Mahnmut

It's not so simple. The problem starts as far back as the Yeltsin era, long before Putin came on stage. Yeltsin brought the oligarchs in, in order to fund his expensive war in Chechnya and to maintain his stumbling economy. But the oligarchs threatened to overtake the Russian economy and politics. So when Putin arrived, he started a war with them (perhaps trying to bring his own clique of oligarchs). This was a disaster for the foreign (mainly Western) interests, because they were already thoroughly inter-linked with these oligarchs. That's why people like Berezovsky, Khodorkovsky, Abramovich, etc are now regarded persona non grata, are persecuted etc. And the West, under the cover of "bad Putin", "authoritarian Putin" etc, are trying to tune in the public opinion against these processes that are going on in Russia. But unfortunately (for some), Russia is no more the toothless ex-giant it used to be in the immediate post-Gorbatchev years. It can now protect itself from outside intervention and it can take its decisions on its own. Russia has always had the resources to recover quickly from crises. And it can't be brought down into a submitted position so easily. So deal with it.