Published December 15, 2008 06:47PM
Everyone’s favorite Russian strongman and current Prime Minister Vladimir Putin recently named a mountain peak in the Caucasus to honor his country’s spies past and present. The 10,722-ft. peak, in an area known as Sugan Ridge, will now be known as “The Peak of Russian Counterintelligence Agents.”
Putin has a well-earned reputation for shrewd and deceptive politics; The Peak of Russian Counterintelligence Agents (whew) lies in North Ossetia, just across the border from recent wartime enemies Georgia and the disputed South Ossetia region. It’s a bold move, and an ominous message to the Georgians. Can you imagine if Canada renamed a mountain just beyond our border Spy Mountain? We’d be nervous—if it wasn’t, well, Canada.
Putin was a former KGB agent himself, but I wish he could’ve come up with an equally intimidating but less verbose name. You know, something like Ivan Drago Peak, or Mount Ivan Danko.
—Ted Alvarez
Putin names Caucasus mountain peak in honor of Russian spies (Russian News and Information Novosti)