Three times since the fall of the Soviet Union the Wall Street Journal have written profile articles following the Starodubov family from Moscow. Rather like the seven-up tv series, which follows people from childhood to adulthood, reporting on their lives every seven years, this artice gives an impression of the complexity of modern day Russian life - the good and the bad.

After a flush of optimism during the early 1990s, the Starodubovs fell on hard times as the excesses of Yeltsin’s rule hit their peak. Today, however, although things aren’t all rosy, the family seem to be pulling things around and have what it seems every Russian is supposed to yearn for - some stability in their lives.

And, yes, they credit Putin for achieving this.

The whole article is well worth reading, but I found these two paragraphs fascinating, talking about life in Moscow, then rural Russia:

“To tell the truth, I don’t know who runs out of money these days,” says Vitaly. “I don’t think anyone is that badly off.”

Vitaly says he could barely recognize his native village in central Russia when he went to visit his 83-year-old mother this fall. “Everything is in collapse; there’s nothing but old women left,” he says. “People survive on what they grow themselves.”

I can’t recommend this article highly enough.

George Bush and Condoleezza Rice have been sharing with the press their views on how to handle Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Bush, it must be said, seems to have a very clear vision. Condoleezza Rice, on the other hand, got herself into a terrible tangle trying to explain to journalists whether or not Putin’s plans for his political future would be on the agenda when they met.

First up, George Bush explains his recipe for un-mixing Putin:

There are a lot of people that are — a lot of Americans are investing in Russia because they have found there to be a decent climate for their particular industry — financial industry, for example, comes to mind. On the other hand, there are some mixed signals coming out of Russia when it comes to honoring contracts in the energy business. So we made — when those signals get mixed, I try to un-mix them with President Putin.

(Source: Wall Street Journal, Interview with President Bush)

And now, Condoleezza Rice, desperately tries to clamber out a hole:

QUESTION: You said you wouldn’t turn down an opportunity to discuss with President Putin his thoughts about being prime minister. But do you not plan to proactively raise that with him? And does it not give you pause, the notion, even if it’s constitutionally permissible in Russia, that one man would be president for two terms and then potentially take on another very powerful position?

SECRETARY RICE: I’m not going to speculate about something that is speculative, as to what President Putin will or will not do. You know I have a deep interest in Russian politics that goes back a long way, and so it’s great to have a chance to talk about those things. But in terms of speculating about what he’ll do or having a view based on that speculation, I don’t — I just don’t think that’s appropriate.

QUESTION: Are you going to ask him what he plans to do?

SECRETARY RICE: I’m not going to tell you what I’m going to ask him. (Laughter.) What we have talked about is the need for there to be vital and viable political institutions in Russia, kind of competitive political institutions. You know, we’ve made — we’ve had those kinds of conversations. But this is a political system that’s in transition, and so I — no, I’m not going to get into speculation with President Putin about what he will or will not do.

(Source: State Department - briefing en route to Moscow).

Russian security services claim that they have uncovered a plan by a group of suicide bombers to assassinate Russian President Putin during his visit to Iran later this week. Advisors have informed Putin of the threat - but he’s going to visit Tehran anyway.

It’s not clear who wants to kill Putin - apparently there are not just one, but several groups of suicide bombers wandering around Iran looking for the Russian President - nor is it clear why they’d want to assassinate him, but here are a few of my own stabs in the dark (in descending order of probability):

• A Chechen group with sympathisers in Iran (true, there aren’t many of these, but there are a few)
• A group of domestic political opponents, who have just realised the only way they are going to be more powerful than Putin is if he is six feet under
• The CIA (come on - the CIA want to kill everyone, including from time to time, their own Presidents)
• The Iranian government - they’re really puppets of Russia, who are forcing nuclear weapons on Iran as a part of their own nefarious plots.

Hmmmm.  I’m not convinced, and I wrote these possibilities down myself.  How about this for a more plausible reason:

Putin is about to enter the most risky period of his leadership of Russia - he’s about to stand down as President and attempt to transfer real power from the Presidency to the Prime Minister’s office, despite the existence of a constitution which puts technical power in the hands of the President.  He’ll most likely be able to pull it off, but what if his hand-picked President suddenly grows a backbone?

It’s vital for Putin that he is seen as  strongman, capable of standing up for and fearlessly defending the interests of Russia’s people - both at home and abroad.  He’s already made a stab at showing off his masculinity with his “Fishing with Putin” photos, and the revelation of this assassination attempt - whether there is a grain of truth in it or not - and the news that Putin will be visiting Iran regardless, is really about giving Putin the opportunity to say “look at me!  Mad and bad foreigners want to kill me but - for you, the Russian people - I will put my head into the lion’s jaw.” 

Russian President Vladimir Putin will be giving another of his marathon tv and radio interviews this Thursday 18th October.  And, just like in previous years, he’s thrown open the forum to regular folk like you and me.

If you have a question for Russia’s President, you can send it on to Putin’s team in any number of ways:

You could post your question on the dedicated interview website - http://www.president-line.ru.

You could text your question (which cannot exceed 70 characters) to 0-40-40.

Or, if you’re technologically challenged, like me, you could do it the old fashioned way by phoning in and speaking to one of Putin’s dedicated operators.  If you live in Russia, you get to take advantage of a dedicated freephone number (8-tone-800-200-4040 ), but there’s even a dedicated number for international callers - +7 (495) 645-1010.  

So, start composing your questions.  Who knows - it could be you that has the ear of the Russian President on Thursday!

The entire Russian cabinet, including its Prime Minister has just resigned. A new PM hasn’t been chosen yet, but I’d be surprised if the announcement of Putin’s designated ‘heir’ isn’t imminent.

Especially when Putin gives quotes like this:

“The country is nearing parliamentary elections to be followed by presidential elections… We all need to think together about building the power and governing structure so that they can better meet the needs of the pre-election period, and prepare the country for the time after parliamentary and presidential elections in March 2008.”

The BBC reckons the next PM will be Sergei Ivanov.  I think they’re probably right.

Update:  Well, what do I know? 

Instead of appointing Ivanov as his next Prime Minister, Putin has appointed Viktor Zubkov, the relatively unknown head of the Federal Financial Monitoring Service. 

The move seems to have wrong-footed most analysts, and the new, updated consensus seems to that there is a big unresolved power struggle between rival Kremlin clans, and that Zubkov got the job because he’s inoffensive (see, for example, the BBC).  But, if that’s the case, why did Fradkov resign as Prime Minister in the first place? 

Personally, I think it’s because Putin’s got a wicked sense of humour, and enjoys nothing better than spending his days winding up Kremlinologists.

The BBC has put together a fascinating statistical analysis of Russia during the Putin years.

The analysis has graphs aplenty, covering the Russia’s economy, Energy, Population (including a revealing statistic about HIV prevalence in Russia) and the Military.  Sometimes the stats are standalone, sometimes in comparison to other countries.  But all are well worth a quick look.

If I’d had any sense, I’d have posted this video a couple of weeks to cash in on the latest Harry Potter book, and all the search engine traffic it would have brought in.

Never mind. Better late than never. Ladies and Gentlemen, I bring you Takogo kak Putin, set to video of Dobby from Harry Potter.

By the way - did you know that you can buy stuffed rabbits that sing Takogo Kak Putin? No word on whether the rabbits resemble Dobby though. Or Putin, for that matter.

Oh, and here are the lyrics to Kakoga Kak Putin in both Russian and English. Deep, I’m sure you’ll agree.

Courtesy of the Russian President’s official website come these impressively candid pictures of Vladimir Putin fishing on a camping trip.  No doubt designed to show that he’s a man of the people, the only thing people in the West are going to care about is that they show off Putin’s man boobs.

Still, I can’t criticize - the Russian President is in better shape than I am.  And he’s caught more fish than I ever have.

Someone should really send this to Vladimir Putin, so that he knows his place in the world:

Courtesy of Plooptionary.

President Putin’s speech to the Olympic Committee in Guatemala is widely credited as being one of the key factors that tipped the Winter Olympic vote in Sochi’s favour.

And now, you can see the speech in its entirety (plus some dodgy introductory music), courtesy of Russia Today:

I have to say, I was very impressed by the way in which Putin delivered his speech in English.

Although Putin is known for his excellent language skills, as far as I know, he’s never given a speech in English before on the world stage. On the evidence of this speech, he should use English more when speaking to the press. It would do the power of good to Russia’s international image.

So, Putin’s coming to visit George W Bush in Kennebunkport this weekend, and his advance guard are in town, checking out the place.

Now, Kennebunkport isn’t the most exciting place to be if you’re a Russian Secret Service agent , and, well, you know how these Russians, they like their liquor:

A Russian man attempted to pass off a phony $100 bill at the New Hampshire State Liquor store shortly before 8 p.m. Thursday, according to the store manager, who said a cashier discovered the bill was bogus.

I’d have been more convinced by this story if the man was trying to buy vodka…

This video of Vladimir Putin asking “Who wants to be President?” and answering “Me!” has been doing the rounds for a while, but now it’s been translated into English:

For me, the best bit has to be the adoring look on the blonde delegate’s face…

Is it just me, or does Vladimir Putin’s latest public statement make it seem like he’s completely off his rocker?

Am I a ‘pure democrat’? Of course I am, absolutely. But do you know what the problem is? Not even a problem but a real tragedy? The problem is that I’m all alone, the only one of my kind in the whole wide world.  […]There is no one to talk to since Mahatma Gandhi died.  

When I first read the quote on another blog, I thought it was a hoax, or that Putin had somehow been misquoted or taken out of context.  But a transcript of the entire interviewhas been published on his official Presidential website, for all to see.

I’ve heard a lot in the past about how Putin is a man completely in control of his brief, and never says anything in public without a purpose, but come on, this is just plain daft. 

By claiming he is the world’s sole “pure democrat” in the face of all evidence and then going on to compare himself to Gandhi, all Putin does is portray himself as a deluded nutter. 

Surely?

Of all the world’s many leaders, I can honestly say that the one I’ve learnt the most from is Russia’s own Vladimir Putin.

Take a look at these Putin quotes - I think you’ll agree that his warmth, wit and wisdom shines through in every word he utters:

Putin on the importance of doing what you are told:

“You must obey the law, always, not only when they grab you by your special place.”

Putin on being a man:

“He raped 10 women. I never expected it from him. He surprised all of us. We envy him.”

Putin on how to stroke the tummies of little children:

“I tell you honestly, I just wanted to stroke him like a kitten and it came out in this gesture. There is nothing behind it.”

Putin on auditioning for the Wizard of Oz:

“Whoever does not miss the Soviet Union has no heart. Whoever wants it back has no brain.”

Putin on governance:

“We certainly would not want to have same kind of democracy as they have in Iraq, quite honestly.”

Putin on international relations:

The Comrade Wolf knows who to eat, as the saying goes. It knows who to eat and is not about to listen to anyone, it seems.”

Putin on how to fight terrorism:

“We’ll follow terrorists everywhere. We will corner the bandits in the toilet and wipe them out.”

Putin on greasing the wheels of international diplomacy: ”

We discussed this very important issue yesterday over a beer.”

Putin on how to deal with awkward questions from French journalists:

“If you want to become an Islamic radical and have yourself circumcised, I invite you to come to Moscow. I would recommend that he who does the surgery does it so you’ll have nothing growing back, afterward.”

So, there you have it. Putin quotes to live your life by.

Vladimir Putin marked the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome with an opinion piece in the Sunday Times yesterday. 

In the article, he set out his view of how EU-Russia relations should develop (hint: it doesn’t involve Russia joining the EU):

A stable, prosperous and united Europe is in our interests. European integration is an integral part of the emerging multipolar world order. That the EU is becoming an increasingly authoritative and influential centre of world politics, considerably contributing to regional and global security, is important.

The development of multifaceted ties with the EU is Russia’s principled choice. In the foreseeable future, for obvious reasons, we have no intention of either joining the EU or establishing any form of institutional association with it. Russia intends to build its relations with the EU on a pragmatic basis with a treaty and a strategic partnership. In this regard I agree with Romano Prodi’s view of Russian-EU relations: “Anything but institutions.”

He went on to warn that the EU shouldn’t expect to always get its way:

The interests of Russia and the EU will not always coincide. Competition is the reverse side of cooperation and an integral part of the process of globalisation.

Interestingly, this article was published in the Times, a paper thought by many to be overly sympathetic to exiled Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky, and generally hostile to Putin.