Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s “Twitter president,” has discovered the real reason for the revolution in Libya. It was not caused by the corruption of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi or the poverty of the people. It was the insidious work of Western intelligence agencies. In a presidential urbi et orbi, Medvedev said: “Let’s face the truth. They have been preparing such a scenario for us, and now they will try even harder to implement it.”
But I would like to ask the president: Why have more than 1 million Russians emigrated over the past 10 years to the West and not to Libya or Venezuela? Why the mass exodus to enemy countries?
Question No. 2 for Medvedev: More than 400,000 Russians have bought homes in Britain in recent years and 250,000 in France — many of whom are government officials who have also invested large sums of money on “enemy territory” and spend a lot of time there. Isn’t that dangerous? What if some are recruited by Western intelligence agencies?
Question No. 3: Russia’s top-ranking officials customarily fly on jets owned by Gennady Timchenko’s company, Airfix Aviation, based in Helsinki. But is it wise for planes that transport our precious deputy prime ministers and other government ministers to be based in Helsinki? What if those vicious Western intelligence agencies plant a bomb on one of those jets?
Question No. 4: The actual murder rate in Russia is 40 for every 100,000 people as compared with four per 100,000 in the United States and less than one for every 100,000 in Europe. Could it really be that Western secret agents are roaming incognito across the countryside killing off defenseless Russians?
Question No. 5: Graft by Russian officials is approaching 50 percent of the gross domestic product. Medvedev admitted that graft in state procurement contracts alone totals 1 trillion rubles ($35.5 billion). Are Western agents really pocketing all of that money? If so, why don’t Medvedev and Putin put them on trial and send them to prison for at least 20 or 30 years.
Last question: President Medvedev initially announced that the revolution in Libya had been orchestrated by Western intelligence services and went on to denounce “the Libyan authorities’ use of force against their own civilians.” If the Libyan people are really only puppets of the West, then Gadhafi was right to fire on them. Apparently, Medvedev would like to have his Western cake and eat it, too.
Yulia Latynina hosts a radio talk show on Ekho Moskvy radio.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
