http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/putin/ en-us Fri, 1 Jan 2010 00:00:49 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418687/posts Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5P1q3IDjBaI&feature=related Youtube http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418687/posts#comment Fri, 1 Jan 2010 00:00:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418656/posts Transcript: "FRENCH JOURNALIST: Don't you think that by trying to eradicate terrorism in Chechnya you are going to eradicate the civilian population of Chechnya? VLADIMIR PUTIN: If you want to become an Islamic fundamentalist and be circumcised, come to Moscow. We are multiconfessional. We have very good specialists. I can recommend one for the operation. He'll make sure nothing grows back." Blog comment: It is frightening to think how much Putin must dominate Obama in private negotiations. And what must Putin think about Americans reading Miranda rights to apprehended terrorists? http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418656/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 23:05:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418258/posts > Mr Putin "came into a virtual failed state", says Sergei Karaganov, a former advisor to Mr Yeltsin, and now dean of Moscow's Higher School of Economics. He has watched both Mr Putin, and Russia, change. "He is bright, even brilliant, very tough, sometimes rough. He is a street boy turned into a very sophisticated political functionary and manipulator." > One of Vladimir Putin's first moves was to appoint Mikhail Kasyanov as his prime minister. Today, Mr Kasyanov is Mr Putin's implacable opponent. "He was, and is, an old KGB officer who leads, or tries to evaluate all events and... BBC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418258/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 12:25:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2417909/posts At a g8 summit, French journalist asked Vladimir Putin a really stupid question, followed by shocking reply from Putin and leaving everyone on the panel and in the building dead silent. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-S1ZfjZmjgA YouTube http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2417909/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 21:47:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417511/posts VLADIVOSTOK, Russia, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- A day after his country tested a long-range missile, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said he is seeking information on U.S. defense plans. Putin, speaking Tuesday in Vladivostok in eastern Russia, said U.S. plans for defensive shields forces Moscow to develop additional offensive weapons to keep a "balance." He said if the United States had a strategic edge it may become more "aggressive." The United States and Russia are in negotiations to find a successor for the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty of 1991. That agreement expired Dec. 5. UPI http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417511/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 11:05:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2417201/posts A letter published on the Iranian websites claims that Ayatollah Khamenei is planning a possible escape to Russia.There were rumors floating around yesterday that Ayatollah Khamenei was preparing to flee Iran. Today Planet Iran posted a letter written on the official Islamic Regime letterhead that discusses Khamenei’s possible to escape to Russia. Iran Global website has exposed a document that discloses information on Khamenei and various authorities of the regime’s possible escape to Russia. The document is on the National Security Agency of the Islamic regime’s letterhead addressed from the office of the High Assembly of the Islamic Republic’s National... Gateway Pundit http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2417201/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 21:40:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417084/posts Russia must develop new offensive weapons systems to counter US missile defenses and prevent Americans from feeling they can "do whatever they want," Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Dec. 29. "To preserve the balance, we must develop offensive weapons systems, not missiles defense systems as the United States is doing," Putin was quoted by state news agencies as saying while on a working visit to Russia's far east region. "The problems of missile defense and offensive arms are very closely linked," Putin said, according to ITAR-TASS. "By building such an umbrella over themselves, our partners could feel themselves fully secure... The New Media Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417084/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 18:42:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416529/posts The number of strategic bombers performing routine patrols could be doubled if the Russian General Staff makes such a decision, the commander of Russia's strategic aviation said Tuesday. Russia resumed strategic bomber patrol flights over the Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic oceans, the Black Sea and along the borders of the Commonwealth of Independent States in August 2007, following an order from then-president Vladimir Putin. "As a rule, up to four strategic bombers perform patrol flights simultaneously. However, under specific circumstances and on orders from the General Staff, their number could be increased to up to eight aircraft," Maj. Gen. Anatoly... RIA Novosti http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416529/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 21:49:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2416456/posts On the eve of the Copenhagen – University of East Anglia summit on climate change, the Russians are believed to have launched an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of holding nuclear warheads. Now we know that this is the explanation behind the “mysterious lights” over Norway. Dubbed a failure by military standards, it is interesting to note the timing of this act. (1) Putin has much to lose over the economic and financial effects of international regulation forced upon Russia, and virtually all countries bound by this so-called pseudo-science. By boycotting the panel and then stealing the spotlight by launching weapons,... Main Street Radical http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2416456/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 19:47:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416368/posts Russia voices concern over Tehran unrest Russia is concerned by the recent clashes between demonstrators and police in Tehran, and calls for restraint and conciliation, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday. Security forces clashed with protesters on Saturday and Sunday. A total of 15 people died and over 300 rioters arrested. "We believe the most important thing in such a situation is to show restraint, and seek a compromise on the basis of the law, and also to take political efforts to prevent a further escalation of the confrontation," the statement said. The ministry also expressed regret over allegations... Ria Novosti http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416368/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 17:38:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414527/posts Russia will work on a new generation of nuclear missiles to ensure its nuclear deterrent remains effective, President Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday. Medvedev said the new missiles would be developed in full accordance with arms agreements made with the United States. "Of course, we will develop new systems, including delivery systems, that is, missiles," Medvedev said in an end-of-year interview with state-controlled television channels. "This process will be continued, and our nuclear shield will always be efficient and sufficient to protect our national interests," Medvedev said. The Kremlin chief said Russia and the United States were close to a... reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414527/posts#comment Thu, 24 Dec 2009 16:41:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2410034/posts A son in Putin's Yule stocking Last Updated: 1:33 PM, December 16, 2009 Posted: 11:50 PM, December 15, 2009 Vladimir Putin has a lot to celebrate this Christmas. Not only has the Russian strongman consolidated his control over the proletariat -- and all their oil and gas -- he's also been given his first son, sources say. Alina Kabaeva, the gorgeous, 26-year-old rhythmic gymnastics champion, recently gave birth to a boy in Moscow and named the baby Dimitry, a moniker he'll share with Putin's handpicked president, Dimitry Medvedev. NYPost http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2410034/posts#comment Fri, 18 Dec 2009 01:24:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2401767/posts Thousands of emails, from the University of East Anglia's Climatic Research Unit (CRU) were first published on a small server in the city of Tomsk in Siberia. So-called ‘patriot hackers’ from Tomsk have been used in the past by the Russian secret service, the FSB, to attack websites disliked by the Kremlin, such as the “denial of service” campaign launched against the Kavkaz-Tsentr website, over its reports about the war in Chechnya, in 2002. Russia, a major oil exporter, may be trying to undermine calls to reduce carbon emissions ahead of the Copenhagen summit on global warming. The CRU emails... The Telegraph http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2401767/posts#comment Mon, 7 Dec 2009 01:35:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2400455/posts The Devil is in the details. No spare minutes! http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2400455/posts#comment Fri, 4 Dec 2009 20:29:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2400296/posts Israel's foreign minister met with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Friday and called for closer ties and economic cooperation between the two countries. Avigdor Lieberman, leader of Israel's right-wing ultranationalist Yisrael Beiteinu party, was born in the former Soviet Union, and he spoke with Putin in flawless Russian, throwing in a few words of English. Lieberman was visiting Moscow for a session of a Russian-Israeli Intergovernmental Commission, which mainly focuses on economic ties. He lauded the commission for establishing a visa-free system between the two countries last year. He said the measure will likely to double the number of... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2400296/posts#comment Fri, 4 Dec 2009 16:55:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2400019/posts Joseph Stalin sent millions to their deaths during his reign of terror, and his name was taboo for decades, but the dictator is a step closer to rehabilitation after Vladimir Putin openly praised his achievements. The Prime Minister and former KGB agent used an appearance on national television to give credit to Stalin for making the Soviet Union an industrial superpower, and for defeating Hitler in the Second World War. In a verdict that will be obediently absorbed by a state bureaucracy long used to taking its cue from above, Mr Putin declared that it was “impossible to make a... Times Online (U.K.) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2400019/posts#comment Fri, 4 Dec 2009 09:51:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2399815/posts Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin pledged radical measures to end a surge of militant violence in the North Caucasus, but said a new war is not expected in the region. "No new war is in the air in the North Caucasus, but the situation is difficult... illegally armed groups are still active there. We will wage a ruthless fight against them until they are totally destroyed," Putin said in his annual question-and-answer session broadcast live on television and radio on Thursday. Skirmishes between troops and separatists, and attacks on police and other officials have been reported daily in the mainly... RIA Novosti http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2399815/posts#comment Fri, 4 Dec 2009 01:13:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2398672/posts John F. Burns, the chief foreign correspondent for The Times, responded to a common theme among the readers of At War — that the United States should learn from the Soviets’ experience in Afghanistan and withdraw its troops. Q. In Afghanistan, both the Russians and the British, at the height of their power, completely failed to bring the place to heel. So we’re going to succeed? Uh huh… Colin Wright Richmond, Calif.Q. The NY TIMES has the archives of the Soviet experience in Afghanistan. Go read them. If you do, then there is just nothing left to say except.. GET... The New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2398672/posts#comment Wed, 2 Dec 2009 19:48:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2397817/posts The United States is about to lose a key arms-control tool from the closing days of the Cold War -- the right to station American observers in Russia to count the long-range missiles leaving its assembly line. The end of full-time, on-site access will likely ignite complaints in Congress, with insiders from both parties arguing over whether the George W. Bush or the Obama administration is responsible. Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2397817/posts#comment Tue, 1 Dec 2009 19:55:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2397542/posts CARACAS (Reuters) - Russia is building arms plants in Venezuela to produce AK-103 automatic rifles and cartridges and is finalizing contracts to send 53 military helicopters to the Andean nation, Moscow's envoy to Venezuela saidMonday. Ambassador Vladmir Zaemskiy told a news conference that Russian engineers and Venezuelan construction firms were building the rifle and cartridge plants which, when operational, would employ more than 1,500 workers. He gave no completion date for the plants under construction in the central state of Aragua. Details about Moscow's military shipments and projects have been scarce since socialist President Hugo Chavez's government began signing military... Forbes.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2397542/posts#comment Tue, 1 Dec 2009 13:49:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2397559/posts Over the last week, Russia was again at the center of two important and contentious issues – both making headlines. One involves an increasingly chilly relationship between Russia and the United Kingdom, as the latter continues to press the former for information about the assassination of a British Citizen – Alexander Litvinenko, which by all accounts was likely carried out by Russians using a poison that was obtained in Russia – Polonium 210 (Po210). Which Russians committed the act, under the authority of whom and for what purpose, remain shrouded in mystery. The name Vladimir Putin is inextricably linked in... Family Security Matters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2397559/posts#comment Tue, 1 Dec 2009 14:08:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2396759/posts Poles protest US Stalin memorial plan23.11.2009 11:06 The Polish community in the United States is outraged by a plan to honour Josef Stalin by placing his bust on a pedestal at the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Virginia.  According to William McIntosh, the director of the Bradford museum, which is coordinating the project, the Soviet dictator deserves to be acknowledged alongside Winston Churchill and Franklin Delano Roosevelt has he was an ally of the US after Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union. The plans have met with protests from Polish war veterans in New York.  President of the Kosciuszko Foundation,... POLISH RADIO-EXTERNAL SERVICE http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2396759/posts#comment Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:08:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2395846/posts RUSSIAN investigators have confirmed that the derailment of a passenger train which killed dozens of people was caused by a "terrorist attack", the Interfax news agency reported. "We are indeed talking about a terrorist attack," Vladimir Markin, spokesman for Russia's federal investigative committee... Investigators have found "elements of an explosive device" at the site... AFP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2395846/posts#comment Sat, 28 Nov 2009 14:56:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2395675/posts MOSCOW (Reuters) - The crash of a luxury train in Russia killed 25 people and injured up to 63 more, an official said on Saturday, and sources suggested it may have been an act of terrorism. "Twenty-five people died in the accident," an official reported to Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu during a meeting televised by Vesti-25 television, hours after the crash. Several carriages of the Nevsky Express traveling from Moscow to St Petersburg were derailed at 9:30 p.m. (1830 GMT) on Friday near the town of Bologoye, 350 km (200 miles) from Moscow. Estimates of the number of injured ranged... Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2395675/posts#comment Sat, 28 Nov 2009 02:02:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2389693/posts Russia has provided an "unprecedented" 970 billion roubles (22.6 billion euros, 33.8 billion dollars) to its defence industry this year, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Wednesday. State support for the sector had helped it grow by 3.8 percent since the start of the year despite the economic downturn, Putin said in comments reported by Russian news agencies. "During the recession we have allocated enough money to the military-industrial sector, which is a priority for government support. In 2009 funding reached an unprecedented level for our country: almost 970 billion roubles," Putin said. State aid had taken the form of reduced-rate... Space War http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2389693/posts#comment Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:41:42 GMT