Posted on 08/14/2008 5:49:34 PM PDT by InABunkerUnderSF
If you googled “Invasion of South Ossetia” on Monday of this week one of the sites near the top of the list was the vitriolic anti Georgian propaganda web site “war.georgia.su” which detailed Georgian atrocities and planned atrocities against the peace loving people of South Ossetia. When I first saw it, the first thing that caught my eye (other than the over the top blood dripping pro anti Georian propaganda) was that the domain name itself. It did not end in “ge” as in Georgia but “su”, the domain name of sites in the former Soviet Union.
This made me curious so I did a WhoIs search on the domain. Here is what I found out:
The organization name for the domain “Relcom Business Network” Ltd. They are located at Marshala Vasilevskogo str., 1/2, Moscow, 123098 under the name of Lubov V. Vidanova. The Moscow phone and fax numbers given are four digits apart implying that t hey are in the same office.
The most interesting thing about the domain is that it was created on June 19, 1999. Who needed an anti Georgian propaganda site in 1999? If I read the WhoIs record correctly the organization changed ownership on February 7, 2007. Did the site’s purpose change in February 2007? Finally, who is Lubov V. Vidanova and why was anyone in Russia registering domain names under .su in June of 1999?
One final thing worth noting, I also did WhoIs searches on every other breakaway component of the former Soviet Union from Moldova to Kazakhstan, looking for {country}.su domain names. There are two others – armenia.su and azerbaijan.su, both registered to “Relcom Business Network” Ltd. at Marshala Vasilevskogo str., 1/2, Moscow, 123098 under the name of Lubov V. Vidanova. Both were created on June 19, 1999. Both seem to have changed hands on February 7, 2007.
Anyone care to speculate on what the Russian’s long term military goals are in the Caucuses after it finishes with Georgia?
Ukraine then Belarus.
Great find!
In the tradition of Buckhead!
Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, East Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, but then I digress ... Putin is hoping for an Obama victory ...
That would be the case if they were thinking defensively.
I'm more inclined to follow the oil. If they can get a strangle hold on petroleum and natural gas exports from the Caucasus they won't need to worry as much about threats to their west.
Putin already has a dictatorial puppet ruling Belarus.
When they pony up with Iran, Israel.
Russia has made rhetorically linked NATO's actions in Kosovo to what it is currently doing in Georgia. Dunno how long they've been linking the two, but the Kosovo war was in 1999.
I don’t recall that they did link the Balkans and the Caucasus at that time but may not have noticed. Serbia is a traditional Russian ally. Stomping on the Serbs made Russia very hot about it (thank you President Clinton). Arguably NATO’s attack on Serbia is what brought Putin to power. Anyway, the domains were registered in June 1999, Putin became president on December 31, 1999 (per Wiki).
The whole “linkage” argument becomes more spurious by the day though. I don’t recall NATO forces marching on Belgrade.
Azerbaijan >>> shoulder to shoulder with Iran.
Do you think the Russians care about such distinctions?
Fascinating and thank you for your strong work!!
Not for a heartbeat but it's the kind of thing that can be used to respond to the hand wringers and those who would draw moral equations between the actions Georgians and the Russians.
what do you think the US government should do to Russia ?
Ukraine and then the Baltics. At the Kremlin, they refer to the Batlics as “Wayward Children”. As in its only a matter to time before they return to Russias sphere of influence.
I am not a politician so I don’t know ... what has to happen though is for Russia to be ostracized from the World community ... you want to act like thugs then we won’t have anything to do with you .....
The Baltics and the Ukies will fight together, if it’s one of them, and Poland will join them, it ain’t gonna happen, the messianic Russkies know that!
I doubt they’d be impressed either.
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