Knowledge of Kazakhstan in the West is extremely slim, particularly among western media, and many responses to events there have been wildly off-beam.
The narrative on the right is that Putin is looking to annex Kazakhstan, or at least the majority ethnic Russian areas in the north. This is utter nonsense.
The narrative on the left is that the CIA is attempting to instigate another colour revolution and put a puppet regime into Nur-Sultan (as the capital is called this week). This also is utter nonsense.
The lack of intellectual flexibility among western commentators entrapped in the confines of their own culture wars is a well-established feature of modern political society. Distorting a picture into this frame is not so easily detectable where the public have no idea what the picture normally looks like, as with Kazakhstan.
When you jump into a taxi in Kazakhstan, getting your suitcase into the boot is often problematic as it will be already full with a large LPG canister. Roof racks are big in Kazakhstan. Most Kazakh vehicles run on LPG, which has traditionally been a subsidised product of the nation’s massive oil and gas industry.
Fuel price rises have become, worldwide, a particular trigger of public discontent. The origins of the gilets jaunes movement in France lay in fuel price rises before spreading to other areas of popular greivance. The legacy of fuel protests in the UK have led for years cowardly politicians to submit to annual real reductions in the rate of fuel duty, despite climate change concerns.
The current political crisis in Kazakhstan was spiked by moves to deregulate the LPG market and end subsidy, which led to sharp price increases. These brought people onto the streets. The government quickly backed down and tried to reinstate price controls but not producer subsidies; that would have led gas stations to sell at a loss. The result was fuel shortages that just made protest worse.
Kazakhstan is an authoritarian dictatorship with extreme divisions in wealth and power between the ruling class – often still the old Soviet nomenklatura and their families – and everybody else. No political opposition is permitted. Infamously, after a massacre of striking miners, Tony Blair contacted former dictator Nazarbayev offering his PR services to help limit political fallout. This resulted in a $4 million per year contract for Blair to assist Kazakhstan’s PR, a contract on which BBC favourites Jonathon Powell and Alastair Campbell both worked.
One result of the Blairite media management for Kazakhstan was that the Guardian, publishing US leaked diplomatic cables in cooperation with Wikileaks, refused to publish US Embassy reports on corruption in Kazakhstan.
The Kazakh dictatorship is also a favourite destination of troughing royals Prince Andrew and Prince Michael of Kent.
I always viewed President Nazarbayev as the smartest of the Central Asian dictators. He allowed much greater individual economic freedom than in neighbouring Uzbekistan; Kazakhs could build up enterprises without the fear of having them confiscated at whim by the ruling family, and the collective farm land was given to native farmers and production diversified. Nazarbayev in foreign affairs skilfully balanced between Russia, the West and China, never definitively tilting in one direction. Ethnic Russian technocrats and academics were not driven from the country. Gazprom was not permitted to obtain dominant economic control.
There was no question of democracy being permitted or any form of opposition being given a voice. Media remained firmly under state control; internet access was restricted through designated ISP’s – I believe that has subsequently loosened, but I will not pretend to know the detail. But as in all systems with no democratic accountability and with effective legal impunity for the elite, corruption worsened, systems became sclerotic and frustration and resentment among the general population has built naturally.
The change of President two years ago from Nazarbayev to Tokayev brought no substantial changes in who runs the country.
The fuel price rises triggered protest, and once a population that had seen no outlet for its frustration viewed the chance to protest, then popular frustration erupted into popular dissent. However with no popular opposition leaders to direct it, this quickly became an incoherent boiling up of rage, resulting in destruction and looting.
So where do the CIA come in? They don’t. They were trying to groom a banned opposition leader (whose name I recall as Kozlov, but that may be wrong) but then discovered he was not willing to be their puppet, and the scheme was abandoned under Trump. The CIA were as taken aback by events as everybody else, and they don’t have any significant resources on the ground, or a Juan Gaido to jet in.
So where does Putin come in? Well, the Collective Security Treaty Organisation is a club of authoritarian ex-Soviet leaders. Interestingly, Uzbekistan never joined because Karimov always worried (with some justification) Putin might wish to depose him. President Tokayev’s call for help is a very definite sign of internal weakness. All the CSTO countries have an interest in discouraging popular unrest, so it is unsurprising they have sent in troops, but in numbers which can make no real difference in a vast country like Kazakhstan (which is really, really, really big).
So what happens next? I expect the regime will survive, but then neither I, nor any observer I know of, predicted this would happen in the first place. The unrest will be blamed, entirely untruthfully, on Islamic terrorists and western support. The real consequence may be in the globally important pipeline politics of the region, where there may be a long term shift away from China and towards Russia.
There will be frustration in Beijing as much as in Washington. Tokayev is now indebted to Putin in a way he never has been before. I can guarantee that emergency meetings at the highest level are taking place between the Kremlin and Gazprom right now to determine what they want to leverage from the situation. Putin, as Napoleon might have observed, is an extremely lucky general.
———————————————
Forgive me for pointing out that my ability to provide this coverage is entirely dependent on your kind voluntary subscriptions which keep this blog going. This post is free for anybody to reproduce or republish, including in translation. You are still very welcome to read without subscribing.
Unlike our adversaries including the Integrity Initiative, the 77th Brigade, Bellingcat, the Atlantic Council and hundreds of other warmongering propaganda operations, this blog has no source of state, corporate or institutional finance whatsoever. It runs entirely on voluntary subscriptions from its readers – many of whom do not necessarily agree with the every article, but welcome the alternative voice, insider information and debate.
Subscriptions to keep this blog going are gratefully received.
Choose subscription amount from dropdown box:
Paypal address for one-off donations: [email protected]
Alternatively by bank transfer or standing order:
Account name
MURRAY CJ
Account number 3 2 1 5 0 9 6 2
Sort code 6 0 – 4 0 – 0 5
IBAN GB98NWBK60400532150962
BIC NWBKGB2L
Bank address Natwest, PO Box 414, 38 Strand, London, WC2H 5JB
Bitcoin: bc1q3sdm60rshynxtvfnkhhqjn83vk3e3nyw78cjx9
Ethereum/ERC-20: 0x764a6054783e86C321Cb8208442477d24834861a
Subscriptions are still preferred to donations as I can’t run the blog without some certainty of future income, but I understand why some people prefer not to commit to that.
There are some concerns about Russian military deployed in Kazakhstan.
Today in the news there’s a statement from president Tokaev on CSTO, they will stay until the situation settled.
Another statement is from CSTO, they are leaving Kazakhstan when they are asked to leave.
I recall the date January 19 was mentioned in the very first news, when CSTO was invited. It was stated as temporary deployment for a short term.
Putin, Tokayev, Lukashenko via video conference (2022-01-10):
Tokayev says (excerpts/translation):
“Now I would like to inform you about the current situation in our country and the events of the last few days. Having formed a complete picture of the events, I can justifiably declare that all the events since the beginning of the year are links in a single chain. They are subordinated to a single destructive plan that has taken a long time to work out. How long it has taken – one year, two or three years – the investigation will show.
Time and again, destructive forces have tried to undermine stability and create unrest. The state has been tested for its stability and resilience. (Note: President Tokayev is talking here about earlier protests, for example in 2020, which did not make headlines in the West, but which he sees in retrospect as test runs for current events).
All these actions were resolutely repulsed, but the organisers did not give up their plans and moved on to preparations for armed uprisings. They used as a pretext the discontent of the population in several regions over the increase in the price of gas. Rallies were held where the participants made socio-economic and socio-political demands.
They were all heard and met by the government. The government has resigned, the prices of LPG have been frozen at the previous level. We have announced a series of concrete social and economic measures and a clear plan for social and political reforms.
But this no longer had any meaning for the organisers of the aggression against Kazakhstan. Under the guise of spontaneous protests, a wave of mass unrest unfolded. As if on a single command, religious radicals, criminal elements, unscrupulous bandits, looters and petty rioters emerged. Socio-economic and socio-political demands faded into the background and were forgotten. The hot phase followed and the armed militant groups that had only been waiting for it.
The most important goal, namely to undermine the constitutional order, destroy the government institutions and take over power, became obvious. The talk is of an attempted coup d’état. Now it is already obvious that all these hostilities were coordinated from a single centre, a carefully planned operation has entered its decisive phase.
This is evidenced by the synchronous, and I stress synchronous, attacks on regional government buildings, security agencies, remand centres, strategic facilities, banks, television towers and television stations. Airports were occupied, roads and railways blocked, ambulances and fire brigades prevented from working.
In attacks on military units and army checkpoints, the gangs tried to capture weapons and military equipment. Real fighting broke out in Almaty and other cities. For example, fighting around the Interior Ministry building in the city of Almaty continued for two nights. Police officers repelled terrorist attacks. In Almaty alone, seven arms shops were looted. These were attacks by well-trained professionals, including snipers with special rifles.
The terrorists used their own means of communication and wore military and police uniforms. They cynically used the demonstrators as human shields. The bandits, outnumbered at least five to one, attacked police officers and soldiers, beating them up particularly savagely and beheading two soldiers. There were barbaric attacks on hospitals.
In order to splinter the resources of the state, the organisers of the attack relied on the broadest possible front. The aggression covered eleven regions at the same time, but the main attack was directed against Almaty. As you know, this is our largest city and the financial centre of the country, where the main transport and communication hubs are located. The fall of this city would have paved the way for the capture of the entire densely populated south and then the entire country. The terrorists were counting on drawing the security forces to themselves so that they could then attack the Kazakh capital. We saw groups of fighters around the president’s residence. Basically, it was a real war of terror waged against our state using various methods.
This required unprecedented measures from us. The Kazakh security forces managed to mobilise in a very short time to repel the attackers and bring the situation under control. Unfortunately, the price was very high – there were casualties among the security forces and the civilian population. Sixteen members of the security forces were killed and more than 1,300 wounded. Unfortunately, there were also civilian casualties – the exact number is still being clarified.
Across the country, 1,270 businesses were damaged. More than 100 shopping centres and banks were looted. Around 500 police vehicles alone were damaged and burnt. Enormous material damage has been done, the extent of which is being investigated by a special government commission.
I am sure that terrorists, including foreign fighters, were directly involved in the aggression against Kazakhstan. It is no coincidence that the bandits raided mortuaries at night and took the bodies of their dead accomplices. They also took the bodies of their fighters directly from battlefields. This is a common practice of international terrorists of known origin: this is how they cover their tracks. There is clearly a plan to create a zone of chaos on our territory and then seize power.
Following a decision by the Kazakhstan Security Council, based on a comprehensive analysis by law enforcement and intelligence agencies, the situation was classified as a terrorist threat and an aggressive act. Events in Kazakhstan were critical. Almaty and nine regional centres fell into the hands of bandits. We declared an anti-terrorist operation.
Kazakhstan asked the CSTO for assistance. This request came at the right time. When they learned of the arrival of three military transport planes in the capital, the militants abandoned their plans to capture the presidential residence. This gave us the opportunity to send additional forces to Almaty and rid the city of the terrorists.
In accordance with the decision of the Collective Security Council, an CSTO collective peacekeeping force of 2,030 people and 250 vehicles has been deployed in Kazakhstan and has started carrying out its tasks. They provide protection and security for airports, military camps and other strategic facilities. We will soon hear a report from the CSTO Secretary General on the situation and the tasks carried out.”
Tokayev then summarised the reactions of foreign countries to the deployment of the CSTOs in Kazakhstan
“We can already see that there are questions about the legitimacy of the deployment of the CSTO troops. This is happening due to a lack of reliable information and a lack of understanding of the overall situation. In some cases, the international community, including the foreign media, has completely misrepresented both the deployment of the CSTO troops and the assessment of the situation in Kazakhstan.
Despite all these facts, some sources claim that the authorities in Kazakhstan are cracking down on peaceful demonstrators. This is absolute disinformation. We have never used armed force against peaceful demonstrators and will not do so in the future.
Knowing this, the organisers of the attack on Kazakhstan prepared several waves of attacks. In the first phase, as I said, there were peaceful protests. Then political rallies were held, especially in Almaty, and then armed militants entered the city from three directions like a huge pack of hyenas. At first they pretended to be peaceful demonstrators, deceived the law enforcers and even the city’s residents, and then began what will go down in history as the Almaty tragedy.
Incidentally, the United Nations Charter recognises the inherent right of every state to individual – and I emphasise collective – self-defence in the event of an armed attack from outside.
In the near future, after the conclusion of the preliminary investigation, we will present to the world community further evidence of the preparation and execution of the terrorist attack on our country”
A bit of maths
The price of LPG has risen from £0.10 to £0.21 due to the removal of subsidies. This was the main trigger for the protests.
Average income in Kazakhstan per month: 270,000 KZT (production) > ~£456. UK monthly £2,780.
Mr Kazak can buy £456/0.10 = 4560 units, Mrs UniKi can buy 2,780/0.61 = 4560 units if fuel price was £0.61! Double £0.61 and you pay £1.22. That’s not really a reason to set a whole country on fire and murder people!
income: tradingeconomics.com
exchange rate: xe.com
That’s really helpful to have these details…
I just finished reading this article before coming on here, and from what is expressed in the words you’ve posted here, then it does come across as ‘color revolution’ and although quite brief, the outline of the reasons for such a co-ordinated attack make sense, given the pressure that’s been mounting on Russia.. Also, as we know when there’s a unified narrative in the western media machine, then something is definately afoot..
https://off-guardian.org/2022/01/11/kazakhstan-unrest-europes-anti-lockdown-protests-a-contrast-in-reactions/
As I suggested early – Kazakhstan being part of the CSTO doesn’t mean that it is Russia alone of the two mainstay SCO founders who will be doing the heavy lifting all by itself.
“China and Russia are standing firmly together to support Kazakhstan in cracking down on riots and bringing back normal life, as the externally stoked “terrorist attacks” have caused great losses and stirred social turmoil unseen in decades in the Central Asian country.”
China, Russia stand together in support of Kazakhstan’s dealing with unrest – by Cao Siqi and Xu Yelu (Global Times, 11 Jan 2022)
“Wang held a phone conversation with Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tleuberdi, saying that China is willing to increase cooperation with Kazakhstan in law enforcement and security, boost bilateral cooperation in anti-interference operations, safeguard the security of the political systems and governments of the two countries, prevent and oppose any attempt of “color revolutions,” and jointly oppose the interference of external forces.”
It seems that organisation, the SCO, is force bloomed into becoming the common security collaboration – that can resist the Nato wankers and their ‘consultant mercenaries without flags’ and proxy nazi canon fodder and head choppers of Syria and co – by NATO’s own dysfunctional hired hoods treading towards their pay offs from the MIC’s that will let them have a fraction of a fraction of the 2% of the money they have pilfered from their own citizens.
Such as these 3 blind mice ‘senior officers’ leading their blind citizens to send more of their own nations funds to the nato fire insurance mafia. With a virtual AI navy as a backstop! Because kids want to grow up in a modern peaceful world and not be rum sodded targets on desolate ships far from their lands, defending what? Some far off patch of water? A PMC? Some resource thieves?
A fire insurance that will never pay out or was intended to provide any real insurance anyway.
Panel: Smaller NATO Navies Struggle with Recruitment, Awareness – by John Grady (USNI News, 11 Jan 2022)
It is hilarious, short too, I recommend it’s clear sighted, delusional, macho fantasy; And these are the guys who want to rebuild German and Dutch naval forces, whilst Canadians give themselves a kicking by claiming they really have a navy!
Our MSM millionaires working for their billionaire masters and the whole propaganda machinery is priming the sacrifice of ‘our Heroes’ to gallop into this century’s Charge of The Light Brigade and Gallipoli!
Isn’t it about time we marched upon Whitehall and had a word with our Ministry of Defence about the lunatics who are running that asylum ? ?
Turns out there’s a long-standing connection between a Kazakh politician Involved in the turmoil and the two Bidens, Joe and Hunter. BIDEN BUSINESS ASSOCIATE, FORMER KAZAKH PM ARRESTED ON SUSPICION OF TREASON.
Azamat Ibrayev was found dead in Nur-Sultan. Looks like he fell out of a window. Colonel Ibraev worked as KNB’s inside security head, and he was a close friend to Massimov (arrested couple of days ago).
General Zhanat Suleimenov was found dead, he committed suicide. General was the head of the police department of the Zhambyl region. The capital city of the region is Taraz, one of those who rebelled.
Brian Berletic going through extensive NED funding and activity in Kazakstan:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMtOme-J3D4
Pepe Escobar:
https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2022/01/06/steppe-on-fire-kazakhstan-color-revolution/
Neither guys left or right wing, certainly both well versed in the local geopolitics.
Brian’s dissection of the Western shenanigans is second to none, William, it is indeed tracking the money, he does so superbly, in half a hour he’s managing to explain it all.
Craig Murray should watch it, comment on it; he thinks that because he spent time in the region he knows it all, obviously he doesn’t.
I agree Baron. Pepe has covered the story very well, it’s his region of study. This is a chat with him on The Grayzone today:
Kazakhstan coup fails, US-Russia talks go nowhere. Is war on horizon? – Max Blumenthal & Pepe Escobar (The Grayzone, 14 Jan 2022) – YouTube, 1h 50m
and his most recent article:
After Kazakhstan, the color revolution era is over – by Pepe Escobar (TheCradle.co, 12 Jan 2022)
Not enough great independent journalists doing good work these days but, The Grayzone, MintPress, Breakthrough News with Rania Khalek. I think there’s room for a lot more independent journalists digging into it. And of course- Craig is doing exceptional work and I’m a big big fan. On this story though, I do not agree with the conclusion.
In Kazakhstan, it certainly looks like an attempted color revolution to me. What exactly is the evidence against that?
@Antiwar7, I see no mileage in proving a negative.
That said, I would be interested as to why you think a colour revolution is plausible. I’m heading in the opposite direction of a failed coup attempt…_
Because of how coordinated the protesters were, in seizing airports, for example, and in how rapidly the protests spreads. Financially poor, pissed off people usually aren’t so coordinated. What infrastructure, for example, did the BLM protesters in the the US seize?
The reason I ask, because the answer helps us to understand the motivation, tactics, and sources of support of the protesters.
There was news of protesters beheading police officers. That would suggest that jihadists had been transported into the cities where these incidents occurred, from overseas. Almaty is not far from Kyrgyzstan or from Xinjiang. Northern Afghanistan is not far away either.
There has been news from Sputnik News also that an unemployed Kyrgyzstani jazz musician, Vikram Razukhunov, had been identified as a rioter. Razukhunov admitted to having been paid by people he did not know to travel to Almaty (they may have transported him there and arranged his accommodation) to participate in some event he probably had only the haziest details about. Paying people to participate in riots is a known Color Revolution tactic, used in Ukraine in 2014 and in Hong Kong in 2019.
The stories of head choppers have not been substantiated. It’s time this part of the rumour mill was binned…_
I’m afraid these are not rumors, this is a statement by Dauren Abaev from the presidential administration. One of the beheaded is a military college cadet.
British media and politicians conveniently forgetting how The People’s Sir Tony galloped to the defence of the Kazakh autocracy the last time it crushed an uprising. Our guy piously asserted that Nazarbayev had shown “the toughness necessary to take the decisions to put the country on the right path.” The humanitarian trousered a pretty penny for his intervention, which he apparently donated to the care of children born with birth defects in Iraq.**
https://newrepublic.com/article/107248/buckraking-around-the-world-tony-blair
** Although evidence of this alleged donation remains elusive.
This is Mr Murray’s (subjective) stance on the recent protests & unrest in Kazakhstan that can not & should not be generalised. There are a number of interesting facts that were not addressed by Mr Murray.
Before addressing the triggering factors of the Kazakh protests & unrest, let’s analyse, utterly leaning upon an inductive strategy, who or what most benefited from this crisis in the end.
These are the facts that have been officially made public by the Kazakh government.
Let’s try to draw inferences from these facts:
Regarding the Western reaction towards the Kazakh unrest:
As usual, the West is cautiously unveiling its position. The Western Intelligence Agencies, first & foremost the CIA & the SIS-MI6, either didn’t have any clue about the Russian plan for ‘re-invading’ the Central Asian countries or they already accepted “the reality” that this region of the world belongs to Russia hence they were not focusing on them. Another assumption could be – it was an issue that is related to Intelligence-policy relations in the West – but I don’t see any foundation for such an assumption…
Ok, let’s start with the Collective Security Treaty Organisation. It was Nazarbaev’s initiative to create it.
Then, Serdyukov, Commander of Russian Forces in Syria. Successful commander, he cleared Idlib of ISIS.
Form these facts I can draw a conclusion, that Kazakhstan’s ex-president and national security chief knew what they may expect, and who may help them.
Yakubov displays his bias straight away by claiming Russia invaded Crimea in 2014 when in fact Russian forces were stationed in Crimea and Sevastopol under the terms of an agreement signed by both Russia and Ukraine first in 1997 and periodically confirmed by both nations until the peninsula and the city returned to Russia.
Yakubov’s careful cherry-picking also completely ignores Kazakhstan’s 30-year history of domination by Nursultan Nazarbayev who, although originally part of the Soviet ruling elite before the country became independent, cultivated Western contacts and oversaw Western penetration into Kazakhstan’s major political and economic structures and networks. Nazarbayev, his daughters and their spouses benefited from all this. No mention of Chevron or Exxon Mobil’s activities in the Caspian Sea area around Aktau in Mangystau region?
The comment is so full of bias, I think you would be wasting your time picking it apart. The mindset behind it is on another planet.
Thanks, Jen. I see some bias but I don’t care. People are free to think whatever. I try my best to address the facts, rather then opinions.
You’ve mentioned Kyrgyzstan in the one above comment, and also Isego makes one brilliant translation of president Tokaev’s.
I’m sorry to thank you both in one phrase, it’s just I’m today in my Big Cooking day and short of time. Nonetheless I listen to news via airpods, while chopping onions 🙂
today’s CSTO meeting, Kyrgyzstan’s president was absent, they have issues now with Tokaev. Looks like many those detained were Kyrgyzstan citizens.
On the detained artist, who said he was paid to participate in the protest – there’s report on the Dozhd or Echo of Moskow, can’t tell for sure, but definitely not a pro-Kremlin media. That artist was taken home by his relatives and friends, they don’t believe his story, they rather believe he was tortured to make such a confession.
Yet, today 3 big guys from KNB were found dead. One suicide, one heart attack and one ‘fell from a height’. Very suspicious.
Jen
Which comment?
Jen
I see, Ikrom Yakubov’s comment . The first thing to unpick about it is that Mi6 has publicly declared that it will move in from the Middle East to further East. As far as the Pacific. None of any of its business. When Mrs May was PM Russia displayed its intelligence snd air defence superiority over Britain and France. Do these under developed nations , basking in their historic empires, think they will be more successful at regime change in Kazakhstan, when they have been unable to change the EU across the English Channel, one fondly asks?
Absolutely, it was the US-led coalition that invaded Crimea with their “little green soldiers”… Hey CIA, hands off from Crimea. Crimea “belongs” to Russia. “Крым Наш“, “ Казахстан Наш, Узбекистан Наш, Прибалтика Наш”…
Tatyana,
Who has the power – and – does “Power corrupt” – and – “absolute power corrupt absolutely.”
What Lord Acton said was that power tends to corrupt, whereas absolute power corrupts absolutely. I.e., mere power does not always corrupt, whereas absolute power always does.
“…didn’t have any clue about the Russian plan for ‘re-invading’ the Central Asian countries…”/p>
Where can I get a copy of this plan? Must be a fascinating reading.
Of course, you did not have any clue about the Russian re-invasion plan for Central Asia. This is because Putin, with his repugnant propaganda that is replete with nasty Russian nationalism and fascism, amputated your brain and made you a brainless creature… That copy can be obtained from a Midget dictator in the Kremlin…
“Invaded” Crimea? Gimme a break!
A violent and coordinated opportunity
WATCH: Striking Video of Terrorists Rampaging Through Almaty, Taldykorgan, Aktobe, Looting Businesses, Assaulting Police, Injuring Civilians – The Astana Times, 9 Jan 2022.
Follow up details
Kazakh President Declares January 10 as National Day of Mourning – by Assel Satubaldina, Zhanna Shayakhmetova (The Astana Times, 9 Jan 2022)
I spend a lot if time thinking about how to subvert the 24/7 spying to which we are now subjected. But Soviet block 24/7 spying has been going far longer than that, and Ottonan empire spying long before that.
So it shouldn’t be surprising that Kazakhstanis have alternative methods of communication to bypass government eavesdropping. But the most effective form of secret communication is the government’s own telecom and Internet systems onto which are piggy-backed the public’s mobiles snd Internet network.
Tory knighrs panic about Huawei opening back doors onto their corruption and private sleaze. Countries like Syria have the intelligence capability to identify, arrest and exterminate all.opposition. Whoever supplies the technology is in control of everything.
I apologise for referencing this to Kurdistan, but politicians are absolute liars. I saw an interview on a US TV channel of the Kurdish intelligence minister saying ‘ we are a new country without resources and we are fighting terrorists single handed, without outside assistance’.
This is the same man that signed for Daesh to come to Mosul in Amman in 2014 after their training by Israel and Saudi Arabia in Jordan. This is the same man who bought German high tech weaponry to defend the country against Daesh and then sold them to Daesh.
Victim crocodile tears and deceit are the particular trait of not just Islamism, but also Zionism . We should never assume that any politician , of capitalism, Communism, Scottish Nationalism is ever telling the truth. The ones who claim victimhood are probably the liars.
Giyane – if you are of any interest whatsoever to UK/US/other security service agencies, trust me they WILL be engaged in ‘full spectrum doominance’ surveillance of all your communications.
I have had:
Etc etc etc.
If they want to monitor you, they will. They can even send you messages through TVs when they are switched on. Don’t ask me how they do it, I’m not a telecommunications boffin, but I can tell you that I received the messages loud and clear!
Any nutcase in this country that tries to tell you that we are sweet little virgins where spying is concerned needs a smart biff on the nose, especially if they are an MP……
Rhys “Did I mention Cambridge?” Jaggar wrote:
“If they want to monitor you, they will. They can even send you messages through TVs when they are switched on. Don’t ask me how they do it, I’m not a telecommunications boffin, but I can tell you that I received the messages loud and clear!”“
Do they also broadcast messages to you through your teeth fillings? This appears to happens quite a lot with people in your position.
The general consensus among this community appears to be to thoroughly cover all outward facing surfaces (walls, floor, ceiling, windows) in your room with aluminium foil, and – perhaps more importantly – to fashion some sort of headwear from the same material, and wear it at all times.
glenn_nl
Psychopaths generally interpret faith , as naivety, which they can exploit. So if for example Putin is motivated by faith to ask the West to obey international law in the pursuance of peace, that is a red rag to a bull and they will switch on their full psychopathic deviousness by pretending to support Nazis , criminals and disturbing the faithful with intrusion into their personal lives.
I take it from the tone of your comment that you admire psychopaths. If the closet psychopaths in society did not secretly support the professional , political , psychopath class, the world would be a better place.
G: “Psychopaths generally interpret faith , as naivety, which they can exploit.”
They do, do they? Could you reference the studies which assert this please. And – even more importantly – show that people who interpret faith as nativity are mostly psychopaths, which you are slyly trying to imply here.
In general, I personally regard “faith” as an entirely fixed mindset, and nothing – facts, evidence, experience – nothing can shake it. They cannot be exploited by anyone, because they are already fully exploited by their delusion, and those that encourage it. Which is the exact opposite of what you have (without evidence) asserted.
G: “I take it from the tone of your comment that you admire psychopaths”
Well you take it completely wrong, as usual. I suspect it’s your sneaky way of linking anyone not following your religious delusions (particularly when they call you out on it) as having some psychological problem, because you find that every single person on Earth conveniently fits into one or other of your little boxes.
Allow me to spell it out.
All Muslims are good people, unless they’re bad, in which case they’re not “real” Muslims. So all bad people couldn’t possibly be Muslims. And all good people are either already confirmed as “real” Muslims or they are actually Muslims but they don’t realise it yet. Right?
Rhys Jaggar
My political Islamist Kurdish friend, befriended my next door neighbour and I overheard them talking in English on the phone. But whatever monitoring equipment they were using often got turned off by his mother, presumably because she disapproved and because of the electric bill. Whenever this happened , a Kurdish man entered the house to turn it back on, on one occasion complaining ” why ?! ” in Kurdish.
Anyway they bought the house off him and the monitoring continued with different single men. Now ,there is a couple, and if I browse the Internet on my phone at night , she calls him, and he comes home. The excuse for this is according to my Kurdish friend to check my chastity, in spite of it being illegal and against Islam, uncivilised etc. The purpose I assume us to grind me down.
Fortunately my life and my DNA has prepared me for resistance, having come from Huguenots. Thank God I regard my paid observers as my friends, because there is now a witness to my practice of Islam and my peaceful marriage my productivity as an electrician , and my strong relationships with my family. So the more they spy, the more they clear my name.
Why do they spy? Purely as a form of continual.provocation. Obviously the funds are provided from police or government but the twist on my actions is interpreted by the Muslim lens that it is impossible for and Englishman to be a Muslim, and the English lens that I joined Islam as an expression of stereotypic violence. Which is deeply ironical considering that my Kurdish friend fought for USIKIS in Al Qaida, is now a recruiter for USUKIS jihad, and the antics of USUKIS itself. Clearly a projection of their violence onto my goldfish bowl existence, swimming round my bowl and hoping guidance from God will eventually come to them.
Good to have you back with us Craig, cheers Boss.
C.M.: “So where do the CIA come in? They don’t. They were trying to groom a banned opposition leader (whose name I recall as Kozlov, but that may be wrong) … The CIA were as taken aback by events as everybody else … “
With all due respect that sounds a bit naive.
Actually the man who’d been long groomed is/was Karim Massimov (K.M.). Few excerpts of K.M. bio:
Can anyone seriously think that the agency would skip such a target ?
Here’s the cherry on top
Photo: https://www.the-sun.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2020/10/NINTCHDBPICT000615474953.jpg?strip=all&w=871
https://kiar.center/the-son-of-former-us-vice-president-biden-received-money-not-only-in-ukraine-but-also-in-kazakhstan/
Also … can anyone name a country with oil, gas and natural resources similar in size/volume to Kazakhstan’s where the agency is not “actively present” ? And close to the RF, needless to mention.
I wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss CIA involvement, or if you want to exclude the CIA, how about a CIA cut-out like MI6 or the Grey Wolves of Erdoğan.
There’s no doubt they’ve been involved in stirring the pot in Kazakhstan.
Watch this video, Jay, it has been posted by William already, but you may have missed it, it should be a must watch for everyone, it’s factual, follows the money, hard to fault.
Washington’s Role in Kazakhstan’s Chaos – The New Atlas (YouTube, 30m 48s)
Any facts for the CIA’s involvement? A typical MGB/KGB style – “Vinovat vsegda CIA”…
The most clever ever spokesperson in the US, highly appreciated by Obama’s and Biden’s administrations for her unprecedented intellectual skills – Ms. Psaki – brings her precious opinion on Russia-Nato negotiation. She warns you all, beware of Russian disinformation!
Russian Embassy had to post a response
Embassy of Russia in the USA / Посольство России в США
?? ?? Embassy’s #response to the statement of Jen #Psaki
⚡ We paid attention to the statement of the White House Press Secretary J. Psaki during a briefing on January 10 on the preparation of the #USA for the possible dissemination of misinformation by Russia regarding the progress of Russian-American negotiations in Geneva.
❗ We decisively reject such insinuations. Russian official statements fully correspond to reality. From the very beginning, our country has demonstrated maximum transparency in this dialogue.
? As a proof that #Russia brought to the international public the draft agreement between the Russian Federation and the United States of America on security guarantees and the agreement on security measures of the Russian Federation etc. Members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization https://www.mid.ru/ru/foreign_policy/news/1790809/ ).
? In turn, we expect mutual openness from the American side. We urge our colleagues to refrain from baseless speculations addressed to their partners in consultation. All the more that such an approach indicates the degradation of the culture of negotiations.
➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖
Tagged to: Russian Foreign Ministry – МИД России; Consulate General of Russia in New York; Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Houston; США по-pусски – U.S. Department of State; U.S. Department of State; U.S. Department of Defense (DoD); The White House; Washington Post; The Washington Times; New York Post; The New York Times; POLITICO; Foreign Policy; Foreign Affairs; The Hill
The first meeting was a success, Ryabkov said. It’s a pity that US insists on non-public diplomacy. I’d be pleased to know the details about nuclear weapons in Europe, and especially about offensive weapons on my country’s borders.
She is not as good as Maria Zakharova…
she is as bad as Blinken.
These two open their mouths and I see a fluttered chicken coop ‘oh my god, oh my god! Evil Russia wants to do something terrible! save yourself! ‘
Pompeo was better, albeit he breeds exceptional cockroaches in his head, but he at least can tell the South from the North on the maps, and knows that there’s no sea in Belarus.
Just in case people still believe this is about Russia and the collective security agreement, China is making sure there are no doubts about it:
“Observers said China’s crucial role in maintaining regional peace and stability has been highlighted in dealing with the political turmoil in Kazakhstan, reflected in Kazakhstan’s full trust in China and appreciation for China’s practical support.”
https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202201/1245593.shtml
I agree with CM spotting the ghost of Greenmantle riding forth – it’s likely isn’t it, with bad blood and score-settling over the betrayal by Langley over the Afghan chaotic withdrawal. ‘Allies? My arse.‘
DunGroanin
Who is responsible for the corruption that brings Kazakhstan’s oil and mineral wealth to London and Paris, the Kazakh tribal oligarchs or Gobal Capitalism? Theree’s no shortage of money, but it is not used to develope the country it ordinated from. So who’s to blame for that? And who’s to blame if the West is therefore able to radicalise that country’s imams against the corruption that starves the people?
Or put another way, Is it the Edinburgh elite fawning to Westminster or is it imposed on Scotland by force?
Get rid of the Pimps, like Lady Dorrian who imposes Westminster’s will on Scotland by force in exchange for gravy and power..Get rid of the Erdoğans trying to restore their corrupt empires. It’s no good saying , as Thatcher did that by feeding the Pimps it trickles down to the workers.
Corruption is endemic in every -ism on earth. And those offering the corruption are as guilty as those accepting it..Corruption automatically leads to rebellion if nothing trickles down to ordinary people and if surveillance and oppression rather than opportunity and equality is the tool used to contain dissent.
I personally don’t score China higher than the West if measured by this idea. All governments are obsessed with micromanaging humanity through spying , which is why spying is completely forbidden in Islam as a tool of repression used to enforce inequality.
Giyane,
Do you recall that a decade ago Prince Andrew sold his dilapidated Sunninghill estate to a Kazakhstani businessman through an arrangement that apparently involved several people in the Kazakhstani business elite, one of whom appears to be Ruslan Tsarnyy (uncle of alleged 2013 Boston Marathon bombers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev)?
The fellow who bought Sunninghill at a price well above its market price was none other than Timur Kulibayev – the son-in-law of former Kazakhstan President Nusultan Nazarbayev.
Perhaps Prince Andrew played a considerable role in helping to bring Kazakhstan’s resource wealth to London. He should be questioned about his links to Nazabayev and Nazarbayev’s daughters and their associates, and whether he also personally benefits from them.
Jen, it was not the most expencive purchaise.
Here is a video by Anatoly Sharij
https://youtu.be/MOHba-AyQxI
He shows estates that belong to Nazarbaev’s family, worldwide, many in Switzerland, Spain, USA etc. What they have in the UK:
215-237 Backer Street, London, US $ 214.5 million;
41-42 Upper Grosvenor street, 41-42 Reeves Mews, London, US $ 92.2 million;
Pine Hill, Heatherside drive, Virginia water, Surrey, US $ 39.9 million;
Sunninghill Park, Buckhurst Road, Ascott, US $ 30.1 million;
Jen
I have a soft spot for Prince Andrew having myself been sent away from.home to be brought up far from parents in an public school. My own personal smbition was to be a craftsman, a choice unavailable to keep him.out of mischief.
All that was available for him was marriage to a disaster , a military career and the bad company as a salesman of Mr Epstein. I have thankfully evaded my chains, but a royal is manacled to Empire and unwanted media intrusion.
A bit of a blind spot for me because I can see the unseen manacles of loyalty to the corrupt institutions of power. A loyalty he even tried to extend to Epstein.
Before you can say Yes Ma’m this comment will be deleted by those who don’t see the demons I see, but see him as a willing supporter of the tar baby that is glued to him.
G,
The usual suspect.
The City – the sceptic parasite.
& it’s Ancient Masters.
And it’s minions and worm tongues … many who maraud btl boards.
DunGroanin
But if we didn’t have the sceptic parasites and their minons and worms tongues, presumably we would have instead the Tokayevs and Bidens.
The Septics? They really need to Go Home. ?
Lukashenko said they’ve got some intelligence on Uzbekistan and this counttry should be very attentive now. Uzbekistan aswers, they will turn for help to Russia directly, they are not CSTO members.
And there are still refugees on the border of Belarus and Poland, and the European Union does not let them in. Poland has rejected Frontex’s offered assistance, denied access to journalists, and drove 10,000 troops to the border. I hope they don’t start shooting.
Yeah that Intelligence was tipped off to Batka (a Russian puppet) by a Midget dictator in the Kremlin… What an all-knower that Lukashka…?!
There are two existential threats to the Central Asian countries: 1. Putinist Russia (shameless, faceless and bloodthirsty) & Russians, who live in the Central Asian countries; 2. China!!!
“Existential” .. Are you suggesting Russia or China might nuke Central Asia? I fear your handlers will soon be dispensing with your services.
Mr. Murray says that Uzbekistan never joined CSTO. That is not entirely so.
from Wiki:
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Организация_Договора_о_коллективной_безопасности
May 15, 1992 the treaty was signed in Tashkent, the capital city of Uzbekistan. The treaty is also called “Tashkent pact”.
In 1999 Uzbekistan didn’t renew membership.
In 2006 returned.
In 2010, there was an ethnic confrontation in Kyrgyzstan between Uzbeks and Kyrgyz, and the CSTO refused to send troops, although it provided investigative assistance. It is believed that the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan was involved (it had its headquarters in Afghanistan, then it moved to Pakistan, later fought on the side of the Taliban, then was renamed to the Islamic Movement of Turkestan and swore allegiance to ISIS).
In 2012 Uzbekistan suspended it’s membership.
Mr. Murray says that “The unrest will be blamed, entirely untruthfully, on Islamic terrorists”
I’d say, not entirely untruthfully.
The Rise and Fall of the British Nation: A Twentieth-Century History by David Edgerton 2019 ed. Penguin Books, London 978-0-141-97597-9
“There were no cranes left to be dipped in respect by the dockers in the unprecedented honour the London proletariat gave Churchill in 1965. [Thatcher’s funeral] In the old and distressed pit villages of England, of Scotland and of Wales, forgotten former miners celebrated bitterly. Tony Blair, meanwhile, was making money working for some of the vilest torturers and dictators on Earth. Only satirists, not historians, could do justice to this turn of events.” p. 519
Best ending to a British history since AJP Taylor’s English History 1914-1945.
A very sensible piece on the situation here By Scott Ritter –
“If ever a critical diplomatic negotiation was doomed to fail from the start, the discussions between the U.S. and Russia over Ukraine and Russian security guarantees is it.
The two sides can’t even agree on an agenda.” […]
“Russia won’t wait until the U.S. has had time to accumulate sufficient military power, either. Russia will simply destroy the offending party through the combination of an air campaign designed to degrade the economic function of the targeted nation, and a ground campaign designed to annihilate the ability to wage war. Russia does not need to occupy the territory of NATO for any lengthy period—just enough to destroy whatever military power has been accumulated by NATO near its borders.
And—here’s the kicker—short of employing nuclear weapons, there’s nothing NATO can do to prevent this outcome. Militarily, NATO is but a shadow of its former self. The once great armies of Europe have had to cannibalize their combat formations to assemble battalion-sized “combat groups” in the Baltics and Poland. Russia, on the other hand, has reconstituted two army-size formations—the 1st Guards Tank Army and the 20th Combined Arms Army—from the Cold War-era which specialize in deep offensive military action.
Even Vegas wouldn’t offer odds on this one.” […]
By Scott Ritter
Special to Consortium News
https://consortiumnews.com/2022/01/10/what-war-with-russia-would-look-like/?
The headless corpses are not being used by the Kazakhstan government/winners in this event to show how grateful the citizens should be for their wonderful leaders. Exactly the opposite, it’s hardly mentioned at all.
The cut and paste story doing the rounds is…. “On Thursday, (i.e., 06/Jan) authorities said 18 security personnel had been killed, including one who had been beheaded”
If it was anything more than heavy calibre gun fire, hand grenade, Rocket Propelled Grenade etc., taking someone’s head off, I’m sure the propaganda machine would have exploited such an atrocity to the max….they haven’t.
Beyond the plausible suggestion this is the typical Jihadi m.o. for head choppers, I think it best ignored for now as a non sequitur.
It still looks like a failed coup attempt with a half assed attempt to colour it up.
What I am finding increasingly plausible are the suggestions that the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) has come in to its own as a counter balance to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)
Now that is spooky…_
Csto withdrawal is planned for January 13.
Yesterday the Internet was restored and people start posting on Pikabu. They say that situation in AlmaAta changed on the night January 5/6. They say there were a lot of ‘mambets’ in the streets, it is a negative word they use for errr… uneducated people from remote rural areas. Those were unexpected to flood the streets of AlmaAta, the big city and former capital of the state. Common residents of the city were staying in their homes, police were fighting in the streets.
Arab speech was mentioned, also in one comment a woman described a group of men attacking a military lorry, some of them lost their face covers and she saw they were ‘either Iranians or Arabs’.
No comments on beheaded policemen though. Many live videos.
Ah, sorry, videos, I’ve seen no beheaded people in it. Some dead uniformed men. A dead man in car. People carrying people. Ambulance car burning. Military transport attacked. Buildings burning. Shootings and explosions.
I understand what they mean by ‘mambet’, something like this charming young intellectual, who drove military KAMAZ shouting ‘let’s attack police post!’ and filming himself on camera. https://pikabu.ru/story/otvet_na_post_zachem_a_glavnoe_nauya_8753424
Let’s wait for the authorities to investigate the detained, pehaps we will see what they have on their phone cameras.
“This charming young intellectual” reminds me of the charming young students in “Les Miserables”, who decide that the current head of state is unacceptable and rush out to man barricades in Paris.
Unfortunately for them, the army reacts much as the Russian army reacted in Kazakhstan, and they are (almost) all killed.
Excuse me, do you think the Russian army went into the streets to fight protesters in Kazakhstan?
More of charming young intellectuals, several beaten policemen, someone lying dead in a ditch and I can’t understand if his head is attached to his body.
https://pikabu.ru/story/zhestokie_kadryi_izbieniya_radikalami_politseyskikh_8755119
January 5, the day president Tokayev requested assistance.
@Tom, the reports on activities of CSTO forces I have seen, point to them only being used as a security force protecting strategic Kazakhstan government sites.
I have seen no reports of them being used as street security. It seems that task was left to the state’s own security forces.
Let’s see how accurate the reports are of CSTO forces now being withdrawn and how long it takes.
As to the reasons for recent large numbers of Russian forces on Ukraine’s borders…..I don’t know. But it is quite a coincidence…_
DiggerUK
There are official reports from American intelligence and the Ukrainian services themselves that there are no Russian troops on the border.
Rumors were spread by dishonest media, presumably at the suggestion of Nuland. This was published in The New York Times, Bild and Politiko, the latter published a photo of Russian troops near the city of Yelnya near Belarus, and claimed that they were Russian troops near Ukraine. You have become a victim of this fake, I advise you to change your sources of information to more decent ones.
@ Tatyana, the invasionary Russian forces on Ukraines border. You make it sound like a carbon copy of Pattons fake invasionary forces in WW2. It is definitely news to me…_
digger don’t you ever think you are in a nightmare without your trousers?
Are you channeling a dumb dingo trait?
All has been explained above by various links why not go back to T’s post and replies above
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2022/01/what-kazakhstan-isnt/comment-page-3/#comment-1006718
Any chance you can wake up and put some pants on?
????
There were disproofs in Russian media. I remember the photos used in those fake news were examined, the photos were taken from Russian defence ministry website, showing our military in Russia, somewhere 300 or 700 kilometres far from the border.
My personal opinion, the fake was launched by Ukraine and supported by Nuland and Blinken, because Ukraine don’t want to drive its military away from Donbass. They say it openly now, that they don’t want to keep to the Minsk agreement. Try to find anything to let their army keep bombing Donbass. The goal is to possess the land, population is prevailing russians. Kiev wants this land at any cost.
I’m sorry Tatyana, but after trying to find confirmation that the Russian troop deployments near Ukraine’s borders are not true, I find nothing to confirm.
In particular, any searches I have done of RT and Al Jazeera archives come up blank. Can you flesh this out with some meat on the bones?
It is easy to understand that one side’s idea of what ‘on the border’ means may not be the same as the others. Myself, I would find it lapse of Russia not to have substantial forces deployed in the region…_
can you please translate it yourself?
https://www.rbc.ru/politics/02/11/2021/6180b42d9a7947ad52392709
also I address you to
https://tass.ru/mezhdunarodnaya-panorama/13328315
and from this I Google-translate a bit
https://www.gazeta.ru/politics/2021/11/08_a_14181403.shtml
“The first publication of this series appeared on October 30 on the pages of The Washington Post … The only specifics given … related to … Russian-Belarusian exercises … units of the 41st Combined Arms Army and the 1st Guards Tank Army remained after the exercises “near the border with Ukraine”. Experts estimated the number of troops from 80 to 90 thousand people, “not counting those stationed in the Crimea.”
The very next day, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine denied these data, and two days later, the chairman of the Committee of the Chiefs of Staff of the US Armed Forces, General Mark Milli, speaking at the Aspen Security Forum, stated that there was no threatening military activity of Russia near the border with Ukraine …
November 3 … Maria Zakharova drew attention to the Politico and Foreign Policy publications…
On November 7, the press secretary of the Ukrainian president, Sergei Nikiforov, had to explain himself. He said that Kiev has no information about the accumulation of Russian troops on the border with Ukraine, and at a meeting with the president, the head of the Armed Forces of Ukraine “did not tell anything that should have somehow alerted us.”
idea of what ‘on the border’ means – if we speak of that photo of russian tanks taken after our Russia-Belarus excersise near Belarus border – it is about 250 kilometers from Ukraine.
You should be using miles instead of kilometers, well, it’s like distance between Brussels and Amsterdam, or, like distance between Dublin and Liverpool.
And here is the article revealing your British ‘The Times’ fake:
https://oren.aif.ru/politic/the_times_napechatala_foto_iz_orenburga_nazvav_mesto_granicey_s_ukrainoy
You can see in the screenshots, they took the photo from Russian Defence ministry website and titled it ‘drills near Ukraine border’. Original photo is taken in Orenburg, Totsky polygon, the nearest border with Ukraine is 1100 km by air and 1800 km by road.
Send your appreciation on honest journalism to Marc Bennetts, and start learning Russian language if you don’t want to be deceived anymore 🙂
Another reason, for which this fake was launched, is that US use it as a pretext for keeping NATO in Ukraine.
Now the negotiations are underway, on Russia-Nato relations. I’ve seen reports on how it proceeds. Ryabkov was holding a big press-conference, and nearly every foreign journalist was asking if we are going to invade 🙂
In this way they are shifting the point of negotiations, narrowing it to Ukraine and possible Russian invasion. When Russia points out that NATO brings their offensive weapons right to our border. That is against all the treaties on MUTUAL security and transparency.
Again, a typical MGB/KGB style – CIA Vinovat…))) Prisoners were raped by the Putinist FSB/MVD routinely, but it was the CIA that was responsible for these institutionalised inhuman practice…
Suggestion above that Russia and China say they stand together. One thing that I have noticed over the past year is the tendency for what I would loosely call pro-Russian pro-Trump libertarian media, such as Zero Hedge, to repeatedly blame China for things or position China in a negative context. Its curious as a reader can see that they generally support things aligned with Russian perspectives or put tend to put Russia in a positive context, but when it comes to China they stick it to them. I wonder why?
“pro-Russian pro-Trump libertarian media, such as Zero Hedge, to repeatedly blame China for things or position China in a negative context”
Perhaps there are factions in Washington for destabalising Russia then China, or for doing it the other way round. Zero Hedge could be the creature of one of those factions (loke Turcopolier).
All this fake hullabaloo about Russian troops massing at the borders when the reality seems to be Russian Troops within Russia going about their own business. As someone, somewhere else pointed out, The Mexicans and Canadians don’t complain about US forces massing at their borders.
Let’s not forget that the ‘Cuban Crisis’ in the 60’s was caused by US missiles in Turkey. Did the US learn anything ?
Mr Murray : The BBC is reporting the case of the Al Hilli family murdered in France during 2012. I recall you doing a piece on the incident at the time, is that still available on this site so I can refresh my memory ?
—
[ Mod : Certainly-
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2012/09/not-forgetting-the-al-hillis/
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2012/09/not-forgetting-the-al-hillis-continued/
]
Mod : many thanks, this was the article I was thinking about.
For today we have, Tokayev gives a speech, briefly:
Tokayev appoints Umarov as Minister of Information. In Russia, Yevgeny Primakov refused to cooperate with him:
“Respecting sovereignty … and efforts to establish peace … Rossotrudnichestvo does not maintain contacts, does not work and does not cooperate with Russophobic rubbish, which completely prevents any of our interaction with the aforementioned minister …”
It seems that Umarov is beginning to publicly reject his previous statements.
@Tatyana, thanks for info. I haven’t a clue how to operate translation apps, all grandkids went home in new year.
The one in english based on The London Times gave a good enough insight of true story…..one person’s close to the border, is another person’s halfway across the country.
To give perspective to UK visitors, Glasgow–London is about 550 km. The distances I would view as close enough to the border for a ‘surprise’ invasion would need to be under 100km. But what do I know, I’m not a five star general…_
– – – – – –
Tokayev reports it as a failed coup.
No comment on whether fuel price rises to be reversed. Or does the comment about recycling fees being cancelled pertain to that?
Apart from Nazarbayev, are any of the other coup conspirators named yet…?
Fuel price was lowered even before January 5. Tokaev ordered that the state should manage fuel price for 6 months, no ‘free market price’ policy so far.
Recycling fee is another interesting problem. Nazarbaev’s daughter was the owner of the company, which accumulated and managed this money.
Nobody is able to contact Nazarbaev or his family yet, some unclear comments from their close people on Covid. There are rumors they fled the country, because around 30 personal jets were leaving when it all started.
So, nearly back to normal then.
When you post… “There are rumors they fled the country, because around 30 personal jets were leaving when it all started” makes me think they got the dates for COP26 mixed up.
Aliya Nazarbayeva is a proper charmer, daddy must be very proud of how hard she has worked…
“Last year, British police lost a High Court bid to force Mr Nazarbayev’s daughter and grandson to detail how they found the cash to buy three properties worth £80million in London”
Kazakh despot's daughter, 41, splashed £220m fortune on £18m luxury jet and £8.75m mansion in London spending spree – by Jamie Phillips (Daily Mail, 9–11 Jan 2022)
I heard the news here
https://youtu.be/URJ0fN6Zd7Y
Nazarbaev’s brother drove to Kyrgyzstan and left for Dubai from there. Nazarbaev himself is missing since December 28. Lukashenko says he had talks with him, apparently on phone. Nazarbaev’s daughter is not attending parliament meetings. And definitely they say ’30 private jets.’
DiggerUK,
You can copy text and paste it for translation on-line
https://translate.google.com/
How to copy and paste on Android
https://youtu.be/3n8VNCbZoHc
How to do it on Ios
https://youtu.be/8yltqYLNgV8
—
[ Mod: Also, for translating entire web pages: http://itools.com/tool/google-translate-web-page-translator ]
Nato chief warns of ‘real risk of conflict’ as talks with Russia over Ukraine end – Guardian today
Is the British media capable of doing any accurate reporting about events in Ukraine? The framing is all of a belligerent Russia/Putin vs the plucky united people of poor old Ukraine. No mention of the fact Ukraine’s a deeply divided country, a country where a coup deprived many of that electorate of their democratically elected leader.
Independent polling in Ukraine shows a roughly 50/50 split in the desire to join NATO too – far from overwhelming. It’s in a state of virtual civil war so how exactly are Nato troops expected to insert themselves and bring order by taking sides, in a Northern Ireland type civil dispute, bordering on full scale civil war? The rebels in the east, are Russian backed, complicating matters in terms the mayhem rebels could create for NATO.
If polling were to be carried out in every European country, I’d wager our populations would be shown to be overwhelmingly against Ukraine’s costly EU and/or Nato membership, but we, and they, don’t have a say on either, because it’s the US calling the shots. Negotiating on our behalf and using Ukraine and the EU in its proxy war against Russia.
As for Josep Borrell, the EU’s top diplomat, and Ursula Von der Leyen, clearly they haven’t received the memo telling them Russiagate was a big hoax. Who do this unelected(not directly) pair represent? They behave like US appointees on a par with the awful WikiLeaks revealed placeman Carl Bildt, and the ever-hawkish Jens Stoltenberg.
From the post I put up
@ BrianFujisan
January 11, 2022 at 18:54
“If ever a critical diplomatic negotiation was doomed to fail from the start, the discussions between the U.S. and Russia over Ukraine and Russian security guarantees is it.”
Scott Ritter is Proven 100% correct.. Might be Time to advise my Three Friends Not go on their Baltic sea Cruise in may..
Then I felt compelled to warn ‘ Middle East Eye ‘ readers that ” These guys, are in for a shock ” –
Russia is our enemy too, say Muslim fighters readying for war in Ukraine
Crimean Tatars and volunteers from the former Soviet Union say Muslim militias would be an ‘effective’ fighting force should Russia invade
Russia is our enemy too, say Muslim fighters readying for war in Ukraine – by Sean Mathews (Middle East Eye, 11 January 2022)
Middle East Eye.. Jeezo.. Unfollowed them anyhow.
my jaw dropped! can we ask Mr. Murray to comment on the concentration camps for the Crimean Tatars in Uzbekistan?
The war never ended. It’s been going on in other guises. Constant pressure on Russia on every front, economic, information, proxy, endowment for democracy, ethnic and religious divide, the Caucuses and military alliances with article five. Scott Ritter predicts Russia has been pushed to the limit. It is ready to face the consequences of partitioning Ukraine. Trying to negotiate with US NATO EU has failed. For their political leadership has no power and dances to the pull of the strings higher up. Sane military voices in US like Wilkerson and a few others agree with Ritter. Expect all of Russian speaking Ukraine to be taken over and US and NATO bases in other former Soviet states to be given an ultimatum to go back home.
This article in Covert Action Magazine adds useful information:
National Endowment for Democracy Provided $1.2 Million to Kazakhstan to Help Spark Color Revolution Against Pro-Russian and Pro-China Regime – by Jeremy Kuzmarov (Covert Action Magazine, 12 Jan 2022)
Plus $3.8 million from George Soros’ Open Society Foundation, “which promotes regime change against pro-Russian leaders in Eastern Europe and Central Asia under the guise of advancing democracy and human rights.”
Soros, where does he take money? To spend so much, he must earn this money somewhere.
Really good, up-to-date, analysis piece on Ukraine’s and Russian options here:
Chartbook #68 Putin’s Challenge to Western hegemony – the 2022 edition – by Adam Tooze (AT Chartbook, 13 Jan 2022)
It’s broadly neutral, very informative & sticks to factual information. The sort of reporting the guardian et al used to produce. Little wonder people are turning away from propaganda heavy MSM and to bloggers these days.
Yes Goose, that Adam Tooze article is a mine of information. His is a consistently sane and honest voice in mainstream liberal circles.
Tatyana, Soros became a billionaire betting against the British Pound bàck in 1992, on so-called Black Wednesday. How he has accumulated so many more billions since I do not know.
Tatyana (13 Jan, 10.20): George Soros is, as we say in parts of England, not short of a few bob. See for example, How Soros Broke the British Pound (16 Oct 2018).
Back in 1992, gaining around a billion (10 to the 9th) dollars on a single bet was good money. Don’t underestimate Soros. He’s still in the game.
Further down you inquired as to where Soros gets his money. This will likely help you with some answers, Tatyana:
How the British Invented Globalism – by Richard Poe (27 Apr 2021)
How the British Invented George Soros – by Richard Poe (18 Jun 2021)
How the British Invented Colour Revolutions – by Richard Poe (LewRockwell.com, 14 May 2021)
CSTO packs its belongings and transfers the objects to Kazakhstan’s relevant departments
https://ria.ru/20220113/mirotvortsy-1767604308.html
I wondered why is that they arrived so fast and now it takes about 10 days to leave. Any ideas?
My thought is they must do an audit or some other type of inspection before leaving.
Kairat Satybaldy, Nazarbayev’s nephew in the news. He had a high position in the KNB, then went into business, spoke publicly to religious communities in southern Kazakhstan as a religious leader. He represents the Salafi branch of Islam.
His younger brother Samat Abishev remained at the KNB. There’s an opinion that the KNB deliberately “missed” some extremist religious cells. There’s also an opinion that the younger generation of the Nazarbaevs could be interested to remove the old man out of power.
Wonderful to have you back Craig.
On US involvement here I recommend the somewhat different perspective (convincingly argued, I find) from Ben Norton at the Gray Zone (see Moderate Rebels on YouTube or under Ben Norton on Rokfin), which includes a clear US statement of their plans in the region. Given the strategic importance of Kazakhstan, it’s hard to imagine that US machinations there would simply have been dropped under Trump.
Is Craig wrong on this? or has he been compromised in some way? Our bowler hat brigade must have, at some time tried and maybe succeeded in bringing him in from the cold.
The Gravy Train Politicians just follow the prescribed war script for self promotion. These well dressed concert goers chorus sing about Democracy and Human Rights while being responsible personally for millions of deaths.
GFL
No , he’s not wrong. To get to Istanbul takes a mere 3 hours so physical troops can be ferried in and out of the battleground. The West spent a lot of money training journalists on the Al Qaida side to re-gurgitate Western tropes on the Syrian conflict. Its quite possible the West has spent a lot of money trying to subvert public opinion in Kazakhstan.
The difference between Libya / Syria and Kazakhstan is that the only bogeyman they can find are Presidents Putin and Xi, and all the only person they can find to rail against them is Ian Duncan Smith who has single-handedly broken the British Welfare system. He is sounding more ridiculous than ever today whingeing about Christine Lee like a demented song thrush trying to dig out a worm.
The West has been able to rake up the embers of ancient memories that the Middle East brutally conquered India 1200 years ago, but there’s nothing similar that can be raked up against Kazakhstan.
Paul Holister
Thanks for the link to the Ben Norton Video..I watched it all.. A stunning analysis of events in Kazakhstan. Brilliant.
And here is the piece Ben reads from – Brazil Wire –
By Marcelo Zero – Brazilwire –
” It’s important to remember that Kazakhstan has some of the World’s largest mineral and fossil fuel reserves. According to current data, Kazakhstan has the world’s largest deposits of zinc, tungsten and barite; the second largest of uranium, chromium, lead and silver; the third largest of manganese and copper; the sixth largest of gold; the eighth largest of coal; and the twelfth largest of petroleum.
The extensive petroleum and natural gas reserves, especially, have attracted a great amount of foreign investment and form the base of the Kazakhstani economy.
However, the greatest importance of Kazakhstan has to do with its privileged geographical location, as a natural bridge between East Asia, the Middle East and Europe. Located in the center of Eurasia, Kazakhstan has always served as a bridge between the oldest civilizations and their respective trade routes, providing a space for social, economic and cultural exchange between the numerous peoples of this transcontinental region. The ancient silk road had its center point in present-day Kazakhstan. The large caravans that linked China to the rest of the world passed all passed through it…
The Full article is here –
Brazil, Kazakhstan and the Grand Chess Board (Brasil Wire, 8 Jan 2022)
From Pepe Escobar in “The Cradle”
“….. On Monday morning, leaders of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) held an extraordinary session to discuss Kazakhstan.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev framed it succinctly. Riots were “hidden behind unplanned protests.” The goal was “to seize power” – a coup attempt. Actions were “coordinated from a single center.” And “foreign militants were involved in the riots.”
“…. Putin was in synch with Kazakh State Secretary Erlan Karin, who was the first, on the record, to apply the correct terminology to events in his country: What happened was a “hybrid terrorist attack,” by both internal and external forces, aimed at overthrowing the government…..”
“….Yet, they are just one nexus in a western nebulae of Hybrid War fog deployed across Central Asia, and West Asia for that matter. Here we see the CIA and the US Deep State crisscrossing MI6 and different strands of Turkish intel.
When President Tokayev was referring in code to a “single center,” he meant a so far ‘secret’ US-Turk-Israeli military-intel operations room based in the southern business hub of Almaty, according to a highly placed Central Asia intel source.
In this “center,” there were 22 Americans, 16 Turks and 6 Israelis coordinating sabotage gangs – trained in West Asia by the Turks – and then rat-lined to Almaty.”
https://thecradle.co/Article/columns/5668
There were at least 2, and may be more, groups of people. Their goals were distinctly different. Here is a video posted by one AlmaAta resident
https://pikabu.ru/story/video_odnogo_iz_uchastnikov_mitinga_8757810
He describes how his group has helped civil servants and military college cadets to save themselves out of a burning city centre building. He shows clearly the mob outside, who came to rob and to kill.
Later in the video he shows the mob raiding the small business. And he attached the video of the airport and cars burning in the parking lot.
Who and why were willing to do this in AlmaAta, when their demands expressed in Genaozen riots have been fulfilled in full?
Residents are angry.
David Otness, Putin warned Erdoğan of the coup about to take him down. Yet Turkey befriends US and Israel,. He rails against Israel about its Palestinian occupation for only Ottoman and Arab consumption. He is betraying everyone and will end up like Saddam. As for Israel, they can do anything they want with impunity for a few more years. They can train dolphins to kill Palestinians and have the dirt on western elites via Maxwell and Co and others still hidden. In the end all their machinations will come to nought. Why have most European Israelis got second and third passports ???
Erdoğan looks to me like a devout Machiavellian. The Florentine advised princes to shun sentimentality, and to behave morally only when that was likely to yield concrete dividends.
The fact that Russia saved his hide would then imply absolutely no debt or duty. Just another fact to be taken into account.
The main problem with Machiavellianism, as far as I can see, is not that it doesn’t work but that hardly any human beings are clever and capable enough to make it work. It’s like walking a tightrope while juggling anvils. One false step…
I doubt if Erdoğan is as much in the US/Israel camp as you claim. He has a rather nationalist/Turkish approach, as demanded by his Anatolian electorate. The policy has not been pro-US/Israel recently, nor pro-EU (the latter of which he seems to have little interest in pursuing membership of).
@ laguerre—
First of all, it is not my claim per se. I have found Pepe Escobar (whose anecdotal conjecture it is) to be consistently able to entertain and present usually plausible scenarios based on his many intimate worldwide contacts. And I think Erdogan has made it quite evident—and consistently—that he is always prioritizing his own outcome first, albeit with a head full of delusions of grandeur stretching at least all the way to the South China Sea. Always nominally using the old “You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours,” but with Erdogan there’s always a hidden knife within reach for when further opportunity to shore up his position (in the hierarchy) comes his way. But then again, that’s the nature of the spook crowd Erdogan has chosen or has been fated to run with, align with, and betray as needed in his lofty ambitions.
Choosing to sell those Baktyar drones to Ukraine as he did exposes one more element of his reckless “winner-take-all” politics and personality. The geopolitics of his reign vs Russia’s interests with its so-called “partners” in the West is a dance of the macabre, if not the absurd. But the show (statecraft) must go on, and Russia’s leaders are the “cool as a cucumber” stars up there on the tightrope. We’ll just have to see how far Erdogan gets with his everyday treachery—within his allotted if not ultimately truncated lifespan.
I was replying to Wikikettle rather than you, but you still go for the Erdogan megalomaniac meme, rather than trying to understand Erdogan’s politics, which are based on a Turkish model, which is not the same as Western thinking. And no he is not a Saddam style dictator who’s going to be cut short. You’d be astounded how strong Erdogan’s electoral backing is, maybe not as strong as it used to be, but not likely to give up on him either. A classic case of populism – the Istanbul intellectuals all hate him, ah but in the backwoods his vote is strong.
Understood, Wikikettle. It’s a vipers’ nest of backstabbing. The “sultan” has been prominent among his playmates.
David Otness
US-Turk-Israel. In other words the same people who ran Daesh. When you say ” rat-lined “, presumably Russia’s success in Syria has been in part thanks to having captured ” rat- lining ” technology from combatants.
Your description of events in Kazakhstan exactly fits all the evidence. It reminds me of a rat I once saw running through a line of garden fences with a whole slice of white bread in its mouth. It would turn the bread to fit between the vertical slats of the fence.
Makes one wonder whether the vast fossil and uranium fuel wealth in prospect for the organisers of the coup in Kazakhstan if it had been successful , might not have been like the slice of bread in its mouth slowing the rat down in its escape.
Craig worked in Turkey at one stage as part of the peace- keeping effort in Syria.
A most convincing report of ‘Greenmantle’ riding forth in that Escobar piece – he seems to be briefed better than Mercouris.
Now that CM has some more time on his hands (via Twitter feed , click the blue birdy at top of article – that Spanish policeman revealing the false flag in Catalonia is dynamite!) – perhaps we will get some meat on events since his tongue ripping at the end of July.
Especially on the pair of gonads the Powell’s or ‘proles’ as I like to pronounce their medevility over the last couple of generations. And the extra bollock they added Moore of MI6 (should have been named Roger after the James Bond actor!).
I’ll just quote these 2 paras – we , the British public, have no idea of wtf is being done in our name because the MSM is fully controlled by the scum who are our over lords and have been for centuries- they even insist on making us pronounce their names in a way that doesn’t follow the English it is written in)
“ It was a completely different story by May 2021, when the MI6’s Jonathan Powell met the leadership of Jabhat al-Nusra – which harbors a lot of Central Asian jihadis – somewhere in the Turkish-Syrian border near Idlib.
The deal was that these ‘moderate rebels’ – in US terminology – would cease to be branded ‘terrorists’ as long as they followed the anti-Russia NATO agenda.
That was one of the key prep moves ahead of the jihadist ratline to Afghanistan – complete with Central Asia branching out.
The genesis of the offensive should be found in June 2020, when former ambassador to Turkey from 2014 to 2018, Richard Moore, was appointed head of MI6.”
I guess I have an answer to what was going to happen to the 10,000 head choppers brought into Syria and overseen by LeMesurier & co’s White Helmets!
They are to be turned into mince meat by Russia/China SCO! Do our Overlords really believe that’s how they can sweep these proxies under the carpet?
Further assertions here:
“ It is known that Turkish secret services actively cooperate with their British counterparts, and virtually all of Ankara’s actions in the Transcaucasus and Central Asia are either directly linked to Britain or carried out with the help of British secret services’ consultants.”
https://theduran.com/kazakhstan-protests-popular-protest-and-the-trail-of-foreign-intelligence-services/
I’d like to reference actual British MSM independent journalism but as Bozo the clown says – alas, their bodies are piled high and only the Ken’s and Barbies (Peston, Kuenssberg..) are left; being the professional fluffers and performers in the daily porn of ‘News’ – a fantasy version of reality.
@DiggerUK
that’s how they use their fake news now, the same Marc Bennetts
Moscow rejects US plea to withdraw troops from Ukrainian border – by Catherine Philp, Diplomatic Correspondent & Marc Bennetts, Moscow (The Times, 11 Jan 2022)
A series of Russia-NATO negotiations in the eyes of the Western reader has turned into negotiations about Russian agression in Ukraine. This man Bennetts knew well he was creating a fake from the very beginning. I wonder how much money did he get for this?
“US claims Russia planning ‘false-flag’ operation to justify Ukraine invasion” – from the Guardian, courtesy of dear old Luke Harding, he of Russiagate ‘Collusion’ ; ‘Assange’s embassy visit from Manafort’ and other such truthful reporting. /s
Translated : Ukraine did have a provocation planned, to force a Russian invasion in the east -> followed by heavy sanctions. But Russian sources in Ukraine are presumably good? – they knew about it ahead of time(like ‘operation Lazarus’? – the Babchenko ‘false flag’ disaster) According to Harding the the US is now saying any provocation will be staged by …wait for it … the Russians themselves?!? Quite where the logic is, in Russia triggering US and EU sanctions the US has talked up and desires, is a mystery known only to guardian journos. Russia would gain nothing by invading.
If DeBretonGordon of the Chemical Warfare unit has arrived with his false flag operatives in their teletubby suits we may yet get a Novichok instead of Chlorine … where will they get the dead children and fake hospital scenes?
It does seem that the powers that be have no intention of retreating from their escapades – even in the face of being countered on every front. They really seem to believe they not only will win but deserve it! Such is the dumb racist mindset of these born entitled children who grow up to occupy the roles they were born to.
Meanwhile the pantomime drip drip of the Downfall of Boris and his Downing Street Bunker mentals proceeds to cover up all the shit hitting the fan especially over Covid and BrexShit and 20 year old War on Terror false flags , forced retreat from Afghanistan Iraq Syria and the other PMC occupied spots throughout Africa and MENA… and even the pedarast Royal family Mrs Mountbatten and her dodgy kids , cousins and Crown inbreds – dare you say it looks so much like raging at the dying of their lights.
A War that unites the country is what they hope will work yet again when ever they are in a bind, that button is pressed on the British psyche.
I would not reject, out of hand, the idea that the CIA or similar had no role.
I don’t accept it out of hand either but there is a lot of history there.
Max Blumenthal and Ben Norton discuss Kazakhstan and the unravelling of its colour revolution with Pepe Escobar.
https://youtu.be/bfhs3_aKwTY
Meanwhile on the other side of the ledger ….. The UK government admitted to parliament yesterday that it trained Kazakhstan troops just a few weeks ago.
Kazakhstan security forces have in recent days killed dozens of protesters.
But the UK MOD is refusing to suspend military training.
https://twitter.com/declassifiedUK/status/1481663063275286528?s=20
Matt Kennard comments ….. “Every report on repression in Kazakhstan in the UK press should now have it near the top.
But I guarantee it won’t be mentioned in any UK newspaper. That’s how propaganda by omission works. And it’s extremely effective.”
Lots of similar stories from around the world.
Bahrain has very close military training ties with the UK, and the minority backed monarchy there has brutally put down majority- backed pro-democracy protests. Further, the west provided advanced surveillance equipment and associated technical training to make sure such protests are kept down and their organisers put in jail. Egypt is another example of western hypocrisy; suppressing democracy and sustaining what is effectively a dictatorship, with its estimated 70,000 political prisoners.
The US and UK combined have 5% of the world’s population, we call ourselves the ‘international community’ and say we hold uphold ‘western values’, when Anglo US hegemony finally and inevitably ends, due to demographics. Many in the world will taste freedom denied them by the needs of that hegemony.