George Ades:
The same people who have no problem understanding that today's Germany has absolutely no connection to the 20th century's Germany of WWI and WWII, have or pretend to have trouble understanding that today's Russia is not last century's Soviet Union.
Just as today's Germany is the natural successor of yesterday's Nazi Germany but without the liability for the war crimes committed in the past, so is Russia the natural successor of the former Soviet Union and its people should not be penalised for crimes committed by the leaders of the USSR, many of whom were not even Russian.
Some of these people even refer to today's Russia as "Communist", which further serves to illustrate the depth of their ignorance.
21st century Russia is just as capitalist as any in the west but many discern a capitalism with a human side to it, compared to the cold inhuman version of the west.
It's time to cut the crap about an "aggressive, expansionist Russia"; that's only propaganda for the fools who will cling to anything they are told by those who would benefit from a Russia reduced to a vassal state, instead of a power that can act as an invaluable counterweight to US hegemony and oppression of weaker nations.