Moscow Distances Itself from Scott Ritter Amid Travel Controversy

[Social Media]

 

Scott Ritter, the former U.N. weapons inspector who has garnered a controversial reputation for his support of Kremlin narratives about the Ukraine conflict, found himself unexpectedly grounded when attempting to travel to Russia. Ritter, who was previously convicted in an underage online sex sting in 2011, claimed that he was pulled off a flight en route to the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, where he was scheduled to speak. He attributed this to Washington's fear of his influence, alleging that his passport was seized on "orders of the State Department."

 

Ritter's supporters, including Russian state media, have portrayed this incident as a sign of the U.S. administration's nervousness about his participation in the forum. They suggested that the U.S. government is so threatened by Ritter's pro-Russian stance that it intervened to prevent him from speaking in Russia. However, the Kremlin's reaction has been notably subdued, offering little support for Ritter's claims.

 

When asked about the incident, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov downplayed the situation, stating that the specifics of Ritter's travel restrictions were unclear and hinting that such restrictions on former intelligence officers are not uncommon globally. “This is practiced in almost all countries in relation to former intelligence officers,” Peskov noted. While he acknowledged the broader context of a “frenzied campaign” to limit U.S.-Russia contacts, he did not endorse the idea that Ritter's case was particularly extraordinary.

 

Ritter's history with Russia includes a visit to Chechnya in January, where he delivered a speech to Russian troops involved in the Ukraine war. This background, along with his frequent appearances in Russian media, underscores his significant “contacts” with Russian officials, some of whom are under Western sanctions. Despite this, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov clarified that Moscow could not intervene on Ritter’s behalf, bluntly stating, "He’s not a Russian citizen."

 

Scott Ritter has turned up in Chechnya and spoken in broken Russian (some of which I couldn’t make out) to thousands of Kadyrov’s fighters about his efforts to strengthen the "friendship between Chechnya and America"

This is surely one of the most surreal moments of the war yet

Scott Ritter has turned up in Chechnya and spoken in broken Russian (some of which I couldn’t make out) to thousands of Kadyrov’s fighters about his efforts to strengthen the "friendship between Chechnya and America" pic.twitter.com/vGiEs90ktW

— Francis Scarr (@francis_scarr) January 6, 2024

 

The U.S. State Department has refrained from commenting on the specifics of Ritter's passport situation. Ritter himself, speaking to Kremlin-controlled media outlet RT, framed the incident as an intentional move by the U.S. to deny Russia the benefit of his presence. “They took my passport. When asked why, they said ‘orders of the State Department,’” Ritter claimed, adding that the ultimate aim was to “deprive Russia of his presence.”

While Ritter and his supporters continue to assert that his barred entry to Russia is a strategic maneuver by the U.S. to silence him, the restrained response from the Kremlin indicates a different narrative.

 

Rather than rallying behind Ritter, Russian officials have treated the incident with a degree of nonchalance, suggesting that the former intelligence officer's situation is not as unique or significant as he and his allies have portrayed.

 

Credit: Daily Beast 2024-06-06

 

 

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[Jingthing]

I would prefer that they let traitor/sex criminal Ritter fly to Russia so that he can stay there PERMANENTLY.

[Bkk Brian]

PEDO!

 

Putin's fool who has a huge following of fools who believe him.

[Jingthing]

1 hour ago, Bkk Brian said:

PEDO!

 

Putin's fool who has a huge following of fools who believe him.

He's blindly followed by the Putin loving maga fascist brigade. 

 

[Gweiloman]

I’m glad to see that China is becoming less authoritarian than America 😂

[owl sees all]

Thought Scott Ritter was out-of-bounds for AN.

[Bkk Brian]

4 minutes ago, owl sees all said:

Thought Scott Ritter was out-of-bounds for AN.

Think you'll find that's links to his propaganda conspiracy tweets and website. Articles about the pedo are all go    after all we can have articles about ISIS attacks but not link to their rubbish.

[owl sees all]

5 minutes ago, Bkk Brian said:

Think you'll find that's links to his propaganda conspiracy tweets and website. 

 

But!! Is he telling the truth?

[Bkk Brian]

3 minutes ago, owl sees all said:

 

But!! Is he telling the truth?

 I am sure he had some truth to tell the police when arrested on his pedo charges

[owl sees all]

2 minutes ago, Bkk Brian said:

 I am sure he had some truth to tell the police when arrested on his pedo charges

 

Think he was on an 18 or older site when the sting occurred.

 

He certainly knows about both the Ukraine and Israel conflicts. Perhaps knows too much for the Americans. A bit like Assange; kill the truth at any cost.

[Bkk Brian]

Just now, owl sees all said:

 

Think he was on an 18 or older site when the sting occurred.

 

He certainly knows about both the Ukraine and Israel conflicts. Perhaps knows too much for the Americans. A bit like Assange; kill the truth at any cost.

Oh look sticking up for the pedo and his conspiracy theories   

 

[owl sees all]

14 minutes ago, Bkk Brian said:

Oh look sticking up for the pedo and his conspiracy theories   

 

Is he right about the two conflicts mentioned?

[Bkk Brian]

Just now, owl sees all said:

Is he right about the two conflicts mentioned?

yawn?

 

is he wrong? 

 

Next reply from you will be no he's not wrong, then after that I will reply, cool, believe what you want. There done

[Gweiloman]

9 hours ago, owl sees all said:

Is he right about the two conflicts mentioned?

You won’t get a lot of posters agreeing with you. Most of the posters here only ever engage in ad hominem attacks when they can’t rebut the facts.

[Bkk Brian]

4 minutes ago, Gweiloman said:

You won’t get a lot of posters agreeing with you. Most of the posters here only ever engage in ad hominem attacks when they can’t rebut the facts.

What facts lol

[Gweiloman]

2 minutes ago, Bkk Brian said:

What facts lol

How many hours a day do you spend on AN? I’m sure the advertisers love you. You seem to respond to practically all my posts within seconds. Or maybe you’re a bot. Yeah, that sounds about right.

[Bkk Brian]

4 minutes ago, Gweiloman said:

How many hours a day do you spend on AN? I’m sure the advertisers love you. You seem to respond to practically all my posts within seconds. Or maybe you’re a bot. Yeah, that sounds about right.

So can't provide anything to back up your claims and go straight for the off topic personal attack again. 

[transam]

6 minutes ago, Gweiloman said:

How many hours a day do you spend on AN? I’m sure the advertisers love you. You seem to respond to practically all my posts within seconds. Or maybe you’re a bot. Yeah, that sounds about right.

Hey, you are always waffling on here, pot/kettle.................😂

[owl sees all]

9 hours ago, Bkk Brian said:

yawn?

 

is he wrong? 

 

Next reply from you will be no he's not wrong, then after that I will reply, cool, believe what you want. There done

Scott Ritter is a patriotic American who wants the best for his country and its citizens.

 

He can see the folly in unnecessary conflicts. Especially those that could easily lead to a nuclear showdown.

 

He wants peace and prosperity for the world .

[owl sees all]

15 hours ago, Jingthing said:

I would prefer that they let traitor/sex criminal Ritter fly to Russia so that he can stay there PERMANENTLY.

Just what is wrong with the messages he broadcasts?

 

He wants peace and prosperity for all.

[coolcarer]

Ritter fanboys are out, we’ll have the flat earthers and man  on moon deniers next.

[owl sees all]

14 hours ago, coolcarer said:

Ritter fanboys are out, we’ll have the flat earthers and man  on moon deniers next.

Guess you are not a fan then CC.

 

But what does he say that you do not agree with? Is it his 'peace' stance?

[stevenl]

On 6/6/2024 at 6:38 PM, Gweiloman said:

You won’t get a lot of posters agreeing with you. Most of the posters here only ever engage in ad hominem attacks when they can’t rebut the facts.

 

On 6/6/2024 at 6:46 PM, Gweiloman said:

How many hours a day do you spend on AN? I’m sure the advertisers love you. You seem to respond to practically all my posts within seconds. Or maybe you’re a bot. Yeah, that sounds about right.

There you go.

[still kicking]

On 6/6/2024 at 7:52 PM, Bkk Brian said:

So can't provide anything to back up your claims and go straight for the off topic personal attack again. 

He is a Comrade

[jas007]

I don’t see a problem with Ritter.  He obviously knows what he’s talking about.  Of course, that’s exactly why the administration is trying to silence him.  They’ll do anything to maintain the narrative.

[Jingthing]

12 minutes ago, jas007 said:

I don’t see a problem with Ritter.  He obviously knows what he’s talking about.  Of course, that’s exactly why the administration is trying to silence him.  They’ll do anything to maintain the narrative.

Ritter is a child sex criminal and propagandist for genocidal fascist dictator Putin. No problem.

[owl sees all]

23 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Ritter is a child sex criminal and propagandist for genocidal fascist dictator Putin. No problem.

What is it about his message that you don't like?

 

He is a proud American. Believes in ''We the People''. Anti-genocide. Anti-nuclear war. Pro-peace and prosperity for the whole world.

[beautifulthailand99]

He's a sleazy nutter who is grifting for himself. No one serious takes him seriously.

[NoDisplayName]

Is there a source for this particular article?

The DailyBeast article from June 04 is much shorter.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/moscow-throws-putin-fanboy-scott-ritter-under-the-bus

[jas007]

20 hours ago, beautifulthailand99 said:

He's a sleazy nutter who is grifting for himself. No one serious takes him seriously.

You should probably listen to what he has to say. You might learn a thing or two.  Or would you rather continue to pretend he’s a “grifter”?  
 

As for “sleazy”?  I haven’t followed that part of the story, other than to wonder whether he wasn’t somehow set up.  He had been warned that they were out to get him, so he says. Anyway, none of that detracts from the fact that he does know his stuff.