Tag: Edward Snowden

The Russian Surveillance State: A Conversation With Andrei Soldatov – Interpreter Podcast

November 18, 2015

Long before Edward Snowden worked for the NSA — before PRISM and Wikileaks — there was SORM, the Russian system of intercepting and monitoring communications. In the hands of a dictator, SORM has become a powerful weapon for the Kremlin to target his opponents both at home and abroad. Bloomberg has even questions whether Russia’s […]

The Snowden Story Slowly Unravels

June 15, 2015

I am grateful to the German newspaper BILD for running this piece as “Wie Snowdens schöne Geschichte langsam zerfällt” For the benefit of readers who don’t know German, I’m providing the English version — enjoy! Exactly two years after Edward Snowden went public with his exposure of Western intelligence secrets, causing a global sensation, the […]

Countering Russian Lies is Easy; Countering Russian Propaganda Much Harder, Kirillova Says

February 23, 2015

Staunton, February 23 — Russian lies have been a constant feature of the Moscow media scene since the start of Vladimir Putin’s annexation of Crimea and intervention in other parts of Ukraine. Most of them have been so extreme that they call attention to themselves and are easy to show are false. But as Moscow’s […]

Russia’s Emerging Holy War

January 26, 2015

At the beginning of this week, President Barack Obama explained that Russia, hit hard by Western sanctions, is losing in its confrontation with the West and NATO caused by Vladimir Putin’s aggression in Ukraine. In his State of the Union address, Obama displayed similar swag and bluster against both the Kremlin and Congressional Republicans, seemingly […]

After Paris, the Kremlin’s New Message

January 9, 2015

On January 8, before the terrorists believed responsible were even caught, the mainstream Russian media ran an interview in which a noted political commentator explicitly blamed U.S. intelligence for the murderous attack on Charlie Hebdo‘s Paris office on January 7. The extended interview with Alexey Martynov was carried on LifeNews.ru, which is not state-run but which follows the […]

Interview with Snowden’s Lawyer: ‘Of Course He’s Homesick’

December 23, 2014

Rossiyskaya Gazeta (RG.ru), the Russian state newspaper of record, has published an interview with Anatoly Kucherena, the lawyer of Edward Snowden, titled Snowden Awaits his Fiancé: Anatoly Kucherena Describes How the Most Mysterious American Lives and Works. The interview was conducted by Boris Yamshanov, a journalist who has authored a number of articles on legal […]

The French Far Right Secure a €9m Loan From a Russian Bank Close to Putin

November 27, 2014

Update: As of writing this article the report was that National Front would receive a €9m loan from a Kremlin-linked bank. In a newer report, EU Observer is now reporting that the total amount of the loan may be €40. — Editors Writing for Mediapart, Marine Turchi reveals that the far right French Front National […]

Russia This Week: Gorbachev Confirms There Was No NATO ‘Non-Expansion’ Pledge (October 13-19)

October 18, 2014

Updated Daily. This week’s issue: – Soldiers’ Mothers Activist Arrested, Had Pressed Cases of Russian Soldiers in Killed in Ukraine – Gorbachev Confirms There Was No NATO ‘Non-Expansion’ Pledge – Poland Arrests Russian Lt. Colonel and Lawyer on Suspicion of ‘Espionage’ – Two American Journalism Professors Detained in St. Petersburg at Workshop – Harassment Continues […]

Russia This Week: Low Turnout in Moscow Municipal Election, Opposition Loses to Ruling Party (September 8-14)

September 14, 2014

Updated Daily. This week’s issue: – TV Rain’s Chief Producer Assaulted in Moscow – In Moscow City Legislature Race, United Russia Leads with Close Vote Between Independent and Nationalist – Low Turnout in Moscow Municipal Elections, Difficulties for Opposition Candidates – Gay Tango Instructor Found Murdered in St. Petersburg – Leading Russian Human Rights Group […]