Putin Turns Up His Special War Against Europe

[Blue_Tires]

Over the last year, since the Russian theft of Crimea, I’ve unambiguously warned that Vladimir Putin means what he says and he will not shy away from confrontation with the West, even at the risk of major war. Opportunities to deter this resurgent Russia, which I counseled many months ago, were punted on by the U.S. and NATO, so we now face a serious risk of war with Putin over his mounting hegemony in Eastern Europe. Ukraine is just the beginning.

As I’ve long made clear, Russia does not play by Western rules, and Putin and his Kremlin, being Chekists to their core, place great value on what I term Special War, meaning a shadowy amalgam of espionage, propaganda, and terrorism that Western states are poorly positioned to counter. At the end of the last year I predicted that the Kremlin’s Special War against the West was sure to rise, and so it has in the first quarter of this new year.

Last week I explained how Russian espionage against the Czech Republic — no congenital hater of the Russians like, say, Poland or the Baltics — had become so serious that Prague had expelled three Russian spies in recent months, amid warnings from Czech counterintelligence that at least a quarter of the outsized number of Russian diplomats in the country were actually spies posing as diplomats.

Over the last year I’ve explained in detail how Russian intelligence abroad, encompassing the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) and the military’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU), have increased the scope and intensity of their operations against many NATO countries, including France, Germany, Hungary, and Poland. Most of these operations are undertaken by SVR or GRU officers serving under what the Russians term Legal cover, meaning they are pretending to be diplomats, trade representatives, and whatnot.

http://20committee.com/2015/03/19/putin-turns-up-his-special-war-against-europe/

[KoKo]

1. Did you know this Writers Recent Background?

Naval War College Professor And Snowden Critic Out After X-Rated Twitter Picture
The Huffington Post | By Matt Sledge
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/12/john-schindler-edward-snowden-naval-war-college_n_5672946.html

A frequent Edward Snowden critic and former National Security Agency analyst who was involved in an investigation over "inappropriate" content shared on Twitter is leaving his job at the Naval War College, he announced on Monday.

"Sorry to say I'm severing my affiliation with Naval War College," John Schindler wrote on Twitter. "I had a great time there but it's time to move on. Thanks for your support."

A picture of Schindler's penis was posted to Twitter in June by a woman who described it as part of a consensual exchange, but one that eventually turned sour.

Naval War College spokesperson Cmdr. Kelly Brannon told the Associated Press that Schindler's departure came after an investigation of the risque photos was concluded at the end of July. She told the news service that Schindler resigned voluntarily after being informed of possible outcomes of the investigation.

Before the photo incident, Schindler assailed Snowden as a potential spy, and once asked whether he should call Army leaker Chelsea Manning "Glen or Glenda?" -- an apparent double reference to the fact that Manning is transgender and to journalist Glenn Greenwald, who is gay. Schindler also frequently trumpeted his affiliation with the Naval War College.

After the photo controversy, Schindler wrote on his blog that his actions "showed poor judgment and were inexcusable." The woman who posted the photos, meanwhile, wrote online that she was "truly sorry."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/12/john-schindler-edward-snowden-naval-war-college_n_5672946.html