Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich

Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin
President of Russian Federation from May 7, 2012
Head of the government	Victor Zubkov (2012, acting ) Dmitry Medvedev (2012–2020) Mikhail Mishustin (since 2020) Andrey Belousov (2020, acting )
Predecessor	Dmitry Medvedev
May 7, 2000  - May 7, 2008 ( and.. December 31, 1999 - May 7, 2000)
Head of the government	Mikhail Kasyanov (2000-2004) Victor Khristenko (2004, acting ) Mikhail Fradkov (2004-2007) Victor Zubkov (2007-2008)
Predecessor	Boris Yeltsin
Successor	Dmitry Medvedev
Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation May 8, 2008  - May 7, 2012
The president	Dmitry Medvedev
Predecessor	Victor Zubkov
Successor	Victor Zubkov ( acting ) Dmitry Medvedev
August 16, 1999  - May 7, 2000 (Acting August 9–16, 1999)
The president	Boris Yeltsin he himself
Predecessor	Sergey Stepashin
Successor	Mikhail Kasyanov
Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union State May 27, 2008  - July 18, 2012
Predecessor	Victor Zubkov
Successor	Dmitry Medvedev
Chairman of the United Russia Party May 7, 2008  - May 26, 2012
Predecessor	Boris Gryzlov
Successor	Dmitry Medvedev
Chairman of the Council of CIS Heads of State January 1  - December 31, 2017
Predecessor	Almazbek Atambaev
Successor	Emomali Rahmon
September 16, 2004  - May 20, 2006
Predecessor	Leonid Kuchma
Successor	Nursultan Nazarbaev
January 25, 2000  - January 29, 2003
Predecessor	Boris Yeltsin
Successor	Leonid Kuchma
Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation March 29  - August 9, 1999
The president	Boris Yeltsin
Predecessor	Nikolay Bordyuzha
Successor	Sergey Ivanov
Director of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation July 5, 1998  - August 9, 1999
The president	Boris Yeltsin
Predecessor	Nikolay Kovalev
Successor	Nikolay Patrushev
Birth	October 7 1952 (67 years old) Leningrad , USSR(1952-10-07)
Father
Mother
Spouse	Lyudmila Putin (Shkrebneva) (1983—2013) [1]
Children	daughters: Maria (born 1985) Katerina (born 1986) [2]
The consignment	CPSU (until August 1991) Our home is Russia (1995) the chairman of United Russia , while he is not a member of the party (2008-2012)
Education	Leningrad State University Higher School of the KGB of the USSR Red Banner Institute of the KGB of the USSR
Academic degree	Candidate of Economic Sciences (1997)
Profession	lawyer , intelligence officer , politician
Activities	President of Russian Federation
Relation to religion	Orthodoxy [3] [4]
Autograph
Awards	USSR and Russian Federation: Other states:
Website	kremlin.ru ( president.rf )
Military service
Years of service	1975-1991, 1998-1999
Affiliation	USSR → Russia
Type of army	KGB of the USSR → FSB of the Russian Federation
Rank	Colonel (1999) Class rank Acting State Advisor to the Russian Federation, 1st class
Commanded	Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (December 31, 1999 - May 7, 2008; from May 7, 2012)
Battles	Second Chechen war ; War in South Ossetia ; Military operation in Syria
Place of work	President of Russian Federation

Vladimir Putin (born October 7, 1952 , Leningrad , USSR ) - Russian statesman and politician, acting president of the Russian Federation and supreme commander of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation since May 7, 2012 ^[5] .

Previously, he served as president from December 31, 1999 to May 7, 2008 ^{[6] [7]} , and in 1999–2000 and 2008–2012 he served as chairman of the Russian government .

Graduate of the Law Faculty of Leningrad State University (LSU). Since 1977, he worked as a counterintelligence officer in the investigation department of the Leningrad Directorate of the KGB ^[8] . From 1985 to 1990 he served in the Soviet Foreign Intelligence Residency in the GDR , worked in Dresden under the guise of director of the Dresden House of Friendship of the USSR — GDR. Upon returning to Leningrad, he worked as an assistant to the rector of Leningrad State University on international issues, then as an adviser to the chairman of the Leningrad City Council, Anatoly Sobchak . On August 20, 1991, with the rank of lieutenant colonel, he quit the USSR KGB .

In 1991-1996 he continued to work under the leadership of Sobchak, moving to the mayor's office of St. Petersburg: he headed the Committee on Foreign Relations, was an adviser to the mayor, and then first deputy. Since August 1996, he began working in Moscow as deputy manager of the President of the Russian Federation . After a brief stay at the head of the FSB of the Russian Federation and as Secretary of the Security Council in August 1999, he was appointed Prime Minister.

The first person to become the state was December 31, 1999, when, by decision of Russian President Boris Yeltsin, he was appointed acting president of the Russian Federation  - in connection with the resignation of the first president of Russia in early retirement. First elected president of Russia on March 26, 2000 . He was re-elected to the post of head of state in 2004 , 2012 and 2018 . Before the 2012 elections, the term of presidency was increased from 4 to 6 years.

Colonel Reserve (1999). Acting State Advisor to the Russian Federation, 1st class (1997). PhD in Economics (1997). Master of Sports in Sambo (1973) and Judo (1975) ^[9] , Leningrad Judo Champion (1976) ^{[10] [11]} , Honored Trainer of Russia in Sambo (1998) ^{[12] [13]} . Fluent in German ^{[14] [15]} .

Origin

External Images
	Vladimir Putin with his parents before leaving for the GDR, 1985

According to his own answer during the census , Russian is ethnicity ^[16] .

Father - Vladimir Spiridonovich Putin (02/23/1911 - 08/02/1999), was born in the village of Pominovo, Kalinin district of the Tver region ^[17] , in 1933-1934. served in the submarine fleet ^[18] , a participant in the Great Patriotic War , drafted by the Peterhof RVC of the Leningrad Region. In the Red Army - since June 1941, a fighter of the 330th rifle regiment of the 86th division of the Red Army, protecting the Nevsky Piglet , was seriously wounded by a fragment in his left leg and foot on November 17, 1941 ^{[19] [20]} . He was awarded medals: "For military merits", "For the defense of Leningrad", "For the victory over Germany." Member of the CPSU (b) since 1941. After the war - the master at the plant. Egorova. In 1985 he was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War of the 1st degree ^[21] .

Mother - Maria Ivanovna Putin (nee Shelomova) (10/17/1911 - 07/06/1998) ^[22] , came from the village of Zarechye, Kalininsky District, Tver Region , where she met Vladimir Spiridonovich ^[17] , also worked at the plant, survived the siege of Leningrad . The headquarters of the KBF was awarded the medal "For the Defense of Leningrad."

According to Putin, his mother survived until 1999, and his father died at the end of 1998 ^[23] .

Grandfather - Spiridon Ivanovich Putin (12/19/1879 - 03/08/1965) ^[24] , came from the village of Pominovo, Kalinin district of the Tver region ^[17] , at age 12 he was sent to the “cookery training” in the Tver inn, proved himself, got into St. Petersburg the restaurant, married the fellow villager Olga Ivanovna Chursanova (married to Putin), worked as a culinary specialist in Astoria on Gorokhovaya Street . In World War I he was sent to the front. After the revolution, fleeing urban hunger, he moved with his family to Pominovo; then moved to Moscow. He worked as a cook in Gorki, cooked for Nadezhda Krupskaya , Maria and Dmitry Ulyanovuntil their death. In 1940 he became the senior cook of the boarding house of the Moscow City Party Committee of the Ilyichevsky party in the village of Ilyinsky. There he fed the Minister of Culture Ekaterina Furtseva , the first secretaries of the Moscow Civil Code Viktor Grishin and Ivan Kapitonov, Nikita Khrushchev and his mother, worked for up to eighty years ^{[25] [26] [27]} .

Putin’s ancestors on the paternal and maternal side (Putin, Shelomov, Chursanov, Buyanov, Fomina and others) for at least 300 years were peasants of the Tver district . The earliest known ancestor of Putin was mentioned in 1627-1628 in the scribe book of Tver Uyezd - this is Yakov Nikitin, a mare of the village of Borodino in the parish of the village of Turginovo , the estates of the boyar Ivan Romanov , uncle of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich ^[28] .

Childhood and youth

Born on October 7, 1952 in Leningrad ^{[29] [30]} , in the maternity hospital named after V. F. Snegireva on Mayakovsky street ^[22] . He was baptized in the Transfiguration Cathedral ^{[31] [32]} .

Vladimir Putin was the third son in the family - he had two older brothers who died before his birth: Victor (1940-1942) and Albert (died before the start of World War II). Victor died of diphtheria during the siege of Leningrad and was buried in the Piskaryovskoye cemetery ^{[33] [34] [35]} .

The Putin family occupied one room in a communal apartment without any amenities in Baskovy Lane (on the fifth, top floor of house 12) in Leningrad, Putin lived in this apartment until his work in the KGB of the USSR. At the cottage in Tosno, in the room of the schoolboy Putin, there was a portrait of one of the founders of the Soviet military intelligence, Yan Berzin ^[26] . Already becoming president, Putin said that since childhood he was fond of Soviet films about scouts and dreamed of working in state security agencies.

In 1960-1965, Putin attended the eight-year school number 193. After he entered high school number 281 (special school with a chemical bias at the Institute of Technology ), which he graduated in 1970 ^[18] . After graduation, the 17-year-old Vladimir for the first time to enter the service visited the Office of the KGB of the USSR in the city of Leningrad and the Leningrad Region on Liteiny , where Putin was recommended to receive an advanced humanitarian education after the interview ^[26] .

In the early years, Putin, among other Leningrad athletes took part in the filming on " Lenfilm " as a stuntman , starred in the war drama " Izhora Battalion " and the epic " Siege " ^[36] . From childhood he was fond of martial arts; champion of Leningrad in sambo (1973) and judo (1975) ^[37] .

In 1970-1975 he studied at the international branch of the Law Faculty of Leningrad State University , where he joined the CPSU ^{[38] [39]} . During his studies, he first met Anatoly Sobchak , then associate professor of Leningrad State University. The theme of the thesis is “The Principle of the Most Favored Nation ” (supervisor L. N. Galenskaya , Department of International Law) ^[40] .

Career before joining the government

Service in the KGB of the USSR (1975-1991)

In 1975, Putin graduated from the Law Faculty of Leningrad State University ^[41] . As commander of a platoon of howitzer artillery control, he received the rank of lieutenant ^[42] . By distribution, he was sent to work in the State Security Committee ^{[3] [43]} . In 1975 he graduated from training courses for operational personnel at Okhta (“401st school”), and was certified as a junior officer ( senior lieutenant of justice ) in the system of territorial bodies of the KGB of the USSR ^[43] . After 1977, he worked as a counterintelligence officer in the investigative department of the Leningrad Directorate of the KGB ^[8]. Putin's workplace was in the Office of the KGB of the USSR for the city of Leningrad and the Leningrad Region in the so-called "big house" at Liteiny Prospekt , 4 ^[32] . In 1979, Putin graduated from a six-month retraining course at the KGB Higher School in Moscow and returned to Leningrad.

In 1984, with the rank of Major of Justice, Putin was sent to study at the one-year department of the Red Banner Institute of the KGB , which he graduated in 1985 with a degree in Foreign Intelligence. Putin was trained in both legal and illegal intelligence . By his own admission, at the Red Banner Institute the KGB bore the conspiratorial surname Platov (since the students did not need to know each other's true surnames, pseudonyms were chosen by the authorities). He was the head of the educational department, he studied German ^[32] . According to a personal file stored in the Central Archive of Historical and Political Documents of St. Petersburg, during his work Putin showed himself to be “an executive, disciplined and conscientious employee” ^[44].

In 1985-1990, Putin worked in the GDR ^[43] through the KGB foreign intelligence . Its leader was the head of the Soviet intelligence group in East Germany, a representative of the KGB of the USSR at the Ministry of State Security of the GDR, Colonel Lazar Matveev (declassified in May 2017 at the age of 90). Putin’s colleagues in Dresden were, in particular, Sergei Chemezov and Nikolai Tokarev ^{[32] [45]} . Putin lived in a three-room apartment in the Stasi block of panel houses for officers"And the KGB, at Radebergerstrasse 101. He acted in the territorial intelligence office in Dresden under the guise of the director of the Dresden House of Friendship of the USSR - the GDR. The sphere of interests of the Soviet intelligence group, as Putin himself said in 2018, mainly consisted of Western European countries - US allies . These states, primarily Germany, by the mid-1980s had deployed medium- and shorter-range missiles aimed at the USSR on their territory ^[32] .

In the course of operational work, Putin had to travel a lot of his sixth model Zhiguli every day . During his seniority trip, Putin was promoted to lieutenant colonel and to senior assistant to the head of the department. Shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall , on December 5, 1989, a crowd of German demonstrators tried to storm the mansion of the Soviet residency along Angelikastrasse 4 in order to seize the KGB archives, but Putin managed to persuade the audience to leave without the use of service weapons. Putin burned a large volume of classified operational documents in the stove. In January 1990, Putin completed a business trip to the GDR and returned to Leningrad ^[32] .

In 1989 he was awarded the bronze medal National People's Army of the GDR .

After completing a business trip abroad and returning to the USSR, according to Putin, he voluntarily refused to go to the central apparatus of foreign intelligence of the USSR KGB in Moscow. He returned to the staff of the first department (intelligence from the territory of the USSR) of the Leningrad KGB Directorate. In 1990, Lieutenant Colonel Putin occupied office No. 643 in the building on Foundry. On the same sixth floor, in the next office, Sergei Ivanov worked , in the future the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, head of the Presidential Administration ^{[8] [32]} .

According to Putin, after switching to work at the Leningrad City Hall, he twice submitted a report on dismissal from the organs of the KGB of the USSR ^[3] .

On August 20, 1991, during the speech of Sobchak against the GKChP , Lt. Col. Putin wrote a report on his dismissal from the KGB. Then the resignation of Putin was accepted by the leadership of the KGB ^{[32] [46] [47]} .

Work in St. Petersburg (1990-1996)

Portal: Politics

Russia

Article from the Political System of Russia series

Political system Constitution of the Russian Federation National Vote on the Adoption of the Constitution (1993) Amendment : 2008 • February 2014 • July 2014 • 2020 All-Russian vote on amendments to the Constitution of Russia (2020) President of Russian Federation Vladimir Putin Administration of the President Security Council Government Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin Government Composition Federal Assembly Council of the Federation SF members Chairman of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko The State Duma State Duma Deputies Chairman of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin Judicial system constitutional Court Supreme Court Prosecutor's office Federated device Of the Republic The edges Areas Cities of federal significance Autonomous Areas Autonomous counties Elections Legislative Election : 1990 • 1993 • 1995 • 1999 • 2003 • 2007 • 2011 • 2016 Presidential Election : 1991 • 1996 • 2000 • 2004 • 2008 • 2012 • 2018 Referenda : 1991 • 1993 Political parties Central Election Commission Foreign policy Foreign economic policy Domestic policy Martial law Russian citizenship Opposition Human rights Participation in international organizations

Since the beginning of spring 1990, Leningrad State University has been Putin's main official place of work. At LSU, Putin became assistant to the rector Stanislav Merkuryev for international affairs.

Merkuryev later recommended Putin to Sobchak as an executive officer ^[48] .

Since May 1990 - Advisor to the Chairman of the Leningrad City Council of People's Deputies Sobchak.

Since June 28, 1991, after the election of Sobchak as mayor, he has been the acting chairman, and since July 15, the chairman of the Committee on External Relations of the Leningrad City Hall (May 16, 1992, St. Petersburg) ^[49] . Putin’s duties as head of the committee included issues of attracting investments to St. Petersburg, cooperation with foreign companies, organization of joint ventures, as well as tourism development and control over the gambling business ^[50] . Putin was the curator of the organization of the first currency exchange in St. Petersburg and facilitated the arrival of several large German firms in the city. With the participation of Putin, one of the first banks with foreign capital in Russia was opened - BNP-Drezdner Bank (Rossija) ^[51]. Putin was one of the organizers of the Russian-American " Goodwill Games ", then he met with a major American businessman in the field of media Ted Turner ^[48] . Starting from this time, American intelligence agencies began to collect information about Putin ^[52] .

In addition to the committee on foreign relations, Putin led the commission of the city hall on operational issues ^[48] .

According to the journalist Oleg Blotsky , whom Putin gave an interview for a two-volume biography in 2002, during the August events of 1991, Putin thought that, if the “putschists” were successful, he would work as a taxi driver in his Volvo car, which he bought in Germany thanks to service in the KGB ^{[53] [54]} .

In 1991, director Igor Shadkhan recorded one of the first television interviews with Putin, where the future president reflects on freedom and totalitarianism ^{[55] [56]} .

In 1992, the Leningrad City Council deputy working group led by Marina Salier and Yuri Gladkov (the so-called “Salier Commission”) v. Putin, as the head of the foreign economic relations committee, was charged with fraud in connection with the St. Petersburg food supply program in exchange for raw materials ^{[ 57] [58] [59]} . Subsequently, while already acting as president, Putin admitted that the food was not supplied in full, but claimed that “there was nothing to prosecute for anything”, and the Salier Commission did not actually investigate ^[60]. According to Putin, some of the deputies of the Leningrad City Council tried to use this scandal to influence Sobchak so that he would fire him ^[60] .

Since 1993, Sobchak, during his overseas trips, began to leave Putin as a deputy in his place ^[51] .

In March 1994, Putin was appointed First Deputy Prime Minister of St. Petersburg, retaining the position of head of the Foreign Relations Committee ^[51] . Putin’s duties as deputy chairman of the St. Petersburg government included coordinating the work and interaction of the city hall with the territorial bodies of law enforcement and law enforcement agencies (the Central Internal Affairs Directorate, the Russian Ministry of Defense, the FSB of Russia, the prosecutor’s office, courts, and the Customs Committee), as well as political and public organizations. Putin was in charge of the registration chamber, as well as the administration of the city hall: justice, public relations, administrative authorities, hotels.

In 1995, Putin headed the regional branch of the Our Home - Russia party ^[61] .

In 1992-1996, Putin among the "reform-minded political activists" held training on the program of the US National Democratic Institute for International Relations ( Eng.  National Democratic Institute for International, Affairs, the NDI ) ^[62] .

In the summer of 1996, Sobchak resigned as mayor, losing the election, after which Putin’s work in the mayor's office of St. Petersburg was over.

Subsequently, many of those who worked with Putin at the City Hall of St. Petersburg ( I. I. Sechin , D. A. Medvedev , V. A. Zubkov , A. L. Kudrin , A. B. Miller , G. O. Gref , D.N. Kozak , V.P. Ivanov , S.E. Naryshkin , V.L. Mutko, and others), in the 2000s, they held senior positions in the Russian government, the presidential administration of Russia, and the leadership of state-owned companies ^{[63 ] [64]} .

Work in Moscow (1996-1999)

In August 1996, after the defeat of Sobchak in the gubernatorial elections , Vladimir Putin, according to his own recollections, again, as during the August coup of 1991 , thought to go moonlighting in a taxi ^{[65] [66] [67]} . Former vice-mayor of St. Petersburg Rear Admiral Vyacheslav Shcherbakov mentioned that Putin was invited to the new administration of Vladimir Yakovlev , but Putin, according to Igor Sechin , considered this a betrayal and flatly refused ^{[68] [69]} .

Soon, Putin was invited to work in Moscow as Deputy Pavel Borodin , managing the president’s affairs . Here Putin oversaw the legal management and management of Russian overseas property ^[70] . According to the writer Roy Medvedev , drawing on Putin's work, Borodin took into account his experience in international business relations ^[71] .

March 26, 1997, Putin was appointed deputy head of the Presidential Administration of Russia  - head of the Main Control Directorate of the President of the Russian Federation , replacing Alexei Kudrin on this post ^[70] . He was invited to this post by Valentin Yumashev , who headed the Presidential Administration after the former leader Anatoly Chubais transferred to the post of first deputy prime minister in the government of Viktor Chernomyrdin. According to Yumashev, it was Chubais who suggested that he take to the administration of Vladimir Putin, “a strong candidate with whom he worked in St. Petersburg” ^[72] .

According to Putin, the results of the inspection conducted by the Main Control Directorate related to the implementation of the defense order became one of the reasons for the resignation of Russian Defense Minister Igor Rodionov in May 1997 ^[73] .

In 1997, Putin, as the head of the Main Control Directorate, commissioned a special commission to verify the effectiveness of Russian fisheries . As a result of the commission’s work, it turned out: “The catch in 1997 of 6,500 tons of sockeye salmon by Japanese vessels using the drift method (prohibited by the Resolution of the UN General Assembly since 1991) and 3,300 tons of this type of fish by Russian vessels operating under scientific programs led to overfishing of the Ozernovka sockeye salmon and actually put on the verge of bankruptcy coastal enterprises of the Kamchatka regionexploiting its reserves. " After the commission completed its work, in accordance with its conclusions, the borders of the fishing regions were changed, and over the next decade the catch of sockeye salmon increased several-fold - from 2500 to 20 000 tons ^[74] .

In November 1997, Putin arranged for Sobchak to leave for France ^[75] , which at that time was in the criminal case of abuse at the St. Petersburg City Hall ^[76] . Putin’s act aroused deep gratitude in the Kremlin. According to Yumashev, this episode influenced Putin’s choice as Yeltsin’s successor ^{[77] [78] [79]} .

On May 25, 1998, at the initiative of Yumashev, Putin was appointed his first deputy in the Presidential Administration ^{[80] [81]} , responsible for working with the regions. At the time of his appointment, he was considered one of the most influential figures in the Kremlin ^[82] .

On July 25, 1998, at the suggestion of Yumashev, Putin was appointed director of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation ^{[81] [83] [84]} . Putin appointed generals Nikolai Patrushev , Viktor Cherkesov and Sergey Ivanov , whom he was familiar with in the KGB and in St. Petersburg. In the fall of 1998, he reorganized the FSB of Russia ^[71]. During his tenure as head of the FSB, he abolished the FSB directorate for economic counterintelligence and counterintelligence support for strategic facilities, and created six new FSB departments in their place. He achieved uninterrupted financing of the FSB, as well as an increase in the salary of employees of the department (in this respect, they were equated with the officers of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service and the FAPSI ) ^[85] . The military rank of colonel was awarded the post of director of the FSB ^[86] . Before being appointed director of the FSB, Russian President Yeltsin offered Putin to upgrade him to the rank of major general, but Putin refused, offering to become the first civilian director of the FSB ^[87] .

March 26, 1999, Putin became secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation , retaining the post of director of the FSB ^[70] .

In April 1999, on the basis of the conclusion of the commission led by Putin and the Minister of the Interior, Sergei Stepashin , the Prosecutor General Yuri Skuratov ^{[88] [89]} , who investigated the activities of Yeltsin’s entourage ^{[90] [91] [92] [93],} was removed from his post . A number of journalists, politicians and political scientists expressed the view that Putin’s role in solving the Kremlin’s problem with Skuratov was an important demonstration of Putin’s reliability as a possible successor to Yeltsin ^{[94] [95] [96] [97] [98] [99] [100]} .

By early May 1999, Yeltsin made a general decision to transfer his power to Putin. On August 5, at a meeting with Putin, Yeltsin announced that he wanted to appoint him chairman of the Russian government ^[71] .

Defense of the dissertation (1997)

In 1997, Putin defended his thesis for the degree of candidate of economic sciences on the topic "Strategic Planning for the Reproduction of the Mineral Resources Base of the Region in the Formation of Market Relations (St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region)" (Specialty 08.00.05 "Economics and National Economy Management" ) ^{[101] [102]} at the St. Petersburg State Mining Institute ^[103] . In his dissertation he expressed the idea of national champions . Subsequently, this idea became one of the hallmarks of Putin’s policy. The supervisor of studies was Doctor of Economics, Professor Vladimir Fedoseyev  , a well-known specialist in the field of the economics of mineral raw materials ^[104] .

In 2005, staff at the Brookings Institution of Washington, Clifford Gaddy and Igor Danchenko, said that 16 of the 20 pages that begin the main part of Putin’s Ph.D. published in 1978 ^{[105] [106] [107]} . Also according to them, six diagrams and graphs from Putin's work almost completely coincide with the American ones ^{[108] [109]} . The academic circles of St. Petersburg disavowed the allegations of employees of the Brookings Institution ^{[103] [110]}. Also in the foreign press it was alleged that even then Putin formulated the foundations of his future policy ^[110] . According to the correspondent of the online edition of Slon.ru, Ilya Shelepin, “in Russia, the news about Putin's plagiarism did not go beyond the Internet publications and the Vlast magazine ” ^[111] .

In 2018, Olga Vladimirovna Litvinenko, daughter of the rector of St. Petersburg Mining University, accused her father of writing Putin’s dissertation ^[112] . Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in response that this was a lie ^[113] .

Prime Minister (August - December 1999)

On August 7, 1999, militants invaded Dagestan under the command of Basayev and Khattab ^[116] , and the local radical Islamists, the Islamic Shura of Dagestan , with their support, announced the introduction of Sharia rule in parts of the Botlikh and Tsumadin districts . For Russia, there was a real threat of the loss following Chechnya of another region in the North Caucasus ^{[100] [117]} .

On August 9, President Yeltsin appointed FSB Director Putin as First Deputy and Acting Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation ^{[118] [119]} instead of Sergei Stepashin ^[100] . On the same day, in his televised address, Yeltsin called Putin his successor ^[120] . On August 16, Putin was confirmed as chairman of the government ^{[121] [122] [123]} .

As prime minister, Putin organized and led an operation against militants ^[116] . By September 15, as a result of one and a half months of fighting, they were completely expelled from Dagestan ^[124] . Invaluable help to the Russian troops was provided by local militia residents. Twenty years later, in 2019, Putin will instruct him to equate the militias who took part in the fighting as part of self-defense units of the Republic of Dagestan with veterans of the military ^[125] .

In September 1999, a series of terrorist acts occurred - the bombings of residential buildings in Buinaksk , Moscow ( on Guryanova Street and on Kashirskoye Shosse ) and Volgodonsk , which killed more than 300 people. According to the verdict of the Moscow City Court and the Supreme Court of Russia ^[126] , the bombings were carried out by Karachai and Dagestan Wahhabis on the order of Arab mercenaries Amir Khattab and Abu Umar ^[127] .

There were versions according to which the bombings of residential buildings were beneficial to Putin: they allowed him to raise his election rating and ensure victory in the presidential election, as well as formed public opinion before the troops were sent to Chechnya ^[128] . In particular, in the book of Alexander Litvinenko and Yuri Felshtinsky " The FSB Blows Up Russia " states that the FSB has produced explosions of apartment houses with the knowledge and Putin , Nikolai Patrushev ^[129] . Putin himself described this version as bullshit ^{[130] [100]} .

According to the historian Alexander Barsenkov , Putin acted as a person “able to morally and psychologically unite the Russians, who began to associate with the young prime minister hopes for restoration of stability, order and a gradual improvement in life” ^[116] . The growing popularity of Putin was evidenced by the success of the new political movement Unity , which he supported , which gained 23.3% of the vote in the State Duma , taking second place ^[116] .

According to Yeltsin, he was looking for a successor for 4 months, for which he considered 20 candidates ^[131] . The first conversation between Yeltsin and Putin about his appointment as acting president of Russia took place on December 14, 1999, five days before the State Duma elections of the third convocation . According to Yeltsin’s memoirs in the book “Presidential Marathon”, Putin then replied that he was not ready for such a decision. The second talk about the transfer of power took place on December 29, 1999. On that day, Yeltsin assessed Putin’s mood as more decisive, then he informed his successor that he had finally decided to resign from his post on December 31 and informed Putin about the exact scenario of the transfer of power that day ^[132] .

On December 30, 1999, a number of Russian publications published Putin's program article, “Russia at the Turn of the Millennium,” in which Vladimir Putin outlined his ideas about the past and the challenges facing the country and outlined his political priorities: “patriotism,” “sovereignty,” “ statehood ”,“ social solidarity ”,“ strong state ” ^{[133] [134] [100]} . As the author stated, new revolutions are unacceptable, the Soviet experience cannot be underestimated, but it is also necessary to remember "the enormous price that society and people paid during this social experiment." Russia should seek its own path of transformation instead of “schemes from Western textbooks”, “seek political stability without worsening the living conditions of the Russian people, all its layers and groups” ^[100]. Touching upon economic problems, Putin declared the need for policies aimed at combating poverty, ensuring the growth of well-being of the population and increasing the efficiency of the Russian economy ^[134] .

The first and second presidential terms (2000-2008)

• December 31, 1999, in connection with the early resignation of Yeltsin, Putin took up the duties of president ^{[134] [135]} . At 11 a.m. in his office in the Kremlin, Yeltsin, in the presence of Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II, handed over the authority to Putin. At the same time, Putin received the Orthodox blessing from the Patriarch for the upcoming work to govern the country ^[136] . At 12 p.m., urgently interrupting the broadcast, Russian television channels broadcast Yeltsin's New Year’s address in which he announced his resignation and the appointment of a successor ^[137] . On the same day, symbols of presidential power were handed over to Putin, including the “ nuclear suitcase ” ^[138]. The first state act signed by Putin at the post and. about. President of the Russian Federation, was the decree "On guarantees to the President of the Russian Federation, who ceased to exercise his powers, and to members of his family" ^[139] . The decree provided former Russian presidents (at that time only Yeltsin was such) guarantees of immunity and other preferences. In 2001, Vladimir Putin signed a similar federal law ^[100] .

• Since March 26, 2000, the elected president of Russia ^[140] . He won the election in the first round, gaining 51.95% of the vote ^[100] . Inaugurated on May 7, 2000 ^[141] .
• In May 2000, he appointed Mikhail Kasyanov to the post of Prime Minister of the Russian Federation ^{[142] [143]} .
• On February 24, 2004, Kasyanov’s government was dismissed, calling his work “generally satisfactory” ^{[144] [145] [146]} . The new chairman of the government was Mikhail Fradkov ^{[147] [148]} .
• On March 14, 2004, he was elected president for a second term , receiving 71.31% of the vote ^[149] . He took office on May 7, 2004 ^[150] .
• On September 12, 2007, he dismissed the Fradkov government ^[151] , appointing Viktor Zubkov ^[152] as head of government .
• On May 7, 2008, he transferred power to the elected president, former head of his administration, Dmitry Medvedev ^[153] . A few days earlier, Putin took 2nd place on the Time list of “100 Most Influential People in the World” ^[154] .

Second Chechen War

Given the inability of the President of CRI Aslan Maskhadov to control the situation, the Russian leadership decided to conduct a military operation to destroy militants in Chechnya upon completion of the operation in Dagestan ^[117] . On September 18, its borders were blocked by Russian troops. On September 30, Putin, in an interview with reporters, declared the need “to have patience and do this work - to completely clean the territory of terrorists. If this work is not done today, they will return, and all the sacrifices made will be in vain ” ^[155] . On October 1, tank units of the Russian army from the Stavropol Territory and Dagestan entered the territory of the Naursky and Shelkovsky regions of Chechnya ^{[156] [117]} . After the airstrike on Grozny, Vladimir Putin uttered the widely known phrase: “We will pursue terrorists everywhere. At the airport - at the airport. So, you’ll excuse me, we’ll catch in the toilet, and we will kill them in the toilet, in the end ” ^[100] .

By the beginning of spring 2000, federal troops took Grozny and established control over most of the republic. In March 2000, for the first time since 1991, polling stations were created there at the all-Russian elections. The former mufti of Ichkeria, Akhmat Kadyrov, and several field commanders who became disillusioned with Aslan Maskhadov became an ally of the federal authorities . Already in the fall of 1999, they switched to the side of the federal troops ^[100] . In June 2000, Putin appointed Akhmat Kadyrov as head of the Chechen administration. In March 2003, a referendum was held in Chechnya, which adopted the constitution of Chechnya, consistent with federal law ^[100]. In October 2003, Akhmat Kadyrov was elected head of the republic, and in May 2004 he died as a result of a terrorist attack. His son Ramzan Kadyrov led the Chechen Republic in April 2007.

In 2019, during his annual press conference, Putin called hostage taking in Beslan (September 2004) and the Dubrovka Theater Center in Moscow (October 2002) the most difficult moments of his presidency . ^[157] On February 6, 2004, after the terrorist attack at the Avtozavodskaya station of the Moscow Metro , Putin said that “ Russia is not negotiating with terrorists, it is destroying them ” ^[100] .

Political Reform

In May 2000, Vladimir Putin established the institution of plenipotentiaries in federal districts. Large-scale work was begun to bring regional laws in line with federal ones. In this regard, the Republic of Tatarstan even had to change its constitution ^[100] .

The first major reform in the constitutional and political system of the country was the change in the formation of the Federation Council , carried out in August 2000 , as a result of which the governors and heads of legislative bodies of the regions , previously former members of the Federation Council, were replaced by appointed representatives; the latter should work in the Federation Council on an ongoing and professional basis (in this case, one of them is appointed by the governor, and the second by the legislative body of the region). In parallel with this, in September 2000, a presidential advisory body, the State Council of Russia , was created , whose members are the heads of the country's subjects ^[100] .

After the terrorist attack in Beslan on September 13, 2004, Putin announced his intention to cancel the elections of regional leaders, explaining this step by the need to increase the effectiveness of the federal and regional authorities of the country, and to strengthen the fight against terrorism. According to one of the VTsIOM polls conducted in the second half of September 2004, this change was implemented contrary to the opinion of 48% of respondents ^[158] .

In December 2003, following the results of the State Duma elections, the majority of seats were won by the pro-presidential United Russia party, created in December 2001 as a result of the merger of the Unity party and the Fatherland-All Russia bloc (the party member Boris Gryzlov became the chairman of the State Duma ) The second, third and fourth places were taken by the Communist Party of the Russian Federation , LDPR and the Rodina bloc , respectively. Having won the election and having accepted the majority of independent deputies who passed through single-mandate constituencies, all deputies from the People’s Party and “defectors” from other factions, United Russia receiveda constitutional majority , which allowed her to confidently overcome opposition from opposition parties during the voting.

In the spring of 2005, a law was passed on elections to the State Duma exclusively on party lists. The territorial representation in the State Duma (single-member constituencies) has been abolished. Half of the members of the Federation Council were appointed by the governors, who, in turn, were appointed by the president of the country. Amendments to federal law were adopted, allowing the party that won the election to the regional parliament to propose to the Russian president his candidacy for governorship. In the vast majority of regions, this right belonged to United Russia. The process of the entry of governors into the ruling party took on a massive scale. At the beginning of 2007, 70 of the 86 leaders of the Russian regions were party members. The members of United Russia were also top managers of large industrial enterprises,heads of state universities and their structural divisions, senior officials of federal and regional authorities.

At the end of 2004 and 2005, A. N. Yakovlev , speaking about Putin’s policy, drew attention to the following “alarming signals”: ​​“ ... a tough sequence is striking. Anthem ^{[K 1]} , one-party system, obedient parliament, primacy of statehood over a person, leaderism, merging of state structures with business, especially with criminal one, taming of the media, return to state historiography, that is, adapting history to the interests of the authorities, lack of truly independent courts, expanding the scope of activities and influence on the policy of special services ... ” ^[159] .

In February 2006, the Deputy Head of the Presidential Executive Office , Vladislav Surkov , put forward the concept of sovereign democracy , which in the interpretation of its author is that the president’s policy should, first of all, enjoy the support of the majority of the population in Russia itself; such support of the majority is the main principle of a democratic society ^{[160] [161]} .

In the early 2000s, a number of youth organizations were created in Russia with the assistance of the Presidential Administration, the key points of whose programs were the preservation of the sovereignty and integrity of Russia, the modernization of the country, and the formation of an active civil society ^[162] . Putin met regularly with activists of the Nashi organization. Some of the actions of these youth organizations were sharply criticized by the press and the political opposition ^{[163] [164]} . After a number of years, these organizations ceased to operate.

HR policy

Under Vladimir Putin, the personnel policy of the Administration of the President of Russia and a number of other government bodies was characterized by the appointment to key posts in the central organs of the Russian government and on the boards of leading Russian corporations of numerous former fellow practitioners of Putin at the university, colleagues from the GDR and special services, and colleagues from the former Leningrad - and in general representatives of the " St. Petersburg team ", for example, the head of the Presidential Administration of Russia in 2003-2005 (later the President of Russia and the Prime Minister of the country) D. A. Medvedev  - his closest associate, a colleague at the St. Petersburg City Hall in the first half of the 1990s.

Judicial reform

In 2000, on the instructions of President Putin, a working group was created to improve legislation in the judicial sphere. The following year, several key laws were adopted aimed at reforming the judicial system, the most important of which are: “On the status of judges in the Russian Federation”, “On the judicial system of the Russian Federation”, “On the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation” and “On advocacy and advocacy in the Russian Federation” " ^{[165] [166]} .

In December 2001, Putin signed the new Code of Criminal Procedure of the Russian Federation . The new Code of Criminal Procedure had a number of fundamental differences from the old one, in particular, giving additional rights to the accused and the victims. So, all participants in the trial were united in two groups - the indictment and the defense. Under the new code, a search, detention and arrest of a suspect in a crime can only be carried out with the approval of the court, and criminal proceedings can only be instituted with the approval of the prosecutor. In the court of the accused, it was possible to defend not only lawyers, but also other persons, in particular, the relatives of the accused ^{[165] [166] [167]} .

In July 2002, Putin signed the Code of Arbitration Procedure of the Russian Federation ^[168] . On November 14 of the same year, Putin signed the Code of Civil Procedure , according to which the consideration of disputes between companies is now only within the competence of the arbitration court. Thus, the new law excluded the possibility of a “double” judicial practice in economic disputes, that is, it became impossible to consider economic disputes simultaneously in courts of general jurisdiction and in arbitration courts in the same cases. The jurisdiction of civil cases to the courts of general jurisdiction was also clearly defined ^{[166] [169]} .

In June 2007, a law was signed on the creation of the Investigative Committee at the prosecutor’s office, which actually separated the investigating authorities from the prosecutor’s bodies ^[170] . Later (in 2011) the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation was completely separated from the prosecutor's office into an independent federal agency.

On June 21, 2013, Putin proposed merging the Supreme and Supreme Arbitration Court of Russia, which required amendments to the Russian Constitution ^[171] . On August 6, 2014, the new joint Supreme Court of Russia began its activities ^[172] .

Criticism

Media position

President Putin has been accused of suppressing independent media ^{[174] [175] [176]} . In particular, the so-called NTV and TV-6 cases , the closure of TVS , the closure of independent newspapers, or the change of owners were connected with Putin . During his presidency, several well-known journalists were killed, and in 2008, the Reporters Without Borders organization ranked Russia 144th out of 173 participating countries in the ranking of press freedom of the organization ^[177]. In January 2013, Russia dropped even lower in this ranking. The Russian authorities are criticized for obstructing the objective coverage of opposition rallies, tightening the libel law, and creating a blacklist of Internet sites ^[178] .

In 2013, Putin signed a law banning the use of foul language in the media ^[179] , which allows the media to be closed in court for abuse of freedom of the media, which included “distribution of materials containing foul language” ^[180] . The Russian Union of Journalists described the law as “the death penalty for the media” ^[181] .

In December 2013, Chairman of the Public Chamber of the Moscow Region Pavel Gusev was forced to resign due to the publication in MK of an article by Alexander Minkin, “Gracious Sovereign,” dedicated to Putin’s pardon of businessman Mikhail Khodorkovsky . The article was removed from the newspaper’s website, but became a hit by Runet ^{[182] [183]} .

The death of the submarine "Kursk"

The death of the Kursk submarine on August 12, 2000 in the Barents Sea caused criticism not only of the leadership of the Russian Navy, but also of the president himself. The submarine sank as a result of a series of explosions, which led to the death of the entire crew - 118 people ^{[184] [185]} . Official sources did not immediately report the disaster. The rescue operation began only a day later. According to Novaya Gazeta , the Russian Navy command for a long time refused foreign aid, assuring that it was able to cope on its own ^{[186] [187] [188] [189] [190]}. Vladimir Putin authorized the Navy command to attract foreign aid only four days after the disaster, on August 16 ^[191] .

As a result of the investigation into the causes of the submarine’s death “for serious omissions in organizing the daily and combat training activities of the fleet,” 15 admirals and officers of the Northern Fleet and the Navy’s high command were removed from their posts, including the commander of the Northern Fleet, Vyacheslav Popov ^[192] .

Economic development

Summing up the economic results of Putin’s tenure as president of Russia (2000-2008), The Wall Street Journal wrote: “The economy not only regained all the positions lost in the 1990s, but also created a viable services sector that practically did not exist in Soviet period. Russia has accumulated the third largest gold and foreign exchange reserve after China and Japan ” ^[193] . World Bank Chief Economistin Russia in March 2008 stated that Russia, against the backdrop of a slowdown in global economic growth, was showing good results. According to the economist, Russia can be considered one of the islands of economic stability in the world, which reflects the quality of macroeconomic policies, the growth of domestic demand, the accumulated foreign exchange reserves and the Stabilization Fund ^[194] .

In the Russian economy, GDP growth was noted (in 2000 - 10%, in 2001 - 5.7%, in 2002 - 4.9%, in 2003 - 7.3%, in 2004 - 7.2%, in 2005 - 6, 4%, in 2006 - 7.7%, in 2007 - 8.1%, in 2008 - 5.6% ^[195] ), industrial and agricultural production, construction, real incomes of the population. There was a decrease in the population living below the poverty level (from 29% in 2000 to 18% in 2004) ^{[196] [197]} , an increase in consumer lending (by 45 times in 2000-2006) ^{[198] [199]}. From 1999 to 2007, the manufacturing index of manufacturing industries grew by 77%, including the production of machinery and equipment - by 91%, textile and clothing production - by 46%, food production - by 64% ^[200] .

The human development index in Russia increased from 0.691 (2000) to 0.804 (2015) ^[201] , thus Russia is included in the list of countries with a very high HDI (> = 0.8) by this indicator. From 1999 to 2016, the average life expectancy of the population of Russia increased from 65.9 to 71.87 years ^[202] .

Indicators ( Rosstat data )	2000	2010	Change 2010 to 2000 ▼ ▲ ,%	2016	Change 2016 to 2010 ▼ ▲ ,%
GNI at PPP (trillion USD) [203]	0.97	2.84	193	3.31	17
Export volume (billion USD) [204]	99.22	392.67	296	281.85	−28
The balance of trade balance (billion USD) [204]	57.09	147	157	90.26	−39
External debt (billion USD) [205]	178.26	466.29	162	519.1	eleven
Consumer Price Index (%) [206]	120.2	108.8	−9	105.4	−3
Industrial Production Index (%) [207]	one hundred	138.3	38	149.3	8
Real amount of cash income (%) [208]	113.4	105.4	−7	94.4	−10
Actual size of pensions (%) [209]	128	134.8	five	96.9	−28
Retail turnover (trillion rubles) [210]	2.35	16.51	603	28.32	72
Poverty rate (% of total population) [211]	29th	12.5	−57	13.5	8
Unemployment rate (% of the population aged 15-72) [212]	10.6	7.3	−31	5.5	−25
Number of births (thousand) [213]	1266.8	1788.95	41	1888.73	6
The number of deaths (thousand) [214]	2225.33	2028.52	−9	1891.02	−7
Natural population growth (thousand) [215]	-958.53	-239.58	−75	-2.29	−99
Infant mortality (thousand) [216]	19.29	13.41	−30	11.43	−15
Life expectancy at birth (years) [202]	65.3	68.9	6	71.87	4
The number of deaths from alcohol poisoning (thousand) [214]	37.21	19.13	−49	02/14	−27
The number of deaths from suicide (thousand) [214]	56.93	33.48	−41	12/23	−31
The number of deaths from killings (thousand) [214]	41.09	18.95	−54	10.57	−44
Registered crimes (thousand) [217]	2952.4	2628.8	−11	2160.1	−18
The number of abortions (thousand) [218]	2138.75	1186.11	−45	836.61	−29

In the 1990s, the level of taxation in Russia was overpriced and unacceptable for business entities; despite the constant tightening of tax laws, a significant part of the economy was the shadow sector, companies and enterprises continued to evade taxes en masse, including through the so-called “ tax optimization ” ^[219] , payroll was actively practiced “in envelopes” ^{[220] [221 ]} .

In the 2000s, Putin signed a series of laws that amended tax laws. In 2001, a flat scale of personal income tax was established (13%) ^[221] . The income tax rate was reduced to 24%, the regressive scale of the unified social tax was introduced, turnover taxes and sales tax were abolished , the total number of taxes was reduced by 3.6 times (from 54 to 15) ^{[222] [223] [224] [225]}. The system of taxation of the commodity sector was also radically changed: the export duties mechanism was reconfigured and a mineral extraction tax was introduced, which allowed to increase the share of oil and gas rent captured by the state budget from less than 40% in 2000 to 84% in 2005 ^[226] . In 2006, the Deputy Minister of Finance of the Russian Federation Sergey Shatalov stated that during the period of the tax reform the tax burden had decreased from 34–35% to 27.5%, and the tax burden was redistributed to the oil sector ^[225] . Tax reform has also helped increase tax collection ^{[222] [227] [228]} and spurred economic growth ^{[227] [229] [230][231] [232]} . Tax reform is estimated by experts as one of Putin’s most serious successes ^[222] .

In October 2001, Putin signed the new Land Code of the Russian Federation , which secured the ownership of land (except agricultural land) and determined the mechanism for its sale and purchase ^[223] . In July 2002, Putin signed the federal law "On the circulation of agricultural land", which authorized the sale and purchase of agricultural land ^[223] .

In a message to the Federal Assembly in early 2001, Putin noted that the current Labor Code, adopted back in 1971, is archaic and does not meet modern requirements, stimulating shadow labor relations. At the end of 2001, Putin signed the new Labor Code, which entered into force on February 1 of the following year. According to the Economic Expert Group, the new code brought labor legislation “in line with the requirements of a market economy” and ensured “more efficient use and increased mobility of labor resources” ^{[165] [233] [234]} .

A number of other socio-economic reforms were carried out: pension (2002), banking (2001-2004), monetization of benefits (2005), reform of the electric power industry and railway transport. According to the US Department of State , the Russian economy grew in 1999-2008 due to the devaluation of the ruble, the implementation of key economic reforms (tax, banking, labor and land), a tough tax and budget policy, and a favorable commodity price environment ^[235] .

In a presidential address to the Federal Assembly in 2003, Putin set the goal of “<...> the full convertibility of the ruble. Convertibility not only internal, but also external ” ^[236] . Since July 1, 2006, the ruble has become a freely convertible currency. ^{[237] [238]}

In May 2003, Putin set the task of creating the Stabilization Fund of the Russian Federation in the Budget Message to the Federal Assembly ^[239] . January 1, 2004 the Stabilization Fund was formed. The main goal of creating the fund was to ensure the stability of the country's economic development ^[240] . According to the Deputy Chairman of the Russian Government (2000-2004), Minister of Finance of the Russian Federation (2000-2011) Alexei Kudrin, Vladimir Putin’s decision to create reserve funds played a key role in saving the Russian economy. According to him, Putin is the only one who “contrary to many positions” supported the creation of the Stabilization Fund, and then the Reserve Fund and the National Welfare Fund, which “played a decisive role” during the economic crisis of 2008-2009 ^[241] .

In 2005, Putin announced the beginning of implementation of the four priority national projects in the socio-economic area: "Health", "Education", "Home" and "Development of AIC " ^{[242] [243]} . In January 2008, Putin announced that national projects were more effective than other government programs ^[244] . In his opinion, a similar result was achieved due to the concentration of administrative and political resources ^[244] .

Under Putin, the negotiation process for Russia's accession to the World Trade Organization , which began in the mid-1990s, has intensified . World Bank economists noted that "Putin has made WTO accession a priority for Russia, and after several years of inactivity during the Putin administration, negotiations on Russia's accession to the WTO have begun to move forward at an accelerated pace." ^[245] On August 22, 2012, Russia became a member of the WTO.

In a presidential address to the Federal Assembly in 2006, Putin announced measures to stimulate the birth rate in Russia: increasing child allowances, introducing “ maternal capital ”, etc. ^[242] .

In a presidential address to the Federal Assembly in 2007, Putin identified nanotechnology as one of the priority areas for the development of science and technology and proposed the establishment of the Russian Corporation of Nanotechnology, which was done in July 2007 ^{[246] [247]} .

On February 1, 2008, by dividing the Stabilization Fund, the Reserve Fund and the National Welfare Fund (NWF) were formed. The first was created to cover the budget deficit, the second - for the pension provision of citizens (in fact, the NWF funds were spent on infrastructure projects and assistance to banks).

In 2000-2010 there was a significant increase in foreign investment in Russia: from $ 11 billion in 2000 to $ 115 billion in 2010 ^[248] . At the same time, from 2000 to 2016, the total capital outflow from Russia reached 568.9 billion US dollars ^[249] .

Critical ratings

According to some experts, during the presidency of Putin, the problems of the Russian economy were only mothballed or even worsened. Here is what The Economist magazine wrote in mid-2008: “In the early 2000s, a flood of petrodollars swept Russia , masking economic problems. According to estimates, the share of oil and gas in Russia's GDP has more than doubled since 1999 and as of the 2nd quarter of 2008 amounted to more than 30%. Oil and gas make up 50% of the Russian budget revenues and 65% of its exports ” ^[250] . The Russian economy remains significantly dependent on energy prices ^{[250] [251] [252] [253] [254]} .

Speaking at the Strategy 2020 forum on March 2, 2009, First Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration Vladislav Surkov , speaking about the deep recession that Russia entered at the end of 2008 and the origins of its growth, said: “<...> When I they say that America is to blame for everything, I want to remind you that our economic growth is a derivative of the bubble that the Americans fanned. After all, we did not deserve this growth ” ^[255] .

Marshall Goldman  , an American professor who previously studied the economy of the USSR , used the term “petrostate” ( Petrostate: Putin, Power, and the New Russia ^[25] to describe the economic model built under Putin ^). . In his book, the professor argued that Putin’s main personal contribution to economic policy was the creation of “national champions” (large state-controlled companies) and the renationalization of major energy assets, which resulted in the creation of a new class of oligarchs, whom he calls “silogarchs” (from the term “ Silovik ”) ^{[257] [258]} .

In December 2008, economist Anders Oslund stated that Putin’s main project was “the creation of huge, mismanaged state mastodons ” and that the latter “stifled large sectors of the economy with their inertia and corruption, while hindering diversification ” ^[259] .

President of the Institute of Energy Policy and Opposition Politician Vladimir Milov in November 2007 argued ^[260] that " almost all the reforms that he [Putin] started after taking office have failed ": pension reform, reform of state medical insurance and preferential drug provision, judicial reform, local government reform, military reform, housing and communal services reform; and the adoption of the Land Code, according to the analyst, “never led to the formation of a developed liquid land market,” the new Labor Code “turned into problems for employers.” Russian sociologist Igor Eidman , director of communications, VTsIOM, characterized the final political presidency of Putin’s presidency as “the power of the bureaucratic oligarchy” ^[261] , which has “features of an extremely right dictatorship - the dominance of state-monopoly capital in the economy, power structures in administration, clericalism and statism in ideology” ^[261] .

The relationship between government and big business

“Equal removal of oligarchs”

According to The Economist magazine, when he took over the presidency in 2000, Putin may have entered into a tacit agreement with the so-called " oligarchs ": the government will turn a blind eye to all previous violations of the law, provided that they abandon the dubious deals that are typical to start and the mid-1990s, and also will not participate in political life ^[262] .

On February 28, 2000, at a meeting with his confidants, Putin voiced the thesis of “equidistant position of all market entities from the authorities”, which allowed the media to call the new course in relation to big business “equidistance of the oligarchs” ^[263] . In July 2000, Vladimir Putin, at a meeting with 22 Russian businessmen, stated that " not a single clan, not a single oligarch should be close to the regional and federal authorities, they should be equidistant from the authorities ." He also promised them that there would be no review of the results of privatization, and it soon became apparent that the intention was to reconsider the place of big business in Russian politics ^[100] .

A number of billionaires (such as, for example, Sergey Pugachev ) who made their fortune in the 1990s, according to media reports, used proximity to the Kremlin, but then, as the president's positions strengthened, they lost their influence ^{[264] [265]} . In December 2013, Pugachev who went abroad was arrested in absentia and put on the international wanted list on charges of embezzlement of 75 billion rubles ^[266] . In a July 2015 interview in the Financial Times, Pugachev claimed that it was he who proposed Yeltsin Putin’s candidacy for the presidency, related his criminal prosecution to a personal altercation with Putin, and in September 2015 sued Russia for $ 12 billion ^{[267] [268][269] [270]} .

Vladimir Gusinsky and NTV

On May 11, 2000, four days after Putin’s inauguration, searches were conducted at the head office of Media-Most CJSC, the company of Vladimir Gusinsky , which, according to some ^[263] , in the fall of 1999, during the election campaign for the State I think that through his NTV channel he supported Putin’s main political opponents - Yury Luzhkov and Yevgeny Primakov’s “ Fatherland-All Russia ” bloc (OVR) (the then NTV general director Yevgeny Kiselyov , on the contrary, argued that such an opinion about the role of NTV was a common misconception ^{[ 263] [271]}); On June 13, Gusinsky was taken into custody and placed in a pre-trial detention center ^[263] .

According to the chairman of the NTV Public Council, Mikhail Gorbachev , on July 20, in the Butyrka prison cell, press minister Mikhail Lesin suggested that the arrested Gusinsky sign agreements involving the deal - the so-called “Secret protocol No. 6” means the termination of the criminal prosecution of Gusinsky in exchange for the transfer of shares of NTV television company to the state-controlled company Gazprom . After that, Gusinsky was allowed to leave Russia. The news caused a resonance in the Russian media. Gorbachev praised the incident as “blatant evidence of gross state blackmail” ^[272] . Lesin acknowledged his signature to the agreement and stated that President Putin was aware of the agreement reached ^{[273] [274]} .

The dismantling of Most Media, which lasted until the end of 2001, led to the establishment of state control over the main federal television channels ^[100] . After NTV came under the control of Gazprom subsidiary Gazprom-Media , a group of NTV journalists switched to working on TVS channel , created on the basis of TV-6 owned by Boris Berezovsky . However, after some time, its broadcasting was also stopped.

In May 2004, the European Court of Human Rights, having examined Gusinsky’s complaint, concluded that “the applicant’s imprisonment was used as a strategy for conducting commercial negotiations, and such public law institutions as criminal prosecution and detention should not be used with this purpose ” ^[275] . For the illegal arrest, the ECHR ordered the Russian Federation to pay Gusinsky 88 thousand euros in compensation for legal costs ^[276] .

Boris Berezovsky, ORT and Sibneft

Boris Berezovsky , who lobbied in 1999 the candidacy of Vladimir Putin as the successor to Boris Yeltsin, contributed to his victory in the extraordinary presidential elections and counted on the role of the “ gray cardinal ”, already in the spring of 2000 realized that he was mistaken in his calculations. In August, he sharply opposed the reform of the Federation Council announced by President Putin, as a result of which the governors and heads of regional legislative assemblies lost their seats in this authority ^[271] . On September 2, 2000, ORT , a controlling stake in which belonged to Berezovsky, showed the author’s program of television journalist Sergei Dorenko about the death of the Kursk submarine", In which he accused Vladimir Putin of lying. Immediately after this, the program was taken off the air ^[277] , Dorenko himself was fired from the ORT channel ^{[278] [100]} and never appeared on television again ^[279] . Berezovsky was forced to emigrate ^[100] and cede his share in the share capital of ORT, Sibneft and Aeroflot, having received almost two billion dollars for his shares ^[271] .

Thus, control over the main television channels - ORT (Channel One) , VGTRK and NTV passed to the state or state-owned companies.

Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Yukos

In 2003, the so-called " Yukos affair " began. Initially, the company was presented with claims for tax evasion, but in the course of the investigation numerous criminal cases were initiated under other articles. In July 2003, Platon Lebedev was arrested , and on October 25, the owner of Yukos, Mikhail Khodorkovsky , was arrested on charges of violations committed during the privatization of Apatit CJSC, who risked publicly protesting Putin and financing opposition parties ^{[280] [281] [282] [283]} . On October 30, 2003, the head of the presidential administration, Alexander Voloshin , resigned , followed by the prime minister Mikhail Kasyanov , who condemned the arrests of Platon Lebedev and Mikhail Khodorkovsky. February 24, 2004, two and a half weeks before the presidential election, Vladimir Putin dismissed the Kasyanov government ^[100] . On May 31, 2005, Khodorkovsky, together with Platon Lebedev, was convicted of especially large-scale fraud and theft, as well as for tax evasion ^[284] .

In June 2004, the Assistant to the President - Deputy Head of Presidential Administration Igor Sechin , whose press is characterized as one of Putin's closest confidants, was elected to the new board of directors of the state oil company " Rosneft ", and a month later was elected chairman of the board of directors ^{[285 ]} . The business community and analysts regarded this appointment as Igor Sechin, who was considered one of the leaders of the “party of war”, whose goal was the destruction of Yukos”, As evidence that he decided to personally intervene in the struggle for the division of Yukos’s assets, and in the future, the largest state fuel and energy company will be created on the basis of Rosneft, which will restore state control over this strategic sector of the economy ^{[286] [ 287]} .

In December 2004, as part of the settlement of debt obligations of NK Yukos to the state, the Yuganskneftegaz oil company owned by it was sold . 76.79% of its shares went to the little-known company Baykalfinansgrup. After some time, a 100% stake in Baikalfinansgroup was bought by Rosneft ^[288] . As a result of the competitive sale of YUKOS assets in March - August 2007, the former YUKOS assets accounted for 72.6% of oil and gas condensate production and 74.2% of Rosneft’s primary hydrocarbon processing ^[289] .

In May 2012, Sechin was appointed president of Rosneft ^{[290] [291]} . In March 2013, Rosneft bought a 100% stake in TNK-BP from the AAR consortium and the British oil company BP. The total transaction amount was $ 61 billion. ^[292]

After the Yukos affair, virtually all oil companies clarified their tax positions and began to contribute significantly larger amounts to the budget. In 2004, tax collection increased by 250% from the 2003 level. .

Roman Abramovich and Sibneft

In 2005, the state-controlled company Gazprom bought out at a market price ^[293] (13.1 billion US dollars) 75.7% of the shares of the oil company Sibneft - the last major asset of Roman Abramovich in Russia (Sibneft was privatized in 1996 $ 100 million during secured auctions ^[294] ). By 2008, the capitalization of Sibneft (renamed Gazprom Neft) increased to 25 billion US dollars ^[295] . As a result of nationalization of the assets of Yukos and Sibneft, the state’s share in the oil and gas industry was significantly increased.

Foreign policy

See also Russian Foreign Policy , Foreign Travel of President Putin .

Being and. about. President Putin said the need for cooperation with the West, including with NATO. On March 5, 2000, in an interview with David Frost, host of the Breakfast with Frost program, he emphasized that “Russia is part of European culture” and that it is difficult to represent NATO as an enemy. Putin did not rule out the possibility of joining the alliance, but noted that Russia has a negative attitude to NATO’s eastward expansion ^[296] .

Shortly before the presidential election, British Prime Minister Tony Blair was the first Western politician to visit Russia's new leader. They immediately became friends. On April 17, when Putin visited London as president, Tony Blair said: “I believe that Vladimir Putin is a leader who is ready to build new relations with the European Union and the United States, who wants Russia to be a strong and modern power and have strong relations with the West ” ^[297] .

In June 2000, by decree of President Putin, the “Foreign Policy Concept of the Russian Federation” was approved ^[298] . According to this document, the main goals of the country's foreign policy are: ensuring reliable security of the country, influencing global processes in order to create a stable, fair and democratic world order, creating favorable external conditions for the progressive development of Russia, forming a good-neighbor belt along the perimeter of Russian borders, seeking consent and coinciding interests with foreign countries and interstate associations in the process of solving tasks determined by the national priorities of Russia, protecting the rights and interests of Russian citizens and compatriots abroad, promoting a positive perception of the Russian Federation in the world.

At the end of 2000, George W. Bush was elected President of the United States . His first presidential term, especially before the outbreak of war in Iraq , was called by some experts the “historical climax” of Russian-American relations, bearing in mind the unprecedentedly high degree of cooperation in the framework of the “war on terror” and the close personal ties of the presidents ^[299] .

In 2000, a Russian-American agreement was signed providing for the disposal of surplus weapons - grade plutonium in Russia and the United States, in particular by producing MOX fuel (mixed oxide fuel for nuclear power plants) from it, using it in nuclear power reactors, and converting it into forms unsuitable for the creation of weapons, as well as burial. It was assumed that within the framework of this agreement, each of the parties will liquidate “declassified” plutonium reserves in the amount of 34 tons. This agreement was suspended by Russia at the end of 2016 ^[300] .

In June 2001, Putin first met with George W. Bush in the capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana ^[301] . George W. Bush, as he put it, “looked into the eyes” of Vladimir Putin, “felt his soul” and saw in him a “direct and trustworthy person”. The President of Russia considered his colleague “a pleasant conversationalist” and “absolutely normal person who really perceives things” ^[302] .

The events that predetermined the sharp rapprochement between Russia and the West were the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 , when Russia without hesitation sided with the United States. The culmination of this rapprochement was Russia's participation in the antiterrorist coalition created by the United States to prepare and wage war against the Taliban regime in Afghanistan , and the signing of the so-called Rome Declaration, “Russia-NATO Relations: A New Quality” ^[303] . In accordance with it, the Russia-NATO Council (the “Council of Twenty”) was established on May 28, 2002 , after which, in principle, one could expect a transition of relations between Russia and NATO to a higher level with the prospect of full membership of Russia in NATO ^[304]. It was decided that henceforth the parties would act as a single twenty instead of the previous formula “19 + 1” ^[297] . To support the operation in Afghanistan, the United States created an air base in Kyrgyzstan ( Manas ) and began to use the Uzbek airfield Karshi-Khanabad . Russia has provided its airspace for the transit of military cargo and US and NATO troops to Afghanistan ^[297] .

In October 2001, Russia announced the closure of the electronic intelligence center in Lourdes (Cuba) ^[305] and the base of the Navy Kamran (Vietnam) ^[297] that had remained since the USSR .

Professor Andre Liebig notes that the United States itself prevented further rapprochement between Russia and the United States during this period, announcing in December 2001 a unilateral withdrawal from the Treaty on the Limitation of Anti-Ballistic Missile Defense . From the Russian point of view, the US withdrawal from the agreement that ensured the strategic parity of the parties destroyed the hopes for a new partnership ^[306] . The Russian leadership regarded this step as a destabilizing factor of global significance ^[307] ; Vladimir Putin himself called this step “erroneous”, but refrained from harsh criticism of Washington ^[297] . In response to the US withdrawing from the ABM Treaty, Russia withdrew from the START II Treaty , which was replaced by a softerThe Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty , signed in May 2002.

At a Russia-EU summit on May 29, 2002, Vladimir Putin described the meeting as “the funeral of the Cold War.” Then at the summit, it was decided to recognize the Russian economy as market, and in October 2002 the European Union issued this decision legislatively ^[297] .

A new crisis in relations between Russia and the West was associated with the invasion of the United States and its allies in Iraq in order to overthrow the regime of Saddam Hussein in March 2003. Russia, together with Germany and France, sharply criticized the invasion and, in particular, the fact that the United States bypassed the UN Security Council to achieve its goals . European allies, however, ultimately supported the actions of the United States ^[306] . According to Putin himself, which he gave at a press conference on December 20, 2012, Russian-American relations deteriorated precisely after the US troops invaded Iraq in 2003 and disagreements arose on this basis ^[308] .

In 2003, another event occurred that negatively affected Russia's relations with the United States and the European Union. Under pressure from the West, Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin at the last minute refused to sign a plan for the settlement of the conflict in Transnistria (the “ Kozak memorandum ”) prepared with Russian participation , which implied the return of the PMR to Moldova as a constituent entity and the preservation of the Russian military presence on Moldavian territory ^[309] . The carefully prepared visit of Vladimir Putin to Chisinau was disrupted ^[297] .

In November 2003, the “ Rose Revolution ” began in Georgia , as a result of which Mikhail Saakashvili came to power in early 2004 , sharply turning Georgia towards the United States and heading for NATO . His reign will have the most difficult period in Russian-Georgian relations , the culmination of which will be the 2008 war ^[297] .

In March 2004, the fifth expansion of NATO took place . In defiance of the diplomatic efforts of Russia, seven Eastern European countries, including Estonia , Latvia and Lithuania bordering Russia, are admitted to the alliance . Making plans for the expansion of NATO and the European Union, increasing their influence on post-Soviet states, Western countries did not pay attention to the fact that Russia’s interests were affected in this way ^[310] . According to the newspaper Vedomosti , Putin took NATO’s eastward expansion in 2004 as "personal betrayal" by US President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blairwhom Putin at that time considered his friends and with whom he was intensely building partnerships. In Blair’s memoirs, Putin’s reaction to NATO’s expansion is described as an insult: “Vladimir has come to the conclusion that the Americans don’t give him the place he deserves.” After 12 years, in his Crimean speech , Putin said: “ We have been deceived over and over again, we have made decisions behind our backs, we have been confronted with a fait accompli. So it was with the expansion of NATO to the east, with the deployment of military infrastructure at our borders. They kept repeating the same thing to us: “Well, this does not concern you” ” ^[311] .

In the presidential elections in Ukraine at the end of 2004, the Russian authorities supported Viktor Yanukovych  , a candidate from the Party of Regions of Ukraine , who advocated economic cooperation with Russia within the framework of the Common Economic Space (CES) and giving Russian the status of a second state language . However, after the Central Election Commission announced on November 21 victory in the second round of the country's Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, his opponent Viktor Yushchenko brought supporters to the Maidan, accusing the authorities of rigging the election. Protests that will later be called the Orange Revolution", Did not stop for almost two months. During this crisis, the West and Russia found themselves on opposite sides of the barricades. In the end, in December it was decided to hold the third round of elections, the winner of which was Yushchenko ^[297] .

According to Andrei Illarionov , who held the post of adviser to Vladimir Putin in 2000-2005, the victory of the “orange coalition” “seriously shocked” and cruelly disappointed the Russian president. This event, against the backdrop of the war in Iraq and the confrontation with the European Union and NATO, Illarionov believes, “led to a radical reversal in the consciousness and worldview of Vladimir Putin in the international arena” ^[312] .

The defeat of Russian politics in the Ukrainian direction was aggravated by a sharp tilt of the Ukrainian government towards the West - the new Ukrainian president Viktor Yushchenko proclaimed the Euro-Atlantic vector of the country's development, abandoning the “multi-vector” geopolitical course of his predecessor Leonid Kuchma , who had been trying to maneuver between Moscow and Brussels all the years of his presidency ^{[ 313]} . The Russian leadership negatively assessed both the Orange Revolution itself, which the Russian leadership considered inspired by the West, and the policies of the new Ukrainian president ^{[314] [315]} . All this contributed little to the development of relations between Ukraine and Russia ^[312]that under five years under Yushchenko consistently worsened. Yushchenko became close to Mikheil Saakashvili, and Ukraine, like Georgia, declared NATO membership a strategic course ^[297] .

On October 14, 2004, during a visit to Beijing , Putin signed an agreement to transfer China the Tarabarov Island and half of the Big Ussuri Island with a total area of ​​337 km² ^{[316] [317]} ; this made it possible to complete the demarcation of the Russian-Chinese border ^[318] . The transfer of the islands caused a mixed reaction in Russia. The positive result was the improvement of relations with China, the length of the border with which is more than 4300 km, and the removal of the potential threat of a territorial conflict in the future. On the other hand, a number of politicians regarded the transfer of Russian territory as a weakening of Russia's position.

In March 2005, another “ color revolution ” takes place in the Russian “ near abroad ” - President Askar Akayev , who has ruled the country since 1990, is overthrown in Kyrgyzstan . As a result of the Tulip Revolution , Kurmanbek Bakiev is replacing him . In May, riots broke out in Uzbek Andijan . Uzbek authorities said the rebellion was organized by radical Islamists. The brutal suppression of the rebellion led to hundreds of victims. The United States called for an independent investigation of the events. In response, Uzbek President Islam Karimov demanded an end to the US presence at Karshi-Khanabad. In November, the last American aircraft left the base, and in 2006 the Russian military arrived there. The departure of the Americans from the Manas base in Kyrgyzstan dragged on for a longer period - they finally left the base only in 2014 ^[297] .

On April 25, 2005, in a message to the Federal Assembly, Putin called the collapse of the USSR the largest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century and called on society to consolidate in the arrangement of a new democratic Russia ^[319] . On May 9, 2005, during the celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of the Victory in World War II, Putin and other world leaders called for the fight against “Nazism of the 21st century” - terrorism and thanked the victors of fascism ^[320] . In September 2005, Putin in New York participated in the anniversary celebrations on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the UN . In 2006, Russia chaired the G8 ( G8 ).

The year 2006 was marked by a sharp deterioration in relations between Russia and the United States. Georgia under Mikhail Saakashvili becomes the main US ally in the post-Soviet space. Since the spring of 2004, Saakashvili has made harsh statements accusing Russia of connivance with the separatist aspirations of the authorities of Abkhazia and South Ossetia ^[297] . Georgia insists on the immediate withdrawal of Russian military bases from Batumi and Akhalkalaki , and Russian peacekeepers from unrecognized republics ^[321] . Rospotrebnadzor imposes a ban on the import of Georgian wines and mineral water into Russia . Responding to what is happening, US Vice President Dick Cheneyaccuses Moscow of “blackmailing”, “intimidation”, “undermining the territorial integrity of neighbors” and “meddling in democratic processes” and invites Russia to “return to democracy” or “become an enemy”. NATO foreign ministers decide to start an “intensive dialogue” with Georgia on its accession to the alliance. Four Russian officers are detained and accused of espionage in Georgia , after which Russia announces the beginning of the transport blockade of Georgia, which lasted until 2010. Georgian citizens are massively deported from Russia , Russia closes direct flights to Georgia ^[297] .

Since the second half of the 2000s, in public speeches, including at the Munich Conference on Security Policy (February 2007), Putin has expressed dissatisfaction with the military aspects of American foreign policy and has expressed concern about the " unrestrained, hypertrophic use of force " and the imposition The United States of its vision of the world order to other states. In Munich, Putin raised Russian objections to the deployment of US troops and elements of the US missile defense system in Eastern Europe, as well as regarding the militarization of space. The Russian leader said that the United States was trying to solve all world problems by military means, and rebuked NATO and the European Union in an effort to replace the UN ^[322] .

According to the US leadership, the deployment of elements of the US missile defense system in Eastern Europe is aimed at protecting Europe from North Korean and Iranian missiles. The Russian leadership categorically rejects such an explanation. Even then, Russia stated that if elements of the US missile defense were to be deployed, Russia could denounce the Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles ^[323] . Despite the protests of the Russian leadership, it was not possible to suspend US plans to deploy missile defense near the borders of Russia in the following years. Due to the fact that the deployment of the American missile defense system in Eastern Europe threatens to nullify the Russian nuclear missile potential ^[324] , in February 2012, in response toKaliningrad region began preparations for the deployment of missile systems "Iskander" 9K720 ^{[325] [326]} .

Putin’s speech in Munich shocked Western politicians. As US Senator Lindsay Graham stated, "With his only speech, he did more to unite the US and Europe than we ourselves could have done in a decade." Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg noted that Putin "clearly and convincingly proved why NATO should expand." Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt called for taking Mr Putin’s words seriously: “This is real Russia as it is now, and perhaps in the next four to five years it will go even further in this direction” ^[297] .

In February 2007, Putin, for the first time in the history of the Soviet and Russian armed forces, appointed Anatoly Serdyukov, civilian official, as Minister of Defense . Explaining his decision, Putin explained that in the context of the implementation of the program for the development and rearmament of the armed forces associated with the expenditure of huge budgetary funds, “we need a person with experience in the field of economics and finance ” ^{[327] [328]} .

In June 2007, Putin signed into law the Law on Ratification of the Agreement between the States Parties to the North Atlantic Treaty and other states participating in the Partnership for Peace program, on the status of the Forces of June 19, 1995 and its Additional Protocol ^[329] , which some considered "opening the borders for NATO soldiers" ^[330] . Putin has also been criticized for the slow pace of army modernization and the closure of military bases in Cuba and Vietnam ^[331] .

On July 14, 2007, Vladimir Putin signed the Decree “On the Suspension by the Russian Federation of the Treaty on Conventional Arms in Europe and Related International Treaties”. Observers believe that this decision was the first step of the Russian leadership towards a radical change in the military-political situation on the European continent, which has been unfolding since the beginning of the 1990s in Russia's favor. In December 2007, a unilateral Russian moratorium on the implementation of the CFE Treaty entered into force.

At the beginning of 2008, the complication of relations between Russia, the United States, and NATO caused discussion by the leadership of the North Atlantic Alliance of Ukraine and Georgia appeals to join the NATO Membership Action Plan (MAP) ^[332] . The United States made significant efforts to convince its NATO allies of the need for Georgia and Ukraine to join the MAP at the Bucharest Alliance Summit in April 2008 ^[333] . Despite the fact that Georgia and Ukraine did not receive an official invitation to become members of the MAP, they were made aware that the road to NATO was cleared for them and that they only needed to wait a bit. Heads of state and government of NATO member countries said in Bucharest that Georgia and Ukraine will become NATO members ^[334]when they meet the requirements for membership in this organization ^[335] . This decision was confirmed at subsequent NATO summits.

Russia, however, continues to view NATO’s eastward advance as a threat to its strategic interests in Europe. Following the April NATO summit (2008), the head of the General Staff of the Russian Federation, General Yuri Baluyevsky, said that if Georgia and Ukraine join NATO, Russia will be forced to take “military and other measures” to ensure its interests near state borders ^[336] . Vladimir Putin, for his part, announced his intention to “substantively support” Abkhazia and South Ossetia , whose leaders addressed him with messages, expressing concern about the decision adopted at the NATO summit ^[337] .

In 2000-2007, Putin took part in all the annual summits of the Group of Eight ( G8 ) ^{[338] [339] [340] [341] [342] [343] [344] [345]} . In the summer of 2006, the G8 summit was held in Russia. In September 2000, Putin participated in the Millennium Summit (the official name of the UN in the 21st Century) in New York ^[346] .

Estimates for the period 2000-2008

According to Norman Stone , British historian and head of the Department of International Relations at Bilkent University , Putin “managed to tear Russia out of a historical trend that, if continued, could lead to the collapse of Russia as a state” ^[347] . In January 2010, the Australian Liberal politician called Putin the best leader of Russia since Peter I of , noting a number of achievements during his presidency ^[348] . Journalist in « of The the Guardian » wrote that Putin has revived the Russian state and the Russian power and is not afraid to defend Russia's interests ^[349] .

In 2007, the American magazine Time named Putin the man of the year , noting his leadership and desire for stability in Russia ^[350] .

Chairman of the Government (2008-2012)

May 8, 2008, the day after the inauguration of Dmitry Medvedev , Putin’s candidacy was approved by the State Duma for the post of Prime Minister of Russia . The decree on his appointment was signed by Medvedev on the same day ^[351] . On May 12, Putin announced the composition of the new Russian government . The senior officials of the Presidential Administration - Igor Shuvalov , Igor Sechin , Sergey Sobyanin, were appointed deputy Prime Minister .

From May 27, 2008 to July 18, 2012, Vladimir Putin also chaired the Council of Ministers of the Union State of Belarus and Russia ^[352] .

In mid-2008, Putin announced the need to create an international financial center (IFC) in Russia , for which, in his opinion, significant changes should be made in a number of areas to improve the country's financial system. A year later, Putin signed a decree that approved a detailed action plan for the formation of the IFC, after which active implementation of this plan began. The MFC project along with the modernization of the economy was declared as one of the key state tasks ^{[353] [354] [355] [356]} .

This period saw the Russian financial and economic crisis of 2008-2010 , caused by the impact of the global crisis.

Foreign policy (2008-2012)

In August 2008, a new round of confrontation between Russia and the West was given by the invasion of Georgian troops in South Ossetia ^[357] . After the Russian leadership decided to launch a “ military operation to force Georgia to peace ” ^[358] , Russian troops cleared the territory of the unrecognized republic from the Georgian army and continued bombing military facilities throughout Georgia for several days, after which Russia officially recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia ^[359]. Dmitry Medvedev was already the president during this period, but Vladimir Putin, as the head of the government, actively commented on the conflict, visited South Ossetia, and later said that during the second presidential term he personally approved the action plan prepared by the General Staff of the Russian Federation regarding Georgia in case of aggravation of the situation in the zone Georgian-Ossetian conflict. Despite the fact that in the West there were proposals to impose sanctions on Russia for the war in Georgia and recognition of the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Russia's relations with the European Union and the United States not only did not deteriorate, but, on the contrary, began to improve ^[297] .

At the end of 2008, Barack Obama was elected as US President . On March 6, 2009, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held their first official bilateral meeting at the Intercontinental Hotel in Geneva. At this meeting, Clinton and Lavrov gave a symbolic start to the reset of relations between Russia and the United States by pressing the big red button, which, however, as it turned out, was written not “reset”, but “overload” ^[297] .

Several meetings between Presidents Medvedev and Obama took place, the work of the Russia-NATO Council was resumed, frozen after the Georgian war, negotiations began on a new strategic arms reduction treaty START-3, which was solemnly signed in Prague in 2010. Russia and the European Union launched the partnership “Partnership for Modernization” initiative, which involved attracting investment, technology exchange, and scientific cooperation. Negotiations on visa liberalization intensified ^[297] .

Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, as head of government, turned toward the emerging BRIC group (Brazil, Russia, India, China). Back in Munich, he emphasized that the combined GDP of these four emerging economies exceeds that of the United States and European countries. Putin has made considerable efforts to turn this economic bloc into a political one, starting with the first BRIC summit in Yekaterinburg in 2009 ^[282] .

Since 2009, Putin began to advocate closer economic integration with Kazakhstan and Belarus , which resulted in the creation of the Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia . In the process of creating the Customs Union, a number of documents were adopted in the image and likeness of the EU , which removed the trade barriers that existed between the countries. Removing trade barriers stimulates business development and helps restore production chains broken after the collapse of the USSR . In August 2011, at a meeting of the heads of government of the three countries of the Customs Union, a more ambitious task was set - by 2013, to transform the organization into the “ Eurasian Economic Union”". Putin assessed this as “the first real step to restore natural economic and trade ties in the post-Soviet space” ^[360] .

In October 2011, the heads of government of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan signed an agreement on the creation of a free trade zone ^[361] .

Heading the government, Vladimir Putin tried to refrain from public participation in foreign policy, emphasizing that this is the constitutional prerogative of the president ^[297] . Despite this, in November 2010, Putin took 4th place in the ranking of the most influential people in the world, compiled by the American magazine Forbes ^[362] . In November 2011, Putin took the 2nd place in a similar Forbes ranking. The main achievement of Putin in 2011, the magazine called the idea of ​​creating by 2015 the Eurasian Union between Russia and a number of post-Soviet republics, including Kazakhstan, Belarus and Ukraine ^[363] .

In a 2010 article in the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung , dedicated to participating in the annual economic forum, Putin suggested that the European Union create an economic alliance in the territory from Vladivostok to Lisbon, starting with the unification of customs tariffs and technical regulation, the abolition of the visa regime with the EU ^[364] . This idea, however, did not receive practical development. By this time, the European Union was engaged in its own project aimed at involving the countries of the former Soviet Union in its orbit - the Eastern Partnership initiative , which involves the development of relations with Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine ^[297] .

A new crack in relations between Russia and the West arose in early 2011, when Prime Minister Putin compared the military operation of the West in Libya with a crusade . At the same time, Putin criticized the UN Security Council resolution on Libya (by which Russia abstained but did not use the veto ), calling it " inferior and flawed " ^{[297] [365] [366]} . Then the press reported information about the disagreement between Prime Minister Putin and President Medvedev on a key military-political issue, and Russia's position was described as “ambiguous” ^[367]. On February 4, 2012, when voting in the UN Security Council on a similar resolution on Syria, Russia used the veto ^[368] .

The protest mood of 2010-2012

In January – March 2010, the first mass rallies were held in a number of Russian cities, where demands were made for the resignation of the Putin government ^{[369] [370] [371] [372]} . A number of mass protests took place under the slogans condemning Putin’s decree signed on January 13, 2010 by the Russian government “On Amending the List of Activities Prohibited in the Central Ecological Zone of the Baikal Natural Territory” ^{[373] [374]}  - to amend the Decree of August 30, 2001 years ^{[375] [376]} , which created the legal basis for the resumption of the work of the Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill ^{[377] [378] [379] [380]} .

On March 11, 2010, an appeal “ Putin must leave ” was posted on the Internet demanding that Putin be removed from power. The appeal was signed by several dozen well-known Russian public figures, cultural figures and leaders of the “off-system opposition” ^{[381] [382] [383]} . In the document, in particular, it was stated: “We affirm that in Russia today no substantive reforms are possible while Putin has real power in the country. <...> Getting rid of Putinism is the first but obligatory step on the path to a new free Russia ” ^[384] . At the beginning of 2016, the campaign website stated that the appeal had collected more than 150,000 signatures of Russian citizens ^[385] .

Since 2008, leaders of the Solidarity movement and the People’s Freedom Party have published “expert reports” criticizing Putin’s activities ^[386] . The report “ Putin. The results. 10 years ”, published in June 2010 with a circulation of one million copies, the authors of the report, Boris Nemtsov and Vladimir Milov  , focused on the topics of corruption, depopulation, social inequality, the situation in the economy and the situation in the Caucasus ^{[387] [388]} .

During the autumn of 2010 - spring 2011, three major rallies were held in the center of Moscow as part of the “ Putin must leave ” campaign : October 23 ^[389] and December 12, 2010 ^[390] , and February 19, 2011 ^{[391] [ 392]} .

On March 26, 2011, the Solidarity movement held a rally in several Russian cities dedicated to the 11th anniversary of Putin’s election as president of the country. Activists of the movement handed out ballots to the respondents asking if they would now vote for Putin. It is alleged that three-quarters of the survey participants expressed opposition to Prime Minister ^[393] . A competition of anti-Putin posters was also organized in Moscow ^[394] .

In March, the opposition presented its next report, “ Putin. Corruption ”, compiled by the co-chairs of the Party of People’s Freedom V. Milov, B. Nemtsov and Vladimir Ryzhkov , as well as the press secretary of the Solidarity movement Olga Shorina . In a report, Putin and his “friends” were accused of enrichment, including information on 26 expensive real estate properties and five yachts used by Putin and Medvedev ^[395] .

On September 24, 2011, Putin at the congress of the United Russia party confirmed his intention to run for the 2012 presidential election . Putin expressed the hope that after his victory in the presidential election, the Russian government will be headed by incumbent Russian President Dmitry Medvedev ^[396] .

Former USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev in the evening of December 24, 2011 (after a large protest in Moscow) on the radio station Ekho Moskvy urged Putin not to participate in the presidential elections in Russia: “I would advise Vladimir Vladimirovich to leave now. Three terms turned out: two terms by the president, one term by the prime minister - three terms, well, that's enough ” ^[397] .

The theme of wealth and luxury of representatives of Russian political power in August 2012 was continued in a regular report by Boris Nemtsov (co-authored with Leonid Martynyuk) “Life of a slave in galleys. Palaces, yachts, cars, planes and other accessories. ” Commenting on the report, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov said that all the property listed in it is there, but Putin does not personally own, but is in state ownership ^{[398] [399] [400] [401] [402]} .

In analyzing the opposition’s attacks on Putin’s article, the professor of Russian studies at the Massachusetts Institute, Elizabeth Wood ^[403], noted that the opposition’s behavior is paradoxical in that they try to combine nationalist (or even xenophobic) rhetoric with economic liberalism, and lay the foundation for their slogans slander Putin. Despite the fact that the easiest way of political protest is through attacks that equate the ruling regime with the personality of the political leadership, and this practice is widespread throughout the world, however, in her opinion, in the case under consideration, the protest activity of the Russian opposition has become extremely personal and humiliating ^{[404 ]} .

2012 Presidential Election

On the eve of the 2012 elections, a number of Russian media published a series of articles by Vladimir Putin that caused widespread publicity ^[405] .

In the March 4, 2012 presidential election, Putin won the first round, gaining, according to official figures, 63.6% ( 45 602 075 ) of the vote ^{[406] [407] [408]} .

Russian presidential candidate Gennady Zyuganov (Communist Party of the Russian Federation), leaders of the Yabloko and Other Russia parties , the Golos association and other public organizations demanded that the elections be recognized as illegitimate, claiming that their results were affected by massive violations during the election campaign and during the elections themselves ^{[409] [410] [411] [412]} .

Third and fourth presidential terms (2012 - present)

For the third time, President Vladimir Putin took office on May 7, 2012 ^[413] . On the day he took office in May 2012, Putin signed a series of program decrees (the so-called May decrees ). The day after taking office, he proposed to the State Duma the candidacy of Dmitry Medvedev for the post of chairman of the government, and after his approval in office, he ordered him to form a new government ^[414] .

In 2013, Putin won the first place in the annual ranking of "most influential people in the world," "journal the Forbes " ^{[415] [416]} , edging out runner Barack Obama. According to the drafters of the rating, Putin earned first place, since in 2013 he showed himself to be “an autocrat who actively demonstrated strength in his own country and in the international arena” ^[417] . In 2014, after the annexation of Crimea and the outbreak of armed conflict in eastern Ukraine , the result was repeated ^[418] . In 2016, Putin was named Forbes magazine the fourth most powerful man in the world for the fourth time ^[419]. “The Russian president has expanded his country's influence in almost every corner of the globe. And in his homeland, and in Syria, and in the US presidential election, Putin gets what he wants. Not constrained by established international norms, he was able to strengthen his influence in recent years, ”the magazine ^{[420] [421]} noted .

In February 2014, the XXII Winter Olympic Games were held in Sochi .

On March 18, 2018, Putin was elected president of the Russian Federation for a fourth term, receiving a record 76.69% of the vote ^[422] .

On May 7, 2018, Vladimir Putin took the fourth time the presidency of Russia ^{[423] [424]} , the next day Dmitry Medvedev was nominated to the State Duma for approval as the prime minister of Russia. On this day, after Medvedev’s assertion in office, Putin invited him to form a new government ^[425] . Decrees on the composition of the new government were signed on May 18 ^[426] .

On May 25, 2018, Putin announced that he would not run for president in 2024, justifying this with the requirements of the Russian Constitution ^[427] .

In the summer of 2018, the 21st World Cup was held in Russia ^[428] .

On January 15, 2020, in his next address to the Federal Assembly, Putin proposed introducing large-scale amendments to the Constitution of the Russian Federation and announced a set of socio-economic measures designed to increase the welfare of Russian citizens and help solve demographic problems. Immediately after the president’s speech, the government resigned. On January 16, 2020, the government was headed by the head of the Federal Tax Service of the Russian Federation, Mikhail Mishustin .

A nationwide vote on constitutional amendments was scheduled for April 22, 2020, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 epidemic .

Changes in Russian law

In July 2012, the State Duma adopted and signed by the President Law No. 121-FZ on non-profit organizations - “ foreign agents ” and Law No. 139-FZ on regulating information on the Internet. In March-April 2013, the Western press criticized Putin in connection with mass inspections of non-profit (including human rights) organizations in Russia, receiving financial assistance from abroad and having received the status of “foreign agents” in this regard. Putin himself, in an interview with the German television company ARD, regarded criticism as escalating the situation by journalists ^{[429] [430]} .

In December 2012, the Law on Education in the Russian Federation was adopted. Then, in response to the American " Magnitsky Law ", the " Dima Yakovlev Law " was adopted .

On March 29, 2013, Putin signed a decree establishing the title of Hero of Labor of the Russian Federation ^{[431] [432]} .

In June 2013, laws were signed on the voluntary ^[433] testing of schoolchildren and students for drug use , on the prohibition of “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations among minors” ^[434] and on the introduction of criminal penalties for insulting the feelings of believers ^[435] . In July 2013, a law was signed to amend the requirements for adoptive parents (including a ban on adoption, custody or guardianship of children by persons in a same-sex union) and an increase in the amount of the allowance for transferring a child to a family in case of adoption ^{[ 436]} .

On November 25, 2014, Putin signed a law prohibiting Russian parties from making transactions with foreign states, international organizations and social movements, non-profit organizations acting as a foreign agent, and Russian legal entities, more than 30% of the authorized capital of which belong to foreigners ^[437] .

On December 2, 2019, Putin signed the State Duma and signed amendments to the legislation that allow to assign the status of a foreign agent to individuals and expand the list of media to which this status also applies. This category can include journalists who work in the media, recognized in Russia by foreign agents (Voice of America, Radio Liberty, etc.), bloggers and authors of posts on social networks ^{[438] [439] [440] [ 441]} .

Constitution amendment

On January 15, 2020, in a message to the Federal Assembly, Putin proposed a number of amendments to the Constitution of the Russian Federation and a vote of citizens over the entire proposed package, which, according to Putin, should include the following changes:

• establishing the priority of the Constitution of Russia over international law;
• empowerment of the State Duma: the State Duma should be entitled to approve the candidacy of the Prime Minister, the candidacy of vice prime ministers and federal ministers;
• toughening of restrictions for persons who occupy positions that are "important for ensuring the country's security" (deputies, senators, ministers, judges, heads of regions) - they should not have foreign citizenship or residence permit in other countries;
• tougher restrictions for presidential candidates: candidates must have lived in Russia for at least 25 years and not have foreign citizenship;
• expanding the powers of the Federation Council in relation to federal judges, judges of the Constitutional and Supreme Courts;
• the appointment by the president of the heads of security agencies in consultation with the Federation Council;
• consolidation in the Constitution of the norm that the minimum wage cannot be lower than the subsistence level;
• consolidation of the regular indexation of pensions in the Constitution;
• strengthening the role of governors and the Council of State;
• strengthening the role of the Constitutional Court ^{[442] [443]} .

According to an initial assessment of the Western media, the proposed redistribution of powers of state bodies would allow Putin to remain in power even after 2024, taking the post of head of government or State Council ^{[444] [445]} .

During the discussion of the amendments, former Putin’s assistant Vladislav Surkov and a member of the United Russia’s highest council Valentina Tereshkova proposed starting the presidential term re-counting after the adoption of the package ^[446] , abolishing constitutional restrictions on the number of presidential terms, or allowing Putin to re-run for president. On March 10, Putin, speaking in the State Duma, supported the possibility of “nullifying” his presidential term ^{[447] [448]} .

On March 14, Putin signed into law constitutional amendments ^[449] . The All-Russian amendment vote was scheduled for April 22, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 epidemic . Due to restrictions on mass events introduced to combat the epidemic, the opposition was denied rallies against amendments ^[450] .

On June 21, Vladimir Putin admitted that if the amendments were adopted, he would once again run for president ^[451] .

Socio-economic problems

In March 2013, Putin proclaimed the fight against poverty in Russia as one of the main tasks of the state ^[452] .

In April 2013, Putin admitted that the situation in the Russian economy, despite high energy prices, is deteriorating: investment activity and export volumes are declining, unemployment and capital outflows are growing. A heavy burden on the state budget fell on the massive floods that began in the summer in the Far East ; with a disaster of this magnitude, Putin said, Russia has never encountered in its history ^{[453] [454] [455]} .

On January 1, 2018, the decision to merge the Reserve Fund with the National Wealth Fund (the resources of the Reserve Fund were completely spent in 2017 to finance the budget deficit) came into force in Russia. The NWF receives excess profits from the sale of oil at a cost of more than $ 40 per barrel (in 2017 prices) ^[456] . The volume of the NWF on November 1, 2019 amounted to 7.95 trillion rubles. 80% of assets are placed in accounts with the Central Bank, 20% - in other authorized assets.

On December 27, 2019, Vladimir Putin approved the new doctrine of food security in Russia. The document involves the creation of a state reserve of agricultural products and food in case of emergencies - natural disasters, bad weather or crop failure. The doctrine also provides for an increase in the yield of major crops due to the return of unused arable land into circulation ^[457] .

On January 15, 2020, in a message to the Federal Assembly, Putin announced a set of measures designed to increase the welfare of Russian residents and help solve social and economic problems, including:

• extension of the maternity capital program, increase of its size, provision of the right to receive maternity capital with the birth of the first child;
• the introduction of monthly payments to poor families for children under 7 years of age;
• providing free hot meals to all elementary school students;
• construction of new schools and preschool institutions;
• monthly supplements to class teachers from the federal budget;
• development, strengthening and modernization of primary health care, its staffing;
• preventing interruptions in the supply of important medicines.

According to the head of the Accounts Chamber Alexei Kudrin, the economic and social measures announced by the Russian president will require from 400 billion to 500 billion rubles. in year. According to the Minister of Economic Development Maxim Oreshkin, the measures announced by the president will reduce the number of poor by 10% by the end of 2020. At present, according to Rosstat, in Russia about 17.6 million people are below the poverty line ^[458] .

Pension reform

For many years, Putin has denied the need and availability of plans to raise the retirement age in Russia, stating that while he is president, there will be no increase (2005), that "there is no need for that" (2007), and that "there is no economic opportunity, nor social ”(2013), that“ the time has not come ”(December 2015) ^[459] . In Putin’s election message to the Federal Assembly (March 1, 2018), the topic of retirement age was not addressed ^[460] , and on March 13, a RIA Novosti report stated that until 2030, raising the retirement age was excluded ^[461] .

Nevertheless, almost immediately after Putin’s re-election as president, on June 16, the day the World Cup was opened in Russia, the government introduced a bill to the State Duma on raising the retirement age ^[462] , which shocked by its suddenness and caused widespread protests among Russians ^{[463 ]} .

In connection with the World Cup in Russia, mass rallies were not allowed until July 25 in the cities where the World Cup matches were held ^{[464] [465]} . On July 28, rallies against reform were held in Moscow and St. Petersburg ^[466] .

Later, on August 29, Putin in a televised statement announced the inevitability of reform by proposing mitigating amendments ^[467] (their implementation will require about 500 billion rubles ^[468] ), which were assessed by the population as insufficient and did not affect the attitude to the proposed changes. The most massive protests against pension reform took place from July to September 2018. During the rally, calls were also made for the resignation of the government and the president, who had initiated pension reform.

On September 27, the bill was adopted by the State Duma, on October 3 - by the Federation Council, and on the same day it was signed by Putin ^{[469] [470]} .

With the adoption of the law, protests did not stop, but the scale of street activity fell sharply. After November 7, 2018, no new rallies were announced, but individual actions continued until the end of December. Since the spring of 2019, there has been a trend towards the resumption of protest events, although in terms of mass they were significantly inferior to the performances of 2018.

Coronavirus pandemic

Military establishment

November 6, 2012, Sergei Shoigu was appointed Minister of Defense of Russia . Upon his appointment, Putin explained that the new minister of defense should be a man who " will be able to ensure the implementation of the State Defense Order and ambitious plans to rearm the army " ^[471] .

In February-March 2013, by order of President Putin, large-scale exercises were held twice to suddenly test the combat readiness and combat readiness of the troops: first on land, with the aim of checking the troops of the Central and Western military districts, and then on the Black Sea, where more than 7,100 troops were involved, about 30 ships based in Sevastopol and Novorossiysk , up to 250 armored vehicles, more than 50 artillery pieces, more than 20 combat aircraft and helicopters, quick deployment troops, airborne forces and marines, special forces - special forces of the GRU of the General Staff of the Russian Federation. Western states were not notified in advance of the exercises ^{[472] [473]}. On July 12, 2013, President Putin issued an order to conduct a large-scale verification of the combat readiness of the troops of the Eastern Military District, which became the largest since 1991. The exercises involved 80 thousand military personnel, about 1 thousand tanks and combat armored vehicles, 130 aircraft and helicopters of long-range, military transport, fighter, bomber and army aviation, as well as 70 ships and ships of the Navy ^[474] . Large-scale exercises and sudden checks of the army and navy were carried out in the future ^[475]

President Putin’s annual message, published on March 1, 2018, received great resonance in the world, one of the key points of which was guaranteed assurance of Russia's defense capability. For the first time, Putin spoke about the progress of new strategically important weapons systems developed, he said, “in response to the US’s unilateral withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and the practical deployment of this system both within the United States and beyond its national borders.” Moreover, he declassified some of the characteristics of nuclear (ICBM “Sarmat”) and hypersonic (missile “Dagger”) weapons, as well as other new complexes ^{[476] [477]} .

Aleksey Arbatov, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, believes that the “military-technical” part of the presidential message could be a kind of response to the new nuclear strategy of the American administration that was announced shortly before, the central place of which was the concept of limited nuclear strikes, supposedly to restrain a similar Russian strategy ^{[478] [479 ] ] [480] [481]} . Putin on this occasion in his message made, according to Arbatov, a correct and clear statement: “ Any use of nuclear weapons against Russia or its allies of small, medium, but any capacity we will consider as a nuclear attack on our country. The answer will be instant and with all the ensuing consequences ” ^[482] .

On December 24, 2019, Vladimir Putin at an expanded meeting of the board of the Ministry of Defense announced that the share of the latest weapons in the Russian nuclear triad in 2019 reached 82%. The first regiment, armed with the Avangard missile system with hypersonic glider winged wing block, took up combat duty ^[483] .

On January 15, 2020, in his annual address to the Federal Assembly, Putin said that for the first time in its history, Russia was able to get ahead of other countries in the field of nuclear missile weapons. According to Putin, Moscow does not threaten anyone and does not seek to impose its will. However, all the steps necessary to strengthen national security "were taken in a timely manner and in sufficient volume" ^[484] .

Foreign policy (2012-2020)

According to Bloomberg, Russia over the 20 years that Putin has been in power has been able to partially restore the geopolitical influence of the Soviet Union, while having modest financial resources. In particular, Putin strengthened ties with the PRC, annexed Crimea, changed the course of the war in Syria and made Russia a key player in the Middle East, managed to sell the S-400 air defense system to Turkey, a member of NATO, and also entered into major arms and oil contracts with a key American ally - Saudi Arabia. Russia also for the first time in 20 years began to expand its influence in Africa ^[485] .

USA

In August 2013, there was a sharp deterioration in Russian-American relations. President Barack Obama’s planned visit to Moscow was canceled due to Russia providing temporary asylum to former CIA officer Edward Snowden , disagreements over the situation in Syria and human rights issues in Russia ^{[486] [487]} . Barack Obama accused Putin of still thinking Cold War stereotypes ^[488]

A new stage of tension between the US and Russia was caused by the events in Ukraine and the accession of Crimea to the Russian Federation in 2014. In connection with the events in Ukraine, the Obama administration has taken the path of "systemic containment" of Russia, curtailing ties and imposing visa, financial and property sanctions against a number of Russian officials, deputies of the Federal Assembly and entrepreneurs, as well as companies and banks that have since then repeatedly extended and intensified. The Russian side has taken retaliatory measures, both mirror and asymmetric, to protect Russia's national interests in connection with hostile actions ^[489] .

Winning Donald Trump in the US presidential election in November 2016 gave rise to Russia hopes for improved US-Russia relations. Donald Trump has repeatedly stated his desire to improve relations with Russia, but in practice the American administration continued the confrontational line, using economic, military-political, propaganda and other instruments against Russia. As of the end of June 2019, various US sanctions were applied to 288 Russian citizens and 485 legal entities ^[489] .

US intelligence services accused Russia of interfering in the presidential election . The investigation of the US special prosecutor Robert Muller, which lasted two years, ended in the defeat of Trump's opponents: accusations of conspiracy have not been proved.

According to diplomats and experts, relations between the USA and Russia are at the lowest level for the entire period after the collapse of the USSR and the proclamation of an independent Russian state ^{[490] [491]} . In December 2019, President Trump signed into law, which imposed sanctions on companies involved in the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline , as a result of which construction was stopped.

Syrian crisis

From the very beginning of the civil confrontation in Syria in the spring of 2011, Russia provided diplomatic support to President Bashar al-Assad , blocking (together with the PRC ) in the UN Security Council draft anti-Syrian resolutions of Western and Arab countries, involving the imposition of sanctions or even military intervention against the government of Bashar al-Assad. Russia supported the Syrian government with the supply of weapons, military equipment and ammunition, as well as the organization of specialist training and the provision of military advisers ^[492] .

On September 11, 2013, The New York Times published Putin's article “Russia calls for caution,” written in an open letter to the American people and containing an explanation of the Russian political line regarding the Syrian conflict . In his article, the President of Russia cautioned about the danger of the thesis of US President Barack Obama "on the exclusivity of the American nation" ^[493] . The article caused a mixed reaction from the world community ^[494] .

The success of Russian diplomacy in September 2013 was mediation on the issue of Syrian chemical weapons. Vladimir Putin was able to prevent the threat of US attacks on Syria with his proposal to eliminate the Syrian chemical arsenal ^[495] .

September 30, 2015, at the request of Bashar al-Assad, Russia launched a military operation against the terrorist groups of the Islamic State and Jebhat al-Nusra in Syria ^[496] . Russia's entry into the Syrian war took place against the backdrop of an acute confrontation with the United States that began in 2014. Thus, it is not so much about rivalry between the two powers for influence in the country and the region as a whole, but about the establishment of new foundations of the global order ^[497] .

The direct participation of Russia in the war in Syria was a major event in the recent history of Russian foreign policy, since the Russian Armed Forces had never before participated directly in military operations in the territory of Arab countries ^[497] .

Russia's entry into the conflict allowed a radical change in the direction and nature of hostilities. In January 2017, at the initiative of Russia, Turkey and Iran, Astana began inter-Syrian peace talks in Kazakhstan, for the first time during the conflict, representatives of the Syrian government and the armed opposition ^[498] .

On December 11, 2017, at the Khmeimim airbase, Putin announced the end of the military operation in Syria, the withdrawal of the main part of the Russian group of troops from the country, the main result achieved - the preservation of Syria as a sovereign, independent state, the creation of conditions for a political settlement under the auspices of the UN ^[499] . On the territory of Syria, the Russian Center for the Reconciliation of the warring parties continues to operate ; in Syria, a program has begun to restore peaceful life and return refugees. In accordance with international treaties in Syria on a permanent basis, there were two Russian basing centers - the Khmeimim air base and the logistics point of the Russian Navy in Tartus ^[500]. In addition, Russia has taken steps to ensure the continued presence of warships and submarines with precision weapons in the Mediterranean.

By the beginning of 2018, it became clear that the coalition of forces led by Russia (Syria, Iran and various local militias), in general, is already close to fulfilling its main military strategic tasks. This military success led to political advantages and a political agreement on Russian terms. In addition, Turkey and Saudi Arabia became convinced of the futility of participating in the war of their sponsored groups, and the United States was forced to abandon its intention to change the power of President Bashar al-Assad ^[501] .

Turkey

Relations with Turkey deteriorated significantly after the incident in November 2015, when a Turkish combat aircraft shot down a Russian aircraft in Syrian airspace. On November 28, 2015, Vladimir Putin signed the Decree on Measures to Ensure Russia's National Security and Protect Russian Citizens from Criminal and Other Unlawful Actions and on the Application of Special Economic Measures against Turkey. Russia imposed an embargo on the export of all types of products and labor from Turkey. Charter flights to Turkey were discontinued, Russian travel agencies were forbidden to sell permits to Turkish resorts. Many joint international projects were closed or frozen, including the Turkish Stream , and the visa-free regime between the two countries was canceled.

Russian relations with Turkey were almost frozen until Recep Tayyip Erdogan on June 27, 2016 apologized to the Russian side, which Vladimir Putin accepted. Since 2016, Russia, Iran and Turkey have assumed mediation functions to monitor the ceasefire and the peaceful settlement in Syria. The mediators initiated the “Astana process” for a peaceful settlement, several summits of the “Astana troika” were held, and bilateral meetings between the leaders of Russia and Turkey took on a regular basis. On September 17, 2018, following the results of regular negotiations between the presidents of Russia and Turkey, a memorandum was signed on stabilizing the situation in the Syrian province of Idliband the creation of a demilitarized zone along the line of contact between the Syrian forces and the armed opposition. On October 22, 2019, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the negotiations in Sochi consolidated new zones of influence in northeastern Syria and agreed on joint patrolling of the territory along the Syrian-Turkish border.

In January 2020, the grand opening of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline laid across the Black Sea connecting Russia and the countries of Southern Europe took place ^[502] .

Libyan crisis

After the overthrow and murder of the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, dual power was established in the country. The east and part of the south of the country are under the control of the Libyan House of Representatives , known as the “government in Tobruk”, supported by the Libyan national army led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar , who has been trying to capture Tripoli since April 2019 . In western Libya, the government of national accord, led by Faiz Saraj, is formed with the support of the UN and the European Union . January 8, 2020 the Presidents of Russia and Turkey Vladimir Putin and Recep Erdogancame up with a mediation initiative in the Libyan confrontation, calling on the conflicting parties for a ceasefire, which will return to the political settlement process. The ceasefire entered into force on January 12; On January 13, intra-Libyan negotiations were held in Moscow with Russian-Turkish mediation. Haftar refused to sign a ceasefire, but an agreement to extend the ceasefire was reached ^{[503] [504]}. As noted, Russia and Turkey were able to push European states - in particular, France and Italy - out of the political process of the Libyan settlement. A similar situation took place in the Syrian conflict, the initiative to resolve which was also seized by Russia and Turkey, initiating the Astana process as opposed to the negotiations in Geneva. It is believed that the growth of Russia's diplomatic influence could be the result of a vacuum created due to the lack of a clear policy among Western countries ^[505] . On January 19, Vladimir Putin, Sergey Shoigu and Sergey Lavrov took part in the Berlin international conference on the settlement of the conflict in Libya.

Georgia. Abkhazia South Ossetia

On November 24, 2014, Putin signed a 10-year alliance and strategic partnership agreement with the President of Abkhazia, Raul Khadjimba , which created a common defense space and formed a joint force grouping, with the prospect of complete military-political integration of the two states. Russia substantially, up to 5 billion rubles. per year, increased financial assistance to Abkhazia, including social payments and pensions ^{[506] [507]} .

International Forums

In September 2015, Putin addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York for the first time in 10 years . He called for the formation of a broad anti-terrorism coalition against the Islamic State , blamed “external forces” for the events in Ukraine , warned the West against unilateral sanctions, attempts to squeeze Russia out of world markets and export color revolutions ^{[508] [509] [510 ]} .

On January 23, 2020, Putin took part in the World Holocaust Forum in Jerusalem. Speaking at a memorable event in the framework of the forum, he came up with a new global initiative, proposing to hold a meeting of the heads of the five founding states and permanent members of the UN Security Council in 2020 to jointly discuss pressing global issues. Putin said world leaders should not miss the emergence of new sprouts of hatred and anti-Semitism. According to him, the founding countries of the UN have "a special responsibility to preserve civilization." Such a meeting could demonstrate the fidelity of the countries that fought together against Nazism, "the spirit of alliance and historical memory," Putin believes ^{[511] [512]}. The leaders of China and France, the UN Secretary General supported this proposal ^[513] .

Vladimir Putin became the main foreign guest of the forum in Jerusalem, whose organizers constantly emphasized that the USSR and the Red Army played a key role in the victory over Nazism, and that is why Vladimir Putin was the first of the leaders of the victorious countries in World War II to address the participants of the forum. At the unveiling of the Candle of Remembrance monument, dedicated to the defenders and those who died in the siege of Leningrad, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin spoke about the outstanding role of the Soviet people and the Red Army, and about the personal history of Putin's family. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that without the peoples of the Soviet Union, the liberation of Jews and the defeat of Nazism would have been impossible ^[514] .

PRC, Asia Pacific (APR)

Even before the crisis in relations with the West due to events in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin proclaimed the “ eastward turn ” a priority of the Russian foreign policy ^[515] , which later allowed Russia to reduce the damage from Western sanctions. This “turn” became possible due to the fact that most of the Asia-Pacific countries did not support Western sanctions. Thus, the Asia-Pacific region has become for Russia a new export market for hydrocarbons and weapons, a leading supplier of the latest technology and the main alternative to Western capital ^[516] .

Significant differences in the economic weight of Russia and the PRC as “strategic partners” and their strategic interests suggest that expanding cooperation is more beneficial for the PRC than for Russia. A number of authors are concerned about the increased economic activity of the Chinese in the Russian Federation , especially after the adoption of the law "On Territories of Advanced Social and Economic Development in the Russian Federation" N 473-FZ ^[517] , which removes restrictions, in particular, on the use of labor of foreign workers. In May 2014, a 30-year contract was signed for the supply of Russian gas to China. According to the contract, 38 billion cubic meters of gas should be supplied per year ^[518] . The total amount of the contract is $ 400 billion ^[519]. In October 2012, Vladimir Putin has instructed the " Gazprom " to study gas pipeline project, which later became known as " Power of Siberia " ^[520] . Gas supplies to China through the pipeline began on December 2, 2019 ^[521] . With the launch of the Eastern Siberia – Pacific Ocean pipeline, Russia has become the largest oil supplier to China, squeezing Saudi Arabia. Since 2014, Russia has opened its extractive sector and transport infrastructure for investors from China and India ^[516] .

By the end of the 2010s, exports of Chinese equipment to Russia exceeded exports from Germany. Chinese companies, together with Russian energy companies, are developing oil recovery enhancement technologies that can circumvent US and EU sanctions. Rosneft and Gazprom Neft use the Nanhai Chinese semi-submersible drilling rig in their sanctioned projects in the Kara Sea, and Novatek use the Chinese drilling rig on the Yamal Peninsula ^[516] .

Cooperation between Russia and China is also developing in the field of defense technologies. So, with the help of Russia, a missile attack warning system is being created in China. In June 2019, Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping signed an agreement on the development of a comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation between Russia and China. In early December 2019, Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Nikolai Patrushev announced that Russia would continue to strengthen cooperation with China on strategic security issues ^[522] .

On September 2-9, 2012, the twenty-fourth annual meeting of APEC leaders was held in Vladivostok . The summit was held on the Russian island . Most of the facilities for the summit were built under the supervision of the First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation I. I. Shuvalov ^[523] . The main objects were the Golden and Russian bridges ^[524] , as well as the Far Eastern Federal University ^[525] .

Russia is increasing arms sales to Southeast Asia and has become the largest arms exporter to the region. More than 60% of arms deliveries — including missile defense systems, tanks, and fighter jets — go to India, Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Indonesia. India has become the largest buyer of Russian weapons. In 2017, she acquired Russian arms worth more than $ 4 billion ^[516] .

Africa

On October 23-24, 2019, Sochi hosted the Russia-Africa Economic Forum, to which the heads of 52 African countries were invited. At a plenary meeting of the forum, Vladimir Putin announced that Russia has written off debts to African countries totaling more than $ 20 billion in debt to the former USSR as part of the international initiative “to ease the debt burden of African countries” ^{[526] [527]} .

Relations with Ukraine (2013 - present)

In the summer of 2012, the European Union, within the framework of the Eastern Partnership, adopted a program of integration and cooperation with Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine for 2012-2013, including legal registration of relations with them through association agreements. At the Eastern Partnership Summit, it was announced that Ukraine could sign an association agreement with the European Union as early as 2013 ^[297] . In the meantime, the Russian leadership actively invited Ukraine to join the EAEU Customs Union(TS), arguing that considerations of economic benefit and feasibility. At the same time, however, the political component was not taken into account at all - the consensus of the Ukrainian elites on the need to integrate with the European Union and enter the EU free trade zone. As a result, Ukraine rejected all of Russia's integration proposals, and the matter boiled down to the purely symbolic participation of Ukraine in the CU as an “observer” ^[528] . President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych stated that integration with the European Union is a priority for Ukraine ^[529] . In October 2013, however, Putin made it clear that if an association with the European Union was created, Ukraine would not be able to enjoy preferences within the framework of the EAEU Customs Union.

The foreign economic situation of Ukraine during this period was extremely unstable. As of the end of November 2013, its foreign exchange reserves decreased to less than $ 19 billion. ^{[530] The} promised IMF loan conditions to Ukraine did not take place ^[531] . In this situation, the Russian leadership offered Ukraine a total of $ 15 billion in direct assistance, loans and various preferences, and also promised to lower gas prices. Moscow also agreed to finance several major infrastructure projects and announced its readiness to offer leading Ukrainian businessmen, including those from Viktor Yanukovych’s inner circle, participation in “extremely profitable projects.” These "financial and economic aspects" convinced Yanukovych to postpone the signingassociation agreements with the European Union ^[532] , which led to mass protests in central Kiev , as well as protests in other cities of Ukraine.

The declared position of the Russian leadership at the beginning of these events was that the decision of the Ukrainian government to postpone the signing of the agreement with the EU was absolutely legitimate, the events in Kiev are an internal affair of Ukraine and outside interference is unacceptable ^{[530] [533] [534]} . Unlike representatives of Western countries who readily communicated with opposition leaders, all public contacts of Russian representatives were limited to Ukrainian officials ^[535]. The position of the Russian leadership was consistent with coverage of the Ukrainian crisis in the Russian media. The largest federal television channels, which had previously given priority to the official point of view, with the onset of the Ukrainian crisis came under even greater control of the authorities. Media that enjoyed relative freedom of speech were limited in their activities. Thus, according to Western political scientists, uniformity in coverage and interpretation of events by the Russian media was ensured ^{[536] [537]} .

On December 17, 2013, after negotiations with Yanukovych in Moscow, Putin announced that the Russian government had decided to support the Ukrainian economy and place part of the $ 15 billion worth of reserves from the National Wealth Fund (NWF) in Ukrainian securities ^[538] . As part of this assistance program, Eurobonds were issued on the Irish Exchange with a coupon of 5% per annum in the amount of $ 3 billion. ^[539] In addition, a gas contract was signed under which Russia pledged to supply gas to Ukraine at a price of $ 268.5 per 1000 cubic meters (the average price for Kiev in the previous three quarters of 2013 was $ 404 per thousand cubic meters of gas) ^[540] .

In the second half of January 2014, as a result of the intensified military confrontation in the center of Kiev, the seizures of administrative buildings and authorities in the capital and regional centers, the creation of parallel authorities, Ukraine was on the verge of a state of emergency, loss of territorial integrity and economic collapse. Negotiations between Viktor Yanukovych and leaders of the parliamentary opposition led to concessions from the authorities, including the resignation of the government of Mykola Azarov . On February 12, President Yanukovych agreed to form a coalition government, but on February 18 there was a sharp aggravation of the situation, which over the next few days resulted in massive bloodshed in the center of Kiev. This led to the mass exodus of deputies and officials fromParty of Regions and a sharp drop in support for presidential power.

On February 21, Yanukovych signed an agreement with the opposition to resolve the crisis . On February 22, the Verkhovna Rada removed him from power. Russia expressed doubt about the legitimacy of this decision ^{[541] [542] [543]} .

On the night of February 22-23, by order of Putin, a special operation was carried out to evacuate Yanukovych and his family to a safe place in the Crimea. In the morning of February 23, closing the meeting with the heads of the special services involved, Vladimir Putin instructed to begin "work on the return of Crimea to Russia " (but, in his own words, stressed that " we will only do this if we are absolutely convinced that that this is what the people who live in Crimea want ” ^[544] ).

On March 1, the Federation Council of the Russian Federation approved the official appeal of President Putin on permission to use Russian troops in Ukraine ^[545] , although by that time they had actually been used there. Russian troops together with volunteer units blocked all objects and military units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the peninsula. On March 16, in Crimea, a referendum was held on accession to Russia ^[546] , based on the results of which the independent Republic of Crimea was proclaimed . March 18 at the St. George Hall of the Kremlin, Putin made an appealto both chambers of the Federal Assembly in connection with the request of the Republic of Crimea to join Russia, and immediately after that signed an agreement with the leaders of Crimea on the entry of Crimea into the Russian Federation ^[547] . Putin made the decision on the Crimea alone ^{[548] [549] [550]} . Later, in his New Year’s address following the results of 2014, he described this event as a “milestone” in the history of Russia ^[551] .

In March 2015, Putin admitted that during the Crimean events of 2014, he was considering the possibility of putting the Russian nuclear forces on alert ^{[552] [553] [554] [555] [556]} .

Most UN member states refused to recognize the legitimacy of the annexation of Crimea to Russia . The USA, EU states and a number of other partner countries of the USA and the EU, as well as a number of international organizations and associations described Russia's actions as aggression, occupation and annexation of part of the Ukrainian territory, undermining the territorial integrity of Ukraine. The Russian leadership, for its part, refers to the right of peoples to self-determination enshrined in the UN charter documents , which, according to the position of the Russian Federation, was realized by the Crimean population, who "rebelled" against a power change in the country ^[557] . The accession of Crimea to Russia led to a sharp cooling of relations with NATO , The European Union , the Council of Europe and the member states of these organizations, and in the future - the introduction of political and economic sanctions against Russia and a number of Russian individuals and legal entities and organizations involved, according to Western countries, to destabilize the situation in Ukraine.

Russian television presented protests in Kiev and the subsequent removal of Yanukovych as a coup, and the new leadership of Ukraine as an illegitimate junta that seized power. According to political scientist Gleb Pavlovsky , this influenced the further development of events in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions of Ukraine ^[558] .

In April 2014, mass rallies against the new Ukrainian authorities , which took place on the territory of Donetsk and Lugansk regions ^[559] , developed into an armed conflict between the armed forces of Ukraine and volunteer militias on the one hand and rebel groups (mainly supporters of the self - proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics ) - with another. Ukraine, the USA and a number of other states, as well as NATO, the Council of Europeand the European Union accuse Russia of interfering in the conflict, which is allegedly expressed in the use of regular troops in hostilities on the side of the rebels, as well as in the supply of weapons and financial support to the republics of Donbass ^{[560] [561]} . The Russian leadership rejects these allegations ^[562] , claiming that Russia is not a party to the confrontation ^[563] . On December 18, 2014, at a press conference in the Kremlin, Putin said that Russians who voluntarily take part in hostilities in southeastern Ukraine are not mercenaries and do not receive money for it, but “do their duty at the call of the heart” ^[564] .

Since June 2014, Russian representatives have been participating in the work of the Contact Group for the Settlement of the Situation in the East of Ukraine . Russia also takes part in the search for a solution to the conflict through diplomatic methods, in the so-called Norman format , which led, in particular, to the signing of the Minsk Agreement of September 5, 2014. On February 11-12, 2015, at the summit in Minsk, the leaders of the “Norman Four” agreed on a new set of measures to implement the September armistice agreement. In the years that have passed since the signing of the Minsk Agreements, however, in fact, none of their points has been implemented ^[565] .

On October 24, 2014, at a meeting with world political scientists and journalists, members of the Valdai Discussion Club, Putin made a keynote statement, which political scientists compared in importance to his 2007 Munich speech . Putin blamed the West for the war in Ukraine, which, in his opinion, was the result of a coup supported by the Western powers. The general meaning of the speech was to indicate the responsibility of the American administration for the collapse of the global security system and dictatorship in the international arena ^{[566] [567] [568] [569]} .

In February 2017, Putin signed a decree “On the recognition in the Russian Federation of documents and registration marks of vehicles issued to citizens of Ukraine and stateless persons permanently residing in the territories of certain regions of Donetsk and Lugansk regions of Ukraine ” ^[570] .

Since mid-2017, the leadership of Ukraine, given that the process of resolving the crisis in the "Norman format" on the basis of the Minsk agreements has reached an impasse, has relied on strengthening contacts with the new American administration and achieving a settlement in the Donbass by engaging the UN peacekeeping contingent and strengthening the sanctions pressure on Russia. The Ukrainian leadership, the United States and the European Union view the armed conflict in the Donbass as a manifestation of aggression from Russia. The Russian leadership insists that this is an internal conflict in which Russia is one of the mediators between the Ukrainian authorities and the unrecognized republics.

In late 2017 - early 2018, the format of the proposed UN peacekeeping mission in the Donbass was discussed at the talks between US and Russian special representatives Kurt Volker and Vladislav Surkov . The main difference between the positions of the United States and Russia was that Russia was ready to discuss the issue of deploying peacekeepers exclusively on the demarcation line of the conflicting parties, while the United States (and Ukraine) insisted that the peacekeepers occupy the entire territory controlled by the DPR and LPR , which, in particular, involves the establishment of control over the Ukrainian-Russian border ^[571] .

In December 2017, thanks to the assistance of Vladimir Putin and the patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Kirill, an exchange of prisoners was held between Kiev and the unrecognized republics of Donbass, which, however, did not lead to a cardinal turning point in resolving the situation in Donbass ^[572] .

On June 7, 2018, during the direct line of President Putin, it was suggested that Ukraine could resume active hostilities in the Donbass during the World Cup . Putin replied: “ I hope that things will not come to such provocations, and if this happens, I think that this will have very serious consequences for the Ukrainian statehood as a whole ” ^{[573] [574]} .

On August 31, 2018, the head of the DPR, Alexander Zakharchenko, died as a result of the attack . The reaction of the Russian authorities was harsh and quick. Vladimir Putin sent a telegram to the leadership of the DPR, in which he described the incident as “ one more testimony: those who chose the path of terror, violence, intimidation do not want to seek a peaceful, political solution to the conflict, they do not want to have a real dialogue with the residents of the southeast, but a dangerous bet on destabilizing the situation, on bringing the people of Donbass to their knees ” ^[575]. On October 18, Putin, commenting on the situation in the Donbass at a meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club, said that he considered the organization by the Ukrainian secret services “of terrorist acts and killings of people who were chosen by the population to lead these regions” the worst “way to establish relations with these territories” ^{[ 576]} . November 15, Vladimir Putin said that the current Ukrainian authorities did nothing to implement the Minsk agreements and there is no reason to hope for a peaceful settlement in the Donbass under the current government ^[577] .

On May 15, 2018, Vladimir Putin took part in the opening of traffic on the highway part of the Crimean bridge ^[578] .

On November 25, 2018, an armed incident occurred in the Kerch Strait area , during which the Russian military detained two artillery boats and a Ukrainian Navy tugboat trying to get from Odessa to Mariupol through the Kerch Strait . All crew members were placed under arrest by the Russian authorities, and an investigation was launched against them. Later, Vladimir Putin described the events in the Strait of Kerch as a provocation by President Poroshenko, aimed at disrupting the presidential election in Ukraine .

On April 21, 2019, Vladimir Zelensky was elected President of Ukraine . Putin did not congratulate him on his election victory and assumption of office ^{[579] [580]} , noting that Russia was ready to "restore relations with Ukraine in full", but could not do it "unilaterally." Putin called the election results in Ukraine “a complete failure of Poroshenko’s policy ” and said that he would contribute to “normalizing the situation in the south-east of Ukraine” if the new Ukrainian authorities implement the Minsk agreements ^[581] .

On April 24, Vladimir Putin signed a decree allowing residents of certain regions of Donetsk and Lugansk regions of Ukraine to obtain Russian citizenship in a simplified manner ^{[582] [583]} . In Russia, they say that the decision was made due to the complete lack of prospects for improving the situation in the conflict zone, the socio-economic blockade of Donbass and the systematic infringement by the Ukrainian authorities of the basic civil rights and freedoms of the inhabitants of the region ^[584] .

Later, Putin said that the possibility of granting citizenship of the Russian Federation in a simplified manner not only to residents of certain regions of the DPR and LPR, but also to citizens of all Ukraine is being considered ^[585] . On May 1, he signed a decree granting the right to apply for Russian citizenship in a simplified manner to additional categories of Ukrainian citizens and stateless persons ^{[586] [587]} . On July 17, by another decree, the simplified procedure for obtaining Russian citizenship was extended to all residents of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions of Ukraine, including those registered in territories controlled by the Ukrainian authorities ^[588] . On August 2, Putin signed a law making it easier for Ukrainian citizens to obtain temporary residence permits and residence permits in Russia.

On July 11, on the initiative of the Ukrainian side, the first telephone conversation took place between Vladimir Zelensky and Vladimir Putin ^{[589] [590]} , which led to a noticeable intensification of efforts to free the detainees. On September 7, an exchange of withheld persons between Ukraine and Russia took place in the 35 by 35 format. In particular, Russia handed over to Ukraine 24 sailors detained during the incident in the Kerch Strait , Oleg Sentsov and others, and Ukraine handed over to Russia Kirill Vyshinsky and Vladimir Tsemakh ^{[591] [592] [593]} . On November 18, Russia handed over to Ukraine the ships detained during the incident in the Kerch Strait ^[594] .

On December 9, 2019, the “Norman Four” summit was held in Paris - the first meeting of leaders in the “Norman format” since 2016. The first bilateral meeting between Presidents Putin and Zelensky ^{[595] [596] [597] [598] was} also held during the summit .

On December 23, 2019, railway traffic on the Crimean bridge ^{[599] [600]} was opened .

Criticism in the context of the Ukrainian conflict

During the Crimean events, the head of the UOC-KP Filaret (Denisenko) called Putin an aggressor, comparing his actions with the actions of Hitler , who " also defended the Germans in the Sudetenland, annexing Austria " ^[601] . The same considerations were voiced by Prince Charles, heir to the British throne (according to the Daily Mail ) ^[602] and Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite ^[603] . Similar theses appeared in the British press ^[604] and in the German newspaper Die Welt ^[605] . The ex-US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton , who called Putin “a tough guy with thin skin” , also made an analogy between Putin’s actions and Nazi Germany’s policies in 1938 ^[606] . German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble also criticized Putin , who, however, after a protest from the Russian Foreign Ministry said: "... I’m not an idiot to compare anyone with Hitler." Similar historical analogies were also considered inappropriate by Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier ^[607] .

After the Crimean crisis and the events in Ukraine in 2014, the attitude of former USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev towards Putin, whom he had previously harshly criticized, on the contrary, became warmer. Going on a visit to Germany on November 6, 2014 to participate in the New Politics forum and to meet with German Chancellor Merkel , dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the collapse of the Berlin Wall , Gorbachev expressed his conviction that Putin now defends Russia's interests best of all ^[608] .

Analyzing Putin’s role in the Crimean events of 2014 , the American magazine The New Yorker noted that in the West Putin is sometimes still called a former Chekist and he confirms this reputation by authoritarian tendencies, but it cannot be denied that the Russian president is “an excellent political player who interprets history of their country exactly as the Russians like it ” ^[609] .

Professor Emeritus of (USA), Oliver Boyd-Barrett, ^[610] in his book "Leading the Western media and the Ukrainian crisis" ( Engl.  Western of Mainstream Media and the Ukraine Crisis ) notes that the identity of the Russian president began to be demonizing immediately after the Russian-Georgian conflict in 2008, however, against the background of the Ukrainian crisis of 2014-2015, this process obviously intensified. Quoting Karen Hewitt from Oxford University, Oliver Boyd-Barrett expresses the opinion that in the eyes of ordinary Russian inhabitants Putin brought stability, predictable state policy and a significant increase in living standards, forced the oligarchs to pay taxes and nationalized part of their wealth ^[611] . According to him, in these circumstances, the Western media concentrated on creating the image of Putin as an aggressive imperialist who was carrying out sinister plans for Ukraine, while in the process of constructing an authoritarian image of Putin’s rule, they deliberately ignored what Boyd-Barrett calls Putin’s popular support in the elections, which were attended by candidates who, according to Boyd-Barrett, supported by the West ^[612] .

Relations with large Russian entrepreneurs

According to the newspaper " Vedomosti ", published in February 2013, with the President of " Transneft " Nikolay Tokarev Putin became close while working together in the Dresden KGB residency ^[613] .

On March 29, 2013, Putin, following the example of a number of developed countries, proposed introducing restrictions on “ golden parachutes ” for top managers in Russia ^[614] .

In October 2013, analysts at the Swiss bank Credit Suisse in the annual global wealth report concluded that in Russia 110 billionaires own 35% of the country's national wealth ^[615] .

In December 2013, Putin’s recommendation to state corporations and structures to conduct corporate events at their own expense, without the use of budgetary funds, which began with criticism of the extravagance of Russian Railways , caused a public outcry . State companies and ministries immediately followed on the eve of the New Year holidays, and the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation and the Government of Russia, in connection with trends, refused to hold New Year's corporate parties ^{[616] [617]} .

In December 2013, the pardon of Putin after the 10-year sentence of businessman Mikhail Khodorkovsky was attracted the attention of the Russian and world press , which was seen as an attempt to improve Russia's image on the eve of the Sochi Winter Olympics ^{[618] [619]} .

In March 2014, the United States imposed sanctions ^[620] against the Rossiya Bank , called the “ personal bank for senior officials of the Russian Federation ” and major Russian businessmen, who were considered to be connected with the president Putin ( Gennady Timchenko , brothers Arkady and Boris Rotenberg , Yuri Kovalchuk ) ^{[621] [622] [623]} .

Russia and global warming

In 2016, Russia signed the Paris Climate Agreement , aimed at combating global warming and providing for the regulation of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. At the same time, the then Special Representative of the Russian President on Climate Issues, Alexander Bedritsky, at the 22nd Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Marrakesh, said that Russia does not consider abandoning hydrocarbons as a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions ^{[624] [625]} . Responding to a question from Bloomberg about whether President Putin agrees with the reasons for global warming specified in the Paris Agreement, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov answered in a monosyllabic "No" ^{[626] [627] [628] [629]} .

In September 2019, the Paris Agreement was ratified by a decree of the Russian government. It is assumed that the position of President Putin has changed due to the lobbying efforts of the leaders of France and Germany ^[630] .

The United States withdrew from the Paris Agreement in 2017. US President Donald Trump said the agreement puts a “draconian financial and economic burden on the US.”

Criticism

According to Mikhail Gorbachev , expressed in November 2014, Putin began to suffer from the same disease that, according to the admission, the ex-president of the USSR suffered from self-confidence: “ He considers himself a substitute for God, I don’t know, however, on what matters ... " ^[631] .

The press of various countries of the world noted Putin’s repeated delays in planned meetings with heads of state, government, royal people and the Pope ^[632] .

The tone of critical publications about Russia and Putin in the press and in the expert community in the West intensified after the announcement by British judge Robert Owen in the High Court of London on January 21, 2016 of the results of a public investigation into the death of Alexander Litvinenko  , a former FSB officer who worked for British foreign intelligence MI6 . In a report based on secret documents from British secret services that were not publicly disclosed, the judge pointed to Putin’s “likely involvement” in the murder of Litvinenko. The findings of the High Court were rejected by Putin's representatives as unproven and based on assumptions ^[633] .

Corruption in Russia

By 1999, the last year of the presidency of Boris Yeltsin, Russia was called one of the most corrupt countries in the world ^[634] . This year, according to the Corruption Perception Index (CPI), calculated by the international agency Transparency International , Russia shared 82-83rd places from Ecuador from 99 countries included in this rating ^[635] .

In the 2000s, Russia joined a number of international anti-corruption agreements ^[636] . So, at the end of 2005, Putin submitted to the State Duma a federal law on ratification of the UN Convention against Corruption of October 31, 2003. In March 2006, he signed this law, and thereby ratified the Convention, which creates the basis for the interaction of law enforcement agencies of various states in the fight against corruption, as well as sets a number of anti-corruption policy standards ^{[637] [638]} . In July 2006, Putin signed a federal law ratifying the Council of Europe Criminal Law Convention on Corruption ^{[639] [640]} .

In the early years of Putin’s presidency, there was an opinion that the level of corruption increased compared to the time of Yeltsin’s rule. According to a study by the INDEM Foundation, 2001-2005 the volume of corruption in the sphere of relations between government and business increased almost 10 times (from 33.5 to 316 billion dollars, which exceeded the expenses of the federal budget of Russia in 2005 ^[641] ), domestic corruption increased 4 times, and the average size of a bribe increased from 10.2 thousand dollars to 135.8 thousand dollars for the same period ^{[642] [643]} .

In February 2008, one of the leaders of the SPS party, Boris Nemtsov, and former Deputy Minister of Energy of Russia Vladimir Milov published a report “Putin. Results ” ^[644] , where it was argued that one of the most negative outcomes of Putin’s presidency was a significant increase in corruption ^[645] . This topic was developed in several more reports: “ Putin. The results. 10 years ” ^[646] (published by the Solidarity movement in June 2010 ^[647] ) and“ Putin. Corruption ” ^[648] (published by the Party of People’s Freedom in March 2011, including politicians among the authorsVladimir Ryzhkov ^[649] ). In August 2012, B. Nemtsov, in collaboration with L. Martyniuk, presented the report “Life of a slave in galleys. Palaces, yachts, cars, planes and other accessories ” ^[398] .

In March 2011, Putin, as head of government, announced the need to introduce a rule requiring state officials to report on their expenses. The corresponding law (“On control over the conformity of expenses of persons holding public office and other persons with their income”) was signed by him at the beginning of December 2012 ^{[650] [651]} .

According to a study by the British audit firm Ernst & Young , conducted in the spring of 2012, in 2011 corruption risks in Russia decreased significantly and in many ways fell below the global average. The Ernst & Young study was attended by over 1,500 top managers of major companies from 43 countries. So, if in 2011 39% of managers surveyed in Russia stated that it was necessary to give bribes in cash to protect the business or achieve corporate benefits, then in 2012 there were 16% ^[652] . The Corruption Perception Index, as assessed by the Transparency International organization in Russia as of 2011, was 2.4 points (143 out of 183 countries).

In April 2013, the State Duma of the Russian Federation passed a law introduced by Putin prohibiting officials, deputies, judges, and law enforcement officers from having bank accounts and financial assets abroad; real estate abroad is allowed, but it must be declared without fail ^[653] .

In 2014, the Corruption and Organized Crime Investigation Project (OCCRP) named Putin the “Person of the Year” OCCRP. According to OCCRP, this was facilitated by the “unsurpassed merits of Russian President Vladimir Putin in transforming his country into the largest world center for laundering criminal money, connecting all organized crime of Ukrainian Crimea and Donbass to it, as well as an impeccable reputation in ensuring impunity for corruption criminal crimes and turning organized criminal groups into an integral part of the state system ” ^{[654] [655] [656] [657]} .

In 2014, a detailed study of corruption of Putin and his entourage was published: Karen Davish, “Putin's Kleptocracy: Who Owns Russia?” ( English  Putin's Kleptocracy: Who Owns Russia? ) ^{[658] [659]}

In 2016, Adam Shubin, US Under Secretary of State for Counter-Terrorism and Financial Intelligence ^[660], accused Putin of corruption and pointed out that the official salary of 110 thousand US dollars per year is not an accurate indicator of Russia's president’s wealth. In the film “Putin’s Secret Riches”, shown by the BBC on January 25, Shubin expressed the opinion that “Putin has a lot of experience in disguising his real condition” ^[661] . A spokesman for the US presidential administration confirmed that Shubin’s words were consistent with the position of the White House. Matthew Rogansky, director of the Kennon Institute in the USA, noted that Putin’s allegations of corruption are circulating in the Westnot the first year, they were nominated by both officials and private individuals. Commenting on new harsh remarks addressed to Putin, political analyst Dmitry Simes explained their inter-party rivalry in the US ahead of the US presidential election and attempts to avoid the impression that “ Obama is backing down before Putin and that Putin is replaying Obama.” American political scientist and Soviet scientist Theodor Karasik believes corruption allegations constitute a political blow to Putinism, and the goal of the strike is to use economic problems in Russia. “However,” the expert believes, “there is a misunderstanding of the White House that this does not work in Russia, and even more so regarding the Putinist system.” A spokesman for Putin called the allegations of corruption fiction and defamation, requiring proof ^[660] .

Worldview, political views, attitude towards religion

Worldview

According to political preferences, political scientists and journalists classify Vladimir Putin as conservative ^{[662] [663] [664] [665]} , although one of the world's leading business news portals Business Insider believes that Vladimir Putin is not a conservative, but a real politician who is guided exclusively by his own interests, not moral or ideological principles ^[666] .

Among the philosophers and historians quoted by Putin, there are mostly right-wing conservatives: I. A. Ilyin , K. N. Leontyev , L. N. Gumilyov , N. A. Berdyaev , N. M. Karamzin , D. I. Mendeleev , V. S. Solovyov . Putin's favorite philosopher is called^{[ who? ]} I. A. Ilyin ^{[665] [667] [668] [669]} . The philosopher Michel Yelchaninov described the main features of Putin’s worldview as conservatism, the anti-Western theory of the special “Russian way” and Eurasianism . At the same time, the Soviet past ^{[665] [670]} left its mark on Putin's worldview .

In a 2013 interview, Putin described himself as a pragmatist with a conservative bias ^[671] . According to Peskov, he is skeptical and “without optimism” of the monarchy ^[672] . In 2014, Putin himself ranked himself among the liberals in one of his statements ^[673] , also in the same year called himself “the largest nationalist in Russia” ^[674] , and in 2018 called himself “the most correct and efficient nationalist” in Russia ^[675] . In 2016, the president said that he always liked and continues to like socialist ideas ^[676] . According to Alexei Venediktov, “Putin is not a Stalinist, and he does not like Stalin, ” of the Russian monarchs, Catherine II considers the most pleasant ^[677] .

Attitude to Russian and Soviet History

In early 2013, Putin initiated the creation of a unified textbook of Russian history for high school — a unified line of textbooks that should be devoid of internal contradictions and double interpretations ^[678] . The study of Russian history in schools based on textbooks reformatted to a new historical and cultural standard was started in the 2016/2017 school year ^[679] .

In December 2019, Putin has devoted several presentations at international and Russian forums, the question of Western responsibility - first and foremost Poland - for the beginning of the Second World War , mention was timed to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the start of World War II Resolution of the European Parliament , " The importance of the preservation of historical memory for the future of Europe ”, in which an equal sign was put between communist ideology and Nazism, and it was also stated that the war was the direct result of the non-aggression pact between the two totalitarian powers - Germany and the USSRwho, according to the authors of the resolution, "had a common goal - the conquest of the whole world." Putin sharply criticized the resolution of the European Parliament, pointing out the role that the West European powers played in the events that preceded the outbreak of World War II . The true causes of the war, according to Putin, lie in the enslaving conditions of the Versailles Peace , which became "national humiliation" for Germany, and the subsequent European policy towards Germany, which created a bridgehead for a future war ^{[680] [681] [682]}. As for the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, it was the last in a series of peace agreements that Hitler Germany signed with other European countries in the 1930s. Separately, Putin touched on the role of Poland, describing it extremely negatively and advising its current leadership “to apologize for what happened before” ^{[683] [684] [685] [686] [687] [688] [689]} . Putin’s speeches provoked a sharp response from the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stating that his words undermined the achievements of his predecessors, Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin, who “tried to find the path of truth and achieve reconciliation in Polish-Russian relations” ^[690] . Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Moraveckistated that Putin "repeatedly tried to defame Poland" and is trying to justify Stalinism ^{[691] [692]} .

Russian political scientist Alexei Makarkin believes that the president’s emphasized attention to the events of pre-war history and the sharpness of his assessments ^[693] are due to the fact that history in Russia has traditionally been used to legitimize power, both domestically and on the foreign policy level, and as the main factor in the legitimacy of the Russian the state remaining from Soviet times is the Great Patriotic War, and victory in this war still represents the pride of the vast majority of Russian citizens. Maintaining this legitimacy obviously implies the need to protect the Russian version of the events of the war from critics both outside the country and inside it ^[694] .

As far back as May 2014, Russia was criminalized the public denial of the facts established by the verdict of the Nuremberg Tribunal , the public approval of the crimes established by this verdict, "the dissemination of knowingly false information about the activities of the USSR during the Second World War", as well as "the dissemination of expressing disrespect to society information about the days of military glory and memorable dates of Russia related to the defense of the Fatherland, as well as the desecration of the symbols of military glory of Russia. " The corresponding article “Rehabilitation of Nazism” ^[695] was introduced into the Russian Criminal Code. After that, according to Alexei Makarkin, the mechanisms of censorship and self-censorship intensified in the Russian public space - for example, in 2017, the HAC expert council refused to approve the decision to award the degree of Doctor of Sciences to Kirill Alexandrov for his thesis “General and officer cadres of the armed forces of the Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia 1943 —1946 ” ^[694] .

Putin has repeatedly expressed regret over the collapse of the USSR, calling it the largest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century.

Putin spoke sharply about the results and ideas of the leader of the October Revolution, V. I. Lenin . Lenin, according to the president, led to the destruction of historical Russia ^{[696] [697]} .

Relation to religion

In January 2012, during the election campaign, Putin said that in infancy he was baptized into Orthodoxy . The baptism took place in November 1952 (on Mikhail Day ) in Leningrad in the Transfiguration Cathedral ^[698] .

Putin repeatedly drew parallels between Christianity and communist ideology, arguing that the core values ​​of the Code of the builder of communism  - “freedom, fraternity, equality, justice” - “are all laid down in the Holy Scripture, it’s all there ... They are generally good ideas ... but the practical embodiment of these remarkable ideas in our country was far from what the utopian socialists set forth ” ^{[699] [700] [701]} .

In an interview with CNN TV host Larry King on September 8, 2000 to the question ^[702] : “Do you believe in a higher power?” Putin replied:

“I believe in man. I believe in his good thoughts. I believe that we all came to do good. And if we do it, and we will do it together, then success awaits us in relations between ourselves, in relations between our states. But the most important thing is that we will achieve in this way the most important thing - we will achieve comfort in our own heart. ”

Putin met regularly with Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II (starting on December 31, 1999, the day Boris Yeltsin handed over presidential power to Putin, and on January 11, 2000, when Putin and Alexy II attended a gala reception in the Kremlin, dedicated to the celebration of the 2000th anniversary of the Nativity of Christ), meets with the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill ^[703] , participates in religious services, visits various Orthodox churches and monasteries throughout the country, and overshadows himself with a sign of the Cross during divine services ^[704] . In the early 2000s, the Russian media circulated the version that Putin’s confessor is Archimandrite Tikhon (Shevkunov)^[705] . Putin himself has never confirmed or refuted this version.

According to the American edition of the Los Angeles Times , Putin and the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II in May 2007, played a crucial role in overcoming the 80-year-old rift between the Orthodox Church and the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia and joining the ROCOR in the ROC on the rights of self-governing church ^{[706 ]} .

According to Putin, “both the traditional faiths of Russia and the nuclear shield are those components that strengthen Russian statehood and create the necessary conditions for ensuring the country's internal and external security” ^[707] . In October 2018, after a decision was made by the synod of the Patriarchate of Constantinople to grant autocephaly to the church of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin brought the situation around the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine for discussion with permanent members of the Security Council of the Russian Federation ^[708] .

Public image

In October 2015, at a meeting with participants in the Valdai Forum, Putin described himself as a “dove with iron wings” ^[709] . Among human qualities most unpleasant to Putin are lies and incompetence ^[710] . It was noted that even in the years of service in Putin's Dresden residency, he was distinguished from his colleagues by a purely sober lifestyle ^[45] .

Putin's height is 170 cm, which, according to the journalist Emanuel Grinshpan, published in the Swiss newspaper , during his tenure as president created certain problems when photographing him alongside other political figures ^{[711] [712]} .

Putin support level

Putin is the most popular politician in Russia since 1999 (according to opinion polls, the number of Russians supporting Putin increased from 14% in 1999 to 86% in 2015 ) ^{[714] [715] [716] [717] [718] [ 719]} .

A sharp increase in Putin's rating occurred in the spring of 2014. According to the Gallup Institute, an international research association , obtained from a survey conducted from April to June 2014, Putin’s support among Russians rose to 83% (an increase of 29% over the year) ^[720] . Sociologists noted that such a high level of approval of the president’s work is primarily associated with Russia's position on the crisis in Ukraine and the admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation , as well as with the triumphant performance of Russian national teams at the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Sochi ^[721] .

In February 2015, according to the Levada Center , the level of approval of Putin’s activities as president reached 86% ^[719] .

According to VTsIOM published in October 2015, Putin's approval rating was 89.9%. The high level of support was explained by the successful military operation of the Russian Aerospace Forces in Syria ^[722] .

In 2018, after an extremely unpopular pension reform , the level of approval of the activities of Vladimir Putin fell to pre-Crimean indicators. According to VTsIOM, the rating fell over the period from June 17 to June 24 from 72.1% to 63.4%. As of May 24, 2019, the level of approval of the activities of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, according to the VTsIOM, amounted to 65.8% ^[723] .

PR promotions

According to analysts, Putin’s environmental and image ^[724] actions caused criticism and ridicule in the Russian and foreign press, as well as in the blogosphere ^{[725] [726] [727] [728] [729]} .

On August 31, 2008, Putin visited the Ussuri Nature Reserve , where he familiarized himself with the program to save the Ussuri tigers . There, in the taiga, scientists of the Institute of Ecology and Evolution named after A. N. Severtsova 5-year-old tigress was caught in a special trap. Having discovered that the animal had freed itself from the loop, and in order to prevent the tigress from escaping into the taiga, Putin shot it with a scapula from a device for remotely immobilizing animals and put on a GPS collar on a sleeping animal. In the winter of that year, it was reported that Putin was monitoring the movement of the animal in the Ussuri taiga. According to the official version, the tigress, nicknamed Earring, has already managed to acquire offspring. However, after comparing the photographs of the Earrings made by the camera traps during the movement of the beast in the taiga with those on which the tigress was next to Putin, the bloggers stated that different animals were imprinted on them ^[730] on September 11, 2012, according to Masha GessenPutin, in an interview with her, admitted that the tiger that he had shot then was from the zoo, and he invented the whole story to draw attention to tigers ^[731] . In an interview with Interfax , the presidential spokesman, Dmitry Peskov , said that Hessen "very correctly stated the contents of this meeting, with the exception of a number of minor flaws" ^{[732] [733]} .

On April 28, 2010, Putin visited the Franz Josef Land archipelago , where he familiarized himself with the work of an expedition of scientists observing the polar bear population . Putin put on a GPS collar on one of the bears. Later in the press there were allegations that the beast was caught in advance and kept locked up several days before the arrival of the distinguished guest under the influence of strong sedative drugs ^{[733] [734] [735]} .

On September 5, 2012, at the Kuševat ornithological station near Salekhard, Putin took part in an experiment conducted as part of the Flight of Hope project to rescue Siberian Cranes listed in the Red Book . In order to show six Siberian Cranes grown in the Ryazan nursery, the flight route for wintering to warmer climes, Putin, in a white overalls at the head of a crane wedge, was at the helm of a ^[736] motor hang glider , made three flights: the first test, two more with the Siberian Cranes ^[737] . This news caused ridicule on blogs: Internet users competed in wit and composing jokes on this subject, many remembered Valery Leontyev ’s popular song “Hang Glider” ^[738]. The editor-in-chief of Around the World magazine Masha Gessen refused to cover Putin’s crane flight, after which, according to her, she was fired from her post as editor-in-chief of the magazine ^{[731] [733]} .

Later, the “Siberian cranes of Putin”, accompanied by a motor hang-glider, flew to the Belozersky Federal Reserve, located in the Armizonsky district of the Tyumen Region , but for the winter a flock of local gray cranes flew away without them. On October 9, Putin’s Siberian Cranes, along with ornithologists, returned by plane back to their home - in the Oksky Reserve ^[739] . According to the Moskovsky Komsomolets publication, after Putin’s flight, the problems of the West Siberian Siberian Cranes were no longer tackled, and by 2017 their population was on the verge of extinction ^[740] .

On August 10, 2011, while visiting the archaeological site on the site of the ancient Greek Phanagoria, Putin scuba dived to the bottom of the Taman Bay . From the bottom, Putin picked up two amphorae , according to the head of the archaeological expedition, VI century BC. e. ^[741] . This event caused jokes and mocking comments in the press, both in Russian and in foreign ^{[741] [742]} . On October 4, 2011, Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov, in an interview with Dozhd TV channel, admitted that Putin did not find amphorae, but they had been planted in advance ^[743] . In 2012, Masha Gessenin an article for the magazine "Big City" she wrote that Putin, in an interview with her, confirmed that the amphorae were planted, and laughed "at idiots who could even think that this is not so." According to Putin, the plot with amphorae was invented so that people would know their story ^{[731] [733]} .

In August 2015, Putin sank in a bathyscaphe to a depth of 80 m in the Black Sea as part of an expedition of the Russian Geographical Society. At the bottom, the president saw a ship related, according to him, to the time of the development of relations between Kievan Rus and Byzantium.

In July 2019, Putin plunged into the bottom of the Gulf of Finland in a bathyscaphe in order to commemorate the submariners who died aboard the Sh-308 “Salmon” submarine, which sank during World War II ^[744] .

Hobbies

He is fond of skiing . Master of Sports in Judo and Sambo ^[745] . Judo champion of Leningrad ( 1976 ) ^[746] , champion of the TSO DSO "Trud" ^[747] , winner of the USSR Cup , winner of the championships of DSO "Zalgiris" and " Kalev ", became a repeated winner of university championships ^[748] . In his youth, for 11 years, Putin’s judo coach was Anatoly Rakhlin(1938-2013), subsequently coach of the Russian women's judo team. According to Rakhlin, Putin could fight beautifully, "he knew how to endure pain even as a kid," "he didn’t take physics in competitions, but inventiveness." In this case, Putin’s actions, the coach pointed out, were difficult to calculate, he was a dangerous opponent ^[749] . Putin himself noted that a judo mentor probably played a “decisive role” in his life ^[750] . Since 1998, Putin has been honorary president of the St. Petersburg sports judo club Yavara-Neva ^[751] . In November 2014, the International Committee of the Kyokushin -karate-karate-do organization awarded Vladimir Putin the eighth dan Kyokushinkai ^[752] .

In 1999, Putin published a book co-authored with Vasily Shestakov and Alexei Levitsky on the practical lessons of judo - "Learning Judo with Vladimir Putin" ^[753] . On October 6, 2008, in the Konstantinovsky Palace , a presentation of a training film and video attachments to this book took place. The film was shot in St. Petersburg with the participation of Putin in the role of himself ^{[754] [755]} . During a visit by the Russian president to the 2012 Olympics in London, it became known that Putin himself continues to practice judo and is supporting the Russian Judo Federation ^{[756] [757]} . In 2013, he won the honorable ninth dan in Korean martial arts taekwondo ^[758] .

In 2011, he mastered ice skating and began to play hockey ^[759] . From childhood, Putin loves the works of R. Kipling ^[760] ; in adulthood, he prefers the works of M. Yu. Lermontov ^[761] . One of his favorite songs is “ Where the Homeland Begins ” by V. Basner and M. Matusovsky , Putin himself sings this melody and plays the piano , which makes the song mentioned in the press as “the unofficial anthem of the Soviet security officer” ^[762] . Favorite musical group is the Lyube group ^[763] . Putin is a fan of Dmitry Khvorostovsky ’s opera^[764] , the ABBA Swedish music quartet ^[765] , enjoys listening to the chanson of Grigory Leps ^[766] , gypsy music and songs, and the ensemble “Gypsy Court” ^[767] has repeatedly performed at Putin’s personal celebrations. At the invitation of Putin, an opera singer and people's artist of the Russian Federation, Khibla Gerzmava, repeatedly performed in front of his guests in the Kremlin ^[768] .

Collects geographical maps ^[769] and postage stamps with images of prominent people ^[770] . Loves fishing and underwater hunting in July 2013 to lure caught a 21-pound pike on the lake in Tuva ^{[771] [772]} . A characteristic technique is fishing with fly fishing ^[773] .

Fluent in German ^[16] , can speak English ^[774] . According to Willy Wimmer , the former vice-president of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly , Vladimir Putin distinguishes among other politicians the ability to accurately and confidently translate spontaneous German speech in front of an audience ^[775] .

• 

  Putin (right) is fishing on the Yenisei River during a 48-kilometer rafting with Prince Albert II of Monaco (left) and Shoigu .
  Tuva , August 13, 2007
• 

  On a bike show on their own Harley-Davidson .
  Sevastopol , July 24, 2010
• 

  Front footrest of Putin.
  Tokyo , April 19, 2012
• 

  At the Night Hockey League match .
  Sochi , May 16, 2015

Private life

A family

On July 28, 1983, 30-year-old Putin married 25-year-old Lyudmila Aleksandrovna Shkrebneva ^[776] .

On June 6, 2013, in an interview with the Russia-24 television channel, Vladimir and Lyudmila Putin announced that their marriage had actually been completed by mutual decision. The wedding, as Putin noted a little later, was not carried out, therefore, according to him, the religious side of divorce does not exist ^[777] . The divorce itself, explained Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov , as of March 2014, framed ^{[778] [779]} .

Children and grandchildren

Two daughters were born in marriage: Maria (born April 28, 1985 ^[780] in Leningrad ) and Katherine (born August 31, 1986 ^[780] in Dresden ) - studied at the St. Petersburg State University (received in 2003) - Mary in the Biology and Soil , Katerina - at the Oriental faculty ^[781] . The privacy of Putin’s daughters is carefully guarded, a version was published that if they were enrolled in a university, then not under their own names ^{[782] [783]}. On December 20, 2012, in response to a press conference on the journalist’s direct question about whether he has grandchildren, Putin avoided answering, explaining that the country hardly needs to know this, but said that both of his daughters are in Moscow, “ study and partly work ” ^[784] .

According to information circulated in Western and Russian media, Maria is married to Dutchman Jorrit Joost Faassen, a businessman, a former top manager of Gazprombank and the Russian consulting group MEF Audit ^{[782] [785] [786] [787]} . The media mentioned that for some time Mary lived in the Dutch city of Vorschoten , but Putin in 2015 claimed that none of his daughters had ever lived abroad ^{[788] [789] [790] [791]} . As of 2015, Maria Faassen is a graduate of the Faculty of Fundamental Medicine of Moscow State University (according to The New Times , she studied as Maria Vladimirovna Vorontsova^[782] ), candidate of medical sciences, specialist in the field of endocrinology . Co-author of a scientific study on the topic "The state of the antioxidant system of blood in patients with acromegaly ." He is an employee of the Endocrinology Research Center in Moscow, participates in the charity project of the Alfa Endo Foundation, funded by Alfa Group , whose goal is to help children with diseases of the endocrine system ^[785] . Co-owner of the Nomeco company participating in the implementation of the largest private cancer investment project in Russian healthcare; its value is estimated at 40 billion rubles ^[792] .

According to media reports, Katerina under the surname Tikhonov ^{[793] [794] [795]} (patronymic "Tikhonovna" had her maternal grandmother) from February 2013 ^[796] until January 2018 ^[797] was married to Kirill Shamalov  - son Nikolai Shamalov ^{[229] [282] [793]} , co-owner of Rossiya Bank , Putin’s comrade in the Lake cooperative . Katerina heads the National Intellectual Development Fund and Innopraktika company ^{[798] [799]} , together with Moscow State University, she is implementing a development project on the Vorobyovy Gory worth $ 1.7 billion.PhD in Physics and Mathematics (2019) ^[800] . Reuters and Bloomberg agencies, sources close to the leadership of the university, on condition of anonymity, confirmed that Tikhonov had Putin as a daughter. Answering journalists a question about relationship with Tikhonova, Putin did not confirm this fact and did not refute ^{[785] [798] [801] [802] [803]} .

According to published data, on August 15, 2012 in Moscow, Maria had a son ^{[804] [805]} . The fact of the birth of Putin’s grandson was confirmed in 2014 by his longtime friend, musician Sergei Roldugin ^[806] . Finally, in June 2017, Putin in an interview with Oliver Stone for his documentary “The Putin Interviews” confirmed that he has grandchildren ^[807] . During the Straight Line on June 15, 2017, Vladimir Putin said that he recently had a second grandson ^[808] .

Relatives

In connection with family ties with Putin, the press also mentioned:

• Cousin - Igor Putin (born March 30, 1953 in Leningrad), an engineer, a lawyer, 24 years he served in the Armed Forces, then worked in the civil service, in 2013, vice-president and board member of the " Master-Bank " ^{[809 ] [810]} .
• The cousin is Roman Igorevich Putin (born 1977), chairman of the board of directors of MRT Group of Companies, co-owner of MRT-AVIA ^{[811] [812]} .
• The cousin's son is Mikhail Shelomov. From the 2000s to 2017, he worked as a chief specialist in the St. Petersburg office of Sovcomflot . Through subsidiaries, it owns 8.4% of the shares of Rossiya Bank , 12.47% of Sogaz (since 2004), 100% of SOGAZ-Real Estate (since 2009) and 50% of Igora Drive, which built a car racing the track near the ski resort Igora near St. Petersburg. According to the OCCRP Putin and Mediators investigation published in September 2017 , Mikhail Shelomov is part of the president’s inner circle of 21 people, and over the past few years has acquired assets of $ 573 million, and by the end of 2016 received 2.04 billion rubles. net profit (more than 5.5 million rubles per day ^{[813] [814] [815]})

Revenue Details

According to official data published before the 2007 State Duma elections , Putin’s revenues in 2006 amounted to 2 million rubles, and at the time of the election, Putin owned 3.7 million rubles. on the accounts of various banks, a plot in the Moscow region with an area of ​​1,500 m² and an apartment in St. Petersburg with an area of ​​78 m² ^[816] .

In February 2008, Putin answered a question about his financial condition and sources of his wealth that he was “the richest person not only in Europe but also in the world”, but his wealth is of an intangible nature: he is “rich because he collects emotions” , and also because "the people of Russia twice entrusted him with the leadership of such a great country." Putin called the allegations of a multi-billion dollar fortune “just a chatter that there is nothing to discuss,” concluding that “they picked it all out of their nose and smeared it on their pieces of paper” ^[817] .

According to the tax return for 2013, Putin earned 3.7 million rubles, owned two apartments (one in the area of ​​77 m² in use, and the other with an area of ​​153.7 m² in use), a land plot (1500 m²), and a garage (in the property) and a garage place (in use), two Volga GAZ M21 and GAZ M21R cars, a Niva car and a Skif car trailer ^[818] .

Putin's revenues for 2016 amounted to 8 million 858 thousand rubles (about 738 thousand rubles per month). According to the 2016 declaration, Putin had no other income besides the presidential salary. Putin's monthly salary was significantly lower than that of a number of ministers of his government ^{[819] [820]} .

In 2017, Putin earned 18 million 728 thousand rubles, so his income for the year more than doubled, this was explained by the sale of a land plot that disappeared from Putin's possessions indicated in the 2018 anti-corruption declaration. Putin’s bank accounts are 13.8 million rubles. According to the declaration, Putin owns an apartment of 77 m² and a garage of 18 square meters. m. Putin’s use of an apartment of 153.7 square meters. m. Putin still owns two GAZ M21 cars, a Niva and a Skif trailer ^[821] . Income for 2018 amounted to 8.648 million rubles ^[822] .

Health status

Since the beginning of autumn 2012, the press began to receive information for the first time about some of Putin’s health problems. During the September APEC summit in Vladivostok, observers noted that Putin was moving, limping noticeably ^[824] . Then, the attention of journalists was attracted by the less than usual mobility of the head of state, unmotivated cancellation of a number of foreign trips ^[824] . Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the president has a common sports injury - he pulled a muscle in training. In October, Reuters claimed that due to back problems, Putin was forced to wear a bandage and needed surgery ^[825]. On November 27, 2012, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko confirmed that, while practicing judo, Putin received a back injury ^[826] .

On November 30, 2012, the Japanese agency Kyodo Tsushin officially announced that the December visit of Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda to Moscow was postponed due to Putin’s poor health and back pain ^[827] . Responding to this message, D. Peskov explained that the Japanese prime minister, making a statement, proceeded from inaccurate information. The head of the presidential administration, Sergei Ivanov, said that Putin had no health problems, but admitted that he had a slight sports injury ^[828] .

On December 24, 2012, during a president’s visit to India , Indian Express , citing government sources, said Putin had spent time treating his back. For the same reason, the traditional lunch with the Prime Minister was canceled, as well as dinner with the President of India ^[829] .

Putin is skeptical about taking medications, even if they are just common cold pills, testified in August 2013 by his doctor, director general of the Medical Center of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation Sergey Mironov . For drug treatment, Putin prefers folk remedies - tea with honey, a bath, massage. He practices swimming as a recovery procedure and adaptation to stress loads. According to the doctor, from the point of view of medicine, the state of Putin’s body is much younger than his years ^{[830] [831]} . In case of emergency, treatment is carried out at the Central Clinical Hospital ^[832] .

Residences and official transport

Since 2000, Putin has been living permanently in the residence of Novo-Ogaryovo in the immediate vicinity of Moscow ^[833] . There he also receives official guests, holds business meetings. Leaving his presidency in 2008, Putin chose the Novo-Ogaryovo residence for life in accordance with Federal Law of 12.02.2001 N 12- “On Guarantees to the President of the Russian Federation, who has ceased to exercise his powers, and to members of his family” ^[834] . For the speedy arrival of the head of state to work in the Kremlin with a Mi-8 helicopter by May 2013, a helicopter landing pad was built in Tainitsky Garden ^[835]. Putin decided to use a helicopter regularly for trips to work in order to save Moscow from traffic jams caused by the daily passage of the presidential motorcade ^[836] . Putin has an office apartment in the Kremlin ^[837] .

In addition to Novo-Ogaryov, Putin uses for his stay and activity a number of residences in different parts of Russia: in particular, near St. Petersburg - the Konstantinovsky Palace in Strelna ; in Sochi  - Bocharov Ruchey ; in the Tver region  - “ Rus ”, in the territory of the national park “Zavidovo” ; on Valdai Lake  - Long Beards ^[838] .

Until 2018, Putin used the Mercedes Pullman as an official car , and on May 7, 2018, for the first time, he publicly drove out in the new Russian limousine of the Cortege project ^[839] . Putin’s permanent presidential plane is the IL-96 , on board of which are the office and apartments of the head of state, a conference room, and the command post of the Armed Forces ^[840] .

Putin in culture

Putin is often mentioned in popular, street and Internet culture and others. The president is dedicated to pictures, posters, songs, graffiti, short videos and films, including documentaries, jokes and more. Analyzing the Soviet television film about the illegal intelligence agent “ Seventeen Moments of Spring ”, film critics Stephen Lovell and Mark Lipovetsky draw parallels between Putin and Stirlitz , noting that both have a patriotic mission commitment combined with a European image ^{[841] [842]} .

In May 2015, the Cossack Union of St. Petersburg installed in the suburbs of the city a bust of Russian President Vladimir Putin in the image of the Roman emperor "as a gratitude for the annexation of Crimea." ^[843]

On May 29, 2018, in the village of Chastozooerye, Kurgan Region, on the initiative of the State Duma deputy A.V. Iltyakov , a monument to “Serving the Fatherland” was unveiled. It was assumed that in the center of the monument there will be a 3.5-meter figure of the President of Russia Vladimir Putin by the sculptor Olga Yuryevna Krasnosheina. However, the presidential administration strongly opposed it and two days before the monument opened, the sculpture was dismantled ^{[844] [845]} .

In philately

Three postage stamps of Russia ^{[846] [847] [848]} , as well as the postage stamps of Azerbaijan ^[849] , DPRK ^[850] , Liberia ^[851] , Moldova ^[852] , Slovakia ^[853] , were dedicated to V. Putin . Slovenia ^[854] and Uzbekistan ^[855] .

Filmography

• 2015  - “The President ” - Russian full-length documentary by Vladimir Solovyov ;
• 2015 - “ Crimea. Way to the Homeland ”- Russian full-length documentary by Andrei Kondrashov ;
• 2015 - “ World Order ” - Russian full-length documentary by Vladimir Solovyov;
• 2016  - “ Ukraine on Fire ” - American full-length documentary by Igor Lopatenok ;
• 2017  - “ Interview with Putin ” - American four-part documentary film by Oliver Stone ;
• 2017 - “ Big, beloved, dear ” - Russian short film for children’s movie studio “Tenth Muse”;
• 2018  - “ Valaam ” - Russian documentary by Andrei Kondrashov;
• 2018 - “ World Order 2018 ” - Russian full-length documentary film by Vladimir Solovyov;
• 2018 - “ Putin ” - Russian full-length film by Andrei Kondrashov;
• 2018 - “ Putin Witnesses ” - Russian documentary by Vitaly Mansky ;
• 2018 - “ The Sobchak Case ” - Russian documentary by Vera Krichevskaya ;
• 2019  - “ In the struggle for Ukraine ” - American full-length documentary by Igor Lopatenok .

Awards

Military rank and class rank

• Colonel Reserve (1999) ^{[856] [857] [858]}
• Acting State Advisor to the Russian Federation, 1st class (April 3, 1997) ^[859]

Bibliography

Comments

1. ↑ In December 2000, the law on the return of the Soviet national anthem instead of the Patriotic Song by Mikhail Glinka was submitted to the State Duma and urgently adopted. The new edition of the anthem was first sung after the President’s New Year’s address on January 1, 2001.

Notes