Category Archives: Russia

Excerpts from the Declassified Intelligence Report

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The recently released Grizzly Steppe joint document assembled by the CIA/FBI/NSA and Homeland Security outlined some serious accusations at Russia, and Vladimir Putin’s regime. None of which, to this date, have been proven.

Homeland Security, I might add, also refused to sign off on this document, which you can read here.

Media Watch has received access to the Declassified report which you can read here.

NSA’s level of confidence has also been listed as moderate. And you would think, if anyone had pertinent info related to the supposed hacks, it would be that department.

Here are a few key excerpts from the “Assessing Russian Activities and Intentions in Recent US Elections” document:

• “Russia’s goals were to undermine public faith in the US democratic process, denigrate Secretary Hillary Clinton and harm her electability and potential presidency.”

But the document also decides that Russia didn’t influence vote tallying.

• “Russian intelligence obtained and maintained access to elements of multiple US state or local electoral boards. DHS assesses that the types of systems Russian actors targeted or compromised were not involved in vote tallying.”

• “We have high confidence in these judgements, CIA and FBI, NSA has moderate confidence.”

• “Russian behaviour since early November 2016, increases our confidence in our assessment of Russian motivations and goals.”

• “Russia’s intelligence services conducted cyber operations against targets associated with the 2016 US presidential election, including targets associated with both major US political parties.”

• “Russia’s state-run propaganda machine (RT) contributed to the influence campaign by serving as a platform for Kremlin messaging to Russian and international audiences.”

Russian Roulette

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It’s a curious tale, this Russian hacking spectacle. The US are wont to believe the Russians are involved. It would solve all their problems. It would solve the DNC’s problems. It would solve poor John Podesta’s problems, and it would certainly solve Hillary’s problems.

But the catalyst of all this, is surely Obama, who pointed the gun squarely at the Russians, and pulled the trigger. Click. His statement of intent was clear when he said “These data thefts and disclosure activities could only have been directed by the highest levels of the Russian government.”

It isn’t his party come January 20th. He has created a sea of waves for Trump to calm, and that course of action must take place soon, or a new digital cold age might be upon us.

Cyber security expert Jeffrey Carr, author of Inside Cyber Warfare has stated that a joint report released by the FBI and Homeland Security, titled Grizzly Steppe “adds nothing to the call for evidence that the Russian government was responsible.” Top level security execs have also labelled it “Fatally flawed”, and “poorly done.”

But it was the US that interfered in 1996 to help Boris Yeltsin win. And it was Hillary who paid protesters to interfere in the Russian elections in 2008. We have short term memories, when it suits us.

The reality here, is that Putin has never liked Hillary, and never liked Obama. And the key to Middle East resolution is through Russia, so perhaps it’s not such a terrible idea that Trump and Putin get along.