Russia’s problems are of its own making

I can’t fathom Ray Kinsella’s thinking in his article (Irish Examiner, December 18) headlined ‘West has responsibility to engage Russia’. 

It is nonsense for the author to blame the West for Russia’s problems. The USA is the standard bearer for democracy and freedom, not the villain here.

Russia is bankrupt because 75% of all its experts are oil. Putin and his cronies have enriched themselves at the expense of ordinary Russians, There is no free press in the Russian Federation.

The undoing of Russia is all its own making.

I can’t forget those poor sailors on the Kursk, who were left to die because Putin’s Russia would not ask the West for help.

Putin’s Russia is linked to the downing of the

Malaysian airliner, the Ukraine invasion and Georgia, not forgetting the detention of political prisoners and the killing of Alexander Litivieneko.

We owe Russia for delivering the world from Nazism but the current regime does it no credit.

Patrick O’Brien

Bromyard Ave.

London