>
> What would the Yeltsin gang have done with the
> higher oil revenue?
> Stolen it, right?
>
> Doug
>
That's what happened the last time oil prices were high! They had no such benefits for the Russian economy at that time.
I recently read Roy Medvedev's last book on Putin (he's written two). Man does he adore Putin.
Medvedev's recent book on Andropov (another folk hero over here) is very good, BTW. I doubt it will ever get translated. I had no idea A. and Gorbachev were so close. Apparently Andropov used to challenge Gorbachev to contests to see who knew Cossack songs better. Ury Vladimirovich was a Don Cossack himself, so he won.
===== Nu, zayats, pogodi!
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