RIA Novosti - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

James Rising

16-04-2008 09:52 Re. Is Bush winning his battle for ideology? I think the article about our very unpopular president (Bush) in brilliant. It gives a point of view that some Americans are not likely to understand. I enjoy readings from your website. A recent article I read in a New Mexico paper explained that former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev urged "global glasnost" in his recent visit to New Mexico. I believe that he is correct. I am an adamant American patriot, but I believe we need a change. There is blame to be placed all around the world for the violent problems faced in all hemispheres. Being the type of person that starts at home first I will say that the US involvement in the Middle East and Kosovo (current involvement) are entirely out of step. As iterated in the aformentioned RIA article the "Russian (Soviet) reforms" at home had a great impact in the "end of the Cold War". Many Americans understand that imperialism is no way of perpetuating peace.

George V Clements

16-04-2008 09:39 RE: "Fur from 'humane trap'" - April 14, 2008 Someone has been given very false information about traps in Canada and elsewhere. There are no instant killing traps, or 'humane traps', anywhere in the world. The Canadian government started searching for 'humane' traps 35 years ago, seeking to replace the leghold traps, the body holding Conibear trap and the snare. All deemed very cruel. In spite of all this testing, and searching, and spending millions of taxpayers funds, no humane traps could be found. Instead the Canadian trappers are using the same three types of traps, but claiming they are better now because they have been modified. The modifications are as cruel as before, and in some cases even worse as they have recommended adding two extra springs to the leghold trap to increase the clamping pressure, and thus the pain, and calling it a 'padded' leghold trap. No one can leave their fingers in this trap for more than a few minutes because it quickly cuts off the blood supply. Humane it is not.

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Daniel N. White

14-04-2008 10:04 I think that Russian leaders and citizens who are upset about NATO expansion are looking at things from the wrong angle. Myself I think it an excellent angle if all the smaller countries in Europe join NATO, and I think they all should. That's the first step for them. The next step for them is to kick the US out of NATO, and kick the US out of its military bases in Europe, for good, and make NATO into a useful organization that isn't a supine and servile tool of US foreign policy.

Irvoice

10-04-2008 14:22 Why does Iran need thermonuclear bubbles?..." When it comes to suppress smal countries the Russian Bear and American Wolf both are "strategically" out there to exploit the weaks....This article shows how angry the Russians are, actualy it could be published and edited in most reactionary papers of Angloamericans world such as "prestiges" Wall Street Journal....

A.Dawson

09-04-2008 08:47 I'm a big fan on the subject of Military,I enjoy looking at the image galleries on Novosti!. Please continue to make Reports!. Can you do a photo Series on the Russian Air force and the Officer school?. I would be thrilled to find a photo Gallery about the Soviets in Afhganistan with photos from Soldiers about the paratroopers and so on, Is this possible?

Daryl S

08-04-2008 15:12 Since the Ukraine is really made up of several territories, it makes sense for the eastern slavic part and the Crimea to secede from the western part and rejoin Russia where they belong culturally and spiritually anyway. That way, the western portion can focus on becoming the "western" country that they long to be.

Christina

07-04-2008 11:53 I wish you knew how worried the American people are about this pending attack on Iran, and possibly Syria. We know Bush and his cohorts to be liars and are expecting another black flag operation, more than likely. Financially, we absolutely cannot afford it, so they are expecting the same strategy used in Iraq, a heavy air bombardment, with minimum troops on the ground, to work - of course it did not work the first time around but these folk are magical thinkers and will try again! Oh, other than this action in Iran is unilateral and basically illegal.

Dilovarius

04-04-2008 08:40 I believe it is because of Russian foolish politics against the West that there is islamic terror in the world. Russia is no different from those she accusing of being violent. Not to do good is worse than doing evil.

Harv Howard

20-03-2008 11:12 As an lover of aircraft, it seems to me to be absolutely silly that Russian is touting its prop-driven aircraft as...whatever it is Russian Putin is trying to prove. The situation brings up the old sad song, "Is that all there is?" In this instance, it would be better to gesture and threaten in speeches than to actually show your poor hand. Yes, Russia is doing great in recovery, but not yet. And believe me, I'm just as critical of my own country in several areas! But so much of politics here and there is laughable...or is it just sad?

Bobby

13-03-2008 10:19 Yelena Shesternina wrote in her opinion piece, "The value of human life overrides any liberties, even freedom of expression." That is the fundamental difference between Russian and Western mentality, for we believe that to not live in freedom is to not live at all.

Bianca

12-03-2008 11:37 I have noticed the confused comments by some readers on the issue of Kosovo. Naturally, if all the information you have comes from the Western sources, it is no wonder that such outlandish views proliferate. First, hope that readers of western media understand how the news is manufactured, and not based on reality. Kosovo's crisis did not come about due to some "Balkan genocide", as some think. Rather, a terrorist group, KLA, went on a rampage killing non-Albanian population of Kosovo. The group was on State Department's list of terrorist organizations in 1998.

12-03-2008 11:34 Wow, very interesting and informative article on Pokryshkin! I'm Glad I know how to read Russian. Russia should not forget its heroes recent or long past.

Rick Rozoff

12-03-2008 11:31 Russian officials and commentators are correct in voicing alarm over the Western-engineered unilateral declaration of independence of Kosovo on February 17 as signaling the undermining and attempted destruction of the entire post-World War II order of European and international relations. Premeditated efforts by forces in the West, commencing with the break-up of the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia, have in fact redrawn the map of Eastern Europe disturbingly near to that obtaining at the time of the Yalta conference, which is to say that limned in blood by the Third Reich from 1938-1941.

Joseph Kochanek

12-03-2008 11:28 The Latvian SS veterans should be free to march and commemorate their bravery. They had every right to fight against the Soviet aggressor. It is a shame that Russian leaders do not distance themselves from the Soviet past. Russian historians should write objectively about that period .

Bernhard Berger

26-02-2008 11:43 Can`t believe how low down the list of (western) search engine results your web site is. It`s a shame, because the content & quality is great. Now that I found you, you are in my news bookmark folder on top of BBC and CBC, Canada (where I live)...in recent times the news in the western hemisphere are almost slipping into total narcissism and dragging their audience into it as well it seems. Your website seems to be an effective antidote and I shall from this day on take it the same way I take my vitamins.

Charles M Stroud

26-02-2008 11:32 My comments relate to Russia's staunch support for Serbia in trying to annul the recent Independence Declaration of Kosova. While the West fully supports Kosova's Independence and views it as legitimate, we simply cannot understand Russia's role in this from either side. Serbia is a sovereign nation as is Kosova now, and the relevance of any stance Russia would take is completely in question from our perspective. Considering the history of bloodshed and genocide in the Balkans, any claim Serbia once had to it's territorial integrity is null and void. All rights in an international court of law have been forfeited by their treatment of the Kosovar-Albanians.

Nikodem Dyzma

26-02-2008 11:29 Britain, France and Italy already dismembered one country before, they dismembered Czechoslovakia in 1938. They give away what was not theirs, first Austria and then Czechoslovakia to Hitler's Germany, Germany that time was very similar democracy to Americans democracy now ? my way or highway with millions killed. America and Poland was complicit in dismembering Czechoslovakia. All these countries were driven by hope that Hitler's Germany will dismember Russia for them. They were wrong of course.

Fred Anderson

26-02-2008 11:11 I enjoyed Gornostaev's article on the fire at U.S. Embassy and its relation to the breaking of international law by USA and NATO in Kosovo. However, I doubt that Americans feel very angry or humiliated by the burning of their flag: U.S. citizens do this in USA, and some wear it for bathing suits or underwear. I suspect we are not that sensitive on this issue, for better or for worse ? and we might just be getting used to seeing our flag burned in country after country. Yet very few wonder if we might have anything to do with that.

Bianca

26-02-2008 11:08 Reading the article on Human Rights Watch, and the reason for visa denial, makes me really wonder about the wisdom of some Russian officials. Yes, it was appropriate to be accurate in issuing visas. But this will only be interpreted by Human Rights Watch as more of the bureaucratic tape, that they so much complain about. Russia and other countries need to have some means of ranking NGO-s and human rights agencies. Record of Human Rights Watch is deplorable.

David Coleman

20-02-2008 13:33 Your article "Latvian Interior Minister slams British as "pigs" - as a Brit. I can only apologise for this uncouth behaviour by British louts. What a pity these people haven't been taught in their homes and schools that when abroad they represent their home country and their actions reflect upon a whole nation. You will understand that this is a minority and we don't all behave in this manner at home or abroad.