Well anyone young would be wise to bear in mind that the average age among the Russian fully English speaking participants here, is a lot higher than both Eric and UHox.

Many of the people here have personally lived through Soviet socialism, perestroika, the wild and destructive 90s in Russia, and the modern era with Putin.

They are people who managed to learn a quite different foreign language to full fluency either because of hard studies or due to moving country - which in itself is an experience that teaches a person a lot.

So in light of what I that, it's well worth listening carefully to what people like Alex, Lampada, SergeMak, Basil77, Crocodile (although he's taking a vacation from the forum), diogen(?), Iodka(?) and many others have to say (there are others, I think, but i am less sure of their age ranges, or they are less frequent participants).

They don't represent one unanimous viewpoint, but a spectrum, hence giving a broad but trustworthy source of information.

You don't have to agree with everything they say, but you should certainly respect that they are likely to have a much more relevant and well-founded view than somebody who doesn't live in the region, isn't a native Russian speaker and is too young to have a broad and mature perspective on the political, economic and social changes that Russia and the other USSR countries went through!

So take the opportunity to learn from people who had some very unique and interesting experiences and have been around on this planet a while longer than yourselves, instead of being prejudiced and hostile. If you do not agree with somebody, try to understand what causes that person to have a different viewpoint.

Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.