Vladimir Putin is expected to break his silence on Russia‘s protest movement on Thursday, when he hosts an annual televised call-in show that has become one of the hallmarks of his rule. The programme, which usually lasts for hours and is a forum for Putin to promote his cult of personality, comes as the prime [...]
Tag: Vladimir Putin
December 16, 2011
December 16, 2011
Vladimir Putin question and answer session in Russia
11.28am: A real question! Why did people start criticising you, Vasily Petrov wants to know? Hilariously the line is immediately cut. There are several embarrassing beep beeps. The FSB, Russia’s security service, is apparently taking no chances. Can we get the caller back please, Putin asks. Vasily Petrov is back on the line. He says [...]
December 16, 2011
Vladimir Putin Q & A and reaction
12.27pm: We are continuing our coverage of Putin’s question and answer session with the Russian public. There were technical problems with the earlier blog but you can read the previous entries here. Putin is asked about the unprecedented booing and whistling that greeted him when he turned up recently at a boxing fight in Moscow’s [...]
December 16, 2011
Vladimir Putin at his annual question-and-answer session
Vladimir Putin holds his annual QA session with Russian voters, following steet protests over his rule and alleged election fraud. The Russian prime minister rebutted claims that fraud helped his ruling United Russia party win a parliamentary election, saying the result reflected the views of the population
December 16, 2011
Vladimir Putin calls Russia’s protesters ‘paid agents of the west’
The Russian PM holds his annual QA session with Russian voters, following street protests over his rule and alleged election fraud Link to this video Vladimir Putin dismissed the thousands of protesters who have massed against his rule as agents of the west in his first response to the growing discontent during a marathon phone-in [...]
December 16, 2011
Vladimir Putin’s deputies responding to protests turn focus on to ringleaders
Vladimir Putin brushed off complaints of election fixing during his annual televised live chat with the nation on Thursday , but behind the scenes his lieutenants are anxiously plotting how to quell rising discontent. Putin claimed during the phone-athon that he was “cheered” by the sight of tens of thousands of Russians flooding on to [...]
December 16, 2011
Vladimir Putin mocks Moscow’s ‘condom-wearing’ protesters
Vladimir Putin painted a colourful picture of Russia‘s protesters on Thursday, describing them as agents of the west, attending useless demonstrations with condoms pinned to their chests as they sought the downfall of the motherland. In his first comments on the unrest which broke out in Russia following the disputed parliamentary election, the prime minister [...]
December 16, 2011
Vladimir Putin: does he use Botox?
Don’t let the smooth forehead, rosy cheeks and wrinkle-free eye area fool you – rumours of Vladimir Putin‘s use of Botox have long swirled around Russia. As Putin launched an annual televised question and answer programme, those rumours went global. Top trending on Twitter during the marathon event wasn’t #putin or it was #botox (in [...]
December 16, 2011
Washington declines to comment on Putin’s criticism of U.S.
The U.S. Department of State has refused to comment on Russian Prime Ministers Vladimir Putin’s criticism of the United States. On Thursday, during a four-hour QA session, Putin said that “America does not need allies, it needs vassals.” “Well, you’d have to speak to Prime Minister Putin about his motives for some of the comments [...]
December 16, 2011
Senior Russian Defense Ministry official demoted after badminton hype
The head of the Russian Defense Ministry sports directorate, Alexander Shchepelev, was demoted, apparently over an interview that was published saying the ministry planned to buy badminton equipment in a hype after President Dmitry Medvedev said he enjoyed the sport, an officer in the ministry’s central apparatus said. The officer told RIA Novosti the decision [...]
December 16, 2011
U.S. Officials Cite ‘Nationwide Awakening’ In Russia
WASHINGTON — A U.S. State Department official says recent mass protests in Russia could represent a “nationwide awakening” among Russians who want more accountability from their government. Protesters across Russia have staged a series of demonstrations accusing Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and his ruling United Russia party of rigging votes in the party’s favor during [...]
December 16, 2011
Putin Challenger Vows To Pardon Khodorkovsky
The Russian billionaire who this week announced his challenge to Vladimir Putin for Russia’s upcoming presidential election says his first move, if elected, would be to pardon jailed tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Mikhail Prokhorov, a metals magnate estimated to be worth some $18 billion, announced this week that he would seek the presidency in March. Khodorkovsky, [...]
December 16, 2011
The Putin Show And The Kremlin Shuffle
The Power Vertical Prime Minister Vladimir Putin speaks to journalists after a televised questions and answers session in Moscow on December 15. December 15, 2011 The great post-election shuffle continues. Where it will end nobody knows. Kremlin Chief of Staff Sergei Naryshkin resigned today to take a seat in the State Duma, where he is [...]