LONDONGRAD
So much for sanctions! The oligarchs' British mansions and gardens have never looked more pristine
'The North London mansion's lawns have been carefully mown into stripes, its flowerbeds are blooming and the topiary garden is trimmed to perfection. Travel bans were duly imposed and assets frozen - including £2 billion-worth of the capital's most sought-after real estate. Londongrad, as the capital had been nicknamed, was to be no more. But 12 months on and questions are being asked as to how effective the clampdown has really been.'
posted by Anon @ 23:12
1 Comments
1 Comments:
The West indulges the Russian oligarchs ... who in return are impeding the Russian war effort
Putin does a balancing act, between very powerful oligarchs, often instinctively pro-Western, and the nationalist sentiment amongst many Russian people and in the core of the military
There is great worry in Russia of a right-wing nationalist coup by people who want the war in Ukraine pursued more aggressively, Russian television unable to hold back criticism
Significantly - and embarrassingly - Putin has cancelled the usual big celebrations of World War II Victory Day on 9 May, nixing the popular 'Immortal Regiment' memorials of WW2 fighters, and other celebrations on 1 May
https://www.newsweek.com/putin-mocked-embarrassing-cancellation-victory-day-parade-1794489
Reasons given include 'security' and, quite absurdly, 'covid' ... and it is suggested there is now a shortage of military equipment to parade thru the streets
But it seems the Russian leadership is worried about inspiring the right-wing nationalist forces, into a coup that perhaps most of Russians and the body of Russian soldiers would welcome
The long war is de-stabilising Russia, not thru 'sanctions', because Russia is so materially self-sufficient ... but because:
- the war has laid bare Russia's massive corruption
- the war has laid bare the globalism of Russian elites
- the war has laid bare that Russia is ethnically fragile, its 20% of minorities, often under local warlords, 3/4 of them Muslims, increasingly restive
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