Russian just been re-rated to Junk status

Originally posted by markco2 ↑

You would have to be an even bigger dill to not know that the "Guardian" is not a propaganda paper for the Kremlin,
but rather western media. Guess that makes you a real "Dill" Diligent.

So far much has been said and misconstrued as to the real motive of Russia in relation to Ukraine and beyond.
No one is doubting that Stalin was at least as bad as Hitler. I most certainly don't disagree.

True history shows that Stalin was a despicable human being that could not be trusted. Even Lenin, before he died made it known under any circumstances not to allow Stalin the power to rule. At the time Stalin was the General Secretary of the Communist Party. If anything, it was Trotsky's lack of voice by not intervening with Lenin's testament of Stalin that opened the door for Stalin to take power and rule as one of the most ruthless power hungry dictators imaginable.
Perhaps Trotsky was afraid of him. Even Hitler must have known when he did a backflip on the Nazi-Soviet Pact of 1939 to carve up Poland, by unleashing Operation Barbarossa and invading Russia in 1941.

While I agree with you regarding Stalin, there is still much debate as to whether he deliberately starved the Ukraine of food or not. No matter what, he was equally as bad as Hitler. The fixation you have about Putin being the same as Stalin is fanciful.
Sure, he was a KGB for 16 years before entering politics in 1991. So what? It does not mean that he carried the KGB mantle into politics, or if he did, he has certainly mellowed and changed his tactics over the years leaning more towards a social democratic country rather than the totalitarian rule of communism that previously Russia was once regarded as. If we were to compare Russia with other so called democracies now, you would find they are moving closer towards us than what you give them credit for. Sure, they have certain rules of law just the same that we too have certain laws.

If you were to look at what Putin has done since he first took office, you would realize that Yeltsin left the country in tatters. He came in and made a lot of changes. Sure, he capitalized on the resource sector including energy, as with any other resource led country, Canada and Australia in particular became fat.

Diligent, by all means look at history and how various nations evolve.
However, don't be so naive to base all your understanding purely on history and worst still "Wikipedia" as your source.
Empires come and go.

Equally, the US has had some of the most vile presidents since JFK.
What does that tell you about where the country is heading?

If you can't see that, your blind as well as a dill.

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I don't rely on WilKpedia for my knowledge of history.I only utilise when a person like yourself, who is patently ignorant of history, and especially when it comes to the disgusting and abhorrent behaviour of the USSR in the latter part of the last century. From which, going by Putin's recent ranting, they have learnt nothing, but seem more than willing, and eager, to repeat their gruesome mistakes of the past. With the resultant costly, humanitarian infliction on its neighbours.