Putin says he saved Russia, but year of challenges suggests position is precarious
Russian President Vladimir Putin stood at the dais in St. Petersburg on May 7, his piercing gaze scanning the packed hall before him. Addressing the solemn occasion of Navalny’s “last farewell”, he declared to the crowd of mourners and officials that the nation was not in crisis but on the upswing. Two weeks later, in a bold display of determination, he landed on the Kremlin roof, helicopter-borne in a daring airborne arrival.
Back in Moscow, his loyal support base remained committed, but not entirely convinced, about the bright prospects he offered. The global community, for its part, seemed to divide between those perceiving him as a strong-willed leader protecting Russian interests or an authoritarian manipulator stifling democratic progress. Amidst escalating tensions with neighboring nations, lingering discontent within society, and intensifying economic downturns, could the Russian presidency really be regarded as secure when it faced all these challenges on the horizon?