In a documentary by Russian state television about Putins 25 years in power, Putin was asked by a reporter about the risk of nuclear escalation from the Ukraine war.
– They wanted to provoke us so that we made mistakes, the Russian president said in front of a portrait of Tsar Alexander III.
– There has been no need to use those weapons, and I hope they will not be required.
Photo: Smotrim.ru
Putin claims Russia “have enough strength and means to bring what was started in 2022 to a logical conclusion with the outcome Russia requires.”
Propaganda
The documentary is titled “Moscow, Kremlin, Putin, 25 years”, and is made by the pro-Russian state journalist Pavel Zarubin, and Russian producer Saida Medvedeva.
Zarubin is also the host of the weekly TV-show “Moscow, Kremlin, Putin”, which gives a positive summary of Putins workweek, and has been described as Russian state propaganda by international and independent russian media.
Putin, a former KGB-agent, was handed the presidency on the last day of 1999, by Boris Yeltzin, who was in poor health.
Putin is now the longest serving Kremlin leader since Josef Stalin, who ruled for 29 years until his death in 1953.
Changed the constitution
Constitutionally, Putin couldn’t serve as president in Russia for a third consecutive term in 2008.
Because of this, he served as the Prime Minister of Russia between 2008-2012, under President Dmitry Medvedev, and got reelected again as president in 2012.
In 2020, Vladimir Putin implemented constitutional amendments that reset his previous presidential terms, allowing him to run for office again in 2024 and potentially remain in power until 2036.
The changes were approved through a national referendum widely criticized for lacking transparency and democratic standards.