A Russian person could not visit New York, Chicago and Los Angeles and then say they visited The United States and have an understanding of Americans.  They might think they understand, but any American would giggle at the notion.

Conversely, the same is true in Russia.  You cannot visit Moscow, St Petersburg and Kazan and think you have an understanding of Russians.  However, if you give yourself time, join in the daily tasks and challenges of ordinary Russians, you can easily discover some of the deeper stuff that really puts context on life in the Russian Federation.

Perhaps what follows is a different perspective.

It took a while, but I finally figured out what this phrase “the fatherland” is all about.

Let me start by sharing another phrase that almost every American will find familiar, yet virtually every Russian asked has no reference to comprehend: “you work for us.”

When talking to a federal, state or local government official in the United States and saying, “you work for us,” everyone listening would completely understand your sentiment.  However, in Russia that phrase is akin to asking a Martian for a canoe.   This is the way to understand “the fatherland.”

Within Russia the social compact is organized around the premise (key word “premise“), that government is the father figure within a family – and all of the citizens are children.   The government knows best.  The state engages in all facets, systems and structures as if they are the omnipotent father who cares about the children.

The people of Russia generally accept this system.  Generations and generations of compliant, well behaved, very structured and regimented ideology still permeates.  The muscle memory is deepest in the psychological muscles that run through generations.

Oddly, this social compact is understood, but only understood insofar as the Russian people do not have any other reference point, or alternative system that would enable them to see the deficit in the oppressive system that surrounds them.

The average Russian knows the “West” is different but doesn’t really know why the social system they see outside their window seemingly operates with well-organized randomness.  What is this efficiency within unbridled capitalism you speak of, and why would Americans be willing to give it up?

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Today, June 12th, is Russia Day, a national holiday in the Russian federation.  The symbolism of the intentionally timed events happening today seems to be lost on most western media.

A Russian Yasen-class nuclear submarine named “Kazan” arrived in Havana, Cuba today after piloting through the Florida straits.  Watching a massive nuclear submarine sail into Havana is something extraordinary considering all the provocations taking place between the USA and Russia surrounding the conflict in Ukraine.

Additionally, in a counteraction to provide clarity to the intents and economic purposes of the Biden administration (DoS, CIA and IC), today the Treasury Dept announces new 2nd round sanctions against Russia.   However, in comparative terms, the physical appearance of a nuclear-powered Russian submarine and a set of accompanying warships carrying hypersonic cruise missiles approximately 30 miles from the USA mainland, is a little more dramatic than western saber rattling about sanctioning two Russian banks, Sberbank and VTB.

The Russian submarine fleet, and specifically the Yasen-class submarine group, is the tip of the spear against any military force the USA might choose to deploy in Eastern Europe.  Russian President Vladimir Putin is essentially signaling the people behind Joe Biden that he is willing to participate in the provocation approach.

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According to Politico and the New York Times the Biden administration has given Ukraine approval to launch U.S provided missiles into Russia.  {LINK} This is a major escalation of NATO engagement, likely intended to provoke Russia to strike alternate targets.  The people inside Ukraine responsible for using these U.S. provided weapons are likely not Ukranian.

CTH is in an unusually serendipitous position to analyze how Russia is responding to this shift in USA position.  The morale inside Russia is very high amid the military age population.  The recruitment efforts of the Russian government appear to be numerous and very effective.

There are thousands of newly enlisted military personnel very visible in/around training facilities.  There is no apparent tension discernable. Overall Russia appears to take great pride in their military, and it is considered a matter of honor and pride to support them.

WASHINGTON – The Biden administration has quietly given Ukraine permission to strike inside Russia — solely near the area of Kharkiv — using U.S.-provided weapons, two U.S. officials and two other people familiar with the move said Thursday, a major reversal that will help Ukraine to better defend its second-largest city.

“The president recently directed his team to ensure that Ukraine is able to use U.S. weapons for counter-fire purposes in Kharkiv so Ukraine can hit back at Russian forces hitting them or preparing to hit them,” a U.S. official said, adding that the policy of not allowing long-range strikes inside Russia “has not changed.”

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This entire hour conversation with Péter Szijjártó is a ninja level linguistic evisceration of the lies, fraud and media spin that form the epicenter of the “great pretending” era.  It really is worth watching all of it.

However, for the sake of time and focused attention, I have prompted the interview to the 18:00 point where Hungarian Minister Szijjártó, the Hungarian equivalent of our Secretary of State, talks about the great Western con job surrounding the Russian sanctions.

As many of you know, I traveled to Budapest and sat in bank offices so that I could literally see with my own eyes what I was told was happening {GO DEEP}.  Everything that Péter Szijjártó says in this interview is well articulated and 100% accurate to the reality of what is happening.  WATCH [Prompted]:

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You may have heard of the protests in Tbilisi, Georgia recently. The protests are framed around what the State Dept and CIA call “Russian favored” legislation.

The Georgia legislation essentially says that domestic lobbyists, NGO’s, entities, groups and individuals who are funded more than 20% by foreign interests need to register as such.

Essentially, the USA law we call the Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA), is what the country of Georgia is enacting in their own political landscape.  However, the USA is not happy about the Georgia law to disclose the source of foreign funding (most of it anti-government) because the USA (specifically the State Dept and CIA) is the source of that funding.

This Georgia political scheme is yet another U.S. led color revolution in the same hues as 2014 Ukraine.

As noted by Global News, “in Georgia, protests have erupted over a proposed law requiring organizations with foreign funding to register their activities with the government. Critics compare the bill to similar legislation used to silence opposition groups in Russia. Thousands of Georgians marched through the capital, Tbilisi, on Sunday to voice their opposition to the bill, with opposition parties and civil society groups calling for mass protests against its expected passage.” WATCH:

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Dozens of people have been arrested in Georgia after police in the capital used tear gas and water cannons to disperse protesters who rallied outside Parliament to protest a controversial bill which they argue limits media freedom.

Georgia’s Interior Ministry said 63 people were arrested Tuesday while they took part in a demonstration in Tbilisi. Levan Khabeishvili, an opposition MP, posted a picture of himself on his social media accounts with a bloodied face and heavy bruising. Members of his party said he had been assaulted by police.

Those arrested were taking part in the latest in a series of protests against a bill which would require media and non-commercial organizations to register as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power” if they get more than 20% of their funding from abroad.

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Aleksandr Dugin is the most famous political philosopher in Russia. His ideas are considered so dangerous the Ukrainian government murdered his daughter, and Amazon won’t sell his books. Tucker Carlson talked to him in Moscow.

Watching this interview while sitting in a kitchen in Russia is a little odd, however, what Dugin explains does seem to lineup with my perspective as an American in Russia.  The explanation for why leftists (progressives) in the USA seemingly reversed their entire worldview about Russia in a decade does seem to make sense.

I have shared that modern Russian social society is much more traditional than the expressed Western value system you find embodied in progressives.  Russia is far more nationalistic and less globalist; meanwhile, the USA has moved far closer to globalism and is less nationalistic.  Within this shift, the change in democracy also reconciles.

As Dugin notes, Western democracy is no longer about the majority of the citizens; the national identity has been erased in favor of governing rules by a minority.  The commonality of sex (two genders) has been erased in favor of multiple-gender identity, expanded individualism, which is simply a reflection of the fractured bond of commonality.  It is an interesting conversation.  WATCH:

It should be noted before people in the USA and English speaking “West” start running around with romantic images of Russia, that the Russian people do not think about such issues… AT ALL.  The average Russian thinks about social politics about as much as the average American, which is to say – not much at all.

However, all of that said, someone asked me about COVID-19 in Russia and what was the general sensibility of the issue.  I have had some rather fascinating discussions thanks to that question.

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To say the person inside the opaque glass enclosure was stunned, physically flummoxed and surprised in the moment just before the security officers arrived to escort me to the guarded holding area, would be an understatement. And trust me, there’s been some stunned moments visible in the eyes of people who encountered me.

“You need to come with us,” was the end result of a brief conversation at passport control. Followed by “We need to ask you some questions.”  A few hours later I exited onto the streets of the forbidden zone, with an ear-to-ear grin that would only be understood by those in my family who saw how it started as a child.  However, before getting to that part of the story, let me begin with the end in mind.

This journey is not for those of worried disposition, and I do not recommend it for anyone who does not carry a strong stable constitution of snarky and pragmatically humorous outlook.  In many ways this journey is exactly what you would expect, in other ways it is so completely the opposite it’s bizarre.

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Pouring salt in an open wound, House Democrats gleefully waved Ukraine flags in the Capitol chamber celebrating the elevation of Ukraine as a sovereign proxy state for congressional largess over the needs of American citizens.

Most of the $61 billion sent into the Ukraine laundry operation today will be returned to congressional leadership pacs via campaign donations from the military contractors and NGO recipients.

Despite the prior concerns, the Democrat and Republican beneficiaries of this massive money laundering were thrilled the USIC organized Iran missile firing operation against Israel worked so perfectly.  You can see Democrats wave the flags of Ukraine in celebration within this video.  It’s sickening. WATCH:

WASHINGTON DC – […] The vote on Ukraine became so contentious that some Republicans, also taking umbrage with the Ukraine flags on the House floor, started to boo them. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) ran up to a microphone to tell her colleagues across the aisle: “Put those damn flags away.” (more)

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Pavel Durov is the founder, owner and CEO of Telegram, a communication platform used by 900 million people globally to text, chat and video message privately with encryption security.  Telegram is an excellent tool for safe communication and has been used by me and others I know for several years.

In this interview Tucker Carlson discusses privacy and freedom in the modern era with Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov, a former citizen of Russia who was encouraged (under threat) by the Russian government to leave his country.  Pavel now lives in Dubai and operates Telegram from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

For me personally, this is one of the best interviews I have watched Tucker Carlson deliver.  Part of the reason is the content of the discussion is exactly critical right now in the era of this global information war.

There is so much I could discuss from this interview alone it is remarkable; however, I want to focus on two specific points as highlighted: (1) the government interface, and (2) the geopolitical inversion currently underway.  WATCH: 

First, I am in Russia. I arrived a few days ago, and this experience is a visit through bizarro world.  I will be sharing more, including an AMA on my experience in the next few articles.  Back to Pavel Durov, first…

The BASELINE – The Durov brothers are exceptionally gifted.  In reference to the principle of freedom and liberty that guides Pavel, he has my respect and I understand his value system with great clarity.  Pavel Durov recognized very early, much earlier than most, that information would be fulcrum challenge, and without private communication the value of information is always eroded.  Privacy is critical in order for accurate information to flow.  That is the value of Telegram.

I continue to receive strong negative opinion for my cynicism of Elon Musk.  However, pay close attention to what Pavel Durov says about his contacts with U.S. government officials and you will have a stronger baseline to understand part of why I do not trust Musk.

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It needs to be said, and it needs to be said loudly, the FBI is the 2024 equivalent of the 1984 Soviet-era KGB, now FSB.

The modern FBI is the police agency of a weaponized U.S government, with a direct and purposeful mandate to keep the American people under control through strict surveillance and a violent police state.

Understand and accept this with great seriousness, there are no honorable “rank and file” inside this organization.

Every member of the FBI is a participant in the weaponization of power and government. The members are jackboots recruited from ideological college campuses for exactly the purpose of supporting a Stasi-like police state.

Representative Mike Garcia (R-CA) is straight forward, pretenses are slowly starting to be dropped, but even Garcia still too kind in his wording.   WATCH:

Through the past several years, we have discovered how the FBI worked inside Twitter, Facebook and social media to control information, remove content and manipulate opinion on behalf of the U.S. government – all activity political.

We have also learned the FBI took active measures to suppress information about the Hunter Biden laptop and control any negative consequences for the Biden regime – again, political.  These are not disputed realities.

The U.S. Dept of Justice and FBI are now political institutions that have abandoned their originating mission in order to become the domestic equivalent of the Soviet-era FSB. Their joint targeting mechanisms have been redesigned to support the interests of corrupt DC politicians, specifically the interests of democrats.

It was in June 2022, when Senator Chuck Grassley sent a letter [pdf HERE] to Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Chris Wray, notifying them of whistleblower allegations from within the FBI that senior leadership in both Main Justice and FBI are involved in a coordinated effort to cover up criminal activity related to Hunter Biden.

The whistleblower allegations, in combination with the documented history of DOJ and FBI misconduct, culminate in Senator Grassley stating:

“If these allegations are true and accurate, the Justice Department and FBI are – and have been – institutionally corrupted to their very core to the point in which the United States Congress and the American people will have no confidence in the equal application of the law. Attorney General Garland and Director Wray, simply put, based on the allegations that I’ve received from numerous whistleblowers, you have systemic and existential problems within your agencies.” (LINK)

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