Russia Accuses U.S. of Plot to Oust Putin by Funding Opposition

[Purveyor]

Source: Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) -- Russia’s Security Council accused the U.S. of plotting to oust President Vladimir Putin by financing the opposition and encouraging mass demonstrations, less than a week after a protest leader was murdered near the Kremlin.

The U.S. is funding Russian political groups under the guise of promoting civil society, just as in the “color revolutions” in the former Soviet Union and Arab world, council chief Nikolai Patrushev said in an e-mailed statement Wednesday. At the same time, the U.S. is using the sanctions imposed over the conflict in Ukraine as a “pretext” to inflict economic pain and stoke discontent, he said.

More than 50,000 people turned out in central Moscow on Sunday to mourn the death of Boris Nemtsov, a former deputy premier-turned Putin opponent who was gunned down in one of the most heavily guarded areas of the capital late Friday. That was the biggest rally Russia has seen since 2011-2012, when Putin was preparing to return to the presidency for a third term.

“It’s clear that the White House has been counting on a sharp deterioration in Russians’ standard of living, mass protests,” Patrushev said. Russia can withstand the pressure, though, thanks to its resilience and “decades of experience in combating color revolutions,” he said.

Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-03-04/russia-accuses-u-s-of-plot-to-oust-putin-by-funding-opposition

[JDDavis]

1. Putin is now pathologically paranoid

He obviously needs treatment for his illness.

His irrational statements and actions over Ukraine and gay folks in the last few years prove my point.

Unfortunately, the majority of Russians still believe 99% of the lies he tells and have little or no opinion about Ukraine invasion or rights of gay folks.

[uhnope]

6. Putin's become more and more clinical over the years

[Anansi1171]

7. Putin has every incentive to spin Nemetov's killing-irrespective of whether he put the hit out.

However, the thought of the U.S. attempting a "color revolution" in Russia is not so far-fetched.

[Katashi_itto]

2. I think Republicans would welcome Putin's funding them with open arms.

[jakeXT]

3. Are there some cables out there like the ones for Syria ?

U.S. secretly backed Syrian opposition groups, cables released by WikiLeaks show

The State Department has secretly financed Syrian political opposition groups and related projects, including a satellite TV channel that beams anti-government programming into the country, according to previously undisclosed diplomatic cables.

The London-based satellite channel, Barada TV, began broadcasting in April 2009 but has ramped up operations to cover the mass protests in Syria as part of a long-standing campaign to overthrow the country’s autocratic leader, Bashar al-Assad. Human rights groups say scores of people have been killed by Assad’s security forces since the demonstrations began March 18; Syria has blamed the violence on “armed gangs.”

Barada TV is closely affiliated with the Movement for Justice and Development, a London-based network of Syrian exiles. Classified U.S. diplomatic cables show that the State Department has funneled as much as $6 million to the group since 2006 to operate the satellite channel and finance other activities inside Syria. The channel is named after the Barada River, which courses through the heart of Damascus, the Syrian capital.

The U.S. money for Syrian opposition figures began flowing under President George W. Bush after he effectively froze political ties with Damascus in 2005. The financial backing has continued under President Obama, even as his administration sought to rebuild relations with Assad. In January, the White House posted an ambassador to Damascus for the first time in six years.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/us-secretly-backed-syrian-opposition-groups-cables-released-by-wikileaks-show/2011/04/14/AF1p9hwD_story.html

[groundloop]

4. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if the CIA is funneling money to those groups

It's not like that's never happened before. And IF they're doing it I wouldn't be a bit surprised if nobody else in the government, including the President, knows a thing about it.

[pampango]

5. Our establishment often often blames demonstrations on 'outside agitators'. It's a favorite trick

to blame domestic demonstrations on the influence of outsiders, foreigners, etc.

It's always more comfortable for those in power to place the blame on the 'enemy' rather than on themselves for the discontent generated by their policies.

When 50,000 people turn out in the middle of winter for the march in memory of a leading opposition figure, the government either has to look in a mirror for responsibility or blame the 'evil empire' or other outsiders for such an outpouring.