Russia is deeply embedded into Facebook.
In 2009, Russian social-media mogul Yuri Milner invested $200 million into Facebook at a valuation of $10 billion dollars without voting rights or a seat on the board. To understand this investment, at the time the world was going through a global recession and Facebook's general valuation had dropped from the $15 billion from the year prior to $4-$6 billion in 2009.
Facebook's valuation: The cheat sheet
One company did offer a valuation of $8 billion, but with a seat on the board, which Zuckerberg was strongly against. In other words, Yuri Milner invested in Facebook when they were strapped for cash and at an inflated price without voting rights or a seat on the board. That's an amazing deal for Zuckerberg!
Here's Yuri Milner and Mark Zuckerberg hanging out for an interview:
Exclusive Video: Mark Zuckerberg And Yuri Milner Talk About Facebook's New Investment
The deal was coordinated by Alisher B. Usmanov, a Russian oligarch that earned his fortune managing steel mill subsidiaries for Gazprom.
Usmanov spent six years in prison for fraud and embezzlement in the 80's.
In 2008, Usmanov fired a publisher and editor at one of Russia's most respected news paper after it published detailed accounts of Russian election fraud.
It is said, "His ties to the Kremlin and Facebook have stirred concerns that he might influence the company’s policies in subtle ways to appease governments in markets where Facebook is also an important tool of political dissent, such as Russia." This was in 2009.
A Russian Facebook Bet Pays Off Big
Usmanov is close friends with Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich.
Alisher Usmanov - Wikipedia
Ivanka Trump and Wendi Deng are good friends with Abramovich's then wife, Dasha Zhoukova. Here they are watching a tennis match.
Ivanka Trump, Karlie Kloss, Wendi Deng Murdoch watch the US Open | Daily Mail Online
The leak of the Paradise Papers revealed the money Yuri Milner used to invest into Facebook came from Gazprom, a US sanctioned Russian oil and gas company, at one point owning 9% of the company.
Paradise Papers: What's the deal with Milner, Facebook, Twitter and Russia? | WIRED UK
Soon after, Zuckerberg and Milner became friends, meeting monthly:
Zuckerberg got early business advice from a Russian billionaire with Kremlin ties
And even spoke together in November 2015 at the 2016 Breakthrough Prize Ceremony.
Paradise Papers: What's the deal with Milner, Facebook, Twitter and Russia? | WIRED UK
In May 2012, Milner attended Zuckerberg's wedding. In 2014, Milner moved to California home he paid 100% above value on.
What to Know About the 'Paradise Papers' Leak
For those who aren't familiar with Gazprom, Gazprom financed the spy ring that in 2013 tried to recruit Trump Advisor Carter Page before being broken up by the FBI. One of the spies trying to recruit Page said of Page, "He got hooked on Gazprom."
Russian Spy Met Trump Adviser Carter Page and Thought He Was an ‘Idiot’
Around the time Yuri Milner was investing in Facebook, they lost their CFO Gideon Yu. Reason given: Facebook wanted a CFO with public company experience, suggesting they were thinking of an IPO at the time of Milner's investment (the reason given was deemed nonsensical).
Confirmed: Facebook Loses CFO Gideon Yu
Yuri Milner's DST was one of the big winners over Facebook's botched IPO.
How Facebook went from triumph to disaster
When Facebook was confronted about the fake news epidemic on Facebook and it's influence on the election, he said it was "crazy."
Zuckerberg faces up to facts about Russia; Trump clings to his delusions
When Facebook put out a report in April 2017, it conspicuously left out any mention of Russia:
Report: Facebook removed references to Russia from fake-news report
US political ads were at times paid for by rubles:
Franken blasts Facebook for accepting rubles for U.S. election ads
Facebook had "embeds" into the Trump campaign working with Brad Parscale, Trumps digital director.
Facebook made a quiet, shady change in response to a rough ‘60 Minutes’ segment
Based on Kushner's quotes, these "embeds" may have worked closely with Cambridge Anayltica:
“We found that Facebook and digital targeting were the most effective ways to reach the audiences. After the primary, we started ramping up because we knew that doing a national campaign is different than doing a primary campaign. That was when we formalized the system because we had to ramp up for digital fundraising. We brought in Cambridge Analytica. I called some of my friends from Silicon Valley who were some of the best digital marketers in the world. And I asked them how to scale this stuff."
Here's a video explaining just that: @2:37
Theresa Wong from the Trump campaign says that people from Facebook, Google, and Youtube "...were helping us... They were basically our hands-on partners..."
In the video above, Theresa Wong from the Trump campaign says, "Without Facebook, we wouldn't have won." (@4:21)
For those who aren't familiar, Cambridge Analytica was communicating with Julian Assange about Hillary Clinton's and DNC's stolen emails. So was Don Jr. Michael Flynn, who pled guilty to lying to the FBI, also had an advisory role at Cambridge Analytica.
Michael Flynn to disclose advisory role linked to Cambridge Analytica
Zuckerberg admitted there was overlap between Russia ads and the Trump Campaign.
Facebook Says It Found an ‘Insignificant’ Overlap Between Russia Ads and President Trump’s Campaign
Facebook recommended Russian propaganda to users:
More than 60,000 Americans RSVP'd to fake political events planted by Russians on Facebook
Facebook helped Agata Burdonova, who was a manager at the IRA (Russian Troll Factory) that meddled in the US 2016 elections, and her husband, Dmitry Fyodorov, immigrate to Seattle Washington. Burdonova's husband has received a job offer from Facebook.
A Former Manager At The Russian "Troll Factory" Is Now Living In The US, Report Says
Yuri Milner made these investments into Facebook with the help of Jared Kushner's friend and old classmate Ryan Williams. Yuri Milner also invested in Cadre, a company co-founded by Ryan Williams, Jared Kushner, and his brother Josh Kushner. However, Jared Kushner conveniently failed to disclose his ownership of the company. Milner's investment is likely through Gazprom as well.
Jared Kushner hid one of his companies on a disclosure form — then profited
Zuckerberg: the idea that fake news on Facebook influenced the election is ‘crazy’
Guess who's friend's with both Mark Zuckerberg and Yuri Milner? Suspected Chinese agent and Vladimir Putin love interest Wendi Deng Murdoch.
Wendi Deng introduced her then husband Rupert Murdoch to Mark Zuckerberg:
Wendi Deng: Rupert Murdoch files for divorce from third wife
Yuri Milner and Wendi Deng attended a Time 100 Gala together in New York, April 2016.
Yuri Milner Photos - 36 of 161 Photos: 2016 Time 100 Gala, Time's Most Influential People in the World - Cocktails
Here's Wendy Deng with Yuri Milner's wife and Karlie Kloss, who's dating Josh Kushner, Jared Kushner's brother.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/...ith-wife-of-russian-entrepreneur-yuri-milner/
Wendi Deng also hosted a dinner that included Jared Kushner, Josh Kushner, and Ryan Williams, amongst others.
Wendi Murdoch Is Nothing Less Than a Force of Nature
Wendi Deng is know as a match-maker to her friends and actually helped reunite Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner after a break up, eventually leading to marriage. Wendi Deng may be the link between Yuri Milner with Zuckerberg, as well as with the Kushners, and Ryan Williams.
Wendi Deng was spotted on Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich's yacht several times.
Wendi Deng takes a break in St Barts on Roman Abramovich's yacht | Daily Mail Online
Wendi Deng introduced Ivanka Trump to Dasha Zhoukova, then wife of Roman Abramovich.
Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner met at a business lucheon led by Abramovich associate Lev Leviev. At the time, Lev Leviev was hosting the bris for the grandson of Tamir Sapir, who's daughter Zina Sapir married Lev Leviev's Africa-Israel US CEO Roten Rosen. Trump, just months priors, hosted Zina Sapir and Roten Rosem's wedding at Mar-a-Lago.
High-Profile Bris on Sunday — You're Invited
The Sapir Organization, in conjunction with Bayrock and the Trump Organization, put together the scandal-ridden Trump SoHo and were working together to replicate that with a Trump Tower Moscow.
The Donald, Sapir mull bringing Trump Soho to Moscow
In 2000, Abramovich and Oleg Deripaska, along with others, made a deal that ended the "Aluminum wars" and turned the industry into a near monopoly.
The deal that made a Russian oligarch
Oleg Deripaska and Alisher Usmanov have been business ties together.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/b...ou-doing-in-a-steelworks-like-this-65258.html
It’s going down
@ r/The_Mueller
