Last June, when Russian Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin was invited to open this year's World Economic Forum confab of business and political leaders in Davos, he surely expected to be speaking from a position of strength. Seven months later oil prices have plunged, the Russian stock market has collapsed, and the ruble is in free fall. Instead of reasoned discourse, what the audience got on Jan. 28 was bluster, blame, and a cry for help.rnBut the world should not help Vladimir Putin. For too long, too many myths have surrounded him and his dictatorial regime. "At least Russians are better off than during the days of the Soviet Union" was the frequent refrain of Western leaders afraid to confront Putin over his domestic crackdown. When he discarded the last pretense of Russian democracy during the 2008 presidential transition, the chorus shifted to: "Even though Rus -sians aren't free, even though elections are rigged and the media controlled by the state, at least the economy is doing well and investors are happy."
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机译：去年6月，当俄罗斯总理弗拉基米尔·普京（Vladimir V. Putin）受邀在达沃斯举行的今年世界经济论坛商业和政治领导人联合会开幕时，他肯定希望以有力的立场发言。七个月后，油价暴跌，俄罗斯股市崩溃，卢布自由落体。 1月28日，听众没有进行理性的演讲，而是b不休，责备和寻求帮助的呼声。但是，世界不应帮助弗拉基米尔·普京。长期以来，太多的神话围绕着他及其独裁政权。 “至少俄罗斯人比苏联时期更好。”是西方领导人经常避免担心普京在国内的镇压中与之抗衡。当他在2008年总统大选期间放弃俄罗斯民主的最后一个幌子时，合唱转向：“即使俄罗斯人不是自由的，即使选举被操纵并且国家控制了媒体，至少经济也在做好，投资者很高兴。”
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