“Now, as I understand, there has been a lot [of changes] in the Latvian society and a lot [of changes] in the Latvian media, and, of course, now after a long ‘winter’ between Latvia and Russia comes the ‘spring’,” Shvidkoy said. If I may notice these changes come AFTER Latvia and other Baltic countries have been hardly hit by all the policies they have pursued as independent countries, blindly accepting without any critical consideration everything that has been coming from the West, especially if it came under anti-Russian and anti-Soviet banner, such as neoliberal policies, spreading hegemony of their new NATO masters in Afghanistam and Iraq under the gusie of "war on terror", deindustrialization, glorifying nazism and quislings in WW2, annual marches of SS veterans in public in daylight... And now, when they have been hardly hit and they suffer in economic crisis, they suddenly start to look at Russia in more objective way. Strange, isn't it?

I hope the Latvian reversion is just the beginning of a movement for other "anti-Russians" to follow. It just takes a little courage and some wisdom to make a reality check to see the light after what Eastern Europe has been through ever since it made a precipitous jump into the Western "paradise." It's never too late to recognize a fatal mistake and make a turnaround. Russia is the enemy of nobody and has never been a colonial country from the very beginning of Soviet times. It was the Russian state that fed and spread civilization to all the countries of the Soviet Union, all the lies of its sworn detractors notwithstanding.

Igor, What you say is true, and what is hard for me to accept is Russia doing increased business and relations with these opportunists. One of the most dissapointing things for me was to wake up on the 9th of May, turn on the TV and then see two Baltic leaders, who are responsible for all the Nazi glorification and anti Russian behaviour you describe, being greeted by Medvedev. Luckily, I had the Rostov parade to go to after that, to see our veterans who defeated the Nazis, rather than as earlier on TV, the Baltic ones who still glorify the Nazis and abuse Russians. Medvedev and the team are in the decision seat, and they must guide us politically, but if it was up to me, I would take a different course, removing diplomatic and all trade relationships with the worst offending Baltic states, because I really have an issue with looking our veterans in the eye, whilst seeing leaders of the Baltic Nazis present at the Moscow parade. I also have a huge issue wasting time and money on these irrelevent tin pot countries, that are now on the EU care list. However, I do appreciate that sometimes talking and keeping a relationship is good to bring about change, and this is a judgement call for Medvedev and Lavrov. But I ask them to be careful, because we are close to looking fools by having relations with dysfuntional Baltic anti Russian countries, that we will pay for! We are building relationships back with Ukraine, with Poland .... and yes there are still issues to be resolved, however, by far, no other countries other than the Baltics, represent anti Russian human rights abusing Nazi rehabilitating states. Yes we should aim for good relationships with everyone, but isn't there a time when separation from a corossive enemy is better, regardless of the irrelevence of them. Don't we need show our principles against Nazism in a clear fashion, demonstarting clearly its unacceptability, and that we will not deal with states that support it.

As usual, preceding posts are replete with sweeping dogma-driven allegations but not one, single, lonely point of factual supporting evidence. Exactly which Nazis are glorified in the Baltics? Since there appear to be so many of them, it should be no problem to name a few, establish their credentials as Nazis, and specify an event or two of their supposed glorification. Which Russians do Baltic policies abuse, what are those policies, and what are some examples of the abuse? Precisely what “civilization” did Soviet Russia spread in Estonia? It took a country whose standard of per capita wealth, education and whose social development was vastly higher than Russia’s, and dragged it down to Soviet Russia’s own miserable levels. And whichs, today, still has a higher standard of living by far than Russia, and whose standard of living, despite the world’s current economic upheavals, is vastly higher than ever it was in the Soviet prison of nations. The Baltics are grandly designated “dysfunctional countries”. In which case it would be discouraging to look up Baltic economic, freedom, press, quality of life and other similar statistical indicators readily available on the web, and compare these with Russia’s. The Baltics are generally in the top third of world countries with Estonia being near the very top in some categories, while Russia is generally in the middle bottom third, and almost near the very bottom in some categories. But here’s a more cheerful thought: since Latvia welcomes Russian television (so does Estonia, by the way), why should not Russia welcome Baltic television? A hint before replying: have you ever actually seen any Baltic television? I have. Finally, CountCash writes, “We are close to looking fools…” I wouldn’t describe Russians like that, but perhaps I should defer to him on this. CountCash lives there, and it might be presumptuous of me to tell him what Russia is like. Just as it is presumptuous of him to tell me what Estonia is like.

I just came across an an article in today’s Wall Street Journal about the dysfunctional Baltic anti-Russian countries that should warm CountCash’s heart. Google “Estonia’a Lessons for Greece”.

You have to laugh at this one, a new rule from Estonia, you are presumptious to comment on another country that you don't live in. I suppose they want Estonia for Estonia in terms of comments, a purist model, wonder where the roots of this approach come from. Interesting model for an international site. I suppose they can even tell themselves without interference, that they are not Nazis, that their unemployment is low and poverty is decreasing. That they are not war ciminals in Iraq and of course parading as Nazis and glorifying Nazis is not dysfunctional. But that would be at odds with the truth, oh sorry was I being presumptious. Anyway if they stick to this rule, it means at least they can stop their Estonain lies with regard to Russia and a Soviet Union they didn't live in. An insular Baltica Nazica! Now is that good for Europe!

I’m not sure whether CountCash is making a genuine mistake because he read my previous post carelessly, or whether he is being deliberately misleading because he read it all too carefully. I had written, “CountCash lives (in Russia), and it might be presumptuous of me to tell him what Russia is like. Just as it is presumptuous of him to tell me what Estonia is like.” To which the good Count replied, “A new rule from Estonia, you are presumptuous to comment on another country that you don't live in.” Did I actually say that no one can comment on a country they do not live in? If so, it would certainly exclude me from ever commenting on Estonia because I only visit there, I don’t live there. Anyone at all can comment on any country at all, and if their comments are factual then these have merit. But if they attempt to describe in highly derogatory terms the flavour of life in a country on the basis of no experience of the matter at all and on no objective documentary evidence either, only on the basis of biased and hostile propaganda, their comments do not have merit. CountCash presents no verifiable substantiating evidence for his opinions about Estonia. Nor as far as I know has he ever been there to see the place for himself. Yet he tells us with great assumed authority all about the place. By contrast, I discuss Russia’s actions, past and present, on the basis of verifiable historical and documentary evidence, which I present. But even then I do not presume to advise CountCash how “dysfunctional” life in Russia may be, because I don’t know – I don’t live there.