Political career of Vladimir Putin

From Bharatpedia, an open encyclopedia
Владимир Путин (16-09-2021) (cropped).jpg
This article is part of
a series about
Vladimir Putin

President of Russia

Incumbent

Policies

Elections

Premiership

Presidency

Vladimir Putin's signature
Emblem of the President of Russia.svg

Media gallery

The political career of Vladimir Putin concerns the career of Vladimir Putin in politics, including his current tenure as President of Russia.

1990–1996: Saint Petersburg administration[edit]

Putin, Lyudmila Narusova and Ksenia Sobchak at the funeral of Putin's former mentor[1] Anatoly Sobchak, Mayor of Saint Petersburg (1991–1996).

In May 1990, Putin was appointed as an advisor on international affairs to the Mayor of Leningrad Anatoly Sobchak. In a 2017 interview with Oliver Stone, Putin said that he resigned from the KGB in 1991, following the coup against Mikhail Gorbachev, as he did not agree with what had happened and did not want to be part of the intelligence in the new administration.[2] According to Putin's statements in 2018 and 2021, he may have worked as a private taxi driver to earn extra money, or considered such a job.[3][4]

On 28 June 1991, he became head of the Committee for External Relations of the Mayor's Office, with responsibility for promoting international relations and foreign investments[5] and registering business ventures. Within a year, Putin was investigated by the city legislative council led by Marina Salye. It was concluded that he had understated prices and permitted the export of metals valued at $93,000,000 in exchange for foreign food aid that never arrived.[6][7] Despite the investigators' recommendation that Putin be fired, Putin remained head of the Committee for External Relations until 1996.[8][9] From 1994 to 1996, he held several other political and governmental positions in Saint Petersburg.[10]

In March 1994, Putin was appointed as First Deputy Chairman of the Government of Saint Petersburg. In May 1995, he organized the Saint Petersburg branch of the pro-government Our Home – Russia political party, the liberal party of power founded by Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin. In 1995, he managed the legislative election campaign for that party, and from 1995 through June 1997, he was the leader of its Saint Petersburg branch.[10]

1996–1999: Early Moscow career[edit]

In June 1996, Sobchak lost his bid for re-election in Saint Petersburg, and Putin, who had led his election campaign, resigned from his positions in the city administration. He moved to Moscow and was appointed as Deputy Chief of the Presidential Property Management Department headed by Pavel Borodin. He occupied this position until March 1997. He was responsible for the foreign property of the state and organized the transfer of the former assets of the Soviet Union and Communist Party to the Russian Federation.[11]

Putin as FSB director, 1998

On 26 March 1997, President Boris Yeltsin appointed Putin deputy chief of the Presidential Staff, a post which he retained until May 1998, and chief of the Main Control Directorate of the Presidential Property Management Department (until June 1998). His predecessor in this position was Alexei Kudrin and his successor was Nikolai Patrushev, both future prominent politicians and Putin's associates.[11]

On 27 June 1997, at the Saint Petersburg Mining Institute, guided by rector Vladimir Litvinenko, Putin defended his Candidate of Science dissertation in economics, titled The Strategic Planning of Regional Resources Under the Formation of Market Relations.[12] This exemplified the custom in Russia whereby a young rising official wrote a scholarly work in mid-career.[13] When Putin later became president, the dissertation became a target of plagiarism accusations by fellows at the Brookings Institution after it was discovered that 15 pages were copied from an American textbook.[14] Putin responded that the dissertation was referenced,[15][16] the Brookings fellows asserted that it constituted plagiarism albeit perhaps unintentional.[15] The dissertation committee refuted the accusations.[16][17]

On 25 May 1998, Putin was appointed First Deputy Chief of the Presidential Staff for the regions, in succession to Viktoriya Mitina; and, on 15 July, he was appointed head of the commission for the preparation of agreements on the delimitation of the power of the regions and head of the federal center attached to the president, replacing Sergey Shakhray. After Putin's appointment, the commission completed no such agreements, although during Shakhray's term as the head of the Commission 46 such agreements had been signed.[18] Later, after becoming president, Putin cancelled all 46 agreements.[11]

On 25 July 1998, Yeltsin appointed Putin Director of the Federal Security Service (FSB), the primary intelligence and security organization of the Russian Federation and the successor to the KGB.[19]

1999: First premiership[edit]

Main article: Vladimir Putin's First Cabinet
Putin with President Boris Yeltsin on 31 December 1999, when Yeltsin announced his resignation

On 9 August 1999, Putin was appointed one of three First Deputy Prime Ministers, and later on that day, was appointed acting Prime Minister of the Government of the Russian Federation by President Yeltsin.[20] Yeltsin also announced that he wanted to see Putin as his successor. Later on that same day, Putin agreed to run for the presidency.[21]

On 16 August, the State Duma approved his appointment as Prime Minister with 233 votes in favor (vs. 84 against, 17 abstained),[22] while a simple majority of 226 was required, making him Russia's fifth PM in fewer than eighteen months. On his appointment, few expected Putin, virtually unknown to the general public, to last any longer than his predecessors. He was initially regarded as a Yeltsin loyalist; like other prime ministers of Boris Yeltsin, Putin did not choose ministers himself, his cabinet was determined by the presidential administration.[23]

Yeltsin's main opponents and would-be successors were already campaigning to replace the ailing president, and they fought hard to prevent Putin's emergence as a potential successor. Following the Russian apartment bombings and the invasion of Dagestan by mujahideens, including the former KGB agents, based in the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, Putin's law-and-order image and unrelenting approach to the Second Chechen War soon combined to raise his popularity and allowed him to overtake his rivals.

While not formally associated with any party, Putin pledged his support to the newly formed Unity Party,[24] which won the second largest percentage of the popular vote (23.3%) in the December 1999 Duma elections, and in turn supported Putin.

1999–2000: Acting presidency[edit]

Vladimir Putin as acting president on 31 December 1999

On 31 December 1999, Yeltsin unexpectedly resigned and, according to the Constitution of Russia, Putin became Acting President of the Russian Federation. On assuming this role, Putin went on a previously scheduled visit to Russian troops in Chechnya.[25]

The first Presidential Decree that Putin signed, on 31 December 1999, was titled "On guarantees for the former president of the Russian Federation and the members of his family".[26][27] This ensured that "corruption charges against the outgoing President and his relatives" would not be pursued.[28] This was most notably targeted at the Mabetex bribery case in which Yeltsin's family members were involved. On 30 August 2000, a criminal investigation (number 18/238278-95) in which Putin himself,[29][30] as a member of the Saint Petersburg city government, was one of the suspects was dropped.

On 30 December 2000, yet another case against the prosecutor general was dropped "for lack of evidence", despite thousands of documents having been forwarded by Swiss prosecutors.[31] On 12 February 2001, Putin signed a similar federal law which replaced the decree of 1999. A case regarding Putin's alleged corruption in metal exports from 1992 was brought back by Marina Salye, but she was silenced and forced to leave Saint Petersburg.[32]

While his opponents had been preparing for an election in June 2000, Yeltsin's resignation resulted in the presidential elections being held within three months, on 26 March 2000; Putin won in the first round with 53% of the vote.[33][34]

2000–2004: First presidential term[edit]

Putin taking the presidential oath beside Boris Yeltsin, May 2000

The inauguration of President Putin occurred on 7 May 2000. Putin appointed the Minister of Finance, Mikhail Kasyanov, as the Prime Minister.

Putin with Tom Brokaw before an interview on 2 June 2000

The first major challenge to Putin's popularity came in August 2000, when he was criticized for the alleged mishandling of the Kursk submarine disaster.[35] That criticism was largely because it took several days for Putin to return from vacation, and several more before he visited the scene.[35]

Between 2000 and 2004, Putin set about the reconstruction of the impoverished condition of the country, apparently winning a power-struggle with the Russian oligarchs, reaching a 'grand bargain' with them. This bargain allowed the oligarchs to maintain most of their powers, in exchange for their explicit support for—and alignment with—Putin's government.[36][37]

The Moscow theater hostage crisis occurred in October 2002. Many in the Russian press and in the international media warned that the deaths of 130 hostages in the special forces' rescue operation during the crisis would severely damage President Putin's popularity. However, shortly after the siege had ended, the Russian president enjoyed record public approval ratings—83% of Russians declared themselves satisfied with Putin and his handling of the siege.[38]

In 2003, a referendum was held in Chechnya, adopting a new constitution which declares that the Republic of Chechnya is a part of Russia; on the other hand, the region did acquire autonomy.[39] Chechnya has been gradually stabilized with the establishment of the Parliamentary elections and a Regional Government.[40][41] Throughout the Second Chechen War, Russia severely disabled the Chechen rebel movement; however, sporadic attacks by rebels continued to occur throughout the northern Caucasus.[42]

2004–2008: Second presidential term[edit]

Putin with Junichiro Koizumi, Jacques Chirac, Gerhard Schröder, Silvio Berlusconi, George W. Bush and other state leaders in Moscow during the Victory Day parade, 9 May 2005.[43]

On 14 March 2004, Putin was elected to the presidency for a second term, receiving 71% of the vote.[44] The Beslan school hostage crisis took place on 1–3 September 2004; more than 330 people died, including 186 children.[45]

The near 10-year period prior to the rise of Putin after the dissolution of Soviet rule was a time of upheaval in Russia.[46] In a 2005 Kremlin speech, Putin characterized the collapse of the Soviet Union as the "greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the Twentieth Century."[47] Putin elaborated, "Moreover, the epidemic of disintegration infected Russia itself."[48] The country's cradle-to-grave social safety net was gone and life expectancy declined in the period preceding Putin's rule.[49] In 2005, the National Priority Projects were launched to improve Russia's health care, education, housing, and agriculture.[50][51]

The continued criminal prosecution of Russia's then richest man, President of Yukos oil and gas company Mikhail Khodorkovsky, for fraud and tax evasion was seen by the international press as a retaliation for Khodorkovsky's donations to both liberal and communist opponents of the Kremlin.[52] Khodorkovsky was arrested, Yukos was bankrupted, and the company's assets were auctioned at below-market value, with the largest share acquired by the state company Rosneft.[53] The fate of Yukos was seen as a sign of a broader shift of Russia towards a system of state capitalism.[54][55] This was underscored in July 2014, when shareholders of Yukos were awarded $50 billion in compensation by the Permanent Arbitration Court in The Hague.[56]

On 7 October 2006, Anna Politkovskaya, a journalist who exposed corruption in the Russian army and its conduct in Chechnya, was shot in the lobby of her apartment building, on Putin's birthday. The death of Politkovskaya triggered international criticism, with accusations that Putin had failed to protect the country's new independent media.[57][58] Putin himself said that her death caused the government more problems than her writings.[59]

Putin, Bill Clinton, George H. W. Bush and Lyudmila Putina at the state funeral of Boris Yeltsin in Moscow, April 2007

In 2007, "Dissenters' Marches" were organized by the opposition group The Other Russia,[60] led by former chess champion Garry Kasparov and national-Bolshevist leader Eduard Limonov. Following prior warnings, demonstrations in several Russian cities were met by police action, which included interfering with the travel of the protesters and the arrests of as many as 150 people who attempted to break through police lines.[61]

On 12 September 2007, Putin dissolved the government upon the request of Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov. Fradkov commented that it was to give the President a "free hand" in the run-up to the parliamentary election. Viktor Zubkov was appointed the new prime minister.[62]

In December 2007, United Russia won 64.24% of the popular vote in their run for State Duma according to election preliminary results.[63] United Russia's victory in the December 2007 elections was seen by many as an indication of strong popular support of the then Russian leadership and its policies.[64][65]

2008–2012: Second premiership[edit]

Main article: Vladimir Putin's Second Cabinet

Putin was barred from a third consecutive term by the Constitution. First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev was elected his successor. In a power-switching operation on 8 May 2008, only a day after handing the presidency to Medvedev, Putin was appointed Prime Minister of Russia, maintaining his political dominance.[66]

Putin with Dmitry Medvedev, March 2008

Putin has said that overcoming the consequences of the world economic crisis was one of the two main achievements of his second Premiership.[51] The other was stabilizing the size of Russia's population between 2008 and 2011 following a long period of demographic collapse that began in the 1990s.[51]

At the United Russia Congress in Moscow on 24 September 2011, Medvedev officially proposed that Putin stand for the Presidency in 2012, an offer Putin accepted. Given United Russia's near-total dominance of Russian politics, many observers believed that Putin was assured of a third term. The move was expected to see Medvedev stand on the United Russia ticket in the parliamentary elections in December, with a goal of becoming Prime Minister at the end of his presidential term.[67]

After the parliamentary elections on 4 December 2011, tens of thousands of Russians engaged in protests against alleged electoral fraud, the largest protests in Putin's time. Protesters criticized Putin and United Russia and demanded annulment of the election results.[68] Those protests sparked the fear of a colour revolution in society.[69] Putin allegedly organized a number of paramilitary groups loyal to himself and to the United Russia party in the period between 2005 and 2012.[70]

2012–2018: Third presidential term[edit]

On 24 September 2011, while speaking at the United Russia party congress, Medvedev announced that he would recommend the party nominate Putin as its presidential candidate. He also revealed that the two men had long ago cut a deal to allow Putin to run for president in 2012.[71] This switch was termed by many in the media as "Rokirovka", the Russian term for the chess move "castling".[72]

On 4 March 2012, Putin won the 2012 Russian presidential elections in the first round, with 63.6% of the vote, despite widespread accusations of vote-rigging.[73][74][75] Opposition groups accused Putin and the United Russia party of fraud.[76][77] While efforts to make the elections transparent were publicized, including the usage of webcams in polling stations, the vote was criticized by the Russian opposition and by international observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe for procedural irregularities.[78]

Anti-Putin protests took place during and directly after the presidential campaign. The most notorious protest was the Pussy Riot performance on 21 February, and subsequent trial.[79] An estimated 8,000–20,000 protesters gathered in Moscow on 6 May,[80][81] when eighty people were injured in confrontations with police,[82] and 450 were arrested, with another 120 arrests taking place the following day.[83] A counter-protest of Putin supporters occurred which culminated in a gathering of an estimated 130,000 supporters at the Luzhniki Stadium, Russia's largest stadium. Some of the attendees stated that they had been paid to come, were forced to come by their employers, or were misled into believing that they were going to attend a folk festival instead.[84][85][86][87] The rally is considered to be the largest in support of Putin to date.[88]

Putin's presidency was inaugurated in the Kremlin on 7 May 2012.[89] On his first day as president, Putin issued 14 Presidential decrees, which are sometimes called the "May Decrees" by the media, including a lengthy one stating wide-ranging goals for the Russian economy. Other decrees concerned education, housing, skilled labor training, relations with the European Union, the defense industry, inter-ethnic relations, and other policy areas dealt with in Putin's program articles issued during the presidential campaign.[90]

In 2012 and 2013, Putin and the United Russia party backed stricter legislation against the LGBT community, in Saint Petersburg, Arkhangelsk and Novosibirsk; a law called the Russian gay propaganda law, that is against "homosexual propaganda" (which prohibits such symbols as the rainbow flag as well as published works containing homosexual content) was adopted by the State Duma in June 2013.[91][92][93][94] Responding to international concerns about Russia's legislation, Putin asked critics to note that the law was a "ban on the propaganda of pedophilia and homosexuality" and he stated that homosexual visitors to the 2014 Winter Olympics should "leave the children in peace" but denied there was any "professional, career or social discrimination" against homosexuals in Russia.[95]

In June 2013, Putin attended a televised rally of the All-Russia People's Front where he was elected head of the movement,[96] which was set up in 2011.[97] According to journalist Steve Rosenberg, the movement is intended to "reconnect the Kremlin to the Russian people" and one day, if necessary, replace the increasingly unpopular United Russia party that currently backs Putin.[98]

Russo-Ukrainian conflict[edit]

Main articles: Russia–Ukraine relations, Russo-Ukrainian War, and War in Donbas
Putin in talks with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President François Hollande, 17 October 2014

In 2014, Russia made several military incursions into Ukrainian territory. After the Euromaidan protests and the fall of Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych, Russian soldiers without insignias took control of strategic positions and infrastructure within the Ukrainian territory of Crimea. Russia then annexed the Republic of Crimea and City of Sevastopol after a referendum in which Crimeans voted to join the Russian Federation, according to official results.[99][100][101] Subsequently, demonstrations against Ukrainian Rada legislative actions by pro-Russian groups in the Donbas area of Ukraine escalated into an armed conflict between the Ukrainian government and the Russia-backed separatist forces of the self-declared Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics. In August Russian military vehicles crossed the border in several locations of Donetsk Oblast.[102][103][104][105] The incursion by the Russian military was seen by Ukrainian authorities as responsible for the defeat of Ukrainian forces in early September.[106][107]

In November 2014, the Ukrainian military reported intensive movement of troops and equipment from Russia into the separatist-controlled parts of eastern Ukraine.[108] The Associated Press reported 80 unmarked military vehicles on the move in rebel-controlled areas.[109] An OSCE Special Monitoring Mission observed convoys of heavy weapons and tanks in DPR-controlled territory without insignia.[110] OSCE monitors further stated that they observed vehicles transporting ammunition and soldiers' dead bodies crossing the Russian-Ukrainian border under the guise of humanitarian-aid convoys.[111]

As of early August 2015, the OSCE observed over 21 such vehicles marked with the Russian military code for soldiers killed in action.[112] According to The Moscow Times, Russia has tried to intimidate and silence human-rights workers discussing Russian soldiers' deaths in the conflict.[113] The OSCE repeatedly reported that its observers were denied access to the areas controlled by "combined Russian-separatist forces".[114]

The majority of members of the international community and organizations such as Amnesty International have condemned Russia for its actions in post-revolutionary Ukraine, accusing it of breaking international law and of violating Ukrainian sovereignty. Many countries implemented economic sanctions against Russia, Russian individuals or companies – to which Russia responded in kind.

In October 2015, The Washington Post reported that Russia had redeployed some of its elite units from Ukraine to Syria in recent weeks to support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.[115] In December 2015, Russian Federation President Putin admitted that Russian military intelligence officers were operating in Ukraine.[116]

According to academic Andrei Tsygankov, many[117][118] members of the international community assumed that Putin's annexation of Crimea had initiated a completely new kind of Russian foreign policy.[119] They took the annexation of Crimea to mean that his foreign policy had shifted "from state-driven foreign policy" to taking an offensive stance to recreate the Soviet Union.[119] He also says, that this policy shift can be understood as Putin trying to defend nations in Russia's sphere of influence from "encroaching western power". While the act to annex the Crimea was bold and drastic, his "new" foreign policy may have more similarities to his older policies.[119]

Intervention in Syria[edit]

Main article: Russian military intervention in the Syrian civil war
See also: Russian involvement in the Syrian civil war
Putin meets with U.S. President Barack Obama in New York City to discuss Syria and ISIL, 29 September 2015

On 30 September 2015, President Putin authorized Russian military intervention in the Syrian civil war, following a formal request by the Syrian government for military help against rebel and jihadist groups.[120]

The Russian military activities consisted of air strikes, cruise missile strikes and the use of front line advisors and Russian special forces against militant groups opposed to the Syrian government, including the Syrian opposition, as well as Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), al-Nusra Front (al-Qaeda in the Levant), Tahrir al-Sham, Ahrar al-Sham and the Army of Conquest.[121][122] After Putin's announcement on 14 March 2016 that the mission he had set for the Russian military in Syria had been "largely accomplished" and ordered the withdrawal of the "main part" of the Russian forces from Syria,[123] Russian forces deployed in Syria continued to actively operate in support of the Syrian government.[124]

Russia's interference in the 2016 US election[edit]

See also: Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections and Russia–United States relations

In January 2017, a U.S. intelligence community assessment expressed high confidence that Putin personally ordered an influence campaign, initially to denigrate Hillary Clinton and to harm her electoral chances and potential presidency, then later developing "a clear preference" for Donald Trump.[125][126] Both Trump[127][128] and Putin have consistently denied any Russian interference in the U.S. election.[129][130][131][132][133][134]

However, Putin later stated that interference was "theoretically possible" and could have been perpetrated by "patriotically minded" Russian hackers,[135] and on another occasion claimed "not even Russians, but Ukrainians, Tatars or Jews, but with Russian citizenship" might have been responsible.[136] The New York Times reported in July 2018 that the CIA had long nurtured a Russian source who eventually rose to a position close to Putin, allowing the source to pass key information in 2016 about Putin's direct involvement.[137] Putin continued similar attempts in the 2020 U.S. election.[138]

2018–present: Fourth presidential term[edit]

See also: Vladimir Putin 2018 presidential campaign
Putin and the newly appointed Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin meeting with members of Mishustin's Cabinet, 21 January 2020

Putin won the 2018 presidential election with more than 76% of the vote.[139] His fourth term began on 7 May 2018[140] and will last until 2024.[141] On the same day, Putin invited Dmitry Medvedev to form a new government.[142] On 15 May 2018, Putin took part in the opening of the movement along the highway section of the Crimean bridge.[143] On 18 May 2018, Putin signed decrees on the composition of the new Government.[144] On 25 May 2018, Putin announced that he would not run for president in 2024, justifying this in compliance with the Russian Constitution.[145] On 14 June 2018, Putin opened the 21st FIFA World Cup, which took place in Russia for the first time.

In September 2019, Putin's administration interfered with the results of Russia's nationwide regional elections and manipulated it by eliminating all candidates in the opposition. The event that was aimed at contributing to the ruling party, United Russia's victory, also contributed to inciting mass protests for democracy, leading to large-scale arrests and cases of police brutality.[146]

On 15 January 2020, Dmitry Medvedev and his entire government resigned after Vladimir Putin's Address to the Federal Assembly. Putin suggested major constitutional amendments that could extend his political power after presidency.[147][148] At the same time, on behalf of Putin, he continued to exercise his powers until the formation of a new government.[149] The president suggested that Medvedev take the newly created post of Deputy Chairman of the Security Council.[150]

On the same day, Putin nominated Mikhail Mishustin, head of the country's Federal Tax Service for the post of Prime Minister. The next day, he was confirmed by the State Duma to the post[151][152] and appointed Prime Minister by Putin's decree.[153] This was the first time ever that a PM was confirmed without any votes against. On 21 January 2020, Mishustin presented to Vladimir Putin a draft structure of his Cabinet. On the same day, the President signed a decree on the structure of the Cabinet and appointed the proposed Ministers.[154][155][156]

COVID-19 pandemic[edit]

Main article: COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
Putin (dressed in the yellow hazmat suit) visits coronavirus patients at a Moscow hospital, 24 March 2020

On 15 March 2020, Putin instructed to form a Working Group of the State Council to counteract the spread of coronavirus. Putin appointed Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin as the head of the Group.[157]

On 22 March 2020, after a phone call with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, Putin arranged the Russian army to send military medics, special disinfection vehicles and other medical equipment to Italy, which was the European country hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.[158]

On 24 March 2020, Putin visited a hospital in Moscow's Kommunarka, where patients with coronavirus are kept, where he spoke with them and with doctors.[159] Vladimir Putin began working remotely from his office at Novo-Ogaryovo. According to Dmitry Peskov, Putin passes daily tests for coronavirus, and his health is not in danger.[160][161]

On 25 March, President Putin announced in a televised address to the nation that the 22 April constitutional referendum would be postponed due to the coronavirus.[162] He added that the next week would be a nationwide paid holiday and urged Russians to stay at home.[163][164] Putin also announced a list of measures of social protection, support for small and medium-sized enterprises, and changes in fiscal policy.[165] Putin announced the following measures for microenterprises, small- and medium-sized businesses: deferring tax payments (except Russia's value-added tax) for the next six months, cutting the size of social security contributions in half, deferring social security contributions, deferring loan repayments for the next six months, a six-month moratorium on fines, debt collection, and creditors' applications for bankruptcy of debtor enterprises.[166][167]

On 2 April 2020, Putin again issued an address in which he announced prolongation of the non-working time until 30 April.[168] Putin likened Russia's fight against COVID-19 to Russia's battles with invading Pecheneg and Cuman steppe nomads in the 10th and 11th centuries.[169] In a 24 to 27 April Levada poll, 48% of Russian respondents said that they disapproved of Putin's handling of the coronavirus pandemic,[170] and his strict isolation and lack of leadership during the crisis was widely commented as sign of losing his "strongman" image.[171][172]

Putin's First Deputy Chief of Staff Sergey Kiriyenko (left) is in charge of Russia's domestic politics.[173]

In June 2021, Putin said he was fully vaccinated against the disease with the Sputnik V vaccine, emphasising that while vaccinations should be voluntary, making them mandatory in some professions would slow down the spread of COVID-19.[174] In September, Putin entered self-isolation after people in his inner circle tested positive for the disease.[175]

Constitutional referendum and amendments[edit]

Main article: 2020 Russian constitutional referendum

Putin signed an executive order on 3 July 2020 to officially insert amendments into the Russian Constitution, allowing him to run for two additional six-year terms. These amendments took effect on 4 July 2020.[176]

Since 11 July, protests have been held in the Khabarovsk Krai in Russia's Far East in support of arrested regional governor Sergei Furgal.[177] The 2020 Khabarovsk Krai protests have become increasingly anti-Putin.[178][179] A July 2020 Levada poll found that 45% of surveyed Russians supported the protests.[180]

On 22 December 2020, Putin signed a bill giving lifetime prosecutorial immunity to Russian ex-presidents.[181][182]

2021–2022 Russo-Ukrainian crisis and invasion[edit]

Main articles: 2021–2022 Russo-Ukrainian crisis and 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
Putin holds a video call with U.S. President Joe Biden on 7 December 2021

In September 2021, Ukraine conducted military exercises with NATO forces.[183] The Kremlin warned that NATO expanding military infrastructure in Ukraine would cross "red lines" for Putin.[184][185] Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied allegations that Russia is preparing for a possible invasion of Ukraine.[186]

On 30 November 2021, Putin stated that an expansion of NATO's presence in Ukraine, especially the deployment of any long-range missiles capable of striking Russian cities or missile defence systems similar to those in Romania and Poland, would be a "red line" issue for the Kremlin.[187][188][189] Putin asked President Joe Biden for legal guarantees that NATO wouldn't expand eastward or put "weapons systems that threaten us in close vicinity to Russian territory."[190] The U.S. and NATO have rejected Putin's demands.[191][192]

The Kremlin repeatedly denied that it had any plans to invade Ukraine.[193][194][195] Putin dismissed such fears as "alarmist".[196]

In December 2021, a Levada Center poll found that about 50% of Russians believed the U.S. and NATO are to blame for the Russo-Ukrainian crisis, while 16% blamed Ukraine and just 4% blamed Russia.[197][198] However, on 7 February 2022, retired Russian Colonel-General Leonid Ivashov, who is active in politics as the chairman of the All-Russian Officers Assembly, publicly called for Putin to resign over threats of a "criminal" invasion of Ukraine.[199][200]

In February 2022, Putin warned that Ukraine's accession to NATO could embolden Ukraine to reclaim control over Russian-annexed Crimea or areas ruled by pro-Russian separatists in Donbas, saying "Imagine that Ukraine is a NATO member and a military operation [to regain Crimea] begins. What – are we going to fight with NATO? Has anyone thought about this?"[201] On 7 February 2022, Putin said at a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron that "A number of [Macron's] ideas, proposals ... are possible as a basis for further steps. We will do everything to find compromises that suit everyone."[202] Putin promised not to carry out new military initiatives near Ukraine.[203]

On 15 February 2022, the Russian parliament's lower chamber, the State Duma, backed a resolution calling for diplomatic recognition of two self-proclaimed separatist republics in Donbas.[204] On 21 February, Putin signed a decree recognizing the separatist republics as independent states.[205] On 24 February, Putin in a televised address announced a "special military operation" in Ukraine,[206] launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.[207] British Prime Minister Boris Johnson suggested Putin could face war crimes charges, and said that the UK and its allies are working to set up a "particular international war crimes tribunal for those involved in war crimes in the Ukraine theatre."[208] As a result of the invasion, further sanctions were introduced against Russia, including against Putin personally.[209][210] In response to the sanctions, Putin put the Strategic Rocket Forces nuclear deterrence units on high alert.

See also[edit]

References and notes[edit]

  1. ↑ Newsweek, "Russia's Mighty Mouse", 25 February 2008.
  2. ↑ Stone, Oliver. "The Putin Interviews (Party 2 – 2:10)". sho.com. Showtime. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
  3. ↑ "Vladimir Putin says he drove a taxi after fall of Soviet Union". Deutsche Welle. 12 December 2021. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
  4. ↑ Roth, Andrew (13 December 2021). "Vladimir Putin says he resorted to driving a taxi after fall of Soviet Union". the Guardian. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  5. ↑ "Committee for External Relations of St. Petersburg". Archived from the original on 21 February 2007. Retrieved 21 February 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  6. ↑ Kovalev, Vladimir (23 July 2004). "Uproar at Honor For Putin". The Saint Petersburg Times. Archived from the original on 20 March 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
  7. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named law
  8. ↑ Belton, Catherine (19 May 2003). "Putin's Name Surfaces in German Probe". The Moscow Times. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 27 September 2007 – via www.rusnet.nl.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  9. ↑ Paton Walsh, Nick (29 February 2004). "The Man Who Wasn't There". The Observer. Retrieved 23 May 2021 – via The Guardian.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Владимир Путин: от ассистента Собчака до и.о. премьера (in русский). GAZETA.RU. 9 August 1999. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Vlast
  12. ↑ ПУТИН – КАНДИДАТ НАУК (in русский). zavtra.ru. 24 May 2000. Archived from the original on 6 August 2013.
  13. ↑ Gustafson, Thane. Wheel of Fortune: The Battle for Oil and Power in Russia, p. 246 (Harvard University Press, 2012).
  14. ↑ Lourie 2017, p. 52, Ch 4. Russia's Fall, Putin's Rise.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "It All Boils Down to Plagiarism". Cdi.org. 31 March 2006. Archived from the original on 6 August 2009. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Maxim Shishkin, Dmitry Butrin; Mikhail Shevchuk. "The President as Candidate". Kommersant. Archived from the original on 11 May 2011. Retrieved 30 March 2010.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  17. ↑ "Researchers peg Putin as plagiarist over thesis". The Washington Times. 24 March 2006. Retrieved 5 March 2014.
  18. ↑ The Half-Decay Products Archived 7 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine (in Russian) by Oleg Odnokolenko. Itogi, #47(545), 2 January 2007.
  19. ↑ Rosefielde, Steven; Hedlund, Stefan (2009). Russia Since 1980. Cambridge University Press. p. 139. ISBN 978-0-521-84913-5. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
  20. ↑ "Text of Yeltsin's speech in English". BBC News. 9 August 1999. Retrieved 31 May 2007.
  21. ↑ Yeltsin redraws political map BBC. 10 August 1999.
  22. ↑ "Yeltsin's man wins approval". BBC News. 16 August 1999. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
  23. ↑ Richard Sakwa Putin: Russia's choice, 2008. p. 20.
  24. ↑ "Political groups and parties". Archived from the original on 2 July 2001. Retrieved 2 July 2001. Norsk Utenrikspolitisk Institutt
  25. ↑ "Russia: Putin Travels To Chechnya To Visit Troops". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 3 March 2000.
  26. ↑ "УКАЗ от 31 декабря 1999 г. No. 1763 О ГАРАНТИЯХ ПРЕЗИДЕНТУ РОССИЙСКОЙ ФЕДЕРАЦИИ, ПРЕКРАТИВШЕМУ ИСПОЛНЕНИЕ СВОИХ ПОЛНОМОЧИЙ, И ЧЛЕНАМ ЕГО СЕМЬИ". Archived from the original on 19 February 2001. Retrieved 17 December 2007. Rossiyskaya Gazeta
  27. ↑ Александр Колесниченко. ""Развращение" первого лица. Госдума не решилась покуситься на неприкосновенность экс-президента". Newizv.ru. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
  28. ↑ Ignatius, Adi. Person of the Year 2007: A Tsar Is Born, Time, page 4 (19 December 2007). Retrieved 19 November 2009.
  29. ↑ "ДЕЛО ПУТИНА". Novaya Gazeta. 23 March 2000. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  30. ↑ "Компромат.Ru / Compromat.Ru: Фигунанты по квартирному делу". compromat.ru. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  31. ↑ Dawisha, Karen (2015). Putin's Kleptocracy: Who Owns Russia?. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4767-9520-1.
  32. ↑ "Почему Марина Салье молчала о Путине 10 лет?". Radio Svoboda. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  33. ↑ "BBC News | EUROPE | Putin won 'rigged elections'". news.bbc.co.uk. BBC News. 11 September 2000. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  34. ↑ Wines, Michael (27 March 2000). "ELECTION IN RUSSIA: THE OVERVIEW; Putin Wins Russia Vote in First Round, But His Majority Is Less Than Expected". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 Spectre of Kursk haunts Putin. BBC News. 12 August 2001. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  36. ↑ Putin: Russia's Choice, by Richard Sakwa, (Routledge, 2008) pp. 143–150.
  37. ↑ Playing Russian Roulette: Putin in search of good governance, by Andre Mommen, in Good Governance in the Era of Global Neoliberalism: Conflict and Depolitisation in Latin America, Eastern Europe, Asia, and Africa, by Jolle Demmers, Alex E. Fernández Jilberto, Barbara Hogenboom (Routledge, 2004).
  38. ↑ Wyatt, Caroline (16 December 2002). Moscow siege leaves dark memories. BBC News. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  39. ↑ "Chechnya profile". BBC News. 17 January 2018. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  40. ↑ "Can Grozny be groovy?". The Independent. London. 6 March 2007. Archived from the original on 28 March 2007.
  41. ↑ "Human Rights Watch Reports, on human rights abuses in Chechnya". Human Rights Watch. Archived from the original on 21 November 2006. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
  42. ↑ "The World Factbook". Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  43. ↑ Birch, Douglas (10 May 2005). "World leaders unite as Russia proudly marks V-E Day". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
  44. ↑ Mydans, Seth (15 March 2004). "As Expected, Putin Easily Wins a Second Term in Russia (Published 2004)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  45. ↑ "Putin meets angry Beslan mothers". BBC News. 2 September 2005. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  46. ↑ "On this Day December 25: Gorbachev resigns as Soviet Union breaks up". BBC News. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  47. ↑ "Putin deplores collapse of USSR". BBC News. 25 April 2005. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  48. ↑ Gold, Martin (16 September 2015). "Understanding the Russian Move into Ukraine". The National Law Review. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  49. ↑ Krainova, N. (5 March 2013). "Life Expectancy in Russia Is Stagnant, Study Says". The Moscow Times. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  50. ↑ "The challenges of the Medvedev era" (PDF). BOFIT Online. 24 June 2008. ISSN 1456-811X. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
  51. ↑ 51.0 51.1 51.2 "BBC Russian – Россия – Путин очертил "дорожную карту" третьего срока". BBC. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  52. ↑ Russia : Russia president Vladimir Putin rule : achievements, problems and future strategies. Washington, DC: International Business Publications, USA. 2014. p. 70. ISBN 978-1-4330-6774-7. OCLC 956347599.
  53. ↑ How to Steal Legally The Moscow Times, 15 February 2008 (issue 3843, page 8).
  54. ↑ Putin's Gamble. Where Russia is headed by Nikolas Gvosdev, National Review, 5 November 2003. Archived 28 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  55. ↑ Putin's Kremlin Asserting More Control of Economy. Yukos Case Reflects Shift on Owning Assets, Notably in Energy by Peter Baker, The Washington Post, 9 July 2004.
  56. ↑ "Hague court awards $50 bn compensation to Yukos shareholders". Russia Herald. Archived from the original on 30 July 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
  57. ↑ "Putin's Russia failed to protect this brave woman – Joan Smith". The Independent. London. 9 October 2006. Archived from the original on 7 December 2008. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
  58. ↑ "Anna Politkovskaya, Prominent Russian Journalist, Putin Critic and Human Rights Activist, Murdered in Moscow". Democracy Now. 9 October 2006. Archived from the original on 10 October 2006.
  59. ↑ Kolesnikov, Andrey (11 October 2006). "Vladimir Putin and Angela Merkel Work Together". Kommersant. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007.
  60. ↑ Lee, Steven (10 March 2007). "Kasparov, Building Opposition to Putin". The New York Times. Russia. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
  61. ↑ "Garry Kasparov jailed over rally". BBC News. 24 November 2007. Retrieved 9 April 2010.
  62. ↑ "Putin Dissolves Government, Nominates Viktor Zubkov as New Prime Minister". Fox News Channel. 12 September 2007. Archived from the original on 17 September 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
  63. ↑ Election Preliminary Results for United Russia, 4 December 2007, Rbc.ru
  64. ↑ Russians Voted In Favour of Putin Archived 11 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine, 4 December 2007, Izvestia
  65. ↑ Assenters' March Archived 11 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine, 3 December 2007, Izvestia
  66. ↑ "Putin Is Approved as Prime Minister". The New York Times. 9 May 2008.
  67. ↑ "Russia's Putin set to return as president in 2012". BBC News. 24 September 2011. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
  68. ↑ Russian election protests – follow live updates, The Guardian. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
  69. ↑ Как митинг на Поклонной собрал около 140 000 человек politonline.ru (in Russian)
  70. ↑ Frum, David (June 2014), "What Putin Wants", The Atlantic, 313 (5): 46–48
  71. ↑ Osborn, Andrew (24 September 2011). "Vladimir Putin on course to be Russia's next president as Dmitry Medvedev steps aside". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2011.
  72. ↑ Shuster, Simon (3 March 2012). "Will Putin's Election Victory in Russia Be Greeted with Protests?". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  73. ↑ "История президентских выборов в России" [History of the presidential elections in Russia]. RIA Novosti (in русский). 9 March 2012. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  74. ↑ "Putin won 'rigged elections'". BBC News. 11 September 2000.
  75. ↑ Выборы Президента Российской Федерации 2012. izbirkom.ru (in русский). Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  76. ↑ "Putin Hails Vote Victory, Opponents Cry Foul". RIA Novosti. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
  77. ↑ James Ball. "Russian election: does the data suggest Putin won through fraud?". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
  78. ↑ "Russia's presidential election marked by unequal campaign conditions, active citizens' engagement, international observers say". Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
  79. ↑ Elder, Miriam (17 August 2012). "Pussy Riot sentenced to two years in prison colony over anti-Putin protest". The Guardian. London.
  80. ↑ Провокация вместо марша vz.ru
  81. ↑ "Russian police battle anti-Putin protesters". Reuters. 6 May 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
  82. ↑ "СК пересчитал пострадавших полицейских во время "Марша миллионов"". lenta.ru. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  83. ↑ Parfitt, Tom (7 May 2012). "Vladimir Putin inauguration shows how popularity has crumbled". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
  84. ↑ "Putin tells stadium rally 'battle' is on for Russia". BBC. 23 February 2012.
  85. ↑ Ross, Cameron (2016). Systemic and Non-Systemic Opposition in the Russian Federation: Civil Society Awakens?. Routledge. p. 46. ISBN 978-1-317-04723-0.
  86. ↑ "Resolute Putin Faces a Russia That's Changed". The New York Times. 23 February 2012.
  87. ↑ "Putin, Addressing Rally, Casts Himself as Unifier". The Wall Street Journal. 24 February 2012.
  88. ↑ "Pro-Putin rally draws tens of thousands". Al Jazeera. 23 February 2012.
  89. ↑ "Vladimir Putin inaugurated as Russian president amid Moscow protests". The Guardian. 7 May 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  90. ↑ "Putin decrees EU closeness policy". Voice of Russia, English.ruvr.ru. 7 May 2012. Archived from the original on 13 May 2013. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
  91. ↑ Госдума приняла закон о 'нетрадиционных отношениях' [The State Duma has adopted a law on 'non-traditional relationships']. BBC Russia (in русский). 11 June 2013. Archived from the original on 1 March 2014. Retrieved 11 June 2013.
  92. ↑ "ГД приняла закон об усилении наказания за пропаганду гомосексуализма среди подростков". RBC. 11 June 2013. Archived from the original on 3 October 2013. Retrieved 11 June 2013.
  93. ↑ SPIEGEL ONLINE, Hamburg, Germany (6 April 2012). "Discrimination in Russia: Arrests for Violation of St. Petersburg Anti-Gay Law". Der Spiegel.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  94. ↑ ""Russian parliament backs ban on "gay propaganda", Reuters, 25 January 2013". Reuters. 25 January 2013.
  95. ↑ Jivanda, Tomas (19 January 2014). "Vladimir Putin: 'I know some people who are gay, we're on friendly terms'". The Independent. London. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  96. ↑ Putin becomes Popular Front for Russia leader, Interfax-Ukraine (13 June 2013) Archived 15 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  97. ↑ "Echo of Soviet era in Putin's bid for votes". The Australian. 17 June 2011.
  98. ↑ "Putin inaugurates new movement amid fresh protests". BBC. 12 June 2013. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
  99. ↑ "BBC Radio 4 – Analysis, Maskirovka: Deception Russian-Style". BBC. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  100. ↑ Lally, Kathy (17 April 2014). "Putin's remarks raise fears of future moves against Ukraine". The Washington Post. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
  101. ↑ "President of Russia". Eng.kremlin.ru. 1 June 2010. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  102. ↑ Per Liljas (19 August 2014). "Rebels in Besieged Ukrainian City Reportedly Being Reinforced". Time. Time. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  103. ↑ "How the war zone transformed between June 16 and Sept. 19". Kyiv Post. 25 September 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  104. ↑ "Exclusive: Charred tanks in Ukraine point to Russian involvement". Reuters. 23 October 2014.
  105. ↑ "Debaltseve pocket in Donbas was created mainly by Russian troops – Yashin". unian.info. 8 April 2015. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  106. ↑ Channel 4 News, 2 September 2014 tensions still high in Ukraine
  107. ↑ Luke Harding (17 December 2014). "Ukraine ceasefire leaves frontline counting cost of war in uneasy calm". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  108. ↑ "Kiev claims 'intensive' movements of troops crossing from Russia". Agence France-Presse. 2 November 2014. Archived from the original on 14 November 2014. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  109. ↑ various reuters (9 November 2014). "worst east Ukraine shelling for month". Reuters. Retrieved 10 November 2014. {{cite news}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  110. ↑ "Spot report by the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), 8 November 2014". osce.org. 8 November 2014. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  111. ↑ "Ukraine Crisis: Russian 'Cargo 200' Crossed Border – OSCE". BBC, UK. 13 November 2014. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  112. ↑ ОБСЕ заявляет, что на ростовских КПП были машины с надписью "груз 200" (in русский). RIA Novosti. 6 August 2015. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
  113. ↑ "Moscow Stifles Dissent as Soldiers Return From Ukraine in Coffins". The Moscow Times. Reuters. 12 September 2014. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  114. ↑ "Response to Special Representative in Ukraine Ambassador Martin Sajdik and OSCE Special Monitoring Mission Chief Monitor Ertugrul Apakan". U.S. Mission to the OSCE. 4 November 2015. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
  115. ↑ "Russia said to redeploy special-ops forces from Ukraine to Syria". Fox News Channel. 24 October 2015. Retrieved 24 October 2015. "The special forces were pulled out of Ukraine and sent to Syria," a Russian Ministry of Defense official said, adding that they had been serving in territories in eastern Ukraine held by pro-Russia rebels. The official described them as "akin to a Delta Force," the U.S. Army's elite counterterrorism unit.
  116. ↑ Walker, Shaun (17 December 2015). "Putin admits Russian military presence in Ukraine for first time". The Guardian.
  117. ↑ Rutland, Peter (18 May 2014). "A Paradigm Shift in Russia's Foreign Policy". The Moscow Times. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  118. ↑ Zevelev, Igor (27 April 2014). "Границы русского мира" [The Borders of the Russian World]. Россия в глобальной политике (in русский). Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  119. ↑ 119.0 119.1 119.2 Tsygankov, Andrei (4 July 2015). "Vladimir Putin's last stand: the sources of Russia's Ukraine policy". Post-Soviet Affairs. 31 (4): 279–303. doi:10.1080/1060586x.2015.1005903. ISSN 1060-586X. S2CID 154892438.
  120. ↑ Patrick J. McDonnell; W.J. Hennigan; Nabih Bulos (30 September 2015). "Russia Launches Airstrikes in Syria Amid U.S. Concern About Targets". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  121. ↑ "Clashes between Syrian troops, insurgents intensify in Russian-backed offensive". U.S. News & World Report. 8 October 2015. Archived from the original on 9 October 2015. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
  122. ↑ Dearden, Lizzie (8 October 2015). "Syrian army general says new ground offensive backed by Russian air strikes will 'eliminate terrorists'". The Independent. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
  123. ↑ "Syria conflict: Russia's Putin orders 'main part' of forces out". BBC World Service. 14 March 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  124. ↑ "Новости NEWSru.com :: Генштаб ВС РФ объявил о новых авиаударах по террористам в Сирии". 18 March 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
  125. ↑ "Background to 'Assessing Russian Activities in Recent US Elections': The Analytic Process and Cyber Incident Attribution". The New York Times. 6 January 2016. p. 11. Retrieved 8 January 2017. We assess with high confidence that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the US presidential election, the consistent goals of which were to undermine public faith in the US democratic process, denigrate Secretary Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency. We further assess Putin and the Russian Government developed a clear preference for President-elect Trump.
  126. ↑ Sanger, David E. (6 January 2017). "Putin Ordered 'Influence Campaign' Aimed at U.S. Election, Report Says". The New York Times.
  127. ↑ Kiely, Eugene; Gore, D'Angelo (19 February 2018). "In His Own Words: Trump on Russian Meddling". FactCheck.org.
  128. ↑ Greenberg, Don (19 February 2018). "Donald Trump falsely says he never denied Russian meddling". Politifact. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  129. ↑ "Putin says claims of Russian meddling in U.S. election are 'just some kind of hysteria'". Los Angeles Times. 2 June 2017.
  130. ↑ Filipov, David (23 December 2016). "Putin to Democratic Party: You lost, get over it". The Washington Post. Retrieved 21 July 2017. Don't be sore losers. That was how Putin answered a question Friday at his nationally televised annual news conference about whether Russia interfered in the U.S. presidential election in favor of Donald Trump. The Democrats 'are losing on all fronts and looking elsewhere for things to blame,' he told the nearly 1,400 journalists packed into a Moscow convention hall for the nearly four-hour event. 'In my view, this, how shall I say it, degrades their own dignity. You have to know how to lose with dignity.'
  131. ↑ Walker, Shaun (30 March 2017). "'Read my lips – no': Putin denies Russian meddling in US presidential election". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 July 2017. 'Read my lips—no,' the Russian president answered when asked whether Russia had tried to influence the vote. He emphasized the denial by saying 'no' in English.
  132. ↑ Fahrenthold, David A. (4 June 2017). "Putin calls U.S. election-meddling charge a 'load of nonsense' in Megyn Kelly interview". The Washington Post. Retrieved 21 July 2017. 'There's a theory that Kennedy's assassination was arranged by the United States intelligence services. So, if this theory is correct—and that can't be ruled out—then the same agencies could fabricate evidence of Russian hacking, Putin said.
  133. ↑ Liptak, Kevin (8 July 2017). "Trump officials decline to rebut Russia's claims that Trump seemed to accept election denials". CNN. Retrieved 21 July 2017. Top advisers to President Donald Trump declined three times on Saturday to rebut claims from Russian officials that Trump had accepted their denials of alleged Russian interference in the US election. ... Russian President Vladimir Putin ... told reporters that Trump appeared to accept his assertion that Russia did not meddle in the US presidential contest.
  134. ↑ "Megyn Kelly Drills Vladimir Putin on Presidential Election Hack, Russia's Ties With Trump (Video)". Yahoo News. 7 June 2017. Retrieved 8 October 2017. Presidents come and go, and even the parties in power change, but the main political direction does not change. That's why, in the grand scheme of things, we don't care who's the head of the United States. We know more or less what is going to happen. And so in this regard, even if we wanted to, it wouldn't make sense for us to interfere.
  135. ↑ Pinchuk, Denis (1 June 2017). "Patriotic Russians may have staged cyber attacks on own initiative: Putin". Reuters. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  136. ↑ "Putin says Jews, Ukrainians, Tatars could be behind U.S. election meddling". USA TODAY. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  137. ↑ Sanger, David E.; Rosenberg, Matthew (18 July 2018). "From the Start, Trump Has Muddied a Clear Message: Putin Interfered". The New York Times.
  138. ↑ Alina Polyakova, "The Kremlin's Plot against Democracy: How Russia Updated Its 2016 Playbook for 2020." Foreign Affairs 99#5 (2020): 140–145.
  139. ↑ "Muted Western reaction to Putin victory". BBC News. 19 March 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
  140. ↑ "Когда будет инаугурация президента РФ?". aif.ru. 19 March 2018. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  141. ↑ "Russia's Putin wins by big margin". BBC News. 18 March 2018. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
  142. ↑ "Путин предложил кандидатуру Медведева на пост премьера". РИА Новости. 7 May 2018.
  143. ↑ Открытие автодорожной части Крымского моста. Kremlin.ru (in русский). 15 May 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  144. ↑ Президент подписал указы о составе нового Правительства. Kremlin.ru (in русский). 18 May 2018. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  145. ↑ "Putin says will step down as president after term expires in 2024". Reuters. Reuters Staff. 25 May 2018. Retrieved 16 November 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  146. ↑ "The Observer view on Putin's ongoing corruption of democracy". The Guardian. 8 September 2019. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  147. ↑ Soldatkin, Vladimir; Osborn, Andrew (15 January 2020). "Putin shake-up could keep him in power past 2024 as cabinet steps aside". Reuters. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  148. ↑ Ilyushina, Mary; McKenzie, Sheena (15 January 2020). "Russian government resigns as Putin proposes reforms that could extend his grip on power". CNN. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  149. ↑ Правительство России уходит в отставку. РИА Новости (in русский). 15 January 2020. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  150. ↑ "Путин предложил Медведеву должность зампредседателя Совбеза". 15 January 2020.
  151. ↑ Soldatkin, Vladimir; Marrow, Alexander (16 January 2020). Stonestreet, John (ed.). "Russian lawmakers approve Mishustin as PM". Reuters. Archived from the original on 16 January 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2020. Mishustin received 383 votes of 424 cast, with no votes against and 41 abstentions in a victory that had been all but assured when he won the unanimous backing of his party, United Russia, which has a strong majority in the chamber.
  152. ↑ "Госдума одобрила Мишустина на пост премьера". iz.ru (in русский). 16 January 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  153. ↑ "Михаил Мишустин назначен Председателем Правительства Российской Федерации". Archived from the original on 16 January 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  154. ↑ "Указ о структуре федеральных органов исполнительной власти". Президент России.
  155. ↑ "Подписаны указы о назначении министров Правительства Российской Федерации". Президент России.
  156. ↑ "Назначены министры внутренних дел, иностранных дел, обороны, юстиции и глава МЧС России". Президент России.
  157. ↑ "Кремль объяснил разницу в полномочиях Собянина и Мишустина по вирусу". РБК (in русский). Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  158. ↑ "Russian army to send coronavirus help to Italy after Putin phone call". Reuters. 22 March 2020. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  159. ↑ ""Это космос": как Путин посетил больницу в Коммунарке". Gazeta.ru. 27 March 2020. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  160. ↑ "Песков сообщил о регулярных тестах Путина на коронавирус". Interfax (in русский). 3 April 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  161. ↑ "Путин перешел на удаленку". Росбалт (in русский). 3 April 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  162. ↑ "Путин: дата голосования по поправкам к Конституции должна быть перенесена". TASS. 25 March 2020.
  163. ↑ "Putin calls on Russians 'to stay home' due to coronavirus". TASS. 25 March 2020.
  164. ↑ "Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News". The Moscow Times. 25 March 2020.
  165. ↑ "Address to the Nation". President of Russia. 25 March 2020. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  166. ↑ "'They need to quarantine Moscow' How small businesses in Russia's capital are scrambling to stay afloat as coronavirus clobbers the economy". Meduza. 27 March 2020. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  167. ↑ "Bankrolling Russia's relief program Putin has proposed sweeping tax cuts to shore up vulnerable businesses as coronavirus cripples the economy, but a lot more might be needed and it's unclear who would foot the bill". Meduza. 26 March 2020. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  168. ↑ "Putin signs decree on non-working days for Russian citizens until April 30". TASS. 2 April 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  169. ↑ "Putin Sets Off Meme Storm By Comparing Medieval Invaders to Coronavirus Quarantine". The Moscow Times. 8 April 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  170. ↑ "Putin's Virus Response Earns Lower Marks Than Local Leaders': Poll". The Moscow Times. 30 April 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  171. ↑ Gershkovich, Evan (14 May 2020). "As the Coronavirus Contagion Grows in Russia, Putin's Strongman Image Weakens". The Moscow Times. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  172. ↑ Galeotti, Mark (12 May 2020). "Putin Withdraws From the Coronavirus Crisis in a Political Abdication". The Moscow Times.
  173. ↑ "Russia's technocrat-in-chief". Meduza. 11 October 2019.
  174. ↑ Litvinova, Daria (13 August 2021). "Putin reveals he was vaccinated with Russia's Sputnik V". Associated Press. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  175. ↑ Litvinova, Daria (14 September 2021). "Putin in self-isolation due to COVID cases in inner circle". Associated Press.
  176. ↑ "Putin orders constitution changes allowing him to rule until 2036". Al Jazeera. 3 July 2020. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  177. ↑ "Anti-Putin Protests in Russia's Far East Gather Steam". Voice of America. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Russia. 25 July 2020. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  178. ↑ Troianovski, Anton (25 July 2020). "Protests Swell in Russia's Far East in a Stark New Challenge to Putin". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  179. ↑ Odynova, Alexandra (3 August 2020). Written at Moscow. "Anti-Kremlin protests continue in Russia's far east for 24 consecutive days". CBS News. New York City. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  180. ↑ "ПРОТЕСТЫ В ХАБАРОВСКЕ". Levada Center. 28 July 2020.
  181. ↑ "Putin signs bill granting lifetime immunity to former Russian presidents". The Guardian. Moscow. 22 December 2020. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  182. ↑ "Russia's Putin signs bill giving ex-presidents lifetime immunity". Al Jazeera. 20 December 2020. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  183. ↑ "NATO expansion in Ukraine a 'red line' for Putin, Kremlin says". The Hill. 27 September 2021.
  184. ↑ "Analysis: Putin's Ukraine gambit seen as part of play for new Biden summit". Reuters. 24 November 2021.
  185. ↑ "Russia-Ukraine border: Why Moscow is stoking tensions". BBC News. 27 November 2021.
  186. ↑ "U.S. 'Escalating' Russia-Ukraine Tensions by Arming Kiev – Kremlin". The Moscow Times. 23 November 2021.
  187. ↑ "Russia will act if Nato countries cross Ukraine 'red lines', Putin says". The Guardian. 30 November 2021.
  188. ↑ "NATO Pushes Back Against Russian President Putin's 'Red Lines' Over Ukraine". The Drive. 1 December 2021.
  189. ↑ "Putin warns Russia will act if NATO crosses its red lines in Ukraine". Reuters. 30 November 2021.
  190. ↑ "Putin Demands NATO Guarantees Not to Expand Eastward". U.S. News & World Report. 1 December 2021.
  191. ↑ "US will help to end Ukraine conflict with Russia, Biden tells Kyiv". Euronews. 10 December 2021.
  192. ↑ "Is Russia preparing to invade Ukraine? And other questions". BBC News. 10 December 2021.
  193. ↑ "Russia spy chief says Ukraine invasion plan 'malicious' U.S. propaganda". Reuters. 27 November 2021.
  194. ↑ "West voices its concern over Russia's military build-up on Ukrainian border ahead of Biden call with Putin". Sky News. 7 December 2021.
  195. ↑ "Russia denies looking for pretext to invade Ukraine". Associated Press. 17 January 2022.
  196. ↑ "The world is worried Putin is about to invade Ukraine". CNBC. 17 November 2021.
  197. ↑ "Ukraine crisis: Russians hope for peace as the world talks of war". Al Jazeera. 27 January 2022.
  198. ↑ "Russian public doesn't want war, but is anyone listening?". The Monitor. 4 February 2022.
  199. ↑ "Former top Russian general warns Putin against 'criminal' Ukraine invasion". New York Post. 7 February 2022. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  200. ↑ Gregory, Paul Roderick (11 February 2022). "A retired Russian general's criticism may signal a larger problem for Putin". TheHill. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  201. ↑ "Ukraine tensions: US trying to draw Russia into war, Putin says". BBC News. 2 February 2022.
  202. ↑ "Putin Says Ready for Compromise After Talks With Macron on Ukraine". The Moscow Times. 8 February 2022.
  203. ↑ "France says Putin promised no 'new military initiatives' near Ukraine in talks with Macron". ABC News. 8 February 2022.
  204. ↑ "Russian Parliament Backs Plan to Recognize Breakaway Ukrainian Regions". The Moscow Times. 15 February 2022.
  205. ↑ "Extracts from Putin's speech on Ukraine". Reuters. 21 February 2022.
  206. ↑ "Russian President Vladimir Putin announces military assault against Ukraine in surprise speech". Msn.com. 19 April 2017. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  207. ↑ Welle (www.dw.com), Deutsche. "Russia launches massive invasion of Ukraine — live updates | DW | 24.02.2022". DW.COM. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  208. ↑ "Johnson: Putin may face war crimes charges". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  209. ↑ "Ukraine conflict: UK to impose sanctions on Russia's President Putin". BBC News. 25 February 2022.
  210. ↑ "Ukraine invasion: West imposes sanctions on Russia's Putin and Lavrov". BBC News. 26 February 2022.
Retrieved from "https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?title=Political_career_of_Vladimir_Putin&oldid=305376"