Edit: Only 2 of these were actually installed.
…these cameras contain a hardcoded list of Russian phone numbers, which can be used to open a backdoor. An SMS from one of these numbers can open shell and network access.
…the web management portal can be accessed, exposing live streams, by anyone with the camera IP.
Reports also suggest that pressure from the opposition political party in Slovakia led to the NBU investigations. The current government of the country, led by populist Robert Fico, initially denied reports that the cameras were of Russian origin and rebuffed any security concerns. Fico has what some would describe as a pro-Russia tilt, but you can read more about that elsewhere, if you are interested.
The conservatives owning the libs aside, you make a good point in that the establishment democrats have used Russia to justify their losses after they nominate the most unpopular candidates they can find to run status quo campaigns against a republican party running as reform in an angry electorate.
But Russia is helping fascists across the west seize control, and it’s very dangerous. Very very dangerous, the fascists were already poised to seize control, and Russia’s help can be enough to put them over the edge seeing as we still trust the controlled opposition to stop them.
In fact, unless we get some real populists across the west, liberal deocracies are going to fall like fucking dominoes the next couple of decades.
The Newspapers, TV channels and Social Media owned by billionaires are helping Fascists across the West seize control.
Then the supposedly Leftwing mainstream parties helped Fascists across the West seize control by turning neoliberal (i.e. hard right), putting ever more money in the hands of the wealthy and cutting ever more public services, thus empoverishing the common people, reducing their opportunities and making their quality of life worse, which created the mood of despair on which the Fascist propaganda spread by the above-mentioned Newspapers, TV channels and Social Media owned by billionaires providing fascist-flavored “answers” and “solutions” for their ills found fertile ground.
Only after that comes the influence of foreign countries, not just Russia but in many countries of the West also Israel (and, especially, outside the West, China).
Democracy started failing in the West when the Pillar Of Democracy which is the Press got bought by the money elites, and when the dominant political strain became Neoliberalism which, quite literally, wants the power controlled by voters - the State - to refrain from controlling or even just regulating (what the Neoliberals call “interfering”) in anything controlled by Money (which the Neoliberals call “Free Market”, even though only markets with low barriers to entry can Mathematically be a Free Market, whilst all the others tend towards Monopolies and Cartels) or in other words, for the power of controlled by something were everybody is equal - the Vote - to sit below the power controlled by something were some are billions of times more powerful than others - Money.
Mainstream political parties spent the last 4 decades pushing a political ideology to turn Democratic countries from places where the Power of the Vote is the greatest power into places were the Power of Money is the greatest power - in other words, into Oligarchies - and, lo-and-behold, Democracies are about to fall (they’re already way less Democratic than 4 decades ago, which is why things like Stasi levels of civil society surveillance already are or are getting pretty widespread in supposed “democracies”)
Democracy to Oligarchy and when people who aren’t oligarchs or their minions in the new system push back because their lives are worse, then comes Fascism were the Theatre of Democracy of Oligarchy is taken down and boot on people’s necks stops being hidden.
IMHO, in all this the only foreign interference which is not late-coming opportunism is maybe America’s in most of the West (because that was the current political and economic model was assembled and from were it was spread to the rest) and possibly Israel in some countries like America, Germany and possibly Britain.
Oh absolutely Britain, they are the hardest hit by foreign meddling right with the US. Brexit for example, Russia helped put them over the edge. They are backing Farage that WILL win, him or his successor, if labour and the tories stay in charge.
Yes I agree, all of this started in 1971, in the Business Roundtable. Monied Interests huddled up and made a long game to cooperate on to seize control of and subordinate the republic to money. Everything from killing Unions, (sending organized crime to infiltrate them, the fbi to investigate them for those mobsters, and their media to propagandize against them;) taking ownership of the media; getting rid of the regulatory regime, and the new deal and great society by hook and crook; taking both parties and turning them into tools and corrupting their morals; subverting reality to protect their interests; and so forth.
There have been further game plans and iterations, from legions of organizations since, all working for the same types of interests off the same game plan, and project 2025 was no exception.
I think everything you wrote is accurate. But we shouldn’t discount the effect of the Russians’ help. Or that of Israel, they are worse obviously in many ways, but the democrats don’t use them as a foil for their own buggery of their constituents.
Foreign intelligence agencies can do a lot of things behind the scenes that can help one side over the top, and can also give a psychological boost to the fascists, courage to betray the country for party. Now it’s not just Russia, the US is in on it too. The CIA and security contractors like the corporation formally known as blackwater and such mercenary firms will be employed to help surrepticiously. For instance, intercepting the communications of other lawmakers and using the information to manipulate outcomes. Helping to sabotage candidates that could win and instead getting the moderate cunts to run as opposition to the fascists so they can win is a big part of how Russia helped fuck the US for instance.
The UK and France are doomed to fall absent some real challenge for leadership, backed by some organization in the populace. And they don’t have that and don’t seem to have any realistic chance of achieving that. To say nothing of eastern europe which is especially vulnerable once the dominoes start to fall, and the rest of western europe as well.
Dissolving the EU is a main goal, and they aren’t far off, as Russia helps the forces already on the cusp of seizing control, and helps push them further right, blaming problems of oligarchy on immigrants and such.