Just when you thought that Soviet security forces were a thing of the past, the double headed eagle rises from the ashes. The Federal Security Services or FSB are the Russian Federation’s modern day Chekists. Vladimir Putin and the security services have carefully crafted the image they want you to see, and Western journalists are very good at exaggerating the impact and the mystique of Putin. Both these elements have been at play since he took power. They say the first death in war is the truth, and information about Putin can be difficult to decipher what is fact from fiction. In this episode, we focus on the history and methods of Russia's modern security forces. They may not be beating Communist ideology into people but they were/are combatting terrorist groups, foreign adversaries, domestic opposition, and more. The FSB, unlike their predecessors, have the power of social media to almost literally visit you at home, something that would have required a real live agent in the past.
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Sources:
Russian Federation Explained. VanDeGraph. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVoHAyEwhBc&ab_channel=VanDeGraph
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The Day Russian Democracy Died. NFKRZ. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9af3KH-k8yc&list=PLVtoTh3hF-hyEPsA75YIss7EPCL0_vq9C&index=1&t=171s&ab_channel=NFKRZ
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How did one join the Communist Party?*
https://www.quora.com/In-Soviet-Russia-how-did-one-officially-join-the-Communist-Party
*Take Quora with a grain of salt. I also looked at Wikipedia (not a source) but their bit on membership doesn’t have a citation.
‘Never go to bed sober’ - meet the great Russian leaders who abused alcohol by ALEXEY TIMOFEYCHEV. MARCH 13 2018. https://www.rbth.com/history/327805-leaders-who-abused-alcohol
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Hungarian Privatization. https://www.britannica.com/place/Hungary/Economic-and-social-change
What is a trade sale? https://www.freeagent.com/us/glossary/trade-sale/
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About Paulo Zannoni. https://theorg.com/org/prada-spa/org-chart/paolo-zannoni
What is a voucher? https://www.investopedia.com/terms/v/voucher.asp
Economic Indicators:
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Trading Economics
RUSSIA STARTS ISSUING PRIVATIZATION COUPONS. Margaret Shapiro. October 2, 1992. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1992/10/02/russia-starts-issuing-privatization-coupons/c515c8a2-66ae-408d-bafe-7dd869b8a844/
Putin’s Story | The Puppet Show Banned In Russia (Kukly NTV 2000). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmdEiL6Avv0&ab_channel=WaleedHiggins
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The battle(s) of Grozny1. Ib Faurby, Royal Danish Defence College in co-operation with Märta-Lisa Magnusson, University of Southern Denmark. Baltic Defense Review 2/1999.
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Putin’s Parents. https://www.mtv.com.lb/news/articles/472895/putin_recalls_parents_wwii_ordeal_
*Much of this is written by Vladimir Vladimirovich himself so please take it with a grain of salt
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Did Vladimir Putin Support Anti-Western Terrorists as a Young KGB Officer? CATHERINE BELTON. June 20. 2020. https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/06/20/vladimir-putin-dresden-kgb-330203
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SVR/FSB application process. https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2014/10/02/how-to-become-a-russian-spy-a40036
Russian DKRO
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A ‘Risky Westward Turn’? Putin’s 9-11 Script and Ordinary Russians. John O’loughlin, Gearid O Tuathail, and Vladimir Kolossov. Europe-Asia Studies. 2004.
Flame-throwers used at Beslan siege by Andrew Osborn. The Independent, 24 October 2004.
Feature History - Russo-Georgian War. Feature History. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4LV6VnV9UI&ab_channel=FeatureHistory
Putin's palace. History of world's largest bribe. Алексей Навальный.
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Vladimir Putin's hard-core daily routine includes hours of swimming, late nights, and no alcohol. July 2018. Aine Cain.
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A new study says Russian trolls didn’t sway the 2016 election. Was the threat overhyped? Andrew Prokop. January 20, 2023.
Improvements and Protest in the Perestroika Years by William Moskoff. The National Council for Soviet and East European Research. September 18, 1992.
