Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (Russian: ???????? ???????????? ?????, {{Audio|ru-Putin.ogg|pronunciation}}, Pútin; born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and the current President of the Russian Federation. He succeeded Boris Yeltsin on December 31, 1999.

Quotations

In response to US and EU leaders who have criticised Putin on taking a hardline in dealing with the Chechens "Why don't you meet Osama bin Laden, invite him to Brussels or to the White House and engage in talks, ask him what he wants and give it to him so he leaves you in peace? You find it possible to set some limitations in your dealings with these bastards, so why should we talk to people who are child-killers? No one has a moral right to tell us to talk to childkillers."

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"If you are a Christian, you are in danger. Even if you are an atheist, you are in danger, and if you decide to convert to Islam, this will not save you, either, because traditional Islam is inimical to the conditions and objectives set by them . If you are prepared to become a most radical Islamist and are prepared to circumcise yourself, I invite you to come to Moscow. I will recommend having the operation done in such a way that nothing will grow for you there anymore." Putin snapping back at a reporter from Le Monde who asked a critical question about the conduct of the war in Chechnya, in November 2002. The quotation was rendered innocuous by his interpreter, but the original was recorded on audio and widely reprinted in Russia.

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When a reporter asked Putin why his government didn't negotiate with the leaders of Chechen rebels, Putin answered "Russia doesn't negotiate with terrorists. It destroys them."

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After the tragedy of Beslan, Putin explained the failure of Russia's Security Services with the sentence "We were weak. And the weak are being beaten."

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Putin on Chechen extremists: "We'll follow terrorists everywhere. Should we catch them in a shithouse, we'll kill them in a shithouse." ("?????? ? ???????" in Russian): http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-1397914_2,00.html

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In response to criticism from US journalist Mike Wallace that his plan to end the direct election of governors and simply appoint them ran counter to the spirit of democracy, Putin replied:

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:"The principle of appointing regional leaders is not a sign of a lack of democracy. For instance, India is called the largest world democracy. But their governors have always been appointed by the central government and nobody disputes that India is a democracy."

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:"In the United States, you first elect the electors and then they vote for the presidential candidates. In Russia, the president is elected through the direct vote of the whole population. That might be even more democratic," Putin says. "And you have other problems in your elections," he tells Wallace. "Four years ago your presidential election was decided by the court. The judicial system was brought into it. But we're not going to poke our noses into your democratic system because that's up to the American people."

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:After saying the US shouldn't have gone into Iraq in the first place: "But if the U.S. were to leave and abandon Iraq without establishing the grounds for a united and sovereign country, that would definitely be a second mistake." http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/05/07/60minutes/main693705.shtml

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Putin-related humour

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Kukly showed not only russian president, but his colleagues as well..-->

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• Weekly TV-show Kukly showed the most known and powerful Russian politicians impersonated by puppets, a puppet-president being the head of them, performing in a play allegorical of current events. It started in 1994 and was aired on NTV channel, and was shut down in 2002 or 2003. The success of Kukly was to a great extent due to its scriptwriter Victor Shenderovich.

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• Soft cheese (Plavleny Syrok) with Victor Shenderovich weekly on Ekho Moskvy radio (91.25 FM in Moscow).-->
• Short humorous stories about Vladimir Vladimirovich's everyday life and work Vladimir Vladimirovich?, by the journalist Maxim Kononenko, popularly known under the sobriquet of "Mr. Parker". In these essays, Parliament is depicted as consisting of androids, a Deputy Chief of Staff being both their constructor and programmer; Vladimir Vladimirovich is fond of collecting things concerned with important historical events or people; etc. The stories are daily published on the Web and weekly go on Ekho Moskvy radio. German and English versions of these anecdotes are available as well.

Some particular jokes can also be mentioned:

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• In 2000, a comparison was made between the looks of Putin and Giovanni Arnolfini from the celebrated Arnolfini Portrait.
• In early 2003, a comparison was made between the looks of Putin and Harry Potter character Dobby. http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/world/newsid_2677000/2677981.stm