Putin Keeps Killing People With Ties To Trump’s Russian Connections — This Is Number 12 (VIDEO)


The Soviet Union’s disintegration was not something that many foresaw. Whilst the structural defects of its economic system were well understood few if any people in the west realized just how bad things had gotten. The oil crisis of 1973 had been something of a boon for the Soviets, artificially inflating the price of oil to the point of it being a crutch.

They used that to limp on through the rest of the decade.

By the mid 80’s however, it was clear that all was not well in the state of Muscovy. Endless brinkmanship with the U.S. coupled with the bitter attrition in Afghanistan stretched the weaknesses of the planned economy to the breaking point. The meltdown, when it came, was rapid.

And not well predicted in part because the catalyst consisted of purely pre-emptive measures. The Soviet economy of the 80’s was not collapsing, it was merely stagnating

Attempts to stimulate the economy intended to cut off problems down the line created instead a cascade effect. Calls for minor reform ended with the tearing down of walls.

Literally.

Cold Comfort

The Cold War ended and we won, or so we were told. The great Marxist experiment had ended in failure and as western scholars basked in the triumphalism of their ideological brilliance, the path forward was clear. Russia would become a liberal democracy, a trading partner, an ally, and a friend.

Those who have been paying attention might have noticed that things did not work out that way.

Russia’s dalliance with democratic institutions was a disaster. The economic stagnation that threatened to cripple the Soviet Union was mismanaged into a full-on economic collapse. By the mid-nineties, Russia’s economy had regressed back to levels of GDP not seen since the 1960’s.

In 1992, the first year of economic reform, retail prices in Russia increased by 2,520 percent.

Something had to be done.

The Old Switcheroo

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s first tenure as Prime Minister lasted only ten months. In May of 2001, he replaced Boris Yeltsin as President, a position he held for two terms lasting through to 2008. With the Russian constitution forbidding a third term in office, he opted to exploit a loophole that allowed him to simply switch roles. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev became President and Putin became Prime Minister.

They switched back again in 2012.

We’d seen this sort of thing before of course. Whilst countries like the United Kingdom eased themselves into the idea of Democracy other nations had it foisted upon them. In Germany, for example, the democratic experiment that followed their defeat in WWI lasted only 14 years. Economic chaos coupled with the denigration of national pride created the perfect breeding ground for rose-tinted nostalgia.

Remember those good old days when the King decided what needed to be done and just did it? Those days where politicians acted instead of arguing?

Enter Hitler.

The Blame Game

History likes to repeat itself.

Russia’s experience with democracy was even less profound. The Tsar of Russia — another victim of post-WWI geopolitical chaos — was replaced not by democratic convention but by the radical implementation of a new form of totalitarianism.

Both Lenin, Stalin and those who followed, were in essence Tsars by another name.

Ten or so years of economic failure was enough to convince many Russians that they kind of missed the old days of autocratic rule. They blamed democracy for their woes and whilst their perception of what was wrong with the system was skewed, the observation that corrupt, elected officials lay at the heart of the matter was not entirely unjustified.

Putin’s democratic credentials are highly suspect. But at least he gets the job done. Or so most Russians seem to think. His approval rating regularly hovers above 80 percent. It helps that he owns most of the media.

It also helps that journalists who oppose him have the annoying habit of winding up dead.

Enemy Of The State

Back in the U.S. the principle concern over who Russians choose as their leader is focused almost entirely on President Donald Trump’s ties to — and possible collusion with — Russian agents.

If hard links are found, they would almost certainly lead to his impeachment and that is, after all, a prize worth chasing.

Still, there are a few things standing in the way of Trump’s removal from office. To begin with, the congressional investigation into Russian ties is filled with partisan sycophants. Many of whom are in bed with the administration they are purporting to investigate.

Secondly, from the Russian side of things, people involved in the scandal have an odd habit of turning up dead.

Take Nikolai Andrushchenko for example.

According to Radio Free Europe, the 73-year-old co-founder of the weekly newspaper Novy Peterburg was found unconscious on March 9 the victim of a vicious beating from unknown assailants.

He died from his injuries ten days later.

As the Palmer Report noted:

“Whilst It’s not yet known whether Andrushchenko’s death was directly related to the Trump-Russia scandal, many of the previous eleven dead Russians have indeed had direct connections.”

The State Is The Enemy

He was certainly no friend of Putin’s.

Andrushchenko was arrested and imprisoned in 2007 on charges of defamation and obstruction of justice after he reported on a murder investigation and trial in St. Petersburg, He claims he was tortured while in custody.

As the Palmer Report noted, such tactics are being employed to suppress information that might lead to Trump’s dismissal. They wrote:

“After former MI6 agent Christopher Steele’s Trump-Russia dossier became public, two former Russian intel agents who were thought to have helped Steele – Oleg Erovinkin and Sergei Mikhailov – fell by the wayside, the latter having been last seen dragged away with a bag over his head. Two Russian diplomats, Mikhail Lesin and Sergey Krivov, were both found dead in the United States. Despite both having severe head trauma, Russia insisted both men had died of heart attacks.”

Which leaves us with what?

Murder and intimidation on one side of the equation and partisan collusion on the other.

All the more reason to call for an independent inquiry.

You can sign Senator Al Franken’s petition demanding congress do just that here:

Watch this short documentary on the fate of those who oppose Putin.

 

Featured image from CNN video.

 

I'm a full- time, somewhat unwilling resident of the planet Earth. I studied journalism at Murdoch University in West Australia and moved back to the UK where I taught politics and studied for a PhD. I've written a number of books on political philosophy that are mostly of interest to scholars. I'm also a seasoned travel writer so I get to stay in fancy hotels for free. I have a pet Lizard called Rousseau. We have only the most cursory of respect for one another.