På den ene side så vi landet som efterfølgeren til Byzantium og som Europas bolværk mod angribere fra østen.
I was present when the handing down of sentences to Mr Khordokovsky and Mr Lebedev began in Moscow, and this sentencing, which is still in progress, is shocking evidence of the contempt with which the EU’ s fundamental values – the rule of law, democracy and human rights – are being treated.