@Cluelessinfl

Quote:

The ancestors of today's Russians were invaded by Mongols, Napoleon and Hitler. They were brutalized by Stalin and Lenin. Hard headedness has been ingrained in their DNA.

I loved that video clip a couple months back where some ditzy Western journalist was trying to shake Putin, as she went on about how the Russian citizenry was gonna freak out and go all oogity-boogity once the Western sanctions started really squeezing them. The look on Putin's face was priceless -- a combination of amusement, contempt, and... something akin to pity, like you might have for a mentally retarded child. I'll never forget his reply:
"You can't scare Russians."

This was said with no air of boasting or bravado, just as a simple statement of fact.