Thread by @YudinGreg

All too often I hear that Putin’s main weapon is propaganda. This is not true. Putin’s key ally is GREED. Let me unpack 🧵this 1/19

Here are some recent news about Volkswagen planning to resume the functioning of its factories in Russia on May 12. Perfect timing: since Putin plans to have his military victory by May 9 (Victory Day in Russia), VW prepares a present for him 2/19 gizchina.com/2022/04/04/vol…

This is not an isolated case. Remember I told you Big4 companies are considering rebranding in Russia? Here it is: Deloitte and PWC are likely to follow Accenture who sold its business in 🇷🇺 to its Russian office in an obviously spurious deal 3/19 kommersant.ru/doc/5295017

Just today YouTube has removed the famous Soviet anti-war song “Do Russians want war?” on the request of the Russian watchdog. Once again, Google complies with Putin’s demand to stop spreading doubts that Russians want war. Btw try it, it is beautiful 4/19
the-village.ru/shorts/russkie…

This is not the first time Google bows to Putin. Both Google and Apple took down the lists of Duma candidates endorsed by Alexey Navalny to defeat Putin. Event the access to Google Docs (!) was blocked on Putin’s order 5/19 vox.com/recode/2268001…

Google’s CEO was directly threatened by FSB, and even after that the company preferred to submit and not to reveal the info about Putin’s outrageous blackmail. Reason? Greed. It wants to make money with Putin 6/19 dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1…

Apple was blocking Navalny’s app until recently, long after the elections ended. It took a significant public campaign to make them bring it back. Reason? Greed. It wants to make money with Putin 7/19
vervetimes.com/apple-brings-p…

Russian secrete services have developed a horrific apparatus of surveillance. None of us feels safe. We know our messages and calls are intercepted, we are constantly followed (cameras are everywhere). Who helped build surveillance in Russia? Nokia 8/19 datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/nokia-…

Finland now plans to join NATO over the threat from Russia. Its key big tech giant has been actively assisting Russia’s government in spying on people who were and still are protesting Putin’s military aggression. It wanted to make money with Putin 9/19

Russians are not dumb. Russians have risen several times against Putin’s rule, and every time they faced crackdown and repression. Every time after it happened, they learned about new lucrative contracts Putin secured with foreign firms and governments 10/19

I literally remember myself learning about Putin’s new gas deal at a protest rally. I know so many people who used to participate in those rallies: now they’re saying “You won’t change anything anyway. The West is corrupt and will always support him with its money”. 11/19

Every day we hear from people saying “Please don’t say anything bad about Putin. He will win anyway, and we have to live here”. When pressed about the war, they answer “No matter who’s right, I know who is going to win. Putin always wins, there’s no one to stop him anyway” 12/19

The despair and hopelessness didn’t emerge overnight. Russian society was closely watching all attempts to challenge Putin. Every time they were crashed - with money, technologies, and tacit support from the global elites. Every Russian has learned this lesson 13/19

When Navalny was ready to sacrifice his life, Russians were watching attentively to see if Putin’s impudence will finally run into a wall. What they saw instead was Merkel visiting Navalny in the hospital only to insist on enhancing the gas trade with Putin 14/19

Thank God, now Merkel’s FM admits he was wrong. We were saying this for many years – that this policy is suicidal for Germany and dangerous for Russia because it helps the corrupt elite that doesn’t care about the country. They were not listening 15/19
reuters.com/world/europe/i…

Last fall (!) European politicians were telling me that Merkel’s policy is exceptionally wise because it gives Europe “a political leverage” over Putin. I was desperately trying to convince them there will be a war. Some of them now want Ukraine to surrender "to save lives" 16/19

Make no mistake: the big capital wants this war to be over to resume its business in Russia. And since there is no way Putin will back down, he’d better swallow Ukraine asap. Until you see them acting against Putin, no matter what they tell you, they want Putin to win 17/19

Putin’s business networks run through global economy. Half of his oligarchs haven’t suffered any retaliation. Thousands of Shroeders, Merkels, and Fillons are now lobbying for him behind the closed doors 18/19
bloomberg.com/graphics/2022-…

Putin didn’t fall from heavens. He got entangled in the global economy by exploiting greed of people around the world. He trampled on Russians’ hopes using continuous support from the Western elites. Defeating Putin requires defeating greed, both in Russia and beyond 19/19