GET OUT OF (RUSSIAN) JAIL FREE CARD: Long ago, when Moscow’s planned three-day invasion of Ukraine had dragged on for several months – the Kremlin’s military recruiters came up with the idea of releasing men from Russian prisons if they were willing to serve on the front lines. Conditions in Russian prisons must be pretty bad if trading a jail cell for being cannon fodder sounds like a good idea. Well, now a member of the Russian State Duma has doubled down on the idea of prisoner release to help solve another of the country’s problems – low birth rate. Valery Seleznyov has reportedly proposed releasing female prisoners willing to trade confinement for motherhood. Well, there is a catch. Seleznyov says the women would be released for a “conception vacation.” Cons who become mothers for the Motherland would be rewarded by having the rest of their sentences canceled. Russia has suffered from a high mortality and low birth rate problem for some time – so even without the Ukraine war, the plan may be appealing to some. If the war in Ukraine drags on, the Kremlin may elect to address the soldier shortage by growing their own.
BURIED ASSETS: In a wartime economy, sometimes a government must save money. According to some press accounts, the Russian military has found a cold-hearted way to do that. Under the Kremlin’s system, the families of soldiers who are killed in the line of duty receive a death gratuity of five million rubles (about $56,000.) But there’s a catch. You have to be able to prove your loved one is dead – and to do that you need a body. According to some reports, Russian military units in Ukraine have been abandoning fighters killed on the battlefield, in part, so that they don’t have to compensate the families. The British tabloid, The Mirror, reported last week that Nadezhda Kharichkina, the wife of a Russian soldier, had been told by her husband’s comrades that he had been killed in battle. But when the mother of five contacted her husband’s commander she was told to come to the front line and “dig up your husband.” Not all families are being treated so harshly. Other Russian war widows are reportedly thrilled to be receiving new refrigerators to replace the old man.
“DAY OF MISSILE FORCES AND ARTILLERY” ENDS WITH A BANG: While we cannot verify the accuracy – there are reports in both Ukrainian and Russian media about an incident which is said to have occurred on November 19, when a group of Russian servicemen were attending a concert at the “House of Culture” in Kumachove, Donetsk Oblast of Ukraine. Apparently, the event marked a Russian “Day of Missile Forces and Artillery.” The concert ended when the Ukrainians struck the facility, reportedly killing about 25 service members and Russian actress Polina Menshikh. There is a brief video posted on X showing Ms. Menshikh strumming a guitar before the scene goes black. It is unclear if the concert venue was hit by missiles – or artillery – but in either case – it would be remarkable karma.
THERE MUST BE A BUG GOING AROUND: Of course, not every fallen Russian serviceman’s body goes missing. Take for example retired Lieutenant General Vladimir Sviridov, 68, who once commanded Russia’s 6th Army of the Air Force and Air Defense. In recent years, he has been critical of the Kremlin’s military leadership and had ripped Vladimir Putin for fielding a “third-rate” Air Force. Now, The New York Post reports that Sviridov and his wife Tatiana were both found dead at their home. The Post reports both had been dead for about a week when they were discovered. Local officials speculate it might have been a gas leak – although no unhealthy levels of gas were found at the scene.
NOT (NECESSARILY) THE END OF THE WORLD: Russian State TV talking head Vladimir Solovyov says that nuclear war is “unavoidable” adding “It will happen, no doubt about it.” On the bright side – Solovyov says such a war does not inevitably mean the end of all life as we know it. He says: "If nukes are used against a non-nuclear nation, it won't lead to the nuclear collapse of humanity. Everyone in the military studies the use of tactical nuclear weapons - they know...and they understand how and where [they can be used]." Well, that’s a relief. Good grief.
THE SECRET IS OUT: Wall Street Journal reporter Annie Linskey wrote last week, that if you are shocked by the fact that secret documents turn up in the papers of folks like Donald Trump, Joe Biden and Mike Pence – you shouldn’t be. Her piece called “Washington is Lousy at Managing Classified Documents – and Has Been for Years” notes that documents with classification markings have been found in papers donated to various institutions by former Secretaries of State Henry Kissinger, Ed Muskie, Madeleine Albright, Dean Acheson and Cyrus Vance. It turns out that former members of Congress, ambassadors and scientists have also (mostly accidentally we hope) swiped the nation’s secrets.
SHAMELESS: Not so subtle self-promotion about what’s going on behind the scenes at The Cipher Brief:
IF THREE’S A PARTY, WHAT’S FOUR: The Cipher Brief was pleased to welcome Ambassador Joe Detrani and former Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence Dr. Michael Vickers to The Cipher Brief’s virtual studio for a briefing for Subscriber+Members focused on the impact of shifting global alliances. Vickers wrote in his book, By All Means Available about a meeting that Detrani and Vickers attended in China decades ago, to secure more support for the U.S. covert program to defeat the Soviet Army in Afghanistan, noting how the U.S. and Beijing were cooperating at the time. Two other Cipher Brief Experts with a pretty excellent understanding of the history of the uneasy Russia-China relationship joined the party. General Phil Breedlove, former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO and former senior CIA Officer Paul Kolbe.
POCKET LITTER: Dead Droplets and bits and pieces of interesting /weird stuff we discovered:
SEALS OF DISAPPROVAL: Fans of the TV series “SEAL Team” will be bummed to find out that the upcoming seventh season of the paramilitary drama on Paramount+ will be its last. The show, which started on CBS and morphed to the streaming service, saw season seven delayed due to the Screen Actors Guild strike. We’re told that the SEAL swan song will stream sometime in 2024. Paramount has also deep-sixed plans to make a stand-alone theatrical movie based on the show. What, too many SEAL books and series?
SHOWS WHAT WE KNOW: Remember a couple weeks ago, we goofed on the NCIS TV series franchise for rolling out the latest, most improbable version of their brand – “NCIS Sydney”? Turns out the debut episode was the most-streamed CBS series premiere on Paramount+. The trade publication The Wrap says the down under version of the series has reached nearly 10 million viewers (when you combine those who caught the show on CBS and those who later streamed it). We’re just trying to figure out whether viewers are watching it for the drama or those adorable accents.
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