Should Putin be taken at his word? Putin's 'weaponization' of information.

Recently the Finnish Prime Minister, Alexander Stubb (left), countered Putin's warning that,

"Finland and Sweden moving toward NATO is of “special concern.”, (AlJazeera: April 20, 2015)

by simply delaring his warning as “sabre-rattling.”

Former Polish President Lech Walesa (right) is more cautious, however. He argues that,

"..the West should confront Russian President Vladimir Putin with its own arsenal of nuclear weapons to curb what he called Russian aggression." (Dennis Lynch : International Business Times : April 08 2015) (my emphasis)

Let us remind ourselves that, as Julian Isherwood reported in March,

"Russia has gone on the offensive in the Baltic, warning Denmark that if it joins Nato’s missile defence shield, its navy will be a legitimate target for a Russian nuclear attack." (The Telegraph : 21 Mar 2015) (my emphasis)   

More recently, reinforcing the argument of  Lech Walesa, Justin Huggler informs us that,

"The commander of the US army in Europe has warned that Nato must remain united in the face of a "real threat" from Russiail

"It's not an assumption. There is a Russian threat," Lt-Gen Frederick "Ben" Hodges (right) said. (The Telegraph : 18 Apr 2015) (my emphasis)

And yesterday Natalia Zinets informed us that,

"Ukraine is planning an operation involving tens of thousands of police to guard against any attack by separatists or Russian agents during World War Two commemorations next month, security chiefs said on Tuesday.

Tension is mounting in the capital and other cities amid an increase in rebel attacks in the east." (Reuters : Tue Apr 21, 2015) (my emphasis)

Those analysing Putin's recent choreographed annual discussion with the nation through his “direct line” press conference (The Guardian :Thursday 16 April 2015) have noted that,

"...unlike previous appearances, Putin seemed to be quite moderate in his remarks about the Ukrainian authorities and the situation in the country's east. 

Not once did he mention the word "illegitimate" in reference to the Ukrainian authorities. "Militia" and "self-defence forces" also disappeared from his speech.

"Self-proclaimed republics" were replaced with "territories called LPR and DPR" on the first mention and then he referred to the rebel-held areas simply as Donbass

[H]e called Ukraine an "independent" state, and said twice that it should be "respected". (BBC : 19 Apr 2015)

Added to which, Ivana Kottasova (left) informs us that,

"Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev (right) gave the first official estimate of the cost in a speech Tuesday.

He said the decision to annex Crimea had sparked a crisis that turned out to be "more difficult" than even the most pessimistic expectations.

Western sanctions imposed over Crimea and Moscow's support for separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine had cost Russia $26.7 billion in 2014. This year, the costs could balloon to $80 billion, he said.

"There should be no illusions. Today we are faced not only with a short term crisis," Medvedev said.

The latest trade statistics show just how bad the situation has become. The value of Russia's foreign trade slumped 30% in the first two months of this year."(CNN Money : (London) April 21, 2015) (my emphasis)

Yet during his marathon speech, Putin was rather upbeat about the Russian economy, proclaiming that,

"Russia has weathered the worst of its economic troubles and is on the road to recovery, President Vladimir Putin said Thursday during a marathon call-in TV show (Vladimir Isachenkov: Associated Press : Apr. 17, 2015) (my emphasis)

And yet, notwithstanding an economy that is in dire straits, which Medvedev so succinctly outlined, Putin re-affirmed that,

"...[a]n ambitious weapons modernization program will go ahead despite the economy, although it could be pushed beyond its 2020 target." (ibid Vladimir Isachenkov) (my emphasis)

And true to form as an inveterate liar, when

"..[p]ressed again about claims of a Russian military presence in Ukraine, he said: "There are no Russian troops in Ukraine." (ibid Vladimir Isachenkov) (my emphasis)

We should therefore be very cautious indeed when taking what Putin says at face value.

As VoA reports,

"A number of Western officials, including U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, have voiced concerns about unprecedented efforts by Russia to spread misinformation across the entire area of the former Soviet Union and much of Europe. Experts at a congressional panel in Washington described the vast Russian media operation as “the weaponization of information.” (VoA: April 16, 2015)(my emphasis)

(to be continued)