Oliver Stone - The Putin Interviews

Background Information:

See, “Putin’s Prepared Remarks at 43rd Munich Conference on Security Policy,” Washington Post (Feb. 12, 2007). Retrieved at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/12/AR2007021200555.html

Background Information:

See, generally, Pauwels, Jacques R. The Myth of the Good War: America in the Second World War (Lorimer, 2016).

Background Information:

See, generally, Price, David. Base Nation: How US Military Bases Abroad Harm America and the World (American Empire Project). (Metropolitan Books, 2015).

Background Information:

See, “The United States Shares the Blame for the Russia-Georgia Crisis,” Paul J. Saunders, US News & World Reports (Aug. 12, 2008). Retrieved at: https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2008/08/12/the-united-states-shares-the-blame-for-the-russia-georgia-crisis

Claim: “Not exactly—yes and no. We were surprised when we saw that the aggression by President Saakashvili was not just supported by Bush. They tried to paint the picture saying that Russia was the aggressor, when it was quite evident that it was Saakashvili who decided to launch the aggression.”

Supporting: See, “The United States Shares the Blame for the Russia-Georgia Crisis,” Paul J. Saunders, US News & World Reports (Aug. 12, 2008). Retrieved at: https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2008/08/12/the-united-states-shares-the-blame-for-the-russia-georgia-crisis

Correction:

Edward Snowden’s passport was annulled before he left Hong Kong for Russia. See, “AP Source: NSA leaker Snowden’s passport revoked,” Mathew V. Lee, US World & News Report (June 23, 2013). Retrieved at: https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2013/06/23/ap-source-nsa-leaker-snowdens-passport-revoked

Claim: “And that also would have stipulated it for mutual extradition of criminals, but the United States refused to cooperate with us.”

Supporting: For a good explanation of why the US and Russia do not have an extradition treaty, see, “3 Extradition Cases That Help Explain US-Russia Relations,” Eyder Peralta, NPR (Aug. 7, 2013). Retrieved at: http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2013/08/07/209846990/3-extradition-cases-that-help-explain-u-s-russia-relations. In addition to a Russian defector, the article explains that the US had refused to extradite a Chechen terrorist and Nazi War Criminal accused of running a death camp to Russia despite the latter’s requests.

Background Information:

For more information on the huge amount of information the NSA collects on Americans, see, “FAQ: What you Need to Know about the NSA’s Surveillance Programs,” Jonathan Stray, Propublica (Aug. 5, 2013). Retrieved at: https://www.propublica.org/article/nsa-data-collection-faq

“AP Source: NSA leaker Snowden’s passport revoked,” Ibid.

Background Information:

The US infuriated Bolivia by forcing the presidential plane of President Evo Morales to land because it wrongly suspected Morales of carrying Snowden upon the plane. See, “Bolivia: Presidential plane forced to land after false rumors of Snowden aboard,” Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN (July 23, 2013). Retrieved at: http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/02/world/americas/bolivia-presidential-plane/

Background Information:

See, “Congress Passes NSA surveillance reform in vindication for Snowden, Bulk collection of Americans’ phone records to end as US Senate passes USA Freedom Act” Sabrina Siddiqui, The Guardian (June 3, 2015). Retrieved at: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jun/02/congress-surveillance-reform-edward-snowden

Claim: “President Yanukovych said he had to postpone the signing of the association agreement with the European Union. That was the starting point. And our partners in Europe and the United States managed to mount this horse of discontent of the people. And instead of trying to find out what was really happening, they decided to support the coup d’état.”

Supporting: For a good explanation of how the US helped stoke violence and chaos in Ukraine and helped to bring about the 2014 coup d’état , see, “Chronology of the Ukraine Coup,” Renee Parsons, Counterpunch (March 5, 2014). Retrieved at: http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/03/05/chronology-of-the-ukrainian-coup/

Background Information:

Ibid.

Background Information:

In provocative move, Ukraine government banned Russian as a second language. See, Ukraine Crisis: Timeline , BBC (Nov. 13, 2014). Retrieved at: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-26248275

Background Information:

See, “Ukraine’s sharp divisions,” BBC, (April 2014). Retrieved at: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26387353

Background Information:

For good explanation on how and why the uprising in Donbass against the new, coup government began, see, “It’s not Russia that pushed Ukraine to the brink of War,” Seumus Milne, The Guardian (April 30, 2014). See, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/apr/30/russia-ukraine-war-kiev-conflict

Background Information:

The “Odessa tragedy” that Putin refers to was the massacre of 42 individuals, among them 32 pro-Russian protesters, in the Trade Unions House in Odessa in 2014, see, “Ukraine crisis: death by fire in Odessa as country suffers bloodiest day since the revolution,” Roland Oliphant, The Telegraph (May 3, 2014). Retrieved at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/ukraine/10806656/Ukraine-crisis-death-by-fire-in-Odessa-as-country-suffers-bloodiest-day-since-the-revolution.html

Background Information:

Putin is correct that thousands have died as a result of hostilities in the Donbass. According to the United Nations, as of December of 2016, approximately 2,000 civilians have been killed in the conflict in the Donbass region of Ukraine, with another 6,000 to 7,0000 injured, while the total dead, including soldiers reached nearly 10,000. See, http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=55750#.WRxo1JIrLcs

Background Information:

For more on the contours of the Minsk Agreements that Putin references, see, “What are the Minsk Agreements,” N.S., The Economist (Sept. 14, 2016). Retrieved at: http://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2016/09/economist-explains-7

Claim: “…the economy and the social sphere of Donbass have to be restored. But instead the authorities are strengthening the blockade of these territories.”

Supporting: Putin is correct about the blockade of the Donbass by the central government and the resulting suffering. Indeed, UNICEF reports that, due to the blockade of the Donbass region of Ukraine, one million children are at risk of starvation. UNICEF’s position is that the Minsk Agreements must be complied with to stop the war and this humanitarian disaster. See, https://www.unicef.org/media/media_94886.html

Background Information:

See, https://www.unicef.org/media/media_94886.html

Background Information:

Putin is exactly correct when he says that 2.5 million Ukrainians have fled to Russia since the 2014 coup. See, “Obama’s Ukrainian Coup Triggered the Influx of 2.5 Million Ukrainian Refugees into Russia,” Eric Zuesse, Global Research (Mar. 12, 2017). Retrieved at: http://www.globalresearch.ca/obamas-ukrainian-coup-triggered-the-influx-of-2-5-million-ukrainian-refugees-into-russia/5579719