'A strong interest in maintaining a fiction'
Recent attacks by Russia - assassination attempts of a world leader, Russian warship firing on British citizens, targeting civilians in Ukraine - casts long shadow on Kremlin supporters in the West
***Please take out a membership to support the light of truth.***
I woke up this morning to a message from Marci Shore with the following quote from Czech philosopher Ladislav Hejdánek:
“Všechny podstatné kroky kupředu a výš, na vyšší rovinu byly vždycky nepravděpodobné – jako je ostatně nepravděpodobný všechen život. Pravděpodobné jsou klamy a sebeklamy, omyly i lži – vrcholně nepravděpodobná je pravda. Ale právě na té krajně nepravděpodobné pravdě závisí vposledu všechno. Nadějí nás všech, kteří jsme zatlačováni do bezmocnosti a bezvýchodnosti, je pravda. Těm, kteří nás (a mnoho dalších, vposledu vlastně všechny, i sebe) ohrožují a ničí, se nikdy nevyrovnáme v jejich mocenské výbavě, v jejich propagandistickém aparátu, v jejich materiálním zabezpečení nejrůznějšího druhu. Nemáme ve svých rukou a ve svém rozhodování dokonce ani svou vlastní záchranu, svou osobní, soukromou budoucnost. Ale tam, kde se postavíme do služeb pravdy, existují jen místní a dočasné porážky, kdežto osud těch, kteří se proti pravdě brání a musí se jí bát, je zpečetěn.”—Ladislav Hejdánek, Dopisy příteli, Dopis č. 14, Praha, 26. 5. 1977
Here is the English translation:
“All essential steps forwards and upwards, onto a higher plane, have always been improbable—as is all of life itself. Deceptions and self-deceptions, mistakes and lies are probable—truth is supremely improbable. But in the final instance it is precisely on this extremely improbable truth that everything depends. Truth is the hope of all of us who are driven into powerlessness and a feeling of having no way out. We will never be able to rival those who are threatening and destroying us (and many others, in fact, in the final instance everyone, including themselves) in their power apparatus, in their propaganda machinery, in their material security of the most varied kinds. Our own preservation and our personal, private future are not even in our own hands and in our own decisions. But where we place ourselves in the service of truth, there exist only localized and temporary defeats, while the fate of those who oppose and fear truth is sealed.”—Ladislav Hejdánek, Letters to a Friend, Letter No. 14, Prague, 26 May 1977
The liars who are earth’s scourge today are already sealing their fate.
This quote was the perfect introduction to what I had in mind to write this morning: that those who are still denying Russia’s attacks on the democratic world may have an incentive.
In Part 1 of my Q&A with Russia watcher and author Keir Giles, he explained that those who continue to maintain a fiction about Russia may do so “because it is the guarantee of (their) livelihood.”
He told Bette Dangerous:
“Well, there is, of course, a long tale from Moscow’s very successful efforts to paint themselves as different from the Nazis, through the efforts of the international left, which had an interest in pretending that they were not associated with the totalitarian regime. And so it would buy into the fictions, that these were two different places, that the Soviet Union was benign, and did not have concentration camps. Whereas anybody that cared to look knew perfectly well that they were each as bad as each other.
But, of course, when you have a strong interest in maintaining a fiction, because it is the guarantee of your livelihood, or because, if you don’t, you will challenge the basic principles that you claim that you are standing up for, then, of course, you’re going to turn a blind eye to anything which contradicts the narrative that you bought into.”
Keir is based in the UK, where a Russian warship just fired shots at a retired British couple on a yacht in the English Channel.
This happened on Tuesday, a day after the BBC broke the news that Russia was behind the multiple assassination attempts in the form or arson attacks on Keir Starmer’s properties.
These are just two headlines in thousands, that expose Russia’s ongoing provocations against the West.
On Sunday, British forces seized a sanctioned Russian-linked oil tanker in the English Channel, dealing with Prime Minister Keir Starmer described “another blow to Russia and reminds those fuelling Putin’s war in Ukraine that we will not let them hide.” Just two weeks earlier, France intercepted a sanctioned oil tanker — part of Russia's shadow fleet — with UK support.
These latest events come on top of ongoing Russian sabotage — the deliberate cutting of undersea data and electricity cables in the North Atlantic, Baltic Sea, and near Taiwan — hybrid warfare aimed at testing Western vulnerabilities and response. This, in addition to the drone attacks in EU countries like Poland and Romania, and the increasing use of gig worker espionage.
The upside to the increasing exposés on Russian attacks is there is now enough evidence for even the casual observer that Russia is targeting all remaining democracies — most evident in the war in Ukraine, where soldiers take direct aim at civilians, but also increasingly evident in the Kremlin-aligned regime in the US, which continues offering Moscow and Beijing once undreamed of favors as it behaves like a drunken brawler.
So when you encounter not only denialism of the Russian menace, but also politicians like Marjorie Taylor Greene appearing on RT or Anna Paulina Luna giving tours to the Duma, you might want to consider if their livelihoods are some how reliant on Moscow.
When I decided to go with An ‘Extraordinary Passivity’ as the title of Part 1 of my Q&A with Keir, it was because I wanted to challenge those who are sleepwalking.
The Bette community is a community of action — of doers and defenders. But the enormity of America’s destruction — systematic, methodical, comprehensive, and meticulous — must be met with a scaled up response.
In part, that will include neutralizing the efficacy of Russian propagandists — and not just the obvious ones — Andrew Tate, Candace Owens, Benny Johnson, and Tucker Carlson.
But let’s also take a hard look at JD Vance, Elon Musk, Robert Kennedy Jr, Tulsi Gabbard, Pete Hegseth, and of course, Donald Trump.
The moves they are making are knocking the foundation out from under the US, which is profoundly beneficial to Moscow.
****
****
Bette Dangerous is a reader-funded magazine. Thank you to all monthly, annual, and founding members.
I expose the corruption of billionaire fascists, while relying on memberships for support.
Thank you in advance for considering the following:
Share my reporting with allies
Buying my ebooks
A private link to an annual membership discount for older adults, those on fixed incomes or drawing disability, as well as activists and members of the media is available upon request at bettedangerous/gmail. 🥹
More info about Bette Dangerous - This magazine is written by Heidi Siegmund Cuda, an Emmy-award winning investigative reporter/producer, author, and veteran music and nightlife columnist. She is the cohost of RADICALIZED Truth Survives, an investigative show about disinformation and is part of the Byline Media team. Thank you for your support of independent investigative journalism.
🤍
Begin each day with a grateful heart.
🤍
ME: Has Marjorie Taylor Greene ever been on Russian state-controlled media?
Perplexity AI: No reliable reporting indicates that Marjorie Taylor Greene herself has appeared as a guest or interviewee on Russian state-controlled television or other Russian state outlets; instead, Russian state media frequently rebroadcasts, quotes, and comments on her statements made in U.S. venues and on social media.
What Russian state media has done
Russian state outlets have repeatedly highlighted and amplified Greene’s comments opposing U.S. aid to Ukraine and criticizing the Biden administration, often framing her as a sympathetic or admirable American politician.
Programs on channels such as Russia‑1 and commentators like Vladimir Solovyov and RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan have discussed Greene at length, praising her stance on Ukraine and even suggesting her as a desirable U.S. leader.
Distinction between coverage and appearance
In these segments, Russian state media plays or reads Greene’s public remarks—typically clips from U.S. interviews, speeches, or posts—rather than hosting her live or via a dedicated interview arrangement.
News reports and media analyses describing this dynamic characterize it as Russian state media “gushing over,” “can’t get enough of,” or “amplifying” her, but they do not document any direct, original appearance by Greene on Russian state TV or radio.
U.S. reactions to her amplified messages
U.S. critics, including Rep. Jamie Raskin, have accused Greene of “recycling direct Russian propaganda,” especially on narratives such as portraying Ukraine as a “Nazi” state and opposing U.S. support to Kyiv.
Commentators and former Republican officials have noted that these talking points closely mirror Kremlin messaging and that Russian state media’s enthusiastic coverage has earned her nicknames such as “Moscow Marjorie.”
Would it be most useful if I next trace specific Russia‑1 or RT segments where Greene’s U.S. statements were rebroadcast, with dates and translators/hosts identified?
ME: June 2026.
Perplexity AI: In June 2026, there is still no evidence that Marjorie Taylor Greene has personally appeared as a guest or interviewee on Russian state-controlled TV or radio; Russian outlets continue instead to feature and amplify her statements made in U.S. forums.
Status as of mid‑2026
Analyses up through 2025–2026 describe Greene as a frequent subject of flattering coverage on Russian state media, which rebroadcasts her anti‑Ukraine‑aid speeches and social media posts but does not document direct, original appearances by her on Russian channels.
Coverage focuses on her opposition to U.S. military and financial assistance to Ukraine and uses her remarks to support Kremlin narratives about American political divisions over the war.
Continuing Russian media amplification
Reports and TV segments in 2023–2024 showed Russian state hosts and propagandists praising Greene and replaying U.S. clips of her comments, especially when she threatened U.S. Ukraine funding or attacked congressional leaders backing aid packages.
That pattern—Russian state media featuring her remarks second‑hand, rather than interviewing her directly—remains the documented model into 2025–2026, with no new reporting indicating that she has started appearing live on Russian state platforms.