Niccolo and few others have quoted the excellent book of the assassinated journalist Paul Klebnikov in a few different posts.
I have been focusing on getting Orthodox books, but I will make a scan of this critically important book to understand current US-Russian relations.
I have been focusing on getting Orthodox books, but I will make a scan of this critically important book to understand current US-Russian relations.
gen.lib.rus.ec/book/index.php…
First of all, please follow along and read with or ahead of me if you so choose.
First of all, please follow along and read with or ahead of me if you so choose.
It’s easy to see why Klebnikov was killed for looking into this. He was dealing with actors who could wield elements of the Soviet Intelligence apparatus and Western interests that still had hopes of outmaneuvering Putin and returning to the Yeltsin era ways of doing business.
But what was the “Yeltsin way?”
Berezovsky and the bankers before the apex of his power represented a looting and extractive class, willing to gut entire cities in exchange for luxury goods and foreign residences. They were a cruder and less patient sort of Western style elites
Berezovsky and the bankers before the apex of his power represented a looting and extractive class, willing to gut entire cities in exchange for luxury goods and foreign residences. They were a cruder and less patient sort of Western style elites
The Caucasians, especially the Chechens, lead the way in acting as enforcers while cutting out pieces for themselves. They were a unique niche, able to leverage with terrorism, war, & privatized gangs with and against the decaying state.
Their role in 90’s Moscow was enormous.
Their role in 90’s Moscow was enormous.
The Slavic gangs were Berezovsky’s first antagonists, he courted the Chechens and spent his time in Israel and Switzerland to get Western money.
The Chechens were in a great place in the early 90’s, they had defrauded Russia 1/3 of its IMF money by stealing from the central bank
The Chechens were in a great place in the early 90’s, they had defrauded Russia 1/3 of its IMF money by stealing from the central bank
A uncontrollable “pyramid of corruption” formed around the Russian banking sector.
Banks would loot the central bank in proportion to their connections to politicians and the underworld. Instead of legitimizing the Soviet Black economy, the black economy became everything.
Banks would loot the central bank in proportion to their connections to politicians and the underworld. Instead of legitimizing the Soviet Black economy, the black economy became everything.
This was coupled with one of the largest and most uncontrolled demobilizations in history. Soldiers, spetznaz, and kgb were all now unemployed with no job aspects, and as a result, made work for the mobs.
The result was that Moscow’s homicide rate shot up to Rio’s
The result was that Moscow’s homicide rate shot up to Rio’s
I want to stress this though, we were lucky that illicit nuclear material only escaped into to North Korean Weapons program. If the anarchy had lasted or had taken any number of possible bends, we would all recognize this time as a disaster.
The Chechen-Slavic gang wars folded onto the real Chechen War, as generals sought to keep their careers by ascribing loss of equipment to Chechens instead of weapons sales.
Berezovsky lets the Slavs murder Chechen mob bosses in Moscow, but kills the leader targeting his business
Berezovsky lets the Slavs murder Chechen mob bosses in Moscow, but kills the leader targeting his business
The KGB continued to function even as the edifice of the state crumbled. Many of the operators became involved in laundering money, founding banks in Cyprus, and getting involved in the new politics. Pamyat and the Liberal Democrats were both infiltrated early on.
Mark Rich, American pirate trader extraordinaire with international arrest warrant that was pardoned by Bill Clinton was the pioneer for Berezovsky’s extractive business model, he partnered with the Georgians in 1990. Over 50% on mineral reselling and then offshoring profits.
Berezovsky’s rise from obscure mathematician to mid level looter gangster came from his Logovaz Lada dealership where he was able to game the intact Soviet domestic industrial price controls for finished cars, (at a loss to Avtovaz) but sell them at unregulated triple markups.
This was just part of the extractive scheme that was the Russian economy of the 90’s. Gaidar’s “reforms” kept Soviet domestic price controls in place for minerals and industrial products but sold them abroad at market, then offshored the profits.
Massive Soviet factories gutted
Massive Soviet factories gutted
This is part of what that meant for the people. Sex slavery for hundreds of thousands of girls, a return to subsistence farming at dachas to try and supplement diets, libraries gutted, war heroes selling their medals to foreign tourists, and factory community liquidation.
All of Harvard business school and US AID were there with Chubais as this gutting continued apace, before he retired from the country.
But what was Yeltsin even doing at this time besides getting drunk?
But what was Yeltsin even doing at this time besides getting drunk?
Yeltsin, surrounded entirely by thieves and soon to be foreigners, was nearly broke.
So, like a true leader, he wrote a book
This is how Berezovsky rose from mid to high level. He took on the grift scheme of Yeltsin’s book and deposited $3 million into his London bank account.
So, like a true leader, he wrote a book
This is how Berezovsky rose from mid to high level. He took on the grift scheme of Yeltsin’s book and deposited $3 million into his London bank account.
When Chubais’ voucher privatization system was introduced, total liquidation of Soviet Industry was the consequence, while the now destitute people who received vouchers sold their individually worthless stakes for money or food.
New wealth sniped the market glut of shares.
New wealth sniped the market glut of shares.
