Bosnian media claim former FSB director Nikolai Pattushev met w HDZ officials from #Croatia & #Bosnia in Trogir resort to coordinate strategies for interfering in BiH elxns, ensuring @Dragan_Covic’s victory & solidifying RUS influence in both states. zurnal.info/novost/21260/p…
If @zurnal_info has the docs & sources to back this up, it’d be the clearest link yet between the hard-right of the HDZ in #Bosnia & #Croatia & the Kremlin. Their on RUS in BiH reporting so far has been excellent, recall this scoop: theguardian.com/world/2018/feb…
I note also that this story meshes very closely w the approach Russia took in #Montenegro in the 2016 coup attempt, as detailed in this thorough report by @ReufBajrovic, @VeskoGarcevic & R. Kraemer for @FPRI.
A few of us have been writing extensively about @Dragan_Covic’s obvious links to Russian interests but that’s been largely thru open source analysis. This report suggests foreign intel orgs have still further info. That’s an extremely important development if accurate.
Note also that as early as 2016, Russian media was openly portraying Patrushev (note my typo in first post) as one of the new Kremlin point people in the region. rs-lat.sputniknews.com/rusija/2016102…
And see also @MarkGaleotti's excellent report for @ecfr from April which feat. Nikolai Patrushev very prominently, meshing completely w what @zurnal_info has reported here. A very alarming report for EU & US posture in the whole region. ecfr.eu/publications/s…
And let's make explicit why: this report suggests that Croatia, an EU & NATO member state, is coordinating directly w the Kremlin to i. interfere in the Bosnians elxns and ii. strengthen Russian influence in both countries & thus the region. An absolutely shocking development.
So, @zurnal_info has obtained documents showing direct cooperation of HDZ #Croatia w #HDZ #BiH ahead of BiH elxns, claiming memo was drafted directly following meeting w ex-FSB director Patrushev. They truly have the receipts it seems. zurnal.info/novost/21262/h…
What’s notable here also is that in addition to interfering in the BiH elxns, the RUS appear esp keen to marginalize CRO “pro-Western” HDZ PM Plenkovic. Meshes w growing split btw Plenkovic & CRO Prez @KolindaGK.
