Putin on TV: Documentaries and TV appearances by the Russian president
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Re: The Unknown Vladimir Putin
Russia Insider
“Tsar of Cranes” Putin Rebuffs His Opponents: Weak Cranes, Try to Fly it Yourselves!
Published on May 28, 2017
Russia Insider
“Tsar of Cranes” Putin Rebuffs His Opponents: Weak Cranes, Try to Fly it Yourselves!
Published on May 28, 2017
He has lot of sense of humor and well grounded, which is rare in this world. Thanks for sharing.angelburst29
The Living Force
Re: The Unknown Vladimir Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin confessed that St. Petersburg is his favorite city that makes him feel relieved and happy.
Putin Reveals Personal Feelings About St. Petersburg
https://sputniknews.com/art_living/201706031054281536-weight-off-my-shoulders-putin/
Russian writer Daniil Granin with a state award in St. Petersburg. After the ceremony, the head of the state sat down next to the writer to have a talk.
During their conversation, the Russian president confessed that when he comes to Petersburg, he feels as if a "weight has fallen off" his shoulders.
You know, I somehow caught myself thinking: I fly from Moscow, and everything's fine, everything goes well. I feel good. The mood is good. And when I arrive in St. Petersburg, get into my car, drive off — I feel as if a weight has fallen off my shoulders. I feel relieved, spiritually, morally," Putin said.
"It seems like everything is fine, but it's even better. This is an unusual and very rare feeling, and very pleasant," the Russian leader continued.
St. Petersburg is the Russian leader's home city, where he spent most of his youth. Putin studied in a public high school and then at Saint Petersburg State University, graduating in 1975.
Who is Mr. Putin? West Still Can't Figure Out Russian President
https://sputniknews.com/politics/201705071053358201-russia-putin-presidency/
Konstantin Kostin, director of the Civil Society Development Foundation, drew parallels between Putin and visionary statesmen of the 20th century. He compared Putin with US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, West Germany's first Chancellor Konrad Adenauer and General Charles de Gaulle, who established the Fifth Republic, pointing to their innovative approaches to dealing with major challenges and approval ratings.
FDR came to power during a devastating economic crisis, proclaiming the New Deal, a set of policy measures which helped to overcome the Great Depression, the analyst said. Adenauer and de Gaulle were elected to lead countries destroyed during World War II.
"These politicians enjoyed high level of public support and trust. This is something that these leaders have in common," the analyst added.
Kostin further said that many in the West tend to think of Putin in terms of unpredictability.
"Everyone understands that Putin is a decisive politician. Thousands of articles on the Russian president have been published. I have read more than 20 books, with Western writers trying to explain Putin's motives. I think that the answer comes down to values. It is quite strange to see foreign leaders complain that the Russian president is unpredictable. Politics is like chess. The player whose moves cannot be figured out until the end of the game and who can better understand the tactic of his opponents has the advantage," the analyst explained.
Chairman of the Presidium of the Council on Foreign Affairs and Defense Policy Fyodor Lukyanov told Sputnik that those in the West who do not understand what is happening view Putin as "an extremely cunning strategic thinker," but this is purely "the psychology of fear" of Western elites.
Chairman of the Presidium of the Council on Foreign Affairs and Defense Policy Fyodor Lukyanov told Sputnik that those in the West who do not understand what is happening view Putin as "an extremely cunning strategic thinker," but this is purely "the psychology of fear" of Western elites.
"Nothing has gone the way they have expected. So they have come up with an explanation," he noted, adding that Putin's image has not been immune to "a certain deal of mythologization" at home. At the same time, Putin "remains the linchpin of our political system. You may like it or not, but this is a fact. This is why he is perceived as an absolutely irreplaceable leader at the moment and rightfully so," Lukyanov said.
Nikolai Mironov, who heads the Center for Economic and Political Reform, observed that Putin has not changed much in the years since he gained national prominence.
"Clearly he was younger then. Age has a certain bearing, adding more prominence," the analyst said. "But key rhetorical patterns and political instruments have not changed much. Putin has always positioned himself as a national leader who has united the country and is capable of instilling order."
Mironov pointed out that Putin's image was formed during his first years in office, the time when every effort was made to overcome the chaos of the 1990s. The analyst named Crimea's reunification with Russia as Putin's other major achievement.
Foreign policy has become a focus of Putin's current term in office, helping to forge a reputation of a leader who has improved the country's international standing.
"This is when the image of restoring a great country has appeared. This is the second challenge we had to deal with, the legacy of the 1990s and this one. These rhetoric and image have been rather successful," Mironov said.
At the same time, the analysts suggested that Putin is likely to shift his attention away from foreign policy to resolving domestic challenges during the remaining months of his presidency. This trend would only be reinforced if he runs and wins the next presidential election scheduled to be held in March 2018 since the image of an efficient leader could be adversely affected if no major domestic reforms are carried out, they added.
"The standard of living has fallen significantly. Corruption and communication between the government and society have returned to the agenda. The issue of a privileged elite, the oligarchs, which Putin tackled during his first term in office, has also resurfaced," Mironov said. "Something needs to be done at home, not in the international arena where everything is ok."
For his part, Lukyanov mentioned that foreign policy achievements are unlikely to improve domestic situation if the country's leadership does not focus on resolving challenges at home.
Putin has been at the helm for two decades, serving as both president and prime minister. He was reelected as Russia's president in 2012, with his current term running out in 2018. Putin has not unveiled whether he would take part in the next presidential election.If he does, he is likely to win up to 75 percent of the vote.
Russian President Vladimir Putin confessed that St. Petersburg is his favorite city that makes him feel relieved and happy.
Putin Reveals Personal Feelings About St. Petersburg
https://sputniknews.com/art_living/201706031054281536-weight-off-my-shoulders-putin/
Russian writer Daniil Granin with a state award in St. Petersburg. After the ceremony, the head of the state sat down next to the writer to have a talk.
During their conversation, the Russian president confessed that when he comes to Petersburg, he feels as if a "weight has fallen off" his shoulders.
You know, I somehow caught myself thinking: I fly from Moscow, and everything's fine, everything goes well. I feel good. The mood is good. And when I arrive in St. Petersburg, get into my car, drive off — I feel as if a weight has fallen off my shoulders. I feel relieved, spiritually, morally," Putin said.
"It seems like everything is fine, but it's even better. This is an unusual and very rare feeling, and very pleasant," the Russian leader continued.
St. Petersburg is the Russian leader's home city, where he spent most of his youth. Putin studied in a public high school and then at Saint Petersburg State University, graduating in 1975.
Who is Mr. Putin? West Still Can't Figure Out Russian President
https://sputniknews.com/politics/201705071053358201-russia-putin-presidency/
Konstantin Kostin, director of the Civil Society Development Foundation, drew parallels between Putin and visionary statesmen of the 20th century. He compared Putin with US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, West Germany's first Chancellor Konrad Adenauer and General Charles de Gaulle, who established the Fifth Republic, pointing to their innovative approaches to dealing with major challenges and approval ratings.
FDR came to power during a devastating economic crisis, proclaiming the New Deal, a set of policy measures which helped to overcome the Great Depression, the analyst said. Adenauer and de Gaulle were elected to lead countries destroyed during World War II.
"These politicians enjoyed high level of public support and trust. This is something that these leaders have in common," the analyst added.
Kostin further said that many in the West tend to think of Putin in terms of unpredictability.
"Everyone understands that Putin is a decisive politician. Thousands of articles on the Russian president have been published. I have read more than 20 books, with Western writers trying to explain Putin's motives. I think that the answer comes down to values. It is quite strange to see foreign leaders complain that the Russian president is unpredictable. Politics is like chess. The player whose moves cannot be figured out until the end of the game and who can better understand the tactic of his opponents has the advantage," the analyst explained.
Chairman of the Presidium of the Council on Foreign Affairs and Defense Policy Fyodor Lukyanov told Sputnik that those in the West who do not understand what is happening view Putin as "an extremely cunning strategic thinker," but this is purely "the psychology of fear" of Western elites.
Chairman of the Presidium of the Council on Foreign Affairs and Defense Policy Fyodor Lukyanov told Sputnik that those in the West who do not understand what is happening view Putin as "an extremely cunning strategic thinker," but this is purely "the psychology of fear" of Western elites.
"Nothing has gone the way they have expected. So they have come up with an explanation," he noted, adding that Putin's image has not been immune to "a certain deal of mythologization" at home. At the same time, Putin "remains the linchpin of our political system. You may like it or not, but this is a fact. This is why he is perceived as an absolutely irreplaceable leader at the moment and rightfully so," Lukyanov said.
Nikolai Mironov, who heads the Center for Economic and Political Reform, observed that Putin has not changed much in the years since he gained national prominence.
"Clearly he was younger then. Age has a certain bearing, adding more prominence," the analyst said. "But key rhetorical patterns and political instruments have not changed much. Putin has always positioned himself as a national leader who has united the country and is capable of instilling order."
Mironov pointed out that Putin's image was formed during his first years in office, the time when every effort was made to overcome the chaos of the 1990s. The analyst named Crimea's reunification with Russia as Putin's other major achievement.
Foreign policy has become a focus of Putin's current term in office, helping to forge a reputation of a leader who has improved the country's international standing.
"This is when the image of restoring a great country has appeared. This is the second challenge we had to deal with, the legacy of the 1990s and this one. These rhetoric and image have been rather successful," Mironov said.
At the same time, the analysts suggested that Putin is likely to shift his attention away from foreign policy to resolving domestic challenges during the remaining months of his presidency. This trend would only be reinforced if he runs and wins the next presidential election scheduled to be held in March 2018 since the image of an efficient leader could be adversely affected if no major domestic reforms are carried out, they added.
"The standard of living has fallen significantly. Corruption and communication between the government and society have returned to the agenda. The issue of a privileged elite, the oligarchs, which Putin tackled during his first term in office, has also resurfaced," Mironov said. "Something needs to be done at home, not in the international arena where everything is ok."
For his part, Lukyanov mentioned that foreign policy achievements are unlikely to improve domestic situation if the country's leadership does not focus on resolving challenges at home.
Putin has been at the helm for two decades, serving as both president and prime minister. He was reelected as Russia's president in 2012, with his current term running out in 2018. Putin has not unveiled whether he would take part in the next presidential election.If he does, he is likely to win up to 75 percent of the vote.
angelburst29
The Living Force
Re: The Unknown Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin tells Oliver Stone how he has escaped five assassination attempts as he admits that while Edward Snowden leaking confidential information was 'wrong' it does not make him a traitor. (Video)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4565254/Putin-tells-Oliver-Stone-assassination-attempts.html
Russian president Vladimir Putin told filmmaker Oliver Stone how he has escaped numerous assassination attempts, and admits that while Edward Snowden leaking confidential information was 'wrong', it does not make him a traitor.
Putin is the subject of Stone's upcoming Showtime special called The Putin Interviews, which is set to air beginning June 12th over four consecutive nights.
The four-part documentary was filmed over the course of two years and includes several conversations Stone had with Putin.
A snippet of the film was released by Showtime on Thursday, and it shows the Russian president in the driving seat as Stone sits in the passenger seat of the vehicle.
The award-winning director asks Putin about Snowden, the former US National Security Agency (NSA) contractor and CIA employee who leaked classified information about the extent of the NSA's surveillance. Snowden is wanted on espionage charges in the US.
'I think he [Snowden] shouldn't have done it. If he didn't like anything at his work, he should have simply resigned,' Putin told Stone.
The 64-year-old (65?) Russian leader said that he can't personally justify Snowden's methods, but he does believe that he was within his rights to take the decision.
'But since you are asking me whether it's right or wrong, I think it's wrong,' he said.
Putin said that he believes the NSA went too far in its snooping practices.
'Trying to spy on your allies if you really consider them allies, and not vassals, is just indecent. Because it undermines trust,' Putin said in reference to the revelation that the US government eavesdropped on German Chancellor Angela Merkel and several members of her cabinet.
He said that such an approach 'in the end [inflicts] damage [on] your own national security.'
The father-of-two also said that the sharing publicly of data can't be called treason.
'Snowden is not a traitor. He did not betray the interests of his country. Nor did he transfer information to any other country,' Putin told Stone.
He added that Snowden did not do anything 'which would have been pernicious to his own country or his own people.'
After Snowden's US passport was revoked, he became stranded in the transit zone of Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport in June 2013 while on his way to Latin America.
He was granted asylum in Russia shortly after and he's been living in Moscow ever since. His residence permit was extended until 2020 earlier this year.
In the video clip, Stone also compared Snowden's experience and that of Putin, who quit the Soviet secret service KGB in 1991 because he disagreed with the coup d'état attempt organized by a few hardline Communist party leaders who were against Mikhail Gorbachev.
'I resigned because I didn't agree with the actions undertaken by the government,' Putin told Stone.
When asked about the record of Russian intelligence, the president stated that the Russian secret services perform their tasks in compliance with the law and rules.
'I think they're working quite well,' Putin shared.
During another discussion, Stone brings up the multiple assassination attempts against Putin.
'Three times president, five assassination attempts, I'm told. Not as much as [Fidel] Castro, who I've interviewed. I think he must have had about 50. But there's a legitimate five I've heard about,' Stone said.
'Yes, I talked with Castro about that,' Putin told Stone.
'And he said to me, 'Do you know why I'm still alive?' I asked him, 'Why?' 'Because I was always the one to deal with my security personally.' But yeah, I do my job. And the security officers do theirs and they are still performing quite successfully.'
'In other words, you trust your security, and they've done a great job,' Stone said.
'I trust them,' Putin said.
'Because always the first mode of assassination... you try to get inside the security of the president,' Stone said.
'I know that. Do you know what they say among the Russian people? They say that those who are destined to be hanged are not going to drown,' Putin said.
'What is your fate, sir? Do you know?' Stone asked.
'Only God knows our destiny -- yours and mine,' Putin said.
'To die in bed, maybe,' Stone said.
'One day this is going to happen to each and every one of us. The question is, what we will have accomplished by then in this transient world, whether we'll have enjoyed our life?' Putin said.
During a recent interview to the Sydney Morning Herald, Stone said, 'Mr. Putin is one of the most important leaders in the world and in so far as the United States has declared him an enemy – a great enemy – I think it's very important we hear what he has to say.'
Vladimir Putin tells Oliver Stone how he has escaped five assassination attempts as he admits that while Edward Snowden leaking confidential information was 'wrong' it does not make him a traitor. (Video)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4565254/Putin-tells-Oliver-Stone-assassination-attempts.html
Russian president Vladimir Putin told filmmaker Oliver Stone how he has escaped numerous assassination attempts, and admits that while Edward Snowden leaking confidential information was 'wrong', it does not make him a traitor.
Putin is the subject of Stone's upcoming Showtime special called The Putin Interviews, which is set to air beginning June 12th over four consecutive nights.
The four-part documentary was filmed over the course of two years and includes several conversations Stone had with Putin.
A snippet of the film was released by Showtime on Thursday, and it shows the Russian president in the driving seat as Stone sits in the passenger seat of the vehicle.
The award-winning director asks Putin about Snowden, the former US National Security Agency (NSA) contractor and CIA employee who leaked classified information about the extent of the NSA's surveillance. Snowden is wanted on espionage charges in the US.
'I think he [Snowden] shouldn't have done it. If he didn't like anything at his work, he should have simply resigned,' Putin told Stone.
The 64-year-old (65?) Russian leader said that he can't personally justify Snowden's methods, but he does believe that he was within his rights to take the decision.
'But since you are asking me whether it's right or wrong, I think it's wrong,' he said.
Putin said that he believes the NSA went too far in its snooping practices.
'Trying to spy on your allies if you really consider them allies, and not vassals, is just indecent. Because it undermines trust,' Putin said in reference to the revelation that the US government eavesdropped on German Chancellor Angela Merkel and several members of her cabinet.
He said that such an approach 'in the end [inflicts] damage [on] your own national security.'
The father-of-two also said that the sharing publicly of data can't be called treason.
'Snowden is not a traitor. He did not betray the interests of his country. Nor did he transfer information to any other country,' Putin told Stone.
He added that Snowden did not do anything 'which would have been pernicious to his own country or his own people.'
After Snowden's US passport was revoked, he became stranded in the transit zone of Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport in June 2013 while on his way to Latin America.
He was granted asylum in Russia shortly after and he's been living in Moscow ever since. His residence permit was extended until 2020 earlier this year.
In the video clip, Stone also compared Snowden's experience and that of Putin, who quit the Soviet secret service KGB in 1991 because he disagreed with the coup d'état attempt organized by a few hardline Communist party leaders who were against Mikhail Gorbachev.
'I resigned because I didn't agree with the actions undertaken by the government,' Putin told Stone.
When asked about the record of Russian intelligence, the president stated that the Russian secret services perform their tasks in compliance with the law and rules.
'I think they're working quite well,' Putin shared.
During another discussion, Stone brings up the multiple assassination attempts against Putin.
'Three times president, five assassination attempts, I'm told. Not as much as [Fidel] Castro, who I've interviewed. I think he must have had about 50. But there's a legitimate five I've heard about,' Stone said.
'Yes, I talked with Castro about that,' Putin told Stone.
'And he said to me, 'Do you know why I'm still alive?' I asked him, 'Why?' 'Because I was always the one to deal with my security personally.' But yeah, I do my job. And the security officers do theirs and they are still performing quite successfully.'
'In other words, you trust your security, and they've done a great job,' Stone said.
'I trust them,' Putin said.
'Because always the first mode of assassination... you try to get inside the security of the president,' Stone said.
'I know that. Do you know what they say among the Russian people? They say that those who are destined to be hanged are not going to drown,' Putin said.
'What is your fate, sir? Do you know?' Stone asked.
'Only God knows our destiny -- yours and mine,' Putin said.
'To die in bed, maybe,' Stone said.
'One day this is going to happen to each and every one of us. The question is, what we will have accomplished by then in this transient world, whether we'll have enjoyed our life?' Putin said.
During a recent interview to the Sydney Morning Herald, Stone said, 'Mr. Putin is one of the most important leaders in the world and in so far as the United States has declared him an enemy – a great enemy – I think it's very important we hear what he has to say.'
angelburst29
The Living Force
Re: The Unknown Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin’s 17 years in power: the scorecard (Charts)
https://thenakedhedgie.com/2017/06/07/vladimir-putins-17-years-in-power-the-scorecard/
June 7, 2017 - Mr. Putin can’t seem to get a break in the western media. I watched his recent interview with CBS’s Megyn Kelly with her tiresome, boring questions like, “did Russia interfere in our election,” “did your ambassador meet with Trump’s election officials,” “isn’t it true that you’re a corrupt murderous thug,” etc. Only in response to Kelly’s last question did Mr. Putin get to name a handful of his achievements in Russia. But someone ought to better prepare his talking points on this score. The below excerpt from my upcoming book summarizes how Russia has changed during the 17 years since Mr. Putin has been at helm.
Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit .... Matthew 7:16
On 26th July 2014 British magazine “The Economist” published an article titled “A web of lies,” opening with the following two sentences: “In 1991, when Soviet Communism collapsed, it seemed as if the Russian people might at last have the chance to become citizens of a normal Western democracy. Vladimir Putin’s disastrous contribution to Russia’s history has been to set his country on a different path.” Well, we have already seen how Russia fared in the 1990s after Soviet communism collapsed. For some reason, the bright minds at The Economist thought this path was so promising, it was a real shame – a disaster, no less – that Vladimir Putin took Russia on a different one. Let’s take a closer look, shall we, at Mr. Putin’s “disastrous contribution.”
To start with, Putin played the pivotal role in keeping the country from disintegrating. When he came to power, Russia’s regional governors were writing their own laws, disregarded presidential instructions and were not even returning their republics’ tax receipts to the Federation’s purse. Mikhail Gorbachev stated that Putin “saved Russia from the beginning of a collapse. A lot of the regions did not recognize our constitution.” [1] But this historical feat was only the starting point of the subsequent renaissance of the nation. Its economy returned to growth and became more vibrant and diverse than it had been perhaps since the reforms of Pyotr Stolypin of the early 1900s.
Economic reforms
In 2000, Russia was one of the most corrupt countries in the world. Without instituting draconian purges Putin took on the oligarchs and steadily curtailed their power, gradually returning Russia to the rule of law. By 2016 his government reduced corruption to about the same level as that of the United States. That was the empirical result of the annual study on corruption published in 2016 by Ernst & Young.[2] The global auditing consultancy asked respondents around the world whether in their experience, corruption is widespread in the business sector. Their survey, which was conducted in 2014, indicated that only 34% of their Russian respondents thought so, the same proportion as in the United States, and below the world average of 39%. Things have probably improved further since then as Vladimir Putin stepped up a high-profile anti-corruption campaign that led to investigations and prosecution of a number of high level politicians around Russia. Even highly ranked members of Putin’s own political party were not spared.[3] The unmistakable message of such campaigns was that corruption would not be tolerated and that it would be aggressively investigated and prosecuted. Some of the best evidence that Putin’s various anti-corruption measures have had effect can be found in World Bank’s Enterprise Surveys which ask businessmen the question, “was a gift or informal payment expected or requested during a meeting with tax officials?” In 2005, nearly 60% of respondents answered affirmatively. By 2009 this number was 17.4% and by 2012 it had dropped to only 7.3%.
Putin’s government also made impressive advances in making it easier for entrepreneurs and small businesses to set up shop, raise capital and operate in Russia. According to World Bank’s annual “Doing Business” report, which ranks 190 world economies on a set of attributes such as the ease of starting a business, obtaining construction permits, obtaining electricity, raising credit, and enforcing contracts. On all the metrics combined, Russia managed to climb from 124th place in the world in 2012 to 40th in 2017.[4] Thus, within only five years, Russia had vaulted an impressive 84 positions in World Bank’s ranking. This was not a random achievement but the result of President Putin’s explicit 2012 directive that by 2018 Russia should be among the top 20 nations in the world for ease of doing business.
One of the strategically important sectors where Russia has made striking progress is its agricultural industry. After the disastrous 1990s when she found herself dependent on food imports, Russia again became self-sufficient in food production and a net food exporter. By 2014, Russian exports of agricultural products reached nearly $20 billion, almost a full third of her revenues from oil and gas exports. Not only is Russia now producing abundant food for its own needs, the government is explicitly favoring production of healthy foods, a strategy which includes a ban on the cultivation of genetically modified (GMO) crops, introduced by the State Duma in February of 2014. According to official Russian statistics, the share of GMO foods sold in Russia declined from 12% in 2004 to just 0.1% by 2014.
These and many other constructive reforms have had a very substantial impact on Russia’s economic aggregates as the following examples show:
•Between 1999 and 2013, Russia’s gross domestic product (GDP) leaped nearly 12-fold from $1,330 per capita to more than $15,560 in 2013, outpacing even China’s remarkable economic growth.
•Russia reduced its debt as a percentage of GDP by over 90%, from 144% in 1998 to less than 14% in 2015!
•Gross national income per capita rose from $1,710 in 2000 to $14,810 in 2013.
•Unemployment fell from 13% in 1999 to below 5% in 2014. Among the working population (those aged 15-64), 69% have a paid job (74% of men).
•Only 0.2% of Russians work very long hours, compared to 13% OECD average
•Poverty rate fell from 40% in the 1990s to 12.5% in 2013 – better than U.S. or German poverty rates (15.6% and 15.7%, respectively)
•Average monthly income rose from around 1,500 rubles in 1999 to nearly 30,000 rubles in 2013.
•Average monthly pensions rose from less than 500 rubles to 10,000 rubles.
Social and demographic improvements
Putin’s economic reforms included also a more equitable distribution of wealth. As hopelessness faded and standard of living improved, Russian society started to heal: suicides, homicides, and alcohol poisonings declined dramatically. Over the twenty-year period between 1994 and 2014, suicides declined by 56%, homicide rate by 73%, and alcohol poisonings by 83%!
The chart below shows the evolution of these improvements over time:
As we can see, these misery statistics rapidly deteriorated with the introduction of shock therapy in 1992, but the trend sharply reversed soon after Putin took charge. By 2014, these figures reached their lowest values since even before 1992. Along with these improvements, the nation’s demographic trends also experienced a dramatic turnaround. Russian life expectancy, which sunk to an average of barely 64 years (57 for men), rose steadily from the early 2000s to reach almost 72 in 2016, the highest it has ever been in Russia’s history.
Looking at the way life expectancy in Russia changed over time, we see again that it had collapsed in the early 1990s but the trend turned around sharply under Vladimir Putin’s leadership of the country. Similarly fertility rate, which dropped to 1.16 babies per woman in 1999, increased by almost 50% to 1.7 babies by 2012, comparing favorably to European Union’s average of 1.55 babies per woman of childbearing age. Abortions declined 88% from a harrowing 250% of live births in 1993 to 31% in 2013.
Not only are Russians living longer than ever before and enjoying much better quality of life, they also feel freer and happier. In 2014, Gallup Analytics reported that 65% of Russians, more than ever before, answered “Yes” when asked, “are you satisfied … with your freedom to choose what you do with your life?” Meanwhile, Russia’s happiness index rose more than tenfold, from 6 in 1992 to 70 in 2015. Happiness index, compiled by VCIOM[5] adds the proportion of the respondents reporting that they feel decidedly happy or generally happy and deducts those that report feeling generally unhappy or decidedly unhappy.
The next chart further corroborates the idea that under Putin’s leadership, Russia has been developing as a sane and prosperous society, not only for the benefit of a narrow ruling class and at everyone else’s expense, but for the vast majority of ordinary Russians.
By 2014, the great majority of Russians felt satisfied with their lives and believed that things in Russia were moving in the right direction. These figures only tapered off after the 2014 western-sponsored coup in Ukraine and the subsequent economic sanctions imposed on Russia. At the same time, the price of oil – still one of Russia’s largest export – collapsed from over $100 per barrel to under $40. Economic sanctions and the oil price collapse triggered a significant crisis in Russia’s economy. However, in spite of the continuing sanctions regime imposed on the country, its economy started improving again in 2016, thanks to its diverse industrial base that includes a developed commercial and consumer automotive industry, advanced aircraft and helicopter construction based largely on domestic technologies, world’s leading aerospace industry building satellites and top class rocket engines, and advanced industries in pharmaceutical, food processing, optical device, machine tools, tractors, software and numerous other branches. Indeed, Russia is far from being just the “Nigeria with missiles,” or a “gas station with an army,” as many western leaders like to characterize it.
Insofar as a population’s sentiment is a valid measure of its leadership’s performance, Russia’s development under Vladimir Putin stands in sharp contrast with the weak performance of most other developed nations, including those that most vehemently criticize Russia and its president. According to polls conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs in 25 different countries in November 2016 and published by the World Economic Forum, almost two thirds of the people in the world believed that their countries were moving in the wrong direction. The leading western nations scored just as badly, while some among them did flat out dismally.
Evidently, Russians feel much better about the way their nation is shaping up than do constituents of many western nations[6] whose sanctimonious leaders like to lecture their Russian counterparts about prosperity, freedom, democracy and other exalted values they purport to cherish.[7] It may thus only surprise the most credulous consumers of western propaganda that a high proportion of Russian people trust Vladimir Putin and approve his job performance. In the early 2017, Putin’s job approval stood between 80% and 90% and has averaged 74% over the eleven years from 2006. During this period, no western leader has come even close to measuring up with Vladimir Putin.
Over the years, I’ve heard depressingly many intellectuals attempt to dismiss Putin’s achievements and Russian people’s contentment as the product of Russian government propaganda. Putin the autocrat, you see, keeps such tight control over the media that he can deceive his people into believing that things in the country are much better than they really are. But the idea that government propaganda can influence public opinion in this way is just silly. If the majority of people thought their lives were miserable, state propaganda could not persuade them that everything is great. On the contrary, most people would conclude that the media is deceiving them and might feel even less positive about things as a result.[8] It is sillier still to think that western intellectuals should have a better appreciation of what it is like to live in Russia than the Russian people themselves. Rather than buying the truth from their media, such intellectuals would do well to take a trip and visit Russia, speak to ordinary people there, and reach their own conclusions. My own travels in Russia, as well as reports from other visitors largely agree with the positive picture that emerges from the statistics we’ve just examined.
Vladimir Putin’s 17 years in power: the scorecard (Charts)
https://thenakedhedgie.com/2017/06/07/vladimir-putins-17-years-in-power-the-scorecard/
June 7, 2017 - Mr. Putin can’t seem to get a break in the western media. I watched his recent interview with CBS’s Megyn Kelly with her tiresome, boring questions like, “did Russia interfere in our election,” “did your ambassador meet with Trump’s election officials,” “isn’t it true that you’re a corrupt murderous thug,” etc. Only in response to Kelly’s last question did Mr. Putin get to name a handful of his achievements in Russia. But someone ought to better prepare his talking points on this score. The below excerpt from my upcoming book summarizes how Russia has changed during the 17 years since Mr. Putin has been at helm.
Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit .... Matthew 7:16
On 26th July 2014 British magazine “The Economist” published an article titled “A web of lies,” opening with the following two sentences: “In 1991, when Soviet Communism collapsed, it seemed as if the Russian people might at last have the chance to become citizens of a normal Western democracy. Vladimir Putin’s disastrous contribution to Russia’s history has been to set his country on a different path.” Well, we have already seen how Russia fared in the 1990s after Soviet communism collapsed. For some reason, the bright minds at The Economist thought this path was so promising, it was a real shame – a disaster, no less – that Vladimir Putin took Russia on a different one. Let’s take a closer look, shall we, at Mr. Putin’s “disastrous contribution.”
To start with, Putin played the pivotal role in keeping the country from disintegrating. When he came to power, Russia’s regional governors were writing their own laws, disregarded presidential instructions and were not even returning their republics’ tax receipts to the Federation’s purse. Mikhail Gorbachev stated that Putin “saved Russia from the beginning of a collapse. A lot of the regions did not recognize our constitution.” [1] But this historical feat was only the starting point of the subsequent renaissance of the nation. Its economy returned to growth and became more vibrant and diverse than it had been perhaps since the reforms of Pyotr Stolypin of the early 1900s.
Economic reforms
In 2000, Russia was one of the most corrupt countries in the world. Without instituting draconian purges Putin took on the oligarchs and steadily curtailed their power, gradually returning Russia to the rule of law. By 2016 his government reduced corruption to about the same level as that of the United States. That was the empirical result of the annual study on corruption published in 2016 by Ernst & Young.[2] The global auditing consultancy asked respondents around the world whether in their experience, corruption is widespread in the business sector. Their survey, which was conducted in 2014, indicated that only 34% of their Russian respondents thought so, the same proportion as in the United States, and below the world average of 39%. Things have probably improved further since then as Vladimir Putin stepped up a high-profile anti-corruption campaign that led to investigations and prosecution of a number of high level politicians around Russia. Even highly ranked members of Putin’s own political party were not spared.[3] The unmistakable message of such campaigns was that corruption would not be tolerated and that it would be aggressively investigated and prosecuted. Some of the best evidence that Putin’s various anti-corruption measures have had effect can be found in World Bank’s Enterprise Surveys which ask businessmen the question, “was a gift or informal payment expected or requested during a meeting with tax officials?” In 2005, nearly 60% of respondents answered affirmatively. By 2009 this number was 17.4% and by 2012 it had dropped to only 7.3%.
Putin’s government also made impressive advances in making it easier for entrepreneurs and small businesses to set up shop, raise capital and operate in Russia. According to World Bank’s annual “Doing Business” report, which ranks 190 world economies on a set of attributes such as the ease of starting a business, obtaining construction permits, obtaining electricity, raising credit, and enforcing contracts. On all the metrics combined, Russia managed to climb from 124th place in the world in 2012 to 40th in 2017.[4] Thus, within only five years, Russia had vaulted an impressive 84 positions in World Bank’s ranking. This was not a random achievement but the result of President Putin’s explicit 2012 directive that by 2018 Russia should be among the top 20 nations in the world for ease of doing business.
One of the strategically important sectors where Russia has made striking progress is its agricultural industry. After the disastrous 1990s when she found herself dependent on food imports, Russia again became self-sufficient in food production and a net food exporter. By 2014, Russian exports of agricultural products reached nearly $20 billion, almost a full third of her revenues from oil and gas exports. Not only is Russia now producing abundant food for its own needs, the government is explicitly favoring production of healthy foods, a strategy which includes a ban on the cultivation of genetically modified (GMO) crops, introduced by the State Duma in February of 2014. According to official Russian statistics, the share of GMO foods sold in Russia declined from 12% in 2004 to just 0.1% by 2014.
These and many other constructive reforms have had a very substantial impact on Russia’s economic aggregates as the following examples show:
•Between 1999 and 2013, Russia’s gross domestic product (GDP) leaped nearly 12-fold from $1,330 per capita to more than $15,560 in 2013, outpacing even China’s remarkable economic growth.
•Russia reduced its debt as a percentage of GDP by over 90%, from 144% in 1998 to less than 14% in 2015!
•Gross national income per capita rose from $1,710 in 2000 to $14,810 in 2013.
•Unemployment fell from 13% in 1999 to below 5% in 2014. Among the working population (those aged 15-64), 69% have a paid job (74% of men).
•Only 0.2% of Russians work very long hours, compared to 13% OECD average
•Poverty rate fell from 40% in the 1990s to 12.5% in 2013 – better than U.S. or German poverty rates (15.6% and 15.7%, respectively)
•Average monthly income rose from around 1,500 rubles in 1999 to nearly 30,000 rubles in 2013.
•Average monthly pensions rose from less than 500 rubles to 10,000 rubles.
Social and demographic improvements
Putin’s economic reforms included also a more equitable distribution of wealth. As hopelessness faded and standard of living improved, Russian society started to heal: suicides, homicides, and alcohol poisonings declined dramatically. Over the twenty-year period between 1994 and 2014, suicides declined by 56%, homicide rate by 73%, and alcohol poisonings by 83%!
The chart below shows the evolution of these improvements over time:
As we can see, these misery statistics rapidly deteriorated with the introduction of shock therapy in 1992, but the trend sharply reversed soon after Putin took charge. By 2014, these figures reached their lowest values since even before 1992. Along with these improvements, the nation’s demographic trends also experienced a dramatic turnaround. Russian life expectancy, which sunk to an average of barely 64 years (57 for men), rose steadily from the early 2000s to reach almost 72 in 2016, the highest it has ever been in Russia’s history.
Looking at the way life expectancy in Russia changed over time, we see again that it had collapsed in the early 1990s but the trend turned around sharply under Vladimir Putin’s leadership of the country. Similarly fertility rate, which dropped to 1.16 babies per woman in 1999, increased by almost 50% to 1.7 babies by 2012, comparing favorably to European Union’s average of 1.55 babies per woman of childbearing age. Abortions declined 88% from a harrowing 250% of live births in 1993 to 31% in 2013.
Not only are Russians living longer than ever before and enjoying much better quality of life, they also feel freer and happier. In 2014, Gallup Analytics reported that 65% of Russians, more than ever before, answered “Yes” when asked, “are you satisfied … with your freedom to choose what you do with your life?” Meanwhile, Russia’s happiness index rose more than tenfold, from 6 in 1992 to 70 in 2015. Happiness index, compiled by VCIOM[5] adds the proportion of the respondents reporting that they feel decidedly happy or generally happy and deducts those that report feeling generally unhappy or decidedly unhappy.
The next chart further corroborates the idea that under Putin’s leadership, Russia has been developing as a sane and prosperous society, not only for the benefit of a narrow ruling class and at everyone else’s expense, but for the vast majority of ordinary Russians.
By 2014, the great majority of Russians felt satisfied with their lives and believed that things in Russia were moving in the right direction. These figures only tapered off after the 2014 western-sponsored coup in Ukraine and the subsequent economic sanctions imposed on Russia. At the same time, the price of oil – still one of Russia’s largest export – collapsed from over $100 per barrel to under $40. Economic sanctions and the oil price collapse triggered a significant crisis in Russia’s economy. However, in spite of the continuing sanctions regime imposed on the country, its economy started improving again in 2016, thanks to its diverse industrial base that includes a developed commercial and consumer automotive industry, advanced aircraft and helicopter construction based largely on domestic technologies, world’s leading aerospace industry building satellites and top class rocket engines, and advanced industries in pharmaceutical, food processing, optical device, machine tools, tractors, software and numerous other branches. Indeed, Russia is far from being just the “Nigeria with missiles,” or a “gas station with an army,” as many western leaders like to characterize it.
Insofar as a population’s sentiment is a valid measure of its leadership’s performance, Russia’s development under Vladimir Putin stands in sharp contrast with the weak performance of most other developed nations, including those that most vehemently criticize Russia and its president. According to polls conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs in 25 different countries in November 2016 and published by the World Economic Forum, almost two thirds of the people in the world believed that their countries were moving in the wrong direction. The leading western nations scored just as badly, while some among them did flat out dismally.
Evidently, Russians feel much better about the way their nation is shaping up than do constituents of many western nations[6] whose sanctimonious leaders like to lecture their Russian counterparts about prosperity, freedom, democracy and other exalted values they purport to cherish.[7] It may thus only surprise the most credulous consumers of western propaganda that a high proportion of Russian people trust Vladimir Putin and approve his job performance. In the early 2017, Putin’s job approval stood between 80% and 90% and has averaged 74% over the eleven years from 2006. During this period, no western leader has come even close to measuring up with Vladimir Putin.
Over the years, I’ve heard depressingly many intellectuals attempt to dismiss Putin’s achievements and Russian people’s contentment as the product of Russian government propaganda. Putin the autocrat, you see, keeps such tight control over the media that he can deceive his people into believing that things in the country are much better than they really are. But the idea that government propaganda can influence public opinion in this way is just silly. If the majority of people thought their lives were miserable, state propaganda could not persuade them that everything is great. On the contrary, most people would conclude that the media is deceiving them and might feel even less positive about things as a result.[8] It is sillier still to think that western intellectuals should have a better appreciation of what it is like to live in Russia than the Russian people themselves. Rather than buying the truth from their media, such intellectuals would do well to take a trip and visit Russia, speak to ordinary people there, and reach their own conclusions. My own travels in Russia, as well as reports from other visitors largely agree with the positive picture that emerges from the statistics we’ve just examined.
Re: The Unknown Vladimir Putin
Scanned trough it and in short all indicators seem to point into a positive direction in Russia. No wonder with a guy like Putin on top. :) Most statistics end around 2014 though.
What other countries in this world and age, with comparable demographics, landmass and historical and social circumstances, can even come close to those improvements/developments?
The proof is in the making and the russian leadership has proven it.
angelburst29 said:
Scanned trough it and in short all indicators seem to point into a positive direction in Russia. No wonder with a guy like Putin on top. :) Most statistics end around 2014 though.
What other countries in this world and age, with comparable demographics, landmass and historical and social circumstances, can even come close to those improvements/developments?
The proof is in the making and the russian leadership has proven it.
angelburst29
The Living Force
Re: The Unknown Vladimir Putin
What I found interesting about the article, which is an excerpt from a book in the process of being published, is that the author is a hedge fund manager and into Commodities Trading, who lives in Monaco. He's viewing Russia and Putin from a neutral but financial point. The charts show the situation when Putin came into the Presidency and the steady improvements in social and economic adjustments that have improved the lives of the Country and pulled it out of a financial down fall.
Putin was wise enough to form committees and staff them with "the best in their field's" and look for alternatives to tackle the problems facing Russia, first as a Country and then to the people's needs. Most importantly, he reinstituted "Law" and in some cases, modified the Law on the books to conform to his vision for Russia. After 17 years, Putin has given other Countries "a blueprint" and a tool that can be modified to suit their own Countries needs to improve social and economic prosperity. Yet, Russia hasn't isolated itself but has gone one step further, in reaching out to the International level for trade and exchange of goods. At the present moment, Russia has even excelled in education and has some of the top Universities. They surpass the old Ivy league establishments/Institutions in the United States (like Yale and Harvard) in enrollments and prestigious awards after Graduation.
So, Putin has helped Russia pull itself out of the ashes, so to speak. On the other hand, America has hit 'rock bottom" and is in a worse financial and economic state, then Russia was when Putin took over. If Trump could get his "act" together and work with Russia, Trump might be able to slow down our "fall from grace" and start rebuilding our Nation? Trump could start by pulling our military troops out of other Countries and bring them home, to help stabilize our Country. The United States is nothing more than women, children and immigrants. Our viable men are distributed all over the Globe. We need them home to bring stability and growth.
Pashalis said:
What I found interesting about the article, which is an excerpt from a book in the process of being published, is that the author is a hedge fund manager and into Commodities Trading, who lives in Monaco. He's viewing Russia and Putin from a neutral but financial point. The charts show the situation when Putin came into the Presidency and the steady improvements in social and economic adjustments that have improved the lives of the Country and pulled it out of a financial down fall.
Putin was wise enough to form committees and staff them with "the best in their field's" and look for alternatives to tackle the problems facing Russia, first as a Country and then to the people's needs. Most importantly, he reinstituted "Law" and in some cases, modified the Law on the books to conform to his vision for Russia. After 17 years, Putin has given other Countries "a blueprint" and a tool that can be modified to suit their own Countries needs to improve social and economic prosperity. Yet, Russia hasn't isolated itself but has gone one step further, in reaching out to the International level for trade and exchange of goods. At the present moment, Russia has even excelled in education and has some of the top Universities. They surpass the old Ivy league establishments/Institutions in the United States (like Yale and Harvard) in enrollments and prestigious awards after Graduation.
So, Putin has helped Russia pull itself out of the ashes, so to speak. On the other hand, America has hit 'rock bottom" and is in a worse financial and economic state, then Russia was when Putin took over. If Trump could get his "act" together and work with Russia, Trump might be able to slow down our "fall from grace" and start rebuilding our Nation? Trump could start by pulling our military troops out of other Countries and bring them home, to help stabilize our Country. The United States is nothing more than women, children and immigrants. Our viable men are distributed all over the Globe. We need them home to bring stability and growth.
Re: The Unknown Vladimir Putin
Annual Putin's Q&A session is coming up.
If you have any questions, you can ask them on this site. Unfortunately, it is only in Russian. But perhaps if you could come up with really interesting and relevant questions, they could be translated and posted in Russian. You can even send a video recording. Sure, the odds of the questions being chosen and actually asked are very small. It's like winning a lottery. But who knows!
Annual Putin's Q&A session is coming up.
If you have any questions, you can ask them on this site. Unfortunately, it is only in Russian. But perhaps if you could come up with really interesting and relevant questions, they could be translated and posted in Russian. You can even send a video recording. Sure, the odds of the questions being chosen and actually asked are very small. It's like winning a lottery. But who knows!
Re: The Unknown Vladimir Putin
Just wanted to share a recording as an example by an American. His question is a very good one. Hopefully they'll show it.
Keit said:
Just wanted to share a recording as an example by an American. His question is a very good one. Hopefully they'll show it.
Re: The Unknown Vladimir Putin
'Lone warrior': Putin jokes as Chinese President Xi faces Russian delegation solo
Jun 9, 2017
'Lone warrior': Putin jokes as Chinese President Xi faces Russian delegation solo
Jun 9, 2017
Re: The Unknown Vladimir Putin
Here's RI's First Podcast . I am not familar with Louise Mensch
. But there's also an analysis of the recent interview of the Putin interview (by Meggie), that I believe fits this thread.
Russia Insider's editors/serfs sat down for an e-talk ("podcast") about the most memorable stories of the week.
http://russia-insider.com/en/politics/check-out-russia-insiders-very-first-podcast/ri20069?ct=t(Russia_Insider_Daily_Headlines11_21_2014)&mc_cid=1b75a67fcf&mc_eid=a392801254
Link's within:
Sound Cloud Podcast: (20:12)
https://soundcloud.com/russia-insider/ri-june-10-17-louise-mensch-megyn-kelly-linda-ives
Russia Insider June 10 - 17
Here's RI's First Podcast . I am not familar with Louise Mensch
. But there's also an analysis of the recent interview of the Putin interview (by Meggie), that I believe fits this thread. Russia Insider's editors/serfs sat down for an e-talk ("podcast") about the most memorable stories of the week.
http://russia-insider.com/en/politics/check-out-russia-insiders-very-first-podcast/ri20069?ct=t(Russia_Insider_Daily_Headlines11_21_2014)&mc_cid=1b75a67fcf&mc_eid=a392801254
Link's within:
Sound Cloud Podcast: (20:12)
https://soundcloud.com/russia-insider/ri-june-10-17-louise-mensch-megyn-kelly-linda-ives
Russia Insider June 10 - 17
angelburst29
The Living Force
Re: The Unknown Vladimir Putin
With just hours left before the start of the 15th annual Direct Line with the Russian President, Sputnik delves into the history of live communication between Vladimir Putin and Russians to track how and when it all started and how it has changed through the course of his presidency.
Vladimir Putin's Q&A Sessions: 15 Years of Talking With Russia Face to Face
https://sputniknews.com/russia/201706151054649404-putin-direct-line/
The Direct Line with President Putin, which has become a traditional call-in session through the course of his presidency, started during his first presidential term, on December 24, 2001.
December 24, 2001 - The Russian leader received 400,000 questions but was able to address only 46 of them. His communication with the country lasted two and a half hours, one hour longer than initially planned.
During his first Q&A Session, the President promised his people that he would answer their questions during live broadcasts
December 19, 2002 - The second session took place the following year. It lasted five minutes longer that the previous one (2 hours and 35 minutes), and the President was able to address more questions (51). The event, however, generated far more interest among Russians: the call center received 1,422,000 calls.
Unlike the first session held in 2001, when the studio was mainly connected to large cities, in 2002 the studio spoke to six regional centers, two villages, and two towns.
The bulk of the questions concerned social issues such as wages, pensions and high utility rates. About 20 percent of the questions were about living standards, half of which were about housing. As in 2001, the majority of questions came from senior citizens.
December 18, 2003 - During his third call-in session, the President answered 68 questions from all over the country: Moscow, Komsomolsk-on-Amur, the coal quarry Chernigovsky in Kemerovo Region, Krasnoyarsk, Kant Air Force Base in Kyrgyzstan, Drilling Rig No. 504 in the Vostochno-Surgutskoye oilfield, Nalchik, Vologda, the village of Novaya Derevnya in Stavropol Territory, Nizhny Novgorod, Michurinsk and Vyborg.
The session lasted 2 hours and 50 minutes. The percentage of questions answered was divided evenly between those sent via the Internet, which the President chose himself, those asked over the telephone, and those asked during the live broadcast. In all, there were 1,553,000 calls.
During this session, Putin announced his intention to run for reelection.
2004 - This year the Russian leader decided to take a break from the national call-in session format. Instead, the Russian President held a large-scale news conference in the Kremlin.
September 27, 2005 - The fourth line was opened on September 27, 2005; questions could be asked not only via a specially created website and by telephone, but also, for the first time, via mobile phone text messages.
As in previous years, most people were worried about economic and social matters. Within 2 hours and 53 minutes, the President was able to answer 60 questions, 14 of which he chose himself.
The overwhelming majority of the questions had to do with domestic policy, with only six questions concerning international problems. Just one inquiry was of a personal nature.
More than one million questions were registered, including one million by telephone and over 100,000 via text message. The most active categories were blue-collar workers, office workers, retirees, students, and housewives, who were mainly concerned about salaries, pensions, housing, healthcare services, and support for those serving in the military.
October 25, 2006 - The fifth Direct Line of the President with his nation lasted 2 hours and 54 minutes, where he answered more than 50 questions asked via video linkups with populated centers in various parts of the country, by telephone, and on the Direct Line website. Of these, 41 concerned domestic matters, nine dealt with international affairs, and two were of a personal nature.
The overall number of questions exceeded 2.3 million, including 2.2 million lodged by telephone and 100,000 via the Internet. A special text message line was also available throughout the broadcast.
Direct linkups were organized with Baltiysk, Bryansk, Irkutsk, Kaspiysk, Kondopoga, Naberezhnye Chelny, Nakhodka, the village of Podgorodnyaya Pokrovka in the Orenburg Region, and Tver. Additionally, a number of questions were also asked live from Crimean Sevastopol.
October 18, 2007 - The sixth Direct Line, on October 18, 2007 became the largest at that time in terms of both duration and the number of questions asked.
During the 3 hours, 5 minutes and 40 second session, Putin answered 72 of the more than 2.5 million questions. As before, people mostly expressed social concerns related to improving salaries and pensions, social benefits for pregnant women and young mothers, housing, and rising food prices.
Eight questions each were asked about the economy, international issues and domestic policy. The President also answered four personal questions, three questions about the Olympic Games, three about the army, and two about association football (soccer).
The studio was connected to 67 cities throughout Russia and the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) countries, with people from 12 of them getting to ask questions live on air. The President then received 2,276,931 calls.
December 4, 2008 - On December 4, 2008, during his seventh Direct Line, Vladimir Putin for the first time answered questions as the country's Prime Minister and the head of the United Russia party.
A special program, the "Talk with Vladimir Putin," lasted for 3 hours and 8 minutes, 3 minutes longer than the previous year's call-in program.
Putin answered 80 questions asked by phone, text messages, and online, as well as via mobile television stations installed in Russian regions. There were 1,636,800 calls and 642,000 text messages.
The bulk of the questions concerned the consequences of the global financial crisis, rising gasoline prices, pensions, social benefits and wages in the public sector, as well as maternity capital and mortgages for young families.
December 3, 2009 - On December 3, 2009, then-Prime Minister Vladimir Putin held his eighth Q&A session, called "A Conversation with Vladimir Putin: Continued."
The program lasted 4 hours and 2 minutes. The Prime Minister answered over 80 of the more than two million questions that came in via phone, text message, and emails sent to www.moskva-putinu.ru.
The 2009 Q&A session focused on support for industries. Putin spoke with employees of the companies he had previously visited, telling them about practical support measures and promising to visit again in the event of any problems. Putin also spoke about macroeonomics, mentioning gloomy figures of the 2009 GDP and industrial production decline, but expressed hope that things might start getting better in 2010.
December 16, 2010 - The 2010 Q&A session had the same name as it had the previous year: "A Conversation with Vladimir Putin: Continued."
It was the ninth live session and beat the previous record by 24 minutes; it lasted 4 hours and 26 minutes. Of the more than 2 million questions received, Putin answered 90 questions, 31 of which he chose himself.
Most of the questions concerned socioeconomic issues and the consequences of the devastating wildfires that had hit Russia that summer. The Prime Minister was also asked about preparations for the 2014 Sochi Olympics and 2018 FIFA World Cup. One person asked whether Vladimir Putin had had to give an order to kill a traitor.
The Prime Minister received over 2,000,000 questions, of which half a million were texted, while 1,400,000 were phone calls and the rest came from the website.
December 15, 2011 - On December 15, 2011, Vladimir Putin spent four and a half hours answering questions. About 40 percent of the television audience that day tuned into the broadcast. Putin's tenth Direct Line Q&A session began at noon and ended 4 hours and 32 minutes later. During this time, Putin answered 88 questions, 25 of which concerned parliamentary election results, the next presidential election, Russian political parties, Putin's political plans, personal issues, and many other issues.
According to the direct line hosts, most of the 1,882,000 calls and texts that the specially set-up call center had received by 3:30 p.m. Moscow time concerned social services. These were followed by questions about utilities and amenities, followed by labor relations and wages. Putin was also asked private questions such as ones about his dreams, his plans for the New Year, what he believed brought him happiness, and which of his character traits he disliked.
2012 - In 2012, there was no Direct Line with Vladimir Putin, but the Kremlin said they had not abandoned the format and promised to hold it later on, during the warm season.
April 25, 2013 - On April 25, 2013, the President hosted his eleventh call-in and write-in session, this time called "Direct Line with Vladimir Putin."
That day, Vladimir Putin again broke his own record with a session lasting 4 hours and 47 minutes. The President answered 85 questions, including 24 rapid-fire questions, eight of which he chose himself and the rest were put forward by the session's hosts.
During the 2013 session, the call center fielded a record number of calls; around three million calls had been received as of 4 p.m. local time.
Russians were typically concerned about social issues, with some complaining about inflated utility payments and low wages live on air.
April 17, 2014 - On April 17, 2014, the Russian President spoke with his country for the twelfth time. It was the second time during his current term in office, and the first to involve residents of Russia's newest region – Crimea.
The 2014 "Direct Line" lasted 3 hours and 55 minutes. Putin answered 81 questions, 35 of which concerned Crimea and Ukraine. The studio was connected with four Russian regions as well as to a studio in Berlin, which brought together international experts from the Valdai Discussion Club. Four of the questions asked during the broadcast came from Sevastopol. Putin also answered a video question from former US intelligence employee Edward Snowden.
April 16, 2015 - On April 16, 2015, during his 13th direct line, the President received a total of 2,486,000 questions, of which 1,700,000 were by phone, and over 400,000 were texted.
The direct line went for 3 hours 57 minutes. Videolinks with six Russian regions were included. Vladimir Putin had time to answer 74 questions, which concerned sanctions and reciprocal sanctions, the situation in Ukraine, the investigation into opposition politician Boris Nemtsov’s murder, and such domestic issues as loans, mortgages and state services.
April 14, 2016 - On April 14, 2016, the President hosted another "Direct line with Vladimir Putin".
A total of 2,500,000 questions were put to the President. That year, the program lasted 3 hours 40 minutes, and the President answered 80 questions, which focused mainly on domestic political and economic issues. They concerned the current state of the economy, rising prices on food products and drugs, inflation, wage arrears, and layoffs at social institutions.
Russians were very much interested in international affairs, asking questions about nearly all key foreign policy issues and the more relevant issues on the international agenda. Putin talked about the situation in Syria, the crisis settlement in Donbass and the Nagorny Karabakh region, Russia-US relations and Ukraine. Videolinks included Crimea, Sakhalin, Voronezh Region, Tomsk and Tula.
Putin Prepared Two Days Uninterruptedly for 'Direct Line'
https://sputniknews.com/russia/201706151054651514-putin-q-a-direct-line/
According to the spokesman, the preparation for the event started a week ahead of the session.
But when he already abstains himself from all events, in fact for two [days], from what I witnessed, he has been preparing for two days without a break," Peskov said while aired by Channel One.
The fifteenth annual "Direct Line with Vladimir Putin" event started at noon Moscow time (09:00 GMT) and is broadcast live by Channel One, Rossiya-1 and Rossiya-24 and radio stations Mayak, Vesti FM, and Radio Rossii.
"There is no need to wait for surprises probably, we should wait for an interesting and substantial talk. You know that the president is generous with definitions, orders, critical statements. That is why, let us wait," Peskov said.
The spokesman added that the 2017 "direct line" would become the most hi-tech in history.
Russians Send 2Mln Questions for Putin 'Direct Line' Q&A Session
https://sputniknews.com/russia/201706151054651857-putin-q-a-questions/
According to the live stream of the session by Rossiya 24 broadcaster, there have been 1.1 calls so far.
Most questions are reportedly about inflation, local governance and the standard of life.
The Russian leader is holding the 15th annual Q&A call-in session. Last year, there were over 2.3 million questions.
With just hours left before the start of the 15th annual Direct Line with the Russian President, Sputnik delves into the history of live communication between Vladimir Putin and Russians to track how and when it all started and how it has changed through the course of his presidency.
Vladimir Putin's Q&A Sessions: 15 Years of Talking With Russia Face to Face
https://sputniknews.com/russia/201706151054649404-putin-direct-line/
The Direct Line with President Putin, which has become a traditional call-in session through the course of his presidency, started during his first presidential term, on December 24, 2001.
December 24, 2001 - The Russian leader received 400,000 questions but was able to address only 46 of them. His communication with the country lasted two and a half hours, one hour longer than initially planned.
During his first Q&A Session, the President promised his people that he would answer their questions during live broadcasts
December 19, 2002 - The second session took place the following year. It lasted five minutes longer that the previous one (2 hours and 35 minutes), and the President was able to address more questions (51). The event, however, generated far more interest among Russians: the call center received 1,422,000 calls.
Unlike the first session held in 2001, when the studio was mainly connected to large cities, in 2002 the studio spoke to six regional centers, two villages, and two towns.
The bulk of the questions concerned social issues such as wages, pensions and high utility rates. About 20 percent of the questions were about living standards, half of which were about housing. As in 2001, the majority of questions came from senior citizens.
December 18, 2003 - During his third call-in session, the President answered 68 questions from all over the country: Moscow, Komsomolsk-on-Amur, the coal quarry Chernigovsky in Kemerovo Region, Krasnoyarsk, Kant Air Force Base in Kyrgyzstan, Drilling Rig No. 504 in the Vostochno-Surgutskoye oilfield, Nalchik, Vologda, the village of Novaya Derevnya in Stavropol Territory, Nizhny Novgorod, Michurinsk and Vyborg.
The session lasted 2 hours and 50 minutes. The percentage of questions answered was divided evenly between those sent via the Internet, which the President chose himself, those asked over the telephone, and those asked during the live broadcast. In all, there were 1,553,000 calls.
During this session, Putin announced his intention to run for reelection.
2004 - This year the Russian leader decided to take a break from the national call-in session format. Instead, the Russian President held a large-scale news conference in the Kremlin.
September 27, 2005 - The fourth line was opened on September 27, 2005; questions could be asked not only via a specially created website and by telephone, but also, for the first time, via mobile phone text messages.
As in previous years, most people were worried about economic and social matters. Within 2 hours and 53 minutes, the President was able to answer 60 questions, 14 of which he chose himself.
The overwhelming majority of the questions had to do with domestic policy, with only six questions concerning international problems. Just one inquiry was of a personal nature.
More than one million questions were registered, including one million by telephone and over 100,000 via text message. The most active categories were blue-collar workers, office workers, retirees, students, and housewives, who were mainly concerned about salaries, pensions, housing, healthcare services, and support for those serving in the military.
October 25, 2006 - The fifth Direct Line of the President with his nation lasted 2 hours and 54 minutes, where he answered more than 50 questions asked via video linkups with populated centers in various parts of the country, by telephone, and on the Direct Line website. Of these, 41 concerned domestic matters, nine dealt with international affairs, and two were of a personal nature.
The overall number of questions exceeded 2.3 million, including 2.2 million lodged by telephone and 100,000 via the Internet. A special text message line was also available throughout the broadcast.
Direct linkups were organized with Baltiysk, Bryansk, Irkutsk, Kaspiysk, Kondopoga, Naberezhnye Chelny, Nakhodka, the village of Podgorodnyaya Pokrovka in the Orenburg Region, and Tver. Additionally, a number of questions were also asked live from Crimean Sevastopol.
October 18, 2007 - The sixth Direct Line, on October 18, 2007 became the largest at that time in terms of both duration and the number of questions asked.
During the 3 hours, 5 minutes and 40 second session, Putin answered 72 of the more than 2.5 million questions. As before, people mostly expressed social concerns related to improving salaries and pensions, social benefits for pregnant women and young mothers, housing, and rising food prices.
Eight questions each were asked about the economy, international issues and domestic policy. The President also answered four personal questions, three questions about the Olympic Games, three about the army, and two about association football (soccer).
The studio was connected to 67 cities throughout Russia and the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) countries, with people from 12 of them getting to ask questions live on air. The President then received 2,276,931 calls.
December 4, 2008 - On December 4, 2008, during his seventh Direct Line, Vladimir Putin for the first time answered questions as the country's Prime Minister and the head of the United Russia party.
A special program, the "Talk with Vladimir Putin," lasted for 3 hours and 8 minutes, 3 minutes longer than the previous year's call-in program.
Putin answered 80 questions asked by phone, text messages, and online, as well as via mobile television stations installed in Russian regions. There were 1,636,800 calls and 642,000 text messages.
The bulk of the questions concerned the consequences of the global financial crisis, rising gasoline prices, pensions, social benefits and wages in the public sector, as well as maternity capital and mortgages for young families.
December 3, 2009 - On December 3, 2009, then-Prime Minister Vladimir Putin held his eighth Q&A session, called "A Conversation with Vladimir Putin: Continued."
The program lasted 4 hours and 2 minutes. The Prime Minister answered over 80 of the more than two million questions that came in via phone, text message, and emails sent to www.moskva-putinu.ru.
The 2009 Q&A session focused on support for industries. Putin spoke with employees of the companies he had previously visited, telling them about practical support measures and promising to visit again in the event of any problems. Putin also spoke about macroeonomics, mentioning gloomy figures of the 2009 GDP and industrial production decline, but expressed hope that things might start getting better in 2010.
December 16, 2010 - The 2010 Q&A session had the same name as it had the previous year: "A Conversation with Vladimir Putin: Continued."
It was the ninth live session and beat the previous record by 24 minutes; it lasted 4 hours and 26 minutes. Of the more than 2 million questions received, Putin answered 90 questions, 31 of which he chose himself.
Most of the questions concerned socioeconomic issues and the consequences of the devastating wildfires that had hit Russia that summer. The Prime Minister was also asked about preparations for the 2014 Sochi Olympics and 2018 FIFA World Cup. One person asked whether Vladimir Putin had had to give an order to kill a traitor.
The Prime Minister received over 2,000,000 questions, of which half a million were texted, while 1,400,000 were phone calls and the rest came from the website.
December 15, 2011 - On December 15, 2011, Vladimir Putin spent four and a half hours answering questions. About 40 percent of the television audience that day tuned into the broadcast. Putin's tenth Direct Line Q&A session began at noon and ended 4 hours and 32 minutes later. During this time, Putin answered 88 questions, 25 of which concerned parliamentary election results, the next presidential election, Russian political parties, Putin's political plans, personal issues, and many other issues.
According to the direct line hosts, most of the 1,882,000 calls and texts that the specially set-up call center had received by 3:30 p.m. Moscow time concerned social services. These were followed by questions about utilities and amenities, followed by labor relations and wages. Putin was also asked private questions such as ones about his dreams, his plans for the New Year, what he believed brought him happiness, and which of his character traits he disliked.
2012 - In 2012, there was no Direct Line with Vladimir Putin, but the Kremlin said they had not abandoned the format and promised to hold it later on, during the warm season.
April 25, 2013 - On April 25, 2013, the President hosted his eleventh call-in and write-in session, this time called "Direct Line with Vladimir Putin."
That day, Vladimir Putin again broke his own record with a session lasting 4 hours and 47 minutes. The President answered 85 questions, including 24 rapid-fire questions, eight of which he chose himself and the rest were put forward by the session's hosts.
During the 2013 session, the call center fielded a record number of calls; around three million calls had been received as of 4 p.m. local time.
Russians were typically concerned about social issues, with some complaining about inflated utility payments and low wages live on air.
April 17, 2014 - On April 17, 2014, the Russian President spoke with his country for the twelfth time. It was the second time during his current term in office, and the first to involve residents of Russia's newest region – Crimea.
The 2014 "Direct Line" lasted 3 hours and 55 minutes. Putin answered 81 questions, 35 of which concerned Crimea and Ukraine. The studio was connected with four Russian regions as well as to a studio in Berlin, which brought together international experts from the Valdai Discussion Club. Four of the questions asked during the broadcast came from Sevastopol. Putin also answered a video question from former US intelligence employee Edward Snowden.
April 16, 2015 - On April 16, 2015, during his 13th direct line, the President received a total of 2,486,000 questions, of which 1,700,000 were by phone, and over 400,000 were texted.
The direct line went for 3 hours 57 minutes. Videolinks with six Russian regions were included. Vladimir Putin had time to answer 74 questions, which concerned sanctions and reciprocal sanctions, the situation in Ukraine, the investigation into opposition politician Boris Nemtsov’s murder, and such domestic issues as loans, mortgages and state services.
April 14, 2016 - On April 14, 2016, the President hosted another "Direct line with Vladimir Putin".
A total of 2,500,000 questions were put to the President. That year, the program lasted 3 hours 40 minutes, and the President answered 80 questions, which focused mainly on domestic political and economic issues. They concerned the current state of the economy, rising prices on food products and drugs, inflation, wage arrears, and layoffs at social institutions.
Russians were very much interested in international affairs, asking questions about nearly all key foreign policy issues and the more relevant issues on the international agenda. Putin talked about the situation in Syria, the crisis settlement in Donbass and the Nagorny Karabakh region, Russia-US relations and Ukraine. Videolinks included Crimea, Sakhalin, Voronezh Region, Tomsk and Tula.
Putin Prepared Two Days Uninterruptedly for 'Direct Line'
https://sputniknews.com/russia/201706151054651514-putin-q-a-direct-line/
According to the spokesman, the preparation for the event started a week ahead of the session.
But when he already abstains himself from all events, in fact for two [days], from what I witnessed, he has been preparing for two days without a break," Peskov said while aired by Channel One.
The fifteenth annual "Direct Line with Vladimir Putin" event started at noon Moscow time (09:00 GMT) and is broadcast live by Channel One, Rossiya-1 and Rossiya-24 and radio stations Mayak, Vesti FM, and Radio Rossii.
"There is no need to wait for surprises probably, we should wait for an interesting and substantial talk. You know that the president is generous with definitions, orders, critical statements. That is why, let us wait," Peskov said.
The spokesman added that the 2017 "direct line" would become the most hi-tech in history.
Russians Send 2Mln Questions for Putin 'Direct Line' Q&A Session
https://sputniknews.com/russia/201706151054651857-putin-q-a-questions/
According to the live stream of the session by Rossiya 24 broadcaster, there have been 1.1 calls so far.
Most questions are reportedly about inflation, local governance and the standard of life.
The Russian leader is holding the 15th annual Q&A call-in session. Last year, there were over 2.3 million questions.
Re: The Unknown Vladimir Putin
Like Yoda once said: Do. Or do not. There is no try
Putin's lessons in success - Just do it! (2:34 min)
Our predator mind tend to convince us that we are incapable. The only way to challenge that is to proof it otherwise.
About something else, but not entirely:
In part 4 of the Putin interviews, if my memory serves me well Putin said something along the line that he envisions a Russia where everyone is capable of finding out their talent within society and performing/showing this talent to others. That according to him brings true happenis for themselves and others within a society.
That's also more or less what a community based society entails. Finding our talent and putting it into practise that serves others and society.
Like Yoda once said: Do. Or do not. There is no try
Putin's lessons in success - Just do it! (2:34 min)
Our predator mind tend to convince us that we are incapable. The only way to challenge that is to proof it otherwise.
About something else, but not entirely:
In part 4 of the Putin interviews, if my memory serves me well Putin said something along the line that he envisions a Russia where everyone is capable of finding out their talent within society and performing/showing this talent to others. That according to him brings true happenis for themselves and others within a society.
That's also more or less what a community based society entails. Finding our talent and putting it into practise that serves others and society.
