Preparations keep on going...

a reply to: Agent_USA_Supporter

They did.

I don't have an anti Russian agenda. Trying to make that argument is exactly what the Kremlin does to those who refuse to buy into outright lies by the kremlin.

Stating the Russian economy is crap and sliding to sh***y is fact. Putin stating nothing is wrong is based on the fact he is responsible for it. His own advisors are telling him this and he ignores it.

When the Russian people can't afford food there is a problem.
When the ruble can't be stabilized there is a problem.
When Russian banks can no longer operate due to no capital and have to beg the Russian government for a bailout there is a problem.
When the Russian state oil has to beg Russia for bailouts while getting screwed by china there is a problem.

That problem is Putin and his delusion that he is running the USSR.

a reply to: cavtrooper7

The story is something like this...

USSR broke up by lowering oil prices by US/SA in the 80s, oligarchs from The West stepped in to take over Russia`s its natural resources by making a few new backed oligarchs in Russia.

Then there were a group of ex-KGB`ers who put Putin in front who wanted to take back the country, so they first needed to curb the West backed oligarchs and to put ex-KGB`ers in the right positions which took place in the period `96/`04. And when that had happened the Western oligarchs weren`t so happy about it, so this what is happening now to Russia was already long in the planning.

a reply to: BornAgainAlien

USSR sure did go bankrupt by lower oil prices but it was Yeltsin backed by the Russian Parliament which walked out of the Union one fine evening. Even leader of Ukraine Kravchek resisted initially but was outvoted and next morning USSR ceased to exist.

Another entity which was responsible for the breakup of USSR was the "MEEK" and "GLORIOUS ON PAPER ONLY"......the Red Army. Yes Red Army stood on the side with "thumbs up its rear" watching USSR break up and did nothing about it. Losers of Afghanistan were still licking their cowardly wounds it seems.

The darling and macho General of VDV........the gruff voiced and "ultra Manly and Masculine" Alexander Lebed, when sent to Russian White House to arrest Yeltsin (during the August coup when Gorby was away).........yes Lebed did nothing and just stood outside like a poodle waiting for a treat. If he had stormed the WH and arrested or killed Yeltsin and his stooges, then chain of reactions would not have occurred. Later on same Lebed said he was waiting for orders from above and was neutral all along.

Come 2000, when Vladimir Putin took to office. First he pardoned Yeltsin and his oligarch family that stabbed Russia many times over and gang looted it for whole decade. Fine, Putin was too new. But come 2004, oil prices high, situation somewhat stabilized but Putin did nothing. There are many Jewish Oligarchs sitting in Israel and running looted businesses in Russia via remote control. Just like Berezovsky, Luzkhov's wife were running their looted empires from London.

Alas !! Putin and his KGB Generals did nothing. They could have confiscated the businesses of the foreign based oligarchs and sold them to Russian public on revalued prices and left Oligarchs with nothing. Putin did nothing about corruption either, capital flight from Russia, diversification of Russian economy. Cavtrooper is right, Putin has been in power in Russia for 14 years now either upfront or behind the scenes when Medvedev was the President.

Only thing Putin did right was bring back Chechneya into peace and supported Assad in Syria to protect an important ally. Ofcourse not to forget taking back Crimea. His support of Donbass was "meek" initially and should have sent huge weapons rights away to have Kiev give up any plans to attack.

However, there is no one else other than Putin who has the balls to stand upto west and also cut the balls off the oligarchs both domestic and foreign based when he chooses to do so.

There is no alternative to Putin for next 10 years.

a reply to: BornAgainAlien

Why do you think oligarchs have a political loyalty whether or not they are from the west, china or Suriname?

Their loyalty is to those who can make them money so trying to make your east verse west argument with the criteria you used is baseless. How many Russian oligarchs has Putin thrown in jail on trumped charges? How many businesses haves Putin confiscated?

How many have fled Russia?
How many have fled Ukraine?

This is not one of those east does no wrong issues.

I keep thinking I read a newspaper report that some Russian oligarch was being sued in the courts on a charge that he had smuggled so much money out of the country it was estimated that the amount would fill 14 box cars!