Think you need to get your facts right. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...r-capable-missiles-closer-europe-claims-nato/ Also they have invaded Crimea/Ukraine (in parts) and are pushing their weight along the borders of Poland. They also keep testing the UK and Finland and recently the US. Don't get me started in their indiscriminate bombing of civilians in Syria. Before you post crap maybe you should get your facts right.
Maybe you should start looking for 'crap' closer to your own doorstep. Russia is fully justified in being concerned about the expansion of Nato. Nato has broken its promise to Russia - that is fact. It has expanded itself into 7 former Warsaw Pact countries, in direct contravention of promises made to Gorbachov. Since Putin came to power the USA has intervened in 21 different countries, which, in a couple of cases, (Afghanistan and Libya) have left the countries in shambles and anarchy. Altogether, since World War 2, the USA. has been responsible for an estimated 20-30 million deaths in war, spread over 37 countries. Since Putin came to power he has moved in to protect Russian populations in the Crimea. Been involved in covert actions to protect Russians in the Ukraine, but I see precious little else to justify use of the word 'aggressor' to describe his actions, compared to those of the West. Russia now has only Belarus and the Ukraine as a buffer zone against the encroachment of Nato - no surprise that they are nervous.
Cologne I am concerned about you bud. You have been living too close to the 'Iron curtain". However a good response.
What about all the Eastern European countries Russia intervened in after 1945? I think the UK should move into Canada, USA Australia, New Zealand etc to protect the English speaking people.
You are very conveniently forgetting that the USSR was invaded first in World War 2, and that they lost 20 million people in that war (12 million of whom were civilians). The army which invaded the USSR was not just a German one, but included detachments from Hungary, Rumania and Croatia. The main reason why the USSR survived was because of their expanse and the Russian winter - they learned, the hard way, that they needed buffer zones - and as much distance between the enemy and Moscow as possible. Since 1945, Nato has done little to reassure either the USSR, or later Russia, that they are not, also, enemies.
What exactly happened is not known - you have no evidence whatsoever that Putin himself ordered this to be done. They say it was done with a Russian made weapon, from Ukrainian territory - possibly by Russian rebels who mistook the plane for something else. If so then they were acting without any authority from Moscow. The origin of the rocket is irrelevant - the HMS Sheffield was sunk by a weapon made in France, were they responsible ?
Cologne you are fighting a losing battle. If you like Russia so much go and move there. Let's see how much freedom of speech you get.
I don't like Vodka, it's too cold and I can't speak Russian. Actually, I didn't really choose where to live - it chose me, one of those Lorelei (or Frauleins) which drew me over. I don't think that Russia is a paradise, or that Putin is a saint, but, at the same time, I don't think they are imminently going to be marching into Berlin - nor have any intention of doing so. Besides which, I like fighting losing battles - I supported Watford when they were in the old 4th Division.
Actually I'm not taking Putin under my wing, just trying to cut through a bit of the Western propaganda, which is trying to make him out as another Hitler. I don't think he's any better or worse than any other leader of a major World power - he does strike me as being more capable of reasoned decisions than Trump though.
Bit stupid of me I just naturally thought you were QPR and not Twatford. Germany is cool. I spent a bit of time there in the early 90's.