[bert]

Lost in the background clutter is the fact......... Vladimir Putin saved Mother Russia from dying

His primary task was to save Mother Russia

[tlozo]

Lost in the background clutter is the fact......... Vladimir Putin saved Mother Russia from dying

The only thing Putin saved Russia from is being a democracy.

As for the economy in Russia, barrel of oil went from $20 in Jan 1999 to $110 in May 2014.