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134 Comments
- kubak, on 06/07/2009, -8/+66The funny thing is that this agreement was signed three days before this incident by the director of the factory (this oligarch is the owner, he doesn't manage it on daily basis). This was just for show.
Propoganda machine is working very well!
Putin comes off as a tough guy to russians, but in real life putin and the oligarch are friends (that's why he's rich and received millions in bail-out money from the russian gov't) - dafragsta, on 06/06/2009, -4/+55Damn. That man is scary. Absolutely no ***** with him. Is there any doubt he's still in charge?
- emecks, on 06/06/2009, -2/+50"I don't see your signature, get over here and sign it" - must try that sometime :D
- drGt1987, on 06/06/2009, -1/+47And don't forget to return my pen you thief
- burningrobot, on 06/06/2009, -3/+38"Why is the plant in such a poor state? You've turned it into a garbage dump."
You can tell that guy's scared ***** of Putin. - MatzahMan, on 06/07/2009, -4/+37You don't ***** with Putin.
- Kershek, on 06/07/2009, -2/+29Jerjerrod: "We shall double our efforts!"
Vader: "I hope so, Commander, for your sake. The Emperor is not as forgiving as I am." - ebradsha, on 06/07/2009, -9/+33Digg, don't be so naive. This is Putin merely trying his hand at populism. He wants to be seen as a champion of the common man. Clearly if the plant could be profitably operated then the plant would be running. It's not in the profit-making interest of the plant owner to let his huge plant collect dust and fall into a state of disrepair.
- kingmanic, on 06/07/2009, -4/+28Oleg Deripaska Options:
1- Sign the damn contract - risk personal bankruptcy, get shot by debt holders
2- Refuse to sign the contract while on camera - Putin personally snaps your neck
3- Run and hide with your money - Live in fear of exotic isotopes poisoning for the rest of your life
I don't envy that man. - cheviot, on 06/07/2009, -0/+24You forgot option 4.
4-Sign the contract 3 days ago. Let Putin have his phony moment with the press. Get a $4.5 billion loan extension. - lachs, on 06/07/2009, -4/+25If you think liberal democracy would work in Russia you are kidding yourself, the gap between rich and poor is way too large. Russians know as much as we do about Putin's evils but love him regardless, who wouldn't when the average Russian salary has increased 9 fold during his terms.
I applaud Putin for keeping the oligarchs in check and if Khodorkovsky has to be a martyr so the state can expropriate his ill-gained billions to feed and heat, among others WW2 veterans who starved and froze under Yeltsin then its a small price. Russia's industry and resources were raped after the collapse of the USSR and liberalism will never flourish there until the oligarchs and their wealth and power brought into line, either Putin runs Russia or they do. Putin is the lesser of two evils. - jscnet, on 06/07/2009, -5/+25Putinantor.
- spooky07, on 06/07/2009, -2/+17Putin: And don't forget to return my pen.
- pault107, on 06/06/2009, -3/+17Wow, Putin sure doesn't pussy-foot around.
- inactive, on 06/07/2009, -2/+16oligarchs have amassed a fortune during privatization during the dissolution of soviet union using shady means. all of the oligarchs, for the most part, are crooks. the guy who owns the factory is closing it without even paying his workers. as you can see, even the factory is in a disgusting state. all of this goes on while this jackass has billions of stolen money that would've otherwise been used to benefit the people in 90's and he's treating his workers like *****. so when putin puts his feet to the fire and makes him spend some of his stolen money, everyone cheers, and putin gains more support.
- kubak, on 06/07/2009, -2/+16i just checked, on monday derebaska received a $4.5 billion! loan extension from russian government :)
- thisisthetruth, on 06/07/2009, -1/+14because facts don't sell. drama does
- rileyhallwood, on 06/07/2009, -4/+15despite how badass putin is, its a bit ***** up to force someone to re-open a plant thats unaffiliated with the gov't. dictatorships ftl.
- painkillr, on 06/07/2009, -0/+10george bush 41
- ryanonfire, on 06/07/2009, -0/+10http://punditkitchen.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/p ...
http://jp.senescence.info/comedy/putin.gif - nedev, on 06/07/2009, -1/+11In ex-Soviet liberal democracies like Georgia or the Czech Republic economic growth has been even higher. And that's bearing in mind they don't have the natural resources Russia does. Autocratic systems create corruption and waste.
Presenting it like it's either an incompetent half-anarchy Yeltsin style or Putins dictatorship is a false dilemma. There is no reason Putin could not have respected the freedom of the press, rule of law and individual rights.
Source for growth figure comparison:
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/63047/micha ...
Not publicly available, check your university library/database. - SifuMoKung, on 06/07/2009, -4/+14Yeah, the polonium inside is expensive.
- enrq, on 06/07/2009, -2/+11that's exactly what my wife said to me on our wedding
/s - Jlaugh, on 06/07/2009, -0/+8Oh ***** you just described America.
- enrq, on 06/07/2009, -0/+8and any other "power-tripping" leader on a PR mission.
- inactive, on 06/07/2009, -0/+7Die Glowing in the dark?
- nedev, on 06/07/2009, -0/+7@stormofswords
It's not just the Czech Republic or Georgia though. Nearly every former Soviet Republic experienced an economic crash after the downfall of the USSR. The rebound has been equally spectacular. When you try to find a correlation between regime type and speed of economic recovery you certainly find none pointing in favor of Russia's approach, as the article I referenced explains. Putin's popularity I do not dispute, but bear in mind he rode the waves of 1) a regional economic recovery 2) high oil prices 3) renewed censorship. His popularity hardly reflects on him as a leader.
Again, explain to me why Putin-style autocracy or lawless profiteering by oligarchs are the only options for the Russian people? - kingmanic, on 06/07/2009, -0/+7I'm pretty bad with the bracket (splices) but having nested and unclosed brackets is crossing the line? (maybe?(ahh hell.)
- inactive, on 06/07/2009, -0/+7true, but the oligarchs robbed the state of money and other assets during privatization, so nobody really cries for them when they're being told how to use their stolen property by putin.
- thePTS, on 06/07/2009, -1/+8Very strange that the BBC didn't pick up on that..
- Ravatar, on 06/07/2009, -0/+6It originated from stepping cautiously, similar to a cat.
- polumrak, on 06/07/2009, -0/+6Who loves Putin? I don't love him, for sure. Please don't speak for Russians, even if we all look the same to you.
- Khiva, on 06/07/2009, -0/+6I just want to applaud everyone in this discussion for whipping out links and facts to support their arguments.
*wipes away tear* - Junkyarddawg, on 06/07/2009, -8/+14There is no free enterprise in Russia at the moment. If the state likes a company, it trumps up charges and seizes it, like it did with Shell. Neither is there any free press (if the state doesn't like what you write you'll get killed in a "botched robbery") nor any political freedom (the media is against you, and if you still manage to get a following you'll get beaten, prosecuted, and jailed).
And Putin runs the show. Medvedev is barely even a sock puppet. - lachs, on 06/07/2009, -1/+7@polumrak
http://www.russiatoday.com/Top_News/2009-02-17/Med ...
If 74% approval in the middle of a financial crisis isn't love i don't know what is. I'm not saying Putin is perfect, far from it, but he has made great strides to protect Russia from her oligarchs and with a greater distribution of wealth Russia will be in a far greater position to move towards true liberal democracy. - opticwind, on 06/07/2009, -1/+7Sources?
- inactive, on 06/07/2009, -3/+9I hate hypocrites
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Putin#Person ...
There have also been allegations that Putin secretly owns a large fortune. According to former Chairman of the Russian State Duma Ivan Rybkin[290][291], and Russian political scientist Stanislav Belkovsky[292][293], Putin controls a 4.5% stake (approx. $13 billion) in Gazprom, 37% (approx. $20 billion) in Surgutneftegaz and 50% in the oil-trading company Gunvor run by Gennady Timchenko, a close friend. Gunvor's turnover in 2007 was $40 billion.[35][294][295]. The aggregate estimated value of these holdings would easily make Putin Russia's richest person. In December 2007, Belkovsky elaborated on his claims: "Putin's name doesn't appear on any shareholders' register, of course. There is a non-transparent scheme of successive ownership of offshore companies and funds. The final point is in Zug Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Vladimir Putin should be the beneficiary owner."[81]
Like to confess anything Mr. KBG? - polumrak, on 06/07/2009, -0/+5And no Russian is ever allowed to use Internet, learn English and find out what a typical idiot thinks of him or her. Right?
- Jlaugh, on 06/07/2009, -1/+6It's to bad our politicians are bought and paid for, we could use someone like Putin.
- inactive, on 06/07/2009, -3/+8better watch out or a polonium umbrella "accidental poke" for you!
- gargantuan, on 06/07/2009, -7/+12While we're all brushing up on our Russian politics and sociology, let's not forget that the Russia we see today was America and the UKs great experiment. They created the Oligarchs. Just thought I'd bring that up.
- inactive, on 06/07/2009, -1/+6This happens the day after an open letter from a group of Russian employees asking Obama for help hit the net.
And I got Dugg down when I stated that the workers were doing it to get international attention, NOT to get money from Obama, contrary to the general knee jerk opinion around here.
So yes, this is propaganda, nothing is real in what you see in that video, and don't forget to Digg me down again! - MOJIRA, on 06/07/2009, -0/+5Who's the ONE guy that dugg you down? ALERT: There is a non-nerd on digg!
- solefald, on 06/07/2009, -0/+5i like reading the comments from all the armchair generals here, who have never been to Russia, don't know a single thing about Russia and it's people, but yet feeling obligated to talk ***** like they know what's going on.
- enrq, on 06/07/2009, -0/+5Option 4 FTW
- stormofswords, on 06/07/2009, -2/+7@ nedev: 1) Czech Republic is in the European Union, so of course economic growth is to be expected. 2) If you think Georgia is a liberal democracy, read some of the Exiled's non-mainstream coverage of Shaakashvili (like here http://exiledonline.com/my-autocrats-worse-than-yo ... ). The US has been pumping money into Georgia (to ***** with Russia) while looking the other way on dissident repressions from this wannabe tin pot dictator.
Of course this is populism on Putin's part, but Putin has also had a track record of going after the Oligarchs when they overstepped their bounds. I personally think he should have gone further in his time as president because, as you stated lachs, the raping of Russia and it's natural resources during Yeltsin's years was astounding. The people who suffered were average Russians, while people like Abramovich and Berezovsky made off with a king's ransom.
If you look at it like that, it's hard not to understand why this move from Putin is going to be extremely popular among Russians. And rightly so. So let it be populist and let Putin humiliate this oligarch. It could be worse for him (read: Kodorkhovsky) - MatzahMan, on 06/07/2009, -1/+5KILL IT WITH FIRE!
- Napiertt, on 06/07/2009, -0/+4And Wall Street and lax U.S. regulations are pretty much responsible for driving the entire global economy into the toilet.
- heldlik, on 06/07/2009, -1/+5Yes no one cries when one thief is bullying another thief!
- energyx, on 06/07/2009, -1/+5Stalin did this as well
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