Who is Maj. Gen. Alexander Prokopchuk?

     If you guessed that he's a Russyan, you'd be right.  But who is he, really?  That rank, major general, indicates he's a politician of some repute, no matter where he serves or what he's done to get there.  He has headed Interpol's National Central Bureau for Russya since 2011, or about 7 yrs ago.  He's also combined that job with the role of the agency's vice presidency since 2016.  So, he's a working stiff, a bureaucrat, an apparat

Vova and his Nice Kitty

chik.  His name surfaced, naturally, as a possible successor to  Meng Hongwei, who resigned last month after Chinese authorities(PLA) arrested him and charged him with corruption(drinking bourbon, laughing, making jokes about XiJP, socializing with Westerners, looking at women not his wife, and wearing argyle sox). Normal stuff.  So, after a brief period of notoriety, Hongwei disappeared from the front pages, and a replacement name was soon floated out of the hangar.  Name Prokopchuk.
     And then, the storm broke.  Like a tsunami wave, the shrieks and screams reached a crescendo across the globe.  Members of the US Congress wailed like banshees, asserting that his appointment would lead to the demise of law and order worldwide.  "This must not happen", they said.  The chorus was taken up in Europe and poor old Prokopchuk saw the handwriting on the wall. While he didn't withdraw his name, no nameplates were cut and replaced on the doors at HQ.  The mere thought of a Russyan as head of INTERPOL sent legions of police and security personnel directly to the pharmacia where they loaded up on antacids, bicarb of soda, Pepto(strong version), and maybe some Prilosec.   Can you imagine?
      Jumping into the fray was American businessman and Kremlin target, Bill Browder.  We've written about Bill in the past and we've reviewed his book about his experiences in Russya dealing with the kleptocracy that formed there after the fall of the old, old, old Soviet Union, Uncle Joe's creation.  Mr. Browder's lawyer,  Sergei Magnitsky even gave his name to a law passed in US Congress, called the Magnitsky Act, that gave the US the powers to hold Russyans responsible for criminal acts against dissenters by banning them from travel to the US, and banning them from doing business(banking, etc.) with any US company or bank.   And it's working!   It's been a boon to the US diplomatic effort to deal with a rogue state and its perps.(Medvedev, Putin, etc.).  Mr. Browder correctly warned in media statements that having a Russyan at the helm of the organization would place the lives of ex-pat Russyans who were critical of Putin and the Kremlin in jeopardy.  (see Skripal story).   Mr. Browder himself, living in London, cannot travel to Russya without fear of being arrested.  Russya even had Interpol notified that he's been charged in Moscova as a criminal(tax evasion).   Hard to believe these antics are still going on in 2018, but they are.
      Combine this story with recent revelations that R ussyan hackers are actively working to subvert the West with a massive disinformation campaign to sow fear and uncertainty among the populations.
See 2016 US presidential election, and 2018 midterm election).
Happy Thanksgiving