Page 6 - Vladimir Putin: Russia's Autocratic Ruler

Soviet empire. To Putin, the humiliation of his beloved homeland
was a disaster of the first order.
Back home in Leningrad, as he rose in the political ranks, he
hoped to see a rebirth of Russian power and prestige. Tapped by
a circle of oligarchs (or rich business leaders) to replace President
Boris Yeltsin, Putin seemed a safe choice to continue a program
of halfhearted economic and political reforms. Instead, this quiet
former spy proved to be a decisive leader—with a distinct edge of
brutality. Soon after winning his first nationwide election as presi-
dent, Putin ordered a massive bombing campaign to put down an
uprising among ethnic Chechens, a Muslim group in the Northern
Caucasus mountains to the south of Russia. Photographs of the
flattened city of Grozny parallel the recent images of devastation
in Ukrainian cities like Mariupol.

Restoring Imperial Russia
Putin has steadily tightened his grip on power. While mouthing
support for democracy, he has instead ruled Russia with an iron
fist for more than two decades. He has enriched himself and a
chosen group of oligarchs with control of Russia’s natural re-
sources, especially oil and gas. He has also focused on rebuilding
Russia’s military. Those who dare protest against his regime risk
arrest or harassment. High-profile critics of Putin, from journal-
ists to political foes, have met with untimely deaths, whether by
gunshot or poisoning. In recent years, protests against Putin have
filled the streets of Moscow and other large cities in Russia. Yet he
remains popular with most of the Russian people. News photos
of him riding bare chested on horseback present him as a throw-
back, a romantic figure, more robust than past Soviet leaders and
many leaders of Western nations.
Western leaders have struggled to come to grips with Putin’s
ambitions for Russia. Early in his presidency, he was viewed as
a partner for peace and stability. Breaking with the Soviet past,
Russia under Putin was included in European economic summits.
Politicians from George W. Bush and Barack Obama to German

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