Le Penchant for Violence

“Of course I know that the election campaign in France is actively developing. We do not want to influence events in any way, but we reserve the right to talk to representatives of all the country’s political forces.” The Russian-influence issues in America aren’t stopping Putin from being front and center in the French elections. He just met with Marine Le Pen, who argued for the lifting of EU sanctions.

+ “In the plush, crimson-decked lobby bar of Kiev’s five-star Premier Palace Hotel, Denis Voronenkov, a Russian lawmaker who had defected to Ukraine, knew he was in danger. ‘For our personal safety, we can’t let them know where we are’, he said Monday evening as he sat with his wife for an interview with The Washington Post. Less than 72 hours later, he was dead, shot twice in the head in broad daylight outside the same lobby bar.” Days before his death, a Putin critic knew he was in danger.

+ WaPo: Here are 10 critics of Vladimir Putin who died violently or in suspicious ways.

+ Meanwhile, you know how this was a crazy and controversial week when it comes to the investigations into possible connections between the Trump Campaign and Russia? Well, next week looks like it might be more crazy and more controversial.