The Russians Are With Putin
Last year's presidential election in the United States didn't only bring attention to the American candidates in many headlines around the globe, but Russia also has pulled into the spotlight again. Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, well-known as a strongman dictator and riding bare-back and bare-chested had frequented news headlines. In the past few years, Putin's relationship with the West has been deteriorating and his association with Donald Trump is making the whole matter more complex. The former KGB man who: oppresses his own people, censors the media, and picks fights with his neighbors, is surprisingly loved by many of his citizens.
Putin first stepped into power 17 years ago and since then, he has enjoyed the continued support from the majority of the country's population. It might sound perplexing for people outside of Russia how someone can buy into such an unabashed bluster. For a man to stay in power for that long, there must be some solid reasons behind it despite what the western media has told us about this man. Here are reasons why real Russians love Putin:
He Re-Built Russia
According to the OECD, Putin inherited a barely functional and poverty-stricken country when he came to power. Since then, Russia's GDP continued to grow and it was a rebound from their 1988 debt default. When Putin took over in 1999, Russia's GDP was at USD 927,746 million and by 2015, the country's GDP was at USD 3,368,995 million.
He is a Sober Leader
Being the leader of a nation with some of the heaviest drinkers, he is known by many to abstain from the habit. He even imposed laws to restrict alcohol advertisements and usages in an attempted to increase Russia's life expectancy.
He is Macho
In his private moments, he had been photographed petting cubs, wrestling with tigers, throwing people on a judo mat. What do the leaders of other nations do in their photographed private moments? Golf? Chilling on their private yachts?
He Started from the Bottom
Vladimir comes from a humble beginning. He was born to a very ordinary couple and later grew up in a communal apartment in Leningrad. He was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth. According to one of Putin's biographers, his dad used to be a toolmaker in a car factory while his mom worked as a janitor, a pastry delivery woman, and a cleaner for test tubes in a laboratory. Putin started his career in politics after being an agent for the KGB—the Soviet Union's intelligence agency.
Serge Sumkhuu is a Russian who had been living in Paris for the past 15 years. He used to live with his grandma in the south of Russia bordering Mongolia. Serge thinks that Putin's efforts in building the nation are greatly misinterpreted by the Western media. "He is the kind of man who goes straight to the point on every matter and he cares and improves the well-being of Russia and Russians. Yes, corruption is still happening in Russia but he is fighting all that now."
He is a Canine Lover.
It's true that a dog person is always better—don't even argue about it.
Image Credit : Flickr/ Jedimentat44
He is Family-Oriented
He leaves his family out of the spotlight unlike leaders of some other nations who use their family members as political marketing tools. The lives of two of his daughters are such top secret that even Russians will not be able to recognize both of them if they are out on the street.
He is a Social Butterfly
Networking is important and the same applies for leaders of any nation. His former background as an officer in KGB had undeniably provided him with a lot of pivotal contacts aiding him building his country.
He Just Does Not Give a F***
The Western media had demonized him in every single possible way and obviously, he was aware of it. However, it never bothered him anyway as he had more important stuff to deal with, like building his country.
"The media talked so much shit about Putin but in fact, real Russians love him because of what he has done for the country," Serge Sumkhuu told me.
There are reasons to why a man so demonized by the western media stays in power for such a long duration of time. We, from outside of Russia, might only just see one side of the entire story.
