[ranburr]

Umm. First off, kinda offensive.
Second off, they did accomplish a lot in art, literature, music, and science.

I've actually lived in the USSR and Russia for about 5 years myself, and have a rather different impression, but then again I am the kind of person who doesn't see only the negative, nor to tell wild and exaggerated tales in an attempt to justify xenophobia.

As for firearms-related, you can't get a better gun, than a Russian gun for they prices they sell for.

I don't really care if it came across as offensive to you. It sounds as if you need to lighten up. They did create great works of art centuries ago. All of their modern science stems from WWII German technology. The only quality anything they have is from imports. I have done a great deal of business with Gazprom. It is essentailly dealing with the mafia. They truly are the enemy of this country.