The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | February 16th, 2024: War Threatens The Caucasus & Putin's Leading Critic Dies In Arctic Prison

Episode Date: February 16, 2024

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:     Trouble is once again brewing in the Caucasus, as Armenia accuses Azerbaijan of fomenting war in the region after a deadly clash at the border this week. We’ll discuss the tragic news out of Russia, where Alexey Navalny, the leading opposition leader to Vladimir Putin, died Friday at an Arctic penal colony. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin.  Email: [e-mail] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Welcome to the PDB afternoon bulletin. I'm Mike Baker. Your eyes are and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. First, trouble is once again brewing in the Caucasus as Armenia accuses Azerbaijan of fomenting war in the region after a deadly clash at the border this week. Also, we'll discuss an important news alert out of Russia, where Alexi Navalny, the leading opposition leader to Vladimir Putin, reportedly died Friday while being held in an Arctic prison. But first, our afternoon spotlight. The threat of a wider conflict has returned to the Caucasus as Armenian Prime Minister Nicole Pachinian accused Azerbaijan of planning a, quote, full-scale war against his country.

Pachinian issued the warning on Thursday, following a skirmish on Armenia's border with Azerbaijan on Tuesday that left four Armenian soldiers dead. The historically rocky relations between the two countries had calmed in recent months following internationally mediated peace talks. These talks began after Azerbaijan retook the Armenian populated region of Nagorno Karabakh in September in a lightning offensive that forced the exodus of more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians. The Nagorno Karabakh region had been governed by ethnic Armenians since 1994 following a war during the collapse of the Soviet Union. At a government meeting on Thursday, Pachinian said, quote, our analysis shows that Azerbaijan wants to launch military action in some parts of the border

with the prospect of turning military escalation into a full-scale war against Armenia. This intention can be read in all statements and actions of Azerbaijan, end quote. Now, Armenian officials are particularly concerned that Azerbaijan, feeling empowered by the success of their lightning blitz, has plans to invade Armenian territory in order to create a land bridge to their enclave of Nakhjavan, which sits to the southwest of Armenia, according to a report from Saudi-owned al-Arabia news. Now, meanwhile, Azerbaijani president Ilhan Al-Alyev accused Armenia of instigating conflict along the border, claiming that the Armenian government's territorial claims regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh region are driving the latest unrest. At an inauguration speech on Wednesday, the recently re-elected

leaders said, quote, we have no territorial claims to Armenia, and they should give up their claims, talking to us in the language of blackmail, will cost them dearly, end quote. Since the chaos in September, both Armenia and Azerbaijan have indicated their desire for a peace treaty, but they remain at odds over a number of historically contentious issues. These include the precise demarcation line for their respective borders and competing claims over several small territorial enclaves, according to a report by Reuters. Internationally mediated peace talks have been ongoing since Azerbaijan's lightning offensive in September, but the talks have reportedly broken down in recent weeks, as both sides accused the other of undermining the efforts. On Tuesday, Armenia accused Azerbaijan

of opening fire on their troops along the heavily militarized border, killing four soldiers and injuring a 5th. Azerbaijan, however, said their actions were a direct response to an Armenian provocation on Monday that reportedly injured one of their soldiers. The deaths on Tuesday marked the first fatalities in the ongoing conflict since negotiations began back in September. All right, coming up after the break, we'll discuss the reported death of Alexei Navalny, the leading opposition leader to Vladimir Putin at an Arctic penal colony in Russia on Friday. I'll be right back. to be a bit more mindful of things you buy for you and your family? Well, when it comes to laundry, choose All Free Clear. 100% free from dyes and perfumes. All Free Clear uses only essential ingredients

that tackle tough stains and odors. And it's gentle on the skin. It's a powerful clean you can feel good about. So go on. Pick up a bottle of All Free Clear for your next laundry day. Welcome back to the afternoon bulletin. We turn to Russia, where Alexino Navalny, Putin's chief critic and fiercest opponent, reportedly died on Friday after a walk at the Polar Wolf Arctic Penal Colony. The jailed opposition leader had long been targeted and persecuted by the Putin regime and was currently serving a three-decade prison sentence for his alleged dissident activity. That's according to a Reuters report. Prison officials said Friday that Navalny felt unwell after a walk and subsequently lost consciousness. They claimed that,

attempts to resuscitate him failed. He had been transferred to the Polar Wolf prison colony in December, which sparked protests from his allies and supporters. Located above the Arctic Circle, the Polar Wolf colony is considered to be one of the most brutal prisons in Russia, and that's saying quite a bit, typically reserved for the country's most dangerous criminals due to its remote location. The charges against Navalny were widely seen as punishment by Moscow for his criticism of the Putin regime and as a way to stifle any future political threats to Putin's leadership. The 47-year-old's death comes as Putin prepares for his re-election in March. It's really anybody's guess as to who's going to win that contest. No, I'm kidding. It's going to be

entirely a corrupt exercise with a guaranteed outcome in Putin's favor. Despite the elections being little more than a formality, though, allies of Navalny's have been gearing up for an anti-Putin campaign. Nivalny was the last last. opposition leader of prominence in Russia, providing a distant hope for young Russians that there could be an alternative to Putin in the future. Now, Navalny's wife, Yulia, said Friday, she cannot be entirely sure that her husband is deceased as, quote, Putin and his government lie incessantly. She continued, but if this is true, I want Putin, his entire entourage, Putin's friends, his government, to know that they will bear responsibility for what they did

to our country, to my family, to my husband. She continued, This regime and Vladimir Putin must bear personal responsibility for all the terrible things they've been doing to my country." End quote. Navalny, optimistic and unflappable, really, in his opposition to Putin, has long had a target on his back for his criticisms. In August of 2020, he nearly died after ingesting a Novichok agent, slipped into a cup of tea before a flight in Siberia, An investigation by CNN and the group Bellingat pinned the poisoning on the Russian security service or the FSB. The investigation found an FSB toxins team had followed Navalny on and off during his travels for more than three years

and were responsible for slipping the nerve agent into the tea. Despite the attempt and as senior allies living in exile abroad, Navalny refused to abandon Russia, returning after treatment in Germany for the poisoning. When he returned to Russia in January of 2021, he was promptly arrested and has been moved around the Russian prison system ever since. Allies of Navalny's have been concerned about the state of his health in recent months. In early December, he reportedly got ill in his cell, passed out, and had to be hooked up to an IV. They say he was being deprived of food and kept in an isolated cell without proper ventilation. Tributes to Navalny poured in from Western leaders on Friday, who praised his courage and slammed push.

Putin for the brutal treatment of his leading opponent. U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said, quote, his death in a Russian prison and the fixation in fear of one man only underscores the weakness and rot at the heart of the system that Putin has built. Russia is responsible for this, end quote. Leonid Volkov, Navalny's chief of staff, said they still had no way to confirm his death, but said the initial statement from Russian prison services was tantamount to a murder confession. Wolkov said, quote, if this is true, then it's not Navalny died, but Putin killed Navalny, end quote.

Now, Navalny isn't the first enemy of Putin to suffer a not-so-mysterious death at the hands of the Putin regime. Yevgeny Progoshin, Alexander Liffinenko, and a host of others would attest to that, I mean, if they were alive. And as long as Putin remains in charge, you can guarantee Navalny won't be the last. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Friday, 16 February. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back on Monday. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.