To connect the dots on Russia’s role in the 2016 presidential election (RussiaGate), we must begin with the understanding that Russia is a criminal enterprise disguised as a state. Sitting at the top of the “power vertical,” Putin has accumulated vast personal wealth and power; political murders remain unresolved; and territories are run by criminal clans. Duty-bound KGB officers have been replaced by shadowy figures who deal in compromising material, often for personal financial gain, and shuttle between private and state activities. Russia’s vaunted cyber warfare is carried out by independent-contractor operator/criminals who often wear the uniform of the Federal Security Service (FSB), foreign intelligence (SVR), or defense ministry (GRU). A new term has entered the vocabulary: hackers in epaulets.
OP-ED
Paul Roderick Gregory: Hackers in epaulets – a challenge to the consensus on Russian interference in the 2016 election?
Russian hackers are suspected in a string of cyber crimes against U.S. candidates recently.
