The population was dwindling and the Russians no longer felt proud of their country.
Meanwhile, the trials and tribulations the country went through under Mikhail Gorbachev and then Boris Yeltsin were eagerly welcomed in the West, Czech Free Press wrote in a comment.
"In actual fact, the West was, to a large extent, responsible for what was happening to Russia as the US and EU plan to turn an undefeated Cold War-era adversary into a crushed and helpless colony, a provider mineral resources to the developed nations, was gradually coming true,” the article said.
Things started to change after Vladimir Putin became President – something the West never expected. By then Putin was already a seasoned diplomat perfectly able to learn from the mistakes made by his predecessors.
And learn he did turning Russia’s 21st century policy all around,” the author emphasized.
“The Russian Federation eventually became a country the West now had to reckon with and a partner to many countries which were no longer willing to do business with the US. And this is the only and genuine reason behind the current Western attempts to contain Russia,” Czech Free Press wrote in a comment.
