'The West has to overcome its political correctness and address some firm words to Russia. Otherwise, they will have an ugly fight on their hands in the future .. if Russia arranges some military actions against Ukraine..'<blockquote>'The West is at this moment reproducing its appeasement of Hitler. This kind of politics can lead to war, because appeasement only encourages and emboldens totalitarian regimes. The West will have to reply with military means sooner or later. Even now the West doesn't know what to do with Georgia. And what if Russia occupies the whole of its territory? What will America do?
Yes, Georgia is not a member of NATO. But Estonia has joined NATO already. And if Russia occupies Estonia, a NATO member, what will America do? And if Russia arranges some military actions against Ukraine on the eve of its presidential elections, perhaps, for example, organizing provocations in the Crimea, what will America do?
The West has to overcome its political correctness and address some firm words to Russia. Otherwise, they will have an ugly fight on their hands in the future.'
- Vladimir Bukovsky (
Source, October 29, 2009)</blockquote>
'It leads him exactly to… repeat the same mistakes. He wants this whole country to be controlled by one person from the Kremlin, which will lead to disaster.' - Vladimir Bukovsky<blockquote>'As a middle-ranking KGB officer who loved the Soviet Union, Putin lacked the perspective of senior officers, who knew full well the Soviet Union collapsed under the weight of its own inefficiency rather than because of Western plotting, Bukovsky says.
"It leads him exactly to… repeat the same mistakes. He wants this whole country to be controlled by one person from the Kremlin, which will lead to disaster," he says.
Putin's decision to invade Crimea was taken quickly and impulsively, by a small group of his favoured top officials. That means Putin has no one to warn him of the long-term consequences of his actions, and until he finds out for himself, he will maintain his course. That means relations with the West will remain uncomfortable, especially in areas he considers to be his "zone of legitimate interests".
But we can't say we weren't warned.'
- Oliver Bullough,
Vladimir Putin: The rebuilding of ‘Soviet’ Russia, March 28, 2014</blockquote>
'..Russia's epidemic of alcoholism, violence, abortions and nihilism is a consequence of collectivisation, the Gulag and the KGB - that sickened by Stalinism, the population gave up on hope..'<blockquote>'
The Last Man in Russia lays the stress on belief. Bullough argues that Russia's epidemic of alcoholism, violence, abortions and nihilism is a consequence of collectivisation, the Gulag and the KGB - that sickened by Stalinism, the population gave up on hope from the 1960s to the 1980s and turned to the bottle..'
- Ben Judah, Standpoint (<a href="[
www.oliverbullough.com];, 2013)</blockquote>
'..to save the whole Russian people like that, one at a time.'<blockquote>And he [her husband] appears,’ she paused for dramatic effect, loving her story.
‘And I look at him. And he’s sober. Sober!’
Her husband had told her an incredible story: ‘The bus broke down, we stopped on a bridge, the lads ran off and bought some wine, and said, “Seryoga, pour it out,” and I said, “I do not drink.” And they said, “What?” And I said, “I do not drink. I went to a priest, and the priest gave me five years of no drinking.” They gave me a glass, but I said no.’
The woman laughed with joy. ‘He said no. No! And he’s been like this ever since. Ever since. It was a miracle. It is a miracle. A miracle. Father Dmitry saved him. He wanted to save the whole Russian people like that, one at a time. That was what I wanted to say. God bless you.’
-
The Last Man in Russia: And The Struggle To Save A Dying Nation, 2013</blockquote>
Context<blockquote>
'..Putin's "incredible act of aggression" .. "will isolate Russia politically, diplomatically and economically." 'Ukraine - '..The economy needs a total structural overhaul .. the work Central Europe and the Baltic states did in the 1990s.'To create an environment where we learn the Art of Being Human (
Vision)
'..open source collaborative process .. vision..' ('
Healing Self and Others')</blockquote>