Man of the Week
Kirill Kharatyan
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's recent meeting with members of the Valdai International Discussion Club has demonstrated, or rather confirmed, major changes in his behaviour.
I can now understand some things in his behaviour, such as his short "er" that punctuates his otherwise smooth speech, the slow tempo of his speech, although people in St Petersburg, where Putin lived and worked before coming to Moscow, are rapid speakers. He apparently disciplined himself to search for appropriate words.
Putin as president rarely used provocative phrases, for example a reference about wasting someone in the loo, or a comment about circumcision. But at least he did not permit two such shocking phrases per function.
As prime minister, he has become much more pointed and outspoken and his speech pattern differs. There are fewer "er's" and more rough aphorisms, and his tone has become quite tough. Perhaps he simply says what he thinks now?
His meeting with members of the Valdai International Discussion Club was awash with rough words.
He said about Russia's allegedly disproportionate use of force in the conflict in South Ossetia: "Did you expect us to wipe our bleeding nose and bow our head down? What did you expect us to do, brandish a penknife there? Or did you expect us to fight with slingshots?"
He probably said more, but we will never know because the larger part of the meeting was held behind closed doors.
It looks as if Putin, after ceding his post to Dmitry Medvedev, sees no reason for restraint. As president, he represented Russia and was its guarantor, and so had to speak in a civilized manner. But the prime minister must work, not make nice speeches; he has no time to look for fine words.
In his new role, Putin feels more like the national leader than ever before, something all the members of the Valdai Club have noticed. Moreover, he understands his leadership differently now. He no longer represents the interests of Russians but has become a father to them, and fathers punish their kids for bad behaviour and protect them from enemies.
This is probably why Putin is twice as popular with Russians as Medvedev, according to a recent poll by the Levada Centre.