Cyberwarfare in Georgia

There are some interesting reports about cyberwarfare associated with the Russian/Georgian conflict. Essentially, a major Russian criminal group is acting as an adjunct to the Russian State in the conflict.

While the conflict itself is not as black and white as it may appear, the connection between the Russian government and the RBN is interesting. The Russian government has long appeared to have embraced the criminal sector as part and parcel of the new Russia; if you're going to go for capitalism on steroids, there's really no reason to exclude, say, extortionists, people smugglers and child-pornographers.

If Russia is aggressively turning outward, reclaiming the CIS, then we're looking at many of the necessary conditions for fascism - all that will be needed will be a successful populist irredentist movement, and it'll happen. If the Russian government starts pushing this internally, and war governments almost always do so, then we're looking at some Interesting Times in the Balkins. Again.