Saving Vlad

[luvdovz.livejournal.com]

20 years ago, a small group of Russian business-people prevented their country from sliding back to communism. The physically and politically weak president Boris Yeltsin almost lost the election to Gennady Zyuganov back then. He was leading by a tiny 3% margin after the 1st round of the election, but then the huge financial and organizational resources that the oligarchs unleashed in his favor, provided the edge on the 2nd round: a 13% landslide.

Now the situation might seem different, but the oligarchs' help could again turn out crucial for Putin's legacy. Russia is in a dangerous situation: the real income has dropped by a staggering 10% in a single year, and the Ruble has lost 37% of its value. The GDP has slid by 3.7%, and the household income and the investments have plunged as well. Overall, 2016 has been a disastrous year for the Russian economy.

One might get a different impression if we're to look at Putin's constant manly boasting, geopolitical muscle-flexing, and the military operations in Ukraine and Syria. But none of this could conceal the fact that the former superpower is in deep decline at this point.

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