Vitaly Nevar / TASS
Written by our Russian reader, Vladimir K., exclusively for SouthFront
Another corruption scandal is developing in Russia making headlines in media.
On April 26, Moscow’s Basmanny District Court ordered to arrest the former deputy head of the bank department (“K” department) of the Economic Security Service of the Federal Security Service (FSB) Colonel Dmitry Frolov and his former subordinate, Colonel Andrei Vasilyev. According to reports, Frolov and Vasilyev, are accused of stealing 490 million rubles ($75.5 million) from a businessman locked in a court battle with Moscow’s former deputy mayor in 2011.
On April 25, the acting head of the “K” department, Colonel Kirill Cherkalin, was arrested by Garrison 235’s military court over charged for $850,000 bribery. According to investigators, Cherkalin received $850,000 in 2013-2015 “for acts or inactions in favor of the bribe-giver and commercial structures.”
According to reports, investigators seized 12 billion rubles in cash and other valuables. The investigation is still ongoing.
Meanwhile, some interesting tendencies revealing the current state of the so-called “Russian elites” and those describing themselves as “creative community” appeared in the media. These developments have an ugly form.
On May 27, a prearranged monologue of aged TV hosts, Dmitry Dibrov, made headlines in Russian media. Dibrov is the host of a show on the Russian Defense Ministry’s Zvezda TV channel.
According to the released recording, he had to record a script for a piece about color revolutions. Instead, he rejected to do so and ranted at his colleagues. Using abusive expressions, he claimed that he is supporting color revolutions and hope that the Americans would ‘rescue’ Russia. Dibrov stressed that he is supporting the “Ukrainains” (the Kiev regime) and Africans (powers opposing to Chinese and Russian presence in Africa). He also recalled the case of Cherkalin, Vasilyev and Frolov describing this as an echo of the “Stalin despotism”. This is especially hilarious. It is hard to expect that even 1/10 of the corruption observed in Russia would be possible in any kind of Stalin-like times.
There are some evidences that the pseudo-liberal values alongside with the consumerism are becoming a more and more attractive model of behavior within special services among personnel of the Russian special services.
The ongoing anti-corruption campaign is a positive example confirming anti-corruption efforts within the FSB and other government agencies. But the actions within the campaign are non-systemic. This situation displays the weakness of government bodies, which cannot provide a public, consistent and effective anti-corruption campaign.
The separate anti-corruption actions often cause large-scale media scandals drawing attention of the audience. However, mostly, court decisions in corruption cases appear to be soft. Perons accused in large corruption cases rarely get court penal custody sentences. There are no effective motives that can change the behavioral model of state bureaucrats.
During the house searches in the framework of the criminal case involving 3 FSB colonels, the investigation team found and seized 12 billion rubles in cash and other valuables. In this context, the rate of salary of the personal in different government bodies is surprising.
For example, officials at middle-level management positions in some local administration get a monthly income of about 300-500 USD, in police or agencies related to the fiscal system – 400-500 USD, in Moscow’s office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs – about 600-700 USD.
The established system created conditions for a rent-seeking behavior. The ongoing anti-corruption efforts seem like attempts to deal with this fire by throwing a couple of glasses with water. For example, it appears to be a kind of a joke the ban for personnel of government bodies of taking small presents, like candies, being on duty. There are no effective motives that can change the behavioral model of state bureaucrats.
Another factor is the lack of any kind of real national or state ideology behind the declared priroty to increase personal wealth. No surprise that representatives of the top bureaucracy is working to do so exploiting the existing opportunities. Additionally, the officially declared and clear strategy of the state development does not exist in the public sphere. The Russians see no attractive image of future.
The top Russian elites, that self-describe themselves as the “new aristocracy”, have close ties with the global financial capital and work to promote so-called “neo-liberal” values, which they see as the “democratic world model”. In fact, they describe by these words the system, which would provide them with a maximum freedom of actions behind any legal or social limitation. In private conversations, these persons openly declare that this “democracy” is only for chosen ones: they and their close circle, including families. The rest of the society, they describe as “peasant” that exist to provide for the needs of the elite. A major part of “creative community” has the very same vision.
Many believe in Russia as one of the last bastion opposing to the emerging “neo-liberal” world order. However, in fact, representatives of the top Russian elite in many cases seem to be very similar to those people who had saturated the high society of the Russian Empire ahead of the revolution of 1917.
What is this and who wrote it? It’s semi-coherent as it skips around way too much.
What does a corruption scandal of a million dollars have to do with the “dissolution of Russia”?. Really, it’s that easy?
What is the primary issue that the writer sees needs correcting? The lack of “…real national or state ideology behind the declared need to make money.”? Why is that important?
Yes, you have people at the top who feel entitled and better than the general population. Which country doesn’t have those same people?
Overall, I consider this article as nonsense.
the ukranians working for SF. Is their joy and pride.
My comment above refers directly to the RAND article posted on SF which I find most amusing.
If so, then Ukraine’s education system is terrible as is the logic (or lack thereof), and writing ability of the author.
it did not used to be like that, until the zioglobalists decide to bring to them democracy and reeducate them just like their american counterparts.
Approximately 32 million adults in the United States can’t read, according to the U.S. Department of Education and the National Institute of Literacy. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development found that 50 percent of U.S. adults can’t read a book written at an eighth-grade level.
but they are not writing supposedly professional articles for a major news outlet.
what i see now the news for syria are drying up is cheap copy and paste as well a shift in their agenda not for the better. there are a lot of things very serious happening around ME as well the surrounding areas but all we read is none news repeated over and over and those in many cases with a bias against the truth. It is becoming very boring.
No argument here. I guess we get what we pay for. Southfront makes a couple $1k per month which is not enough for doing real journalism.
Totally agree with You. What fighting the corruption has to do with Russia dissolution? The article headline is misleading. And this is not the first article making fog with dissolution. The article has no value beside informing how corruption is fought in Russia.
This article has nothing to do with Russia! It’s about someone’s wet dreams and fantasies.
Agreed, and thats why it is fucking laughable. :-)
Dear Douglas Houck,
This article was contributed by Vladimir, our reader from Russia. He contributed some interesting articles earlier. The main ideas of the article are the sickness of the administrative system and the crisis, which is being provoked by top bureaucrats and the so-called “creative community”. He thinks that the current situation is a very similar to the station of the beginning of the 20th century. As Mr. Lenin said “the rules are unable and the ruled ones are unwilling”.
On the behalf of the main SouthFront Team, we want to state that it is better to be aware of the problem than to face it unexpectedly.
Sincerely yours,
SF Team
It would be helpful to add this information at the beginning of the article to put it into context. Still, I’ve read your other articles on the “dissolution of Russia” which were better written and much more coherent. I found the RAND and The Hill articles informative for how countries try to do damage to other countries. After reading these, you can see why President Putin has done the things he has, (supporting Russian Orthodox Church, the importance of Victory Day, trying to help eastern Russia economically, etc.).
This article on the other hand is saying Dissolution may occur because there is not a greater effort to curb corruption and the elites see themselves as special. Nonsense, you can say that about just any other country in the world (President Obama not going after any of those 1% elitists responsible for the Great Recession of 2008). Not only that but the author gives almost no data or information showing the level of russian dissatifaction with the current system much less that it is correlated with corruption and/or elitist views.
Thanks for the reply.
You should cut this “dissolution of Russia is nigh” crap already. I wouldn’t hold my breath if i were you.
But it was so nice for them dreaming about it :) Up for a rude awakening.
It seems that is what they all share a secret interest in – as latest Zbniew Brzezinski’s false-flag-tool. The hypocritical “We are all Russia’s best friends”-mask is in open erosion on all these US-based websites. And the ugly face of the want-to-stay-the -prime-empire-intention is emerging everywhere in full ugliness.
I can see the more and more symptons, too, on Fort Russ. Is Russel Bentley fully aware which people and which agenda he supports with his contributions?
However, by now they have few readers outside the US.
This is not about USA. Its about a disfunctional state, which has collpased and the new bird hardly can fly itselves by many reasons.
The dilemma is trust. If You cant run things from Moscaw, it will be runned by someone else OR collapse again.
The problem here is, if You can get good and innovative people helping all there or – as seen – mafia, oligarks, corruption.
180 mio are many and wide spread. You can do it vertical, horisontal and also by making new tools for it.
Trump fx see very well, that even together, USA actually are 52 states in a lot of theings incl. abortions, deth penelties and renewable energy.
In Denmark, which of course it tiny, only 50% are runned by the Goverment. The rest with tax are divided into smaller units with own elected parlaments. We see the local needed things better.We pay for them and by that are more carefull of effective use of money. We hardly has any corruption because we have insight, and if it happens people take from the taxbox(which do happen), its only from one box and not ALL the Regions and Counsils.
If we go back to the Roman Empire it became big and had many invading them, but it was Regionalized and by that went relative well by making own welth by own production and inclusive some of the neighbors being upgraded almost as into Romans.
I see Russia as Moscow has forgotten the Proletars.
Its tempting agian t compare to Scandinavia. Swedes, Norweigians, Danes Islandics and even Finns are very semilar. Even so we have learned by internal wars to feel its better to be friendly neighbors then forced into one country.
Jeg kan ikke skrive godt dansk, engelsk, men du ikke. Det er en vittighed at sammenligne Rusland med Danmark. En ørn er ikke en sparv.
Dysfunktionel var den russiske stat under Jeltsin – det korrupte vest fandt det godt. Danmark også. Hvordan kan du forsvare et land, der gør en galning som Fogh Rasmussen præsident? Men siden 2001 har de alle problemer med, at den russiske stat under Putin ikke længere er dysfunktionel.
Jeg antager, at hvis Europa kan leve i fred på lang sigt, vil det helt sikkert være tusind gange mere sandsynligt at skyldes Rusland end Danmark. Så hygge dig på dine skød hunde i flotte farvede træhuse og find dig rigtig godt – resten af verden vil ikke høre
meget af dig i mellemtiden.
What’s up with SF lately!? Every second article is about “dissolution of Russia”…
trying to get funding from the ziosamericans ? Because the way they go are due to lose a lot of us who donating to them.
I am a free rider lol
Someone within SF can’t resist those 30 sheckels?
Perhaps they are really concerned? Smear campaign against the government is stronger than ever (I’m not talking about british media but about Russia). Or perhaps they are part of this campaign, but I don’t believe it. I think people from SF are honest in this matter. Perhaps a bit naïve but not malicious.
oy-vey….. nuf said
I would like to thank my generous sponsors the RAND Corporation Foundation for Ideological and Informational Cost Imposing Measures that made this hit piece possible.
That’s my concern as well, Kernesky and his ‘liberal reforms ruined Russian state and army even more than Lenin. Most of these scandals today are fabricated by the enemies of Russia, ridiculous media exposure, internet campaign aimed at young people, all are directly aimed to undermine government’s credibility and authority. I’m not saying these corrupted scum are not the problem, but this is orchestrated. Including your texts with this ‘dissolution’ titles. Clickbait or something?
Those “representatives of top Russian elite” were installed and assigned by US embassy in 1990s. I call them ruzionic elites. Installing comprador elites is the usual way anglo-zio empire operates. Yes, there are still very many of them – over 70% of governing apparatus. But it doesn’t really go their way does it? And their power is diminishing slowly but surely (many of us wish for higher pace) and that’s without major social upheavals.
Very good excuse for USSR collapsed themselves. So whys isnt it american jewish zionist in plundering western economics doing it.
If USSR collapsed themselves, then why the Americans are bragging for bringing down communism? At some point you have to choose!!!
Its about individual righs and responsabilities.
Many many Americans of today came because the systems didnt included and protected them by politican and relgios matters. They very often was not even helped with food.
Thats why they also are allowed to protect them against the state and forced religion as well as they even are allowed to defend that by own weapons.
I think its wrong to compare USA with USSR – Now Russia. I make more sense to compare results.
The closed Comecon Economy dividing us in Europe in 2 even making USSR bigger but very closed is another. And we have seen the results very well.
Russia didnt learn after the Tzar collapse. Most of it was just replacing some feudals with others .
How can any say they are the dictatorship of proletars, if the proletars dont support it – or do, because they are not allowed to know something else.
USA has a fobia against living and producing like that. I saw Russian Tourist firs time in Berlin in 1968 and also the local version of Communisme. Why wasnt it like west Berlin. The arrogant Russians mainly beib soldiers was arrogant shitholes much worse then any american, I have met.
We pupils all saw the best Russians could do by centralized production and also the Russian attitudes. It was a NO WAY even hardly any of us were Capitalists in the American way.
You do not answer the question my friend.
Then You have to send me money. I not Your employd.
Its a very complex question You make, which answer is a book having many chapters.
My world is not like that. I live in my own system, which is very conservative, libeberalistic, where we by our way of thinking take care of the weak.
We also have free schools, free education, people are rewarded by getting the jobs they have skills for and are paid pr hour.
At least 80% of our women are equal to men and work as them too 37 hours a week.
We have pension to all, we have effective childcare, where the main parts are paid pr tax. We all has free acces to hospitals as well as medical mainly is free.
Neither USA or Russia has that. As a western I probatlyunderstand USA well, thats not the same as I agree. I disagree in a lot, but never will prefare anything like Russia.
Our reaction to Adam Smit and others has been in non violent changes during time and the Socialdemocrats here split out from Communists more then 100 years.
Thats your illusion Miron, they are winning.
Let’s see how it unfolds.
There will not be any changes without a major social upheavals
Major social upheavals in Russia is a wet dream of collective west. Those who push for upheavals work against Russia even if they don’t realize it.
The wet dream of the collective west is regime change the same thing that Russian elites pursue too, that’s not social upheaval, I am talking about taking down this primitive Russian capitalism which is privatizing everything and deteriorating the lives of ordinary people. Russia needs to re-invent socialism. Take back the precious natural resources from oligarchs like Abramovitsj,Beripaska,German Khan,Vekselber, Michelson,Fridman( all of them Jewish and all decorated with medalion of friendship by Putin). By the way all the above are well educated in the free education system of USSR, they all have good health because of the free health system of the USSR and all became billionaires during the privatization in early 90’s with the well known “loan for shares” program. You still live with your illusion Myron, I am sorry.
I agree that crowd elitist society (capitalism being one form of it) is anti human. I’m 48 and I remember CCCP very well (I actually miss it in many ways but not everything). Yes there was way more fairness but I think that regime change/coup detat led by Trotskists started in 1953 and culmninated in 1991. We lost our great country thanks to tritors within its leadership but as I said – it took them 40 years to destroy what was build. Socialism as we had it is also far from perfect – just a better form of same crowd elitist society – much more fair in many ways but still. Main governing concept was the same – crowd/elites. It’s not black and white and that simple but one thing is clear – social unrest, any kind of revolution is what we have to avoid at all costs – simply because that will do much worse in every sense. May I suggest that you look at this video. Yes it is long but it is worth it.
Enemies of what kind of Russia ? I dont see it can be kept well having no control or bad ones.
One main problem for Russia is having no good taxsystem by having no traditions for it. There fx are money in Russia – a lot – but hardly none to the old people.
If You prefare something like that, Just keep it.
Hard fpr me to combine that with dissolution.
“IS RUSSIA PUSHING ITSELF TOWARDS DISSOLUTION?”(c) – by arresting corrumpt remnants from Eltsin’s era?
All those “dissolution of Russia” nonsense articles made me realize 1. there is a spring cleaning going on in Russia which is good and 2. after the “Russiagate” madness won’t the americans see how it is done and do it?
SF won the reputation of a mouthpiece for the terrorists,…. whoops,….. sorry, they call them “rebels” and it appears that they are a local gazette in Russia serving the zio-mafia.
A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive
treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is
known and carries his banners openly against the city. But the traitor
moves among those within the gates freely, his sly whispers rustling
through all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself.
For the traitor appears no traitor; he speaks in the accents familiar to
his victims, and he wears their face and their garments, and he appeals
to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots the
soul of a nation; he works secretly and unknown in the night to
undermine the pillars of a city; he infects the body politic so that it
can no longer resist. Cicero
yes that fits well, if you think any western regime. But I have a small disagreement with cicero, as no nation can survive its fools (voters) that insist to chose as leaders exactly what destroys them and betrays them. As with out the fools not traitors ever survive within a nation but then no western country any longer can be called a nation.
I want to point out that SF published today an Article on the RAND Corporation on a roadmap for dissolution of Russia. This article appears to be putting the plan into action if you refer to point three in the RAND article about informational warfare.
SF posting RAND that reveals the agenda, and not subtly, of these Russia dissolution articles is most intriguing.
I think its SF telling RAND corp “we know what your up to, we have been reading your knickers for years!!
Fair enough. We are much to quick presuming nefarious motivations.
There’s a difference between Russia bashing based on disinfo and fact. These look like real cases to me that are indicative of a real problem. I’m assuming that even after 95% dejudification. That Russia’s remnant population of Jewish internal subversives is a disproportionally high part of the problem.
“in a country where anti-semitism is still rife and openly expressed, nationalist rabble-rousers have made much of the fact that of the seven oligarchs who controlled 50% of Russia’s economy during the 1990s, six were Jewish: Berezovsky, Vladimir Guzinsky, Alexander Smolensky, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Mikhail Friedman and Valery Malkin. That fact is incontestable”
– The richer they come … –
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/jul/02/russia.lukeharding1
Oligarchs dont control nothing!..they earn money making bussiness..some of them are Jews, some of them love western Neo-liberalism and globalism, some are just rich hedonist without political affiliation….the foundations of the Russian economy are the military-industrial complex and the petrol/gas sector…all of them under the state control and are classified as strategic!…nobody can change anything in Russia.. if it affects the interest of these sectors!
You obviously didn’t read the article in the link. Putin, and probably Medvedev also, over the past 20 years have unwrapped the evil Jew’s greedy fingers off of control of the economy and government one by one. Including government, energy and media sectors of the economy and state. Russia should outlaw Judaism. The UN should pass resolutions against it so that the baby raping cult goes extinct.
No jews oligarchs rule Gazprom, Rosnetft, Rosatom ,Rostec,United aircraft company…
Putin removed a lot of them. If they were still there it would be worse than it is.
“No jews oligarchs rule Gazprom, Rosnetft, Rosatom ,Rostec,United aircraft company…”
Not any more… :-)
Putin and pals are worse than the Jews you speak of stupid .
You sound like a Zionist shill for the evil Jew pedophile rape cult.
What! You’re back? I thought they might have locked you up after your meeting with the Abominable Snowman……
You’re an intellectual coward and a truth hater afraid t debate the issues.
this guy live in Cloud cuckoo land, dont mind him. single cells tent to be like that beside have very short thinking span.
The funniset thing is that they show as some sort of “fighter for justice” this whore Dibrov. Are you f$$king kidding me?
So dealing with corruption is dissolution ? Guess the new mexican government is breaking apart (Huge anti-corruption models with new government) , thats a good sign at least they are doing something , whilst I agree harsher sentences should be put on them
if you following americanized democratic dogmas of course it is, other wise they all be in prison or the electric chair.
2019 will see the end of Russia as we know it , its going to become a bunch of rouge states that will be much better to manage and then keep the corruption level down a bit , still will be a shitthole thou .
Yes, yes, yes…
You’ll celebrate 2020’s new year eve in
TehranI mean Moscow, this time for realz!Red square WILL be red .
fuck off retard… again :-)
Ok cool it Adolf, we heard that line before, in ’41 i thinks??;)))
Before they kick down your door and beat you to death, please post, so we can celebrate your passing.
fuck off retard
Rouge states? Nice
Exactly as I predicted. Russias economy in complete tatters, colour revolutions everywhere and a population who wants dollares and freedom today, and not tomorrow night.
Because America is a winner nation………………………LOL.
I’m glad you can laugh at yourself Tommy :) and that you bring some humor here.
Sounds like a job for Batman. (Russian GRU Superhero)
Who writes this drivel, Russia has only a fraction of the crime in the USA, and nobody suggests that the US is going to dissolve.
Agenda-driven scribblers working for cents-per-word…
well a great number of people, like me for instance, is looking forward to the disintegrated states of A crumbling to dust, what with 22000 billion bucks in national debt and wars everywhere and poverty and food stamps and no healthcare for the poorer and a school-system that sucks and kept floating with the help of quickly printed dollars. its demise ain’t far away.
Agitation by other states. Corruption, abuse of power, economic conditions, and the cultural/commercial/technological allure of the west is the weakness of Russia. Seen in this context, sanctions and information control are already an attack, and the only possible attack against nuclear Russia apart from terroristic elements. Pride in Russian achievements and status as well as going after corruption, portraying the materialistic excesses, moralistic failures of the west, food on the table, and continued nuclear might are the antidote.
Just a corruption scandal, ease off The headlines !
With these reports, it is SF itself that is heading towards dissolution, I am sorry to say. I no longer trust SF as a source of news about Russia.
You call this corruption, it’s chump change compared to 21 Trillion just gone, don’t even know where to look because now it’s classified. Hey we can give you democracy, then you will join the big leagues. Such a deal I got for you!
https://www.usdebtclock.org/ . Just add all the debt of the states and the federal debt and you see the real shit usa is into.
“Many believe in Russia as one of the last bastion opposing to the emerging “neo-liberal” world order. However, in fact, representatives of the top Russian elite in many cases seem to be very similar to those people who had saturated the high society of the Russian Empire ahead of the revolution of 1917.”
That would be brilliant, but Putin is building churches and carres the elites of any form.
Maybe he is the new messiah
The devils find their ways, just as during the Soviet times.
“The devils find their ways…..”
Russian writers are the best describing them. I cannot recall his name at the moment, but the author of “The Master and Margarita” does that does that even with a devastating sense of humor.
michail bulgakov – great writer seldom seen west of st petes
I found it in a 2nd hand bookstore. Had no idea what i was getting into!
enjoy, nothing much from today to match bulgakov.
LMAO!! Russia is rubber, the US is glue, whatever is said of Russia, sticks to the US .
What a load of NATOista bullshit. Russians are criticised for arresting corrupt mother fuckers and prosecuting them for their crimes?
What a joke. In the US, corrupt cnts like Manafort only get investigated and prosecuted if such actions fulfll the agendas of Deep State puppet masters. Lets face acts and admit that if Manafort was never the campaign manager for the Golden Golem of Greatness, no-one would EVER have investigated his corrupt dealings with Ukraianian oligarchic scumbags.
matters seem to be humming along just fine in russia – one or two corruption scandals are unearthed from time to time but in comparison with say for example, the criminally corrupt and certified insane disintegrating states of A, it’s nothing.
The dissolution of the USSR marked the end of the Cold War. But the Cold War turned out to be the peace: we are now in a pre-world war phase. Dissolution of Russia would be the trigger for – not another Cold War – but nuclear war.
https://www.ghostsofhistory.wordpress.com/
The Russian populace is very tired of Putin and pals and their thieving ways and the only way out for the people is for them to take down the corrupt shitts in command .