When people think of Vladimir Putin they think of the capital P Power.
And that’s exactly the impression he creates.
Whether it’s physical power, firing different weapons, riding in various James Bond-esque modes
of transportation, or tossing hapless opponents in judo.
Or political power.
Ruling his own country with an iron fist, crushing his political opposition, or, most
recently, being accused of meddling in foreign elections for his own benefit.
This is how Vladimir Putin went from a poor, tough kid in Leningrad, to a KGB spy, to the
very symbol of modern Russia.
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin was born in 1952 in Leningrad, which is now St. Petersburg.
His father was a factory foreman, and his mother, a homemaker.
It’s widely said that Putin’s public-facing tough-guy persona can be traced back to him
getting into fights when he was younger.
Which paved the way to him taking up Judo.
After getting a law degree from Leningrad State University, Putin joined the KGB foreign
intelligence service.
He spent 16 years in the KGB.
When Putin returned to Russia, he began his political career
That’s Leonid Berschidsky.
Putin thrived in Sobchak’s administration because…
Bershidsky: He was considered a pretty efficient city official at that time.
He was very loyal to Sobchak.
So loyal and efficient that…
Bershidsky: He was noticed by Yeltsin’s close circle.
And those people soon brought Putin over to Moscow to work in Yeltsin’s
administration, where he quickly climbed the political ladder.
Trenin: Then of course he was promoted to Prime Minister of Russia.
Around this time, Yeltsin and the people around him, the so-called “Family”, decided that
Putin would become a sick Yeltsin’s successor.
And then this happened…
(Explosion)
The apartment bombings were carried out in three Russian cities killing 293 people
and injuring more than 1,000
Putin immediately accused Chechen separatists for the bombings, and followed it up with
action.
And it worked.
Trenin: after that he became an heir apparent in the eyes of the Russian people.
3 months later, Yeltsin resigned.
And on his way out, a famous exchange.
Trenin: Yeltsin was getting into the car at The Kremlin, and the last words he addressed
to Putin before getting into the car was “take good care of Russia.”
So Putin took over as president, and 3 months later won his first election.
But just because Putin won the presidency, that didn’t mean he had all the power.
This is Michael McFaul.
McFaul: I was U.S. Ambassador from 2012 to 2014.
And certain people...
The oligarchs.
McFaul: Did better than others in that firesale, sometimes called privatization.
And those people tended to be well connected with the Yeltsin regime, and they weren’t
Putin’s friends.
Bershidsky: But they probably miscalculated thinking they could easily find a way to influence
him, it became impossible almost from the start.
Trenin: From that very moment it was warfare
between him and the oligarchs.
That’s when Putin gave the oligarchs a choice…
Putin’s way...
McFaul: Some of those people from the 90s managed to figure out a new way of
Or prison…
McFaul: Others could not find common vision and so they lost their assets.
Khodorkovsky once was Russia's richest person worth $15 billion
but he ran afoul of President Putin and he spent a decade in prison
With domestic power consolidated
Putin focused on restoring Russia's global influence
Bershidsky: Putin is the guy who believes in the expansionist Russian state.
Georgia and Ukraine and all the other Soviet republics that split off when the Soviet Union
fell apart, he still believes that they’re traditional Russian satellites.
And he used annexation and invasion, as well as oil, gas, and trade to keep former Soviet
Republics in Russia’s orbit.
In 2008 Putin’s two terms were up and he decided to step down as president…
Dmitri Medvedev was elected and
Putin went back to Prime Minister but really….
Trenin: Putin never left power.
Bershidsky: He continued running the country and Medvedev was a bit of a figurehead.
There was actually a period of cooperation between Russia and the U.S. that benefited
both countries during Medvedev’s presidency.
McFaul: Cuz Medvedev did not have the same negative attitude toward the west as Putin
did.
But when Putin came back to run for a third term.
In the lead-up to the 2012 election, it was widely believed that both the presidential
and parliamentary elections were rigged, and Russians took to the streets.
Putin blamed the protests squarely on America, and more specifically, Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton.
McFaul: He believes that she had sent what he said “a signal” to demonstrators
Still Putin won by a huge margin, and set about crushing the protest movement immediately
upon his return to the Kremlin.
Over the next few years, Russia’s economy tumbled; Putin annexed Crimea, leading to
sanctions; the price of oil fell drastically; the ruble hit a new low; and America played down Russia’s
influence, with Obama calling Russia
Obama: A regional power.
Despite all of that -- Putin’s approval rating remained sky high.
And then an opportunity for payback.
Trump: I think I’d get along very well with Vladimir Putin.
McFaul: In 2016 there was one candidate who called Vladimir Putin very smart.
Trump exhibited tolerance towards Putin’s actions annexing Crimea.
And similar views on NATO, and sanctions.
McFaul: Secretary Clinton didn’t support any of those views.
Even though Putin denies any wrongdoing
Putin: U.S. elections? I don't know.
The U.S. has accused Russia of being behind the
leaking of 20,000 Democratic National Committee emails, which many say helped Trump beat Hillary
Clinton in the presidential election.
Which leaves us here, with the possibility of a President Putin until 2024, positioning
Russia to be the world power he always imagined it should be.