MALCOLM FLEX (GUEST): But, you know, it's funny you bring that up because, actually Russia now, the oligarch problem isn't near as bad as it used to be. Like, I don't know if you guys know this, but when the IMF came in, when they tried to do what was called shock therapy where you convert a formerly communist nation to a capitalist nation, the oligarchs botched the whole thing on purpose because they wanted to buy all the infrastructure up for cheap. Putin, when he came to power, actually drove most of those oligarchs out of Russia, and guess where they went.
TIM POOL (HOST): Ukraine.
MALCOLM FLEX (GUEST): Ukraine, and to the U.S.
So, a lot of this anti-Putin sentiment that we see, you know, Putin, let's call him for what he is, I mean, I'm not saying he's a good guy but, you know, compared to some of the other Russian leaders, the people of the Russian Federation, he's actually a moderate. You know, I've heard that you know, you can't take my word for gospel but, a lot of Russians are pretty frustrated that he pity-patted, you know with the war, that he had this kind of kid's glove approach with Ukraine to begin with. And then when they brought Surovikin, or General Armageddon, basically now they're going full-scale anyways and they're just like, why didn't you do that before?