At his annual press conference, question and answer session and public phone-in, Russian President Vladimir Putin once again presented a positive picture of the situation in his country: the economy is doing well and the Russian army is continuing to ‘liberate’ territory in the Ukraine war, he said. Commentators shake their heads in dismay.
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A swindler leading the state
Writing on Facebook, economist Konstantin Sonin is surprised that people are still willing to be part of Putin’s entourage:
“Hitler didn’t hold any big press conferences in the last years of the war, and towards the end he only met with a small circle of people. But if he had held a press conference, this is roughly what we would have seen: made-up numbers, an inability to understand simple questions that don’t fit into his own world view (such as the question about the current failure in Syria) and stupid jokes. But that is not the real mystery. There are perfectly sane people in Russia’s leadership: many of them are crooks and thieves, impostors and adventurers – but they’re sane. How can they feel at ease when a truly inadequate person is at the helm of their government?”
What lies behind his words
Tymofiy Mylovanov, Director of the Kyiv School of Economics, interprets Putin’s statements on Facebook:
“Putin says: Inflation is an alarming signal, it is currently between 9.2 and 9.3 percent, but real wages are rising faster than inflation. Therefore, the overall situation is stable. What he means: The economy is on the verge of collapse, and even I can no longer maintain the illusion that it isn’t. Putin says: Our soldiers are liberating square kilometre after square kilometre every day. What he means: Our soldiers are dying by the thousands for my ambitions. Putin says: I cannot give a specific date for the liberation of the Kursk region, but the enemy will definitely be driven out. … What he means: I can no longer recruit enough people. Putin says: There are many people in Ukraine who want to get rid of the neo-Nazi regime. What he means: I want to install a puppet government.”
Russia is under pressure
Politiken doesn’t believe the Russian president:
“While war rages in Ukraine, Russia is losing ground in other parts of the world. Despite Putin’s statements to the contrary, the fall of the Assad regime in Syria is a major defeat for Russia that could cost the country its only military bases in the Middle East. Added to this is the signal that Russia could not – or would not – save its close, long-standing ally. Last year, those in power in Armenia also had to recognise the limits of Putin’s help. … Putin may appear strong in Moscow. But Russia is under pressure – and Putin’s version of the situation can’t hide that fact.”