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Putin dismissed US warnings about a potential terror incident as 'blackmail' just 3 days before concert hall attack (www.businessinsider.com)

submitted 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/world@lemmy.world

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Gunmen stormed a concert hall in Moscow on Friday, killing at least 60 people and injuring more than 100.
Earlier this month, the US embassy issued a security alert warning of a potential terror attack.
Just days ago, Vladimir Putin dismissed the idea as "blackmail" from the West.

…

Earlier this month, the US embassy in Russia issued a security alert warning about a potential terror attack in Moscow and urged people to avoid crowds, monitor local media for updates, and be aware of surroundings.

"The Embassy is monitoring reports that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow, to include concerts, and U.S. citizens should be advised to avoid large gatherings over the next 48 hours," the March 7 security alert said.

Putin addressed the warnings a couple weeks later, criticizing the warning three days ago as "provocative."

…

"All this resembles outright blackmail and the intention to intimidate and destabilize our society," Putin said, according to state media reporting on his remarks.

The US embassy issued another alert on Friday saying it was "aware" of the attack and urged Americans to avoid the area.

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[-] TacticsConsort@yiffit.net 187 points 9 months ago

Hot damn. So I kind of understand why the Russians would dismiss this as a lie or a threat because yknow. War in Ukraine, Trump, etc, relations are bad to put it politely.

But can we talk about what kind of terrifying flex of power that is from US Intelligence? It's one thing to predict a terror attack on your own soil- sure your citizens quite rightfully won't like the privacy violations, but the national authorities are going to help you; so if your intelligence agency is worth the name it should stop most attacks.

But can you imagine having information access that's so damn good you can not only predict a terror attack in a nation that has an extremely vested interest in not letting you know what they're doing because they're running a war that you (and everyone else) don't like, but you feel completely confident TELLING THEM, which could risk your information sources if they're not properly hidden. This is like the Foreign Intelligence equivalent of being so far ahead of your opponent in a game that you start giving them sincere advice on how to play so that they don't get thrashed too badly.

[-] Whattrees@lemmy.blahaj.zone 102 points 9 months ago

It reminds me a bit of the US intelligence saying that Russia was going to invade Ukraine and attempt to make it all the way to Kiev while Russia was adamant that it would never happen.

The other thing to note is that all countries have an "obligation to report" which requires them to report evidence of terror attacks to any county that would be the victim, even if they are a hostile nation. As much as "US bad" is true, it's frankly refreshing to see us do the right thing so publicly, even if it was only as a way to make Putin look bad.

[-] NaibofTabr@infosec.pub 56 points 9 months ago

US intelligence called the day and the hour the invasion would start, as well as the route the first military group would take. I remember at the time people were speculating that Russia would call it off or change plans because their operation had been so thoroughly blown, while a lot of global media was just accusing the US of warmongering. Russia just plowed ahead with their invasion anyway.

[-] assassin_aragorn@lemmy.world 15 points 9 months ago

It ended up being a good litmus test. The people who were being genuine admitted they were completely wrong, like Snowden. Others never said they were wrong in their doubts, and they're generally grifters.

[-] SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca 14 points 9 months ago

Snowden just says whatever the Russian government tells him to say or he'll fall out of a window.

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[-] WarlordSdocy@lemmy.world 35 points 9 months ago

It wasn't just Russia who was saying that wasn't gonna happen, basically everyone outside the US thought it wouldn't happen cause it would be a really stupid thing to do. Then it turned out they did it and it was really stupid and I think a lot of people were surprised the US was telling the truth and it wasn't just fearmongering.

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[-] Atelopus-zeteki@kbin.run 47 points 9 months ago

Strategically, from the US perspective, it was an enormously effective flex. It doesn't matter what Putin says to his people, or the world, but now he knows that the US knew, and could have said nothing. Charles de Gaulle once said, "No nation has friends, only interests."

[-] Bye@lemmy.world 9 points 9 months ago

Pretty sure Kissinger said that; the us does not have allies or enemies, only interests.

[-] Deebster@programming.dev 18 points 9 months ago

We have no eternal allies, and we have no perpetual enemies. Our interests are eternal and perpetual, and those interests it is our duty to follow.
Lord Palmerston, House of Commons, 1 March 1848

People says Kissenger paraphrased this with "America has no permanent friends or enemies, only interests" - afaik there's no evidence of this but either way the quote's older than he is.

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[-] SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca 6 points 9 months ago

This is true, but sometimes strategic interests actually does line up with the morally correct thing to do.

[-] Railcar8095@lemm.ee 3 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

I wish that was the rule and not the exception

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[-] johannesvanderwhales@lemmy.world 21 points 9 months ago

America's relationship with Russia is complicated. But they're pretty motivated to see ISIS go down. Something like this is a big recruiting event.

[-] PrettyFlyForAFatGuy@feddit.uk 8 points 9 months ago

was looking at a lemmygrad post on this attack earlier.

They're convinced that ISIS is a current CIA asset

[-] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 7 points 9 months ago

Everything they don't like is caused by the CIA according to them. Apparently, the CIA has unlimited and omnipotent power... which is why it's weird that they're expecting a glorious revolution.

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[-] jtk@lemmy.sdf.org 13 points 9 months ago

I'd wager they knew it was legit but didn't care if, or even preferred, it happened. They're playing a table top game with real lives.

[-] SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca 10 points 9 months ago

If they weren't currently engaged in a war in Ukraine, this might be the case. Could get the country to rally around Putin as he goes on a big military campaign in Chechnya/Syria/Africa/wherever to get revenge against ISIS.

But Russia currently doesn't have the military resources for this, so it just make Putin weak and incompetent for being unable to protect Russians from the terrorists.

[-] irreticent@lemmy.world 8 points 9 months ago

Exactly. When I read it I assumed it was a false flag attack. I mean, Putin doesn't have the best track record when it comes to bombing his own people.

1999 Russian apartment bombings

[-] dbilitated@aussie.zone 5 points 9 months ago

if they knew it was legit why didn't they just say nothing? it's weird Putin is on record saying it won't happen, right before it happened. makes him look stupid.

tbh though I'd be surprised if they genuinely had no idea, how can their intelligence be so much worse in their own country?

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[-] Kyrgizion@lemmy.world 3 points 9 months ago

Moles. Moles EVERYWHERE.

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[-] Railcar8095@lemm.ee 2 points 9 months ago

This could escalate the situation a lot of Russia gets hell bent in blaming Ukraine or the US.

Even from an extremely cold perspective, there's little strategical benefit for the US on this, and it's a wild card.

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[-] Dagwood222@lemm.ee 78 points 9 months ago

There's a passage in the book 'The Godfather' that everyone should read and understand.

One of the most powerful Mafia families in New York rose to power because they were willing to kill people over garbage collection. All the businesses needed trash hauling, and nobody was crazy enough to risk their life to compete with murderers.

Putin wasn't a genius who gained power through subtle moves; he was a shark who ate up anyone in his way.

[-] MyDogLovesMe@lemmy.world 19 points 9 months ago

It’s just business, nothing personal.

At the end, …it’s all personal.

I swear nobody got that. People say that line and I’m like ‘Well, fuck you very much if you read the book’.

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[-] Rocketpoweredgorilla@lemmy.ca 44 points 9 months ago

For being able to speak bullshit so fluently you think he'd be better at telling the difference, but the last couple of years have really proven otherwise.

[-] WhatAmLemmy@lemmy.world 45 points 9 months ago

Luckily, he could not care any less about the lives he destroys.

Russian or otherwise, they're nothing but lambs to the slaughter to an unbridled sociopath.

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[-] eran_morad@lemmy.world 38 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Highlights what a pathetic, weak little shit he truly is. Edit: it’s also telling how he assumes the warning was meant to destabilize russian society. What a scourge he has been on the world.

[-] kent_eh@lemmy.ca 31 points 9 months ago

It also points out that his own intelligence agencies don't have the ability to gather information as well as the Americans, nor to properly assess information they get handed to them on a silver platter.

[-] SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca 5 points 9 months ago

Yeah there may be consequences for doing a lot of purges in a country's intelligence apparatus.

[-] Natanael@slrpnk.net 5 points 9 months ago

Or if they're like Israel, they do but the leadership rejects the warnings

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[-] MushuChupacabra@lemmy.world 35 points 9 months ago

Putin is lucky that the attack happened after the election. I think he'd have only won about eighty-one percent of the popular vote.

[-] ATDA@lemmy.world 26 points 9 months ago

Isis does in fact want to destabilize your county, what a dipshit.

[-] KillingTimeItself@lemmy.dbzer0.com 22 points 9 months ago

US being the funny but albeit rather eerie kid in the class is probably my favorite meta.

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[-] PapaStevesy@midwest.social 7 points 9 months ago

Pretty sure that would only be blackmail if it was Putin's plan. Is he trying to take credit away from ISIS or was it a Freudian slip?

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this post was submitted on 23 Mar 2024

538 points (96.2% liked)

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