[elcid1970]

Rasputin’s name contains the syllables “putin”.

Makes you go hmmm.....

[Leaning Right]

> Rasputin’s name contains the syllables “putin”. Makes you go hmmm..... <

Here’s another one for you. There’s a very old Russian folk saying that goes like this: The Russian Empire will begin with a Mikhail, and end with a Mikhail.

Well, the first czar was Mikhail of Tver. And the leader of the Soviet Union when it collapsed was....Mikhail Gorbachev.

[rmlew]

Not really. Putin’s grandfather was a cook for Lenin and Stalin. He was a committed and loyal communist, and either lucky or beloved enough not to have been purged.