kabud – Russia is not the bellybutton of the universe. And I will resist unto death your efforts to convince me that all bad things stem from Moscow. They’re just simply not that powerful or important any more. More like a burr under the saddle than the horse, the rider, or even the saddle.

And besides that, they cheat. Any time a person or a counry has to resort to cheating, it indicates softness and weakness. Watch Russian performance at an Olympics competition and get a very good idea of their whole national malaise.