alt Hacker NewsRussian is a Slavic language and very similar to other Slavic languages especially Ukrainian and Belarusian. Far closer than German and French. I have family across 5 different Slavic countries and hear various Slavic languages regularly. You're just spewing complete bs for political reasons apparently.
I speak most of the languages you listed on a conversational level, but sure, it's easier to cry about astroturfing than consider that you might be wrong.