I just wanted to make a quick correction. Given your credentials, I didn't want you think your views on this were anything other than the very best of the best.
I agree that the statement is well-said. But overall I would give McCain's opinion piece a C+ as a grade. The key problem being that it reads well in the West but will not resonate with Russian citizens - the majority who will simply see it as an attack editorial from a foreigner. McCain would have been better off praising the Russians and stating that the great Russian nation does not want to be on the wrong side of the Syrian civil war.
Thank you for the compliment. The Russians are a difficult people to understand because they do not follow logical behavior that it seen in abundance in the West. My wife is a perfect example of it that I live with every day, and her mother is a distant second as she visits us quarterly. My wife has gotten better, and thinks more like an American every day. But she still falls back on her habits and superstitions, and i try to explain to my son why mommy acts like a loon sometimes. An absolutely fantastic website for learning more about Russia and it's people (and the way they tend to think) is EnglishRussia.com. It is essentially a blog that details all sorts of topics, and provides a glimpse into the Rodina and it's narod.
Pravda is external facing for the most part. It is the news about Russia read outside of Russia. Very few if any of the mainstream Russian media followed by the Russian population will pick this up (unless they have a desire to be shut down or go completely negative on the editorial).
Speaking of backing up statements, you said that you had vast experience living and working in Russia. Would you provide some details, pertaining to your claimed credentials? e.g. Towns, cities, occupations, activities... Just wanting to make sure I'm not wasting my time with some hillbilly out in Demoines, who never left the family farm.
I don't mind at all. I lived in Russia for several years, as the general manager for a large multinational consumer goods company. Since I had Russia and the former republics, a lot of my travel was to Belarus, Latvia, Georgia, Estonia, etc. many of the Stans, as well as to the various regions throughout Russia. I lived in Moscow, right off Ulitsa Tverskaya (main drag to the Kremlin). It was about a 20 min walk to the Kremlin, or three metro stops (I was halfway between Mayakovskaya, and Belarouskaya). As part of the expat deal, the company offered me a place in Rossinka, which is outside the city and a little community of expats, and a driver. I declined both, wanted to live in the city and drive myself, as that was the way to learn Russian and immerse myself in the culture. I was single when I moved there, and met a Russian friend who took me all over the place - place foreigners didn't really go unless they were "off the reservation". And, of course, when I traveled to regions, I took extra days to tour them. Cities like Saratov, Novosibirsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Ekaterinburg, St. Pete, Irkuskt, etc. It's funny, as I type these names I'm having a hard time spelling them in English without the cyrillic character set.
I would to add that I had experience in Irkuskt... and Kamchatka and Yakutsk. I generally liked to rise up from Australia and take over asia in Risk. (in junior high and high school.) Russia was just opening up when I was traveling. I thought I was a bit adventurous going into yugoslavia at the time.