Year: 2008

We decided to get signed and registered on to the Russian Presidents web site. So we get to have a heads up on what he is up to. We received this video and decided to embedded this video that he made on his way back to Russia.

We found it interesting that he uses an Apple Laptop computer. Nice jet he travels on also. 🙂

He gives a good explanation of what he thinks is important in his trip and what will be accomplished from his trip.

Just thought it would be interesting and there are sub-titles in English.

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Starting from August 8th, 2008 to October 8th, 2008! You will be surprised what you will learn about Medvedev thoughts on this war….

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

RBC, 28.11.2008, Moscow 17:59:31.Viktor Vekselberg, TNK-BP executive director and one of its co-owners, believes that, at current oil prices, the oil export duty of $192.1 per tonne will make it impossible for companies to implement large investment projects, as he told journalists today. Oil companies will be able “to survive, but not develop,” Vekselberg said.

RBC, 28.11.2008, Moscow 17:05:10.More than two thirds of Russians (60 percent) do not have minor children and do not plan to have children in the near future, a poll conducted by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center revealed. Meanwhile, a mere 5 percent said that they wanted to have a child within a year or two. Every third Russian (34 percent) has at least one minor child, including 22 percent with one minor child, 10 percent with two children, and 2 percent with more than two minor children.

RBC, 28.11.2008, Moscow 16:28:44.LUKoil has attracted two loans to buy a 49-percent stake in the Italian oil refinery ISAB, the Russian oil company said in a press release today. Specifically, LUKoil Finance Ltd, the Russian giant’s subsidiary, secured a EUR 400m loan at an annual interest rate of 5.9 percent for six months, with an option to extend the loan period by another six months. ABN AMRO, Barclays Capital, and ING Bank arranged the loan. Furthermore, LUKoil Finance raised a three-year loan worth USD 280m at an interest rate of 5.4 percent. The loan was organized by ABN AMRO, Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi, Barclays Capital, BNP Paribas, Citibank, and others. LUKoil is to make the first payment worth EUR 600m for the refinery by December 1.

RBC, 28.11.2008, Moscow 15:59:13.Steady economic growth is impossible without a reliable banking sector in Russia, Presidential Aide Arkady Dvorkovich said during a meeting of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP). He added that conditions must be created for banks to extend loans comfortably.

RBC, 28.11.2008, Yerevan 15:30:15.Russia’s partners within the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) have supported Moscow’s initiative to create a new security system in Europe, the Armenian news agency ARMINFO cited CSTO Secretary General Nikolai Bordyuzha as telling a press conference in Yerevan today following a meeting of CSTO defense ministers. He added that an informal meeting of CSTO foreign ministers to be held in Helsinki in mid-December would be dedicated, among other things, to specific concerted steps in implementing Russia’s initiative.

RBC, 28.11.2008, Moscow 13:07:10.The Bank of Russia will raise its overnight interest rate to 13 percent from December 1, the bank’s external and public relations department said in a statement today.

RBC, 28.11.2008, Moscow 09:56:48.Yesterday, the dollar rate grew RUB 0.05 against the ruble, closing at 27.41 RUB/USD. The trading session was fairly calm on MICEX yesterday against the background of consolidating FOREX currency pairs. The U.S. trading floors were closed yesterday on account of Thanksgiving Day, and the macroeconomic statistics issued in the euro zone could be interpreted differently and did not have a marked impact on the European currency. Today, therefore, markets are likely to remain calm.

Looks like the Kremlin has cranked the pressure up on Mikheil Saakashvili. I would say his days are numbered….

To start with as the last few weeks have unfolded, the word coming from NATO is that it is thumbs down on Saakashvili. This news report confirms that information….

MOSCOW, November 27 (RIA Novosti) – The United States is planning to replace Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili with former parliamentary speaker Nino Burdzhanadze, Russia’s NATO envoy said on Friday. “Georgia’s friends at NATO are deeply disappointed with Saakashvili,” Dmitry Rogozin said in an interview with Russia’s Vesti news channel, “Another leader for Georgia is being prepared. Most likely it will be Nino Burdzhanadze.” (Link)

Last week I wrote an article about Saakashvili and his replacment (Nino Burdzhanadze)……

The rumor of blessings from the West is former parliamentary Speaker Nino Burjanadze visited Europe and the U.S. and that the West sent her a clear message: “Georgia is located in the zone of the West’s energy interest, and it cannot allow the country to be governed by a leader who may jeopardize the region’s security.” (Link)

So today the news is hot on Saakashvili and the prospect of his escaping the country……

TBILISI, November 28 (RIA Novosti) – A senior Georgian opposition party figure said on Friday that President Mikheil Saakashvili and his immediate circle were preparing to flee the country, and had already started transferring money into foreign banks. “Saakashvili and his government have already packed their suitcases in the hope that they will be able to live abroad calmly and without any worries on the property they stole here,” Georgy Gugava, one of the Labor Party’s leaders, told journalists. (Link)

Get ready because who knows what is really going to happen. I do know that Poland is in a uproar over Saakashvili and his theatrics in Georgia. The Polish Secrete Service has already slammed the incident in Georgia as staged. (Link)

Crying Wolf has happened to many times by Saakashvili and now he is meeting the real wolf….

comments always welcome.

Hello,

While drinking my morning cup of coffee I was thinking about the news that I read last night before going to bed. Sometimes things come across the airwaves that make you stop and say Huh!

I had found a news article that at first I thought was a joke. But then I realized that Russia news has been hinting at this outcome for about a week.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice conceded to European demands Wednesday by indicating she would not press for granting NATO membership to Georgia and Ukraine at the alliance’s ministerial meeting in Brussels next week.

“Georgia and Ukraine are not ready for membership. That is very clear,” Rice told a press conference.

“There does not need at this point in time to be any discussion” of the alliance membership action plan (MAP), she added.

The top US diplomat insisted the move did not signal a policy shift. “It really is just a question of how we would execute the Bucharest decision. It is not a change in policy,” she said.

But this declaration represented a concession to European demands, as Washington had previously pushed for the two Eastern European nations to join the MAP, which provides de-facto membership to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Amid opposition from Russia, Germany and France, the United States has cooled its support for a formal path to help Georgia and Ukraine join NATO. (Link)

Condoleezza has been hot and furious on the phone looking to seal of the deal with NATO over Georgia and Ukraine. Condoleezza has worked over time trying to sneak then in with out a MAP (membership action plan) but old NATO is smart and has held their ground.

Medvedev is happy right now,

I bet Condi is grouchy right now!

Things that make you go Hummmm……

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Icon and Stalin

Hello,

One of our readers named MattMacL brought my attention to an interesting subject in Russia that is happening at a time when anti Stalin sentiments are running rather high in the old Soviet areas.

An interview of Father Yevstafiy can be found at the Georgia Daily by Paul Goble of Window on Eurasia. (Link)

His superiors in the Russian Orthodox Church denounced this action as “inappropriate.” And story after story on Russian television (www.islamnews.ru/video-view-184.html), the print media (www.newizv.ru/news/2008-11-26/102216/) and the Russian blogosphere (www.mk.ru/blogs/MK/2008/11/27/society/383332/) played up the debate.

In comments to “Novyye izvestiya,” Father Yevstafiy stood his ground. “The feeling that Stalin is the father of the peoples, that he is thus in part my high father has never left me in the course of my life. I thus have two fathers, besides the Heavenly Father: one is my father in the flesh and the other is the father of the peoples who was strict” and may “have made mistakes.”

Any attacks on him are wrong and inappropriate the dissident priest continued, and he said that he “remembers Iosif Vissarionovich in all services where this is appropriate, especially on those days when he died, was born and when he celebrated the common Victory of our people.” And he insisted that Stalin was “a believer.”

But at the same time, Yevstafiy was careful to specify that “this is not an icon glorifying Stalin. This is an image of. Matrona of Moscow. And Iosif Vissarionovich is one of those people whom she blessed. She blessed many people,” the priest said, including “a well-known architect and a well- known composer of those times. And Stalin too.”

Now we are not really here to debate the good and or bad about Stalin. I am finding out that this is getting to be a heated argument around this part of the world.

I have no right to say much myself because American history painted a whitewashed picture of the Soviet Union during the WWII times, America needed the help of the Soviet Union and slam dunking Stalin was not the way to get help. The history books held a mild opinion of him for many years. Even with a minor in History the class that I took in collage on WWII hardly touched the subject of Stalin.

My wife has said nothing about her feelings of the Stalin era nor about her Mothers feelings of that era.

So if anyone has more information then please present it!

Kyle & Svet

RBC, 27.11.2008, Moscow.Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev has arrived in Venezuela on a first visit in more than 150 years of relations. Opening the Russian-Venezuelan talks, Medvedev announced that he considered Latin American countries to be Russia’s friends enjoying “privileged relations.”

RBC, 27.11.2008, Moscow.Russian shares were rising steadily at the opening today. Around 10:45 a.m. on MICEX, Gazprom and Rosneft climbed 4.5 percent each, and LUKoil gained 3.8 percent. The MICEX index was up 3 percent at 607 points. On the RTS, LUKoil increased 1.6 percent. Federal Grid Company was among the best performers on both trading floors, having soared 12 percent on MICEX and 21 percent on the RTS.

RBC, 27.11.2008, Moscow.Russia and Venezuela have agreed to use national currencies – rubles and bolivares – in bilateral trade and even discussed the possibility of creating reserves in national currencies, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev was cited by the Mayak radio station as saying after talks with his Venezuelan counterpart in the country’s capital Caracas today. The Russian leader also noted that Russian-Venezuelan cooperation was not directed against other countries. He also pointed out that Russia might join the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA), the international organization aiming for integration between the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. Russia is ready to discuss membership in the ALBA, probably as an associate member or in some other status, if it is good for Latin American countries and consistent with the idea of a multipolar world.

RBC, 27.11.2008, Moscow.Most Russians (72 percent) approve of President Dmitry Medvedev’s initiative to increase the controlling powers of the State Duma, obliging the government to report to it on an annual basis, a poll conducted by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center showed. Roughly two thirds of Russians (68 percent) welcome the president’s suggestion on legislation ensuring media coverage of the State Duma parties’ work. Similarly, 62 percent of Russians approve of the initiative entitling local legislatures to remove mayors from office. However, a mere 30 percent of Russians approve of the move reducing the number of signatures required by parties to take part in State Duma elections.

RBC, 27.11.2008, Moscow.At the close of today’s special dollar trading session for tomorrow deals, the U.S. currency’s exchange rate rose RUB 0.05 to 27.41 RUB/USD. Thanksgiving Day celebrated in the United States today calmed down speculative moods on the Russian market, where commercial bank activity was low today. The trade volume stood at USD 3bn as of 1 p.m. The stabilization of oil prices at USD 50 per barrel and the 6-percent rise on the stock market eased negative expectations of the ruble’s fall, experts point out.

RBC, 27.11.2008, Moscow.The Bank of Russia has deposited roughly RUB 1.2 trillion (approx. USD 43.9bn) with commercial banks, Deputy PM and Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin told a briefing following today’s cabinet meeting. He noted that the Central Bank had increased the maximum amount of uncommitted funds it could deposit to RUB 3.5 trillion (approx. USD 127.9bn). The minister also reiterated that the maximum amount that the Finance Ministry could place had been reduced from RUB 1.5 trillion (approx. USD 54.8bn) to RUB 400bn (approx. USD 14.6bn), “as the Central Bank has taken on the main part of the burden.”

Looks like Russia has been busy this week. To start with:

PM Putin to get tough on monopolies

During the car theft and American bashing, Toyota is crossing their fingers and hoping that Russia still buys cars at the furious pace that they are buying them at:

Toyota counts on Russia as sales wilt

Now while Toyota and other car manufacturers are dreaming of a profit we do not have to dream if we have enough missiles in the world, Russia has made sure they have up to date ballistic missiles so that they can launch up to date nuclear weapons:

New missile can beat any defence system

Speaking of Military: Looks like Ukraine and Georgia are have NATO issues…

’Ukraine and Georgia will wait a long time to join NATO’

Russia seems to keep the fires stirring and they always seem to have fun doing it…

Kyle & Svet

PS: Medvedev is running all around Latin America making good friends and selling Gazprom. He also has made a visa free deal with Brazil! (Pretty cool huh)

PSS: Happy Thanksgiving world from Windows to Russia!

comments always welcome.

Poland has dismissed last week’s shooting incident involving the motorcade of the Georgian and Polish presidents as a stunt. Special services in Warsaw say the alleged attack near the South Ossetian border was a provocation staged by Georgians.

A report by Poland’s Internal Security Agency (Agencja Bezpieczenstwa Wewnetrznego – ABW), published by the Dziennik newspaper, claims Georgia staged the incident for propaganda purposes.

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Professor Igor Panarin

Hello,

I have spent a few days studying a news article that was printed by the Drudge Report. The Drudge Report has headlined a study by a Russian analyst who predicts the collapse and ultimate breakup of the United States. Time seems to be telling, and the warning should not be ignored: (Link)

RUSSIAN ANALYST PREDICTS DECLINE AND BREAKUP OF USA
Tue Nov 25 2008 09:04:22 ET

A leading Russian political analyst has said the economic turmoil in the United States has confirmed his long-held view that the country is heading for collapse, and will divide into separate parts.

Professor Igor Panarin said in an interview with the respected daily IZVESTIA published on Monday: “The dollar is not secured by anything. The country’s foreign debt has grown like an avalanche, even though in the early 1980s there was no debt. By 1998, when I first made my prediction, it had exceeded $2 trillion. Now it is more than 11 trillion. This is a pyramid that can only collapse.”

The paper said Panarin’s dire predictions for the U.S. economy, initially made at an international conference in Australia 10 years ago at a time when the economy appeared strong, have been given more credence by this year’s events.

When asked when the U.S. economy would collapse, Panarin said: “It is already collapsing. Due to the financial crisis, three of the largest and oldest five banks on Wall Street have already ceased to exist, and two are barely surviving. Their losses are the biggest in history. Now what we will see is a change in the regulatory system on a global financial scale: America will no longer be the world’s financial regulator.”

When asked who would replace the U.S. in regulating world markets, he said: “Two countries could assume this role: China, with its vast reserves, and Russia, which could play the role of a regulator in Eurasia.”

Asked why he expected the U.S. to break up into separate parts, he said: “A whole range of reasons. Firstly, the financial problems in the U.S. will get worse. Millions of citizens there have lost their savings. Prices and unemployment are on the rise. General Motors and Ford are on the verge of collapse, and this means that whole cities will be left without work. Governors are already insistently demanding money from the federal center. Dissatisfaction is growing, and at the moment it is only being held back by the elections and the hope that Obama can work miracles. But by spring, it will be clear that there are no miracles.”

He also cited the “vulnerable political setup”, “lack of unified national laws”, and “divisions among the elite, which have become clear in these crisis conditions.”

He predicted that the U.S. will break up into six parts – the Pacific coast, with its growing Chinese population; the South, with its Hispanics; Texas, where independence movements are on the rise; the Atlantic coast, with its distinct and separate mentality; five of the poorer central states with their large Native American populations; and the northern states, where the influence from Canada is strong.

He even suggested that “we could claim Alaska – it was only granted on lease, after all.” Panarin, 60, is a professor at the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and has authored several books on information warfare.

Developing…

The Drudge Report is a conservative United States-based news aggregation website run by Matt Drudge. The site consists mainly of links to stories from the U.S. and international mainstream media about politics, entertainment, and current events as well as links to many columnists. Occasionally, Drudge authors news stories himself based on tip-offs.

Igor N. Panarin (Russia)

Doctor of political sciences, professor of the Diplomatic Academy Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Russia.
Prof. PANARIN is the author of nine books, «Infowar and power”, “Infowar and world”, “Infowar and election”, and others, and of many political essays published in various journals.

Prof. PANARIN often take part in different political discussions on the Russian TV on the main problems of Russian policy, development of relationships between USA and Russia and many others.
His main interests are history, philosophy, psychology, computer science, communication, election technology, conceptual problems of globalization, the theory and practice of infowar.

I have followed this column for years, just more thoughts to make you go Hummmm…

Kyle & Svet