Yeah . I ' ve got a basic familiarity with Russia I started taking the language in college and fell in love with not only the language , but a great deal about their history and culture . It ' s a really fascinating country , though I ' ll admit my knowledge over the period between the collapse of the USSR and to when Putin first came into power . I think I ' m going to do some reading about those years you ' ve definitely gotten me wanting to understand it better . I appreciate the post any excuse to read or learn more is welcome with me . Do you happen to have any recommendations for good books about the things you ' ve mentioned ? You seem to be very knowledgeable about the topic , so if you know some good books , I ' d be very grateful . Well , I ' m still very grateful for your post .