The best article I have yet seen on Putin, why he is the way he is and why he does what he does.

BBC News - Vladimir Putin: The rebuilding of ?Soviet? Russia

- Peter.

__________________
2021 Chevrolet Spark
Formerly...
2000 GMC Sonoma
1981 240D 4spd stick. 347000 miles. Deceased Feb 14 2021
2002 Kia Rio. Worst crap on four wheels
1981 240D 4spd stick. 389000 miles.
1984 123 200
1979 116 280S
1972 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1971 108 280S

Interesting read. The article paints Putin as a man who wants toys and esteem and doesn’t GAS about anything else. That may be true. I don’t know.

I don’t understand why Russia doesn’t follow the model of other countries who seek to educate their citizens and develop an infrastructure to serve broader economic needs. There is no good reason that Russia cannot be a host to call centers, manufacturing facilities and other infrastructure found in India, China, S Korea and other parts of the world. The Russian standard of living would only benefit and yet if there has been an effort to do this it has been hidden from the public.

It boggles my sense of logic that Russia would play host to an Olympic event and in essentially the same sentence make a military move of conquest. It is as if Putin suffers what is known as imposter syndrome.

Because until the revolution in Ukraine, or more specifically, until the night Yanukovych fled, Putin felt he could manipulate Ukraine well enough through Ya. Putin , I think , reluctantly accepted the deal that kept Ya on until December, figuring that he would have some time to screw with Ukraine. But the revolutionaries wouldn't wait that long, so Putin had to do something, stat.

__________________
80 300SD (129k mi) 82 240D stick (193k mi)77 240D auto - stick to be (153k mi) 85 380SL (145k mi) 89 BMW 535i 82 Diesel Rabbit Pickup (374k mi) 91 Jetta IDI Diesel (155k mi) 81 VW Rabbit Convertible Diesel 70 Triumph Spitfire Mk III (63kmi)66 Triumph TR4a IRS (90k mi)67 Ford F-100 (??)

Contrary to progressive thought, the world is still ruled by the aggressive use of force. Only Neville chamberlain types and scholars think otherwise.

__________________
1982 300SD " Wotan" ..On the road as of Jan 8, 2007 with Historic Tags

Yep. Large parts of it anyway.

- Peter.

__________________
2021 Chevrolet Spark
Formerly...
2000 GMC Sonoma
1981 240D 4spd stick. 347000 miles. Deceased Feb 14 2021
2002 Kia Rio. Worst crap on four wheels
1981 240D 4spd stick. 389000 miles.
1984 123 200
1979 116 280S
1972 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1971 108 280S

If wishes were horses we would all ride.