There Is a Powerful Pro-American Fifth Column in Our Government
As stated by the head of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the NATO supply transit center in Ulyanovsk will be operated under the full control of Russian customs authorities. The presence of military or civilian NATO personnel is forbidden.
The Agreement with NATO is a Loss of Sovereignty
I'd immediately like to note that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not decide foreign policy. According to the Constitution, that responsibility belongs to the president; the ministry simply carries out his policies. The Ulyanovsk decision occurred at the political level, and [Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs] Lavrov is obligated to justify and legitimize it in the eyes of the public; he is, after all, a member of the team. There are many inaccuracies and contradictions in his public statements. First, Lavrov says that the transit center will be under Russian control. Yet, the head of the regional customs authority says that the supply containers passing through Ulyanovsk will be sealed, and we will not have the right to look inside them. That is, we won't be able to ascertain exactly what is carried in them. One could say something about that. As for the presence of NATO troops in our territory, they of course will accompany these supply shipments; it simply can't occur any other way. How long they will stay in Ulyanovsk is an entirely different matter.
Finally, it's impossible not to be reminded of a certain past event. Former Minister of Defense Sergei Ivanov signed an agreement between Russia and NATO which established that, should a NATO force enter our territory, they will not fall under the legal jurisdiction of the Russian Federation. The agreement was concerned with the presence of NATO troops in Russia during various joint cooperation and training programs. There isn't any border control or customs inspection for NATO troops. If they commit some illegal act while they are here in military service, the Russian authorities cannot hold them. Even more: in accordance with the aforementioned treaty, the families and relatives of NATO troops can freely enter our territory. This is a loss of sovereignty. The Americans can at any moment pull out their copy of this agreement and enforce it.
A Geopolitical Operation Against Russia
As reported by the media, activists of the radical Union of Tatar Youth are planning to carry out a series of public demonstrations in Kazan in support of the NATO supply center. The leaders of this organization think that in the near future Russia will collapse. In this scenario, if Moscow chooses to forcefully respond to these separatist groups, NATO troops will block her path. In fact, the destabilization of Russia has been going on for a long time. It's not just nationalist groups in the republics that are carrying it out. There is a powerful pro-American fifth column in our government, and governmental organizations are working to fulfill it, with the support of leaders such as [pro-Western economic adviser to Medvedev] Jurgens and the pro-Western policies of [Russian President] Medvedev.
I don't think that these pro-NATO actions developed spontaneously. What most likely happened is Washington gave a command to the Kremlin and Russian leaders rushed to organize plans to fulfill this. These initiatives have been bought and paid for. There is a geopolitical operation against Russia, whose goal is to gain control over our governmental elite and create more and more separatist organizations. In such a struggle all methods are valid. Even if Russian authorities recognize these threats, there is little they can do about it. We remember the words of Brzezinski: “Since $500 billion owned by Russia's so-called elite is held in our banks, you should first understand what kind of elite this is.” Such is our situation.
The author, Leonid Ivashov, is a former Head of Joint Chiefs of Staff for the Russian military, and a current big-wig at one of the most prominent Russian foreign policy think tanks.
The Agreement with NATO is a Loss of Sovereignty
I'd immediately like to note that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not decide foreign policy. According to the Constitution, that responsibility belongs to the president; the ministry simply carries out his policies. The Ulyanovsk decision occurred at the political level, and [Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs] Lavrov is obligated to justify and legitimize it in the eyes of the public; he is, after all, a member of the team. There are many inaccuracies and contradictions in his public statements. First, Lavrov says that the transit center will be under Russian control. Yet, the head of the regional customs authority says that the supply containers passing through Ulyanovsk will be sealed, and we will not have the right to look inside them. That is, we won't be able to ascertain exactly what is carried in them. One could say something about that. As for the presence of NATO troops in our territory, they of course will accompany these supply shipments; it simply can't occur any other way. How long they will stay in Ulyanovsk is an entirely different matter.
Finally, it's impossible not to be reminded of a certain past event. Former Minister of Defense Sergei Ivanov signed an agreement between Russia and NATO which established that, should a NATO force enter our territory, they will not fall under the legal jurisdiction of the Russian Federation. The agreement was concerned with the presence of NATO troops in Russia during various joint cooperation and training programs. There isn't any border control or customs inspection for NATO troops. If they commit some illegal act while they are here in military service, the Russian authorities cannot hold them. Even more: in accordance with the aforementioned treaty, the families and relatives of NATO troops can freely enter our territory. This is a loss of sovereignty. The Americans can at any moment pull out their copy of this agreement and enforce it.
A Geopolitical Operation Against Russia
As reported by the media, activists of the radical Union of Tatar Youth are planning to carry out a series of public demonstrations in Kazan in support of the NATO supply center. The leaders of this organization think that in the near future Russia will collapse. In this scenario, if Moscow chooses to forcefully respond to these separatist groups, NATO troops will block her path. In fact, the destabilization of Russia has been going on for a long time. It's not just nationalist groups in the republics that are carrying it out. There is a powerful pro-American fifth column in our government, and governmental organizations are working to fulfill it, with the support of leaders such as [pro-Western economic adviser to Medvedev] Jurgens and the pro-Western policies of [Russian President] Medvedev.
I don't think that these pro-NATO actions developed spontaneously. What most likely happened is Washington gave a command to the Kremlin and Russian leaders rushed to organize plans to fulfill this. These initiatives have been bought and paid for. There is a geopolitical operation against Russia, whose goal is to gain control over our governmental elite and create more and more separatist organizations. In such a struggle all methods are valid. Even if Russian authorities recognize these threats, there is little they can do about it. We remember the words of Brzezinski: “Since $500 billion owned by Russia's so-called elite is held in our banks, you should first understand what kind of elite this is.” Such is our situation.
The author, Leonid Ivashov, is a former Head of Joint Chiefs of Staff for the Russian military, and a current big-wig at one of the most prominent Russian foreign policy think tanks.