[Skybird]

Before complaining that they do not play to your rules, you better try to imagine how russia should function, shouold remain stable and should be kept together with a Westerneurope-kind of "demicracy". Just olook back at the yeltzin years to see how bad it payed off for Russias.

Me, I am selfish and look at what it brings for us. Our priorities must be a stable russia, a Russia where the military does not revolt and obey to the state leadership, a Russia where the southern Islamic provinces do not brake away, and where nuclear installations both military and civilian do not fall into the wrong hands of Islamic extremists. I cannot imagine how this could be acchieved or how you could keep together a country covering not only multiple time zones, but even several cultural spheres and different peoples with a "democratic" model like European nations. We have recently demanded more democarciy in several different countries over the past 10, 12 years - and all to often this turned against us and helped forces to increase their influence that we tried to prevent by that. For these powers, including islam, democracy it just a train they are temporarily ryiding on - when they have arrived at their planned destination, they leave it and do their business again. And again, I cannot see much good in the open democartoc days of Yeltsin - it was the open sellout of russian interests and economic filetparts to aggressively advancing western corporations that also helped to install and foster the grey world of organised crime and the rich elites that all too often cannot be separated from each other. Amongst others, Putin at least acchieved to get this under control, althoug not preventing it totally, and that is much more than what Yeltsin acchieved, who let it all slide.

We do not have the right to demand Russia acting stupidly and against it'S own interests. And let'S face it: propaganda here, supression of opposition there - Putin was and still is extremely popular in Russia, especially amongst the young. Call him a schemer, call him a dicator or tyrant if you want - I must say I have seen far worse and brutal dictators in the past. I must not like him, and I even can warn my own country to make itself too dependant from Russian gas - buzt for the time being I can live better with Putinland than with Yeltsin's Russia, or a destabilizing Russia no longer able to remain in control of it's own businesses, interests, military and national integrity.