AND THEY HAVE ALREADY FORGOT ABOUT THE AGENTS

Point of view

After the Russian intelligence officers captured in Georgia were released to Moscow, there were no fewer questions about what happened. Veterans of military intelligence - the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff - were first of all amazed ...

After the Russian intelligence officers captured in Georgia were released to Moscow, there were no fewer questions about what happened. Veterans of military intelligence - the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff - were first of all struck by the monstrous unprofessionalism of the new generation of employees of the GRU General Staff, who allowed the Georgians to collect compromising materials, themselves failed like children and exposed the recruited agents under attack.

A GRU veteran who had served as a successful undercover mining officer in Western countries for many years told me: “We are all, of course, simply shocked by such an outrage, but, on the other hand, what else to expect? In our time, there was a strict selection in the GRU, they took the best, and now just anyone, as long as the officer had a residence permit in Moscow or at least some kind of living space, so as not to provide an apartment.

Another honored veteran of the GRU, Colonel Vitaly Shlykov, who through no fault of his own in Soviet times was captured while on assignment, convicted and served time in prison in Switzerland, is most outraged at how the agents recruited by our intelligence officers were left to the mercy of fate. “12 Georgian citizens were arrested on charges of espionage. Givi Targamadze, head of the Georgian parliament's defense and security committee, said they would be severely punished and receive life imprisonment. And this already removes a little halo of heroism from our officers, ”Shlykov told Radio Liberty. In the current acute political situation, with anti-Russian sentiments in Georgia, “all these lieutenant colonels and majors should have been more careful in their contacts and not substitute either themselves, or the prestige of Russia, or these people,” Shlykov believes.

The fate of the recruited agents, including ethnic Russians and Armenians, seems to be of no interest to anyone now - neither the Kremlin, nor the Ministry of Defense, nor our mass propaganda media. Indeed, according to Vladimir Putin, the successors of Lavrenty Beria.

They tried to rescue the captured officers themselves; however, rather strangely, increasing sanctions instead of negotiating. But help came. True, on the other hand. The other day, a high-ranking American diplomat admitted that it was Washington that secured the speedy release of Russian military intelligence officers. “We put pressure on Tbilisi for several days, and finally the problem was solved. Now the situation should be discharged,” the American told me.

After the revolution in Georgia, which eliminated the corrupt regime of Eduard Shevardnadze, and the election of Mikheil Saakashvili as president, relations between Moscow and Tbilisi have consistently become worse. At the same time, the Russian bosses and our state propaganda, either out of stupidity or for some other reason, constantly accused the West, the United States of deliberately stirring up and inciting the Georgians. And in truth, at a time when conflicts are blazing in Iraq and Afghanistan, the situation around Iran and the DPRK is heating up, the United States just lacked aggravation in the Caucasus with the prospect of a Russian-Georgian clash. In fact, it was Washington that in the past two years has constantly upset hot Georgians and persuaded the Kremlin to negotiate instead of imposing sanctions, sabotage and provocations.

In July, it was American pressure that brought Saakashvili and Putin to a personal meeting in St. Petersburg, as it now turns out, perhaps the last one. A week ago, the Americans secured the release of Russian intelligence agents, and at the same time Saakashvili announced the need to start a "real dialogue" with Putin. President George W. Bush also honored his half of the tacit deal and personally called Putin to persuade him to put a stop to the growing anti-Georgian campaign. But that was not the case: the limit of American influence was revealed, and both Bush and Saakashvili were beaten. The Kremlin press service, after a telephone dialogue, declared American attempts to reduce tension and peacefully resolve the conflict "unacceptable and dangerous", as well as "encouraging the destructive policy of the Georgian leadership."

The fact is that the day before, at a meeting of the Security Council in Novo-Ogaryovo, a fundamental decision was made to seek the overthrow of Saakashvili by all available means, which Putin announced publicly and unequivocally: “These people think that, being under the roof of their foreign sponsors, they can feel feel comfortable and safe. Is it really? I would like to listen to representatives of civilian departments and military experts.”

A complete blockade of Georgia followed, the closure of markets, shops and restaurants, raids, arrests, deportations aimed at “non-indigenous”, in Putin’s terminology, residents, primarily Georgians, including citizens of the Russian Federation. The goal, obviously, is not just to punish the Georgians, but, by deporting, ruining and destitute hundreds of thousands of “non-indigenous” people who lived and worked before in Russia, to achieve the overthrow of Saakashvili by their hands, so that other presidents in the republics of the former USSR (our zone of influence) would be discouraged exercise too much independence.

At the same time, Sergei Ivanov announced the acceleration of the withdrawal of our bases from Georgia. The fact is that these bases are militarily useless, most of the weapons have been removed, most of the personnel are not entirely reliable, since they are recruited from the locals, and the remaining small number seconded from Russia are ready hostages, not an army. Therefore, an accelerated withdrawal is not a conciliatory gesture, but rather a necessary condition for starting a military solution to the Georgian problem.

Saakashvili meanwhile sits firmly and enjoys the support of the overwhelming majority of Georgians both at home and in Russia. Economic and political measures, the subversive work of the secret services, pogroms in the markets and casinos cannot overthrow him. However, there were also “military specialists” in Novo-Ogaryovo whom Putin asked to help put an end to “comfort and security” in Georgia. I wonder what the specific proposals were?