A thread dedicated to everything which is connected with Russia and USSR. This country has always been controversial and notorious and it is such up to now.

When Russia is on its knees and is weakened, the so-called Western World loves it, supports it and does everything to support the state of decay. When Russia is strong, it instantly gets accused of not being democratic, becomes a favorite target for criticism and Western World tries to use every opportunity to avoid cooperation and to create obstacles for it.

The most recent discussion-worthy event is the presidential elections. As one would expect, Dmitri Medvedev won it with around 70% of votes.

Let the discussion commence.

Russia's problems have nothing to do with its relations with the West. After the fall of the U.S.S.R. fell apart the transition to capitalism and failed because the government was simply replaced by a small and ridiculously rich upper class (Russia now has the second most billionaires in the world) and Russia's ordinary people didn't get shit. Putin's government, and now Medvedeev's now provides some stability and economic benefit due to Russia's gas reserves, at the expense of democratic freedoms and human rights. Trying to blame Russia's backwardness on Western countries is just stupid. Other East European and former Soviet countries have prospered with the help of the West. Russia, if anything, is trying to drag these countries down along with it.

Yeltsin was a legend, easily the best president of anywhere ever. I wish the australian prime minister was as drunk as he often was.

THAT IS ALL.

Russia's problems have everything to do with the west. Western European companies control the oil and natural gas industries more than the government does.

The USSR fell because of the Western countries and Reaganism with it's policy of being "tough on communism", and all that did was make Russia build more arms than it needed, and that was a factor of what made the USSR fall.

The reason Russia is backwards is because of the Western governments fear and need to outspend and outdo the USSR in arms produced.

Russia helps country with their need for oil. Greece is a good example because they are part of the European Union but also most of their technology came from Soviet Russia and was heavily upgraded. Russia gives fuel to many countries. Therefore, it is ignorant to say that the the West is not at least a contributing factor to Russia being backwards.

Plaudite/plaudite/plaudite.
Um, I suppose that we won't get our Moldavian Republic back anyway (I just got a new problem thanks to fellow metalhead Arpad). The song goes on, and Russians haven't shown too much interest in collaborating with Romania and blessing us with their pwecious gas and so on. In short, they don't wanna have anything in common with Romania. And Putin will sit in the shadows and inspire Medvedev, no doubt about it.

Agreed. Yeltsin is equal with Castro as coolest leader ever. I mean, Yeltsin was a drunk and Castro had his cigars.

TOO FUCKING COOL.

On a more serious note, Putin is catching up to those two. He can't go for president anymore, so gets his crony in and takes the role of prime minister, giving him just as much power as before. Ah, Putin you fucking legend!

Worth noting that Yeltsin lead the democratically elected government after the soviet union disbanded At least, I'm pretty sure he was a much more democratically-inclined leader then putin.

As far as I recall, someone told me: "My dear, a democratic regime would equal anarchy in a country like Russia". I tend to agree.

I find Russia to be quite a fascinating nation, in the past century they have truly come quite a way. I couldn't comment on the current state of the nation as I am not caught up with the news, but I do know a small bit about the Stalin era. Stalin turned the nation into the superpower it was, and still is to some degree. Though it may have been at the expense of millions of lives, I still hold the man in thee utmost of respect. Others thoughts and opinions?

Hey, we had some interesting Prime Ministers too. I mean, one went out for a swim and vanished without a trace and another had that beer drinking incident. But yeah I guess they could never match Yeltsin. I loved how he got some tanks to shell the parliament building to blow out his opponents.

Anyway, I too find Russia a fascinating nation. I love Russian culture, and I'm starting to collect some Soviet military novelties (I've got an awesome real-fur Soviet ushanka and an officer cap + jacket so far, looking into gas masks etc.) because the Red Army was so damn cool.

I wouldn't say I respect Stalin. Yes he did turn the USSR into a superpower, but that was partially due to Hitler's failed invasion of the USSR resulting in the Soviets pushing them back and occupying many countries along the way. Stalin was still a tyrant. I'll admit he looks pretty cool though.

Badass Hitler vs Stalin comic:

http://www.comics.aha.ru/rus/stalin/

That's great.

I may be obsessed with Russia in a kind of pretentious intellectual way that comes from reading way too much Dostoevsky and Karl Marx. However, on the subject of this election I am going to have stand back with the rest of the western world and say "Oh my god - the guy Vladimir Putin wanted to win won? How could this have happened".

http://www.economist.com/daily/news/dis ... op_story=1
I mean obviously the Russia people love Putin so much that will support anything he supports...what other world leader can score 110% on an approval poll?

Today in the Austrian newspaper Der Standard:



In case you don't understand:

-) In German Russian names always are written with a 'w' instead of a 'v'.
-) The other guy is supposed to look like Putin.
-) In the ballons it says "democracy".

Even with that amount of bloodshed and repression you still respect him?

Yes.

That was awesome in so many ways.

Another cartoon, but this one's way cooler.

Russia has had to fight off advances from asia, middle east and europe for centuries. If they want to keep their country Russian that is their prerogative.

I've heard that even a white, blonde-haired, blue-eyed person like myself, would get beaten to death in Russia as soon as I open my mouth and they heard an Aussie accent, because they just hate anyone that isn't Russian. Is that really true?

I thought they were friends?

Battle of Stalingrad?

Cleaned and re-relocated. Daffy posts ("go Putinator, lol" or "ushanka = u shank her rofl", etc.) are not appropriate for Symposium topics, nor is assisting in making such posts the center of the topic.

I wouldn't say that, but from what I have read Stalin was somewhat fond of Hitler. He liked how Hitler rose to power, and he especially liked how Hitler purged the Brown Shirts.

I also saw a show on the History channel where Hitler was talking to the Socialist leader in Nazi-occupied Norway (I believe, I may be wrong). Who he was talking to wasn't so important, so anyway, Hitler was talking about the Soviets. He was astonished by their production capabilities and he was speaking of them in a much less harsh tone than he did at Nazi rallies.

You could say they maybe had some respect for each other as adversaries, just maybe.

Yes I saw that show too. Someone secretly filmed Hitler in his train car (I think.)

Russia is a fascinating country and I would like to one day go there to take in the sites and see their culture first hand.

What. The. Fuck.

It's like LOTR/X-Men meets the Axis powers.

russia is a really big country and it depends on where you go, if you stick ot moscow and st.peter - both are full of tourists from all the natios so unless you get drunk and start shit with people no one will mess with you. cops will treat you much better if you are a foreigner, especially from a developed country.

i was born in moscow and lived there. as far as the govt goes - its a buisness and putin got REAlly rich from it but he also provides stability so unlike the 90's and early 00's where it was almost a war zone - people are happier and live better, even though they are poor compared the oligarchs and the leaders.

no matter how you see it here, when i was visiting there last summer, there was a clear anti-american sentiment from the goverment especially putin himself, the citizens dont hate or really care about america but it seems like the govt is doing is uniting the people by having one common enemy, someone they can always look at and hate - the younger people that grew up in a more free society and the more intellecutal see through it and have no animocity towards the US and actually like the west, europe, us, etc but the dimmer witted avgerage workers kinda do - not to where they want to kill them but they talk shit about them sometimes haha

I KNOW that i cannot generalize the opinion of a while population and it may be wrong but thats what i got from it

also, i dont like putin and his crew but what he does do right is provide stability and hope for the russian people, just that alone will bring up the economy and help russian get back to being a richer, better country

Interesting points Leo. I had an opportunity to study abroad in Russia, but I decided against it because I wasn't sure of the stability over there. I could've gone to either Moscow or St. Petersburg, and although you said foreigners were better off in those cities, chances are I would get drunk and do something stupid one night - just knowing me

One day I want to be able to ride the Trans-Siberian Railroad. Just thinking of what kind of epic journey that would be makes me sad that I can't do it anytime soon.

Russia is no easy subject. It's easy to amuse ourselves over Yeltsyn being drunk on official occasions, but i bet Russians didn't like him making a fool of himself.

Also, Russia is highly contradictory. Lermontov said Russia cannot be understood rationally, and I totally agree. You have to FEEL it. And, in my humble opinion, that's a lot harder than reading a thousand books about it.

Russia has had probably the most fucked past ever. They are pretty much the only country ever to have been in a war with every country in the world.

As a result, Russia is very distrustful of everyone; I dont blame them.

you make an excellent point! i didnt want to get into it in my first post but you really hit it spot on! they - i mean - we are very contradictory and its quite funny sometimes

Russian society cannot be understood and has rarely understood itself. But its leaders are more than very rational. They're as fucked up as can be. It wouldn't be bad if Russia had its territory reduced. It's too powerful as a single country, what the hell.

Why only Russia, then? Why not also America, Canada, China, Ukraine... errr... you name it.

Slightly simplistic view, I think...

Thanks. I just wanted to point out that the subject is HUDGE and very serious, and sometimes beyond rational.

Yeah, funny and at the same time tragic. I think Russians are the only living nation that did to themselves more harm than they did to all the others, and this is sometimes overlooked. And it is unjust, but somehow natural. Why would "I" care that my (historical) agressor suffered the same as "I" when he got home from the war?

Well, I DO, or at least I should try to. 'Cause else we'll all continue to talk to the walls and fail to understand each other.

Everyone talks about the social atmosphere in places such as St. Petersburg and Moscow, but I was just wondering if anyone has been to (or if a native Russian can give me some info on) Khabarovsk. I will be studying abroad there in two years as I'm a Russian/Business major.

How different are things on the coast of the Far East, ten or eleven time zones away from the capital?

Not to mention they still have the most corrupt military on the face of the Earth.

How so?

Erm, I'd say the US has been to war with more countries than Russia. Plus they're still doing it, while Russia isn't officially at war with anyone anymore.