Putin's winter fairy tale

[Sally]

I would imagine that every president and prime minister would like to have their people admire them as the Russians admire Putin.



Putin's winter fairy tale

• 8 December 2015
  
• From the sectionMagazine

Vladimir Putin's position on Syria and Ukraine may have been criticised in the West, but Russia's president is adored and admired by many at home, as Steve Rosenberg discovers on a visit to Volokolamsk.

In Russia, there is something magical about the early winter snow. It transforms muddy fields and dilapidated farmhouses into a fairy tale - a snow globe you want to pick up and shake and could stare at for hours.

Of course, every fairy tale has its heroes. And, 70 miles from Moscow, so does this one.

Viktor Krestinin shows me his cows. Then he reads me his couplets. Viktor is the poet-farmer of Volokolamsk. Here's one of his verses:

Be you a genius or a VIP, there's no wonder,

We all end up 6ft under,

We all get our just deserts I tell,

But some go to heaven and some to hell.

From the way in which Viktor describes his president, there'll be no burning in hell for Vladimir Putin.

Image captionViktor Krestinin, the poet-farmer of Volokolamsk
"I support Putin and how he's hammering the terrorists in Syria," Viktor tells me. "Putin's a real leader. It's like me and my farm. This place was a mess before I took charge. And Russia was a real mess before Putin took over."

While he backs Russia's military campaign in Syria, Viktor tells me he's against the idea of putting Russian troops on the ground there.

"But what if Putin said it was necessary?" I ask.

"Well, if the motherland says it's necessary, then we obey. You don't discuss the orders of the commander in chief. You carry them out."

At School Number One in Volokolamsk, I'm given a similar lesson.

"When we listen to his speeches on TV, we feel Putin cares for all the people. He's a good president," says teacher Ludmila Verbitskaya.

Image captionLudmila Verbitskaya says she trusts Vladimir Putin completely
Ludmila has been teaching English here for 35 years. Her son, she says, has become a monk. And her president, she tells me, has become a good Christian.

"You trust him completely?" I ask.

"Completely. 100%."

"And whatever decision he takes about Syria, about the military operation, you will support that?"

"Yes we will support."

"Do you think he makes any mistakes?" I enquire.

"We are not afraid of his mistakes," says Ludmila. "Every man can make mistakes. But if he trusts in God, God will correct him."

Continue reading at:

Putin's winter fairy tale - BBC News

 

[The Great Goose]

Haha. He's like Stalin I think.

 

[Dot Com]

Another Sally "whole cloth cutnpaste" :yawn:

 

[Mr. H.]

Obama ass-raped my cows.

What's your point?

 

[Kosh]

I think many leaders of Russia have statues of themselves litter all about Russia and the former Russian states..

 

[Sally]

Another Sally "whole cloth cutnpaste" :yawn:

This stupid man only comes here to criticize what I post. God forbid he had any contribution to this forum.

 

[Sally]

I think many leaders of Russia have statues of themselves litter all about Russia and the former Russian states..

I'm,sure they do, Kosh. However, we are speaking about now, not former leaders, and the people really seem to like Putin. The viewers might disagree with these people, but it is the Russian people who count when it comes to admiring their leader.

 

[Kosh]

I think many leaders of Russia have statues of themselves litter all about Russia and the former Russian states..

I'm,sure they do, Kosh. However, we are speaking about now, not former leaders, and the people really seem to like Putin. The viewers might disagree with these people, but it is the Russian people who count when it comes to admiring their leader.

Well that is because Putin controls the media there, not unlike in North Korea, China, Iran, etc..

It is said that the Kremlin also blocks sites that would contradict their media..

 

[TheOldSchool]

Admire Putin, or you're an enemy of the state. Such is life in the Sovie- I mean Russia.

 

[Sally]

I think many leaders of Russia have statues of themselves litter all about Russia and the former Russian states..

I'm,sure they do, Kosh. However, we are speaking about now, not former leaders, and the people really seem to like Putin. The viewers might disagree with these people, but it is the Russian people who count when it comes to admiring their leader.

Well that is because Putin controls the media there, not unlike in North Korea, China, Iran, etc..

It is said that the Kremlin also blocks sites that would contradict their media..

Don't forget that the reporter questioned these people in person. I don't think anyone had a gun in their back telling them what to say.

 

[Kosh]

I think many leaders of Russia have statues of themselves litter all about Russia and the former Russian states..

I'm,sure they do, Kosh. However, we are speaking about now, not former leaders, and the people really seem to like Putin. The viewers might disagree with these people, but it is the Russian people who count when it comes to admiring their leader.

Well that is because Putin controls the media there, not unlike in North Korea, China, Iran, etc..

It is said that the Kremlin also blocks sites that would contradict their media..

Don't forget that the reporter questioned these people in person. I don't think anyone had a gun in their back telling them what to say.

No, but it has been shown that those that defy Putin do have some type of horrible accident..

Just like all those during the Iraq war, they would not dare speak out against Saddam..

 

[Dot Com]

Sally

I think many leaders of Russia have statues of themselves litter all about Russia and the former Russian states..

I'm,sure they do, Kosh. However, we are speaking about now, not former leaders, and the people really seem to like Putin. The viewers might disagree with these people, but it is the Russian people who count when it comes to admiring their leader.

Well that is because Putin controls the media there, not unlike in North Korea, China, Iran, etc..

It is said that the Kremlin also blocks sites that would contradict their media..

Don't forget that the reporter questioned these people in person. I don't think anyone had a gun in their back telling them what to say.

You think it matters that there wasn't a FSB agent standing next to them. You really are daft

 

[Sally]

Sally

I think many leaders of Russia have statues of themselves litter all about Russia and the former Russian states..

I'm,sure they do, Kosh. However, we are speaking about now, not former leaders, and the people really seem to like Putin. The viewers might disagree with these people, but it is the Russian people who count when it comes to admiring their leader.

Well that is because Putin controls the media there, not unlike in North Korea, China, Iran, etc..

It is said that the Kremlin also blocks sites that would contradict their media..

Don't forget that the reporter questioned these people in person. I don't think anyone had a gun in their back telling them what to say.

You think it matters that there wasn't a FSB agent standing next to them. You really are daft

It is quite apparent that Mr. Stupid here did not read the entire article because he was hassling quickly to make some asinine comment about my post as he usually does when he slithers over here. Naturally people are smart enough to see that he really contributes nothing to this forum. Say, Mr. Stupid, the next time you slither over here, do you think that you can actually give us some new stuff going on there. Just dissing my posts doesn't do it?

By the way, there are Russians posting on these forums. Why not send them a PM and ask them how they feel about Putin. I don't think there will be some agent sitting besides them when they type. I truly don't understand why people can't believe the Russian citizens do think highly of Putin. Maybe Mr. Stupid is upset because so many Americans don't think highly of Obama so he doesn't want to believe that many Russians admire Putin.

 

[Dot Com]

tl;dr

 

[Sally]

tl;dr

So sorry that it was Too Long that you Didn't Read it. Nobody was holding a gun to your head to even read what I copied and pasted. Meanwhile, the next time you crawl out of the woodwork, contribute something to this forum instead of coming over here and lying that I am posting the entire article. I am beginning to think that you get your cheap thrills doing this.

 

[Sonc]

It is said that the Kremlin also blocks sites that would contradict their media.

And how do you explain the fact that the RT ("Putin's propaganda") ... has the heading "foreign TV", where publishes opinion of the foreign media?

 

[Sonc]

I think many leaders of Russia have statues of themselves litter all about Russia and the former Russian states..

I'm,sure they do, Kosh. However, we are speaking about now, not former leaders, and the people really seem to like Putin. The viewers might disagree with these people, but it is the Russian people who count when it comes to admiring their leader.

Well that is because Putin controls the media there, not unlike in North Korea, China, Iran, etc..

It is said that the Kremlin also blocks sites that would contradict their media..

Don't forget that the reporter questioned these people in person. I don't think anyone had a gun in their back telling them what to say.

No, but it has been shown that those that defy Putin do have some type of horrible accident..

For example, who?

 

[Dot Com]

tl;dr

So sorry that it was Too Long that you Didn't Read it. Nobody was holding a gun to your head to even read what I copied and pasted. Meanwhile, the next time you crawl out of the woodwork, contribute something to this forum instead of coming over here and lying that I am posting the entire article. I am beginning to think that you get your cheap thrills doing this.

Sally

if you're this tedious on the interwebz I can only imagine how you are IRL

 

[Correll]

I think many leaders of Russia have statues of themselves litter all about Russia and the former Russian states..

I'm,sure they do, Kosh. However, we are speaking about now, not former leaders, and the people really seem to like Putin. The viewers might disagree with these people, but it is the Russian people who count when it comes to admiring their leader.

Well that is because Putin controls the media there, not unlike in North Korea, China, Iran, etc..

It is said that the Kremlin also blocks sites that would contradict their media..

Control over the media only goes so far.

Their support seems quite reasonable. They don't think he is above making mistakes, I noticed.

Nor even seemed at all concerned or nervous about discussing the possibility of mistakes, as they might be if it was just fear making them speak in favor of Putin.

 

[Dot Com]

Kosh, Sally & Correll all in the same thread?