Originally Posted by
Victor
It's all not about "free Russia", but about Russia having obedient colonial administration of good Russians and good submissive oligarchs.
What Russia has become in 90s was totally acceptable for Western parties and would be acceptable to last for a century if needed. No one gave a shit in the West about actual freedoms, corruption, level of life down there and nobody even considered any importance of them, as long as Russia was in a loyal subordinate position.
Russian corruption, oligarchs, lack of freedom of speech and other worrisome things became important in late 2000s, at the click of your fingers.
You have a literal sheikh of Montenegro Milo Djukanovic who ruled Montenegro with his mafia since times of Yugoslavia. Nobody gives a shit what he is and what are his methods, how corrupt is Montenegro, what happens to businessmen and activists down there, but if this guy became not obedient to the Western parties, all his skeletons and flaws would be moved out from closet asap making him a political corpse.
This nice coastal state gave a political exile to the Russian oligarch Telman Ismailov, an Azeri Jew who was famous owner of mega clothing market in 90s Russia which turned into huge human trafficking center, underground workshop, center of drug trade. This guy ordered the murders. He received an exile down there and nobody gives a damn, he's a victim of Putin's Russia. Probably people like him would lead us to the bright future after victory of "good Russians".