Russia still 'Stalinist' says icon of Ukraine

Telegraph ^ | 02/07/2005 | Robin Gedye

[ValenB4]

"All guys who claim now that it was a farce, from the beginning supported Kremlin’s controlled candidate. We may judge them after cadency and not now after few months.

No thanks. I'll judge them now. If they do anything to improve things, then my judgment will change. Only results matter. If things were better, we'd be hearing about what a smashing success they were, you wouldn't be holding back praise.

[GarySpFc]

No thanks. I'll judge them now. If they do anything to improve things, then my judgment will change. Only results matter. If things were better, we'd be hearing about what a smashing success they were, you wouldn't be holding back praise.

Yes, I agree with your point of view. However, do you have faith the present government will succeed or fail? It is obvious to us they are going downhill fast, but those on the other side need to be convinced. Humility is a noble attribute more frequently learned in failure than success.

[ValenB4]

I agree that there isn't much room for optimism. But I think Yuschenko is better than Timoshenko and things would be better without her.

[Destro]

'Classes Will Be Voluntary'

So kids can opt out of Christian values classes in favor of the state approved human secularism? Stalinist is who again?

[Lukasz]

Firstly, I never said you wrote the article, but in posting it you failed to mention the woman's proclivity for evil.

Of course she is always better than Putin and when I was posting article about him I usually didn’t wrote any comments because I’m NOT obligated to do so, nobody is.

Secondly, the only reason the allegations against Tymoshenko are unproven is she is unwilling to go to court in Russia.

Seriously? Then they have courts in Russia? You kidding me?

[Lukasz]

Stalinist is who again?

Well, according to your logic, United States of America for example.

So kids can opt out of Christian values classes in favor of the state approved human secularism?

Be serious Destro, of course parents will decide not kids.

[Lukasz]

Some of them even don’t recognize Ukraine as a independent state, so I really care less about their attacks.

[Lukasz]

I don't think I have ever seen such an open admission of russophobia.

Wrong cause he probably meant Russian state not nation, and that is correct.

[Michael81Dus]

Oh yeah, we learned how efficient the Russian courts work. I just think of Chodorkowski, the former Yukos-CEO. Where is he now? In Sibiria.

[Lukasz]

I have no doubt Khodorkovsky is a thieve and he should be imprisoned. Problem is that he was imprisoned because of wrong reasons, because he wanted to be a president of Russia. Thousands of other oligarchs in Russia with similar faults like Khodorkovsky, living there like Gods and they have perfect relationship with Putin. For example Roman Abramovich gave him yacht and he is clean.

Where is he now? In Sibiria.

Nine years in labor camp (And other Russian courts freeing murders. ), but I don’t know where. Anyway probably he will have another process for other crimes.

[GarySpFc]

Mr. Half Truth, you put out your nonsense without telling how Khodorkovsky stole Yukos in the first place, and then failed to pay taxes in the second place.
Khodorkovsky was a banker, and rigged the bidding process when his company offered $200K for Yukos. Then he set up a dummy company which tendered an offer of $1 billion dollars to keep any competition out of the bidding. Once the bidding was over the dummy company folded leaving Yukos being sold to Khodorkovsky for a mere $200K. But that is not the end of the story he never paid the $200K nor did he pay the taxes for Yukos. Now in the press the oligarchs blame Putin for Khodorkovsky's crimes.

[Lukasz]

I'm curious how you explain this?

Yukos, just like other oil companies, used legal tax mechanism to reduce the taxes. Out of 24 per cent of the binding income tax, Yukos paid around 12-15 per cent. It should be added that e.g. Sibneft concern (Controlled by Kremlin’s loyal businessman Roman Abramovich) pays around 5 per cent of the income tax, and the aluminum concern RusAl around 3 per cent (out of 24). Both companies are loyal to the Kremlin; the Tax Office and the prosecution authorities have not applied any sanctions against them.

Source: Center for Eastern Studies, Warsaw, Poland
Putin after re-election

[Michael81Dus]

Chodorkowski didn´t get a fair trial, that´s the top of the pseudo-democracy in Russia. Free press? In Russia? Never heard of it. Putin is governing like a Czar. Just look on Chechnya, where 8-10 times more people died than in Iraq (and don´t forget the different size of both countries).