The Russians masters of disinformation. It's a classic technique of theirs to push outrageous lies through various channels and have naive Western journalists and other observers who strive for objectivity to consider them at least partially true.
With the Kremlin, the best working hypothesis is always to assume every denial (of something very inconvenient to them) is a confirmation and that every accusation is a confession. The connection between what the Russian and the truth is tenuous at best.
The destruction of the Black Sea fleet headquarters where there staff of the Black Sea fleet was said to be working at the time according to Ukraine led to very bizarre theatrics on the part of the Russians. The commander was shown at a high level meeting via video link where his image was almost still and quite blurry and where he didn't say anything. There was also a strange white cloth that looked like a sheet under his head as if he had been lying on a bed. When people questioned that, the Russians released a recording of him delivering prizes in a ceremony to soldiers in the Black Sea fleet. What was not mentioned was that this prize giving ceremony was held PRIOR to the bombing of the headquarters. Then then Russians started to discredit the commander with the apparent purpose to remove him without fanfares, which would be convenient if he indeed were dead.
That is the sort of contortions you can expect the Russians to resort to to cover up their failings or their crimes. Russia is among the most corrupt countries in the world. It's been that way always. But post-Cold War Russia is probably worse as Stalin's purges and the program to imprison political opponents or even random people by the millions caused the criminal subculture to spill over to mainstream society. When the Soviet Union fell, all government property was transferred through dubious methods into the hands of the oligarch class and from them to the securocratic elite via shakedowns, protection rackets and so on.
Criminality, lying, lack of transparency and coverups are part and parcel of Russian society. I know there are many in crypto who paint Western societies with the same brush. The reality is that every Western pathology afflicts Russia in ways that are MUCH WORSE.
Thus all official Russian or pro-Russian sources should be considered full of shit until proven accurate. The standard of proof should be very high when their claims are considered.
Thus all official Russian or pro-Russian sources should be considered full of shit until proven accurate. The standard of proof should be very high when their claims are considered.
The problem is that this can be said for every news media outlet and every state. Everyone has an agenda these days and we can assume that almost everything we hear or see is not the "truth". Recent technology has only made this worse.
My point was that you can reasonably expect this to be MUCH WORSE on the Russian side. The assumption you are making here is exactly what the Russians would want you to make.
Information warfare is the only arena where Russia is actually stronger than the West. They've perfected it and its victims are numerous.
I recommend Geir Giles' book Russia's War on Everybody: And What it Means for You.
The Russians masters of disinformation. It's a classic technique of theirs to push outrageous lies through various channels and have naive Western journalists and other observers who strive for objectivity to consider them at least partially true.
With the Kremlin, the best working hypothesis is always to assume every denial (of something very inconvenient to them) is a confirmation and that every accusation is a confession. The connection between what the Russian and the truth is tenuous at best.
The destruction of the Black Sea fleet headquarters where there staff of the Black Sea fleet was said to be working at the time according to Ukraine led to very bizarre theatrics on the part of the Russians. The commander was shown at a high level meeting via video link where his image was almost still and quite blurry and where he didn't say anything. There was also a strange white cloth that looked like a sheet under his head as if he had been lying on a bed. When people questioned that, the Russians released a recording of him delivering prizes in a ceremony to soldiers in the Black Sea fleet. What was not mentioned was that this prize giving ceremony was held PRIOR to the bombing of the headquarters. Then then Russians started to discredit the commander with the apparent purpose to remove him without fanfares, which would be convenient if he indeed were dead.
That is the sort of contortions you can expect the Russians to resort to to cover up their failings or their crimes. Russia is among the most corrupt countries in the world. It's been that way always. But post-Cold War Russia is probably worse as Stalin's purges and the program to imprison political opponents or even random people by the millions caused the criminal subculture to spill over to mainstream society. When the Soviet Union fell, all government property was transferred through dubious methods into the hands of the oligarch class and from them to the securocratic elite via shakedowns, protection rackets and so on.
Criminality, lying, lack of transparency and coverups are part and parcel of Russian society. I know there are many in crypto who paint Western societies with the same brush. The reality is that every Western pathology afflicts Russia in ways that are MUCH WORSE.
Thus all official Russian or pro-Russian sources should be considered full of shit until proven accurate. The standard of proof should be very high when their claims are considered.
The problem is that this can be said for every news media outlet and every state. Everyone has an agenda these days and we can assume that almost everything we hear or see is not the "truth". Recent technology has only made this worse.
My point was that you can reasonably expect this to be MUCH WORSE on the Russian side. The assumption you are making here is exactly what the Russians would want you to make.
Information warfare is the only arena where Russia is actually stronger than the West. They've perfected it and its victims are numerous.
I recommend Geir Giles' book Russia's War on Everybody: And What it Means for You.
https://www.amazon.com/Russias-War-Everybody-What-Means/dp/1350255084
looks like an interesting read, thanks