This is bad: Russia 'abducts' Estonian officer after Obama says US will defend..

[Rassah]

No Russian national asset has been stolen that I know of. What are you talking about? Russia sells natural gas to the West, but that isn't stolen, and Russians are happy to get the cash.

Western puppets such as Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Platon Lebedev, Mikhail Brudno, Vasily Shakhnovsky and Leonid Nevzlin fraudulently seized Russian national assets including oil and gas fields using a variety of means (including murder and intimidation of government officials)...

They all have Russian names though... Let's see:

Mikhail Khodorkovsky - Born in Moscow, Russia, became deputy head of Komsomol (the Communist Youth League), used his connections within the communist structures to gain a foothold in the developing free market, and used the help of some powerful people to start his business activities under the cover of Komsomol. Sounds like an old Soviet Russian stealing your resources from within. Why would he be called a western puppet? "In February 2003, at a televised meeting at the Kremlin, Khodorkovsky argued with Putin about corruption. He implied that major government officials were accepting millions in bribes." Ah! There it is!

Platon Lebedev - Born in Moscow, Russia, is best known as a close associate of Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Is he a "western puppet" for similar reasons? "He was subsequently charged with embezzlement and money laundering in 2009, and pled not guilty to the charges. There has been speculation that these charges were politically motivated.  Lebedev and Khodorkovsky were named prisoners of conscience by Amnesty International" and says "he would fight for the freedom of people he considered political prisoners." So, all around great Russian while stealing the oil, but a western puppet bastard if he goes against the rest of the Russian oligarchs.

Mikhail Brudno - Too little info on this guy... My guess is also a Soviet oligarch that stole Russian resources from within government.

Vasily Shakhnovsky - Same as above, too little info, but also has ties to the Yukos debacle. Which, for the uninformed, "After Khodorkovsky (Owner of Yukos) became an advocate of democratization, international co-operation and Russian reform, in October 2003 Khodorkovsky was arrested, and the company was forcibly broken up for alleged unpaid taxes shortly after and declared bankrupt in August 2006. Courts in several countries later ruled that the real intent was to destroy Yukos and obtain its assets for the government, and act politically against Khodorkovsky." Or, you know, private party buys oil fields and creates a highly successful oil company, government that is still full of old Soviets and KGB decide they want in on that, trump up false charges, and steal that wealth by nationalizing the company, with new oligarchs simply getting jealous and stealing from the old oligarchs (btw, it's this what both George Orwell and Ayn Rand warned against, and what bitcoin as a political system is designed to fight?). Oh, and what do you know, "In 2014 the largest arbitration award in history, $50 billion (€37,2 billion), was won by Yukos' former owners against Russia."

Leonid Nevzlin - Born in Moscow, Russia, participated in the Russian presidential election of 1996 helping to reelect Boris Yeltsin, but is otherwise a plain business man and (OH NOES!) a jew who dared to suggest that jews should have freedoms in Russia. So, another Russian oligarch who came up through the ranks of Russian politics, but became a "western puppet" once the new oligarchs wanted to steal from the old oligarchs. Except he's extra "western" because he's a jew. Despite being born, raised, and taught in Russia, and working with the Russian government.  

In short, Russian oligarchs, all born and raised in Russia (Soviet Russia no less), many of whom were involved in government or rose up through its ranks, stole from their own people to build a highly successful private oil company, but once they started making real money, and worse, suggesting that Russians should have freedoms and good relations with the rest of the world, the old government oligarchs got jealous and took all their wealth by nationalizing their company, and, of course, calling them "western puppets," because, being born, raised, educated, and members of Soviet Russian government is what makes one a "western puppet."

... and later sold them to bankers and investors from the EU and the US.

Yeah, there's no "later sold them." They were nationalized by Russian government and are all now owned by Russian government owned companies like Gasprom.

P.S. Thank you for the list of names. Researching and reading about this part of Russia's more recent history has been highly enlightening.

[Rassah]

1)Russia didn't invade Crimea. Crimean people did not want to live together with the Nazis from Kiev and asked Russia rejoin. Do you feel the difference?

2)There are no Russian troops in Eastern Ukraine. If there were Russian troops, militia would have won long ago.

Yeah, you keep telling yourself that, while the rest of the world disagrees with you.

Crimea was a part of the Russian SFSR until 1954, when Nikita Khrushchev illegally annexed it to Ukraine. In 2014, the vast majority of the Crimean people rebelled against the Kiev rule, and seceded from Ukraine. A few days after the declaration of independence, the Crimean people voted to join the Russian Federation. Their request was approved by Russia. Where is the invasion here?

The invasion was when a bunch of Russian troops in unmarked military uniforms invaded Crimea, took over the airport, and "kept the peace" BEFORE Crimea had the vote and the "majority" rebelled against the Kiev rule. Care to tell me who in Crimea invited those unmarked Russian troops who all wore balaclavas to keep from being identified?

[fsb4000]

1)Russia didn't invade Crimea. Crimean people did not want to live together with the Nazis from Kiev and asked Russia rejoin. Do you feel the difference?

2)There are no Russian troops in Eastern Ukraine. If there were Russian troops, militia would have won long ago.

Yeah, you keep telling yourself that, while the rest of the world disagrees with you.

Crimean people agree with me. Fuck the rest of the world. It's none of their business.

[bryant.coleman]

Yeah, you keep telling yourself that, while the rest of the world disagrees with you.

According to you, the rest of the world means USA + EU? Get a geography lesson. There are far more countries around the world.

The invasion was when a bunch of Russian troops in unmarked military uniforms invaded Crimea, took over the airport, and "kept the peace" BEFORE Crimea had the vote and the "majority" rebelled against the Kiev rule. Care to tell me who in Crimea invited those unmarked Russian troops who all wore balaclavas to keep from being identified?

Give proof that they were active Russian military personal. Anyway, according to the treaty signed between Russia and Ukraine over the use of the Sevastopol naval base, the Russian personal are given certain powers, including the freedom of movement around Crimea.

[Balthazar]

Speaking about "invasion", some interesting statements from Turchynov were published.

http://nbnews.com.ua/ru/news/131604/

[Daanie]

«Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.»

- Matthew 7:12

Estonia and Latvia were "abducting" the retired russian officers on the regular basis, in order to perform a trial on false accusations related to events, which have happened in the 1990s. So I'm not surprised to see a kind of "revenge" from russian side. I also won't be surprised if they "accidentally found" a few kilograms of heroin.

Why take revenge on something that happened 24 years ago?

[Balthazar]

Why take revenge on something that happened 24 years ago?

Good question for estonian, lithuanian and latvian authorities. Right after explanations what exactly happened, because they're refusing to disclose the charges. It looks like the prosecutor's offices of these republics are occupied by idiots.

[countryfree]

No Russian national asset has been stolen that I know of. What are you talking about? Russia sells natural gas to the West, but that isn't stolen, and Russians are happy to get the cash.

Western puppets such as Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Platon Lebedev, Mikhail Brudno, Vasily Shakhnovsky and Leonid Nevzlin fraudulently seized Russian national assets including oil and gas fields using a variety of means (including murder and intimidation of government officials) and later sold them to bankers and investors from the EU and the US.

I can't say it those people are western puppets or not, but I don't see any theft in what they've done. Everything was contractual. They signed  agreements with plenty of lawyers on each side and money changed hands. Everything was legal. The same thing has happened in Africa with Chinese businessmen. It's still happening today, the Chinese are buying huge part of Zimbabwe, much more than what the "West" owns in Russia, and there's nothing wrong in having some assets in foreign hands. Many rich Russians own a house in South of France, or in Italy, and do you know why? Because those regions are attractive.

Having many foreigners visiting, or investing, is the best possible sign that a country is successful.

[bryant.coleman]

Why take revenge on something that happened 24 years ago?

That goes both ways. Governments in Latvia and Estonia claim that they were invaded by the USSR during WW2, and therefore refuse to grant citizenship to those ethnic Russian residents who were born after 1941. If these nations can take revenge for something that happened 73 years ago, in 1941 (when Russia didn't even existed), then why can't Russia take revenge on something that happened 24 years ago?

[Rassah]

Why take revenge on something that happened 24 years ago?

That goes both ways. Governments in Latvia and Estonia claim that they were invaded by the USSR during WW2, and therefore refuse to grant citizenship to those ethnic Russian residents who were born after 1941. If these nations can take revenge for something that happened 73 years ago, in 1941 (when Russia didn't even existed), then why can't Russia take revenge on something that happened 24 years ago?

Is it revenge to deny citizenship to foreign people who have babies on your soil???

[countryfree]

It's getting worse and worse, it seems Russia and IS are becoming partners.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/11/assad-moscow-tehran-condemn-obama-isis-air-strike-plan

I understand it would be difficult for Russia to work arm in arm with America and all western countries against IS, but IS is fighting against Syria, which is Russia's friend. Logic says my friend's enemy should my enemy too, but Russia doesn't understand it that way. Russia, Syria and Iran are united against air strikes to fight IS. So things are clear now, all the bad guys are together.

[Lethn]

I love the way some of you guys are already in the process of claiming that anyone who isn't in automatic agreement with you is an enemy and working with ISIS.

[Rassah]

I love the way some of you guys are already in the process of claiming that anyone who isn't in automatic agreement with you is an enemy and working with ISIS.

How do you interpret a protest against attacking ISIS? Or teaming up with Syria and Iran to protest attacking ISIS?

[Lethn]

I love the way some of you guys are already in the process of claiming that anyone who isn't in automatic agreement with you is an enemy and working with ISIS.

How do you interpret a protest against attacking ISIS? Or teaming up with Syria and Iran to protest attacking ISIS?

I've actually read through the article instead of jumping to conclusions.

Russia said it would not support any military action without a UN resolution authorising it. "The US president has spoken directly about the possibility of strikes by the US armed forces against Isil positions in Syria without the consent of the legitimate government," said a spokesman. "This step, in the absence of a UN security council decision, would be an act of aggression, a gross violation of international law." China said that the world should fight terror but that national sovereignty must be respected.

[Rassah]

I love the way some of you guys are already in the process of claiming that anyone who isn't in automatic agreement with you is an enemy and working with ISIS.

How do you interpret a protest against attacking ISIS? Or teaming up with Syria and Iran to protest attacking ISIS?

I've actually read through the article instead of jumping to conclusions.

Russia said it would not support any military action without a UN resolution authorising it. "The US president has spoken directly about the possibility of strikes by the US armed forces against Isil positions in Syria without the consent of the legitimate government," said a spokesman. "This step, in the absence of a UN security council decision, would be an act of aggression, a gross violation of international law." China said that the world should fight terror but that national sovereignty must be respected.

I note the article doesn't say China condemns it. There's a difference between not supporting, and condemning. Also, pretty hilarious Russia talking about military actions against a country without the consent of its government 

[bryant.coleman]

Is it revenge to deny citizenship to foreign people who have babies on your soil???

If children of legal immigrants are denied citizenship, then it is not just revenge, but also a gross violation of the human rights. These people have resided in Estonia and Latvia for many decades, and have paid their taxes to these countries. Suddenly, the government says that they don't have the qualification for basic rights, such as citizenship and voting.

[Nemo1024]

Is it revenge to deny citizenship to foreign people who have babies on your soil???

If children of legal immigrants are denied citizenship, then it is not just revenge, but also a gross violation of the human rights. These people have resided in Estonia and Latvia for many decades, and have paid their taxes to these countries. Suddenly, the government says that they don't have the qualification for basic rights, such as citizenship and voting.

In Norway, any child born on Norwegian soil automatically gets Norwegian citizenship, that he/she needs to confirm before he reaches 21 years. I would thing the same applies to people born in Latvia, as long as they are not ethnic Russians (Latvia is a country actively and proudly practising Apartheid)

[Nemo1024]

It's getting worse and worse, it seems Russia and IS are becoming partners.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/11/assad-moscow-tehran-condemn-obama-isis-air-strike-plan

I understand it would be difficult for Russia to work arm in arm with America and all western countries against IS, but IS is fighting against Syria, which is Russia's friend. Logic says my friend's enemy should my enemy too, but Russia doesn't understand it that way. Russia, Syria and Iran are united against air strikes to fight IS. So things are clear now, all the bad guys are together.

Stop twisting the facts.

Now. Russia is against US/UK bombing Syria on a whim, not against ISIS. Learn the difference.
We all know that these terrorists operate in UK and US as well. So does this give Russia the right to bomb US and UK to get rid of the terrorists in those countries. Because that's what Obama/Cameron imply.

PS:

‘No country can legally invade another country without the UN approval’
http://rt.com/op-edge/187156-us-syria-strike-illegal-un/

The US can't lead a coalition against ISIS in Syria as attacking a sovereign state without the cooperation of its government and UN approval is a violation of international law, Professor Daoud Khairallah from Georgetown University told RT.

...

DK: What I find very strange is that this alliance between the US and the countries that have helped arming, funding, training and facilitating the work of ISIS and the other derivatives of Al-Qaeda are now the allies that would deal with this problem called ISIS, and without the approval of the government and the forces who have been fighting for 3 years these same groups and telling the whole world “I'm fighting terrorism.” That is something very odd, and where will they get the forces on the ground if they are not going to deal with the Syrian government? That is something that is a huge question mark.

[countryfree]

‘No country can legally invade another country without the UN approval’

Definitely, Ukrainians would love to see all the Russians on its soil leaving.

Back to IS, I really find it strange that with ten Arab countries backing the US/EU coalition to fight IS in its stronghold, in Eastern Syria, it was a great opportunity for Russia to look like it wants peace in the world, and that it's ready to help the good guys fighting the bad guys, but it didn't seize it. Sorry, but that's bad for image.

I've found a very interesting article about Russia' strategy in Eastern Europe:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-29078541

[bryant.coleman]

Definitely, Ukrainians would love to see all the Russians on its soil leaving.

If you are referring to ethnic Russians, then more than one-third of the population of Donbass is consisted of ethnic Russians and they have a right to stay there. Whether the Kiev junta wants them out or not, they are going to stay there. And if you are referring to Russian citizens, then no more than one-tenth of the NAF soldiers are Russian citizens.