Hrm. Maybe those white elephant Polish airports ARE for eventual military use.

I don’t know how snarky Glenn Reynolds was being about this report

The European Union has given Poland more than 100 million euros ($125 million) to build at least three “ghost” airports in places where there are not enough passengers to keep them in business.

The result is gleaming new airport terminals which, even at the peak of the holiday season, echo to the sound of empty concourses and spend millions trying to attract airlines.

…when he suggested that they’d make good impromptu airstrips in case of a military invasion by the Soviets.  Err, sorry: ‘Russians.’  Old Cold Warrior reflex.  Anyway, and not to be all Cold War spy-nostalgic or anything, but if you look at a map to see where the airports (Reuters reports them as being  Lodz, Rzeszow and Lublin) that were renovated are: Continue reading Hrm. Maybe those white elephant Polish airports ARE for eventual military use.

I think that the Russians are having translation problems. Or somebody is.

This gets written: “Russia Wants Bulgarians to Stop Vandalizing Soviet Monuments.” Vandalizing?

bulgaria

Do they mean the graffiti? – Because the rest of it is just, well, neat.

Moe Lane

PS: I’m pretty sure that this is an old story, by the way.  But, hey, Superman, Captain America, and Santa in the ultimate crossover.

Of COURSE Ed Snowden’s heist was an espionage operation.

This should surprise nobody:

Edward Snowden‘s massive misappropriations of classified documents from the inner sanctum of U.S. intelligence is mainly presented by the media as a whistleblowing story. In this narrative—designed by Mr. Snowden himself—he is portrayed as a disgruntled contractor for the National Security Agency, acting alone, who heroically exposed the evils of government surveillance beginning in 2013.

The other way of looking at it—based on the number and nature of documents Mr. Snowden took, and the dates when they were taken—is that only a handful of the secrets had anything to do with domestic surveillance by the government and most were of primary value to an espionage operation.

Continue reading Of COURSE Ed Snowden’s heist was an espionage operation.

Russia on track to require Russian bloggers to register real names.

Come now, Comrade: nobody wishes to restrict your speech.

Russia’s upper house of parliament approved a law on Tuesday that will impose stricter rules on bloggers and is seen by critics as an attempt by President Vladimir Putin to stifle dissent on the Internet.

The Federation Council overwhelmingly approved the tighter controls on Russian blogs and websites that attract more than 3,000 daily visits, under legislation the government says is needed to formalize the definition of blogging in Russian law.

We merely wish to know your name, your address, your family history, your place of employment, your credit history, your background, your associations, your friends, your family, where we can reach your family in an emergency, your day-to-day details.  Purely for informational purposes! And basic fairness, of course.  The hard-working fellows in Russian mass media follow certain rules: why can’t you?

Comrade.

Via Ace of Spades HQ.

Moe Lane (crosspost)

PS: Note, Comrades, that this law does not cover those who merely comment on ‘blogs’ in Mother Russia.  Merely on those who run them.  This was intentional: the State has determined that there is no harm in speaking one’s mind in the street.  Why, if the Federal Security Service brought back the bad old days of informants everywhere, there would be rioting in those streets – and who wishes that, Comrades?

I imagine Russia is much like Dr. Doom’s Latveria, at times.

That is not meant as a compliment, but some people might take it as one anyway.

To answer Allahpundit’s question somewhat:

Exit question for Russia experts: Would a population whose adults grew up in the Soviet Union really be that sensitive to revelations that they’re being spied on en masse by Moscow? Don’t they assume they’re being spied on already and that Putin’s lying to them, just as their leaders always have?

Continue reading I imagine Russia is much like Dr. Doom’s Latveria, at times.

Good [expletive deleted]ing luck with that, Vladimir. #finland

I will not say, “I would like to see him try.”  I have no desire to see either Finns or Russians die over a mad dream. For that matter, I am not convinced that the story is[n’t] [Sorry, guys, should have made that clearer – ML] nonsense: if we’re talking about countries that Vladimir Putin would want to reconquer for the Russian empire, Poland would be at the top of that list (and was not even mentioned in the article).  But if this were to happen, it would not go well for Russia:

One of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest ex-advisers has claimed that the ex-KGB agent ultimately wants to reclaim Finland for Russia.

Andrej Illiaronov, Putin’s economic adviser between 2000 and 2005 and now senior member of the Cato Institute think tank, said that “parts of Georgia, Ukraine, Belarus, the Baltic States and Finland are states where Putin claims to have ownership.”

Continue reading Good [expletive deleted]ing luck with that, Vladimir. #finland

The Russians want to take over Crimea? …*Inconceivable*!

Ace is quite correct (Original NJ article here):

I have no idea what [the National Journal’s Ron] Fournier is talking about here, as far as [Russia] invading Crimean making “no sense.” It is a standard goal of nations to hold militarily-advantageous ground, and a warm weather port is a classic example of such.

I certainly don’t wish to say Putin was justified to invade a country in order to play his Empire Games. But anyone who says that standard imperial behavior “makes no sense” ought to read a history book.

Or look at a map. Continue reading The Russians want to take over Crimea? …*Inconceivable*!

Tweet of the Day, I Don’t Often Agree With @Bennyjohnson… edition

…but I agree with him on this:

They kill journalists and whistle-blowers over there. Hell, Russia used to have slave labor camps. Ever notice how nobody ever seemed to prosecute, Nuremberg-style, all those people who ran ’em? Amazing how the post-Soviets always seem to get a pass on this stuff.

Moe Lane

Crimeans to have Russian annexation referendum March 16th.

What do you call it when a vote is rigged even when it maybe didn’t even have to be?

Lawmakers in the embattled Crimean region of Ukraine decided Thursday to hold a referendum March 16 on whether Crimea should become part of Russia, a move likely to further ratchet up tensions.

“This is our response to the disorder and lawlessness in Kiev,” Sergei Shuvainikov, a member of the local Crimean legislature, said. “We will decide our future ourselves.”

The parliament in Crimea, which enjoys a degree of autonomy under current Ukrainian law, voted 78 with eight abstentions in favor of holding the referendum. Local voters will also be given the choice of deciding to remain part of Ukraine, but with enhanced local powers.

Continue reading Crimeans to have Russian annexation referendum March 16th.

The New Republic is apparently as mature as my seven year old.

Sure, TNR gets points for finally admitting reality.

Here are Romney’s remarks, in their full context, which came during a conversation with Wolf Blitzer:

[snip of Romney accurately describing the nature of the current Russian regime and its essential and unique adversarial nature towards us]

This all seems…exactly right.

…but that’s not enough.  I mean, I know that it’s hard to admit that you were wrong about something, and that you’re sorry: as I said, I have a seven year old that needs to be prompted about that from time to time.  But he’s seven.  What’s TNR’s excuse?

Moe Lane