Epstein Secrets

ll sample of similar claims or conjec- tures that have made their way into Russian news cov- erage, especially in the wake of Moscow's occupation of Crimea and invasion of eastem Ukraine. They stand as a reminder that under Vladimir Putin, the Russian media environment has been transformed from one ma

lution as the latest form of American interventionism, and began a process of restricting Russian NGOs that was to reach a climax a decade later. Yanukovych eventually won the presidency in a 2010 comeback. but a second protest-driven revolution www.freedomhouse.org 23 EFTA00804747 BREAKING DOWN DEM

religious harmony, boast of government policies to ensure fair treatment for Russia's large Muslim population, and denounce those who brought down Yanukovych's government in Ukraine as fascists and pogromists. Yet when it comes to potential allies in Europe, it makes no difference to the Kremlin whether

ho dares disagree. Their demands range from a referendum on the independent status for the region to an outright annexation by Russia, based on the Crimea model. The rabble-rousers' identities are apparently mixed - for example, many of them are local veteransof the Soviet war in Afghanistan while oth

s, who wanted their country to be oriented toward the European Union. Putin finally brought Yanukovych around, but this sparked the Maidan revolt, Yanukovych's rapid exit, and Putin's need to shift strategies. For both Khrushchev and Putin, a competition in risk-taking offered a beguiling EFTA00662757

ext of helping a "fraternal" ally in Kabul; to Parkhomenko, Putin's decision to couch his military action as the "protection" of Russians living in Crimea is an equally transparent pretext. The same goes for the decorous way in which Putin, on Saturday, "requested" the Russian legislature's authorizat

e English-language Kyiv Post published a classic in the genre when it reported how journalists arriving at the "inner sanctum" of the mansion where Yanukovych had lived in splendor discovered that he had been cohabiting not with his wife of four decades but, rather, with—and try not to faint—a younger wom

s true legacy. On Friday, Ukraine's ambassador to the United Nations, Yuriy Sergeyev, said that Russian troops had taken control of two airports in Crimea and that the Russian Navy was blocking the Ukrainian Coast Guard. Moscow denied that it had sent troops in. But the fact is, Russia was outrageous

o the verge of military confrontation. The pro-Russia region of Crimea is seething, and the new central government that took over in Kiev after Mr. Yanukovych fled is barely functioning. President Obama, speaking at the White House, was right to warn Russia against any military move and to indicate that

government is seen as without legitimacy by Moscow the door is open for playing the card of Russian majorities in the east of the country and/or in Crimea. It could be done in several ways. Rumours about suppression of Russians could be spread—there have already been such rumours on the internet, but

ers in the the East to spearhead such a move. The opening moves of this scenario may already be playing out, given the rising tension in Crimea and Yanukovych's flight. It is anybody's guess what the endgame might look like. Having watched and analysed the U.S. stance vis-à-vis Iran's alleged nuclear-weap