In an almost World War I strategy, the decision makers lay safely tucked up in their bunkers while the young front line soldiers were sent "‘over the top" to meet their certain fates.
No one who has read a newspaper in the last two years could have had any illusions about the Russian state’s response to what it considers its vital interests.
The jailing of the "Pussy Riot" activists for playing provocative songs in the Russian Orthodox cathedral provided a clear signpost that any challenge to the system would be dealt with in a ‘no nonsense’ approach.
In this case, all the Greenpeace hallmarks are there: the exploitation of naive activists who now face years in jail; the cynical manipulation of important issues for their own financial ends; the play on emotion to generate funds; the misinformation; the Orwellian tactics.
The activists have been...
