Video courtesy of Twitter and @visegrad24
One American’s Take on Patrushev
Howard Stoffer is a University of New Haven professor, a nuclear arms control veteran, and one of only a handful of Americans who have ever met Patrushev. The two met when Stoffer was on a counter-terrorism mission to Russia. Stoffer called it “…one of the most amazing meetings I’ve ever had.”
He said of Patrushev, “He’s very serious. I don’t think he’ll do anything rash.”
Stoffer says that if the Post report is accurate (and he believes the report from the Russian-based Telegram messaging system to be correct), then Patrushev will likely not end the war with Ukraine nor launch any nuclear weapons.
Regarding the Russian Security Council Secretary, he went on to say:
“He’s absolutely someone Putin trusts. They came up through the ranks together. This might be something as simple as a colonoscopy. But the Russians remain logical.”
During a UN conference on counter-terrorism right after 9/11, Stoffer got to meet and talk with Patrushev. He said he spoke good English and was willing to share intelligence regarding terrorists with the Americans. The two had dinner together and got to talk for a fair amount of time.
Darknet
As for Putin’s possible surgery, reports from the Post state that the procedure and recovery are only anticipated to incapacitate the Russian President “for a short time.” But, as I’m reminded by personal experience, medical procedures don’t always go according to plan. It is important for us to know as much as we can about Secretary Patrushev at this point.
This news comes at a time when the CIA says, according to sources at the Associated Press, that Russians disaffected by Putin’s invasion may be trying to get in touch with US intelligence. Russians wanting to share information are being steered to the darknet (again, according to AP).
Last week, the agency began a push to promote its presence on this area of the internet, accessible only through specialized software that allows more anonymity, a big bonus if you are Russian and want to share a secret.
The CIA has a darknet site with the same features as its regular homepage but is accessible only through the Tor internet browser, which has encryption features not available on most regular browsers.
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