Steven Seagal Praises Putin And FSB Ahead Of Sochi
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American actor Steven Seagal (right) chats with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi in August 2012.
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January 28, 2014
A suicide bomber on the loose. Western governments warned of an imminent terrorist attack. Nearby American warships on stand-by.
That was the grim security scenario laid out for next month's Sochi Winter Olympics by former Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee on his Fox News talk show on January 26.
But martial arts expert Steven Seagal knows better, apparently.
Speaking as Huckabee's guest on the conservative U.S. TV news station, the action-movie hero assessed the danger of an attack in Sochi as "extremely remote," citing his acquaintances in the Russian security forces.
Although he acknowledged that absolute security is impossible ("You could walk out to go buy a bag of sugar and get hit by a car" was how he put it), Seagal used the Fox News appearance to lavish praise on Russia's President Vladimir Putin and its Federal Security Service (FSB).
Seagal also urged U.S. President Barack Obama to pursue closer relations with Russia.
"They are a very powerful country with spectacular natural resources and a wonderful leadership," he said. "And, I believe that they are our friends and I think one of the only ways we are going to survive without getting swallowed by other superpowers or adversely affected is to be best friends with Russia. I think they should be our great allies."
On Sochi, Seagal reasoned that the colossal security presence in the region would prevail during the games.
"The chances of any of these suicide bombers actually being able to pull it off are extremely remote by virtue of the fact that Sochi is on such high alert," he said. "They've got amazing assets in place with great liaison over the world. President Putin is doing the very, very best he can. And, like I said, the FSB and [their elite counterterrorism taskforce] Alfa Spetsnaz are really some of the best on Earth, so it's going to be pretty tough for anybody to pull it off."
WATCH: Steven Seagal On Sochi Security Measures
Huckabee introduced Seagal as "the unofficial ambassador who’s developed a friendly relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, something our president has not been able to do."
The comment appeared to be a jibe aimed at the cool relationship between Putin and Obama, who is one of several Western leaders skipping the Olympic opening ceremonies.
Seagal does indeed enjoy good relations with Russia. He has been photographed with Putin, and he was asked in March last year by Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin to lobby in the United States for opening up the American market to Russian rifles.
The actor was also scheduled to lobby for Kalashnikov rifle sales at an arms exposition in Las Vegas earlier this month.
Seagal was less voluble, however, when asked about U.S. intelligence leaker Edward Snowden, who has been given temporary asylum in Russia.
Without knowing the actual content of the material Snowden leaked, Seagal said, "it's not easy for me to comment [on the matter]."
-- Tom Balmforth
That was the grim security scenario laid out for next month's Sochi Winter Olympics by former Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee on his Fox News talk show on January 26.
But martial arts expert Steven Seagal knows better, apparently.
Speaking as Huckabee's guest on the conservative U.S. TV news station, the action-movie hero assessed the danger of an attack in Sochi as "extremely remote," citing his acquaintances in the Russian security forces.
Although he acknowledged that absolute security is impossible ("You could walk out to go buy a bag of sugar and get hit by a car" was how he put it), Seagal used the Fox News appearance to lavish praise on Russia's President Vladimir Putin and its Federal Security Service (FSB).
Seagal also urged U.S. President Barack Obama to pursue closer relations with Russia.
"They are a very powerful country with spectacular natural resources and a wonderful leadership," he said. "And, I believe that they are our friends and I think one of the only ways we are going to survive without getting swallowed by other superpowers or adversely affected is to be best friends with Russia. I think they should be our great allies."
On Sochi, Seagal reasoned that the colossal security presence in the region would prevail during the games.
"The chances of any of these suicide bombers actually being able to pull it off are extremely remote by virtue of the fact that Sochi is on such high alert," he said. "They've got amazing assets in place with great liaison over the world. President Putin is doing the very, very best he can. And, like I said, the FSB and [their elite counterterrorism taskforce] Alfa Spetsnaz are really some of the best on Earth, so it's going to be pretty tough for anybody to pull it off."
WATCH: Steven Seagal On Sochi Security Measures
Huckabee introduced Seagal as "the unofficial ambassador who’s developed a friendly relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, something our president has not been able to do."
The comment appeared to be a jibe aimed at the cool relationship between Putin and Obama, who is one of several Western leaders skipping the Olympic opening ceremonies.
Seagal does indeed enjoy good relations with Russia. He has been photographed with Putin, and he was asked in March last year by Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin to lobby in the United States for opening up the American market to Russian rifles.
The actor was also scheduled to lobby for Kalashnikov rifle sales at an arms exposition in Las Vegas earlier this month.
Seagal was less voluble, however, when asked about U.S. intelligence leaker Edward Snowden, who has been given temporary asylum in Russia.
Without knowing the actual content of the material Snowden leaked, Seagal said, "it's not easy for me to comment [on the matter]."
-- Tom Balmforth
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Vladimir Putin Tells Gay Visitors to 'Leave Children in Peace' During Sochi Winter Olympics
Putin discusses homosexuality, security measures and Russian morale weeks before the Olympics
January 17, 2014
Russian President Vladimir Putin discusses
homosexuality and security measures for the Sochi Winter Olympics, to be
held Feb. 7-23, 2014.
Putin asked that gay visitors respect Russia's law banning the spread of gay "propaganda" among minors.
"We don't have a ban on non-traditional sexual relations," he said. "We have a ban on promoting homosexuality and pedophilia among minors."
[READ: Obama Taps Gay Athletes for Russian Olympic Ceremonies]
The assertion comes inspite of gay rights activists across the globe who have demanded a boycott of the Olympics on account of the anti-gay legislation Russia passed in June, the BBC reports. The law says that individuals that share information about homosexuality to children age 18 will face heavy fines.
The anti-gay sentiments reverberated throughout the country has in fact resulted in a number of foreign dignitaries foregoing the games. President Barack Obama is among those who have said they will not be attending. Instead, Obama has designated a number of openly gay athletes to represent the U.S. at the Olympics.
Though Putin continues to defend the new law, he reiterates that homosexual athletes and visitors will be well received. He pointed out that Russia does not consider homosexuality a criminal offense.
"We aren't banning anything, we aren't rounding up anyone, we have no criminal punishment for such relations unlike many other countries," he told The Associated Press.
Putin also addressed the public's fear over recent terrorist attacks that took place in the Russian city of Volgograd and the possibility of attacks during the winter games.
"I think the international community should unite to fight such inhuman phenomena as terror attacks and the murder of totally innocent people," Putin told the BBC.
[ALSO: Anti-Terrorism Sweep Underway in Russia Following Booby-Trap, Bodies]
He continued by saying that Russia would boost its security measures in ways that would not detract from the Olympic experience.
Putin also said that the Sochi Games was not a manifestation of his "personal ambition but the direct, concentrated interest of the state and our people."
He said that he expected the games to be a much needed morale boost for the Russian people.
"After the collapse of the USSR, after the bloody events in the Caucasus, the general mood of society was somber and pessimistic, and we need to give ourselves a shake," Putin said according to BBC.
More News:
- Hos Skier Kikan Randall is Prepping for the Olympics
- The Olympic Torch Continues its Journey Despite Technical Difficulties
- Russia, the Winter Olympics and Laws Against Gay Propaganda
The Olympic Torch Continues Its Journey Despite Technical Difficulties
Russia continues to face scrutiny even as Olympic torch is lit
October 7, 2013
The Olympic flame went out during its ceremonial path through Moscow.
http://world.einnews.com/article/187659137/S4ZeFfCaS-U62RgG?n=1&code=lCtThc8XIaCtSyaE
Irony stole the show Sunday when the Olympic torch went out momentarily, during its ceremonial first-day trek through the Kremlin. In some way the extinguished flame doubled as a metaphor for the various controversies surrounding the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics that have been threatening to stifle Russia's moment on the world stage.
The flame was extinguished just as Shavarsh Karapetyan, a Russian world swimming champion, was running through the gates of the Kremlin. Thanks to a fast thinking security guard, who used a cigarette lighter to revive the flame, the torch was back on track to complete its parade through the streets of Moscow.
[READ: Russia’s Anti-Gay Laws Become A Part of the Olympic Narrative]
Before the torch was sent out to complete its scheduled 123-day trip, covering 40,000 miles of Russian soil and the International Space Station, Russian President Vladimir Putin lit the cauldron with the Olympic flame.
Putin told audience members attending the ceremony that the tournament would give Russia the opportunity to show the rest of the world its greatness.
Putin also indirectly addressed the concerns about the controversial anti-gay laws that were recently established in Russia, by saying the Olympic Games would show Russia's "respect for equality and diversity- ideals that are so intertwined with the ideals of the Olympic movement itself," BBC reported.
"The Olympic flame - the symbol of the planet's main sports event, the symbol of peace and friendship - has arrived in Russia," Putin said.
[MORE: Don’t Boycott the Sochi Olympics Over Russia Anti-Gay Law: Fly the Rainbow Flag]
But between gay rights groups and human rights activists, Russia is facing less then friendly reactions to its hosting the world's most prominent sporting event. Backlash started early this summer when the Russia government passed legislation that banned the dissemination of "propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations," CBS news reports.
Some equal rights groups have even suggested countries boycott the Olympic Games. Actors like Rupert Everett and Ian McKellen have joined this movement and promised to join the boycott according to the Huffington Post.
But others say that boycotting the Olympics won't change things. Canadian Journalist, Joe Schlesinger wrote an op-ed for CBS about how boycotting the Olympic Games would hurt the people of Russia. Schlesinger wrote "the biggest losers could be Russia's gays. If there is to be a boycott of Sochi, they could well be scapegoated as the unpatriotic cause of it."
Instead he proposed that if straight and gay athletes alike "unfurled rainbow flags from the winners' podium it would be a strong message to the world – and above all to the Russians — that in the 21st century the diversity of sexual orientation is a basic human right."
But many athletes see the Olympics to be something much more simple then a political platform. Many view the Olympics to be a chance to compete against challenging opponents.
"The Olympics are not a political statement, they are a place to let the world shine in peace and let them marvel at their youthful talents," Johnny Weir, a U.S. figure skater wrote in an Op-Ed for the Falls Church (Va.) News-Press. Weir said that as much he respected the LGBT community he also hoped that they would remember what the Olympics was truly about; "a chance to dazzle the world."
More News:
Putin May Resume Crackdown After Olympics
Recent amnesty may be for international Olympic image, not reform
January 28, 2014 RSS Feed Print
Russian President Vladimir Putin discusses
homosexuality and security measures for the Sochi Winter Olympics, to be
held Feb. 7-23, 2014.
http://world.einnews.com/article/187659137/S4ZeFfCaS-U62RgG?n=1&code=lCtThc8XIaCtSyaE
Russia declared amnesty for prisoners in December including members of Greenpeace protesting on an offshore oil rig, and two members of the punk protest band Pussy Riot. The two members of Pussy Riot, Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, were released two months before the end of their two-year prison sentence for "hooliganism," which was defined as playing a song protesting the Putin government in a Russian Orthodox cathedral.
Russia's government said the amnesty marked the anniversary of the country's post-Communist constitution in 1993, but it is widely viewed as a public relations move by Putin to improve his nation's human rights image ahead of Winter Olympics in Sochi, which begin on Feb. 7.
[READ: 3 Weeks to Sochi: Are Russian Security Forces Ready?]
Hosting the Olympics is a "personal project" for Putin to gain international legitimacy, but it has also spotlighted his government's human rights restrictions, including against the LGBT community, says Laura Reed, an Internet freedom research analyst focused on Eurasia for advocacy group Freedom House.
Putin is also allowing special protest zones near the Games, walking back his original decree in 2013 banning all demonstrations in Sochi for the duration of the Olympics. A Russian law passed in 2013 bans the distribution of information about homosexuality as "propaganda" on the pretense that it could be harmful to children.
"The real question is what happens to Russian citizens and bloggers critical of the government once the spotlight of the Olympics is gone," Reed says. "That is when we are more likely to see ramifications of what people say and do during the Olympics." Putin served as president of Russia from 2000 to 2008, and served as prime minister under former President Dmitry Medvedev from 2008 until 2012. Putin returned to power in 2012 facing huge demonstrations accusing his re-election as a fraud, which resulted in laws that limit the right to protest without government permits.
[READ: Russians Hunt for Potential Female Suicide Bombers in Sochi]
"We have seen more cases where local prosecutors have used the anti-extremism laws to restrict free speech," Reed says. "While the media attention is focused on the Olympics, I think there will be some tempering of their crackdown as long as they are not disruptive."
Anti-government protests in Ukraine may also occupy the journalistic attention of Russia-based bloggers who may have been prepared to protest Putin online during the Olympics, says Kevin Rothrock, an editor on Russian news at Global Voices Online, an Internet freedom-focused blog. The Putin government may be trying to put on a good face during the Games for the international media, but his government is also considering legal measures that could increase limits on free speech, Rothrock says. A draft law could limit funding of extremist groups using online payment platforms like PayPal, which could be used to limit the funding abilities of Russian civil society critical of Putin, Rothrock says.
"They have a lot of instruments to crack down on dissent after the Games," Rothrock says.
Russians Hunt for Potential Female Suicide Bombers in Sochi
Suspected attack comes less than a day after U.S. offered military support
January 21, 2014
Security forces in Sochi, Russia, distributed
flyers Tuesday morning warning of a potential suicide attack by three
women. One of the suspects, Ruzanna Ibragimova, 22, is believed to be at
large in the host city on the Black Sea coast.
http://world.einnews.com/article/187659137/S4ZeFfCaS-U62RgG?n=1&code=lCtThc8XIaCtSyaE
Security forces in Sochi distributed flyers Tuesday morning warning of a potential suicide attack by three women. One of the suspects, Ruzanna Ibragimova, 22, is believed to be at large in the host city on the Black Sea coast. The flyers include pictures of Ibragimova and two other women, Zaira Aliyeva, 26, and Dzhannet Tsakhayeva, 34, all wearing veils and believed to be trained "to perpetrate acts of terrorism."
The news follows twin bombings in late December in Volgograd, one at a train station followed the next day by another suicide bomber on a crowded commuter bus. The attacks, roughly 400 miles northeast of Sochi, accounted for 34 deaths. An Islamic militant group in Dagestan on Monday posted a video claiming responsibilities for the attacks and threatened further strikes in Sochi, reports The Associated Press.
[READ: Vladimir Putin Tells Gay Visitors to 'Leave Children in Peace' During Sochi Winter Olympics]
Experts in these kinds of attacks say they are consistent with Islamic extremists in southern Russia. These groups often recruit so-called "black widows" – the wives of slain insurgents – to carry out such suicide bombings.
Security has been on high alert as a result, with the Russian government deploying 40,000 police officers to guard Sochi.
The Pentagon announced late Monday it would offer jets and Navy ships to the Russian government in preparation for the games, to begin on Feb. 7. Two ships already in the Black Sea "will be available if requested for all manner of contingencies in support of – and in consultation with – the Russian government," said spokesman Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby.
"The United States has offered its full support to the Russian government as it conducts security preparations for the Winter Olympics," he said. "To that end, U.S. commanders in the region are conducting prudent planning and preparations should that support be required."
Kirby said there is no such requirement at this time.
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3 Weeks to Sochi: Are Russian Security Forces Ready?
Attack reports dog Russia, which is plagued by corruption and a lack of resources
January 22, 2014
The Russian government has deployed roughly 40,000 law enforcement officers to protect Sochi.
http://world.einnews.com/article/187659137/S4ZeFfCaS-U62RgG?n=1&code=lCtThc8XIaCtSyaE
A string of countries that includes Australia, Britain and the U.S. has recommended against their citizens traveling outside of the Olympic venue, amid reports of new threats popping up each week.
The Russian government currently has deployed roughly 40,000 law enforcement officers to protect Sochi, the Black Sea coastal town of roughly 343,000 residents. For context, that's a force 5,000 stronger than the entire New York City Police Department, which serves a population of more than 8 million.
As the Feb. 7 opening ceremonies approach ever closer, world powers are looking to Russia for some indication that the situation is enough under control for the games to go on.
[READ: Russians Hunt for Potential Female Suicide Bombers in Sochi]
"The main problem is the threat from suicide bombers. It's a unique threat and one that is not easily defended against," says Kevin Miles, a former FBI special agent who retired in 2013 after 23 years as a bomb technician.
Miles cites a mixture of pride and cooperation among the Russian law enforcement officers with whom he frequently worked at the FBI training facility in Quantico, Va., and other federal training centers. The "cop-to-cop" relationship was always strong, he says, but is often subject to disputes at the executive levels of the two governments.
The only way to deter a suicide bomber is to grab the device before it's put over his or her shoulders, Miles says. They are extraordinarily difficult to interdict once they're out in the field.
"Once that suicide bomber leaves the residence, leaves the safe house, leaves anywhere he or she is, that's it. You've lost the device," he says. "You will not see it again until it's detonated."
Miles is currently director of training at the Massachusetts-based private security firm Troy Asymmetric. He teaches law enforcement officers how to neutralize a suicide bomber if they are lucky to encounter one who hesitates before detonating the explosives. Many extremist groups operating in the Caucasus region and throughout southern Russia often build fail-safe devices into such bombs, allowing them to be detonated remotely if the prospective bomber has second thoughts.
Russian security forces are professional and well-trained, Miles says. Their main problem remains one they share with many other advanced nations: a lack of adequate resources.
The U.S. announced last week that two Navy ships already parked in the Black Sea are available to the Russian government if it asks for assistance. American law enforcement also will share technology developed during prolonged wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that aims to counter improvised explosive devices.
"I know the [FBI] is going to have people over there," Miles says. "I don't know how active we're going to be. It's not our country, I doubt very seriously we're going to go there and do things on our own. We're there in an advisory capacity."
The U.S. will not share any classified technology with the Russians, he adds, opting instead to share tactics, techniques and drills.
"The relationship between the two countries right now isn't the best. Cop-to-cop it is pretty good, if we are allowed access."
[ALSO: Vladimir Putin Tells Gay Visitors to 'Leave Children in Peace' During Sochi Winter Olympics]
Thus encapsulates the complex and at times paradoxical relationship between the two rivals, constantly prompted to cooperate in an ever-shrinking world, but hung up by a history of distrust.
Most countries hosting a high-profile event like the Olympics initially shirk external help, but soon realize such a course is foolish and unrealistic, says Juan Zarate, who served as a deputy national security adviser in the George W. Bush White House.
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