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DONALD TRUMP: MOBBED UP AF - A RETROSPECTIVE
(by @saradannerdukic)
1970s & 1980s: wave of Russian criminals arrive in New York and begin interfacing with established American organized crime networks (La Cosa Nostra/The Five Families aka Bonanno, Genovese, Colombo, Lucchese, Gambino) (source)
1977: KGB reportedly opens file on Donald Trump (source).
1979: Construction begins on Trump Tower.  Trump purchases overpriced concrete from mafia bosses Anthony “Fat Tony” Salerno and Paul Castellano of the Genovese and Gambino crime families (respectively). (source)
1980: Trump's mentor, Roy Cohn, introduces Donald to Roger Stone. (source)
1982: New York City Housing Commissioner Anthony Gliedman received what he described as an “abusive and profane” call from someone angry that Gliedman had opposed Trump’s request for a $20 million tax abatement. Gliedman reported the call to the FBI, saying the caller was “threatening his life.” (source)
June 3, 1983: Rudy Giuliani becomes US attorney for SDNY
January, 1984: Vladimir Alexandrovich Kryuchkov, First Chief Directorate of the KGB arm responsible for gathering foreign intelligence, urges his officers to be more creative with agent recruitment - and to use money and flattery vs. alignment with Soviet ideology.  Additionally, he gives the directive to find "U.S. targets to cultivate or, at the very least, official contacts...The main effort must be concentrated on acquiring valuable agents." (source)
1984: Russian émigré David Bogatin pays cash for five apartments in Trump Tower. (source).  Bogatin's brother ran a $150 million stock scam with Russian mafia boss Semion Mogilevich (source)
1985: Trump reportedly “apoplectic” when he loses bid to re-develop the Coliseum at Columbus Circle to Salomon Brothers-backed Mort Zuckerman. (source)  More on Trump’s proposal here.
October 1985: Trump's helicopter pilot indicted on drug trafficking charges. Trump doesn't fire him.  Instead, he leases his personally-owned unit in Trump Plaza Apartments to him with an agreement of half the rent is to be paid in cash, the other half in unspecified helicopter services.  Trump also writes a letter on behalf of his pilot (Weichselbaum), calling him "a credit to the community.”  Who does the case end up with?  Federal judge Maryanne Trump, Donald's sister. (source)
Autumn, 1986: Trump meets Soviet ambassador Yuri Dubinin.  And per Trump's own account in Art of the Deal, “One thing led to another, and now I’m talking about building a large luxury hotel, across the street from the Kremlin, in partnership with the Soviet government.” (source)
1986: Trump makes the rounds in the news offering to negotiate with the Russians (source), and also angles for a Soviet posting in the Reagan administration (source)
March 16, 1987: Bogatin (who had purchased multiple apartments in Trump Tower for cash) pleads guilty to taking part in a massive gasoline-bootlegging scheme with Russian mobsters. The government seized his five condos at Trump Tower, because he'd used them to “launder money, to shelter and hide assets.” A Senate investigation into organized crime later revealed that Bogatin was a leading figure in the Russian mob in New York. (from New Republic)
April 3, 1987: Trump excluded from bidding on Australian casino deal because of mafia connections (per Australian police) (source)
July 4, 1987: Trump flies to the USSR for the first time after being personally invited - the trip is arranged by the Soviet government (source).
1987: Trump talks extensively in an interview about nuclear bombs, and states that his pilot used to work for Qaddafi.  In the same interview, Trump describes the type of bomb he thinks will be possible in the future: "Carry it in your briefcase, right. I’m not even talking about airplanes and missiles. You’ll walk in with your damn tape recorder,” he says, pointing to my innocent Sony, “and you’ll say it’s a tape recorder and nobody will be able to tell the difference. I mean, that’s where it’s going to be in 20 years.” (source)
1988: Trump starts talking about running for president on Oprah (source).
1988: Trump purchases a yacht from Adnan Khashoggi, the uncle of Jamal Khashoggi (source) (source)
1988: American Media Inc. (AMI) comes into being after Enquirer owner Generoso Pope dies. (source)  Among the interested parties are Robert Maxwell (source), the father of Ghislaine Maxwell - Jeffrey Epstein's partner. (source).  Among the trustees of the Pope estate are Peter G. Peterson, a partner in the Blackstone Group (source) - a private equity firm founded by Steven Schwarzman (source). (More on Schwarzman and his relation to Trump here).  According to Pope's son, Paul, The Enquirer was started with a $75,000 loan from the mafia (source).
October 11, 1989: helicopter crashes with 3 Trump casino execs aboard (source).  Trump claimed he was supposed to be on it, but then changed his mind at the last minute. (source)  After their deaths, he blamed them for the failure of his Atlantic City casino (source) The helicopter's pilot was identified by the state police as Robert Kent of Ronkonkoma, L.I., and its co-pilot as Lawrence Diener of Westbury, L.I.  b/b
1990: Wall Street bond house Salomon Brothers advises institutional clients to sell bonds issue from Trump's Castle Casino in Atlantic City, due to debt and performance concerns. (source)
1991: Trump declares bankruptcy (source)
1991: Trump sells his yacht to Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal (source) (source)
December 17, 1991: Fred Trump gives Donald an interest-free loan by purchasing $3.5 million worth of casino chips at Trump Castle casino, circumventing bankruptcy rules and enabling Donald to make the interest payment due on his bonds. (source)
1992: Trump declares bankruptcy an additional 3 times stemming from various properties he's over-leveraged. (source)
1994: Trump allegedly rapes and beats a 13-year-old girl at a party with Jeffrey Epstein, multiple times.  In the filed complaint, the 13-year-old was threatened to be "disappeared" like another young girl had been if she told anyone. (source)
October 20, 1994: Christine Seymour, Roy Cohn's secretary (Cohn was Trump's mentor), who was set to publish a tell-all book, dies in head-on collision with tractor trailer (source)
1995: Trump reportedly in Moscow to discuss matters related to Okhotny Ryad underground mall on Manezh Square. (source)
The trip is also reference in this article: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1997/05/19/trump-solo
1995: Trump sells Plaza Hotel to Alwaleed bin Talal (source) Barbara Corcoran brokers the deal (source)
June 8, 1995: Vyacheslav Ivankov arrested (source).  Ivankov was known to be a notoriously brutal gangster in the upper echelon of the Russian mafia. (source) After having difficulty finding him, the FBI picked up his trail at Trump Taj Mahal, and then discovered that Ivankov had a luxury condo in Trump Tower. (source)  According to Robert Friedman in his book, Red Mafiya, Friedman viewed Ivankov's personal phone book containing "a working number for the Trump Organization’s Trump Tower Residence, and a Trump Organization office fax machine." (this is listed as a citation at the end of the book).  Ivankov is also mentioned in this 2003 DOJ paper on organized crime, with a forward by Bruce Ohr (pp 49).
1996: Trump goes to Russia with Howard Lorber (source).  Lorber later donated to the Trump inaugural fund (source).
1998: Trump Taj Mahal fined for currency transaction reporting violations (source)
February 1999: Evercore Capital Partners L.L.C., headed by former Deputy Treasury Secretary Roger C. Altman, acquires American Media, Inc. and places David Pecker at the helm. (source)
1999: Trump's first run for president (source)
2000/2001: Mark Burnett in negotiations with Putin for a show called "Destination Mir." (source)
October 2001: AMI offices in Boca Raton are attacked with anthrax (source).  Later, in 2004, a cleaning company owned by Rudy Giuliani is contracted to clean up the anthrax, with his company, Bio-One, slated to rent/occupy the building after cleanup. (source)  The contract later ended in a feud. (source)
2002: Mark Burnett begins talks with Trump regarding The Apprentice. (source)
2002 - 2011: The Bayrock Group partners with the Trump Organization on developments including the Trump SoHo hotel (source).  Principals in the group include Felix Sater - believed to be connected with Semion Mogilevich (source) - and Tevfik Arif (source).
2004: Trump declares bankruptcy again. (source)
Spring 2004: The Apprentice debuts (source)
May 2004: Diamond dealer and former Trump Tower tenant (1 year prior he'd lived right below Kellyanne Conway) Eduard Nektalov is shot on 6th Avenue (source).  He was reportedly cooperating with federal authorities on a money laundering investigation (source)  More on money laundering and Trump properties here.
2005: at the same time Trump is unable to get a 25 million pound loan from Bank of Scotland due to being a credit risk (source), Deutsche Bank (who later is hit with massive fines for money laundering) loans Trump nearly one billion dollars. Trump's banker at Deutsche Bank is Justice Kennedy's son. (source).
2006: Felix Sater escorts the Trump children during their trip to Russia (according to Sater) (source).  Later, in emails to Michael Cohen, Sater says that he'd arranged for Ivanka to sit in Putin's chair. (source).
2006: Paul Manafort buys unit in Trump Tower (source).
2006 - 2009: Trump makes multiple attempts (and fails) to get a loan from the Bank of Scotland to purchase Hamilton Hall.  The bank executive "expressed concern that Trump would hold the bank to 'future ransom'” (source)
2007 - 2016: Buyers tied to Russia make 86 cash purchases at Trump properties. (source)
2008: Soviet-born (Moldovia) Orly Taitz helps bring suit regarding Obama's citizenship/birth certificate. (source)
2008: Junior brags that they're getting a lot of money from Russia. (source)
2008: Russian oligarch buys a Palm Beach mansion from Trump, paying twice the value (source).
August 27, 2008: a small-time scam artist transfers a Beverly Hills, California, mansion to Donald Trump for $0. (source)
November 2008: Unable to meet his obligations for the nearly 1 billion dollar loan they gave him, Trump sues Deutsche Bank saying he shouldn't have to make good on his promise because of the economic crash. (source)
2009: Trump declares bankruptcy again. (source)
2009: a lawyer representing Trump Atlantic City casino creditors says he got threatening phone calls. The FBI traced one of them to a payphone outside the “Late Show With David Letterman,” where Trump was appearing.
“My name is Carmine,” the caller told the lawyer, Kristopher Hansen. “I don’t know why you’re fucking with Mr. Trump but if you keep fucking with Mr. Trump, we know where you live and we’re going to your house for your wife and kids.” (source)
July 23, 2009: Stormy Daniels' political advisor's car explodes (source).  This was approximately 3 years after her affair with Trump (source).
August 2009: After multiple tries dating back to 2006, Trump denied a final time for loan for 25 million pounds from Bank of Scotland because the bank considered it "too risky." (source)
2010: Tevfik Arif, a principal of the Bayrock Group - which at this time is partnering with the Trump organization on a variety of projects - is arrested in a Turkish prostitution sting. (source).  Charges were later dropped by Turkish authorities.
July 25, 2011: President Obama issues executive order declaring organized crime a national security emergency. (source)
2011 - 2015: Deutsche Bank, who 5 years previous had given Donald Trump nearly 1 billion dollars when Bank of Scotland wouldn't loan him 25 million pounds, is laundering billions of dollars with the help of Russians. (source)
2011: Eric Trump brags that they have access to millions of dollars from Russians. (source)
2011 - 2015: Donald Trump begins paying for his properties with hundreds of millions of dollars in cash. (source)
January 1, 2012: former Trump bodyguard dies from apparent overdose (source).
2013: Trump walks out of a BBC Panorama interview when asked about his connections with Felix Sater. (source)
April 16, 2013: Preet Bharara, then US attorney for SDNY, announces charges against massive Russian organized crime ring operating out of Trump Tower. (source)
June 16, 2013: Trump announces Miss Universe pageant will be in Moscow. (source)
November 9, 2013: Miss Universe pageant (source).  One of the fugitives indicted in the Trump Tower organized crime ring in April, ALIMZHAN TOKHTAKHOUNOV, is a guest of honor there. (source)
2014: Steve Bannon, while at Cambridge Analytica, orders testing on Putin messaging with Americans. (source)
February 10, 2014: Trump praises Putin on Fox & Friends. (source)
March 6, 2015: Trump Taj Mahal fined for money laundering. (source)
2015: Michael Cohen threatens a reporter covering Trump's divorce with Ivana.  “I’m warning you, tread very fucking lightly, because what I’m going to do to you is going to be fucking disgusting,” the Daily Beast’s Tim Mak, recalled Cohen telling him. “You write a story that has Mr. Trump’s name in it, with the word ‘rape,’ and I’m going to mess your life up … for as long as you’re on this frickin’ planet.” (source) (source)
April 18, 2015: Trump's former pilot dies in head-on collision (source).
November 3, 2015: Felix Sater, who is believed to work for Semion Mogilevich (source) writes Michael Cohen stating that he'll get buy-in from Putin and that they'll engineer Trump's presidency. (source)
November 5, 2015: former head of RT Mikhail Lesin found dead in DC hotel room with blunt force trauma to head, neck and torso.  He had a meeting with DOJ scheduled for following day. (source)
January 23, 2016: Trump tells the crowd at a rally that he could shoot someone in the middle of 5th Avenue and not lose voters. (source)
February 23, 2016: Trump tells the crowd at a rally that he'd like to punch a protestor in the face, and "I love the old days. You know what they used to do to guys like that when they were in a place like this? They’d be carried out on a stretcher, folks.” (source)
March 29, 2016: Paul Manafort joins Trump campaign. (source)
April - May 2016: George Papadopoulos in communication with “high ranking Russian official” in an attempt to set up meetings between Trump team and Russian reps, w/the promise “that the Kremlin had 'dirt' on Hillary Clinton in the form of “thousands of emails…” (source)
May 2016: Stephen Schwarzman flies to Riyadh to meet with Mohammed bin Salman - then the deputy crown prince of Saudi Arabia - about infrastructure, and presumably the $20 billion fund that's announced a year later. (source) More on Schwarzman's relationship with Trump, and Saudi Arabia here.  More on Schwarzman's links to Russia and Rosneft here.
Summer 2016: Stefan Halper, an FBI informant, approaches Trump campaign officials. (source)
June 9, 2016: Trump Tower meeting with Russians, Manafort, Kushner, Don Jr.. (source).  Present at the meeting was Nataliya Veselnitskaya, who at the time was representing Prevezon (source), a company implicated in a money-laundering case at SDNY (source)
June 14, 2016: News breaks that the DNC has been hacked by Russians. (source)
June 14, 2016: Michael Cohen cancels his planned trip to Moscow to discuss Trump Tower Moscow (source)
Sometime after July 19, 2016: Trump warned by FBI that Russians will try to infiltrate campaign. (source)
July 2016: FBI opens counter intelligence investigation into Trump campaign. (source) (source)
September, 2016: Trump and Cohen discuss hush money and contingency for if guy gets hit by a truck. (source)
October 31, 2016: Mother Jones reports "A Veteran Spy Has Given the FBI Information Alleging a Russian Operation to Cultivate Donald Trump"
November 7, 2016 (one day before election day): Connie Watton, maid of Stephen Schwarzman - a Trump AND Kremlin friend - is pushed in front of a subway. (source)  The woman who pushed her is assigned defense attorney Mathew Mari, known for his legal work for the Bonanno crime family.  More on Schwarzman's relationship with Trump, and Saudi Arabia here.  More on Schwarzman's links to Russia and Rosneft here.  Schwarzman had also financed Kushner projects and gave Jared Kushner a loan (source).
November 8, 2016 (election day): Russian diplomat Sergei Krivov found unconscious at the Russian Consulate in New York and died on the scene. (source)
December 2016: FSB officers arrested in Russia. (source)
December 2016: Jared Kushner instructs Michael Flynn to sabotage US foreign policy. (source)
December 1 or 2, 2016: Kushner tries to set up secret back channel with Russians using Russians' secure facilities. (source)
December 1, 2016: Jared Kushner and Michael Flynn meet with Sergei Kislyak at Trump Tower (source)
December 13-14, 2016 (date not confirmed): Jared Kushner meets with Sergey Gorkov, "a graduate of the academy of the Federal Security Service, or FSB, the domestic intelligence arm of the former Soviet KGB, who was appointed by Putin to the post less than a year before his encounter with Kushner." (source)
December 19, 2016: Russia's ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, is killed. (source)
December 19, 2016: Russian diplomat to Latin America, Peter Polshikov, is killed. (source)
December 20, 2016: Methbot white paper published. (source)
December 26, 2016: Ex-KGB chief Oleg Erovinkin, who was suspected of helping draft the Trump dossier, found dead in the back of his car. (source)
December 29, 2016: Obama expels 35 Russian diplomats. (source)
December 29, 2016: KT McFarland sends email stating that "If there is a tit-for-tat escalation Trump will have difficulty improving relations with Russia, which has just thrown U.S.A. election to him," (source)
December 29, 2016: Flynn calls Kislyak to discuss the expelling of the diplomates and asks that the Russians not retaliate. (source)
January 6, 2017: Trump, McFarland, Pence, Flynn, Priebus, Pompeo and Bossert briefed with classified intelligence report by Brennan, Clapper, Comey. (source)  That same day, DNI releases this report.
January 9, 2017: Russian Consul in Athens, Greece, Andrei Malanin, found dead in his apartment (source)
January 10, 2017: Buzzfeed publishes Steele Dossier. (source)
January 24, 2017: Peter Strzok interviews Michael Flynn. (source)
January  27, 2017: Russia's Ambassador to India, Alexander Kadakin, dies. (source)
January 30, 2017: New York State Department of Financial Services fines Deutsche Bank $425 million for massive Russian mirror trading scheme. (source)
February 2017: Trump's bodyguard, a Trump Organization lawyer and a third man raid Harold Bornstein's office, taking Trump's medical records. (source)
February 20, 2017: Vitaly Churkin, Russia's ambassador to the UN, dies suddenly in New York (source)
March 2, 2017: Ukrainian businessman with links to Trump found dead from undetermined causes.  Oronov was Michael Cohen's brother's father-in-law, and Cohen did business with him. (source)
March 11, 2017: Trump fires Preet Bharara, who as US Attorney of SDNY had led the breakup of a massive Russian organized crime ring operating out of Trump Tower. (source)
March 16, 2017: laptop stolen from Secret Service agent's car while parked in her driveway.  The laptop contained highly sensitive information including floor plans and evacuation protocol for Trump Tower. (source)
March 20, 2017: It's learned that the FBI had launched a counter intelligence investigation into the Trump campaign and Russian links in July of 2016. (source) (source)
March 21, 2017: A lawyer for a Putin-foe, Nikolai Gorokhov, reportedly thrown from a window in Moscow. Gorokhov was set to testify as a U.S. government witness in a money laundering case initiated by SDNY (led by Preet Bahrara). (source)  "The alleged vehicle by which these dirty assets were washed clean was a Cyprus-registered company called Prevezon Holdings Ltd." (source)  Prevezon is represented by Nataliya Veselnitskaya at the time that she attends the Trump Tower meeting in June of 2016. (source)
March 23, 2017: former Russian MP, Denis Voronenkov, shot dead in Kiev. (source)
March 30, 2017: FBI raids Trump-linked casino in Saipan. (source)
March 30, 2017: Mike Flynn asks for immunity. (source)
May 1, 2017: Scott Christianson, investigative reporter for McClatchy, publishes this:
May 9, 2017: Trump fires FBI director James Comey. (source)
May 2017 (date unclear): FBI opens counter intelligence investigation into Trump. (source)
May 10: 2017: Subpoenas issued to Michael Flynn by Senate Intelligence Committee. (source)
May 10, 2017: closed-door meeting in Oval Office with Russians. (source)
May 10, 2017: Roger Ailes falls in his home at Palm Beach Country. (source)
May 11, 2017: FBI raids GOP consulting firm in Maryland. (source)
May 14, 2017: Scott Christianson dies after falling down the stairs at his home (source)
May 14 2017: Republic operative Peter Smith found dead in Minnesota 10 days after speaking with WSJ (source)
Smith had said he'd been working with Michael Flynn (source).
May 17, 2017: Robert Mueller appointed special counsel (source).
May 18, 2017: Roger Ailes dies from head injury he'd sustained 8 days earlier (source).
May 20-21, 2017: Trump takes his first overseas trip as president to Saudi Arabia.  During this trip, it's announced that Blackstone, led by Stephen Schwarzman, will manage Saudi Arabia's $20 billion investment fund. (source)  Most of the investment will be in US infrastructure (source)  During that trip, Trump also meets with Kirill Dmitriev of VEB bank (source)
July 4, 2017: body washes up on shore of Trump golf course in California. (source) (source)
July 26, 2017: Paul Manafort's home raided (source)
July 27, 2017: George Papadopoulos arrested. (source)
August 3, 2017: Secret Service kicked out of Trump Tower (source).
August 23, 2017: Russian ambassador to Sudan, Mirgayas Shirinsky, found dead. (source)
September 1, 2017: fire at Russian consulate in San Francisco (source).
September 14, 2017: Junior ditches Secret Service to go to Canada (source).
September 25, 2017: Richard Beckler, Trump's appointee as General Counsel of GSA dies (source).  Beckler is the GSA staff member who'd assured Trump that requests for materials/emails from special counsel would not be honored (source).
September 27, 2017: Paul Horner, fake news writer who took credit for Trump’s win, dies of apparent overdose (source)
October 2017: Trump muses that he'll likely get to place 4 justices on the Supreme Court because of future health issues they may have (source).
October 16, 2017: Panama Papers journalist killed with a car bomb. (source)
October 25, 2017: Jared Kushner leaves on unannounced visit to Saudi Arabia.
October 26, 2017: Investigator (Catherine Hunt, a former FBI agent) working on behalf of 9/11 families suing Saudi Arabia interviews Jamal Khashoggi.  Khashoggi texted Saudi officials that same day.
(as claimed by the lawyer working on behalf of the families)
October 28, 2018: Jared Kushner returns from unannounced visit to Saudi Arabia.
October 30, 2017: Papadopoulos guilty plea revealed (source)
November 3, 2017: Alex van der Zwaan is interviewed by the FBI. (source)
November 4, 2017: Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman consolidates power and arrests several princes, including Prince Alwaleed bin-Talal. (source)  Trump had previously sold his yacht (1991) and the Plaza Hotel to Alwaleed bin-Talal (source).
November 2017: Trump picks fights with North Korea. (source)
November 17, 2017: Brett Kavanaugh added to short list of SCOTUS nominees. (source)
December 1, 2017: Michael Flynn pleads guilty to lying to the FBI. (source)
December 5, 2017: It's reported that Deutsche Bank received subpoena from Robert Mueller (source) In-depth Rachel Maddow segment on Deutsche Bank and the subpoena here.
December 16, 2017: Trump learns that Mueller has in his possession all of their transition emails on the .gov domain, obtained via the GSA. (source)
December 22, 2017: House Intelligence Committee interviews Rhona Graff
December 30, 2017: Fire at home linked to Ivanka's diamond business (source).
January 8, 2018: Fire at Trump Tower (source)
January 20, 2018: Former spokesman for Rick Gates, Glenn Selig, dies in Afghanistan hotel attack.  Selig was a well-known Tampa Bay Area TV anchor. (source)
January 25, 2018: It's learned that Dutch intelligence had infiltrated Russian hacker group Cozy Bear and witnessed in real time as they attacked the State Department as well as the DNC. (source)
January 27, 2018: Steve Wynn resigns as RNC finance chair amid sexual assault allegations (source).
January 31, 2018: chartered train carrying GOP lawmakers to retreat crashes into truck (source).
February 16, 2018: Indictment of 12 Russians, outlining their methods of election interference (indictment sealed). (source)
February 20, 2018: Alex van der Zwaan pleads guilty to making false statements to FBI. (source)
February 22, 2018: Paul Manafort and Richard Gates indicted. (source)
February 23 - 27, 2018: Trump Tower Panama standoff with physical altercations and armed guards (source).
Week of March 4 - 10, 2018 (date unclear): FBI raids Trump-linked casino in Saipan a second time. (source)
March 4, 2018: Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, found poisoned on a park bench in Salisbury. (source)
March 16, 2018: FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe fired. (source)
April 7, 2018: ANOTHER Trump Tower Fire - art dealer Todd Brassner dies (source); Michael Cohen texts Dennis Shields with a warning to "get out ASAP" (source).
April 9, 2018: FBI raids Michael Cohen's home, hotel room, and office (source).
April 13, 2018: RNC Finance Chair Elliot Broidy resigns in midst hush money payoff scandal (source).
April 15 or 16, 2018: Matthew Mellon (finance chair, NY RNC, and who made his fortune in cryptocurrency) dies of apparent overdose (source). Note - original link/story is now gone; here are alternate sources for that story: https://twitter.com/business/status/986135482013769728
April 24, 2018: Devin Nunes sends classified letter to Jeff Sessions regarding FBI informant (source) who is later revealed to be Stefan Halper. (source)
April 28, 2018: Fire at Trump Tower Azerbaijan (source).
Week of April 29, 2018: Devin Nunes issues subpoena to DOJ seeking information about FBI informant (later revealed to be Stefan Halper). (source)
June 20, 2018: New York State Department of Financial Services fines Deutsche Bank $205 million for "unlawful, unsafe and unsound conduct in its foreign exchange trading business." (source)
June 22, 2018: Trump-backed Katie Arrington seriously injured in head-in collision (source).
June 27, 2018: Justice Kennedy, whose son was Donald Trump's banker, unexpectedly announces retirement. (source) Trump and Kennedy reportedly had a special relationship (source).
July 4, 2018: delegation of Republicans go to Moscow. (source)
July 9, 2018: Brett Kavanaugh nominated to SCOTUS. (source)
July 14, 2018: Indictment of 12 Russians/internet research agency unsealed (source).
July 16, 2018: Maria Butina criminal complaint unsealed. (source)
July 16, 2018: Trump meets with Putin in Helsinki. (source)
July 17, 2018: Secret Service agent dies in Scotland.  After falling ill at Trump's golf course in Turnberry, he died the day after the Helsinki meeting (source) (source). (obituary)
July 25, 2018: dead body found in waters off Trump NYC golf course (source).
August 6, 2018: Rand Paul goes to Russia. (source)
August 10, 2018: Dennis Shields - the same guy Cohen texted back in April - found dead in Trump Tower (source)
August 15, 2018: Trump revokes John Brennan's security clearance. (source)
August 16, 2018: mystery case before grand jury initiated. (source)
October 2, 2018: Jamal Khashoggi murdered on orders from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. (source)  Trump later disputes the findings of the CIA and stands with MBS, stating that too much money is at stake. (source)
October 3, 2018: Nikki Hailey resigns, but resignation is not yet publicly announced. (source)
October 3, 2018: The Russian deputy attorney general (Saak Karapetyan) who reportedly directed Natalya Veselnitskaya (the lawyer who met with the Trump campaign in Trump Tower) dies in a helicopter crash (source).  It was later reported that the pilot of the helicopter had been shot. (source)
October 9, 2018: Internet Research Agency (aka the troll farm) named in DOJ indictment (unsealed July 14, 2018) set on fire. (source)
October 9, 2018: Nikki Haley announces resignation.
October 9, 2018: New York Times reports that Saudi Arabia had ordered Khashoggi's murder.
October 17, 2018: Don McGahn resigns. (source)
October 19, 2018: "Project Lahkta" (Russian election interference) criminal complaint unsealed (source)
October 21, 2018: John Bolton goes to Russia to meet with Putin. (source)
October 22 - 27, 2018: week of terror begins with bombs at the home of George Soros. (source).  It was followed by bombs sent to Bill and Hillary Clinton (Oct. 23); Barack Obama, CNN, John Brennan, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Eric Holder and Maxine Waters (October 24); Robert de Niro and Joe Biden (October 25); and Cory Booker, James Clapper, Kamala Harris, and Tom Steyer (October 26). It ends with mass shooting at Tree of Life synagogue on October 27 (source).
October 30, 2018: Whitey Bulger killed. (source)
November 21, 2018: head of GRU agency accused of DNC hacks and Skripal poisoning dies, reportedly after a long illness. (source)
November 27, 2018: Methbot indictment unsealed at EDNY. (source)
November 28, 2018: Miami Herald publishes Perversion of Justice investigative report.
November 29, 2018: Michael Cohen pleads guilty. (source)
November 29, 2018: Massive raid at Deutsche Bank. (source)
November 29, 2018: FBI raids offices of Trump's former tax attorney, Chicago Alderman Ed Burke. (source)
December 4, 2018: Epstein trial set to begin.  It is settled at the last minute, avoiding testimony from witnesses. (source)
December 13, 2018: FBI allegedly raids Chicago Alderman and former Trump tax attorney Ed Burke's office a second time (FBI neither confirms nor denies whether raid took place) (source).
December 22, 2018: Government shuts down. (source)
January 8, 2019: it's learned that Manafort passed polling data to Kilimnik in the summer of 2016. (source)
January 11, 2019: it's learned/reported that the FBI had opened a counter intelligence investigation into Trump in May of 2017. (source)
January 23, 2019: Michael Cohen postpones testimony before Congress, saying it's because Trump has been threatening him. (source)
January 25, 2019: Roger Stone arrested and indicted. (source) (source)
February 21, 2019: Judge rules that federal prosecutors (including Trump labor secretary Alex Acosta) broke the law in Epstein case. (source)
February 27, 2019: Michael Cohen testifies before Congress that Trump had directed him to threaten people as many as 500 times when he worked for him. (source)  He also testifies that Felix Sater's office had been located on the 26th floor of Trump Tower - the same floor as Trump's office - and, in the location that would eventually become Cohen's office. (source)
And let's not forget the acid in Steve Bannon's bathroom: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/bannons-vacated-florida-home-had-a-bathroom-destroyed-by-acid-washington-post-report-985356
Or how Michael Cohen threatened this reporter: https://twitter.com/cherijacobus/status/974831949285031936
Or the threats Stormy Daniels received: https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/25/politics/stormy-daniels-threat-60-minutes/index.html
A short history of Donald Trump's threats: https://www.propublica.org/article/a-short-history-of-threats-received-by-donald-trumps-opponents
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News of money previously given to House Speaker Mike Johnson's congressional campaign by Russian nationals has re-emerged after the Republican rejected a $95 billion foreign aid bill passed in the Senate.
In 2018, a group of Russians were able to donate to Johnson's bid for the Louisiana seat he eventually won as the money was funneled through the Texas-based American Ethane company.
While American Ethane was co-founded by American John Houghtaling, at the time it was 88% owned by three Russian nationals—Konstantin Nikolaev, Mikhail Yuriev, and Andrey Kunatbaev. Nikolaev is known to be a top ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
A spokesperson for Johnson previously assured in 2018 that the campaign returned the money that was given to them by American Ethane once it was "made aware of the situation." There was no indication that Johnson's campaign team willfully broke federal law, which makes it illegal for a campaign to knowingly accept donations from a foreign-owned corporation, a foreign national, or any company owned or controlled by foreign nationals.
A number of social media users have now brought up the campaign money amid Johnson's opposition to the long-debated foreign aid bill, which would send $60 billion to Ukraine as the country continues to fight off Russia's invasion.
In a press conference on February 14, Johnson said he would not bring the bill recently passed by the Senate back from a House vote and that the "Republican-led House will not be jammed or forced into passing" the foreign aid bill.
The same day, Ukraine-based blog Fake Off posted on X, formerly Twitter: "US Speaker of the House Mike Johnson received campaign contributions from American Ethane, a company 88% owned by three Russians. Now, do you understand why he was categorically against the aid to Ukraine?"
Another social media user added, while sharing a clip of Johnson's press conference: "Astonishing that the Speaker of the House for the United States Government accepts money from Russia. Konstantin Nikolaev, Mikhail Yuriev, and Andrey Kunatbaev own 88% of American Ethane."
Johnson's office has been contacted for comment via email.
WHO IS KONSTANTIN NIKOLAEV?
The 52-year-old is a billionaire who previously served as minister of transport for the Russian Federation.
Nikolaev and his two partners currently own a third of Globaltrans, Russia's biggest private rail transport operator, and he previously worked in railroad freight and port businesses.
He is also a part owner of Tula Cartridge Works, which has been supplying ammunition for Russian forces during its invasion of Ukraine.
In 2019, Forbes listed the oligarch's net worth at $1.2 billion.
Nikolaev is also known for being a financial backer of Maria Butina, a Russian citizen who was sentenced to 18 months in prison in 2019 after admitting to acting as an unregistered foreign agent to infiltrate conservative political groups and influence foreign policy to Russia's benefit before and after the 2016 election.
The money that Nikolaev and the other two Russian nationals managed to donate to Johnson's 2018 campaign was also brought up after the Republican was elected House Speaker last October.
"Putin pal Konstantin Nikolaev, who handled Russian spy Maria Butina, was also the principal stockholder in American Ethane Co. when they donated over $37,000 to Mike Johnson's election campaign. Does anyone else think that might be a problem?" posted X user @Davegreenidge57.
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trump666traitor · 2 years
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geekbroll · 2 years
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The NRA was a Russia cut out organization. Maria Butina was fucking her way through Republicans for power, influence and corruption.
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On the other hand Elaine Chao only fucked McConnel to legitimize her family's corruption and criminality. This is what Putin has over McConnel. She and her family were under investigation, but that is one of many investigations that Bill Barr most likely killed as AG.
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albertcamuesli · 8 months
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some more from Gary Shteyngart's full immersion in Putin’s propaganda!
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well that's depressing! let's see how day 4 is going!
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oh boy.
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omg you guys, do you remember Maria Butina and that whole scandal that feels like it occurred a million years ago? this is her now! also:
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russianreader · 1 year
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The Honor and the Glory of The Gated Community
Known as Minnesota’s favorite Americana band of the 99%, The Gated Community celebrates the release of their highly anticipated new album The Honor and Glory of The Gated Community. Showcasing beautiful harmonies, multiple lead singers and virtuosic soloists, this 5th album from the folk/country cult favorites shows the band stepping out of their Marxist bluegrass band box to create poignant…
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authorkims · 2 years
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/07/28/homeland-security-texts-jan6/
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somebluenovember · 2 years
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I occasionally think about how Germany’s Die Welt went and hired Marina Ovsjannikova - the blond editor of Russian state propaganda TV channel who went on air with an anti-war protest banner - to cover Russian and UKRAINIAN topics, and it just baffles me how Germany is broken to the level that they cannot see: 
a) that she’s an FSB insert (it’s so bloody obvious to anyone I’ve spoken about it with personal experience of Russia and the Soviet Union) 
b) that having a seasoned Moscow propaganda machine puppet such as Ovsyannikova comment on Ukrainian news is unbalanced, unjust, and again strips Ukraine of agency. There are Ukrainian journalists ABOUND they could have hired, but sure, go for the blond Putin’s puppet. FFS. 
It’s like Maria Butina in the US all over again. Stop falling for the plants, you’re embarrassing yourselves. 
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unhonestlymirror · 1 month
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Nevzorov:
Why is the US stalling on helping Ukraine?
It's simple. Putin has no conscience and honor, but he has money. A lot of money.
Therefore, he is really able to influence processes in the world.
For example, House Speaker Michael Johnson, a Republican and an ardent Trumpist, who rejected the $95 billion relief bill passed in the Senate, got his “position” with the support of a group of russians who donated money to his company through a certain "Ethane".
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At that time, "Ethane" was 88 percent owned by three russian citizens - Konstantin Nikolaev, Mikhail Yuryev and Andrey Kunatbaev. It is known that Nikolaev is the main ally of russian president putin.
Konstantin Nikolaev is a 52-year-old billionaire who previously served as Minister of Transport of the russian federation.
Nikolaev and his two partners currently own a third company, Globaltrans, russia's largest private rail transport operator, having previously worked in the rail freight and port business.
He is also a co-owner of Tula Cartridge Works, which supplied ammunition to russian troops during its invasion of Ukraine.
In 2019, Forbes listed the oligarch's fortune at $1.2 billion.
Nikolaev is also known for being the financial backer of Maria Butina, a russian citizen who was sentenced to 18 months in prison in 2019 after admitting to acting as an unregistered foreign agent to infiltrate conservative political groups and influence foreign policy in russia's interests before and after the 2016 elections.
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naturalrights-retard · 8 months
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The Obama-appointed judge overseeing Jack Smith’s case against President Trump previously expressed a desire to “jail conservatives” who annoy her.
One of the many problems with Smith’s case against President Trump in DC is that extremely corrupt Obama Judge Tanya Chutkan was assigned to the case.
The judge assigned Tuesday to handle special counsel Jack Smith’s 2020 election case against former President Donald Trump pumped thousands of dollars into Barack Obama’s campaign coffers, newly surfaced records show.
Joehoft.com reports: Trump faced an indictment at the hands of a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday on four new charges related to his alleged efforts to challenge the results of the 2020 presidential election and incite the Jan. 6 riot on Capitol Hill in 2021. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who will handle the case, was an Obama appointee in 2014 and contributed roughly $4,300 to his presidential campaign and victory fund combined between 2008 and 2012, according to campaign finance disclosures reviewed by the Washington Examiner.
Chutkan’s donations were made while she worked at Boies Schiller Flexner, a major law firm with over a dozen offices across the United States. She also in 2008 gave $250 to the campaign for Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), though the Federal Election Commission database doesn’t list her backing any federal candidates after September 2012.
Obama Judge Tanya Chutkan has a horrible record. She oversaw Mueller gang’s corrupt Butina case. In 2019, Judge Chutkan was given the Mueller gang’s case against Russian Martina Butina.
On July 18, 2018, the New York Times reported the following in an article entitled “Maria Butina, Suspected Secret Agent, Used Sex in Covert Plan, Prosecutors Say” –
Maria Butina was sentenced to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiring to act as a foreign agent, admitting that she was part of a Russian effort to influence U.S. politics. But she was hardly a shadowy figure. Here’s what her online profile revealed.
For four years, a Russian accused of being a covert agent pursued a brazen effort to infiltrate conservative circles and influence powerful Republicans while she secretly was in contact with Russian intelligence operatives, a senior Russian official and a billionaire oligarch close to the Kremlin whom she called her “funder,” federal prosecutors said on Wednesday.
But this was a lie and setup.
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saywhat-politics · 1 year
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Rob Schenck, the evangelical pastor turned spymaster, has unearthed how the high court really works and highlights the need for Congress and the public to rein in the rogue justices.
Schenck has revealed that as long ago as 2014, three conservative justices—Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, and the late Antonin Scalia—were in such close and constant contact with one of his cat’s-paws, a wealthy donor named Gayle Wright, that she seemed to complain in an email to Schenck about the feverish pace of the operation: “Lunch with CT on Monday, Sam [Alito] on Wednesday, dinner at court on Monday, Dinner with Maureen [Scalia] on Wednesday.”
Vladimir Putin must wish that Maria Butina had succeeded so well!
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The Federal Election Commission recently let a US company that was quietly bankrolled by Russian oligarchs off with a slap on the wrist despite discovering that it had illegally funneled Russian funds to US political candidates in the 2018 midterm elections, two Democratic FEC commissioners said in a scathing statement issued Friday.
“Half the Commission chose to reject the recommendation of the agency’s nonpartisan Office of General Counsel and turned a blind eye to the documented use of Russian money for contributions to various federal and state committees in the 2018 elections,” wrote the two commissioners, Ellen Weintraub and Shana Broussard.
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Anyone who follows campaign finance knows that the FEC has been toothless for years due to GOP commissioners’ opposition to any enforcement of laws designed to oversee money in politics. But Weintraub and Broussard suggest the agency hit a new low by letting the US firm, American Ethane, off with a deal in which it agreed to pay only a small civil fine.
Though based in Houston, Texas, and run by American CEO John Houghtaling, 88% of American Ethane was owned by three Russian nationals—Konstantin Nikolaev, Mikhail Yuriev, and Andrey Kunatbaev. The FEC report said that Nikolaev, an oligarch and Russian billionaire with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, is the controlling shareholder. Separately, Nikolaev also underwrote efforts by Maria Butina, a Russian gun rights activist, to cultivate ties with the National Rifle Association officials and with associates of Donald Trump around the time of the 2016 election. In 2018, Butina acknowledged acting as an unregistered Kremlin agent and pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy against the United States. She was sentenced to 18 months in prison but was deported six months later.
According to lobbying disclosures, the company was seeking help from US officials in its efforts to sell US ethane to China and, in 2018, had hired a US lobbying firm, Turnberry Solutions, with close ties to former Trump campaign chief Corey Lewandowski. A year later, Lewandowki officially joined Turnberry, after previously disputing his connections to the firm. Turnberry, which traded on ties to Trump, shut down in 2021, months after he left office.
The FEC investigation began after it received a complaint citing press reports on American Ethane’s ties to Nikolaev and its donations to lawmakers. Weintraub and Broussard noted that the FEC found that American Ethane “made contributions using funds derived from loans from foreign entities ultimately owned by Russian nationals.” Federal law bans foreign funds in US elections, as well as direct corporate donations to candidates. American Ethane seems to have done both. The FEC found that the company made more than $66,000 in donations using money it got from offshore firms in the form of loans. According to an FEC general counsel’s report released last year, the owners of the offshore firms included Alexander Voloshin, a Russian politician and former state power company official, and Roman Abramovich, an infamous Russian oligarch and former owner of the British football powerhouse Chelsea. The money the company used to dole out donations ultimately came from the oligarchs, the FEC said.
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During its four-year investigation, the FEC found that the funds initially put up by Abromovich and other Russian nationals were then funneled to Republicans in Louisiana: Sens. John Kennedy and Bill Cassidy, a political action committee run by Kennedy, a leadership fund run by House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, a PAC backing Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, and the campaigns of Reps. Mike Johnson and Garrett Graves. Other contributions went to state lawmakers. The report didn’t explain why the company focused on Louisiana but the state is home to many natural gas firms, and its lawmakers advocate for the industry.
The lawmakers who received funds have not been accused of knowingly taking Russian money, though the final report from the initial investigation noted, “American Ethane attempted to make more political contributions, but those recipient committees never deposited American Ethane’s checks.”
American Ethane argued that the funds the company first received appeared as loan to the American corporation. Therefore, they claimed the donations it made were not foreign. The FEC rejected that argument. But it still recommended the firm only pay $9,500 as a civil penalty.
“The foreign-influence problem has not gone away in the meantime, to put it mildly,” Weintraub and Broussard wrote. “In this case, it is beyond unfortunate that for three of our colleagues, it was a bridge too far to penalize the use of Russian oligarchs’ money to influence U.S. elections.”
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niradhikari · 3 months
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Speaker Johnson has flip flopped from his earlier principled position of full support for Ukraine’s victory.
Turns out Speaker Mike Johnson was a beneficiary of Russian campaign funds for his political career! He and GOP congresspersons must join to pass Ukraine Aid and end hostage taking with unrelated crisis.
In fact GOP initially wanted a “stand alone” bill! May be someone could talk some sense into the Speaker, he has a job to do, “legislating”, and not play hostage games!
"A group of Russian nationals were able to donate to newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson's campaign in 2018 by funneling the money through a U.S. company." – Ewan Palmer
One of the men behind the company, Nikolaev, an oligarch with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, was also found to have financially backed Maria Butina, a Russian citizen who lived in Washington D.C. Butina was sentenced to 18 months in prison in 2019 after admitting to acting as an unregistered foreign agent to infiltrate conservative political groups and influence foreign policy to Russia's benefit before and after the 2016 election.” More at https://www.newsweek.com/house-speaker-mike-johnson-donations-russia-butina-1838501
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trump666traitor · 2 years
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mariacallous · 3 months
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Russia’s crusaders for traditional values have found a new battle, and nudity of all kinds is at stake. The real headline-grabber was rapper Vacio (Nikolai Vasiliev), who wore nothing but socks on his feet and penis. Still, fellow celebrities Filipp Kirkorov, Lolita Milyavskaya, Ksenia Sobchak, and others gave Vacio a run for his money, wearing transparent bodysuits that teased nipples, navels, and buttcracks. 
This was the scene at Moscow’s “Mutabor” nightclub on Wednesday, December 20, where blogger and TV presenter Nastya Ivleeva hosted the “Almost Naked” party. A ticket for the evening reportedly cost a cool million rubles ($10,770). Before the bacchanalia was even done, footage from the event started appearing in tabloids and spreading rapidly across social media. 
As Internet users gawked and gossiped, there was immediate outrage from conservative activists and pundits, several of whom began lobbying for a police response. Representatives of radical traditionalist groups like “Sorok Sorokov,” “Call of the People,” and the “Federal Project for Security and Anti-Corruption” (FPBK) soon appealed to the Prosecutor General’s Office and other law-enforcement agencies, calling the “Almost Naked” party an “immoral” celebration of the “dark arts” and asking the authorities to investigate its organizers for propagating drug culture and “the gay lifestyle.” 
Some have called for administrative charges, while others want a full-on criminal investigation. One of the recurring complaints is that Ivleeva’s festivities come at a time when Russia is busy invading Ukraine, ostensibly in defense of “traditional values” against the onslaught of Western decadence and progressivism. 
Ekaterina Mizulina, the head of the Safe Internet League, has campaigned aggressively to purge Russian popular culture of drug references and other unholy cravings. Her objections to “dangerous content” often lead to real consequences for the artists responsible, such as police charges against musician Oxxxymiron and the deportation of rapper Nekoglai. On December 21, Mizulina urged a boycott “at the state level” of the celebrities who attended the “Almost Naked” party. “Our soldiers at the front definitely aren’t fighting for this,” she said. “These raves are like firing a bullet into the foot of the entire policy implemented by the state.”
Other conservatives found the party’s supposed “LGBT” overtones most alarming. Maria Butina is a former gun rights activist who became a television propagandist and federal lawmaker after serving 14 months behind bars in the United States, where she pleaded guilty to felony charges of conspiracy to act as an unregistered foreign agent of the Russian state. On Thursday, writing on official State Duma letterhead in her capacity as a deputy, Butina appealed to the Internal Affairs Ministry, the Cultural Ministry, and Russia’s media regulator, requesting inquiries into the “Almost Naked” party to see if it violated Russia’s ban on “LGBT propaganda” and a November 2022 presidential decree on preserving and strengthening “traditional Russian spiritual and moral values.”
“Listen, they all have children. What kind of example are they setting for their children? All the truest LGBT people gathered there,” moaned FPBK director Vitaly Borodin. “What were they thinking? There’s a special military operation underway. Our society is at a loss.” Borodin also asked Internal Affairs Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev and Moscow Chief of Police Oleg Baranov to dispatch officers to the “Mutabor” nightclub on December 21 to prevent a planned second night of festivities. 
When Thursday evening came, the police arrived at Mutabor ahead of most guests, but the authorities didn’t stick around. “Officers collected what materials they needed and left,” said the radio station Govorit Moskva. Round two of the party eventually rolled into action, this time open to the general public at an admission fee of just 2,500 rubles ($27). At the time of this writing, organizer Nastya Ivleeva was absent from the celebration. The Telegram channel Shot reported that the nightclub’s security guards were now asking guests to don additional clothing if their outfits revealed too much skin.
Hours earlier, on Thursday morning (apparently before realizing the scale of conservatives’ outrage and the involvement of law enforcement), Nastya Ivleeva taunted her critics on social media, writing (in a comment that’s since disappeared) that she loves getting hate for staging risque events: 
We look at the West and see these beautiful, slim models come out, and we say, “Damn, they’re so beautiful, they’re so cool.” And now our own beautiful, trim artists come out, and everyone’s like, “Fuck, look at this shit. Pop is dead.” God, I love it so much. May it never end.
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warningsine · 6 months
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Officially, the Barbie movie isn't showing in Russia.
But unofficially…
I'm in a Moscow shopping centre. A giant pink house has been erected next to the food court. Inside: pink furniture, pink popcorn and life-size cardboard cut-outs of Barbie and Ken who are beaming from ear to ear.
No wonder they're smiling: the Barbie film is pulling in the crowds at the multiplex opposite, despite Western sanctions. After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a string of Hollywood studios stopped releasing their movies in Russia. But unauthorised copies are getting through and being dubbed into Russian.
Over at the cinema it's a bit cloak and dagger. When I ask one visitor which movie he's come to watch he names an obscure 15-minute Russian film and smiles.
To avoid licensing issues, some cinemas in Russia have been selling tickets to Russian-made shorts and showing the Barbie feature film as the preview.
Russia's culture ministry is not amused. Last month it concluded that the Barbie movie was "not in line with the aims and goals laid out by our president for preserving and strengthening traditional Russian moral and spiritual values."
Mind you, the cinemagoers I speak to are tickled pink that Barbie's hit the big screen here.
"People should have the right to choose what they want to watch," Karina says. "I think it's good that Russian cinemas are able to show these films for us."
"It's about being open-minded about other people's cultures," says Alyona. "Even if you don't agree with other people's standards, it's still great if you can watch it."
But Russian MP Maria Butina believes there's nothing great about Barbie: the doll or the film.
"I have issues with Barbie as a female form," she tells me. "Some girls - especially in their teens - try to be like a Barbie girl, and they exhaust their bodies."
Ms Butina adds that the film has not been licensed to appear in Russian cinemas.
"Do not break the law. Is this a question for our movie theatres? Absolutely. I filed several requests to cinemas asking on what basis they are showing the film," she says.
"You talk about the importance of following the law," I say, "but Russia invaded Ukraine. The United Nations says that was a complete violation of international law."
"Russia is saving Ukraine," she replies, "and saving the Donbas."
You hear this often from those in power in Russia. They paint Moscow as peacemaker, not warmonger. They argue that it is America, Nato, the West, that are using Ukraine to wage war on Russia. It is an alternative reality designed to rally Russians around the flag.
Amid growing confrontation with Europe and America, the Russian authorities seem determined to turn Russians against the West.
From morning till night state TV here tells viewers that Western leaders are out to destroy Russia. The brand-new modern history textbook for Russian high-school students (obligatory for use) claims that the aim of the West is "to dismember Russia and take control of her natural resources."
It asserts that "in the 1990s, in place of our traditional cultural values such as good, justice, collectivism, charity and self-sacrifice, under the influence of Western propaganda a sense of individualism was forced on Russia, along with the idea that people bear no responsibility for society."
The text book encourages Russian 11th graders to "multiply the glory and strength of the Motherland."
In other words, Your Motherland (not Barbie Land) needs you!
At the Moscow multiplex I'd found many people still open to experiencing Western culture and ideas. But what's the situation away from the Russian capital?
I drive to the town of Shchekino, 140 miles from Moscow. There's a concert on at the local culture centre. Up on stage four Russian soldiers in military fatigues are playing electric guitars and singing their hearts out about patriotism and Russian invincibility.
One of the songs is about Russia's war in Ukraine.
"We will serve the Motherland and crush the enemy!" they croon.
The audience (it's almost a full house) is a mixture of young and old, including school children, military cadets, and senior citizens. For the up-tempo numbers they're waving Russian tricolours that have been handed to them.
As the paratrooper pop stars sing their patriotic repertoire, film is being projected onto the screen behind them. No Barbie or Ken here. There are images of Russian tanks, soldiers marching and shooting and, at one point, of President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin.
Patriotic messaging is effective. Barbie mania isn't a thing on the streets of Shchekino.
"Right now it's important to make patriotic Russian films to raise morale," Andrei tells me. "And we need to cut out Western habits from our lives. How can we do that? Through film. Cinema can influence the masses."
"In Western films they talk a lot about sexual orientation. We don't support that," Ekaterina tells me. "Russian cinema is about family values, love and friendship."
But Diana is reluctant to divide cinema into Russian films and foreign movies.
"Art is for everyone. It doesn't matter where you're from," Diana tells me. "And we shouldn't restrict ourselves to art from one nation. To become a more cultured, sociable and a more interesting person, you need to watch films and read books from other countries, too."
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