______________________________
On Thursday, an Federal Security Service (FSB) representative told RIA-Novosti that the alleged CIA operative who attempted to recruit a Russian security services officer was detained by that officer himself, saying, “The man behaved like an officer worthy of his name, detaining the recruiter and handing him over to counterintelligence authorities. He’ll continue to serve; there’s no threat to his career”.
On Wednesday, Russia lodged an official protest with the US ambassador over Ryan Christopher Fogle, a US Embassy officer, who Russia said is an undercover CIA operative. On Tuesday, the FSB said that the authorities arrested Fogle, an American diplomat working as a Third Secretary in the embassy’s Political Department, on the night of 13 May as he attempted to recruit an officer from one of Russia’s special services. Later on Tuesday, Russia declared the diplomat persona non grata. On Wednesday, a source with knowledge of the matter told RIA-Novosti that Fogle would leave Russia within the next few days. Our source added that Russia and the USA “would try to avoid ratcheting up tension around the Ryan Fogle case, focusing instead on the positive aspects of their relations”.
On Wednesday, a man identified as an FSB officer told Pervy Kanal TV that the CIA has long been working hard to infiltrate Russian security and intelligence services. With his face concealed and his voice altered to protect his identity, he said, “Over the past two years we’ve observed persistent attempts by the CIA to recruit employees of Russian law enforcement and security agencies”. He added that the authorities expelled a CIA officer in January from Russia, saying, “We asked our American colleagues to discontinue such disturbing practices with regard to Russian citizens. However, our requests were ignored”.
In the Pervy Kanal interview, the FSB officer said that Russian counterintelligence was aware from the moment Fogle arrived in Moscow in the spring of 2011 that he was a CIA officer; consequently, they kept tabs on him. Our source said that Fogle’s attempt to recruit a Russian citizen on Monday wasn’t his first espionage mission, and it wasn’t the first time he had used disguise to attempt to evade surveillance. The US Embassy in Moscow hasn’t commented on the Fogle case yet, or on the FSB’s claim that Russia expelled a CIA officer in January. The US State Department responded briefly to the reports about Fogle by confirming that Russian authorities had detained and released a US Foreign Service officer.
16 May 2013
RIA-Novosti
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20130516/181183204/CIA-Agent-Was-Nabbed-by-Russian-He-Sought-to-Recruit—FSB.html
Editor’s Note:
Let’s keep it simple. Diplomats are assumed to work for their intel apparats, full stop. Some are better at it than others are; some don’t go out of their way to dig up intel (but they do report what they see and hear… that’s SOP for ALL diplomats of ALL countries). Fogle was so amateurish that he smells more like an overzealous Foggy Bottom striped-pants dogsbody rather than a Langley spook. As it stands, the Centre does know about known Langley assets such as Potapov, Paffhausen, and Kishkovsky… and uses them to monitor oppositionists (of these three, perhaps, only Potapov’s aware of the whole game, but he’s powerless to do anything of it, as he needs Langley’s shilling to maintain his status in the District).
In short, Fogle ain’t CIA… no way, no how. However, he played right into the hands of people such as Rogozin and Shoigu (with a hearty assist from VVP, no doubt), who were looking for a pretext to kick Ambassador McFaul in the arse. Probably, it’s also part of the dance involving Yaroshenko and Bout. Fogle’s career at State is shitcanned… he’ll end as a minor professor at some obscure community college in the sticks… or as a stink-tank operative sucking up to nonentities like Terrence Mattingly and Rod Dreher. Now, that’s PUNISHMENT… naw, it ain’t “cruel n’ unusual”… Fogle tossed the dice and came up with “snake-eyes”. Sorry, Ryan… you wanted to play in the Big Leagues, didn’t you?
BMD
Patriarch Ilia Called for Calm After Orthodox Groups Thwarted Gay Rights Rally
Tags: Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Christian, Christianity, Demonstration (people), demonstrations, Eastern Orthodox Church, Georgia, Georgian, Georgian Orthodox Church, Georgian people, Georgians, homosexuality, International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, LGBT, mass demonstrations, Orthodox, Orthodox Church of Georgia, Orthodoxy, Patriarch Ilia of Georgia, political commentary, political demonstrations, politics, Religion, Religion and Spirituality, Tbilisi, United National Movement
______________________________
Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia Ghudushauri-Shiolashvili, the head of the Georgian Orthodox Church, called for calm after violence erupted after aggressive anti-gay protesters, led by Orthodox clergy, thwarted a rally by a small group of gay rights activists to mark International Day Against Homophobia on 17 May. Patriarch Ilia said in televised remarks on Friday evening, “We distance ourselves from violence”. However, in reference to the gay rights rally, he said, “It’s something that shouldn’t be propagandised. We should know that this is a sin before God. We can express our sorrow without interfering in anyone’s private life. I hope that everything will calm down. I call on our people on all sides to go from the streets and return back home and to pray for each other”.
On 16 May, the Patriarch released a written statement calling on the authorities to ban the gay rights rally in downtown Tbilisi. Speaking to Orthodox believers gathered in Holy Trinity Cathedral, after the 17 May developments in Tbilisi, a senior cleric, Bishop Jakob Iakobishvili of Gardabani and Martqopi, said, “What happened today was an order coming from the nation. You know very well that the United National Movement required two-and-a-half months to gather 5,000 people [for its 19 April rally], then, they boasted, ‘See how many people we gathered’. Today, people came into [the streets] on their own initiative… Several millions would’ve come [into the streets] if needed”.
17 May 2013
Civil Georgia
http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=26071
Editor’s Note:
What the Church opposes absolutely is “gay propaganda”… that is, the suborning of minors and gay rights marches are beyond the pale. On the other hand, the Church takes a nuanced view of individual homosexuals… unlike the crazed konvertsy in the USA and their hysterical leaders such as Paffhausen and Moriak (Paffhausen shouldn’t have thrown stones given his mentor and hierarchical sponsor… the roads in his case DO lead to Platina and Dallas). The Church does NOT agree with sectarian Evangelical nonsense.
In short… some people overreacted and the Patriarch made it clear that the Church doesn’t condone violence… even violence supposedly in the service of “morality”. We don’t resort to the iron boot to impose “moral behaviour” (such is a contradiction in terms, no?). That’s the way of it in Christ’s Church…
BMD