the western counterparts ARE smart.  

nobody knows who Ulbricht is or have long enough memory to remember Assange or Snowden.

actually makes me wonder why Putin didn't bring up those points during interview though - my guess is he was going for a more conciliatory tone because he recognizes Russia can't fight the war in Ukraine forever ... or as Sun Tzu said in Art of War "no nation has ever benefitted from prolonged warfare" ...