Putin's pre-war moves against U.S. tech giants laid groundwork for crackdown on free expression

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Russian agents came to the home of Google's top executive in Moscow to deliver a frightening ultimatum last September: take down an app that had drawn the ire of Russian President Vladimir Putin within 24 hours or be taken to prison.

Google quickly moved the woman to a hotel where she checked in under an assumed name and might be protected by the presence of other guests and hotel security, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The same agents - believed by company officials to be from Russia's FSB, a successor to the KGB intelligence service - then showed up at her room to tell her the clock was still ticking.

The unnerving encounters, which have not previously been disclosed, were part of a broader campaign that Putin intensified last year to erode sources of internal opposition - moves now helping him maintain his hold on power amid a global backlash over the invasion of Ukraine.

In a single year, Putin had his political nemesis Alexei Navalny imprisoned after a poisoning attempt failed to kill him; pushed independent news outlets to the brink of extinction; orchestrated a Kremlin-controlled takeover of Russia's Facebook equivalent; and issued "liquidation" orders against human rights organizations.

Amid this internal offensive, Putin also moved to bring foreign technology companies to heel. Moscow deployed new devices that let it degrade or even block Russians' access to Facebook and Twitter, imposed fines totaling $120 million on firms accused of defying Kremlin censors, and ordered 13 of the world's largest technology companies to keep employees in Russia and thus exposed to potential arrest or other punishment for their employers' actions - a measure that U.S. executives refer to as the "hostage law."

On their own, these moves were seen as disparate signs of Russia' descent into authoritarianism. But they also laid the groundwork for the Soviet-style suppression of free expression now underway in Russia, much as the months-long military buildup set the stage for the invasion of Ukraine.

Putin's crackdown has accelerated in recent weeks. Facebook and Twitter have been knocked offline by the government for millions of Russians. News outlets that survived state harassment for years shut down this month in the face of a new law imposing prison time of up to 15 years for spreading "fake" news - understood to be anything contradicting the Kremlin's depiction of a "special military operation" unfolding with precision in Ukraine.

To Russian activists, the impact has been devastating.

In describing Vladimir Putin and his inner circle, I have often thought of a remark by John Maynard Keynes about Georges Clemenceau, French prime minister during the first world war: that he was an utterly disillusioned individual who “had one illusion — France”.

Something similar could be said of Russia’s governing elite, and helps to explain the appallingly risky collective gamble they have taken by invading Ukraine. Ruthless, greedy and cynical they may be — but they are not cynical about the idea of Russian greatness.

The western media employ the term “oligarch” to describe super-wealthy Russians in general, including those now wholly or largely resident in the west. The term gained traction in the 1990s, and has long been seriously misused. In the time of President Boris Yeltsin, a small group of wealthy businessmen did indeed dominate the state, which they plundered in collaboration with senior officials. This group was, however, broken by Putin during his first years in power.

Three of the top seven “oligarchs” tried to defy Putin politically. Boris Berezovsky and Vladimir Gusinsky were driven abroad, and Mikhail Khodorkovsky was jailed and then exiled. The others, and their numerous lesser equivalents, were allowed to keep their businesses within Russia in return for unconditional public subservience to Putin. When Putin met (by video link) leading Russian businessmen after launching the invasion of Ukraine, there was no question of who was giving the orders.

The force that broke the oligarchs was the former KGB, reorganised in its various successor services. Putin himself, of course, came from the KGB, and a large majority of the top elite under Putin are from the KGB or associated state backgrounds (though not the armed forces).

This group have remained remarkably stable and homogenous under Putin, and are (or used to be) close to him personally. Under his leadership, they have plundered their country (though unlike the previous oligarchs, they have kept most of their wealth within Russia) and have participated or acquiesced in his crimes, including the greatest of them all, the invasion of Ukraine. They have echoed both Putin’s vicious propaganda against Ukraine and his denunciations of western decadence.

As Russia plunges deeper into a military quagmire and economic crisis, a central question is whether — if the war is not ended quickly by a peace settlement — Putin can be removed (or persuaded to step down) by the Russian elites themselves, in order to try to extricate Russia and themselves from the pit he has dug for them. To assess the chances of this requires an understanding of the nature of the contemporary Russian elites, and above all of Putin’s inner core. (...)

Above all, for deep historical, cultural, professional and personal reasons, the siloviki and the Russian official elite in general are utterly, irrevocably committed to the idea of Russia as a great power and one pole of a multipolar world. If you do not believe in that, you are not part of the Russian establishment, just as if you do not believe in US global primacy you are not part of the US foreign and security establishment. (...)

Facebook Introduces 'Call In Drone Strike' Button You Can Click On All Russian Profiles 

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MENLO PARK, CA—Facebook made waves this week after announcing they would temporarily be lifting their ban on calls to violence as long as the violence is directed towards Russians. Now in an exciting new update, Facebook will allow users to directly commit actual violence against Russian people with a new "call in drone strike" button.

"As leaders in the tech industry, it's very important to use our vast and terrifying power to connect people, disseminate trustworthy information, and sometimes kill people we think need to be killed," said CEO Mark Zuckerberg. "Since our entire culture decided overnight it's ok to hate Russian people now, we want our users to be able to join in that hatred together. That's why we're proud to add this cool new 'drone strike' button!"

Clicking on the "call in drone strike" button will immediately signal one of Facebook's 10,000 brand-new predator drones to track down and blow up the Russian of your choice. Users with successful kills will receive a special edition Ukraine flag icon to display on their profile.

Facebook has said they will keep the changes in place until the next international hysteria gives everyone a new group of people to hate.

Do the masks make you feel confident?!?

‘He's lashing out’: U.S. sees ‘broadening’ of Putin strategy in Western Ukraine strike

National security adviser Jake Sullivan says strike near NATO territory “does not come as a surprise to the American intelligence and national security communities.”

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan listens during a virtual meeting in the Roosevelt Room on March 1. | Anna Moneymaker-Pool/Getty Images

By BRIANNA CRUMMY

03/13/2022 10:41 AM EDT National security adviser Jake Sullivan on Sunday said an early morning Russian missile strike in western Ukraine just 11 miles from NATO territory “does not come as a surprise” but could present a turning point in the Kremlin’s strategy.

China just publicly warned Russia it’s time to end the Ukraine war

Very publicly. How publicly? In an opinion piece in The NY Times saying Russia needs an “off-ramp” from the highway to hell that is the Ukrainian invasion.

Imma highlight the part that matters. It’s the part where the writer calls Russia an “economic burden” to China.

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But who’s the writer? Probably some hopeful airhead like Tom Friedman, right?

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Oh.

This a warning from Beijing to the Kremlin, make no mistake. We can quit you, Vlad! You’ve had your fun, now it’s time to declare victory and go home.

Whether it makes any difference is another question.

YouTube said it would globally block all channels associated with
Russian state-funded media, including RT and Sputnik, citing a violation
of its policy of “denying, minimizing or trivializing well-documented
violent events.” The company also said it would remove others’ videos
that violated the policy. It had previously been blocking videos from
state media in Europe.

• Nickolas I passed away on March 2nd
  
• Stalin died on March 5th
• Chernenko died on March 10th
• Alexander II was killed on March 13
• Nickolas II removed from power on March 15th
• Ivan the Terrible died March 18th
• Pavel I was killed with an ashtray on March 24th

March, Don't let us down!

"Russia has effectively legalized patent theft from anyone affiliated with countries 'unfriendly' to it, declaring that unauthorized use will not be compensated.

"The decree, issued this week, illustrates the economic war waged around Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as the West levies sanctions and pulls away from Russia’s huge oil and gas industry. Russian officials have also raised the possibility of lifting restrictions on some trademarks, according to state media, which could allow continued use of brands such as McDonald’s that are withdrawing from Russia in droves.

"The effect of losing patent protections will vary by company, experts say, depending on whether they have a valuable patent in Russia. The U.S. government has long warned of intellectual property rights violations in the country; last year Russia was among nine nations on a 'priority watch list' for alleged failures to protect intellectual property. Now Russian entities could not be sued for damages if they use certain patents without permission."

According to the story, "The Kremlin has not issued any decree lifting protections on trademarks. But Russia’s Ministry of Economic Development said last week that authorities are considering 'removing restrictions on the use of intellectual property contained in certain goods whose supply to Russia is restricted,' according to Russian state news outlet Tass, and that potential measures could affect inventions, computer programs and trademarks."

Warfare also has its own logic, and it unleashes political forces that tend to drown out alternative voices, even in societies where freedom of speech and open debate remain intact. Because the stakes are high, wartime is when public officials, the media, and the citizenry should work hardest to resist stereotypes, think coolly and carefully, avoid hyperbole and simplistic clichés, and above all remain open to the possibility that they might be wrong and that a different course of action is required. Once the bullets start flying, however, what typically occurs is a narrowing of vision, a rapid descent into Manichaean modes of thought, the marginalization or suppression of dissenting voices, the abandonment of nuance, and a stubborn focus on victory at all costs. This process seems to be well underway inside Putin’s Russia, but a milder form is apparent in the West too. All told, this is a recipe for making a terrible situation worse.