Not sure whether Putin trolls or naive posters living in an Australian bubble.... The nature of conflict in Ukraine precludes accurate reporting, let alone access, thus we need to trust both leaders' utterances and news reports.

The tsunami of paranoid conspiracy theories, stereotyping and smearing of anyone not with Putin is a classic neo con media tactic which belies the small circle of power in Russia that manipulates and controls its own nation.

By deeming all westerners to be naive lackeys says more about the lack of knowledge and understanding of democracies, than anythhing about the neo Nazi, jewish, NATO etc. controlled west.

On the other hand how does one explain the fact that well before this conflagration, middle class Russians (not just oligarchs) have been sorting out 'bolt holes' in the EU?

Unfortunately for those Russian citizens not in the Moscow western Russia orbit and with resources to leave, i.e. eastern Russia, you get stuck with a corrupt mini Putin governor, your childrens' future is heavily compromised, and then be viewed as a threat to the regime.

I am happy enough with less than perfect democracy knowing that NGOs, media, small medium enterprises etc. will not be mugged by a state corrupted by it's own monopolistic leadership and oligarchs. Further, in 'liberal' democracies, we can at least (eventually) kick out incompetent or corrupt leaders (politically, legally etc.), showing them the lack of respect that one cannot do easily in 'illiberal' democracies like Turkey, Russia etc.

Andras Smith lives in a very naïve world of the West being some beacon of democracy on this planet. It is the West and it's banking cabals that have initiated wars for the concept of their "New World Order" ever since the instigation of the US Federal Reserve in 1914.

http://www.maxkeiser.com/tag/jim-willie/
Dr Jim Willie has been saying for a while that Germany will join the BRICS nations because they know the meaning of hyper-inflation via the Wiermar Republic. This will mean the end of the EU and NATO. The US $ is almost dead and this means the end of $ trillions in gambling derivatives.