
Russia Today's UK bank accounts frozen, says editor - tomp
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/17/russia-todays-uk-bank-accounts-frozen-says-editor
======
trymas
[rant of my own opinion about RT, not considering their bank accounts]

My blood boils when RT/Russia/Kremlin/et al. start using phrases like “Long
live freedom of speech!”.

They have an autocratic country, with _practically_ one party system and no
opposition. They live in a country where prominent people (journalists,
politicians, businessman) who uncover 'too much information' \- just
'disappear'. They blatantly go to other countries and advertise that _all_
that country's media have no second opinion and they will bring the truth to
the table. [0] When some prominent news about Syria or Ukraine come up, RT
either shows some opinion interviews with facts pulled out of their asses or
they will not show anything like nothing happened. [1]

They just simply use liberal and tolerant west, like a bully is using some
nerd to bring his lunch. But they will never let something like BBC inside
their own territory (with their own studios, multi-million dollar ad budgets,
etc.). Personally RT looks to me, just how I would imagine Goebbels would've
looked like 75-80 years ago.

[0] google "russia today this is what happens when there is no seconds
opinion" [1] google about ukraine RT and MH17

~~~
georgecmu
_They live in a country where prominent people (journalists, politicians,
businessman) who uncover 'too much information' \- just 'disappear'._

Could you provide more specific information on this? Even if you could simply
give a link to something like a wikipedia list of prominent people that just
'disappeared', it would be helpful.

~~~
dharma1
It's not very hard to find

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_journalists_killed_in_...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_journalists_killed_in_Russia)

~~~
georgecmu
Thank you. Although I have not had a chance to study this regrettable list as
closely as I presume you did, a perfunctory search finds only two
disappearances, both of them in 1995-1996 during the first Chechen war:

1995 27 February – Maxim Shabalin, politics editor of Nevskoe Vremya newspaper
(St Petersburg).[62] and Felix Titov, the paper's photographer, disappeared on
an assignment to Chechnya. Despite numerous expeditions, from 1995 to 1999, no
trace was found of the two men's remains. Missing [J].

20 March 1996 Chaikova, correspondent for the Obshchaya gazeta (Moscow) weekly
newspaper disappeared while on assignment. Her body was found buried in the
Chechen village of Gekhi on 11 April, blindfolded and bearing signs of
mistreatment. The cause of death was a gunshot wound to the back of the head.
The identity of her executioners remains disputed. According to documents from
Dudaev's archive, that came into hands of Russian special services in 2002,
she was killed by people from so called "Department of state security of the
Chechen Republic of Ichkeria" (Russian: Департамент государственной
безопасности ЧРИ).[152][153] At the time there were strong suspicions that
Russian security services were involved.

So far we have a list of two, not very prominent, journalists, who disappeared
twenty years ago while reporting on a war with well-documented atrocities on
both sides. I don't believe this is what the GP had in mind, writing that
"prominent people (journalists, politicians, businessman) who uncover 'too
much information' \- just 'disappear'".

As an unrelated aside, this happened during the _good_ Russian administration
-- dynamic, democratic, West-approved Yetsin, who was so popular in his own
country, that Bill Clinton himself came to Russia to support his election
campaign:

[http://www.nytimes.com/1996/04/18/opinion/mr-clinton-and-
mr-...](http://www.nytimes.com/1996/04/18/opinion/mr-clinton-and-mr-
yeltsin.html?_r=0)

 _President Clinton arrives in Russia today facing issues that will severely
test his diplomatic mettle. Mr. Clinton 's primary purpose is to join other
world leaders in a weekend summit meeting on nuclear safety and security that
seems primarily designed to burnish Boris Yeltsin's prestige as he campaigns
for re-election as Russian President._

~~~
dharma1
While you are correct, I interpreted the op's sentiment as journalist
assassinations in Russia - not just disappearances

~~~
georgecmu
I appreciate your graceful concession.

------
lhnz
Does this connect to the other report about Julian Assange's internet [0]
being cut by state powers? It is honestly really difficult to believe that
this is a coincidence. And, although obviously this opinion is completely
circumstantial, perhaps a clearer head should look closer.

If it is the US government moving to constrain other powerful media
establishments that could counter their voice, it does make you wonder what
they are so worried about being released.

Are the emails really so bad they could lose Hillary the election? That would
surprise me.

I guess what is particularly strange to me, is why do this now? If they knew
they were badly exposed, surely they could have taken action a long while ago
when the spotlight on their activity was lower.

[0]
[https://twitter.com/wikileaks/status/787889195507417088](https://twitter.com/wikileaks/status/787889195507417088)
(HN comments:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12722929](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12722929))

~~~
retox
John Kerry's name appearing in the recent SHA256 checksums[0] might have
spooked them, but it's entirely conjecture at this point.

[0] pre-commitment 1: John Kerry
4bb96075acadc3d80b5ac872874c3037a386f4f595fe99e687439aabd0219809

~~~
0x07c0
This also my be relevant:

pre-commitment 2: Ecuador
eae5c9b064ed649ba468f0800abf8b56ae5cfe355b93b1ce90a1b92a48a9ab7

pre-commitment 3: UK FCO
f33a6de5c627e3270ed3e02f62cd0c857467a780cf6123d2172d80d02a072f74

claim from intelAnon that Ecuador had caved in to pressure from the Clintons:

[https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cu7pNidVIAAUweO.jpg:large](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cu7pNidVIAAUweO.jpg:large)

The hashes then being a message from Assange, or it my be Assange being
paranoid.. Or something else entirely.

------
retox
The tinfoiler in me thinks this is linked to the recent Wikileaks activity.
The powers that be are scared.

~~~
wbhart
It's not such a tinfoil idea. The US has been pretty blunt and public about
the fact that they think the DNC hack was performed by Russian hackers. RT
UK's bank accounts have been frozen, and Julian Assange's internet has
allegedly been cut off "by a state actor". The push back against Russia is not
secret, but quite public. Recall the recent statement by the US that the CIA
would cyberattack Russia. Given the very public statements made by the US, I'd
say it isn't really a fringe conspiracy theory.

~~~
alva
>The US has been pretty blunt and public about the fact that they think the
DNC hack was performed by Russian hackers.

The way the joint statement has been covered by the media you can easily be
led to believe that the US 1. has actually blamed Russia for the DNC hack 2.
this is due to evidence they have. This is not true.

When the joint statement [0] is closely read, taking note of legalese, this is
clear as day.

[0] [https://www.dni.gov/index.php/newsroom/press-
releases/215-pr...](https://www.dni.gov/index.php/newsroom/press-
releases/215-press-releases-2016/1423-joint-dhs-odni-election-security-
statement)

~~~
wbhart
I'm actually not certain what you are getting at. This reads as unambiguously
as any media coverage I've seen, to me at least. How could you phrase this any
more unambiguously than "The U.S. Intelligence Community (USIC) is confident
that the Russian Government..."

What's more interesting to me is that Wikileaks is mentioned specifically in
that release. I'm surprised they did this. They'd surely score more points by
not acknowledging that Wikileaks exists. The fact that they did, really
clearly supports what the OP said, in my opinion.

~~~
alva
>The U.S. Intelligence Community (USIC) is confident that the Russian
Government directed the recent compromises of e-mails from US persons and
institutions, including from US political organizations.

At what point in that sentence do they refer to the DNC/Podesta hacks and
leaks? These statements are crafted by teams of lawyers to get the wording
absolutely correct.

------
tptacek
It apparently turns out: RBS is simply dropping them as a customer. The UK has
not frozen their accounts.

~~~
lhnz
Is a bank suddenly dropping a company as a customer something which happens
often?

It seems quite unusual to me.

~~~
sickbeard
banks do this all the time. It happened to some Iranian citizens some time ago
too, they'll typically do it when they think the account is being used for
illegal activity.

~~~
Tomte
Ironically, it happens to American citizens as well:

[http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/reaction-to-
us-...](http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/reaction-to-us-tax-law-
european-banks-stop-serving-american-customers-a-803742.html)

~~~
AJ007
Very common now. The burden is on the banks to make sure their customer aren't
breaking any US laws. US law extends its hand to any banks using dollars. It
would be reasonable to assume that if there was a possibility principals in RT
could be on the sanctions list banks would avoid doing business with RT.

Personally I've found the worst way to read the news is from one single
"unbiased" source and the best is to read from a bunch of sources who do not
hide their bias. When I see what facts are universally agreed upon then I make
my own decision. I do the same thing with business decisions too.

------
dredmorbius
In related news: Julian Assange's Internet link has been intentionally severed
by "a state party".

[https://www.rt.com/news/362985-julian-assange-internet-
link/](https://www.rt.com/news/362985-julian-assange-internet-link/)

Wikileaks also apparently triggered a dead-man's switch, releasing keys to
several pre-committed posts. This has spawned (false) rumours of Assange's
death, addressed in the article above.

[http://www.inquisitr.com/3602381/is-julian-assange-dead-
vira...](http://www.inquisitr.com/3602381/is-julian-assange-dead-viral-rumor-
claims-wikileaks-founder-may-have-been-killed-after-dead-mans-switch-
activated-on-twitter/)

------
sickbeard
It's not frozen. It's a notification that they have 1 month to move their
account somewhere else (or get a cheque for their money)

