VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
In a country where government critics already feel vulnerable, legislation to expand the definition of treason has inspired a new round of hand-wringing about how far the state will go to rein in dissenters and regulate Russians' contact with foreigners.
It's not easy these days to be Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. Everywhere he turns -- economically, politically and militarily -- he, and Russia, has problems.
Russia's oil-fired economic miracle is unraveling as industry shrinks and job losses mount. Now the first stirrings of social unrest have the Kremlin groping for a response.
Rosja stoi na progu recesji i zaburzeń społecznych. Podobnie Ukraina. Nic nie wskazuje na to, by światowy kryzys finansowy wyhamowywał. Przyszły rok upłynie zatem pod znakiem płaczu i zgrzytania zębów - pisze zastępca redaktora naczelnego DZIENNIKA Andrzej Talaga.
Every year, Russia and Ukraine pledge to end their high-stakes annual gas negotiations well before winter. And for the fourth year running, the January 1 contract deadline is looming with no agreement in sight.
For the eight years that he ruled Russia as president, Vladimir Putin enjoyed a fantastic run of luck. He presided over constant economic growth, steadily rising commodity prices - especially for oil and gas - and weak political opposition.
Russia is entering a period of recession, a senior government official said, confirming that the robust economic growth of the past few years has come to an abrupt end.
If you want to take the pulse of Russia, as its oil and gas boom of the past few years comes to a sudden and wrenching stop, leave behind the garish consumerism of Moscow and drive 220 miles (354 km) southwest to the small Russian town of Lyudinovo. For the first part of the five-hour trip the road is a smooth four-lane highway that whisks you past gleaming gas stations and a brand new Samsung TV factory. Then everything slows down. The highway turns single-track and becomes progressively rougher. For the last 20 miles, you bump along the ruts, distracted only by the swaying rows of silver-birch trees that flank the road.
Swimsuit-clad contestants share the stage with patriotism as a pro-Putin youth group puts on a show.
Why did Russia really invade Georgia? In late September, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov appeared before the Council on Foreign Relations in New York and offered a rather stunning explanation. Lavrov--who previously spent a decade as Russia's ambassador to the United Nations, where he mastered the body of international precedents and U.N. Security Council resolutions that together make up the de facto law of nations--informed his audience that, by attacking Georgia, Moscow was implementing a principle endorsed by the Security Council in 2006: the "responsibility to protect."
