Russia open to negotiations on prisoner swap for Brittany Griner

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Mark_K

Super Anarchist
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I suspect Whelan really was a spy. It may be the Russians are convinced he was, anyway.
The date of his arrest was shortly after Putin's boy was elected POTUS so it's unlikely it was politically motivated. If that's the case they will hold him until his term is up or for the day we have someone of comparable status in one of our jails.

The POS arms dealer doesn't qualify. We will have to nail a real spy. Someone the Russians have to trade for in order to convince their operatives they will never, ever abandon one of them. This is what trapped the Israelis in the awkward stance they had to take towards Pollard for decades. Real spies must NEVER be abandoned.
 
Sol Rosenberg

Sol Rosenberg

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The Joker said:
The Russians led by Putin
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I agree. The hostage takers and blackmailers are the wrongdoers here, and they benefit from this in another pernicious way. No matter which way the US decided to go with this, Putin’s mouthpieces are going to use it to further divide the American people. We see it from Capitol Hill already.
 
Mrleft8

Mrleft8

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Griner's arrest and detention was well thought out. Putin needed a pawn when he started his illegal war on the Ukraine. Whelan was played out. A former Marine (probably CIA or SD) charged w/ espionage had no go. In order to get the USA to squirm, it had to be a not to well known, but semi important nonpolitical person..... Charged with a crime that in most cases would merely have gotten her denied entry/deported. She was moved from pawn status to rook in an instant.
Now that Putin's foray into Ukraine looks like a lose/lose situation, he puts forth his rook, in exchange for a Knight. An internationally despised arms dealer.
Griner has a career ahead of her, in some fashion or another, Victor Bouk is a dead man walking.
 
Sol Rosenberg

Sol Rosenberg

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Mark_K said:
I suspect Whelan really was a spy. It may be the Russians are convinced he was, anyway.
The date of his arrest was shortly after Putin's boy was elected POTUS so it's unlikely it was politically motivated. If that's the case they will hold him until his term is up or for the day we have someone of comparable status in one of our jails.

The POS arms dealer doesn't qualify. We will have to nail a real spy. Someone the Russians have to trade for in order to convince their operatives they will never, ever abandon one of them. This is what trapped the Israelis in the awkward stance they had to take towards Pollard for decades. Real spies must NEVER be abandoned.
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I’m not so sure he was a spy.

Loading…

www.jag.navy.mil
 
Olsonist

Olsonist

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Reading the tea leaves of this, first, Viktor Bout is not some important criminal mastermind, the likes of which will change the tide of the war in Ukraine. He's a middle level arms trader for terrorists and small cap dictators. He specializes mostly in logistics. Russia can put stuff in space, has a blue water navy and builds and flys air transport. There's probably 100 Bouts out there. He's one of them.

I'm claiming that Russia didn't need him. So why do this deal ... now? Because remember, they can't do this deal tomorrow. The Griner issue is now off the table. So why do this deal now? They traded a propaganda asset for a mid-level nobody. Why now? BTW, it's after our midterm election; so Republicans don't get any agitprop value from having Griner locked up, and yeah, elk, Putin prefers you.

Why now? I think it signals that Russia wants to start wrapping things up. The US, the EU, Ukraine, ... are going to be very circumspect. Still, Russia's invasion has been a disaster of biblical proportions. And winter is coming.

Sol Rosenberg said:
I’m not so sure he was a spy.
Click to expand...

Spies are Boy Scouts? I tend to believe the Russians about his $50,000 and her vape pen.
 
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Marty Gingras

Marty Gingras

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D41D66F7-EB49-4BB4-A959-C9E8A8137007.jpeg
 
Sol Rosenberg

Sol Rosenberg

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Whelan deserves to come home because he is an American being held abroad on bullshit charges (from what we hear). He does not deserve to be called a US Marine because he was dishonorably discharged.

I urge those who were enraged about Griner being released before a Marine to consider their source of that misinformation and whether you should trust that source in the future.
 
Rain Man

Rain Man

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Wet coast.
Olsonist said:
Why now? I think it signals that Russia wants to start wrapping things up. The US, the EU, Ukraine, ... are going to be very circumspect. Still, Russia's invasion has been a disaster of biblical proportions. And winter is coming.
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Yes, this is part of Putin's strategy to get the US to bring Ukraine to the negotiating table asap while he still holds enough Ukrainian territory to be able to declare victory. Griner's release is an attempt to make the Russians seems like reasonable people to negotiate with. Naive American lawmakers could be persuaded to put pressure on the White House to bring Zelensky to to the table, negotiate a settlement, and end the massive expenditures in support of Ukraine.

Things aren't going to get better for the Russian army in Ukraine going forward. Putin desperately wants to hold on to what he's got.
 
Ishmael

Ishmael

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Rain Man said:
Yes, this is part of Putin's strategy to get the US to bring Ukraine to the negotiating table asap while he still holds enough Ukrainian territory to be able to declare victory. Griner's release is an attempt to make the Russians seems like reasonable people to be negotiated with. Naive American lawmakers could be persuaded to put pressure on the White House to bring Zelensky to to the table, negotiate a settlement, and end the massive expenditures in support of Ukraine.

Things aren't going to get better for the Russian army in Ukraine going forward. Putin desperately wants to hold on to what he's got.
Click to expand...
If he can't declare some sort of victory soon, he'll be visiting Caracas on a work visa.
 
Olsonist

Olsonist

Disgusting Liberal Elitist
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Rain Man said:
Yes, this is part of Putin's strategy to get the US to bring Ukraine to the negotiating table asap while he still holds enough Ukrainian territory to be able to declare victory. Griner's release is an attempt to make the Russians seems like reasonable people to negotiate with. Naive American lawmakers could be persuaded to put pressure on the White House to bring Zelensky to to the table, negotiate a settlement, and end the massive expenditures in support of Ukraine.

Things aren't going to get better for the Russian army in Ukraine going forward. Putin desperately wants to hold on to what he's got.
Click to expand...

The only sign of weakness in the West has been Hungary and Republicans. Hungary can stupidly veto Finland and Sweden but that's about it; plus it marks them. Republicans, they were impotent in their midterm erection. There is no 'strategy' that Putin can affect here. He can play on with an increasingly bad hand or he can muck his cards. I'm spitballing here, I am, but he may not even be running the show. He may have been reduced to first oligarch.
 
D

dfw_sailor

Super Anarchist
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DFW
Bus Driver said:
Not worth the effort, IMHO.
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I don't have a VPN service in place, because generally not worth it.

But I wouldn't trust any thing like truth social. I know what can be tracked, burner email or not.

I've become more cynical in my age, and a level of experience in the technology.
 
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