[YouTube] Robert Young Pelton sits down with Enrique "Ric" Prado, a decorated CIA officer whose covert work shaped decades of U.S. paramilitary operations. Known for his leadership in the Contra War, counterterrorism missions, and the development of modern "find, fix, finish" kill teams, Prado’s life reads like a spy thriller.
Pelton and Prado share a mutual friend, CIA legend Billy Waugh @straackhq , who goes beyond what was allowed in his best-selling book and takes the audience into uncharted, dangerous, and never-before-discussed territory.
A Childhood in the Crossfire
• Early Life in Cuba: Ric’s idyllic small-town upbringing was disrupted by armed raids from the mountains.
• First Taste of Combat: Watching firefights through the window as a boy, learning early lessons in survival.
• Operation Peter Pan: At age 10, separated from his parents and sent alone to the U.S., enduring life in a Catholic orphanage in Colorado.
Miami Streets and Martial Arts Discipline
• Growing up small and tough in Miami during a turbulent era of Cuban immigration.
• Learning English, navigating racial tensions, and surviving street fights.
• Introduction to martial arts and early exposure to tough crowds, including friends tied to organized crime.
The Shadow of Felipe Vidal
• For the first time, we learn of a famous Iran-Contra shadow figure. A rebel, assassin, and childhood friend of Prado: Felipe Vidal.
• Vidal’s family history with anti-Castro operations and exile politics.
• Vidal’s role linking CIA operations to Miami’s covert smuggling world, and his mysterious disappearance in the early ’90s. Vidal is interviewed by numerous journalists in Costa Rica, is wrongly blamed for a failed assassination attempt, and vanishes.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Kirill Semenov
[REGNUM] The visit of the President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to Moscow on August 7, 2025 became a landmark event in the development of Russian-Emirati relations, demonstrating the stability and depth of strategic bilateral ties.
Since the start of the SVO, the current visit of the President of the Emirates to Russia is already the fourth. The regularity of the dialogue is impressive: since the beginning of 2025 alone, the leaders of the countries have spoken by phone three times (in March, May and June), which indicates a mutual interest in coordinating positions on key issues on the international agenda.
It can be said that the dynamics of Russian-UAE contacts is comparable only to Russian-Belarusian relations, which, of course, underlines the importance of the UAE for Russia, and Russia for the UAE.
On the sidelines of the talks between the presidents of the two countries, several agreements were signed concerning trade and economic cooperation between Moscow and Abu Dhabi. This demonstrates the ability to combine pragmatism with diplomatic flexibility, which allows the UAE to maintain special relations with Russia without entering into open confrontation with Western partners.
The agreements reached to expand trade and investment cooperation, supported by personal trust between the leaders, create a solid foundation for the further development of strategic partnership.
Against the backdrop of ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, the Russian-UAE dialogue demonstrates the possibility of constructive interaction between powers belonging to different civilizational and political worlds.
The resilience of these ties in the face of global turbulence makes them a significant element of the emerging polycentric system of international relations, where the UAE is increasingly positioning itself as a bridge between East and West, North and South, turning into a new pole of a multipolar world.
Therefore, cooperation on multilateral platforms has become an important aspect of interaction between the Russian Federation and the UAE.
In an effort to secure a place for itself in the emerging new world, the UAE will become a member of BRICS in 2024, demonstrating greater activity within this association, and showing interest in deeper integration into other structures of the multipolar world, such as the SCO.
In addition, the UAE recently signed an agreement with the EAEU, which provides for zero duties on 85% of goods, which creates institutional preconditions for expanding economic integration.
This was stated by Russian President Vladimir Putin during the negotiations: "We are actively interacting on a variety of platforms, starting with the United Nations, and recently we joined the BRICS work in a full-scale format, signed an agreement with the Eurasian Economic Community, and good decisions were made there. In my opinion, we have made good decisions on 85% of commodity items, many customs duties have been reduced to zero."
The UAE’s geopolitical role was particularly evident in the context of discussions on international issues. The Emirates positioned itself as an active player seeking to “strengthen international cooperation to overcome global challenges and achieve peace, stability and prosperity,” as reflected in Sheikh Mohammed’s multilingual social media post after the talks.
“We discussed the strategic partnership between the UAE and Russia and the possibilities of its development for the benefit of our countrie,” Sheikh Mohammed wrote in Russian, accompanying the message with a translation into Arabic and English.
The move is unprecedented for an Arab leader. The gesture goes beyond protocol, demonstrating the desire of the Emirati leadership to directly address Russian society, emphasizing the emotional component of bilateral relations.
The phrase about “the desire to strengthen bridges between our countries,” which was heard earlier during the negotiations, thus received new meaning.
LONG-STANDING COOPERATION
The special nature of relations between Russia and the UAE is determined by the Declaration on Strategic Partnership, signed back in 2018 in Moscow by Russian President Vladimir Putin and then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander-in-Chief Mohammed bin Zayed.
Therefore, the UAE’s friendly position towards Russia in the current circumstances should hardly come as a surprise.
The 2018 Russian-UAE declaration is not limited to the economic component, but also points to the common goals of both countries to strengthen cooperation in the field of security and defense through intensified consultations between relevant government agencies.
The UAE and Russia also support the idea of creating an international counter-terrorism coalition that would operate on the basis of “respect for the sovereignty of states” directly affected by terrorist attacks.
Since the start of the SVO in February 2022, the UAE has refused to join Western sanctions against Russia. The Emirates have also balanced on international platforms, sometimes abstaining from voting on a draft UN Security Council resolution condemning Russia's actions in Ukraine, sometimes supporting an anti-Russian resolution at the UN General Assembly.
Given the current international dynamics, this approach is perceived as favorable to Moscow. It actually reflects the strategic level of interaction between the two states, and also gives the Emirates the opportunity to become a mediator in peace talks on Ukraine without entering into conflict with the West.
In this context, Vladimir Putin's statement that the UAE is being considered as a possible venue for his meeting with US President Donald Trump is of particular significance.
"We have many friends who are ready to help us organize an event of this kind. One of our friends is the President of the UAE. I think we will decide, but this would be one of the quite suitable places," the Russian President said.
Regardless of whether the meeting itself takes place, such a statement can be considered a high assessment of the activities of both the UAE and its president as a mediator in various humanitarian and other missions related to the implementation of the CBO. For example, in organizing prisoner exchanges.
ECONOMY FIRST
The economic component of the partnership became the central element of the negotiations. As Vladimir Putin noted during the meeting, the UAE is a "friendly country for us", contacts with which are maintained at the highest political level, and economic ties are developing dynamically in the areas of trade and investment.
The UAE President cited specific figures indicating positive dynamics: bilateral trade turnover reached $11.5 billion, and trade turnover between the UAE and the EAEU countries amounted to $30 billion.
The leaders of the two countries set a serious goal - to double these figures in the next five years, which demonstrates their mutual desire to take economic cooperation to a qualitatively new level.
Investment interaction is developing through cooperation of sovereign funds. However, according to the Russian president, Russian investments in the UAE significantly (almost twice) exceed Emirati investments in Russia, which Putin especially noted, thanking for the trust in Russian specialists.
However, apparently there was also a certain hint here about the need to return to the implementation of those investment agreements that had been put on hold due to pressure from the West.
This concerns, for example, the refusal of the UAE sovereign fund Mubadala to make further investments in Russia after February 24, 2022, although there was no talk of capital withdrawal. In total, the fund planned to invest about $6 billion in Russia.
In 2013, Mubadala reached an agreement with the Russian Direct Investment Fund to create a joint fund with capital of $2 billion. According to the head of the RDIF, Kirill Dmitriev, as of 2020, the organizations have jointly invested $2.3 billion in more than 50 projects.
RDIF and Mubadala, as part of a consortium of investors, invested $40 million in the online cinema ivi, and in 2018 they bought 49% of the Gazpromneft-Vostok company. In 2021, Mubadala bought 1.9% of the largest Russian petrochemical company SIBUR for about $500 million (the exact amount of the deal was not disclosed), and also acquired 2.6% in the En+ holding.
The role of the UAE during Russia’s special military operation deserves special attention.
Although there was no overt support, the Emirates consistently acted as an important economic partner that did not join Western sanctions.
Maintaining and expanding trade and investment cooperation, including interaction between sovereign wealth funds, despite the reduction in investment, has become a significant factor for Moscow in adapting to sanctions pressure.
And the signing of new agreements following the negotiations indicates the existence of specific projects in areas such as energy, transport and high technology, which traditionally form the basis of bilateral cooperation.
And in this regard, the UAE is gradually becoming Russia’s most important partner.
HIGH TECHNOLOGY AND DEFENSE
Although the UAE’s dependence on oil is still a serious long-term problem, the country has largely overcome its dependence on hydrocarbon exports and has diversified its economy. The oil and gas sector accounts for 30% of GDP, and even less in the emirate of Dubai.
Metalworking, petrochemical industry, production of building materials, furniture, aluminum, fertilizers are growing. High-tech products are also manufactured, including even cars.
In this context, it is important to note the broad prospects for cooperation between Russia and the Emirates in the manufacturing sector. Among the projects that have already been implemented, one can cite the assembly of Russian luxury cars Aurus Senat. The project was planned for 2024, but began ahead of schedule, in 2023.
The Emirates have made particular strides in the defence industry, with leaders such as Mubadala, Tawazun, Emirates Advanced Investments and others. Thanks to its partnerships with the world's largest defence manufacturers, the UAE can now design, manufacture and sell a wide range of weapons and equipment both domestically and internationally.
Russia also counts on cooperation with the UAE in the development and production of weapons, and already has such experience. Here we can recall the Pantsir air defense missile and gun system, which was initially developed for the UAE Armed Forces, but then found its place in the Russian Armed Forces.
Or the Tiger armored vehicle, widely used by reconnaissance units and military police in Russia - it was originally created at the request of the UAE, where they wanted a product similar to the American Hummers.
After the product was created in 2001, the Russian developer and the Arab customer went their separate ways, continuing to develop the basic design in accordance with their own needs. Taking the Tiger as a basis, the UAE established production of Nimr armored vehicles (translated as "tiger"), which are enjoying great success on the international market.
Russia was also close to concluding a contract to purchase the United 40 attack UAV produced in the UAE. During the IDEX-2013 exhibition held in Abu Dhabi in February 2013, Colonel General Vladimir Chirkin, then Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Ground Forces, who visited it, showed particular interest in the United 40 UAV.
There were also projects for the joint creation of a light fighter, to which the parties may still return.
The countries signed a memorandum of cooperation in the development of artificial intelligence and unmanned technologies in ground transport, which opens the door to more productive interaction in this area.
Against the backdrop of the West's conflict with Russia and China, Dubai, which has become a world-class financial and business center, could receive a large influx of investment thanks to its status as a geopolitically neutral haven for capital. This will allow the emirate to implement its economic programs, the cost of which is estimated at $8.7 trillion.
Therefore, the Emirates are of great importance for Russia as a partner that will help exchange technologies against the backdrop of illegal Western sanctions. In this regard, the UAE, having made a serious technological breakthrough, is not only capable of outstripping many European countries, but also of becoming an alternative for us, including for access to the latest technologies.
SOFT POWER
In addition to economics and technology, the humanitarian dimension and human capital are of great importance for the Russian-Emirati partnership.
A soft power tool that helps develop relations between Moscow and Abu Dhabi is the presence of 25,000 Russian citizens who work as highly qualified specialists in various sectors of the UAE economy. In turn, more than 300 Emirati companies are represented in Russia.
During the talks, President Putin mentioned Sheikh Mohammed's interest in Russia's educational projects, especially the Sirius center for gifted children in Sochi.
The visits of the UAE President’s family members to this centre and the Sheikh’s personal visit to the Primakov School in Moscow demonstrate the Emirates’ conscious approach to borrowing Russian experience in training the intellectual elite.
These contacts go beyond formal exchanges, indicating the formation of sustainable ties in the fields of education and culture, which in the long term contribute to strengthening mutual understanding between the peoples of the two countries.
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[YouTube] Robert Young Pelton sits down with Enrique "Ric" Prado, a decorated CIA officer whose covert work shaped decades of U.S. paramilitary operations. Known for his leadership in the Contra War, counterterrorism missions, and the development of modern "find, fix, finish" kill teams, Prado’s life reads like a spy thriller. 
