[GK3]

What a shit show for Russia.

- Belgorod region now has an insurgency and its police force has been compromised
- Drone strikes in Moscow and expected to continue
- Kadyrov fighters attacking Wagners who are leaving Bakhmut
- Anthony Blinken publicly saying Russia went from 2nd best army in world to 2nd best in Ukraine 
- Sweden on track to join NATO by July
- NATO talking about path for Ukraine to join the alliance
- Ukraine counteroffensive yet to really start

These are all demonstrating catastrophic Russian weakness even without discussion of territorial control in Ukraine. 

The question I have is who is behind the insurgency? It apparently has access to tanks, maybe even helicopters, so it has to be some kind of government one would think. Logically, it would be Ukraine, but would western Allie’s OK this kind of thing? Maybe the tanks and craft being used are Ukrainian Russian ones so no western arms are being used in Russian territory? Maybe some Russian oligarchs have arranged to finance the insurgency to weaken Putin? Does anyone know?

Putting aside who is behind the insurgency, would western intel and covert ops like CIA be working to destabilize Russia further by propping up other insurgencies or independence movements away from Russian Federation? The U.S. has certainly been burned by this kind of meddling before and I’m not sure if our government wants to pull these levers on Russia anymore given what it became after it was destabilized last time.

OF, Back in the day, you might have found the people in Langley involved.  Considering that it involves Russa, my guess is that you would never get the approvals you would need to try something like this.  We do not have a wonderful track record in trying to overthrow other governments.  Perhaps our biggest disaster was Eisenhower approving the CIA over throw of the democratically elected government in Iran.  Done because Churchill was under a lot of pressure from BP to save their business in Iran.  We all know how that turned out.  
Actually supporting operations in Russia against the Russian government is almost certainly a bridge too far.  Too risky in the eyes of those who would approve such a thing.  We always need to remember that sometimes the devil you know is better than devil you don't.  That doesn't mean you can't have a 3rd party buy a boatload of Russian weapons from somewhere in Africa and then sell them again to someone else who then sells them to whoever is supply these rebel groups.  
Unfortunately in todays world and today's politics I don't think we could get involved in something like this without someone talking.  We just can't keep our mouths shut, and Need to Know is a joke in todays Washington, everyone thinks he or she has a need to know and there lies the problem.

[GK3]

What a shit show for Russia.

- Belgorod region now has an insurgency and its police force has been compromised
- Drone strikes in Moscow and expected to continue
- Kadyrov fighters attacking Wagners who are leaving Bakhmut
- Anthony Blinken publicly saying Russia went from 2nd best army in world to 2nd best in Ukraine 
- Sweden on track to join NATO by July
- NATO talking about path for Ukraine to join the alliance
- Ukraine counteroffensive yet to really start

These are all demonstrating catastrophic Russian weakness even without discussion of territorial control in Ukraine. 

The question I have is who is behind the insurgency? It apparently has access to tanks, maybe even helicopters, so it has to be some kind of government one would think. Logically, it would be Ukraine, but would western Allie’s OK this kind of thing? Maybe the tanks and craft being used are Ukrainian Russian ones so no western arms are being used in Russian territory? Maybe some Russian oligarchs have arranged to finance the insurgency to weaken Putin? Does anyone know?

Putting aside who is behind the insurgency, would western intel and covert ops like CIA be working to destabilize Russia further by propping up other insurgencies or independence movements away from Russian Federation? The U.S. has certainly been burned by this kind of meddling before and I’m not sure if our government wants to pull these levers on Russia anymore given what it became after it was destabilized last time.

OF, Back in the day, you might have found the people in Langley involved.  Considering that it involves Russa, my guess is that you would never get the approvals you would need to try something like this.  We do not have a wonderful track record in trying to overthrow other governments.  Perhaps our biggest disaster was Eisenhower approving the CIA over throw of the democratically elected government in Iran.  Done because Churchill was under a lot of pressure from BP to save their business in Iran.  We all know how that turned out.  
Actually supporting operations in Russia against the Russian government is almost certainly a bridge too far.  Too risky in the eyes of those who would approve such a thing.  We always need to remember that sometimes the devil you know is better than devil you don't.  That doesn't mean you can't have a 3rd party buy a boatload of Russian weapons from somewhere in Africa and then sell them again to someone else who then sells them to whoever is supply these rebel groups.  
Unfortunately in todays world and today's politics I don't think we could get involved in something like this without someone talking.  We just can't keep our mouths shut, and Need to Know is a joke in todays Washington, everyone thinks he or she has a need to know and there lies the problem.