[Steel_Tomb]

I can't be bothered to even read the whole post.... my arguments probably not very clearly constructed as it resembles more of a rant than anything else. And a lot of that is just my personal opinion, so do with it what you like.

However, I'd like to voice my opinion on a couple of things. This is my personal opinion, it may, or may not be correct... but its my view nonetheless.
Skybird, lets take everything aside for one moment historically...

Russia to "legitimize" their "peace-keeping" *cough?* operations handed out Russian Passports to South Ossetians to make them Russia, and give them an excuse to send in the troops. Now to me, regardless of that very small minorities opinions against Georgia as a whole... its a damned cheap and ****ty tactic to use.

Its like the French handing out French Passports to the Scots... I know they don't exactly like the English much, but it doens't give them the right to start going around saying "oh oh they're XXXX citizens, lets go and get them" and medeling with internal affairs. Personally, when they started to do the same in Ukraine alarms bells started ringing for me, especially since the whole row over renewing the lease for the Sevastapol base to the Russians.

If those people DON'T like being Ukrainean/Georgian, then bugger off to RUSSIA... the fact that Russia used this fact that they were "rescueing Russian Citizens" was just, in my opinion and complete load of utter cobblers. Russia expects to be taken seriously in the international domain, when the only way they can be successful is to employ cheap, dirty tricks with their neighbours whilst undermining their independence through economic blackmail, hmm yeah... very responsible nation.

Just for the record, my comments towards Putin and his ongoing Regime were mainly for public freedoms, mainly the press. Since the Kursk Disaster (no I'm not opening that can of worms, you may breath easily) Putin, after the failures of Government and inept leaders in the military lead to them not being able to organise a piss up in a Vodka distilery lead to HUGE public outcry... In Britain, the Govenment would have its ass hung out to dry by the media and their polls would take a hammering for a few months until people forgot.

In Russia, the answer to that problem according to the oh-so democratic Putin is to crush the free press, along with freedom of speech in general and to centralise everything into state run television. Now I'm no expert on all things politics, so I won't pretend to... but that really doesn't seem wholey democratic and free for some peculiar reason.

I'm sorry, but the ongoing international attitudes of the big wigs in the Kremlin, and their internal policies mean that I have absolutely NO respect for them. They're their own worst enemy, instead of taking the fall for their mistakes; they cover up and easily remove the evidence through state run TV... its a complete farse.

/Rant