“robbed” as in the IMF went in there and did a harsher and obviously larger scale version of what they demanded in Greece and Portugal. They were expecting a Marshall plan and got shock therapy from disaster capitalists instead. This is not a tankie fantasy, because you see the same type of disaster capitalist vultures constantly flying over Western countries’ heads (and developing countries too) trying to privatize everything and cut back in social assurances

What they gloss over is that this is not western countries “attacking” russia, this is global ultraneoliberals preying on anyone who puts themselves in a dire position of need, like the USSR did after decades of mismanagement, but also like Argentina or the “PIIGS”. Gorby had the right idea, but it was too little too late to avoid putting yourself in the hands of the international banksters.