's been so effective, it's almost sad. There has to be something that can actually be done, now, that can help. Or is it really just too late? Is the only solution for Russia to just finally collapse on itself?
 
K

King Tubby

Member
Gotta be doing something right when the patriotic fervor of your citizens is to such an extent that they independently further your foreign policy goals through coordinated cyberwarfare and propaganda campaigns.
 
L

Lubricus

Member
Lord Frieza said:
Yeah, people have brought that up and it's pretty crazy. At this point, I want to know how we combat this. It's been so effective, it's almost sad. There has to be something that can actually be done, now, that can help. Or is it really just too late? Is the only solution for Russia to just finally collapse on itself?
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Education and patience. It took 20 years to happen, it will probably take 20 years to reverse.
Hitler laid out his plans in "Mein Kampf" in 1925 but no one took it seriously until it was too late. The German government was pretty chaotic in the 1930's which allowed Hitler to grow his base.
 
T

Tovarisc

Member
StarVigil said:
Both trump and putin have this "what you gonna do?" mentality. No wonder they are BFFs
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Difference being that Putin has actually good sense about what he is doing and what his goals are. He isn't that reactionary, but plans ahead. If his plans bare fruit he wants them to is different question.
 
L

Lord Frieza

Member
Lubricus said:
Education and patience. It took 20 years to happen, it will probably take 20 years to reverse.
Hitler laid out his plans in "Mein Kampf" in 1925 but no one took it seriously until it was too late. The German government was pretty chaotic in the 1930's which allowed Hitler to grow his base.
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Education is being severely undercut, and there's no time for patience. This is happening now.
 
C

ClosingADoor

Member
Putin is not doing this without a reason, all planned. Divide and conquer. It is also in his interest to have more doubt cast on the White House and show Russia's power on the world stage.
 
R

Resident_UA

Member
I wouldn't be surprised if has a plan of "reuniting" with Alaska. You all think it's crazy, but people in Ukraine had no idea that Russia was able to pull this off 5 years ago. They were Ukraine's "big brother".
 
F

Familienoberhauptvogel

Banned
Lord Frieza said:
Yeah, people have brought that up and it's pretty crazy. At this point, I want to know how we combat this. It's been so effective, it's almost sad. There has to be something that can actually be done, now, that can help. Or is it really just too late? Is the only solution for Russia to just finally collapse on itself?
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Continue sanctioning Russia and Putin and his stooges. The sanctions are working and Putin is very interested in getting them lifted.
 
D

Dhx

Member
shem935 said:
Tom Brady?!
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Thank you. It wasn't just me then.

Resident_UA said:
I wouldn't be surprised if has a plan of "reuniting" with Alaska. You all think it's crazy, but people in Ukraine had no idea that Russia was able to pull this off 5 years ago. They were Ukraine's "big brother".
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Oh, come on. Alaskans and the US are not Ukraine. We would go to war before parting with that wealth.
 
A

andycapps

Member
I'm sure all of Putin's detractors that have been murdered weren't state sanctioned as well. But you never know what patriots will do.
 
L

Lord Frieza

Member
Familienoberhauptvogel said:
Continue sanctioning Russia and Putin and his stooges. The sanctions are working and Putin is very interested in getting them lifted.
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That really doesn't seem to be slowing down a lot of this, though. I mean, is all we can do is sit back and wait until Russia just finally collapses into economic anarchy, while continuing to do all the damage he's doing? It feels like something needs to be done right now, because if we just wait for sanctions to finally kill the country, the damage in the meantime will be so catastrophic that it won't matter.
 
K

Kerensky

Banned
Resident_UA said:
I wouldn't be surprised if has a plan of "reuniting" with Alaska. You all think it's crazy, but people in Ukraine had no idea that Russia was able to pull this off 5 years ago. They were Ukraine's "big brother".
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We already have lots of underdeveloped frozen wasteland, thank you.
 
R

RinsFury

Member
Before - Russia had nothing to do with this.
Now - Patriotic Russians might have done this.
Later - I did this.

Real life supervillain.
 
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