I had the great honor of interviewing Moldovan journalist Iurie Rosca, whose work has focused on exposing Western infiltration of the ex-Soviet world, while highlighting the dangers awaiting us all as American hegemony is replaced by global technocracy based on the “Chinese model”.

https://edwardslavsquat.substack.com/p/the-fall-from-liberalism-to-global

Grüß Gott, welcome to Edward Slavsquat’s Weekend Link-Dump & Open Thread. You have permission to shill any and all links in the comments section. Or you can just wave hello, using your keyboard.

https://edwardslavsquat.substack.com/p/at-least-we-have-each-other-9b0

On June 25, your correspondent compiled a colorful range of opinions (mostly poached from English-language Twitter, aka Living Hell) about Wagner’s march on Moscow.

Today we will examine a sampling of views about this puzzling event published in Russian-language media.

https://edwardslavsquat.substack.com/p/prigozhins-smo-views-from-russian

There is a revealing historical event from April 2019 that succinctly illustrates why you should laugh and laugh and laugh whenever a Very Serious Pundit suggests the Russian government is heroically fighting worldwide vax sadness. https://edwardslavsquat.substack.com/p/is-moscow-anti-vax-no

Russia’s Unified Biometric System (UBS), a commercially operated national biometrics database, has been billed as a safe and effective way to identify the proles.

But there’s a problem: Many Russians don’t know about the miracle of for-profit biometrics, and the ones who do know about it are not very excited for some weird reason. Obviously this is unacceptable, so TASS (a state-owned media outlet) and VTsIOM (a state-owned polling agency) teamed up to host a biometrics cheerleading event.


https://edwardslavsquat.substack.com/p/state-agencies-and-friendly-bank

Dobré odpoledne, welcome to Edward Slavsquat’s Weekend Link-Dump & Open Thread: Saturday Phone It In Edition.


You have permission to shill any and all links in the comments section. Or you can exchange pleasantries with other commenters. Or feel free to do none of the above. Choose your own adventure.


https://edwardslavsquat.substack.com/p/at-least-we-have-each-other-801

A “devalued” ruble is bad in some ways, and good in other ways, and guided by your preexisting biases and prejudices, you can make a sound, objective argument that Russia’s economy is about to collapse, or, on the other hand, everything is fine and dandy, and maybe even getting better. Obviously there is no middle ground or room for nuance. Thanks for reading, have a very nice day.

https://edwardslavsquat.substack.com/p/how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and

The wait is over! The Bank of Russia’s centralized, programmable digital token officially received the State Duma’s blessing on Tuesday. https://edwardslavsquat.substack.com/p/the-digital-ruble-its-finally-here

Is the Russian government downplaying the socioeconomic hardships of its proles?
This is the incendiary claim put forward by State Duma Deputy Sergei Mironov, the leader of the sometimes surprisingly uppity (but mostly pro-Uniparty) political faction A Just Russia For Truth. According to Mr. Mironov, Russia’s Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat) has employed creative methods to “fix” the number of impoverished Russians at 9 million people—apparently forever.

https://edwardslavsquat.substack.com/p/is-moscow-manipulating-poverty-statistics

Important journalism from Czechia. https://edwardslavsquat.substack.com/p/how-do-people-of-modest-means-clip

Warm greetings and welcome to Edward Slavsquat’s Weekend Link-Dump & Open Thread: Prague Mischief Edition.

You know the drill: Shill your finest URLs in the comments section. Or just say hi.

https://edwardslavsquat.substack.com/p/at-least-we-have-each-other-547

Earlier this month your humble Moravia correspondent typed up a blog post urging his cherished and very attractive readers to avoid the temptation of making sweeping generalizations about Russia’s economy.

But to help you make up your own mind about what the heck is happening in Russia, economically, I have compiled some views on this subject from across Russian media. I hope you find this information mildly informative, and I wish you a very pleasant day.

https://edwardslavsquat.substack.com/p/deep-thoughts-about-the-russian-economy

Strelkov warned almost a year ago that his arrest would mean that the “liberal oligarchic group [in Russia] has won” https://edwardslavsquat.substack.com/p/security-forces-arrest-igor-strelkov

A Moscow court ruled that Strelkov will remain in pre-trial detention until September 18. An investigation into "extremism" was opened on July 18, purportedly triggered by several of Strelkov's posts on Telegram. [Interfax]

Russia’s Ministry of Health wants to switch from “mass vaccination” to injecting “vulnerable categories of citizens”. According to the ministry, risk groups that should still get their COVID injections include: People aged 60 years or older, as well as individuals with chronic diseases, autoimmune disorders, or cancer. Those who have not been previously “diagnosed” with COVID, and/or have not been vaccinated against the Virus, are also considered “vulnerable”. Okay. 🤷‍♂️ [RIA Novosti]

There’s not much ambiguity here: Putin believes AI is the future, and Herman Gref's Sber (“not a bank, but a whole universe of services”) should shepherd the Russian flock towards a brighter, AI-driven tomorrow.

https://edwardslavsquat.substack.com/p/the-future-will-be-artificial-and

Edward Slavsquat wishes you a very pleasant and serene Sunday, and welcomes you to the traditional Weekend Link-Dump & Open Thread.

Shill your URLs accordingly. Or just say ahoj in the comments section. That’s also perfectly fine.

https://edwardslavsquat.substack.com/p/at-least-we-have-each-other-7a3

An Edward Slavsquat EXCLUSIVE https://edwardslavsquat.substack.com/p/moravia-is-the-last-place-where-you

Although a mere formality at this point, Putin "officially" approved the Bank of Russia's CBDC on Monday, after the State Duma passed legislation on the introduction of this centralized and programmable digital token earlier this month. RT's coverage of this historic event is nothing less than impressive: "Unlike virtual currencies such as Bitcoin, the digital ruble is projected to pose minimal risk..." 🫠 [source: Question More]