Good morning,
Putin’s Russia
Vladimir Putin has found success in disruption. Russia once a super power was fading from the International stage until it started its malign activities in Syria, or its hacking of computer systems in America and election meddling.
Disrupt and deny became the Kremlins new tool in playing a counter weight to America around the world including inside the U.S. where disinformation campaigns damaged the U.S. democracy and what price was there to pay?
Is President Biden going to tell Putin today in their meeting in Geneva, that there will be a price going forward? He has seemed to suggest so, but he has also said he wants a “more predictable” relationship. It’s difficult to tell is there is bravado in Biden’s position or substance. But cyberwars are looming.
I will write more when we see the closing news conference, but it feels like the summit will bring little change. And that’s what we discussed on my interview with WTOP Radio Washington last night.
On my Back Story with Dana Lewis, I interview former Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov, who this week learned his political party Parnas, has also been “frozen” before parliamentary elections. Kasyanov an economic expert, has always favoured holding sanctions in place on Russia to weaken Putin.
He says those sanctions are working, and Russians have become so discontent many are trying to leave Russia and see no future under Putin. The Kremlin is pumping oil and building its treasury reserves, but many Russians are living below the poverty line.
Kasyanov says people want to escape Putin’s “repressive machine”.
We also discuss the fat that Putin’s inner circle has now changed in the wake of protests over the jailing of Alexei Navalny. The so called ‘Siloviki’ meaning people of force have taken a stronger hand. The Soloviki are the security forces like the KGB/FSB and it’s a disturbing trend in Russia.
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1016881/8699069
Other News
-Israel launched airstrike into Gaza overnight to counter incendiary balloons. The violence because Israel allowed a right wing march by Jewish extremists through East Jerusalem Tuesday
-A climate change committee in the UK is warning of heat waves and blackouts and calling on the Government to begin countermeasure planning. They said climate change was here now. In 2020’s heatwave, 2,500 people died in the UK.
-A global cyberwar has begun. And it will probably never end. That is the brutal truth that governments, militaries, intelligence services, companies and individuals are facing up to — everywhere. And it is at the core of the conflict between the United States and Russia.
-the U.S. will soon hit 600,000 deaths from Covid, the worst death toll in the world from the pandemic
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Have a good day everyone.
Dana
https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/hamas-launched-three-rockets-into-the-sea-n12-report-671070
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jun/16/uk-failing-to-protect-against-climate-dangers-advisers-warn
https://www.dw.com/en/biden-putin-summit-experts-warn-of-cyber-nuclear-nightmare/a-57906147
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/15/us/virus-deaths.html