Putin boasts of saving Russia from 'abyss,' denies economic woes
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin claims that he saved "Russia from falling into the abyss," a situation he alleges the country faced before he came to power. On Thursday, he spent four and a half hours convincing citizens that Russia does not have economic problems.
The question of whether Putin believes he managed to save Russia, as Boris Yeltsin asked him when transferring power in 1999, was posed by BBC correspondent Steve Rosenberg.
Rosenberg listed Russian losses since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine, which Western intelligence estimates at 650,000 people. He mentioned the incursion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine into the Kursk region, inflation levels not seen since the annexation of Crimea, and the expansion of NATO, which Putin aimed to halt by initiating the war with Ukraine.
"I have done everything to ensure that Russia is an independent and sovereign power that is able to make decisions in its own interests," Putin responded. "Everything that was happening to Russia before and after was effectively leading us toward the complete loss of our sovereignty. And without sovereignty, Russia cannot exist as an independent state," he added.
According to Putin, Yeltsin was "patted on the shoulder" by the West, and when he opposed NATO's airstrikes on Yugoslavia, he began to be labeled an alcoholic.
"I have done everything to ensure that Russia is an independent and sovereign power that is able to make decisions in its own interests," Putin assured.
The dictator insisted that Russia is in a stable economic state, contributing to the country's development. He explained the price increases by claiming that Russians' incomes are rising faster than the number of available goods. However, he could not answer the question of when Russia will manage to push Ukrainians away from Kursk.
