By John Helmer, Moscow Jared Kushner’s title is Director of the Office of American Innovation at the White House, a new function for the old one of overseeing everything in the US Government for the benefit of the incumbent president. He’s also ranked Senior Advisor to the President, and by marriage he is son-in-law to […]

by Editor - Monday, July 24th, 2017
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By John Helmer, Moscow Igor Zyuzin (lead image) is the first Russian oligarch to face prosecution for polluting the air around his factories. The announcement of criminal charges last week comes as Chelyabinsk regional and city officials escalate a war against lobbying by well-known names around President Vladimir Putin to save Mechel, Zyuzin’s coal and […]

by Editor - Thursday, July 20th, 2017
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By John Helmer, Moscow The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is delaying a decision on Botswana by the Fund’s executive board and shareholders as IMF staff are discreetly encouraging the Botswana Government to reject a breach of contract claim by Norilsk Nickel. The leading Russian mining company, and the world’s largest nickel producer, is suing in […]

by Editor - Wednesday, July 19th, 2017
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By John Helmer, Moscow Never in the field of American conflict with Russia has so much wool pulled over the eyes been owed to so few sheep.  That was during the losing presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton. Now, in the investigations of President Donald Trump and his family, it’s a case of so many sheep […]

by Editor - Monday, July 17th, 2017
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By John Helmer, Moscow “In war”, Thucydides lectured the Hellenes 2,400 years ago, “opportunity waits for no man.” Last Thursday evening, when President Donald Trump was prepping for negotiations with President Vladimir Putin, the Hellenes gave the two of them an object lesson in how the weak may defeat an attack of apparently overwhelming force. […]

by Editor - Wednesday, July 12th, 2017
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Podcast with John Helmer, hosted by Tom O’Brien and broadcast on From Alpha To Omega Click to listen.     If you missed William Faulkner’s original story, and want to understand the Trump double entendres, click to open the plot notes.   Better, read the book. To those who complain this stuff is unreadable even after two […]

by Editor - Tuesday, July 11th, 2017
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By John Helmer, Moscow Thousands of years after spies were invented, and thirty years before the digital computer, there was SIGABA (lead image), an electric motor-powered mechanical apparatus for ciphering and protecting one’s communications from being intercepted or overheard by one’s enemies. Invented by two employees of the US National Security Agency, secretly patented in […]

by Editor - Sunday, July 9th, 2017
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By John Helmer, Moscow If your enemy is waging economic war on you, it’s prudent to camouflage how well your farms and factories are doing. Better the attacker thinks you’re on your last legs, and are too exhausted to fight back.  A new report on the Russian economy, published by Jon Hellevig, reveals the folly […]

by Editor - Wednesday, July 5th, 2017
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By John Helmer, Moscow Not since the German government arranged for Vladimir Lenin to return to Russia, crossing German territory in a sealed train on April 16, 1917, has a foreign state at war with Russia done something as revolutionary as the US Senate did on June 15, 2017.  That is when, by a vote […]

by Editor - Monday, July 3rd, 2017
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By John Helmer, Moscow Two men, Dmitrij Harder and Andrey Ryjenko, have been convicted in parallel proceedings in a US court and a UK court of arranging and receiving bribes in business transactions with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). After several postponements over a year, Harder will be sentenced in US District […]

by Editor - Thursday, June 29th, 2017
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