August 26, 2009 — Contents

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 26 CONTENTS

(1)  EDITORIAL:  More humilation for Putinomics

(2)  Another Neo-Soviet Dissident is Born

(3)  Come Get us, Mr. Putin

(4)  The Final Proof:  Russia used Cyber Terror against Georgia

(5)  Russian Humiliation at the Athletics Championships

(6)  Annals of Russian Tennis Fraud

NOTE:  A Live Journal blogger posts photographs he took at a recent “Dissenters March” event on Triumph Square near the Mayakovsky metro station in Moscow.

EDITORIAL: More Humiliation for Putinomics

EDITORIAL

More Humiliation for Putinomics

Stunning news came last week that Russia’s economy, led by proud KGB spy Vladimir Putin, was on pace to post a whopping 45% drop in foreign direct investment by the end of this year, compared to last.  Russia collected an anemic, humiliating $6 billion in FDI in the fist six months of this year, and total flows of foreign money into Russia dropped by nearly as much, a jaw-dropping 30%.  Less than a billion dollars of foreign money was placed in the Russian stock market in the first half of 2009, and Russia’s FDI loss was one-third greater than what China, for instance, experienced.

Another Neo-Soviet Dissident is Born

A reader tips us to the following item from Zik.com:

Prof. Petr Khomyakov, the Russian scientist and writer, said during his press conference in Kyiv Aug. 13 that he is outraged by Pres Medvedev arrogant letter to Pres Yushchenko and has asked for political asylum in Ukraine.
“Medvedev’s hardball attack against Pres Yushchenko has been due to the fact that nourishing a foreign enemy hoax is Kremlin’s last chance to remain in power. The Russian regime, let alone Russia, is far from stable. Despite its token stability, Russia is very close to collapse,” Homyakov said.

By Aug. 2010, the Russian scientist forecast, Russia may find itself on the brink of existence.

Come Get us, Mr. Putin

It’s kind of cool to have a blog sometimes. In our last issue we asked for a Photoshop image of Putin, Winnie the Pooh and Swastikas, and we got the above within minutes from reader Andris Berzins, who clearly has a flair for this sort of thing. What a masterpiece!

Our publication of this image breaks the law in Russia. Breaks it more than once, in fact. Come get us, Mr. Putin.

Russian Government caught Red-handed in Acts of Cyber Terror

Information Week reveals the conclusive evidence that the Russian government sponsored acts of cyber terror against Georgia:

The cyber attacks against Georgia last year marked the first known time that computer networks were assaulted by civilians in conjunction with physical attacks conducted by a national military force.

Russian Humiliation at the Athletics Championships

Isinbayeva crumbles in defeat

Spectacular failure by Russia at the World Track & Field (a/k/a “Athletics”) Championships in Berlin last week.

Just for starters, Russia’s most famous “athlete” Yelena Isinbayeva not only failed to win gold, not only failed to win any medal, she failed to to clear any height in the pole vault event, meekly surrendering a title she had held for five years.  Then another top Russian hopeful, Gulnara Galkina, failed to win any medal in the steeplechase event where she was favored to take gold, losing the lead in the last 100 meters and finishing out of the money.

Annals of Russian Tennis Fraud

Russia’s “#1” player Dinara Safina was booted out of the WTA tour event in Toronto last week in her first match in straight sets by an unseeded opponent.  French Open winner and #6 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova met exactly the same fate. And that was only the beginning of the horror for Russia, even though Russian’s #4 seed took the Toronto title. Look carefully, and you saw truly sickening results.