Putin calls demise of USSR 'tragedy'

Chicago Tribune ^

[ScarTissue]

MOSCOW, RUSSIA -- President Vladimir Putin used a campaign speech Thursday to declare the demise of the Soviet Union a "national tragedy."

Putin, a former agent of the KGB spy agency, has praised aspects of the Soviet Union before but never so robustly nor in such a major political setting.

"The breakup of the Soviet Union is a national tragedy on an enormous scale," from which "only the elites and nationalists of the republics gained," Putin said in a televised speech to about 300 campaign workers at Moscow State University.

[ScarTissue]

Once a commie, always a commie. I bet Hanoi John agrees with Putin...

[alisasny]

do we have a password for that site?

[Crazieman]

Uh oh, this sounds bad.

[ScarTissue]

Yeah but that is the entire article. It was very short, only 90 words.

[evolved_rage]

Putin is plagiarizing from Kerry and Dean. I wonder where Putin got his money to run??? (oops, Iraq)

[alisasny]

Putin regards USSR disintegration as national tragedy from ITAR TASS MOSCOW, February 12 (Itar-Tass) - Presidential candidate Vladimir Putin has described the disintegration of the Soviet Union as a national tragedy of enormous scope. He said so, responding to questions of his electioneering agents here on Thursday. “There are a lot of people who gained nothing from the disintegration of the USSR. People came up against numerous problems,” he explained. In his opinion, the problems, which existed that time, including cultural problems, language problems and the relationship between religious confessions, could have been settled on a new basis within the framework of a single state. Putin reminded that the leaders of some Soviet republics had opposed the disintegration of the USSR. “For instance, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev was categorically against it, and stated it openly,” Putin said. However, he continued, “we should be realistic about the situation that has taken shape by today. There is no reason to argue. We should be looking forward.” According to Putin “it is the elites and the nationalistically minded sections of the population, who gained from the disintegration of the USSR.” YIKES, I never trusted this guy.

[ScarTissue]

I wonder if Hanoi John ever visted Moscow...

[ScarTissue]

Same here. He worked for the KGB. He will always be a commie at heart and we shouldn't trust him. We need him to fight Islamic terrorism but aside from that we should steer clear of him.

[A Longer Name]

You have to remember that for the Russians demise of the Communism and breakup of the USSR is not the same thing.

The USSR was the old Russian Empire, which was much older than Communism. Many Russians who don't care about Communism want the empire back.

[Bikers4Bush]

Considering that there are nukes unnacounted for on the surface I would have to agree with him.

It would have been better for everyone if it had remained intact and moved towards capitalism as a single entity instead of breaking apart and doing so at various rates and with modest success.

[Swede Girl]

The beginning of the USSR was a national tragedy....not its breakup.

[Paul Ross]

BUMP.

The true Russian policy directions of Putin can be inferred from this. The 'nationalism' is a smoke screen...and always was.

Why has nothing been done by the CIA or FBI in response to the fact that KGB activity in the U.S. from 90's and into the new millenia have been at levels as great or greater than they had back in the Cold War? Where are the deportations and prosecutions?

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[A Longer Name]

It would have been better for everyone if it had remained intact and moved towards capitalism as a single entity instead of breaking apart and doing so at various rates and with modest success.

Yeah, and we don't really need so many new Muslim states.

[Bikers4Bush]

An excellent point.

[sphinx]

"only the elites and nationalists of the republics gained,"

Well, yes, provided one remembers that the "nationalists of the republics" represent the majority of the non-Russian populations which collectively accounted for -- what? 40%-plus of the total population of the Russian empire?

[ScarTissue]

Those Muslim states are secular and staunchly opposed to terrorism. They are assets for America because they can help modernize the Islamic world from within.

[Paradox]

AGreed, it wasn't the USSR that was neccessarily bad, it was the government, the system. I would have preffered an intact country to deal with instead of all these little countries runnin around...

[isom35]

one man's tragedy is another man's happiness. Death to the Empire.

[dfwgator]

In one sense Putin is right. At least under the Soviet Union, they pretty much kept the Islamo-fascists in Central Asia in check.