I am not equivocating anything. But you are promoting this idea that if some country is less "good" than another then this another can use any means possible to bring the first one to the standards. Why not fucking nuke Russia? after all, they are worse than US?
Fact is, US has done much worse meddling in Russia and around than Russia (allegedly) did this time. And your "but we are good guys" simply are not working. You are losing any good will you ever had among russians. It's just stupid and short-sighted.
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Well, you can ask Obama, he seemed under impression that Putin did in fact have support.
Well, we have to thank US for that. Putin does seem a bit paranoid about that. But in his defense, he saw what happens when US decides to do revolt. Now it is assumed any opposition is paid by State Department, and it's often true.
Because people have memory. They remember when they had president whom US liked and how it was back then. There was plenty of dissenting left and right, not much eating.So that naturally leads me to the question of: if the Russian people so overwhelmingly support Putin, why is his government so dead-set on squashing dissent?
Which president are you referring to?
Eltsin.
Here's a genuine curiosity for you:
Do you think Russia would be better off if it was democratic? Or do you feel Putin's government is your only option? And if so, why?