Oh, for fuck’s sake, this is bullshit. Similar systems of assigning governors currently exist in Italy and the Netherlands, and other countries. As for the seizure of Yukos, it was completely justified, and it’s a shame Putin didn’t do it any sooner. The head of Yukos, one Khodorkovsky, had stolen the company in the early nineties, by using his connections with the Communist party to “buy” the company in a rigged auction using government funds, and then single-handedly seizing possession of it. He then ripped off his own shareholders multiple times, and attempted to buy his way into political power. He’s Kenny Boy Lay on crack.
As for the Ukrainian election, the Western media was tirelessly pushing the narrative that Yuschenko’s victory was “stolen” by the “Soviet-backed candidate.” In reality, however, much of the fraud was actually concentrated in the western regions that supported the current Ukrainian “president”:
http://www.oscewatch.org/CountryReport.asp?CountryID=22&ReportID=230
Yuschenko was heavily favoured by every Western country because he pushed for EU membership, and is likely to allow American military bases on Ukrainian soil. In fact, he was given millions of dollars by American organizations, supported by the American government, as was exposed by Congressman Ron Paul in December. Yuschenko’s supporters, in particular, were paid $40 a day to sit outside and “demonstrate.” Then, when Yuschenko lost anyway, Europe sent over 10,000 “international observers” specifically to those areas which supported his opponent, while sending few if any observers to the pro-Yuschenko areas, in order to ensure the result they wanted next time. The only thing that’s “chilling” here is that the West is openly interfering in the affairs of Russia’s neighbours, with the intent of economic aggression and military expansionism.
As for that “poisoning” story, it’s not even internally consistent. Yuschenko himself claims he was poisoned during a dinner on September 5, and that he developed symptoms on the following day. Unfortunately for that story, it can take months or years for the symptoms of such poisoning to develop. Furthermore, the whole diagnosis of “dioxin poisoning” was established by one specific clinic, one of whose staff resigned shortly afterward, claiming that he was urged to falsify the results of Yuschenko’s blood tests. Alcohol poisoning is a more likely possibility.
The real cause of the unbridled hostility toward Putin that can be found in the Western press has to do with the fact that Putin is making some effort to oppose the neoconservative plans to establish global American dominance. He opposed the neoconservatives’ pet war in Iraq, he strives to pay off Russia’s debt and keep Russia’s assets from being looted by thieves like Khodorkovsky, and in general he pursues an independent policy. The neoconservatives don’t like it when anyone pursues an independent policy, much less the leader of a country whose nuclear stockpile still makes it a formidable military rival. As a result, they do everything they can to demonize Putin, and are willing to give a public forum and financial backing to anyone who will accuse him of wrongdoing, no matter how little evidence there is to support the accusations. As John Laughland reported in the Guardian, Putin’s biggest enemies in the West are the same neoconservatives that are usually so vehement about fighting Islamic terrorism:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1299318,00.html