Pres. Putin is a great leader and loves his country and people.
He has an 87% approval rate among the Russian citizens.
A popularity number that American politicians could only dream of ever achieving. ...
It's amazing what you can do when you control everything.
People will say they love you out of fear.
Yes, he improved things from the Yeltsin days, but that isn't saying much, is it?
Other Eastern Bloc countries have done better than Russia and they don't have the oil.
Surely their leaders love their country and the people far more, seeing as they don't assassinate those people, and they don't enrich themselves at the cost of their people.
Russia's at $27,890
Lithuania at $31,935
Estonia at $31,473
Czech Republic at $35,233
Leaders in countries who loved their countries enough to make the country stronger and better, rather than playing silly little games.
3-Baltic states got highly developed industry and infrastructure built by the USSR.
They are actively sponsored by EU.
They are not free to choose their political vector as they must obey EU and USA. They are occupied in fact by NATO.
Oil...oh, yes it helps much to create new industry, to built infrastructure, to raise everything ruined by USA in 1990s. And to resist western aggression lasting from 1990s till today...military and economic. And all that while playing unfair American financial rules. Hope Bretton Wood system will be crushed soon.
Are you telling me that this highly developed industry and infrastructure continues through the turbulent times?
Much of the industry was pulled down because it damaged the environment and caused loads of problems.
Like other former Communist countries the transition from Communism to Capitalism was tough. Wages were low, productivity was low, but Lithuania has come out of it better off than Russia.
They must obey someone. They're too small to be able to make such decisions that large countries could make.
They've made the choice of going with the EU because the EU is going to be a lot better for them than Russia or the US.
NATO isn't a difficult choice, having a defensive pact with the EU and US against Russian aggression is essential. Just ask Georgia and the Ukraine.
The US ruined everything in the 1990s? Last I heard the US wasn't even there.
The oil Russia has sold has ended up where?
Take a look.
Roman Abramovich has $9.8 billion.
Leonid Mikhelson has $18.2 billion.
Gennady Timchenk has $14.2 billion.
Vagit Alekperov has $17.2 billion,
The list continues, people who made an absolute killing out of oil and gas that the Russians sold off cheap.