[familyop]

"Russia is now calling bluff, and may pocket a lot"

Older news but more relevant each day.

Putin Plays Down Russia's Deadly Dependence on Oil & Gas Revenues
OilPrice.com
By Al Fin
30 October 2012

Russia's federal budget is reliant on commodities revenues - according to official data, commodities contribute around 60 percent of the federal budget; in reality, that number is closer to 75--80 percent as much of the service sector depends on money from oil and gas. _Russia's Oil Luck or Curse

So, Putin claims a 50% dependency. Official data puts the number closer to 60%. And "in reality," the number may be as high as 80%. Or perhaps even more.

[familyop]

"And it did not wither in 1991 when the USSR unraveled. Instead, it embarked almost immediately, as the Russian Federation's service, on again restoring Russia as a Great Power...The job of the secret services has been to monitor the diplomats' activities, but also to do everything the diplomats could not do openly: to bribe officials in foreign countries, to recruit spies and informants, to build up contacts among dissenters, and -- most importantly -- to manipulate the public opinion."

The article conveys some good information, though. It's worth reading.

[Nailbiter]

bflr

[JimRed]

The ones that did, died.