> Sort of, if by "the Russians" you mean "investor reaction to an
> inspectorate visit." Unless Ames has changed his story (which he has
> done at least once), somebody complained about them "insulting
> Russia" (my guess is due to some of the racist and misogynistic
> content) and they got a visit by an inspectorate, which fined them a
> few hundred bucks. Then supposedly their investors (whoever they
> are) pulled out. This is info from a month or so ago, so things may
> have changed in the interrim.
>
> The fact of the matter is that material opposed to the government or
> various of its policies, somebody very strident opposition, can be
> bought on any streetcorner. You don't even to know Russian or
> actually be in Russia to verify this, given that a lot of it gets
> translated and put on Johnson's Russia List. This is not China. In
> fact, the article by Pavel Felgenhauer that is serving as the basis
> for the "it was a Russian trap!" theory of the Georgia conflict was
> published in Novaya Gazeta.
Chris, it's one thing to counter devious and stupid Western propaganda, and another to dismiss Mark Ames' account. Unless he's lying, and I'd be shocked if he were, the paper was shut down because some bureaucrats visited the paper for an "editorial audit." Did you actually read his account? You're starting to sound like a reflexive apologist for anything the Russian gov does.
>
Doug