What is up with Putin ?
Putinologists – from the savvy analysts to journalists, and from the solitary bloggers to heavily subsidized writers, are all divided into two distinct camps: Those who see in him the Savior-Messiah’ of humanity, and those who believe he is the epitome of ‘Evil’ – a ruthless dictator and a tyrant. The truth, as is the case most of the times, lies somewhere in between; neither a Savior-Messiah nor an Evil Thug – Putin is just the leader of a powerful country who is trying to serve the interests of his people.
But, the believers – both the ‘worshipers’ and the ‘haters’ of Putin – the dwellers of the two opposing camps, are so engrossed in their own beliefs that they not only refuse to see the facts flying right in front of their eyes, they perform amazing gravity defying acrobatics to have the ‘desired view’ of Putin.
In our enthusiasm and zest of ‘compartmentalizing’ Putin, we end up either distorting the facts outright, or do let go the sense of balance in reporting.
Since my two recent articles on the controversial and touchy subject of Putin: There is No One , and Rasputin to Putin – Coming Full Circle, I have received a barrage of emails asking me clarify my position on Putin. They want to know where I stand on the ‘issue’ of Putin – Do I believe in him being the Savior, or do I stand with the camp that see Putin as The Evil.
In all its honesty, a writers or journalist’s job is to research, dissect, and analyze the relevant news and events, and, then, to present the analytical assessment to the readers – without tinting the analysis with personal opinion. The endeavor must remain objective, without any bias or prejudice on part of the writer.
Especially, in case of Putin, there are so many shadows and smoke screens blocking and distorting our views and perceptions. We are not dealing with a clear cut ‘black-and-white’ situation here- either to crown him the Saint-Savior or depict him an evil and tyrannical dictator.
Putin is a major player in a very complex and complicated global game of monopoly – you call it the Grand Chess, if you so please. Whatever one may claim, we are not privy to most of the pertinent facts and information to make a judgment call – even if it were the objective. The best we can do is to investigate, dissect, and analyze the actions taken by Putin and his government, and perform an objective analysis. And, present the findings – whatever they may be pointing to, to the readers to make their own mind. Covering the news, events, and facts on the both sides of the spectrum, and presenting a running analytical view , certainly helps to keep the balance’ in ‘reporting’.
Further to consider is the fact that Putin is not known for lending a helping hand to his critics and analysts. The Dude is not as ‘straight forward’ a guy as our Obama. He is a deep person – he is as much below ground as he is above it. His speeches, well thought and properly calibrated, don’t impart much beyond what is intended. Leaving much much to extreme extrapolation and pure honest-to-God conjecture.
To make the Putinologist’s ride – or, rather key strokes, a bit more bumpy, Putin seems to be quite keen on showing off his mastery of Judu and Chessmanship in his political career, too. His actions seems to be well calculated to create a state of confusion – many times they seems to be self contradicting to those who try to decipher and chart his course of actions.
Keeping a tab on Putin is an ongoing endeavor. We have to keep an eye on the emerging developments, watch for the new facts’ and information, and redo the process again to form a new and updated ‘view’ of Putin, and present it to the readers. On occasions – which is most of the times in case of Putin, it may seem like a bumpy ride, but, honestly, it is a lot better to have grip on the changing realities of the global politic rather than remain fixated on self induced images and false perceptions.
To reconstruct the “Putin” from the bits and pieces of available information, and from the history of his actions – or, rather, inactions, we collate and compile the data and facts for our readers to help them form a balanced view of Putin, and see Putin from the two different angles – A nationalist and a Orthodox Christian Savior on one side, and a cunning collaborator – a tyrant, on the other side.
The Emergence and The Rise
Little is known about the ancestral background of Putin beyond his grandfather, Spiridon Ivanovich Putin who was a chef and cooked for both Lenin and Stalin. His father, Vladimir Spiridonovich Putin, served in the Soviet navy and army during WWII. some claim that the name “Putin” didn’t even exit in Russia until the emergence of the Grandpa Putin. Also, many Putonologists point to his resemblance to Rasputin! To some, it is enough to raise him to the Sainthood, while to others, it is the mark of Evil.
As for tracing Putin’s early years, Putin studied law at the Leningrad State University and, after graduating, joined the KGB where he rose to the rank of lieutenant Colonel.
His intelligence background was in the area of foreign intelligence. He is known to have no appetite for the stage or for a public office.
Still, after the breakup of the Soviet Union, he rose fast within the Russian governmental hierarchy. 
During the short period of 1994 to 1999, he rose from the position of First Deputy Chairman of the Government of the city of Saint Peterspurg to the position of the Prime Minister of Russia. On December 31, the deranged and alcoholic president Boris Yeltsin announced his resignation, clearing the way for Putin’s ascension to the presidency.
The Collaborating Tyrant
Many Putinologists have pointed to Putin’s history of consistent collaboration with the West, specifically on the event of 9-11.
Putin is on record stating that he had ordered his intelligence agencies to alert the US in the summer of 2001 that suicide pilots were training for attacks on US targets. The fact is certainly undeniable that he knew what really had happened. And, yet, he supported the US official line pertaining to the tyranny of 2001.
Putin’s hands are not clean even on the Afghanistan front. He had opened the Russian airspace and provided the logistical support to US to facilitate the entire operation – from the invasion of Afghanistan to continued occupation of that pure country.
On the Iranian front, Putin’s decision to abide by the ‘UN Sanctions’, and to terminate its contractual obligations to supply the SAM 300 air defense system to Iran is also a big black question mark on him. He continued with same policy with Syria by canceling the promised delivery of SAMs under the pressure from Israel.
A large number of Putinologists who still want to believe in Putin’s sainthood , are getting more and more frustrated with the way Russian state controlled media reports the news and projects the events – as if it is in close contact and collaboration with its western counterparts.
A case in point was Charlie Hebdu, recognized by most independent analysts and writers a False Flag operation – Russia Today’s presentation of the events was exactly the same as the western MSM – Terrorist attack on the ‘Freedom of Speech’.
And, of course, the Freedom of Speech – ala Charlie Hebdu, means publishing some very obnoxious cartoons offending the Virgin and Christ – including cartoons showing Jesus and God sodomizing each other – Forget the Mohammed!
Putin was among the first leaders to personally convey his condolences to French President Hollande. He condemned the barbaric action and asked Hollande to “convey a feeling of profound compassion and words of support to the families of dead”!
It is difficult to argue with the Putinologists who insist that it is not the character of one who profess to be the leader of an Orthodox Christian nation.
Putinologists believing in Putin’s ‘Devilhood’ further point to the drama following the murder of Boris Nemtsov. Putin’s security forces quickly identified and apprehended the culprits – Surprise, surprise; they were some Muslims from Chechnya who allegedly desired to punish the politician for his Je suis Charlie position!
And, as Israel Shamir pointed out,“Muslim extremists” are patsies nobody can reasonably object to. If they killed cartoonists in Paris and dropped the Towers in New York, they could kill a minor politician in Moscow. Putin has proven to be the master of finding the easy way out strategies.
The Saint-Savior of Humanity
Putin’s extremely high approval rating and popularity among the common Russian is not without merits. During his tenure, Russians have enjoyed a consistent rise in their standard of living. Probably the very first time in recent history, Russians feel proud and confident of themselves. There is growing sense of national pride, and hope for the future. And, the credit goes to the policies implemented by Putin.
As we have discussed before, Putin inherited an unprecedented and gargantuan economic mess from Yeltsin. He first had to deal with the massive corruption within the government, then he had to deal with the plundering oligarchs who had stripped Russia of all its wealth and resources.
These agents of The Empire – the Atlantic integrationists oligarchs of Russia, still have their interests aligned with the West – Russia was there for them to plunder and loot – Their ultimate assignment has been to facilitate the further balkanization of the Russian Federation – and put all those breakaway regions under the yoke of The Empire.
Those objective would have long been achieved – But, for the Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. To most Russians, Putin is a Russian Hero – Saint or not, but, certainly a Savior.
Putin has, at least on the surface, become a thorn in the eyes of The Empire. He has become an obstacle in path of the western empire and has thwarted many of its plans to decimate and devour the world. If it were not for Putin, Iran and Syria would have long gone the way of Afghanistan and Libya.
Putin is a key figure, if not the central figure, in the struggle of humanity to get rid of the hegemony and blasphemy of dollar. At this stage in the global game, Russian backing and support is crucial for the Chinese while they are still playing the catch-up game in the high-tech warfare.
Whatever the facts and truth may be, but, at this point of time in the history of human kind, Putin is certainly playing the role of a Saint-Savior.
On The Balance
Putin is a complex personality. He is, of course, KGB – not that it means any thing as for as ‘compartmentalization’ is concerned. He has deep rooted connections and a support network to which he owes his loyalty. Above all, he is just a shrewd and capable politician who wants to see a strong and independent Russia. He is well composed, rational, articulate, and, apparently, unlike his counterparts in the West, seems to have a functioning brain – A pleasant change and a relief to the jittery nerves of concerned dwellers of the world.
In reality, Putin, unlike his name’s sake, Rasputin, is no monk or saint. Rather than being an austere man, he enjoys a life of indulgence. Rather than being the hunted one, he is more apt to be a hunter – quite a capable killer himself. His feet are deeply rooted in the ground. Coming from the world of covert operations himself, he is no stranger to sabotages, assassinations, and coups.
Putin, like most of Russians, is still trying to recover from the ‘glamor shock’ of the western capitalism. Until recently, he had been trying hard to get ‘accepted’ by the western ‘elites’ – to whom he still keeps on referring to as his ‘partners and colleagues’. He had been taking insult upon insult – from the Sochi Olympics to the G20 meeting in Australia, and, still, kept on trying to belong. He showed up in the gatherings of the political power elites in the hope that one day he would be accepted as ‘One of The Family’ – But, whatever he did to please the ‘Elites’ was not enough.
Now, the West’s misadventure in Ukraine – Russia’s declared red line, and the barrage of crippling sanctions against Russia has forced him to change, reluctantly though. The economic warfare did become a game changer. Putin, it seems, reluctantly and unwillingly, has been forced to turn eastward and align itself with China. Putin recognizes that it is the matter of survival for Russia as a unified and independent nation.
Putin, as Israel Shamir has quoted, is a non-confrontational bloke whose great ambition is to live in peace and harmony with the West while defending Russia’s vital interests, and observing interests of Russian billionaires. He also wants to be accepted as an equal among the world’s great, East and West.
Putin is no idealist and no saint, he is just a realist and a practical person whose objective is to protect his own people and his own turf – The Russian billionaires club is his turf, and, the billionaires are his first people – But, the Russia and the Russian people are the close second. Still, in comparison the public in the west -where they are just counted as mere chattel, it is good enough for Russian people.
Putin is the president of Russia, and, so far, has served the interest of his people better than any one in the west can be credited with. In comparison to the clowns and turkeys in the West, he certainly qualifies to be called a world class leader – a statesman. But, as a matter of fact, he is not a Saint nor an Evil – certainly not the Savior of Humanity.
Above all, at this juncture, he is the token of hope to the humanity suffering from the onslaught of the Empire. And, he is a tough cookie for The Empire to chew on.
As for saving the humanity, you have to assume the responsibility and take charge of your own affairs. No savior is going to come to save you – There is No One!
Why does Putin kiss the Jew ass?
Why does he don the beanie and hump the wall?
Why does he endorse and enforce the bogus Holocrock laws?
Anyone who caters to the Jew is not trustworthy.
As someone who is an admirer of Putin, I do not buy into the Putin is evil rhetoric. Putin’s 2007 speech which is never aired in the mainstream news, is a good source of information on which to make an assessment of his character (available on Utube) Recent speeches are also very considered and conciliatory towards the west. The fact is the elites hate Putin because he has had the temerity to challenge their world order. He kicked out the banking cartel, which made him public enemy no.1. With the help of the BRICS nations, he will help eradicate the world of the globalist corporatists, and usher in a new paradigm.
You have written tons of articles on Putin and Russia. As such, you can be considered a ‘Putinologist’ yourself!
Again, a very well written piece. Enjoyed it, and passed it over to my parents to read it, too.
Putin is the Master of The Game – well adept at hunting. The likes of Obama and Cameron have no chance winning.
In wars (and occasionally hunting sprees) there is a very secretive weapon that is sometimes used, known only to a privileged few. The weapon is deadly and liquidizes the target across vast distances. This fearsome tool of destruction is called “The Projectile” (in some circles it is also known as the bullet) – Putin has the puppet in the West in sight.
Well, so pleased to have discovered the ‘Views and Previews’. Rarely do we find such well written essays. Great work. A great site, indeed.
I have bookmarked it.
What a great style! Wow! I am glad you preserved those disgraceful Charlie Hebdu ‘arts’ pieces for the morons to see and find our what a filth they were/are.
Thank you for giving it to us.
And, also, thanks to The Truth Seeker for pointing us to The News Scouter, which brought us here.
For what it is worth according to the writings of Nostradamus Russia comes to the aid of the US at a critical moment in their quest to destroy the Middle East. He is a practical man if comes to saving humanity he will be seen as Saint possibly. What he would do after that remains to be seen. He could possibly be the Devil too.
You have incredible naive view of Putin. It is amazing. Lets look at Niemcow murder. There were cameras. Many. But on that day they were not functional as we are told. There was ukrainian model, witness of the murder. But she was promptly released. Do you believe? The key witness is not important to russian police… Or they know everything? So the investigation is unnecessary?
They were unnecessary in hundreds previous murders of journlalists or the like.
Everyday you see Putin acting like Western powers. Acting with accordance. Using the same methods and means. But you dont mind it. You just prefer to believe. Believe in Putin. Just becouse you are so lost that your only hope is that this distant criminal is better then these close to you.
A very well thought out and balanced article. For once somebody looks at Putin in the right light. He is neither savior nor Satan incarnate. Just a leader looking out for his own. Now if the west would just look out for their own instead of trying to rule the world, maybe we wouldn’t have to worry about world war 3..
Chemtrails being sprayed over Moscow. That got me thinking , that just via that circumstantial evidence, things in Russia are more complex than i thought.
But there may be NWO factions hidden in the Moscow govt. There might be games of cat and mouse being played. Its possible, that Putin, Lavrov and Medvedev, really are the good guys, acting for the Light. But they’re fighting factions within.
I like to look for circumstantial evidence for clues, as to whats what. And the face that Putin and Russia take such an aggressive stance banning GMOs and Monsanto, and go to such pains not importing GMO fed meat, tell me that here, at least, are decent people that demonstrate a measure of care for their population.
Not knowing about Charlie Hebda before, I fail to see why any leader would show support to a group that dwells in filth. Needless to say, I was disappointed to hear Putin’s response to this, but even more so, the response of the so-called leaders in the west. These people give a new meaning to the term ‘white trash’ they deserve to burn in hell as far as I am concerned.
Not a saviour of humanity?? As long as he (Putin) kyboshes the Wests plans for world domination/tyrrany then he is a saviour – not spiritually but for everyone who wants a chance at a common and decent life in this world. Or would you prefer the NWO? I thought not.
Obama is a marxist. He is playing the US into Russia’s and China’s hands by dishing out exessive bravado, while spreading their military forces as thinly as possible all over the world, to spurn a fight he intends to loose and hand the world over to communism. All Putin has to do is play the moderate and look like the hero when the dust settles. Checkmate.
Very good. Generally, I favor Putin. But he must be pragmatic after all. He is no perfect man.
He is, however, far superior morally to our American politicians.
May God bless him, and continue to guide him.
Russians have every reasons to be proud of Putin. He and Lavrov are true statemen. I would be proud to have a leader like Putin and I’m not russian.
You want to see the standards of journalism in US, read the crap publishe in The New York Times:
“In all likelihood no one in the Kremlin actually ordered the killing — and this is part of the reason Mr. Nemtsov’s murder marks the beginning of yet another new and frightening period in Russian history. The Kremlin has recently created a loose army of avengers who believe they are acting in the country’s best interests, without receiving any explicit instructions. Despite his lack of political clout, Mr. Nemtsov was a logical first target for this menacing force.”
“Russia is a country at war — it has been waging battle against Ukraine for a year — and like any country at war, it has focused much of its rhetorical effort on the domestic opposition. The word “opposition” itself is misleading: It suggests having access to media and electoral and social mechanisms, when those have ceased to exist in Russia. More accurately, there are a number of individuals in Russia who are capable of gathering small groups of supporters, waging limited local electoral action, transmitting messages through the tiny remnants of independent media and occasionally organizing street protests.”
Note the distortion of facts, and frustration of the West with Putin who is winning the Game. Putin is the hope, and your are right about that.
Let me tell you what Russians thinks about the Charlie Hebdu filth:
A Russian blogger who’s been exposed to this magazine for the first time, wrote on his page: I am ashamed that the bastards were dealt with by Muslims, not by Christians. The Russians could not believe that such smut could be published and defended as a right of free speech. People had planned a demo against the Charlie, but the Moscow City Hall forbade it.
Russians are not as mentally bankrupt and deranged as the people here the West. Good for the Russians, they have Putin.
The West is full of totally corrupt and spineless denizens.
This article seems to make an effort to present both sides of the argument, which is good, but I would submit that it is missing a number of important considerations. For example, Putin started as a man who could hold the two sides of the Russian elite together: the criminal businessmen that had strong Western ties and the siloviki, who are in the military, intelligence, and police. He could act as an arbiter that all could respect. He didn’t have the kind of power then that he has now. Only with his last election did he really have the kind of power that his critics suggest he has. And from this comes the fact that not working more closely with Iran or preventing the slaughter in Libya are his responsibility is an unfair criticism. He wasn’t President at the time of many things. Medvyedev is a representative of the pro-Western types. Next, Putin would be foolish to come out and say 911 is an inside job. It wouldn’t change anything in the West, which is a mind-controlled wasteland with a dictatorship to boot. The only rational thing is to use Western fake terrorism for your own country’s benefit. Russia has a real problem with Western-funded and generated terrorism. It is real, not some hoax on TV. Putin is the President of Russia, not of the JFK Researchers Group or an anti-NWO club. Besides, by playing it close to the vest on things like the plane that was shot down over the Ukraine, it has a much stronger impression. If the Russians had just screamed that the NWO had done it, they would have looked juvenile.
Oh, this is very debatable:
“Putin has proven to be the master of finding the easy way out strategies.”
The Kremlin’s strategy in the Ukraine today has not been the easy way out. Nor has the way of handling the Middle East. Personally, I think one of his great strengths is a determination to play the long game on things, and work to move other people, factions, and countries to a more pro-Russian or pro-Gazprom or pro-non-Western dominated direction. He tries to win people over without lots of violence, and this is the only realistic way, as the West is the master of violence.
Everything you said needed to be said and I will just add my endorsement.
Vladimir Putin has not acted as a saviour to the world nor is he elected or expected realistically to be that. All real saviours have told us the same thing anyway, and that is that…. IT IS UP TO YOU. However as far as a Russian nationalist leader, a model citizen on the international legal stage unlike some other nations {cough cough} I’d say he’s been as close to saintly in behaviour in the role in which he finds himself and what more can you ask of a world leader? He plays a great game and is fun to watch too. In my mind’s cartoon which is the geopolitical stage where I perceive it, Vlad is a superhero cape and all and he has a smart witty urbane character he plays as he leads the remnant of the Byzantine Empire against the Beast Empire led by it’s gaggle of weirdos and perverts and their utterly incompetent but evil and power minions who rule over the mind controlled zombie hordes. Meanwhile Vlad man of action slips into his secret costume at night and goes about pulling off masterful chess and judo moves on the world stage, so that each morning the world is dumb struck by his masterful manoeuvre. and delighted/infuriated with the understated trademark wink as he exists stage with the media clamouring for more. So the guy’s rich? What sort of a shmuck would become president of a nation like Russia and have the sort of skills this man has and finance is no less one of his fields, and NOT also manage to become a billionaire? he would need to be just to stay alive given some of the sharks circling the Kremlin.
A balanced and fair Putin critique; except for one minor flaw. You should have provided more context; Putin, above all else, is a Russian nationalist. He is also a devout believer in the Russian Orthodox church.
If you want to know what really drives or motivates Putin’s ‘autocratic’ rule, think Siberia and the hinterland. e.g. Vladivostok’s forgotten and ‘misplaced ‘ youth look to him for inspiration; under Putin’s leadership they have hope for the future. Some may even benefit from Russia’s resource-rich energy sector; from the revenues and state budget many adolescents will be able to afford higher education; maybe even get a technical skill. And a later, they may land a good paying job.
No small wonder that President Putin enjoy’s an 80+ percent approval rating; he understands the real Russia; a united nation that is now diametrically opposed to the former oligarch rule; left to the criminal oligarchs’ devices the majority of ordinary Russians today would be bound in chains; their plight would be that of scavengers left to fend for the scraps under dire economic straits.
And that’s exactly what happened when Yeltsin surrendered the country’s crown jewels under the crooked privatization scheme. Not no more though…
Charlie Hebdo is true perversion and trash that would take a sick mind to produce or enjoy, but freedom of choice is what life is about, it’s where you may end up that you need to think about.
Let’s not forget Putin’s betrayals – from Afghanistan, Iran, and Libya to Ukraine. He is a Billionaire thug himself, like the everyone else in the West. People who are trying so hard to find a Messiah in him, are in for a big shock.
Let’s face the naked truth – There is No One. You were very right. Don’t change your position.
Those matters were covered in the article, as was your particular type of punditry. So nobody is forgetting anything except maybe ‘someone’ forgot to read the article before blurting out his ten cents worth.
I’m a Muslim so probably more likely to have been offended by attacks on at least two of those targets and I don’t see why it was Putin’s job to defend those states when everybody else, you included failed to do so. Last I checked Vladimir Putin was elected President of Russia and only Russia. As for Ukraine Putin is doing a masterful job of protecting human rights as much as possible and avoiding being dragged into a wider war which is the intention. That is my ten cents worth.
A well balanced piece. Well researched and well articulated. I would like add my 2 cents for your readers benefit:
There is awakening occurring in the Russia. People are seeing the true face of the West for the first time. The US-instigated war in Ukraine has caused a people to come together and align with Putin. West was hoping that sanctions, by casing havoc to the economy, will incite people to rise up against Putin. But, reverse has happened. Putin’s support has since been solidified even more. Russians are proud of him. There is an increased sense of national pride and brotherhood. More than one million Ukrainian citizens, losing their homes or in fear of being destroyed in the insane US-instigated carnage that is sweeping across Ukraine, have sought asylum in Russia. They have been welcomed as brothers according to all reports. That is a human response that has untold resonances among ordinary Russians.
Thanks to the Internet and RT, Russians are fully aware of the truth of the US war in eastern Ukraine. Russians are becoming politically sensitive for the first time in years as they realize that some circles in the West simply want to destroy them because they resist becoming a vassal of a Washington gone berserk.
Putin is, right now, the most popular leader anywhere in the world.
You have done justice to Putin this . He no more, and no less than what you have described – the president of Russia. He is no Saint-Savior and no thug either.
This is a great editorial article.
The following will give your readers a better perspective of Putin’s achievements:
From 1999 through 2008, Russia’s economy grew at a brisk seven percent annually, thereby doubling its GDP in ruble terms. Real individual income growth was even brisker, increasing by two and a half times. In dollar terms, because of the ruble’s appreciation over time, the increase in GDP was exceptionally vivid: from a nadir of around $196 billion in 1999 to around $2.1 trillion in 2013. A new, grateful Russian middle class was born, some 30 million strong, able to travel and shop abroad easily. More broadly, Russian society was transformed: cell-phone penetration went from zero to 100 percent, unemployment dropped from 12.9 percent to 6.3 percent, and the poverty rate fell from 29 percent to 13 percent. Wages rose, pensions were doled out, and the immense national debt that had been accumulated by previous leaders was paid off early. Foreign investors reaped rich rewards, too, as Russia’s stock market skyrocketed, increasing 20-fold.
A well thought, well documented, and a balanced article – as usual. But, I have to state that you have given too much credit to Putin. Seems, you were really trying to “balance” the piece in favor of Putin. I am not among those who believe that Putin is a thug or a tyrannical dictator, but, still, his “condolence” message over the Charlie Hebdo False Flag operation was really disgusting.
I do not believe in violence, but Chalie Hebdo are/were a pack of mentally deranged filth – their place was in a psychiatric ward. How a Christian, or a human being with any decency, could tolerate such indecency, insult, and injury to the faith and feelings of other human beings.
Thank you for including the samples of Charlie Hebdu filth for the readers to see and understand what it means when they say “Je suis Charlie”.