A zealous band of counterspies attempted to flush out a ghost in the dark under a blanket of secrecy so thick, that those who needed to know; knew nothing. A mole hunting unit was thrown together, as haphazardly as a ‘hey-you’ military police call [clean-up] detail – “Hey you, with the face, shut up and start police calling this area,” or in this case, kit-up for a mole-hunt.
A security services-led detachment loaded up several details of swiftly assembled groups of soldiers for a hunt by the moonlight, while regional communications from cellular phones to internet connections were turned off at their sources. Local commanders were informed that an imminent threat was set to strike at any moment, assuredly, some kind of terrorist.
Albeit, ‘terrorist’ has evolved into a very vague descriptor. Yet, an immediate, known-unknown threat was announced, leaving law enforcement and military officials postured for the worst of anything, and from anyone. The facts were only known to the security service agents who were running the operation, and they opted to remain vague. Although, the orders from the security services were paramount and superseded the military.
Keeping up the act-now, think-later pace, security service agents swiftly assembled bands of impromptu spy hunters from the ranks of the units of the regular army, which they just launched into high alert-chaos. These soldiers, were on-the-spot temporarily reassigned and off on another witch-hunt, or possibly a training exercise, as far as they knew.
Nevertheless, everyone locally involved was destined to perform a series of events that may very well launch an extremely bloody war.
By dawn, on the third day, the shroud was partially dropped following a heavy-handed Federal Security Services (FSB,) and Main Intelligence Agency (GRU) operation that could have only been planned under the authority of vodka-soaked paranoia.
A bear’s service
In Russian-occupied Crimea, Ukraine another fine example of arming and empowering the inept took place earlier this week. A fresh yet historically similar half-cocked plan has played out in disaster. To grasp the standard operating procedure of mission chaos, one has to grasp a Russian cultural understanding, as in, ‘you do a bear’s service.’ This means that even with the best intent and motivation; you’ll get the worst. For an example, you are going to mow the lawn – a tree falls on you as you walk to the lawn mower -you’ve done a bear’s service. It was under the influence of that attitude that this mold-hunt gone mad was concocted out of anger, boredom, vodka, and a desire to get to noticed to be promoted.
In line with such a line of thinking, is another Russian cultural truth that greatly influenced the outcome of this disastrous operation. That is if you want credit for what you’ve done or are about to do; tell no one. In the event that the operation is successful, the credit will be stolen by anyone within earshot.
Such influencers have set the stage for chaos as normal and it laces the air as rightfully thick with conspiracy inside Russian-occupied territory and throughout Ukraine. As the environment is shaped by an abstract-condemned philosophy. This pre-destined-for-doom atmosphere is further embodied by the pandemonium of nearly three-years of civil war and deceptive warfare, thus, resulting in a common issue of defection and infiltration throughout the ranks.
KASKAD, the original Russian hybrid-warfare
In the thick of this Franz Kafka analogous social-construct, there is little reason. The narrative and circumstances have been contaminated with distrust. A result of the string of KASKAD guerrillas and militias used as cover and proxy throughout the Russian campaign against Ukraine. Or, if your history is post-dated, Russian KASKAD operations have been ‘[re]discovered’ by another journalist and then renamed KASKAD, as hybrid warfare.
Of course, anyplace that embraces the ambiances of foreordained dismay, is always on the lookout for infiltrators, spies, and foreigners; whom are often blamed as the agents of their misfortune. Across this rare, yet overly suspicious backdrop, there will always be a mole to expose, and with another Russian proverb – Unless thunder strikes, a man won’t cross himself.
In early August, a contingent of Russian-occupied Crimean-based security service agents believed that they could summon the thunder and emulate divine lighting. Their plan, hinged around a carelessly constructed series of events to force the mole; whomever and wherever it may be, above ground.
Amidst that unique environment, a plot to shut down the border of Crimea and tear-ass across the countryside to capture ‘terrorists’ was cooked up. Another relative Russian proverb, came into play here – God watches over those who are careful, and the jail wardens watch over those who were not. A deliberate spectacle has first set as detachments of agents cut communications, roused the military, and sealed the border. All the while, several FSB and GRU Spetsnaz detachments waited for the opportunity brought by the overt misdirection by their comrades. The hope of their ruse was to give a false sense of security to their true targets. Thus, in theory, the Spetsnaz detachments had contained their target to fight or flee. This was the initial focus of the plan, clearing out suspected defectors, as well as troublesome foreign press, suspected Ukrainian sympathizers, and unwanted populations, such as the Crimean Tatars. In their minds, it seemed like a good idea. Albeit things took a weird turn at the border, and that’s when things got out of control.
Moskali, Vatnik, and useful idiots of Crimea,
By now, we’ve all heard the outcome sourced to the world via official Russian Federation media and politicians. Allegedly, Ukrainian ‘terrorists’ had broken through the Crimean lines on an infiltrate and sabotage mission. The Russian voice was unfortunately well heard and embedded to influence via their thoroughly established mass media ‘news’ outlets and varying propagandists. Allegedly the Russian Army and FSB had successfully defended the Moskali from Ukrainian ‘terrorists,’ of all things. The population of Russian-occupied Crimea, the Moskali – Ukrainian sympathizers of Russia, who believe that Ukraine is not a nation, but a state of the Russian Federation. The Moskali, per state-media, were again safe to be Vatnik – jingoists and staunch supporters of Vladimir Putin within their military occupied state.
Meanwhile, in reality, another narrative broke from Ukraine, and it is the most seemingly true – According to direct sources within the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Russians, in their public statements, have falsified the details about the event and are now running with it. These sources, which I obtained during my eight months in Ukraine last year, also provided me with this detailed account of the events that transpired. Their account matches Russian behavior, cultural norms, regional influences, and tactics, as well as open-source intelligence.
From the middle ground, are the dead from an exchange of fire between Russian and Ukrainian soldiers around the border of Russian-occupied Crimea and Ukraine – The contacts of fire stretched sporadically over the 6th, 7th, and 8th. As a result, casualties, all are thus far accounted for as Russian. One FSB officer and one Russian army enlisted man being permanently halted from advancing further into Ukraine.
Russia, has, of course, claimed a glorious victory, and alleges that their forces were attacked by Ukrainian ‘sabotage-terrorists,’ as cited by the FSB who released a statement designed to justify, at least to Russia, future aggression,
[We] foiled terrorist attacks on the territory of Crimea prepared by the intelligence directorate of the Ukrainian defense ministry. The aim of the sabotage and terrorist attacks was to destabilize the social and political situation.”
Ukraine’s national security council chief Oleksandr Turchynov, who is clearly tired of Russia’s games and wild statements gave this reply at a press conference when asked about the FSB allegations, he replied,
“Hysterical and false.”
Nevertheless, there is a war on, and the common deployment of diversion and reconnaissance squads to harass and observe enemy positions are popular tactics for the two nations which share common tactics, equipment, and in many cases – language. The likelihood of any of these teams stepping out of their skirmish and sabotage roles and into an arrest and/or attack mode, would [clearly] end in disaster.
Russia, in lieu of dismissing or disavowing the operation gone bad, Kremlin propaganda teams and politicians have taken off a ridiculous attempt to spin the screw-up into the narrative it has been attempting to create with its useful idiots over the past several years. An acceptable pretext to justify war to the Russian people, and in the Kremlin’s mind, the world.
Selling the pretext of war,
Ukrainians are now branded as terrorists and the chief intelligence agency of the Russian Federation, backed by Moscow, who is claiming the fiasco to be a ‘terrorist attack.’ This fantasy isn’t difficult to sell in Russia, a nation deluded with the notion that the many nations who broke free of Russia as the U.S.S.R. fell – are, at least to Russians, not free and their land belongs to Russia. Mix that sentiment with terrorists, and a middle to lower class economy, which have been ravaged by sanctions – for dramatic results.
Despite the outlandish claims of Russia, and disjointed operation – the FSB and GRU Spetznaz teams were able to clean-house of any people they deemed subversive, affirmed with some concerning wording,
The Russian Federal Security Service prevented terrorist attacks in the Republic of Crimea prepared by the main intelligence directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry. Ukrainian and Russian citizens who provided assistance in preparing the terrorist attacks have been detained. They are giving a confession.
Adding insult to nonsense, the Russian FSB has claimed to have detained a number between several to a group of infiltrators. Additionally, the FSB account omits the 6th, and is not only vague, fabricated, but the details fail to make much other than conflicted sense, as to how the events transpired. The report lists Yevhen Panov, as the only person identified physically in the custody by the FSB, who Russian authorities are calling, the ‘mastermind-terrorists.’ Mr, Panov, a recently discharged Ukrainian service member who had been working as a truck driver at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. He was also reported missing on the 6th, by his brother, Kotelianets. The FSB fiasco would begin that evening, and last through the 8th. Kotelianets Panov, also stated that his brother would never go to Crimea willingly, saying,
Yevhen believed that Crimea was long gone, and his task was to focus on volunteering and public activities that would help maintaining peace in his hometown Enerhodar, Ukraine. He was worried over the situation at the front line, we discussed it, but he did not care about Crimea.
Enerhodar is approximately 150 miles North of the border, from Russian-occupied Crimea. Even so, Yevhen Panov is the only name and photo of any person that has been detained throughout the three-day ordeal. The FSB, now claims to have obtained a ‘confession,’ from Yevhen Panov. The video is absolutely preposterously and scripted.
This is a translated excerpt to demonstrate this moonstruck descent into absurdity,
SOT, Official (Russian): “What is your relation to the Chief Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine?”
Evgeni Panov, Suspect (Russian): “I was invited to Kiev [*JUMP CUT AT SOURCE*] … I was told that a group was being organised for carrying out sabotage actions on the territory of Crimea.”
*JUMP CUT AT SOURCE*
SOT, Official (Russian): “Who were the members of the group?”
Evgeni Panov, Suspect (Russian): “The group included staff officers of the Ukrainian military intelligence. Members of the group were Alexander Kirillov with the call name ‘Kiril’; staff officer Dmitri Semyanin; Oleg Petrenko with the call name ‘Fox’; Aleksei Sandil with the call name ‘Sai’; as well as a man with the call name ‘Deshek’; and myself. The staff officers were Aleksei Sandil who holds the rank of lieutenant; Vladimir Serdyuk – captain, Dmitri and [Alexander] Kirillov were also officers, but I am not aware of their titles.”
*JUMP CUT AT SOURCE*
SOT, Official (Russian): “What is the role of the Chief Directorate of Intelligence of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense in this operation?”
Evgeni Panov, Suspect (Russian): “As far as I know, this operation was planned by the Chief Directorate of Intelligence of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense with the help of its staff officers.”
*JUMP CUT AT SOURCE*
SOT, Evgeni Panov, Suspect (Russian): “I understood the risk of this operation. According to my sources, an explosion of military hardware of the Russian Ministry of Defense was expected. Of course, there was a risk of a high death toll.”
Ukrainian media has also picked up, and redistributed an earlier, but now redacted story involving a mysterious bright-orange camping tent by the Russian media channel, Interfax.
Within these allegations, a conveniently timed, and seemingly cobbled together press release that includes some rather awkward video via its propaganda outlets. Correspondingly to the last Russian proverb of this article – A chatterbox is a treasure for a spy. The FSB directed video claims to display the on-the-scene seizure of homemade-explosives and IEDs from a group of Ukrainian ‘sabotage-terrorists.’ Such far-fetched claims that are disappointingly entertaining, are made on behalf of the FSB by the useful idiots of state-controlled, Russian media propaganda outlets, and a legion of internet trolls who have become quite adept at convincing people across the world, that Russia is always right. Russian outlets have exaggerated the FSB misadventure, co-opted it with the Russian Olympic team fiasco, and have now titled it, the Crimean Tragedy. Albeit the very notion is absolutely ludicrous.
The video also claims to show, and what I’m assuming later fell from the sky, as the clip-skip of evidence displays is lacking in believability. Even so, “twenty improvised explosive devices containing more than 40 kilograms of TNT equivalent, ammunition, fuses, antipersonnel and magnetic bombs, grenades and the Ukrainian armed forces’ standard special weapons.” In Russia, facts find you.
In fact, so are the allegedly seized ‘IEDs’ from Ukrainian ‘terrorists’ by the FSB. The incompetently produced video does not show IEDs, but Russian-made, electrical demolition initiator sets, blasting caps, and TNT all appear to be fresh from the shipping crate. I’ve personally never seen such pristine Russian explosives and demolitions.
Continuing into crazy-town, all of the explosives and demolitions material, which is being haphazardly handled as if they’re just reckless discovered it in time for the camera; appears to be factory fresh military grade explosives, of the Russian Federation – far from anything that is homemade. Far be it that the security service agents who are searching these bags full of bombs once treat the bags as if they were full of unknown explosives. They video simply shows a man cutting into the bags with a pocket knife, and then pulling out neatly organized, camera-facing displayed, and factory fresh explosives and demolitions like he is Superman.
The footage suggests that the FSB was at that point ‘collecting evidence’ and under no threat. In spite of that, he oddly and continuously acted in gross negligence – there was no need to take a dangerous shortcut. Although, he has no fear for himself, nor for all of those around him as he cuts apart a ‘terrorist’ backpack, loaded with unknown explosives . . .
As for the plastic bottles, which happen to manifest up in time for the lab . . . The whole scene is sketchy and merits international response. Russia, as we well know, has zero qualms over wrongful detention. Especially if Russia wants to make a point, or attempt to play the victim for national and international audiences. The peculiar case of Ukrainian Pilot Nadiya Savchenko and her wrongful two-year detention by Russia on fabricated charges is but one of many examples of Russian attempts to sway public opinion.
Fortunately, Nadiya Savchenko was released earlier this year.
Madness as an M.O. in Russia,
I know and understand that the Russian Modus Operandi is to be reckless, but I’m certain that the Russians have similar procedures to Americans when handling and investigating several backpacks full of ‘terrorist’ bombs. Despite haphazardly cutting into these backpacks, the agent is discarding any and all possibilities of evidence collection to discover any clues about where these bags came from and who these alleged terrorists are working with. Yet, it’s clear that they have already created that necessary narrative for that.
The build-up of Russian equipment and soldiers around Ukraine over the past few months has not been discreet. Now, the mainstream media of the West has decided to pay attention to Ukraine again, and just in time to watch Russia gear up and brace for the eventuality of war. Respectfully, the West has just not been paying attention of late, before this event – and realistically the media has only paid any mind to the nation in crisis when Donald Trump stupidly said, ‘Russia is not going to go into Ukraine.’ -You’re approaching three years past the Russian invasion under KASKAD, Don – Catch up!
The situation in Ukraine, and Russian belligerence has irresponsibly gone unchecked and unnoticed for too long -thanks to a variety of corresponding negligent factors. Primarily because the media cared not to cover Ukraine, as ratings are easier to scare up with making people believe that Daesh is around every corner. The media also listens to the old Cold War, war hawks who have been lazily dismissing the ever-growing and increasingly war-like Russia for over ten-years. In fact, whenever I bring Russia up, I’m consistently dismissed by nay-sayers, with the same ignorant and dismissive air from the old war hawks, and talking heads; ‘Russia used to play games like this with us all the time, and, ISIS is the crisis’ . . . . . . . . .
Nevertheless, this is clearly not then, and not that old game. There is no Soviet Union, this is the, in comparison hyper-aggressive Russian Federation, whose actions are deliberately aimed at America and NATO. The past decade of Russian actions, as America was bogged down in the Middle East, has been acutely more significant in terms of conventional warfare than during the Cold War sans nukes.
Russia is no longer restricted to covertly pulling the string of a communist dictator along the rim of the nations of containment policy – Russia is being clear and direct with its military as Russia’s covert direct actions and propaganda distribution networks continue to grow, nearly unchecked. In fact, Russia is continuing to count on the old policy hounds to keep ignoring them. Just as well, and as is the majority of the West, to be stuck with our collective heads up the asses of some psychopaths in the desert, as Russia continues to rise, unchecked.
In this environment, the stage has been set to allow Russia to continue its piecemeal – for now- expansion across its old territories, as well as capturing new lands.
Nevertheless, for anyone still smoking the, “we’re angering Russia by expanding NATO,” regurgitated Kremlin propaganda; Russia will give you a few acres for free, to settle, in the Far East – go, and be free amongst your people. As I’m not even going to waste my time arguing with you.
Featured Image – “What do you mean, wrong village, BLYAT?!” Russian signaller and firing 2S1-Gvozdika. – Sick Arts
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