Talk:Vladimir Putin

Putin's connection to New Zealand

I have been researching this story for several years.

Putin's presence in New Zealand as a KGB agent in the 1980s has not been corroborated through any government records that I am aware of, as the article claims (and there is no evidence of this in any of the sources cited). David Lange did not allege Putin "served" in New Zealand; the source cited for this is former Waitakere Mayor Bob Harvey's recollection of a flippant remark Lange made to him decades ago about whether Putin had visited New Zealand as a young man (“Of course, why wouldn’t he?”).

On Bob Harvey's claims:

Two of the three sources cited in this section relate to the unfounded claims of Bob Harvey that first appeared in Metro magazine and were later reported by other media outlets such as the New Zealand Herald. I have researched all the claims in the article and found most to be false, such as his speaking to a judoka in Wellington who claimed to have trained with Putin in a dojo on Cuba Street (there has never been a judo club on Cuba Street and I have found no record of the man he claims to have spoken to, a "Jako Milne", ever existing). The "eyewitness accounts" the Wikipedia article cites were mostly made up by Harvey.

I also spoke to Helen Clark (one of, if not the only, person in this story to have actually met Putin) and she roundly rejects all of Harvey's claims, including that Putin had some love interest in her. Harvey, generally, is an unreliable source. He once claimed former Prime Minister Norman Kirk was killed by the CIA.

The third source relates to a book about the expulsion of Soviet diplomat Sergei Budnik and claims a man resembling Putin was in New Zealand at the time, based on photographs and vision from an old television programme. These are available online and that man is in all likelihood not Putin (significantly older and with different facial morphology).

Could this section of the article pleased be removed or simply revised to say claims have been made about Putin's possible presence in NZ in the 80s? AidanWellington (talk) 11:31, 6 May 2024 (UTC)

I would say so. Ymblanter (talk) 14:05, 6 May 2024 (UTC)

Re government records – unsourced, so has been removed from our article.

Re David Lange alleging that Putin served in NZ – that is a misrepresentation of the Harvey source, so has been removed.

Re the 3rd source (the non-Harvey one) for the shoe salesman sentence – does not mention shoe salesman, so has been removed.

Re the Harvey article's claim about "the legendary Jako Milne, who had at one time held multiple judo and boxing titles" and the dojo in Cuba St. Surely there would be some record somewhere of such a person or dojo, but I also haven't found any. See also the reddit thread linked below.

Bob Harvey claims that Putin was a KGB agent "based in Germany and Singapore. One of his roles was to report on Australia, New Zealand and Fiji." Do other sources support any of this apart from the Germany bit?

Re the man at the inquiry into the sinking of MS Mikhail Lermontov. The man is in this photo, where he is identified as Boris Ashikhmin, who acted as an interpreter. There is video footage of the man in part 9 of this TV documentary. The rest of this paragraph is based on the Bernie Napp ref below: Tom Broadmore, the NZ lawyer who appears next to Ashikhmin in the photo, "said Mr Ashikhmin worked for two years in Wellington at the Soviet Fisheries Office. 'Although anything is possible, I would be absolutely flabbergasted if that was Putin in disguise.'" Former Prime Minister David Lange was asked "does he think Mr Ashikhmin is Mr Putin? 'I don't think for a moment it was ever Mr Putin, (but) I suppose in those days anything was possible.'" Then Transport Minister Richard Prebble said "Mr Ashikhmin could have been a KGB agent, but the possibility it was Mr Putin was almost nil. 'This is loony conspiracy number 215 (on the sinking of the Mikhail Lermontov).'" Oxford University professor Christopher Andrew, author of a 1999 book on the KGB, said KGB agents always travelled under assumed names. Mr Putin was, however, unlikely to have been in New Zealand in 1986 because he was working, apparently, in Germany at the time." "Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry spokesman James Funnell said that 'while we agree it is a Putin lookalike, it's not him'.

See also this reddit thread with opinions about the Harvey article.

Bob Harvey is an entertaining storyteller, but his article and radio interview are parts anecdotal, speculative, dubious, or based on men's memories 15–35 years later. I don't think he is a reliable source, and think the whole paragraph should be removed from the article. Nurg (talk) 08:02, 6 July 2024 (UTC)

References

Crimes and criminal investigations!

Where is any information about the crimes of this inhuman piece of filth? 46.133.151.16 (talk) 21:49, 16 July 2024 (UTC)

Here is the ICC case. For future reference, please avoid using vulgar language like "inhuman piece of filth"; see WP:SOAPBOXING and WP:NOTFORUM. JDiala (talk) 10:51, 3 August 2024 (UTC)

Public image in Lead

I think it should be noted somewhere in the lead that although he is technically a dictator, he does enjoy widespread support among the Russian population (as noted in "Public Image" section). The way the lead discusses his rule suggests he's a comic-book villain ruling with an iron fist people desperate to resist him, when in truth it is more complex as most Russians approve of him (higher approving ratings indeed than even democratically elected US politicians).

UPDATE: I actually boldly edited this in myself. Anyone contesting this may discuss here. JDiala (talk) 08:11, 3 August 2024 (UTC)

Saying "enjoys considerable support" is debatable (no one actually knows what exactly support he has right now), but simply "support", as in the current version, is not misinformation, just a very poor summary of the corresponding section of the page. There was a complex dynamics of his support over the years. My very best wishes (talk) 02:27, 5 August 2024 (UTC)

again with attacking a strawman. "Human rights issue is already mentioned" has nothing to do with: "Corruption Perceptions Index, The Economist Democracy Index, Freedom House's Freedom in the World index, and the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index." As I mentioned: WP:UNDUE weight on the fact that a dictator manipulates society by media to receive favourable domestic approval instead on how much he has destroyed democracy in his country. To remove destruction of democracy and gradual but sure fall into neo-totalitarianism is clear indication of intent to glorify Putin. His legacy will be neo-totalitarian Russia and possibly it's subsequent crisis with division, not his "approval" rating by zombies (zombification of Russian society by disinformation) watching only state-owned media that NEVER criticise Putin for anything. YBSOne (talk) 07:09, 5 August 2024 (UTC)

Good point. When we talk about dictators in unfree societies (consider Saddam Hussein as an example), we do note they enjoy a personality cult, but this is not the same as a "public image" in democratic countries. My very best wishes (talk) 18:00, 5 August 2024 (UTC)

This edit should be reverted for being poor quality.

In regards to the section "Public Image", the view of Putin is much more nuanced then him merely having a high approval rating; serious problems about corruption being attributed to Putin and trust in him are in opposition to his high approval rating. Only mentioning one, but excluding the other two, is dishonest. In fact, the article explicitly addresses the point in your parentheses about higher approval ratings than Western leaders, arguing the two are not comparable. Related to this is how significant Putin's high approval rating actually is. The mere fact that Putin's approval rating is high does not mean much. What matters is how scholarly sources, ideally ones from the political sciences or specialists in modern Russia, interpret these high approval ratings. I saw no footnotes from JDiala addressing this (such a problem also exists with the previous summary, ideally a scholarly source explaining the significance of, say, Freedom House should also exist).

While the original summary is not the best it could be, this summary is far worse and should be reverted if it hasn't been already. HetmanTheResearcher (talk) 03:29, 9 August 2024 (UTC)

The concept of "good-tsar bad-boyar" where Russians support their leader despite authoritarianism, corruption and repression is extremely significant in Russian culture. This dynamic should be touched upon in the lead, I feel. My very best wishes writes that his public image isn't uniform but rather reflects "complex dynamics." Of course it's true that polls fluctuate from time-to-time but broadly speaking it is undeniable that the "public image" section indicates clear and lasting support. Not once has an opposition leader had remotely comparable public support to Putin. JDiala (talk) 20:34, 6 August 2024 (UTC)

In neo-totalitarian regimes there is no opposition, so what image Russian society could know of any opposition to dictator? YBSOne (talk) 22:03, 6 August 2024 (UTC)

There's polling and other measures to gauge opinion. That's the entire point of the public image section. JDiala (talk) 07:32, 7 August 2024 (UTC)

But my argument is that polling is made among manipulated society, and that opposition leader is not given equal air time on state-controlled media. State-controlled equalls party-controlled. So presenting such raw data without context is just manipulatory. YBSOne (talk) 08:48, 7 August 2024 (UTC)

Exactly. Votes and polling are not reliable sources to determine approval ratings in any authoritarian society. Everything is controlled by the dictator, and Russia is no exception. Only sources from foreign agencies get close to the truth. -- Valjean (talk) (PING me) 17:38, 7 August 2024 (UTC)

There are no reliable sources indicating that the polling is inaccurate, and in any case the polls were in fact included in the article. The point of the lead is to summarize the article. JDiala (talk) 08:54, 8 August 2024 (UTC)

Clearing up a quotation

This is the quote:

Putin said: "As soon as the coup began, I immediately decided which side I was on," although he noted that the choice was hard because he had spent the best part of his life with "the organs."

What does it mean when he spent a part of his life with "the organs"? and why is there the word "the" included? There seems to be a lack of an explanation for this, and if anyone could find any, that would be perfect. 98.33.79.56 (talk) 02:21, 7 August 2024 (UTC)

Organs in this context means "part of an organisation", usually a critical part. So I'd assume he means "the organs of the Soviet Union that carried out the coup". --2001:8003:1C20:8C00:A599:8FED:E2E0:7A4A (talk) 08:18, 30 August 2024 (UTC)

1999 Apartment Bombings

Many sources and first-hand accounts indicate the 1999 Apartment Bombings were carried out by Putin. Additionally, FSB agents had confessed to planting the bombs themselves, and some were found with explosives on their persons. Sources indicate Putin deliberately planned these attacks as means to justify the Second Chechen War, and used the incident to showcase a strong response, which would help him gain popularity throughout Russia and be elected. >>Remove “jihadists” as the perpetrators. 2607:FEA8:4D80:9D00:98B8:9A17:9CE7:BE99 (talk) 04:54, 14 August 2024 (UTC)

This article 1999 Russian apartment bombings. YBSOne (talk) 11:48, 30 August 2024 (UTC)

Putin and Alina Kabaeva have two sons.

Putin and Alina Kabaeva have two sons. Ivan born in the spring of 2015 at the Sant’Anna clinic in Lugano, Switzerland and Vladimir is born in the spring of 2019 in Moscow. Sneuper (talk) 15:28, 4 September 2024 (UTC)

References

On Putin's Mother

"Putin's mother was a factory worker", this is denied by Putin in his interviews with Oliver Stone. He claims she was not a factory worker but worked different jobs...including being a warden, so that she did not have to give her son to an orphanage (assumed meaning: she worked so that she could help provide for her family and help take care of her only living child). Can Somebody please correct this? ScionDeMartinez (talk) 23:36, 14 September 2024 (UTC)

I'm not sure an interview with Putin is the best source- it's a primary source and Putin is not the most trustworthy person in the world. But can you provide this source? It may be possible to say "According to Putin, his mother....." while leaving the other sourced information. 331dot (talk) 08:29, 15 September 2024 (UTC)

@331dot: do you think Putin is unreliable about his mother? JacktheBrown (talk) 18:21, 11 November 2024 (UTC)

Not sure he has much reason to lie about the job of his mother despite anyone's opinion of his trustworthiness. But, I see your point. Not sure how to do sources on Wikipedia but here is the eISBN: 978-1-51073-343-5. And, the ISBN: 978-1-51073-342-8. The First Interview, Trip 1, Day 1, July 2, 2015. His answer to the first question. Can be found on page 5. Quote: "VP: My mother didn't work at a factory. She was a worker, however, but she did different jobs. But I was an only child. They had lost two children before me. One during the Siege of Leningrad, during the war. And they didn't want to give me up to an orphanage. And, that's why my mother was working as a warden-" He also mentions afterward that his father worked in a factory, but this is never mentioned on his Wikipedia page. ScionDeMartinez (talk) 22:13, 17 September 2024 (UTC)

On his other birthday and mother newsweek.pl in PolishYBSOne (talk) 22:19, 17 September 2024 (UTC)

This should be added but not accepted as truth. It's not proven and as with Putin's claim about his mother's job should be listed as a claim by various journalists. ScionDeMartinez (talk) 21:58, 19 September 2024 (UTC)

Order of Russian Presidents

While Russia doesn't use succession as "2nd" or "4th", I think that it's time for a change and to add the orders. What do you guys think? Richie1509 (talk) 08:46, 12 November 2024 (UTC)

Im agree work with you as a soldier 2409:40E5:BC:3FB1:8000:0:0:0 (talk) 05:51, 16 November 2024 (UTC)

9123498163 2409:40E5:BC:3FB1:8000:0:0:0 (talk) 05:52, 16 November 2024 (UTC)

Cool Richie1509 (talk) 08:51, 16 November 2024 (UTC)

We should hold a vote weather we should bring the orders to not only Putin, but also for Boris Yeltsin and Dmitry Medvedev as well. Who agrees? Richie1509 (talk) 08:52, 16 November 2024 (UTC)

@Richie1509: No. You need to provide a reliable source to demonstrate that numbering Russian presidents in this manner is common practice. The method used in the United States to number officeholders is unusual compared to other countries. Please cite a source that explicitly describes Putin as the "second and fourth" president of Russia if you want this change. --Hazhk (talk) 17:12, 16 November 2024 (UTC)

It is a fact that Vladimir Putin is the second and fourth president, we don't need a source. I understand that this isn't a common practise, but still, there are sources that mention other Russian presidents such as Boris Yeltsin and Dmitry Medvedev as the first and third president. Richie1509 (talk) 20:00, 16 November 2024 (UTC)

No, it isn't a fact. It's a fact that Putin was the second person to be president of Russia, but not that he is also counted as the "fourth" president. Please specify sources. I have reverted your recent revision; you need to establish consensus here first. --Hazhk (talk) 20:42, 16 November 2024 (UTC)

It's just like saying that Donald Trump being the 45th person to be the president of the United States, but not that he is also counted as the "47th" president. Same for Grover Cleveland as well, being the 22nd person to be the POTUS, but not as the "24th". Besides, the second term doesn't usually count for prime ministers, and rarely does it not count for presidents. Richie1509 (talk) 05:36, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

Putin's link to Lenin and Stalin

Putin should not be the cited source indicating that his grandfather Spiridon Putin was the cook for both Lenin and Stalin (reference 27) unless the text itself indicates that Putin makes the claim. The second cited source (reference 28) is to Sebestyen's Lenin bio, which itself merely cites Stephen Kotkin's "Stalin: Paradoxes of Power" as the source. Without any clear and direct evidence, the text here should at least indicate some skepticism, since otherwise it could very well seem like Putin propaganda solidifying his rightful place as the leader of Russia. In Montefiore's 'Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar' the author alleges that Putin's grandfather cooked for Lenin, Stalin, AND Rasputin (why not include Catherine as well?) in a footnote which is supported by "Vladimir Putin, First Person", a book in which the source, once again, is Putin and only Putin (and he omits any mention of Rasputin, for the record). Klook klook klook (talk) 18:57, 18 November 2024 (UTC)