Entertainment was arranged for him on the Friday he spent in St Petersburg. Russian Railways CEO Vladimir Yakunin showed him a German high-speed train that will start regular trips to Moscow some day, and Governor Valentina Matviyenko accompanied him on two excursions-to the Music House and the Christmas Fete, and a night-time tour around the city.
Russian locomotives brought the first Sapsan train to the Moskovsky terminal right before Putin came to the station. Siemens has manufactured eight such trains on a 276 million euro contract. Trips between the two largest Russian cities, scheduled to start in August, will take a mere 3 hours and 45 minutes.
"The sapsan is a bird that lives in Russia. It's an eagle-the swiftest bird in the world!" Yakunin enthused on the rostrum during the presentation, describing the peregrine falcon whose Kalmyk name was used for the train. "The Sapsan does not follow its Western prototypes in every detail. It is a high-speed train of conceptual design modified for Russia-an absolutely Russian train that our German colleagues have made specially for Russia!"
Putin crossed the train from end to end, reclined in the driver's seat, and tried the seats in the cars, muttering contentedly: "Soft and cosy!" Yakunin did not care about the seats. He was more concerned about next year's investment programme, with 430 billion roubles to use up. Rail traffic has been declining disastrously during the crisis, and Russian Railways will not stay afloat unless it gets federal aid, like the other monopolies.
The Prime Minister promised federal allocations to make up for the 50 billion roubles by which Russian Railways' revenues have shrunken. He advised the company to place bonds worth 150 billion roubles, and said that a decision would be made before February 1 for the direct federal investment of several tens of billions of roubles into Russian Railways' core capital. Thus, Russian Railways will get everything it wants-but that does not make its prospects any clearer. Optimists expect the volume of shipments to shrink by 6% next year, while pessimists predict 20%. When Transport Minister Igor Levitin was asked after the meeting whether he could forecast the extent of next year's losses, he said, "Of course not!"
What everyone knows for sure is that fares will rise starting January 1.
Ms Matviyenko took hold of the Prime Minister as soon as the meeting finished. She was eager to show him the latest municipal achievements-the restored palace of Grand Duke Alexis, the city centre illuminated for New Year's, and the Christmas Fair in Ostrovsky Square.
Restoration of the grand-ducal palace started a year ago after it consecutively housed a school, children's cultural centre, and a construction office. "Look at the ceilings! Here is stucco, and here precious wood!" the Governor commented as she escorted Putin from room to room. He listened attentively, passing from the Chinese drawing room to the Flemish, on to the English, and from there to the ballroom, inhaling the fragrance of noble oak and sandalwood the walls exuded. The Governor really knows how to revive old buildings.
The motorcade continued to the Music House on the Moika Embankment, and from there to the Palace Bridge, across the icebound Neva to the Sts Peter and Paul Fortress, back along the Troitsky Bridge to the Palace Embankment, and on to the Smolny and Nevsky Prospect. Traffic was stopped in the entire city centre during the excursion. Putin found the illumination excellent and complimented Matviyenko on it.
At last, the motorcade stopped on Nevsky Prospect, opposite Ostrovsky Square, and the two of them hurried to the fair. Presidential envoy Ilya Klebanov jogged breathlessly after the striding Putin and Matviyenko.
At the inspiring sight of the VIPs, the festive public crowded around them. Putin was walking on imperturbably in his fur-trimmed knitted jacket, with Matviyenko at his side. Bodyguards encircled them firmly, shoving off now reporters, now petty retainers, now eager members of the public who got too close. The huge pushing crowd made chaotic movements. One onlooker was jumping with enthusiasm as another tripped and fell. Grunts and dirty words came from all sides. Some pushed their way through to the Prime Minister and some back, only to rush at him the next instant with a deafening "Mr Putin!!!"
"Retract your claws!" Putin snarled at his bodyguards as they gave a bad shove to a young couple gazing at him with admiration, coffee glasses in hand.
"Oh!" he said the next moment, raising his finger, spotting a draught beer stall, and turned for a glass. He made a gulp and declared it to be "absolutely Russian beer", ignoring the sales assistant who proudly said he represented a Bavarian brewery. Putin and Matviyenko next each received a glass of mulled wine, and washed German sausages down with it.
Next, Putin noticed a little boy, Lesha Borisov by name, who was attempting to mint coins, and joined him with a laugh.
"Don't let Daddy down!" Borisov Sr. kept muttering. At last, the boy made a passable coin with his hammer on his third try, Putin gave him a smooch on the cheek, and walked on to screams of "Vladimir Putin!!!" from children somersaulting on a trampoline.
A ten-year-old boy broke through the guards to give Putin a bunch of yellow chrysanthemums as the Prime Minister was winding his way to the central stage while the crowd roared and hundreds of photoflashes went off.
"Russia's chief carnival-maker is with us!" the girl entertainer shouted into her microphone. "Come up to the stage, Mr-!"
Putin was about to mount the steps as she went on: "Igor Gavryushkin!" and passed the microphone to a long-haired man who, in his turn, called the Prime Minister to follow him to the stage and asked him to take part in an annual charity auction, for which VIP amateurs made paintings on motives from Nikolai Gogol.
Lots were cast for themes. Putin was to paint a window in a snow-clad Ukrainian village hut. Everyone said he was success.
"Now, paint hoar-frost please," Gavryushkin prompted while Putin applied the final brushstrokes.
"I am not sure I should," the Prime Minister snapped-and showed that the advice was lost on him. Perhaps the absence of lacy hoar-frost patterns on the window meant that he did not think Ukrainian villagers heated their homes properly in winter.
"Many celebrities have painted for the auction-suffice it to name actresses Anna Kovalchuk and Yelizaveta Boyarskaya and television presenter Maria Sittel! Now, Mr Putin is with us! Bring the gifts, rabbits! Quick!" Gavryushkin roared deafeningly as girls in green rabbit outfits gave Putin a huge plush cow.
The guest of honour took the microphone and said, "Happy New Year!" as the crowd gathered shouted "Hurray!" and took hasty snapshots.
Infected with the public enthusiasm, old women carollers broke into a jaunty folk ditty and danced close to the stage as Putin was leaving.
He shoved his way past the dancers and headed for his limo-but stopped as he noticed a puppet show to his left, and watched spellbound for a minute or so.
Alexander Latyshev