Quote Originally Posted by RedFox View Post
There is one single fact that should be added to all this crazy stuff about "Putin's aggression" "Putin's regime", "Putin's propaganda" etc in the Western media to get the point.

The fact is: all Putin's' oligarchs keep their money in Western banks.


The picture can be attributed not only to Russians and Ukrainians, but to all nations:
Sorry I don't understand. What's the exact relevance of the Russian oligarchs keeping their money in Western banks?

So according to me, the Russians can do whatever they like in their own country. Whether Putin is a dictator or not doesn't matter to me. It's obvious that most Russians prefer him over the altarnatives, either way. Democracy in many ways, is an illusion. As long as Russia is stable with good living conditions for its people, I don't care.

The Ukraine situation is very complex and although I don't think Russia is completely innocent, it didn't start any of the problems. The South Ossetia situation I simply don't consider Russia to be the aggressor. Either way - Russia is not guilty of a fraction of the suffering in the world that the US has created recently.

My main criticism against Russia (although it's really none of my business) would be:

1) Corruption
2) Income differences - I.e. poor pensioners and rural dwellers vs oligarchs. Should not be allowed imo. But this is true for half the world, not just Russia!
3) Environmental policies should be stronger. (again, Russia is no worse than half the rest of the world on this, including the US).