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Apr 7, 2022Liked by Jörg Luyken

I think you may not have been here in the 1990s. At that time there was a lot of good will to get Russia transform itself from a failed communist state to a democracy exercising captitalism. The 90s were a free for all and the role of Putin privatising state-owned companies first in St. Petersburg and then later for all of Russia for Jelsin. He sold these companies to his future oligarchs, who often were Russian mafia. They had the money to buy companies since the communist world was a closed system and they had a lot of cash to spend. During the 90s Germany assisted Russis setting up production plants and helping them to start companies. So at that time an interest n Russian energy seemed to be helping Russia on the road to capitalism. What the West failed to realise is how Putin bit by bit rolled back the beginnings of democracy and instituted his kleptocracy with himself as the head autocrat. Reading on this Fiona Hill's book on Putin and Mascha Geesen's book the Man with No Face: Vladimir Putin. The West meant well but the Russians have reverted back to allegiance to a strong man as they did under the Tzars, Lenin and Stalin.

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