Kremlin is known to use "stateless" fronts, that was the new part, basically an organized crime model funded by $3-$5 trillion from drugs, sex working, identity theft + counterfeiting mostly. War on Terror fronts tried to get away without linking it to a state. Lots of it is also organized crime related using fronts, same model.

The Iron Triangle

Organized crime brings in $3 trillion annually (#7 GDP in countries), lots of that goes to Russia, who run lots of the cartels in Mexico since the 90s.

> Some believe that organized crime is a thing of the past. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Traditional criminal syndicates still con, extort, and intimidate American citizens.

> As you know, just last week we arrested nearly 130 members of La Cosa Nostra in New York, New Jersey, and New England. We will continue to work with our state and local partners to end La Cosa Nostra’s lifelong practice of crime and undue influence.

> But the playing field has changed. We have seen a shift from regional families with a clear structure, to flat, fluid networks with global reach. These international enterprises are more anonymous and more sophisticated. Rather than running discrete operations, on their own turf, they are running multi-national, multi-billion dollar schemes from start to finish.

> We are investigating groups in Asia, Eastern Europe, West Africa, and the Middle East. And we are seeing cross-pollination between groups that historically have not worked together. Criminals who may never meet, but who share one thing in common: greed.

> They may be former members of nation-state governments, security services, or the military. These individuals know who and what to target, and how best to do it. They are capitalists and entrepreneurs. But they are also master criminals who move easily between the licit and illicit worlds. And in some cases, these organizations are as forward-leaning as Fortune 500 companies.

> This is not “The Sopranos,” with six guys sitting in a diner, shaking down a local business owner for $50 dollars a week. These criminal enterprises are making billions of dollars from human trafficking, health care fraud, computer intrusions, and copyright infringement. They are cornering the market on natural gas, oil, and precious metals, and selling to the highest bidder.

> These crimes are not easily categorized. Nor can the damage, the dollar loss, or the ripple effects be easily calculated. It is much like a Venn diagram, where one crime intersects with another, in different jurisdictions, and with different groups.

> How does this impact you? You may not recognize the source, but you will feel the effects. You might pay more for a gallon of gas. You might pay more for a luxury car from overseas. You will pay more for health care, mortgages, clothes, and food.

> Yet we are concerned with more than just the financial impact. These groups may infiltrate our businesses. They may provide logistical support to hostile foreign powers. They may try to manipulate those at the highest levels of government. Indeed, these so-called “iron triangles” of organized criminals, corrupt government officials, and business leaders pose a significant national security threat.

> Let us turn for a moment to the link between transnational organized crime and terrorism. If a terrorist cannot obtain a passport, for example, he will find someone who can. Terrorists may turn to street crime—and, by extension, organized crime—to raise money, as did the 2004 Madrid bombers.

> Organized criminals have become “service providers.” Could a Mexican group move a terrorist across the border? Could an Eastern European enterprise sell a Weapon of Mass Destruction to a terrorist cell? Likely, yes. Criminal enterprises are motivated by money, not ideology. But they have no scruples about helping those who are, for the right price.

> Intelligence and partnerships are key to our success in countering these threats.

I feel like bringing up the troubles is just asking for itself.

They were as much of a terrorist group as the English occupation force that was send over there to suppress the Catholics in their endeavours to gain basic rights.

Proof you get your history on social media.

Russia backed the Iranian Revolution in 1979, same with the Afghanistan Invasion in 1979 and the Syrian Islamic Revolution in 1979 they put in both Assad leaders.

Iranian Revolution was backed by the Soviets. Iran went West from 1953-1979, is has been a theocracy only since 1979... prior to 1953 a Russian backed Shahdom (monarch/tsarist backed), when US/British it was the most free Iranians have been. I hope they get to realize being free from Kremlin leverage again someday, they deserve it after 40+ years of totalitarian extremist authoritarian theocratic control.

Kremlin always felt like they owned Iran since they setup the Shahdom in the late 1800s (early Iranian Shah army was even all Russians).

> The Persian Cossack Brigade or Iranian Cossack Brigade was a Cossack-style cavalry unit formed in 1879 in Persia (modern Iran). It was modelled after the Caucasian Cossack regiments of the Imperial Russian Army. Until 1920, it was commanded by Russian officers, while its rank and file were composed of ethnic Caucasians and later on Persians as well. During much of the Brigade's history it was the most functional and effective military unit of the Qajar Dynasty. Acting on occasion as kingmakers, this force played a pivotal role in modern Iranian history during the Revolution of 1905–1911, the rise of Reza Shah, and the foundation of the Pahlavi Dynasty.

Ever since 1979 Iranian Revolution Iran has been a client state of the Kremlin. They like the chaos, extremism, separatism, leverage, balkanization and ultimately control to use as fronts and proxy attack vectors.

From Foundations of Geopolitics shows how close Russia and Iran (leveraged by Kremlin) are, the creator is sanctioned by the West.

> - In the Middle East and Central Asia:

> - The book stresses the "continental Russian–Islamic alliance" which lies "at the foundation of anti-Atlanticist strategy". The alliance is based on the "traditional character of Russian and Islamic civilization".

> - Iran is a key ally. The book uses the term "Moscow–Tehran axis".

There were two choices, Iran status quo with the Shah or destabilizing revolution, you like the latter and so did the Kremlin.

Iran has been a client state of Russia at all times except 1953-1979, you prefer Russia/Eastern/authoritarians running Iran over Western? There was clearly a better choice.

Go look at the 1921 coup with the Great Game, the Persian Cossack Brigade was the belligerent, Russia set that up and ran that from 1880s to 1920s along with the British. Russia was just mad in 1940s when Britain went at them. Iran has always been proxy war and caught up in the Great Game (Russia and Britain). Russia has been messing with the Ottman and Persians since inception, don't fall for when they lose a round to lambast the better choice.

It is so transparent.

Pay attention to "history" pushed on social media then check events just before the event they are pushing along with their anti-West propaganda.

Russia’s Top Five Persistent Disinformation Narratives

> Theme #2: Historical Revisionism

> When history does not align with the Kremlin’s political objectives, Russian government officials and their proxy voices deny historical events or distort historical narratives to try to cast Russia in a more favorable light and serve its domestic and geopolitical agenda. For example, the 1939 non-aggression pact between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, also known as the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, which helped precipitate World War II, is politically inconvenient for the Putin regime. In 2020, in an attempt to minimize and rationalize Stalin’s decision to align himself with Hitler, Putin published a twisted version of the start of World War II, downplaying the Soviet role and shifting blame for the war to other countries. Russia often takes this a step further by labeling those who disagree with its twisted version of history as Nazis or Nazi sympathizers.

> The Kremlin also applies this formula to the history of Ukraine’s statehood, NATO’s conduct during the collapse of the Soviet Union, its GULAG prison system, the famine in Ukraine known as Holodomor, and many other events where the Kremlin’s historical actions do not serve its current political goals.