@Igor.
Come to think of Lilliputs.
Donbass and Georgia are also Lilliputs.
Oh. Forgot. Russia are bigger and therefore have the natural right to intervene.

Finland has this to worry about!
https://tvrain.ru/news/spetssluzhby-420185/

On the other hand.
Putin can be very funny:)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhZOi2y75SM

Another Lilliput country:)
Kazakh song: "Kazagym aj" - Gauhartas (550th anniversary of Kazakh Khanate)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBmFGoZuBiA

Russia has an obsession for history.
Panfilov’s 28 Men.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NE-39Mguh1k
The regiment consisted mainly of recruits from Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
http://www.svt.se/nyheter/utrikes/premiar-for-rysk-film-om-hjaltedad-som-ar-en-myt

Today's Russia has every reason to honor the many self-sacrificing Soviet soldiers who fought during the war.
But a military investigation in 1948 concluded that the entire history of the 28 heroes at the battle of Dubosekovo was fictional. The investigation was stamped secret.
For generations, Soviet and Russian schoolchildren learned to honor the 28 heroes, and at the site of the battle is long since a large monument to the heroes honor.
But last year it was made public - heroic deed had never occurred. Despite this, the authorities have recently started to renovate and greatly expand the monument.
And now, therefore, the film about the fictional story. Russian and Kazakh presidents are said to be very satisfied with the film, which is largely funded by the two countries' culture ministries.

In Russia tries rulers systematically make life difficult for organizations working with human rights and social debate.
Amnesty International’s Moscow Office sealed.
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2016/11/russia-amnesty-internationals-moscow-office-sealed/

US actor Steven Seagal given Russian citizenship by Putin
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-37858513
Seagal, whose grandmother was from Vladivostok in Russia's far east, has made frequent trips to Russia in recent years and visited Kamchatka and Sakhalin in September.
My GF's grandmother is also from Russia.
Perhaps Putin will invite my GF to Russia:)
Hmmm. I think I have to learn more Russian...

Dmitry Kiselyov has changed his tune:)
America? We Love Those Guys: Russian Propaganda U-Turns on the U.S.
https://themoscowtimes.com/articles/america-we-love-those-guys-56125

The world today, the show concluded, is “like a Gogol novel.”

Some things can make even the most powerful world leader upset, and Vladimir Putin is no exception.
https://sputniknews.com/art_living/201611271047898238-five-things-that-upset-putin-in-recent-years/
3. Poor knowledge of history
That's very true. Not only in Russia. LOL:)
Vladimir is also an old Scandinavian name. Valdemar the Great comes to mind:)

To Be Great Again, Russia Resurrects Soviet Legends.
https://themoscowtimes.com/articles/to-be-great-again-russia-resurrects-soviet-legends-56380

The Oxford dictionary last month named “post-truth” its “word of 2016,” indicating that the Western world is only just beginning to grapple with the practice. In Russia, the merging of truth and convenience, an activity long perfected.

That Russian RT and Sputnik are spreading fake news is very well known.
Now the American CNN does the same!
No, CNN, US Marines do not train on Norwegian-Russian border
CNN draws fire from Norwegian Army and Moscow’s RT news network for misleading headline.
The story spread like wildfire.
http://thebarentsobserver.com/en/security/2016/12/us-marines-do-not-play-wargame-norwegian-russian-border

To keep tensions from getting too high during the Cold War, Norway declared more than 50 years ago that no NATO exercises would take place anywhere near to the Russian border.

However there are some Norwegians "på tur" close to the Russian border.

"This murder is clearly a provocation aimed at undermining the improvement and normalization of Russian-Turkish relations, as well as undermining the peace process in Syria promoted by Russia, Turkey, Iran and other countries interested in settling the conflict in Syria," Putin said in a statement on Monday evening.
The "only response" to the attack that Moscow "should offer" is "stepping up the fight against terrorism," the president added.
"The killers will feel it," Putin said.

So now Aleppo = Dresden?

---

Russia reveals plans for major military expansion in 2017
Defence ministry intends 'to reinforce the army groups in the western, southwestern and Arctic strategic areas'
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/russia-vladimir-putin-military-expansion-reinforcements-europe-a7491276.html

С Новым годом! С Рождеством!

Tomorrow it's 25 years since the final demise of Soviet Union.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qyz7poxAnGI
Now it's "only" Russia.
Love the smell of hawthorn in the morning.

Putin ruled out a major crackdown on alcohol despite recognising Russia had a problem, although no worse than Nordic countries...
Hehe:)
http://siberiantimes.com/other/others/news/n0832-alcohol-poisoning-in-irkutsk-is-an-outrage-says-putin-as-death-toll-hits-75/
Счастливого Нового Года и Рождества!

The Russians have it busy during the Christmas season. First celebrating "ordinary" new year December 31, then Christmas January 7 and January 14 New Year again.

Now US has Rex Tillerson as a Foreign Minister.
Russia has Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
1. He speaks three foreign languages: English, French and Sinhalese.
2. He is fond of rafting. he used to go rafting on the rivers in the Altai mountains, along with his university classmates.
3. Lavrov likes playing the guitar. In 1999, he wrote a song dedicated to his alma mater Moscow States Institute of International Relations (MGIMO). The song later became the university's anthem.
4. Lavrov is addicted to smoking. He refused to follow the recommendations of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan who introduced a ban on smoking at the UN headquarters.
5. Sergei Lavrov loves poetry and has published several rhymes of his own.
https://sputniknews.com/art_living/201702101050562496-surprising-facts-lavrov

Apart from oil what do Rex Tillerson do?

Come to think about it.
Why not let Tillerson inviting Lavrov to the US and have some raft experience?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myhnAZFR1po

Sudden test of readiness of military forces along Russia's Nordic/Baltic borders.
https://twitter.com/carlbildt/status/831498606880382976/photo/1
Readiness for what?
The four new Multinational Battlegroups ?
https://twitter.com/carlbildt/status/831815302128271360/photo/1

The US has Donald. Russia has Vova Putin...

The unexpected election of Donald Trump has punched holes in the anti-Putin front.
“With Trump as a potential powerful ally, Putin is a kind of half-emperor of the world,” says political analyst Gleb Pavlovsky. “His re-election now has a global aspect.”
For Russia’s elite, the election picture is, finally, clear: Putin is running, and he will be in office until at least the time of the next elections in 2024.

https://themoscowtimes.com/articles/the-suspense-is-now-over-for-russias-political-elite-putin-is-running-57168

Today Moscow marches in memory of Boris Nemtsov.

Bloomberg: Russia Is Running on More Than Just the Black Stuff
The world's largest energy producer is out of its longest recession in two decades
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-07/russia-is-running-on-more-than-just-the-black-stuff