Politics

"Well... All I can say is that it is truly deserved. The west has shovelled god knows how many hundreds of millions into Eastern European and Russian NGOs in the last 20 years. At least some of that could have gone towards making them legal as per the western standards instead of lining personal pockets of criminals and fraudsters wearing "dissident" masks."

Unfortunately the "criminals and fraudsters" are generally the ones in power.

The use of the gun as a way of dealing with business rivals has ended up with a really wealthy powerbase supported by Putin. In that respect there is far less democracy now than there was under the Communists.

Money says it all and money can be used to shut down any dissenting voice - yes, the power used to be in The Party but now it looks more like a large version of Chicago in the 20's. To gain power you grab it - but only with the consent of those at the top. But to control it you also need to shut down those who raise thier voices.

It's far closer to Chinese 'freedom' than even the 'Merkin version.

But it's all to do with control gas, oil and heavy industry, sod all to do with raising the people out of the frozen mud.

If this is 'free enterprise' you can shove it.