Hacker News Reader

Comment by AftHurrahWinch | Hacker News Reader

MOSCOW, Aug 2 (Reuters) - A family of Russian sleeper agents flown to Moscow in the biggest East-West prisoner swap since the Cold War were so deep under cover that their children found out they were Russians only after the flight took off, the Kremlin said on Friday.

"Before that, they didn't know that they were Russian and that they had anything to do with our country," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"And you probably saw that when the children came down the plane's steps that they don't speak Russian and that Putin greeted them in Spanish. He said 'buenas noches'."

"The children asked their parents yesterday who it was that was meeting them (in Moscow). They didn't even know who Putin was. This is how the 'illegals' work. They make such sacrifices out of dedication to their work," Peskov said.

View on HN

Interesting that Peskov doesn’t even bother denying they were spies and actually boasts about it.

It was interesting to me too. I had a cliche Mission Impossible understanding of intelligence work... "your mission, should you accept it ... as always, should you be caught, the Secretary will disavow..."

Why would he? This is a huge russian W. He is saying:

"we peed directly into their mouth and watched for years how Western politicians and media contemplate intricacies of the aftertaste"

Maria Butina, asset responsible for collapse of NRA and Trump support landed in State Duma aka Congresswoman after previous spy exchange.

Viktor Bout, notorious arms dealer exchanged for some dope idiot, became a state deputy.

Peskov also formally confirmed Vadim Krasikov is an active FSB Alpha unit member. Same Vadim Krasikov russians swore up and down in 2019 they knew nothing about. TASS 28 Aug 2019 "Russia has no relation to murder in Germany of which Russian is suspected, says Kremlin."

Oh, and btw https://tass.com/world/1824729 "Trump describes prisoner swap as ‘phenomenal deal’ for Russia"

> exchanged for some dope idiot

Griner is a two-times Olympic golden medalist, two-times World Cup gold winner, six-time WNBA All-Star. Of course, she could be as well an idiot - I can't argue against this point of yours as I don't have sufficient data for that, but if you insist, at least please acknowledge that she is a highly-decorated idiot. What has Bout ever accomplished for Russians to be proud of or have any tangible benefits?

You can do lots of brilliant things, but bringing drugs into Russia...

Especially after Jan 23, 2022 Department of State Level 4 Travel Advisory – Do Not Travel – for Russia.

https://ru.usembassy.gov/security-alert-update-to-travel-adv...

"terrorism, harassment by Russian government security officials, and the arbitrary enforcement of local law."

As everyone knows already.

But the accused person has more than paid their dues in regard to this matter -- so there's no need to throw petty insults at them here.

As if anyone here would say that to her face.

What Griner did hurt no one, and was no more foolish than any number of dumb things you've done in your own life. She absolutely did not deserve to have hear life nearly destroyed for the sake of Putin's sick games.

Show some respect.

Didn't deserve it, no, but westerners like to forget that their laws and cultural norms are not the same in the rest of the world and like it or not, if you're in another country, you are on their turf and have to respect their laws, no matter how much they might conflict with your views. And some countries are much worse places than others to not follow local laws. Doing so in Russia, of all places, as an American is probably the dumbest of dumb. It's not disrespectful to say that.

It's not disrespectful to say that.

Griner's arrest, sham trial and prolonged sentence weren't about differences in "cultural norms". They came about as a part of long-term game that Russia is playing, to both grab high-profile persons as trading material for prisoner swaps, and to fuck with everyone's heads generally.

That's why it's important to step outsides these shenanigans, and not focus on the foolishness of the actions of the people who get caught up in scams like this. In broader moral context (and the greater crime that is being committed), it's damn near irrelevant what Griner actually did.

As in every other situation when someone is unfairly persecuted.

It's not disrespectful to say that.

When the commentary is restricted to their actions, no. But when it's gratuitously formulated as a pejorative insult, directed specifically at the person -- who is after all caught up in a much larger drama that really isn't about them or what they allegedly did, at all -- that's exactly where it gets disrespectful.

Probably because Putin knows he's a dictator, and he doesn't have to please anyone but his henchmen. The message is "Work for me, even if they arrest you I'll get you out and bring you home a hero.". Of course a "hero" in Putin's circle, not in the West or civilized Russians' eyes, but in Putin's view, who gives a shit about them, I'm beating them/I have them under oppressive control...

Reply on news.ycombinator.com