The Guardian’s Luke Harding reflects on the Russia report, Skripal, investigative journalism, and his latest bookPutin is not a super-villain sitting in a cave in front of a console with red flashing buttons. He is a classic KGB opportunist. His talent is sniffing out weakness. During the cold war, Moscow sought to undermine the west – the US and Britain in particular. Putin uses the same playbook, but far more effectively. Russian operatives helped Donald Trump win the 2016 presidential election and also pushed for Brexit.In a 50/50 race, the Kremlin’s secret role may have been decisive. In Soviet times, Moscow backed western communist parties. Putin’s main ally in Europe now is the anti-EU far right. Continue reading...
https://www.theguardian.com/membership/2020/jul/12/covering-russia-and-the-west-putins-goal-is-to-make-the-truth-unknowable