![]() ![]() After that, his approval ratings shot through the roof. Shortly after taking power in Russia, he carpet-bombed the Chechen capital Grozny, killing 50,000 civilians. This is not the first time he’s done this. He pulls out the dictator’s playbook, creates a foreign enemy, and starts a war. ![]() In order to retain power, Putin has done what every autocrat does when he’s worried about his people rising up against him. He would lose his fortune, he would go to jail, and he would probably be killed. There would be no lucrative international speaking circuit to move on to, and no dignified exit. He’s not going to sit back and wait for 500,000 enraged Russians to show up on Red Square demanding his resignation. When Vladimir Putin was first elected, Russia had the support of the Western world, an educated population with a higher literacy rate than that of the United States, enormous natural resources, a fully built industrial base, and a rich cultural history For him, losing power is an existential threat. Putin knows that if he loses power, that will be it. Lately, he has watched nearby dictators pay the price for similar levels of corruption and economic mismanagement. But after more than two decades in power, Putin now owns all the deprivations that Russians have endured. In the early part of his reign, Putin blamed any hardships on his predecessor or forces beyond his control. Instead, it was spent on yachts, private planes and luxury villas, and deposited into foreign bank accounts. This is money that should have been spent on hospitals, schools, roads, and other public services. This is because Putin and about 1,000 cronies have stolen at least $1 trillion from the Russian state over a 22-year period. Instead, Russia’s economy has been hollowed out and is equivalent in size to the state of New York’s. If Russia had been properly governed, it might now have a modern and large economy on a par with those of Germany or Japan. When Vladimir Putin was first elected, Russia had the support of the Western world, an educated population with a higher literacy rate than that of the United States, enormous natural resources, a fully built industrial base, and a rich cultural history. ![]()
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