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Dedicated Russian thread

Fury over pension changes hurts Putin allies in Russian regional...
After Sunday's elections, Putin's former party (United Russia, now headed by Medvedev) lost seats to the Communists (C21st Marxist-Lenin types. One of the Sergey's allegedly votes for them) and to the LDPR Liberal Democratic Party of Russia - Wikipedia who are apparently neither liberal or democratic ie they seek "a revival of Russia as a great power" and often vote for Putin's govt leading to speculation they get funding from the Kremlin. Anyway, four 'run offs' and two seats lost by 'United Russia' to the above:
Russia’s ruling United Russia Party suffered a rare setback in regional elections despite winning most of the seats, a reversal its leaders and election chiefs blamed on unpopular plans to raise the pension age.

The results in weekend voting for heads of about one third of Russia’s regions were the worst for United Russia, which backs President Vladimir Putin, since elections for regional leaders were re-introduced in 2012.
Head of the Central Electoral Commission says it's a protest against the pension reforms:
Ella Pamfilova, the head of the Central Election Commission, said it was obvious the planned pension changes had prompted voters to register their discontent at the ballot box, something she said was a sign of genuine political competition.

“It’s a good lesson for everyone,” she told a news conference. “It’s very useful for the party of power to get a bit of a jolt.”
Putin says he's unfazed by the votes and run offs:
Speaking in the far eastern city of Vladivostok, Putin told government officials he was unfazed by the fact that re-runs would be needed in four regions.

“It’s an absolutely normal phenomenon,” he said.
30% turnout in Moscow apparently:
In Moscow, Putin’s former chief-of-staff Sergei Sobyanin was re-elected mayor with about 70 percent of the votes. But despite a huge get-out-the-vote campaign, turnout was just 30 percent as many Muscovites stayed away. That was less than the turnout at the previous mayoral election in 2013.
Putin's in Vladivostok meeting Asian leaders. Some of the electorate have been brave enough to voice their feelings:
Vladivostok resident Alexei, 41, who works in the local ship building industry, said he had voted for the communist candidate as a protest vote and planned to do the same in the run-off.

“We really don’t like United Russia here and Putin and his comrades at the moment,” he said.
The region the includes Vladivistok is one of those where a second vote will be required. The man Putin appointed acting governor there last year failed to pass the 50-percent threshold on Sunday after a communist won almost a quarter of the votes.

“You don’t need to hunt for complex explanations as to why this happened,” said Ivan, a voter in Vladivostok who declined to give his surname. “Everything can be explained by the fall in the authorities’ popularity because of pension reform.”

E2A: Russian riot Police waiting to board their vehicles:
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Putin ally challenges critic Navalny to duel
I wonder what century some people live in. We did have someone who demanded 'trial by combat' this century, but he wasn't the head the Army Reserve or in this case of Russia’s National Guard. Anyway, Zolotov has challenged Navalny to a duel, accusing him of being a puppet of Washington and said his aim was to destabilise Russia:
“I simply challenge you to a fight - in the ring, on the tatami, whatever, and I promise to make nice, juicy mincemeat of you in a few minutes,” the uniformed Zolotov said, raising his fist.
I've obviously not seen the video, but it is said to contain threats. He's also, contrary to accepted practice, decided to name Navalny:
Leonid Volkov, another Navalny ally, said he was concerned by threats in the video.

“Towards the end there are...very serious and open threats,” wrote Volkov. “It’s not just funny, it’s highly unpleasant.”

Zolotov addressed the opposition leader in the video as “Mr Navalny” several times in a departure from most senior Russian officials, including Putin, who have pointedly avoided referring to him by name.
Zolotov appears to be upset by some of the allegations made by Navalny:
“I want to tell you that the statements you’ve made about me are insulting, slanderous and false. And it is not a custom to forgive such things among officers,” said Zolotov, who has headed the National Guard since it was set up Putin in 2016.

Zolotov warned Navalny against making further allegations about him or his family.

“I promise you that before stepping over you and wiping my feet, I will put on a demonstrative show for all the members of the National Guard. And I can guarantee you will be ashamed to go outside after that,” he said.
Peskov appears to condone the video:
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the video did not constitute a physical threat to Navalny and he appeared to partially condone it.

“Sometimes, you can fight brazen slander by any means,” said Peskov.
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Born in Jan '54, so he's 64 and has been a BG most of his adult career.

Putin ally challenges Navalny to a duel
What Navalny said is:
Last month Mr Navalny released a report on the National Guard - claiming that its leadership bought sub-standard food for its soldiers, at inflated prices, as part of a corrupt scheme.

Putin Security Chief Vows To 'Make Mincemeat' Of Jailed Kremlin Foe Navalny
A bit of 'Radio Free Europe'
In its latest corruption probe, Navalny's Anticorruption Foundation last month alleged that at least $29 million in procurement contracts had been stolen from the National Guard.
 
Russia's Putin tells Japan's Abe: 'Let's sign peace deal this year'
A ‘low baller’ from Putin. I have an idea, just off the top of my head :) Abe didn’t reply to the proposal of a ‘no strings attached’ peace treaty:
“An idea has just come into my head,” Putin said, turning toward Abe, during a question and answer session at an economic forum in the Russian city of Vladivostok.

“Let’s conclude a peace treaty before the end of this year, without any pre-conditions.”

Abe, sitting alongside Putin, did not give his response.

All while ‘Vostok (East) 2018’ is starting. Subtlety appears not to be Vlad’s strength.

E2A: Japan says it wants dispute over islands resolved before Russia treaty
Japan's response is that the Kuril's are resolved before any peace treaty:
“I don’t want to comment on what President Putin said,” Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at a regular briefing in Tokyo.

“However, our position that the Northern Territories issue is resolved before any peace treaty remains unchanged.”
 
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Russia's Putin tells Japan's Abe: 'Let's sign peace deal this year'
A ‘low baller’ from Putin. I have an idea, just off the top of my head :) Abe didn’t reply to the proposal of a ‘no strings attached’ peace treaty:


All while ‘Vostok (East) 2018’ is starting. Subtlety appears not to be Vlad’s strength.

E2A: Japan says it wants dispute over islands resolved before Russia treaty
Japan's response is that the Kuril's are resolved before any peace treaty:

They'd have to follow the rules and ye anciente customes and practises of the gentlemanly art of duelling.

Russian Deputy Submits Bill to Regulate Duels
 
Russia's foreign ministry summons Swiss envoy over spying claim | Reuters
It's obviously Switzerland's fault for having an OPCW lab that went against Lavrov's statement and hosting WADA who found against Russian state sponsored doping that the two Russian's (not the same as the Salisbury pair) are alleged to be spying on both locations and for the Swiss to ask Russia to stop doing so:
Russia’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday it had summoned Yves Rossier, Switzerland’s ambassador to Moscow, for an explanation over Swiss accusations of alleged Russian spying.

Switzerland this week demanded that Russia cease spying activities on its territory after two suspected espionage cases came to light.
 
A male member of Russian protest group Pussy Riot has been hospitalized with a possible case of poisoning. Poisoning of Russian-Canadian Pussy Riot member 'highly plausible,' doctors say | CBC News
German doctors treating Pyotr Verzilov, a Russian-Canadian member of the protest group Pussy Riot, said Tuesday that claims he was poisoned are "highly plausible," but stressed they can't say how this might have occurred or who was responsible.

He was in Moscow, but was flown to Berlin where he is currently being treated.
Dr. Kai-Uwe Eckardt of Berlin's Charite hospital told reporters that Verzilov has been receiving intensive care since arriving in Berlin from Moscow on Saturday, but his condition isn't life threatening.

The medical director in Berlin said it is "highly plausible" that he was poisoned.
Verzilov's symptoms, together with information received from relatives and the Moscow hospital he was admitted to last week, "make it highly plausible that a poisoning took place," Eckardt said.

However, it is still far from clear if that is the case, or if it is a poison what sort it could be or the source of it.
While doctors in Berlin haven't yet determined what was responsible for the poisoning, they said it could have resulted from various substances, including high doses of some pharmaceuticals and plants that contain particular toxins.

Dr. Karl Max Einhaeupl, the Charite hospital's chairman, said doctors wanted to "refrain completely from all speculation about what made these problems happen."

Verzilov is expected to make a full recovery.
Eckardt, who heads the Charite's intensive-care department, said he expects Verzilov to make a full recovery and hopefully suffer no permanent damage.

Verzilov is an activist who is apparently most famous (in Russia I suppose, as I've never heard of him before) for disrupting the Wold Cup final by running onto the pitch in a game between France and Croatia.
Verzilov, who has Canadian citizenship, and other members of the Pussy Riot group served 15-day jail sentences for disrupting July's World Cup final to protest excessive Russian police powers.

The story notes that he is a Canadian citizen, but there is no indication in the story of whether he holds dual citizenship. If he does, it would explain why he hasn't simply been expelled from Russia.

As noted above, there is at present no confirmation from the Germans as to whether Verzilov was actually poisoned, or if he was, whether it was deliberate or the result of some dodgy food or a recreational drug overdose.

However, since the recent events in Salisbury every case such as this is being looked at under a microscope by the press. As Verzilov is a Canadian citizen, Prime Minister Trudeau was asked about it by the press at a regular press conference today, and while he noted that at this time nothing is known for certain as the cause, he made reference to the events in Salisbury as reason to pay close attention to it. There is a video of this in the news story link above, although there was nothing particularly notable said and is probably not worth watching.
 
And there's @Grey Fox and his like minded trolls calling everyon else fascists, and there they are in Russia running a Miss Hitler contest, or they nearly did:

What were they thinking?
They were and they are thinking about money. VKontakte have the much more liberal policy than their American competitor - Facebook. It means also largest collections of the "prized" films, music, other content. Good encription of users messages and so on.
 
They were and they are thinking about money. VKontakte have the much more liberal policy than their American competitor - Facebook. It means also largest collections of the "prized" films, music, other content. Good encription of users messages and so on.

VKontakte net worth - RUB 1.7 billion

Facebook net worth - $70 billion

Hmm. In other news, sneaky Russian spy planes have been shielding Israeli fighter planes. With limited success.
 
VKontakte net worth - RUB 1.7 billion

Facebook net worth - $70 billion
Yes, Facebook is more commercial product. Talking about numbers of users, distance is much less - 2 billion and 450 millions. In Russian speaking countries, users preffer Vkontakte 3:1 or even more. Plus there are other social networks as Odnoklasniki (330 million users), Moi Mir (25 million users) and other.
 
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Vkontakte, Odnoklasniki, Moi Mir

Hands up anyone who knows what Vkontakte, Odnoklasniki or Moi Mir is?

In other news, Putin says the whole Salisbury incident was a smear campaign. Turns out his badly dressed lugs smeared novichok on a doorknob. One girl is dead and three others only survived because we pay tax to support the NHS. Rather than nicking it via a dodgy bank in Estonia. Spasiba.
 
Not a source I'm familiar with, and given a Lithuanian media outlet interviewing a Ukranian 'think tank', quite possibly an agenda here however, an interesting hypothesis in any case.

'The Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) has published the analytical work referring to the feasible Crimean scenario in Belarus-Russia relations, i.e. another hybrid threat to a sovereign state. Why do they talk about it so openly? Are they no longer afraid of anything?'

Green men vs. Belarusian partisans: Crimean scenario imminent?
 

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