Putin threatens CIA over seemingly Kremlin-imagined assassination plot

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Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday accused Western intelligence services, specifically the CIA, of advising Ukraine on how to assassinate a senior Russian propagandist, Vladimir Solovyov.

While Putin said his Federal Security Service disrupted the plot against Solovyov, the evidence for the plot’s existence is far from convincing. After all, an FSB officer appears to have signed a supposedly incriminatory note by one of the would-be assassins with “signature unclear” rather than an actually ineligible signature. More ludicrously, as Tim McMillan observed, the FSB also appears to have misunderstood an instruction to buy three cellphone SIM cards. Instead, someone bought three copies of the computer game, “The Sims.”

Put simply, it seems that Solovyov was never in any real danger. This incident strongly appears to be just another Russian false flag invention.

Still, Putin is demanding justice. He says that the CIA “apparently” gives “advice” to the Ukrainians on assassination plots. In a thinly veiled threat, Putin added that his officials “know by last name curators from Western [intelligence] services” who are responsible for these plots. The Russian president added, “I ask the Investigative Committee of Russia, all investigative bodies to record such crimes in detail, to identify their organizers and perpetrators, to initiate and bring criminal cases to their logical conclusion, to trial … including at the international level.”

Putin’s rhetoric will be seen by the CIA and its British counterpart, MI6, the apparent target of a Putin shoutout against those who view the world in an “old fashioned way, based on their colonial past,” as indicative of a real threat. Russian intelligence services act with physical aggression against Western intelligence officers where the Kremlin seeks to deter foreign intelligence activity and escalate political pressure. Critically important, Russia’s appetite for this aggression increases in tandem with the absence of a robust riposte to the aggression.

This is relevant in the context of the so-called Havana Syndrome or “Anomalous Health Incidents,” which have afflicted CIA officers around the world. While some incidents are the result of misidentified ailments or psychological conditions, contrary to the U.S. government’s public statements, there is credible and varied evidence to suggest that Russia bears responsibility for other incidents — namely via radio frequency pulsed energy attacks. These attacks appear to have utility as a means of both technical intelligence collection, including stealing information off computers, as deliberate physical attacks. Those targeted possibly include former President George W. Bush, former first lady Laura Bush, and others.

Regardless, Putin’s rhetoric evinces his escalating frustration over the failed progress of Russian forces in Ukraine and the success of Western intelligence services in assisting in Ukraine’s defense.

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