These people are like roaches or some pest. Popping up all over the West, an area no one wants them or their culture. Imagine if Russia had invested in their country’s future after Yeltsin. It’s like embarrassing how much they worry about what everyone else is doing instead of building their own brand. Sign of insecure government and people.
Odd. Your questions raise the likelihood that there is something else going on.
After all, a guy like that, active in media manipulation, would do as you did - which is to Google that institution to find out what it is, would have asked himself too why a German organization would come with an Austrian telephone number, etc. You assume he didn't - why?
It also seems like pretty poor tradecraft on the Ukrainian side not to have created a fake website for that organization.
So we have poor tradecraft and a rookie mistake. Something doesn't smell right.
Well, you assume that Molchanov is as intelligent as you are. I believe this approach is misleading - people, even manipulative and malicious, can be easily manipulated and maligned themselves, just look at the MAGA movement in the US.
As for the "fellowship" for Molchanov - I have a hypothesis that I present in the post: "Perhaps Molchanov was tipped off by a “trusted contact” – a persona created or manipulated by Ukrainian services – who told him he’d be receiving this opportunity".
In this case, Molchanov would unlikely doubt the content of the letter he received.
My gut feeling is that, sooner or later, we’ll hear new revelations about cooperation between Russian actors and the AfD in Germany, and those revelations will likely stem from the investigation into Molchanov’s activities.
These people are like roaches or some pest. Popping up all over the West, an area no one wants them or their culture. Imagine if Russia had invested in their country’s future after Yeltsin. It’s like embarrassing how much they worry about what everyone else is doing instead of building their own brand. Sign of insecure government and people.
Odd. Your questions raise the likelihood that there is something else going on.
After all, a guy like that, active in media manipulation, would do as you did - which is to Google that institution to find out what it is, would have asked himself too why a German organization would come with an Austrian telephone number, etc. You assume he didn't - why?
It also seems like pretty poor tradecraft on the Ukrainian side not to have created a fake website for that organization.
So we have poor tradecraft and a rookie mistake. Something doesn't smell right.
Well, you assume that Molchanov is as intelligent as you are. I believe this approach is misleading - people, even manipulative and malicious, can be easily manipulated and maligned themselves, just look at the MAGA movement in the US.
As for the "fellowship" for Molchanov - I have a hypothesis that I present in the post: "Perhaps Molchanov was tipped off by a “trusted contact” – a persona created or manipulated by Ukrainian services – who told him he’d be receiving this opportunity".
In this case, Molchanov would unlikely doubt the content of the letter he received.
My gut feeling is that, sooner or later, we’ll hear new revelations about cooperation between Russian actors and the AfD in Germany, and those revelations will likely stem from the investigation into Molchanov’s activities.