DOCSLIB.ORG

Hidden War a Russian Journalists Account of the Soviet War in Afghanistan 1St Edition Download Free

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Hidden War a Russian Journalists Account of the Soviet War in Afghanistan 1St Edition Download Free HIDDEN WAR A RUSSIAN JOURNALISTS ACCOUNT OF THE SOVIET WAR IN AFGHANISTAN 1ST EDITION DOWNLOAD FREE Artem Borovik | 9780802137753 | | | | | The Hidden War Very good, I liked the authors writing style and he manages to take many disparate stories and weave them into a narrative of overarching hopelessness at a useless war. The author in no way claims to offer a complete account of the war in Afghanistan or any of the momentous events that are connected with it. Thanks for telling us about the problem. But it was too late. A vital and fascinating portrait of the Soviet empire at the twilight of its power, this is a book that still resonates today. Specifically books that aren't too dry and also focus on the American supported Afghani Mujahedeen that fought against the Soviets. A really interesting book. We were obsessed with our messianic mission and blinded by arrogance. The writing Hidden War A Russian Journalists Account of the Soviet War in Afghanistan 1st edition each section follows the pattern of the Soviet's war path. I feel like an idiot for reading several books and listening to lecture about this war and not letting any of it sink in Written five years after the first section the Hidden War A Russian Journalists Account of the Soviet War in Afghanistan 1st edition can easily detect Borovik's growth as a writer and his disinterest in waxing poetic about war. Some of the writing, by a Russian journalist, is very good. A fascinating look at the life and death of Soviet soldiers. Like the American war in Vietnam, many Soviet conscripts became increasingly disillusioned about the Afghan war and just wanted to get home safely to their families. Brezhnev did not answer right away, Gromyko recalls. The second was a journalist's account of the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan in when Borovik was a correspondent for a Russian news magazine. About Artyom Borovik. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. He went so far as to demand that the U. How the morale carried from high at the beginning and it reached an all time low at the end of the war. If you want to know my opinion, more thought should have been given before the troops were sent in. About Us. According to his close associates, Y. They were concerned about his extremist internal security policy, including the terrorization of clergy, intelligentsia, and party workers, as well as his increasing contact with representatives of the United States and Pakistan. I sometimes lost track of what exactly Borovik's job was, journalist or soldier, at different moments of the book. Artyom Borovik was a journalist traveling these days we would call it 'embedded' with Soviet units on a couple of tours during the 80s. Borovik is brutal and unsparing, and he allows us to see the real face of the Soviet soldier. As he had before, Karmal responded with a quotation from Lenin. In reality we were exporting stagnation rather than revolution. Borovik's book is told in two halves: the first portion covers the journalist's first tour in Afghanistan when hopes were high of defeating the resistance. The first has the hopefulness of an naive "embedded" journalist. The author weaves together interviews of soldiers with his own experiences to put yourself among those charged with fighting in a foreign land for an indeterminate goal. Alexander Haig, the former U. Grove Press. Shelves: military-history. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. And when we stare into that face--the human face of our traditional enemy--what we see is ourselves. What gifts did Soviet leaders receive from Afghans who were offered high-ranking posts in their government immediately after the arrival of the Fortieth Army? Hahahah, hohohoh. The book will appeal to a general audience as a fresh reminder of the universally grim reality of war. More filters. Read more Absolute Soviet doomer-core. The Russian soldier was sent into Afghanistan to fight the American soldier and to help the Afghani people retain their freedom. In Afghanistan we bombed not only the detachments of rebels and their caravans, but our own ideals as well. A Russian oral history of the entire Soviet Afghanistan experience. Things could not continue in Hidden War A Russian Journalists Account of the Soviet War in Afghanistan 1st edition same vein. Interesting first person accounts of the Soviet war in Afghanistan written by a journalist. The real issue, I believe, lies in the kind of socialism that we had been building for many decades. Mommy, take me back inside of you. Best books about the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan While this is a subjective Hidden War A Russian Journalists Account of the Soviet War in Afghanistan 1st edition of what Borovik labels "a nine- year-long tragedy," The Hidden War catches the human drama in what was clearly the Soviet Union's Vietnam. It shows what the soldiers were thinking at such a time. When you encounter something like that, it sends chills up and down your spine. The second was a journalist's account of the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan in when Borovik was a correspondent for a Russian news magazine. This was more than a little depressing. Even if we suppose that Russia will attempt to invade Afghanistan, and through it to obtain control of India, we will have a much greater chance of getting the Afghans on our side if we abstain from any interference in their internal affairs whatsoever. The risks of such an endeavor were palpable: Afghanistan was notoriously a country that had never been 'conquered,' and the Soviets learned that bitter lesson first- hand during their invasion and occupation from Want to Read saving…. As he had before, Karmal responded with a quotation from Lenin. JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Thread starter Cmyers Start date Dec 22, Tags afghanistan books invasion soviet. And only one man dared raise his voice against the war. But when I got hungry, I Hidden War A Russian Journalists Account of the Soviet War in Afghanistan 1st edition get plastered, I was drunk then, and went to get the lamb because there was no food, I killed some people that I always killed. I thought Obama was smarter than that—that he was well read. Feb 07, Peter rated it it was amazing. This is a book that is perfect for Military enthusiasts, but also a go A really interesting book. Or perhaps it had begun twelve years earlier, when we did the same thing in Hungary. Borovik's method is to describe the people, places and things he saw. Probably not. Instead they found themselves fighting against the very same people who they were supposed to save. He went so far as to demand that the U. Borovik would go on to become a pioneer investigative journalist in the post-Soviet period. With The Hidden War he provided the world its first glimpse inside the Soviet military machine, capturing the soldiers' terror, helplessness, and despair at waging war in a foreign land against an unseen enemy for unclear purposes. When I was knocking off twenty people at a time on your orders, you said well done! Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. To be consistent and successful, our policy makers and practitioners in Afghanistan must be aware of the intense and often tragic history of our relations with that country. Community Reviews. May 4, A really interesting book. And he shows us that the lessons of Afghanistan are the lessons of Vietnam:. Hidden War: A Russian Journalist's Account of the Soviet War in Afghanistan Afghanistan was the 'Soviet Vietnam', in that it began under dubious circumstances and ended as a quagmire with a messy closure, much like the American experience in Vietnam in the 60s and 70s. Lists with This Book. Reminded me a lot of similar books I've read about Vietnam. He even suggests that perestroika first stirred in the Russian soul precisely because of the horrors of the war in Afghanistan. I keep forgetting about it. Best books about the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. They were concerned about his extremist internal security policy, including the terrorization of clergy, intelligentsia, and party workers, as well as his increasing contact with representatives of the United States and Pakistan. As a book about Afghanistan, I would argue that this work would not provide much insight for a deploying military servicemember or a curious family member associated with our current exercise in frustration over there. Borovik's book is one of the very few primary Hidden War A Russian Journalists Account of the Soviet War in Afghanistan 1st edition of the Soviet-Afghan written in English, and is invaluable in shedding additional light onto the USSR's VIetnam-ish quagmire. Times Store. Even when one of us tried to report the truth the military censors masterfully made it into a lie. I interviewed Karmal, who now lives in Moscow, in April Put his name in the board oh honour. Shelves: books-read-in It shows what the soldiers were thinking at such a time. And probably as radical as Borovik could have written in the Soviet Union, when glasnost was just taking root in the Russian intellectual mind. I don't know if I'll finish this one. There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Once, when Soviet war correspondent Artyom Borovik spotted red and yellow lights flashing back and forth through the night sky, he took it to be passing traffic on a distant highway:.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Reform and Human Rights the Gorbachev Record
    100TH-CONGRESS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES [ 1023 REFORM AND HUMAN RIGHTS THE GORBACHEV RECORD REPORT SUBMITTED TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES BY THE COMMISSION ON SECURITY AND COOPERATION IN EUROPE MAY 1988 Printed for the use of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON: 1988 84-979 = For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, Congressional Sales Office U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402 COMMISSION ON SECURITY AND COOPERATION IN EUROPE STENY H. HOYER, Maryland, Chairman DENNIS DeCONCINI, Arizona, Cochairman DANTE B. FASCELL, Florida FRANK LAUTENBERG, New Jersey EDWARD J. MARKEY, Massachusetts TIMOTHY WIRTH, Colorado BILL RICHARDSON, New Mexico WYCHE FOWLER, Georgia EDWARD FEIGHAN, Ohio HARRY REED, Nevada DON RITTER, Pennslyvania ALFONSE M. D'AMATO, New York CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey JOHN HEINZ, Pennsylvania JACK F. KEMP, New York JAMES McCLURE, Idaho JOHN EDWARD PORTER, Illinois MALCOLM WALLOP, Wyoming EXECUTIvR BRANCH HON. RICHARD SCHIFIER, Department of State Vacancy, Department of Defense Vacancy, Department of Commerce Samuel G. Wise, Staff Director Mary Sue Hafner, Deputy Staff Director and General Counsel Jane S. Fisher, Senior Staff Consultant Michael Amitay, Staff Assistant Catherine Cosman, Staff Assistant Orest Deychakiwsky, Staff Assistant Josh Dorosin, Staff Assistant John Finerty, Staff Assistant Robert Hand, Staff Assistant Gina M. Harner, Administrative Assistant Judy Ingram, Staff Assistant Jesse L. Jacobs, Staff Assistant Judi Kerns, Ofrice Manager Ronald McNamara, Staff Assistant Michael Ochs, Staff Assistant Spencer Oliver, Consultant Erika B. Schlager, Staff Assistant Thomas Warner, Pinting Clerk (11) CONTENTS Page Summary Letter of Transmittal .................... V........................................V Reform and Human Rights: The Gorbachev Record ................................................
    [Show full text]
  • The Message – Supplement
    THE MESSAGE – SUPPLEMENT Dear Friend, Some new information must be shared with you with intention to help you survive the cataclysm and aid the Plan. Because some things, which shouldn’t happened, happened in the recent past, respectively, because most things didn’t happened in accordance with the Plan, some new indications were given about what would happen in the future if the current line of events is going to continue. Indications are that: • World Economy Crisis is going to further develop during this year – 2008. This means that money will be worth less and less, until it won’t have any value anymore. Because of this, it is advisable to use money wisely, for instance, for gathering food, clothes and other stuff, which will be useful to you during the cataclysm. Therefore, it is advisable to use money wisely while it is still worth something. • WWIII will start in August 2009. Those living in Europe and Middle East should get appropriately prepared for it. In all countries, which will get involved, there will be general enrolment. Do not get drafted, as this one is not worth fighting! Do not do yourself any further unnecessary karmic damage! • In the time period from 2010 to 2014, the sea level is going to rise to somewhere from 400 to 500 meters (1 meter = 3,3 feet) above the current sea level. So, if you are going to try to survive the cataclysm, you should find yourself location somewhere above 500 meters above the current sea level. • Pole shift is going to happen during the “Electrical Storm”, from December 21 st to 24 th , 2012.
    [Show full text]
  • Solving the Riddle of Russia: Who Blinks First? Anthony Wilson-Smith
    22 Moscow’s Red Square, St. Basil’s and the Kremlin—seat of power in Russia from the czars, to the Soviets to the current strongman, Vladimir Putin. Wikimedia, Alex Zelenko photo Solving the Riddle of Russia: Who Blinks First? Anthony Wilson-Smith Not only have the West’s post-Soviet dreams of a liberal, quarter century ago, as the So- democratic Russia dissolved in a morass of corruption viet Union lurched toward dis- A solution, one of the people and autocracy; Vladimir Putin’s expansionism and chronicling its fall was Russian journal- tanking oil prices have made Russia a prime candidate ist Artyom Borovik. His television show for next basket case of Europe. Former Maclean’s Vzglyad—which mocked Mikhail Gor- bachev’s government—was watched by Moscow Bureau Chief Anthony Wilson-Smith looks as many as 100 million people a week. at the geopolitical state of play, and sees hope in an Fluent in English, the result of a child- upcoming Arctic Council meeting in Iqaluit. hood in New York with his Soviet dip- lomat father, he also had a large follow- ing in the West. Artyom was energetic, engaging, crusading in his beliefs—and despairing about his country’s future even as he applauded ongoing changes. “Russians,” he once said, “talk about Policy 23 how we like democracy, but we really History shows that Russia—as both a stand-alone like a strongman who tells everyone nation and centrepiece of the old Soviet Union— what to do—and makes the rest of the world pay attention.” tends to become more bellicose in the face of challenges at Within a decade, Vladimir Putin had home.
    [Show full text]
  • Is the Multinational Intervention in Afghanistan Doomed by Hist
    CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by University of Queensland eSpace Challenging Politics Conference Daryl Morini Is the International Intervention in Afghanistan Doomed by History? Exploring the Similarities, Differences and Lessons of Past Conflicts “[L]ike the astrologers and magicians whom they have succeeded [they] cast up their eyes to the clouds, and speak in immense, unsubstantiated images and similes, in deeply misleading metaphors and allegories, and make use of hypnotic formulae with little regard for experience…Thereby they throw dust in their own eyes as well as ours, obstruct our vision of the real world, and further confuse an already sufficiently bewildered public about the relations of value to fact…”1 - Isaiah Berlin, on Historical Inevitability Introduction The international intervention in Afghanistan, now in its ninth year, is doomed by historical fate. History repeats itself and Afghanistan—where foreign invasions have failed since the time of Alexander the Great—will once more bear out this historical inevitability. This matter-of-fact assertion, often tacit but at times explicit, has become a widely-accepted diagnosis of the ongoing war in Afghanistan. I will argue that this blanket critique of the international mission in Afghanistan, based on the premise that it is doomed to fail, is inherently misleading. I will offer three counter-arguments to this critique. Firstly, I will seek to demonstrate that historical inevitability is a myth, albeit a politically-useful one. Secondly, I will concede, where necessary, on some of the tactical and political similarities which such conflicts as the Vietnam War and the 1979-1989 Soviet-Afghan War shared with the current Afghan War.
    [Show full text]
  • China Escalates Campaign Against Critical Voices Without Being Tailed EVENT RECAP by Government Ob- by Chad Bouchard Servers
    THE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF THE OVERSEAS PRESS CLUB OF AMERICA, NEW YORK, NY • July-August 2015 China Escalates Campaign Against Critical Voices without being tailed EVENT RECAP by government ob- By Chad Bouchard servers. “Around Over the last few years, the Chi- 2010 we saw the nese government under President Xi trend go decidedly in Jinping has stepped up a campaign the other direction.” against press freedom and civil so- The FCCC sur- ciety, jailing activists and critical veyed its members voices while intimidating domes- last year and found tic and foreign media. On Monday, that two-thirds of May 18, the OPC hosted a panel to correspondents re- explore the outlook for the country’s ported experiencing future and discuss how far the cur- some kind of inter- Chad Bouchard rent crackdown might go. ference from the Kathleen McLaughlin, who is Clockwise from upper left: Sarah Cook, government while William J. Holstein, Jerome A. Cohen, Kathleen head of the media freedoms com- working in the field. McLaughlin and Ying Zhu mittee for the Foreign Correspon- Sarah Cook, se- geted now are people who had pre- dents’ Club of China (FCCC), and nior research analyst for East Asia viously been on the safe side of the previously reported from China at Freedom House, said China’s Communist Party’s red lines,” she for The Economist, The Guardian, crackdown is a sign of insecurity -- said, adding that many more peo- and BuzzFeed, said after increasing similar moves from authoritarian re- ple are now being jailed instead of pressure and harassment, journalists gimes around the world come from merely silenced.
    [Show full text]
  • The Impact of Political and Business Interests on the Contemporary
    THE IMPACT OF POLITICAL AND BUSINESS INTERESTS ON THE CONTEMPORARY RUSSIAN MEDIA. A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN RUSSIAN AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CANTERBURY BY GREGORY J. SIMONS University of Canterbury 2001 CONTENTS LIST OF GRAPHS v LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS vi LIST OF WORDS vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS viii ABSTRACT ix 0.0 Chapter Objectives 1 0.1 Introduction 1 0.2 Principal Theories for the Thesis 5 CHAPTER 1: FOUNDATIONS OF THE MODERN RUSSIAN MEDIA 1.0 Media Theory 8 1.0.1 The Significance of the Mass Media 8 1.0.2 Social Functions of the Media 8 1.0.3 Requirements for the Freedom of the Press 9 1.1 Theories for the Press 10 1.2 Political Communication 18 1.3 Media Baron Profiles 20 1.3.1 Vladimir Gusinsky 20 1.3.2 Boris Berezovsky 21 1.3.3 Vladimir Potanin 22 1.4 Mass Media During Soviet Times 22 1.5 Late Soviet Media 25 1.6 Chapter Findings 28 CHAPTER II: BUSINESS AND POLITICAL INFLUENCES ON THE MEDIA 2.0 Chapter Objectives 30 2.1 Russian Politics 30 2.2 The Political Struggle 33 2.3 The Information War 33 2.4 Putin's Rise to Power 35 2.5 Berezovsky's Challenge 38 2.6 Chapter Findings 41 CHAPTER Ill: THE INFLUENCE OF CORRUPTION ON THE MEDIA 3.0 Chapter Objectives 44 3.1 Blat 44 3.2 Definition of Corruption 46 3.3 Corruption in the Soviet Union 48 3.4 A History of Corruption in Contemporary Russia 50 3.5 Government Campaigns Against Corruption 52 3.6 The Russian Privatisation Process 54 3.7 Media Involvement in Reporting on Corruption 56 3.8 Use of Corruption in Politics 58 3.9 Chapter
    [Show full text]
  • The Weekly Ogonyok in Soviet and American Public Discourse the Image of the Soviet Liberalisations in East and West (1986-1991)
    The weekly Ogonyok in Soviet and American public discourse The image of the Soviet liberalisations in East and West (1986-1991) Editor-in-chief Vitaly Korotich at Ogonyok’s editorial office in Moscow. Masterscriptie Geschiedenis van de Internationale Betrekkingen Universiteit van Amsterdam Name: Judith Jongeneel Date: 10 January 2018 Student number: 10198504 Supervisor: Sudha Rajagopalan Second evaluator: Rimko van der Maar Table of contents Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 2 The changing international climate ............................................................................................ 3 Ogonyok and Vitaly Korotich ....................................................................................................... 6 Research question and sources ................................................................................................. 11 1. Ogonyok and its editor-in-chief Vitaly Korotich........................................................................ 15 1.1 Strategizing glasnost ........................................................................................................... 15 1.2 The reader speaks out in Slovo chitatelya (‘Word of the reader’) ...................................... 17 1.3 Changing Ogonyok’s content and style ............................................................................... 20 2. Ogonyok in Soviet public discourse .........................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • A Diplomatic Surge in Afghanistan, 2011-14
    A Diplomatic Surge in Afghanistan, 2011–14 Daryl Morini The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member states and their coalition partners—encompassing some 40 democracies—are not the only players with high stakes in the current war for Afghanistan. Influ- ential players such as Russia, Pakistan, Iran, India, and China all have legitimate interests.1 Without a commensurate multilateral diplomatic surge, efforts toward lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan will most likely fail. But the potential of international cooperation in facilitating a long-term political settlement in that country remains woefully under- exploited. Diplomatic cooperation among the main external players, along with coalition forces, will be essential to success in the Afghan campaign. Only by tapping into the global convergence of interests in Afghanistan can the United States and its NATO–ISAF (International Security Assis- tance Force) partners hope for a political victory or, at the very least, an international environment conducive to the conflict’s peaceful resolution. The strife in Afghanistan is variously conceived as an Afghan civil war, an inter-Pashtun ethnic conflict, or an Islamist upheaval. No consensus presently exists on the nature of the conflict in Afghanistan, neither in academic literature nor within NATO–ISAF headquarters.2 The focus here is not on the military operations and campaigns which make up the international intervention in Afghanistan per se, nor does it pretend to contribute to these debates in any meaningful way. Instead, this analysis frames the war from an international relations perspective. This approach has thus far been conspicuously absent in many existing accounts of the conflict.
    [Show full text]
  • Could This Woman Be Vladimir Putin's Real Mother? - Telegraph Page 1 of 3
    Could this woman be Vladimir Putin's real mother? - Telegraph Page 1 of 3 W Could this woman be Vladimir Putin's real mother? Little is known about the childhood of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, despite his position as one of the world's most powerful men. Now in an extraordinary development, a Georgian woman has come forward to say she is his mother. By Kate Weinberg in Georgia Last Updated: 10:44PM GMT 05 Dec 2008 Vera Putina, 82, has claimed he is the child she gave away at the age of ten, giving an account of an unhappy childhood which is fiercely disputed by the Kremlin: Vera Putina lives hand-to-mouth in rural Georgia but displays the famous hospitality of the people of the Caucuses. Draping a cloth over the table in her garden, she piles it with fruit, nuts and shot glasses of chacha – homemade vodka. Her house sits on a dirt track in the village of Metekhi, about 12 miles from Gori which was Vera Putina claims Vladimir Putin is her son and that she gave him away when he was 10 Photo: KATE WEINBERG occupied by Russian tanks this August during the conflict over the breakaway state of South Ossetia. A tiny woman, with gnarled worker's hands, only Mrs Putina's strong cheekbones and deep-set, piercing blue eyes are suggestive of who she claims she is. "I used to be proud of having a son who became President of Russia. Since the war I am ashamed." Since Russian-born Mrs Putina saw Vladimir Putin on the television in 1999, she has been convinced he is her estranged son.
    [Show full text]
  • The Pressing Message of Russian Dissidents
    CICERO FOUNDATION GREAT DEBATE PAPER No. 16/07 October 2016 THE PRESSING MESSAGE OF RUSSIAN DISSIDENTS A LESSON FOR WESTERN LIBERALS NICOLAS TENZER Chairman, CERAP, Paris Editor Review “Le Banquet” France Cicero Foundation Great Debate Paper No. 16/07 © Nicolas Tenzer, 2016 All rights reserved The Cicero Foundation is an independent pro-Atlantic and pro-EU think tank. www.cicerofoundation.org The views expressed in Cicero Foundation Great Debate Papers do not necessarily express the opinion of the Cicero Foundation, but they are considered interesting and thought-provoking enough to be published. Permission to make digital or hard copies of any information contained in these web publications is granted for personal use, without fee and without formal request. Full citation and copyright notice must appear on the first page. Copies may not be made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage. 2 THE PRESSING MESSAGE OF RUSSIAN DISSIDENTS A LESSON FOR WESTERN LIBERALS Nicolas Tenzer Just consider the following list: Anastasia Baburova (1983-2009), a journalist at Novaya Gazeta , Artyom Borovik (1960-2000), an investigative journalist, Natalia Estemirova (1958-2009), a journalist and human rights activist, Dmitry Kholodov (1967-1994), a journalist, working on corruption in the military, Paul Klebnikov (1963-2004), a journalist and the head of Forbes Russia, Vladislav Listyev (1956-1995), a popular TV anchor, Stanislav Markelov (1974-2009), a lawyer, human rights activist, and journalist, Boris Nemtsov (1959-2015), a liberal politician and main opponent of Vladimir Putin, Alexandr Perepilichny (1968-2009), an investment banker and whistleblower, Anna Politkovskaya (1958-2006), a journalist and human rights activist, Yuri Shchekochikhin (1950-2003), an investigative journalist and liberal lawmaker, Galina Starovoytova (1946-1998), a politician, ethnographer and ethnic minority campaigner, Sergei Yushenkov (1950-2003), a liberal politician and human rights defender.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Death of the Russian Media by S.R.Brophy 16 April 2007 the Death Trend Ivan Safronov's Death Highlights the Continued Danger
    Death of the Russian Media By S.R.Brophy 16 April 2007 The Death Trend Ivan Safronov’s death highlights the continued danger faced by journalists in Russia. Russia is the third most dangerous country for a journalist, after only Iraq and Algeria.1 Safronov is the fourteenth journalist, and twentieth member of the Russian media to have been murdered since 2000, the year Putin assumed the presidency.2 All cases remain unsolved. Prior to Safronov’s death, the most recent murdered journalist in Russia was Anna Politkovskaya. Politkovskaya was killed contract style—four bullets, including one in the head—in the elevator of her apartment building on October 7, 2006. She was a staunch critic of the Putin administration and a fervent supporter of human rights. She argued that Putin was stifling civil liberties and taking the country back to a Soviet style dictatorship. She is well known for her coverage of the conflict in Chechnya. Overwhelming evidence points to a trend in Russia in which journalists who are critics of the Kremlin, corruption, and human rights abuses are murdered. Murdering investigative journalists serves two purposes. One is to silence an unwanted voice which has access to a relatively wide audience through the various mediums of media. The second purpose is to convince other journalists that self-censorship would be wise. Press Freedom in Russia Each year Reporters Without Borders conducts a Press Freedom Report. The index measures the state of press freedom in the world. It reflects the degree of freedom journalists and news organizations enjoy in each country, and the efforts made by the state to respect and ensure respect for this freedom.
    [Show full text]
  • EL POLONIO Y OTRAS MANERAS DE MATAR Así Asesinan Los Servicios Secretos
    www.ericfrattini.com Página oficial – EL POLONIO Y OTRAS MANERAS DE MATAR Así asesinan los servicios secretos POLONIO 210, DESDE RUSIA CON AMOR En una fría mañana de diciembre, cinco vehículos negros circulaban a toda velocidad por el centro de Moscú en dirección al cuartel general del Servicio Federal de Seguridad (Federal'naya Sluzhba Bezopasnosti, FSB), situado en la antigua sede del temible KGB, en la plaza Lubyanka. Aquella mañana, Nikolai Platonovich Patrushev, director del FSB había convocado a sus altos mandos para decidir una operación encubierta que debería llevarse a cabo en Gran Bretaña y que incluiría la „liquidación‟ del ex coronel del Departamento 7 del FSB, Alexander Litvinenko. A las siete de la mañana, los cinco vehículos fueron traspasando los controles de seguridad en dirección al edificio principal. Aquella mole, conocida aún como la „Lubyanka‟ o „el Centro‟, no había cambiado demasiado desde la época en que el KGB regía la vida y la muerte de millones de soviéticos. Sus largos y fríos pasillos, sus oscuros sótanos, sus grises paredes. Todo permanecía igual, incluidos los fríos y húmedos calabozos. Tan sólo había cambiado el nombre del inquilino, aunque sus métodos, continuaban siendo los mismos. Los recién llegados eran Viktor Pronichev, Sergei Smirnov y Vyachesvlav Ushakov, quienes conformaban el Estado Mayor del FSB; Oleg Syromolotov, jefe del Departamento 1 encargado de la contrainteligencia; y Viktor Alexandrovich Klimenko, jefe del Directorio de Operaciones y Objetivos Estratégicos de Contrainteligencia, conocido también como departamento UKROSO. La reunión de „alto secreto‟, había sido convocada por el mismísimo Nikolai Patrushev, un estrecho confidente del presidente Vladimir Putin y uno de sus más importantes pilares de poder.
    [Show full text]