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Shkruar nga Giulio Ucciero
Anglo-American businessman, once the largest foreign investor in post-Soviet Russia, Bill Browder, who was declared "Putin's enemy no. 1," says that despite sanctions, the Russian president manages to corrupt many people in the West, avoiding their consequences.
In 1995, Bill Browder moved to Russia to found his own investment fund, Hermitage Capital Management. As an Anglo-American businessman, he became the most important foreign investor. But gradually he discovered the system of oligarchs, became an enemy, was arrested, interrogated and in 2005, was forced to leave the country.
He was once arrested abroad, in Spain, but was later released. Today, Browder lives in London.
“They want to kidnap me, kill me or extradite me,” he told HuffPost. He has been convicted in absentia twice in Russia. Sergei Magnitsky, his lawyer and partner, was arrested in Moscow on charges of tax fraud and died in prison in 2009.
Browder says he was actually killed while lobbying the US Congress to pass the Magnitsky Act. The measure denied visas and froze assets in the United States for many Russian officials. The law was passed in 2012, drawing the ire of Vladimir Putin.
The Russian president complained to Trump during his first term, but so far to no avail. Since then, the famous financier has opened a foundation, travels around Europe to speak about Russia, and publishes books. He is on the Kremlin's blacklist. We met him in the Italian Senate, where he gave a speech on Russian interference in the Foreign Affairs Committee.
What did you say to the Italian parliamentarians? What did they need to hear and understand?
I spoke about Putin's Russia's capacity for political interference. Like other dictators, he lives in a closed society and takes advantage of those of us who live in open societies. We have freedom of speech and they exploit it. The interference is extensive and the mechanism very profitable.
Low cost, high profit?
Yes. Bombing Kiev in one night costs Putin $1 billion. While a year of political intervention costs him only hundreds of millions of dollars. And if this intervention is done properly, it could end Western support for Ukraine. I think Putin can win the war more easily by interfering than by fighting.
What kind of influences are we talking about? What tools does the Kremlin have at its disposal to enter the European debate and change it?
I know them well because I have been a victim of Russian interference for over 15 years. The first method aims to change the narrative through alternative media sources. In my case, they started producing various documentaries about me, paying a lot of money and presenting a narrative that was completely alternative to the truth.
Then they presented them on Russian public television, then in the European Parliament. Their goal is not necessarily to convince everyone that their alternative version is correct, but to muddy the waters so that people no longer believe the truth. They create the ground for conspiracy theories.
The second step is money. They pay influencers. I'm not talking about Instagram influencers, although social media is very important. For this, just look at what happened in Romania or the story of the far-right podcaster who received $10 million from Russia to talk badly about Ukraine during the 2024 US elections.
On the contrary, I'm talking about parliamentarians, former MPs, former government officials, professors. They pay them to take a position opposite to that of everyone else.
Are they actually secret agents?
This is a very romantic definition. They look for a professor, give him money, maybe fund his scientific research. An incentive is found.
You also mention former or current MEPs...
The Russians offer money, girls, boys, trips to anyone they come into contact with. Almost all the deputies say no. Every now and then, someone says yes. That's how they keep him under control, and if he changes his mind, they threaten him.
They also work on social media...
Yes, and some social media are more open than others. Twitter (now X), was one of the main platforms for Russian influence operations. But since it was acquired by Musk, it is a less influential media source.
And what is the extent of Russian influence here in Italy, in Italian institutions?
The infiltration of Italian institutions is extremely deep for a very interesting reason. In Italy there is a kind of innate sympathy for Russia, which is much more widespread than in other countries.
Maybe it's because of Italian history? Once upon a time, this was the strongest Communist Party in Western Europe...
Many people give me this explanation. I don't really know the reasons, but what I see in Italy is very different from what I see in London. In Britain, public opinion is absolutely anti-Putin and pro-Ukraine. Here you are a little more delicate. You still remain pro-Kiev, but the anti-Putin sentiment is more subdued.
Are you saying we are an exception?
Yes. In terms of Russian influence, Italy is the weakest link in Western Europe. Pro-Russian sympathies are stronger here than elsewhere.
Have circumstances changed with the war in Ukraine? What is Putin's goal?
Many things have changed since the Russian invasion. But Putin's goal hasn't budged an inch. He doesn't care how many lives he loses or how much money he wastes. He started this war for one reason only: he wants the Russian people to be angry at an external enemy, not at him. That way, he can stay in power forever.
Can he win?
I don't believe it. Anyway, sooner or later it will try to attack a NATO country, thinking that we don't have the courage to wage war against it. That's why it aims to create doubts and false truths in Western democracies. Influence is the least expensive way to divide. It creates division in Italy, the US, the Netherlands, everywhere./ Adapted from "Pamphlet" By "Huffington Post Italia"
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