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Vladimir Putin
- Thread starter Raoul
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Whoa.
Kremlin denies it, but then again they denied shooting down a Malaysian Airliner as well.
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Just me, or is the thought of that a bit terrifying? Not that Putin is some saint, but Russia has the capability of fecking the world in half if the wrong person gets in.
I was totally expecting this to be a troll thread. Let's see if it's true though! If it is, I do wonder why Putin would just have changed Russia's constitution to give himself more power and standing long-term; that seems contradictory with this news.
Watch him flip the script and open a jojnt venture dual location Gay Bar enterprise with Trump.
One in Moscow. One in Miami.
Macho Man is the only song on the jukebox and murals of them embracing dominate both locations.
One in Moscow. One in Miami.
Macho Man is the only song on the jukebox and murals of them embracing dominate both locations.
Yeah, we kind of know where we stand with Putin - and at least he's not going to start a nuclear war. A low bar, certainly, but hey, I spent the last three days worrying whether Donald Trump can win reelection so...
Yeah, I think someone's taken that and let their imagination wander.
EDIT - Not saying I would be shocked if he is stepping down due to illness but it also sounds like the sort of thing people like to make up and the sources aren't very good yet.
I truly hope not. If you think the fallout is bad when you remove a ruthless dictator from some hellhole in the desert, wait until you remove one from the second most powerful country in the world. The succession plan will need to be flawless.
I think whoever you get will be a Putin groomed replacement.
Whether that is a good or bad thing is debateable but it's not going to wildly swing to a progressive peace-loving hippy.
Whether that is a good or bad thing is debateable but it's not going to wildly swing to a progressive peace-loving hippy.
Listened to a podcast on Audible about his rise to power which was pretty fascinating. The Oligarchs (and specifically Berezovsky) made him, but in the end he was more intelligent and ruthless than they thought, and they couldn't control him. It ended badly for most of them. In the concluding episode, one of the experts on concluded that he was trapped as he needs a successor to groom, so that he can quietly retire and enjoy his wealth without looking over his shoulder. I thought that was an interesting theory.
The power vacuum will be huge. The best hope really would be for someone that he's groomed for this position to take over. Someone hopefully as stable as he's been.
Not his biggest fan but I wish him a speedy recovery/reasonably successful treatment plan..
Yeah that definitely suggests the story is real.
Bit of a changing of the guard with Trump and Putin going. God knows who's next in line after Putin and whether it'll end up being better the devil you know or not.
Can you tell me what it was you listened to? Thanks.
PD is tough. If true there isn't really any way back. All treatments are just symptomatic, but don't actually affect outcomes, or even speed of disease progression. It's just a slow and unpleasant road down, unfortunately.
That is why the law to give him immunity isn't a sign he is going. The threat to him will not come via legal cases in court. His successor can not be controlled because he has removed all controls on the Presidents position. All his money is there to be taken by the next President. Putin has made loads of very dangerous enemies. I wonder if all the actors can come together to decide on his replacement or if there will be a war between the oligarchs.
What's the podcast name sounds interesting?
Yes, I'm aware of that which is why I added the treatment bit to the end of the meme. No great outcomes but hopefully it can be managed positively.
yes - it's called "Putin : Prisoner of Power". It's on audible and is narrated by Misha Glenny who wrote McMafia. he was a journalist in Russia for years apparently.
The indication (from what I took of it at least) was that he wasn't just worried about being arrested.
"Putin : Prisoner of Power". It's on audible. It was good.
There was a BBC documentary years ago called "The Godfathers" which was about the same period in Russian History and there's a good book which went with it which I read. I expect you can still buy it.
It’s really funny that he can retire, keep a small business selling alcohol to underage kids with a convenient slave waiting for him at home.
Can't see him stepping down in anything more than name while he is alive, even if he were really ill.
What's the word in Moscow about all of this ?
Berezovsky certainly played a part but him making Putin is a bit of a myth created by Berezovsky himself. Overall it sounds like a bit of a simplistic view on his history & the current analysis doesn’t look to be quite accurate as well, but maybe it sounds different when you actually listen to it. Just recently he had a very convenient chance to begin the “walking away” process (he had instigated a few new indefinite positions of power where he could’ve assured his personal safety & keep a good bit of control over the country for life by limiting president’s power), but he chose to revamp the constitution instead.
Although, like any corrupt authoritarian ruler who has been ruling for 20 years and making sure that everything is controlled by him personally, he’ll have a very tough time if he were to decide to retire. Can’t seem to remember the stats, but most of those either die at their job or force a revolution.
Some jokes, there’s not too much fuss about it.
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The original rumour about Parkinson’s seems to be coming from The Sun... enough said, I think.
It seems to have been running on a few sites before the Sun, despite the Sun having it badged as an exclusive.
This, his official title is just that. So long as he is alive, he controls Russia.
If they struck a deal with him that guaranteed no prosecution for life, it may help move things along. Ultimately, dictators don't leave power because they know they will either die or go to jail for their past indiscretions.
Oh, well... still, I’m sure that the news like those would’ve been broken by different sources and in a different fashion.
I'm obviously not sure how accurate it all is but he discusses with people who were very close to Putin, including the "political coaches" they brought in to make him actually appealable to the masses. It's an interesting listen, and it's not just about Berezovsky but a cabal of Oligarchs who were the "power behind the throne" and how Putin then pulled them into line, or ruined the ones who took him on. The episode on Khodorovsky and Yukos is interesting and is something I've read about in the past. His exiling of Berezovsky is also an interesting episode and talks about how Putin realised that controlling the media was the key to maintaining control. As I say, I'm not an expert and it's entertainment more than historical study but the guy who makes it speaks to a lot of people who were around at the time. The post Soviet-era and economic aspects I found fascinating.
I think Putin is an interesting character generally. I was intrigued by the idea that he'd actually like to go given the pressure on him, but can't because there's nobody to hand over too.
He's one of the most interesting political figures that I've seen in my lifetime. How one man rose to such prominence, to control a country the size of most other continents, a country ruled by Oligarchs. That takes the sort of character that you only really see in movies.
I’d recommend you to read All the Kremlin’s men by Mikhail Zygar, it’s by far the most reliable and insightful source on the matter
I guess it's a possibility, but he would have to trust whomever is guaranteeing no prosecution, and be certain that person/body of people can stay in a position to keep their guarantee too. Not expecting to live much longer might make all of that a lot easier.
Imagine if he steps down on Inauguration Day 
Indeed. Obviously a very clever man, and perhaps fortunate in terms of timing.