In a New Yorker portrait on Putin, he was quoted as calling himself a thug. The latest political death & imprisonment in Russia seem to make him true to his word. First, Sergei Magnitsky, a lawyer who was uncovering governmental corruption--jailed and tortured to death. Next, Khodorkovsky, oil billionaire who dared support opposition parties, imprisoned in Siberia and, this week, may get 14 additional years for "embezzling." Accusing an oligarch in Russia of embezzling, like accusing Kremlin, Inc. of embezzling, is like handing out speeding tickets at the Indy 500.
A great man couldn't turn Russia into a big 0 in a few short decades. So there we have it. Welcome to the world where no one in the West ever invests in Russia. Sad. A country, once again, with no future.