Best quotes from Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who is the President of Russia, a position he has filled since 2012, and previously from 1999 until 2008. He was also the Prime Minister from 1999 to 2000, and again from 2008 to 2012. Putin is the second-longest current serving European president after Alexander Lukashenko. He worked as a KGB foreign intelligence officer for 16 years, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel, before resigning in 1991 to begin a political career in Saint Petersburg.

He moved to Moscow in 1996 to join the administration of president Boris Yeltsin. He briefly served as director of the Federal Security Service (FSB) and secretary of the Security Council, before being appointed as prime minister in August 1999. After the resignation of Yeltsin, Putin became acting president, and less than four months later was elected outright to his first term as president and was reelected in 2004.

As he was then constitutionally limited to two consecutive terms as president, Putin served as prime minister again from 2008 to 2012 under Dmitry Medvedev, and returned to the presidency in 2012 in an election marred by allegations of fraud and protests; he was reelected again in 2018. In April 2021, following a referendum, he signed into law constitutional amendments including one that would allow him to run for reelection twice more, potentially extending his presidency to 2036.

During Putin’s first tenure as president, the Russian economy grew for eight consecutive years, with GDP measured by purchasing power increasing by 72%; Russian self-assessed life satisfaction rose significantly. The growth was a result of a fivefold increase in the price of oil and gas, which constitute the majority of Russian exports, recovery from the post-communist depression and financial crises, a rise in foreign investment, and prudent economic and fiscal policies.

Putin also led Russia to victory in the Second Chechen War. Serving as prime minister under Medvedev, he oversaw large-scale military reform and police reform, as well as Russia’s victory in the Russo-Georgian War. During his third term as president, falling oil prices coupled with international sanctions imposed at the beginning of 2014 after Russia launched a military intervention in Ukraine and annexed Crimea led to GDP shrinking by 3.7% in 2015, though the Russian economy rebounded in 2016 with 0.3% GDP growth.

During his fourth term as president, the COVID-19 pandemic hit Russia, and Putin ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, leading to further sanctions being imposed against Russia and him personally. Other developments under Putin have included the construction of oil and gas pipelines, the restoration of the satellite navigation system GLONASS, and the building of infrastructure for international events such as the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi and the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Under Putin’s leadership, Russia has shifted to authoritarianism. Experts do not consider Russia a democracy, citing the jailing and repression of political opponents, the intimidation and suppression of the free press and the lack of free and fair elections. Russia has scored poorly on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index, the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Democracy Index, and Freedom House’s Freedom in the World index.

Some of the best quotes from Vladimir Putin are listed below.

1. “A considerable share of the world’s population still cannot afford comfortable housing, education and quality health care.” – Vladimir Putin
2. “A figure who receives money from abroad for his political work, and thus serves some foreign interest, cannot be a politician in Russia.” – Vladimir Putin
3. “Above all, such sports as judo, in my view, teach people to relate to each other. They teach us to respect a partner, teach us to understand that an externally weak partner can not only put up worthy resistance, but, if you relax and take too much for granted, may even win.” – Vladimir Putin
4. “All attempts to appease the Nazis between 1934 and 1939 through various agreements and pacts were morally unacceptable and politically senseless, harmful and dangerous.” – Vladimir Putin
5. “Any people has a right to self-determination, and now in Europe the process of diluting national sovereignty in the framework of a united Europe is more accepted.” – Vladimir Putin
6. “Anyone who doesn’t regret the passing of the Soviet Union has no heart. Anyone who wants it restored has no brains.” – Vladimir Putin
7. “As far as oligarchs who acquire sports team abroad, and invest money abroad, I wouldn’t treat this phenomenon as something bad.” – Vladimir Putin
8. “At a certain point, we saw the police cracking down on the Occupy Wall Street activists. I won’t call the actions of police appropriate or inappropriate.” – Vladimir Putin
9. “At last, Russia has returned to the world arena as a strong state – a country that others heed and that can stand up for itself.” – Vladimir Putin
10. “At least in Russia, you cannot just go and tap into someone’s phone conversation without a warrant issued by court. That’s more or less the way a civilized society should go about fighting terrorism.” – Vladimir Putin
11. “Back in the mid-18th century, in 1745-1747, Ossetia was the first to become part of the Russian Empire. At that time, it was a united entity; North and South Ossetia were one state.” – Vladimir Putin
12. “Between major countries, there certainly always are some common ground and points of tension.” – Vladimir Putin
13. “Chechnya is part and parcel of the Russian Federation.” – Vladimir Putin
14. “China has created very good investment tools, including an entire network of very large funds. The Russian Private Investment Fund works with some of those funds, with China’s largest investment funds.” – Vladimir Putin
15. “China is a great country with a great culture, populated by fascinating, industrious and talented people.” – Vladimir Putin
16. “Construction of the first gas pipeline system was started during the 1960s, at the height of the Cold “War, and for all those years, from the 1960s until this day, Russia has been fulfilling its contract obligations in a very consistent and reliable way, regardless of the political situation.” – Vladimir Putin
17. “Cromwell is just as much of a bloody dictator as was Stalin.” – Vladimir Putin
18. “Demographers affirm that choosing to have a second child is already a potential choice in favour of a third.” – Vladimir Putin
19. “Despite all the achievements of civilisation, the human being is still one of the most vulnerable creatures on earth.” – Vladimir Putin
20. “Economic activity is moving from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean… Russia has a certain natural advantage because it also borders the Pacific Ocean.” – Vladimir Putin
21. “Europeans are really dying out!” – Vladimir Putin
22. “Even during the years of the Cold War, the intense confrontation between the Soviet Union and the United States, we always avoided any direct clash between our civilians and, most certainly, between our military.” – Vladimir Putin
23. “Everything will probably never be OK. But we have to try for it.” – Vladimir Putin
24. “Few people understand the magnitude of the catastrophe that happened late in the 1980s when the Communist Party had failed to modernize the Soviet Union.” – Vladimir Putin
25. “For Russia, there is not and there may not be another political option but democracy. However, Russian democracy is… not at all the realization of standards imposed on us from outside.” – Vladimir Putin
26. “He who does not regret the break-up of the Soviet Union has no heart; he who wants to revive it in its previous form has no head.” – Vladimir Putin
27. “History proves that all dictatorships, all authoritarian forms of government are transient. Only democratic systems are not transient. Whatever the shortcomings, mankind has not devised anything superior.” – Vladimir Putin
28. “How can a bureaucrat or a politician be trusted if he says loud words for the sake of Russia’s good while trying to take his funds, his money abroad?” – Vladimir Putin
29. “How does one control weight? By not overeating. How does one stay in shape? One plays sports. There are no magic pills here.” – Vladimir Putin
30. “I am convinced that the norm in Russia should become a family with three children.” – Vladimir Putin
31. “I am never guided by a possible assessment of my work.” – Vladimir Putin
32. “I am the wealthiest man, not just in Europe, but in the whole world. I collect emotions. I am wealthy in that the people of Russia have twice entrusted me with the leadership of a great nation such as Russia – I believe that is my greatest wealth.” – Vladimir Putin
33. “I believe that the presidential term should be limited.” – Vladimir Putin
34. “I believe the U.S. already understands and will understand more and more that only a strong Russia will respond to the genuine interests of the United States.” – Vladimir Putin
35. “I don’t read books by people who have betrayed the Motherland.” – Vladimir Putin
36. “I go to the gym, I swim daily and from time to time I meet with friends and do extra-curricular stuff.” – Vladimir Putin
37. “I have a private life in which I do not permit interference. It must be respected.” – Vladimir Putin
38. “I have a very positive attitude to anyone who is protecting the environment, but it’s inadmissible when people are using it as a means of promoting themselves, using it as a source of self-enrichment. I don’t want to name any specific examples… but often, environmentalism is used to blackmail companies.” – Vladimir Putin
39. “I have always loved and avidly read the novels of Jack London, Jules Verne and Ernest Hemingway. The characters depicted in their books, who are brave and resourceful people embarking on exciting adventures, definitely shaped my inner self and nourished my love for the outdoors.” – Vladimir Putin
40. “I have never stated Russia is an energy superpower, but we have more reserves than almost anybody else. We have always behaved, and we will continue to behave, in a responsible way. We intend to participate in the elaboration of common rules in the energy sector and to abide by rules which are developed together.” – Vladimir Putin
41. “I love soccer.” – Vladimir Putin
42. “I love the Russian classics very much, the Russian classical literature. But I also read modern literature. As far as Russian literature is concerned, I am very fond of Tolstoy and Chekhov, and I also enjoy reading Gogol very much.” – Vladimir Putin
43. “I myself know some people who are gay. We’re on friendly terms. I’m not prejudiced in any way.” – Vladimir Putin
44. “I read papers, try to watch news programs on television, but, as a rule, recorded. During the day I have no time for that, so I watch something taped. As for the newspapers, I try to get through them every day. Additionally, of course, I look through news bulletins.” – Vladimir Putin
45. “I see that not everyone in the West has understood that the Soviet Union has disappeared from the political map of the world and that a new country has emerged with new humanist and ideological principles at the foundation of its existence.” – Vladimir Putin
46. “I spend a little time every day to play sports.” – Vladimir Putin
47. “I swim almost every day, a thousand meters.” – Vladimir Putin
48. “I think every person should have some faith inside him, in his heart. What matters is not an external display of this faith, but the inner state of the soul.” – Vladimir Putin
49. “I think happiness is love.” – Vladimir Putin
50. “I think it’s fine when the mayor of the biggest city in Russia consults the president.” – Vladimir Putin
51. “I think the American people should express their preferences, and we’ll accept their choice.” – Vladimir Putin
52. “I think the international community should unite to fight such inhuman phenomena as terror attacks and the murder of totally innocent people.” – Vladimir Putin
53. “I think we should not control the internet.” – Vladimir Putin
54. “I was brought up in a very ordinary family, in fact, a worker’s family. Both my father and mother were ordinary citizens.” – Vladimir Putin
55. “I would like to draw your attention to the fact that in Russia, unlike in one third of the world’s countries, being gay is not a crime.” – Vladimir Putin
56. “I would prefer to abandon the terminology of the past. ‘Superpower’ is something which we used during the cold war time. Why use it now?” – Vladimir Putin
57. “I’m eternally grateful to fate and the citizens of Russia that they’ve trusted me to be the head of the Russian government.” – Vladimir Putin
58. “I’m sure corruption in Chechnya is minimal.” – Vladimir Putin
59. “If one looks at the map of the world, it’s difficult to find Iraq, and one would think it rather easy to subdue such a small country.” – Vladimir Putin
60. “If the nation is not capable of preserving itself and reproducing, if it loses it vital bearings and ideals, then it doesn’t need foreign enemies – it will fall apart on its own.” – Vladimir Putin
61. “If there are people who act outside the law, then the state must use legal means to impose law in the interests of majority. That’s the way it’s done in the U.S., and that’s the way it’s done in Russia.” – Vladimir Putin
62. “If we speak calmly, in a businesslike fashion, let me draw your attention to the fact that Russia supplies arms to the legitimate government of Syria in full compliance with the norms of international law. We are not breaching any rules and norms.” – Vladimir Putin
63. “If you aspire to be a leader of your own country, you must speak your own language, for God’s sake.” – Vladimir Putin
64. “If you want my personal attitude, I would tell you that I don’t care about a person’s sexual orientation.” – Vladimir Putin
65. “In 1995, Russia virtually gave Chechnya de facto statehood and independence even though, de jure, it didn’t recognize Chechnya as an independent state. And I would like to emphasize strongly that Russia withdrew all of its troops, we moved the prosecutors, we moved all the police, dismantled all the courts, completely, 100 percent.” – Vladimir Putin
66. “In accordance with the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the issues of foreign policy and defense are fully in the hands of the president.” – Vladimir Putin
67. “In almost any country, probably in Russia in particular, it’s fashionable to criticise people in power. If you come out in support of someone like me, you’re going to be accused of trying to ingratiate yourself.” – Vladimir Putin
68. “In line with international law, only the U.N. Security Council could sanction the use of force against a sovereign state. Any other pretext or method which might be used to justify the use of force against an independent sovereign state are inadmissible and can only be interpreted as an aggression.” – Vladimir Putin
69. “In many countries today, moral and ethical norms are being reconsidered; national traditions, differences in nation and culture are being erased.” – Vladimir Putin
70. “In some of the states in the U.S., homosexuality remains a felony.” – Vladimir Putin
71. “In the 20th century, the Soviet Union made the state’s role absolute. In the long run, this made the Soviet economy totally uncompetitive. This lesson cost us dearly. I am sure nobody wants to see it repeated.” – Vladimir Putin
72. “In the modern world, those who are weak will get unambiguous advice from foreign visitors which way to go and what policy course to pursue.” – Vladimir Putin
73. “Indeed, Russia and the U.S. were allies during the two tragic conflicts of the Second and the First World Wars, which allows us to think there’s something objectively bringing us together in difficult times, and I think – I believe – it has to do with geopolitical interests and also has a moral component.” – Vladimir Putin
74. “Iraq is a small but very proud nation.” – Vladimir Putin
75. “It is extremely dangerous to encourage people to see themselves as exceptional, whatever the motivation.” – Vladimir Putin
76. “It is necessary to suppress any extremist actions, on all sides, regardless of their origin.” – Vladimir Putin
77. “It is wrong to make anyone into an enemy; it is wrong to scare the people of one’s own country with that enemy and try to rally some allies on that basis.” – Vladimir Putin
78. “It’s a historical phenomenon that in 250 years, a nation could move from a colony into the most prosperous nation of the world and the leader of the world. It is indeed an achievement, a tribute to the talent of the American nation, the American people and an optimal political and economic system.” – Vladimir Putin
79. “It’s alarming that military intervention in internal conflicts in foreign countries has become commonplace for the United States.” – Vladimir Putin
80. “It’s Russia some people would like to get rid of. They are still afraid of our nuclear deterrent. We have our own foreign policy whether they like it or not.” – Vladimir Putin
81. “Journalism, as concerns collecting information, differs little if at all from intelligence work. In my judgment, a journalist’s job is very interesting.” – Vladimir Putin
82. “Libya is divided into tribes and clans.” – Vladimir Putin
83. “McCain fought in Vietnam – I think that he has enough civilian blood on his hands.” – Vladimir Putin
84. “Millions around the world increasingly see America not as a model of democracy but as relying solely on brute force, cobbling coalitions together under the slogan, ‘You’re either with us or against us’.” – Vladimir Putin
85. “My English is very bad.” – Vladimir Putin
86. “My notion of the KGB came from romantic spy stories. I was a pure and utterly successful product of Soviet patriotic education.” – Vladimir Putin
87. “My parents told me that children were taken from their families in 1941, and my mother had a child taken from her – with the goal of saving him.” – Vladimir Putin
88. “My personal position is that society must keep children safe.” – Vladimir Putin
89. “My working and personal relationship with President Obama is marked by growing trust. I appreciate this.” – Vladimir Putin
90. “NATO was built to counteract the Soviet Union in its day and time. At this point there is no threat coming from the Soviet Union, because there is no Soviet Union anymore. And where there was the Soviet Union once, there is now a number of countries, among them the new and democratic Russia.” – Vladimir Putin
91. “No one doubts that poison gas was used in Syria. But there is every reason to believe it was used, not by the Syrian Army, but by opposition forces to provoke intervention by their powerful foreign patrons, who would be siding with the fundamentalists.” – Vladimir Putin
92. “No one should be allowed to violently trample on the law.” – Vladimir Putin
93. “No one wants the United Nations to suffer the fate of the League of Nations, which collapsed because it lacked real leverage. This is possible if influential countries bypass the United Nations and take military action without Security Council authorization.” – Vladimir Putin
94. “No references to the need to fight terror can be an argument for restricting human rights.” – Vladimir Putin
95. “Nobody and nothing will stop Russia on the road to strengthening democracy and ensuring human rights and freedoms.” – Vladimir Putin
96. “Nobody should have any illusion about the possibility of gaining military superiority over Russia. We will never allow this to happen.” – Vladimir Putin
97. “Nobody should pin their hopes on a miracle.” – Vladimir Putin
98. “One can truly enjoy his or her life only while experiencing it, and it is inevitably related to a certain level of risk.” – Vladimir Putin
99. “One has to be insincere and promise something which you cannot fulfill. So, you either have to be a fool who does not understand what you are promising, or deliberately be lying.” – Vladimir Putin
100. “Our aims are absolutely clear: They are a high living standard in the country and a secure, free and comfortable life.” – Vladimir Putin
101. “Our military is the guarantor of Russia’s security and independence.” – Vladimir Putin
102. “Our society, including the liberals, must understand that there must be order.” – Vladimir Putin
103. “Political activities in Russia should be as transparent as possible. Financing political activities from abroad is something the state should keep an eye on.” – Vladimir Putin
104. “Politics should not interfere with sports. And sports should impact politics.” – Vladimir Putin
105. “President Obama hasn’t been elected by the American people in order to be pleasant to Russia.” – Vladimir Putin
106. “Protest actions and propaganda are two slightly different things.” – Vladimir Putin
107. “Radicals can be found in any environment.” – Vladimir Putin
108. “Russia and China are very natural partners. We are neighbors with an immense common border.” – Vladimir Putin
109. “Russia does not and cannot have any political choice but democracy. I want to say, and even stress, that we share those universal democratic principles taken around the whole world.” – Vladimir Putin
110. “Russia does not have in its possession any trustworthy data that supports the existence of nuclear weapons or any weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and we have not received any such information from our partners as yet.” – Vladimir Putin
111. “Russia does not want confrontation of any kind. And we will not take part in any kind of ‘holy alliance’.” – Vladimir Putin
112. “Russia is a part of European culture. Therefore, it is with difficulty that I imagine NATO as an enemy.” – Vladimir Putin
113. “Russia is opposed to the proliferation of mass destruction weapons, including nuclear weapons, and in this context we call upon our Iranian friends to abandon the uranium enrichment programme.” – Vladimir Putin
114. “Russia needs a strong state power and must have it. But I am not calling for totalitarianism.” – Vladimir Putin
115. “Russia will not soon become, if it ever becomes, a second copy of the United States or England – where liberal value have deep historic roots.” – Vladimir Putin
116. “Russian democracy is the power of the Russian people with their own traditions of national self-government, and not the realisation of standards foisted on us from outside.” – Vladimir Putin
117. “Some experts believe that somebody is deceiving WikiLeaks, that its reputation is being undermined in order for it to be used for political purposes.” – Vladimir Putin
118. “Sometimes it is necessary to be lonely in order to prove that you are right.” – Vladimir Putin
119. “Spying has always gone on since ancient times.” – Vladimir Putin
120. “Stalin is the most popular figure in all of Russia.” – Vladimir Putin
121. “Stalinism is linked with a cult of personality and massive violations of the law, with repression and camps. There is nothing like that in Russia and, I hope, will never again be.” – Vladimir Putin
122. “Terrorism has no nationality or religion.” – Vladimir Putin
123. “Terrorism has once again shown it is prepared deliberately to stop at nothing in creating human victims. An end must be put to this. As never before, it is vital to unite forces of the entire world community against terror.” – Vladimir Putin
124. “Terrorists are always a threat to someone. If we’ll be scared of them, it means they have won.” – Vladimir Putin
125. “The ability to compromise is not a diplomatic politeness toward a partner but rather taking into account and respecting your partner’s legitimate interests.” – Vladimir Putin
126. “The centuries-old history and culture of India, majestic architectural monuments and museums of Delhi, Agra and Mumbai have a unique attractive force.” – Vladimir Putin
127. “The Chechnya problem is a centuries-old problem. The thing is that today, fundamentalists and terrorists are exploiting those centuries-old problems to accomplish their own objectives that have nothing to do whatsoever with the interests of Chechnya.” – Vladimir Putin
128. “The Declaration on Strategic Partnership between India and Russia signed in October 2000 became a truly historic step. The developments in the first decade of the 21st century confirmed that it was a particularly significant and timely step.” – Vladimir Putin
129. “The democratic choice Russian people made in the early 90’s is final.” – Vladimir Putin
130. “The Eurasian union is a project meant to preserve the identities of nations and the historic Eurasian community in the new century, in a new world.” – Vladimir Putin
131. “The growing economic potential of India and Russia is mutually complementary in many respects.” – Vladimir Putin
132. “The leaders of the world’s largest economies agreed during the November 2008 G20 summit not to create barriers hindering global trade and capital flows. Russia shares these principles.” – Vladimir Putin
133. “The more intermediaries there are, the more problems there are.” – Vladimir Putin
134. “The path towards a free society has not been simple. There are tragic and glorious pages in our history.” – Vladimir Putin
135. “The philosophy of FIFA is to expand world soccer space, to spread out the world football space.” – Vladimir Putin
136. “The point of conservatism is not that it prevents movement forward and upward, but that it prevents movement backward and downward, into chaotic darkness and a return to a primitive state.” – Vladimir Putin
137. “The Russian parliament has condemned the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.” – Vladimir Putin
138. “The Russian people and Russian culture are the linchpin, the glue that binds together this unique civilization.” – Vladimir Putin
139. “The Russian people have their own cultural code, their own tradition.” – Vladimir Putin
140. “The Russian people have unilaterally made their choice in direction of democracy in the early ’90s. They will not be led astray. Nobody should be having any doubts.” – Vladimir Putin
141. “The state security bodies should not be seen as an institution that works against society and the state; one needs to understand what makes them work against their own people.” – Vladimir Putin
142. “The strengthening of our statehood is, at times, deliberately interpreted as authoritarianism.” – Vladimir Putin
143. “The task of the government is not only to pour honey into a cup, but sometimes to give bitter medicine.” – Vladimir Putin
144. “The transfer of power is always a test of the constitutional system, a test of its strength.” – Vladimir Putin
145. “The United Nations’ founders understood that decisions affecting war and peace should happen only by consensus, and with America’s consent, the veto by Security Council permanent members was enshrined in the United Nations Charter. The profound wisdom of this has underpinned the stability of international relations for decades.” – Vladimir Putin
146. “The United States and Russian security services regularly exchange information.” – Vladimir Putin
147. “The United States has overstepped its borders in all spheres – economic, political and humanitarian – and has imposed itself on other states.” – Vladimir Putin
148. “The unjustified swelling of the budgetary deficit and the accumulation of public debts are just as destructive as adventurous stock-jobbing.” – Vladimir Putin
149. “The whole world recognizes Russia’s cultural achievements. It is impossible to imagine the world culture without Russian culture, without our music and literature.” – Vladimir Putin
150. “The worst thing for a politician is to try and cling to power by every possible means, and focus only on that.” – Vladimir Putin
151. “There are big countries and small countries, rich and poor, those with long democratic traditions and those still finding their way to democracy.” – Vladimir Putin
152. “There are both things in international law: the principle of territorial integrity and right to self-determination.” – Vladimir Putin
153. “Thieves must sit in prison.” – Vladimir Putin
154. “Those who fight corruption should be clean themselves.” – Vladimir Putin
155. “To pay more is the easy way. In fact, the solution possibilities to the problem are many.” – Vladimir Putin
156. “U.S. society doesn’t want to play the role of international policeman.” – Vladimir Putin
157. “We are all different, but when we ask for the Lord’s blessings, we must not forget that God created us equal.” – Vladimir Putin
158. “We don’t need a weakened government but a strong government that would take responsibility for the rights of the individual and care for the society as a whole.” – Vladimir Putin
159. “We must stop using the language of force and return to the path of civilized diplomatic and political settlement.” – Vladimir Putin
160. “We need business to understand its social responsibility, that the main task and objective for a business is not to generate extra income and to become rich and transfer the money abroad, but to look and evaluate what a businessman has done for the country, for the people, on whose account he or she has become so rich.” – Vladimir Putin
161. “We need to use the United Nations Security Council and believe that preserving law and order in today’s complex and turbulent world is one of the few ways to keep international relations from sliding into chaos. The law is still the law, and we must follow it whether we like it or not.” – Vladimir Putin
162. “We shall fight against them, throw them in prisons and destroy them.” – Vladimir Putin
163. “We should not just consume hydrocarbon fuel but use it to develop nuclear energy, hydro power and renewable energy sources.” – Vladimir Putin
164. “We’re no longer in the Cold War. Eavesdropping on friends is unacceptable.” – Vladimir Putin
165. “What is a Rechtsstaat? It is obedience to the existing law.” – Vladimir Putin
166. “What is a uni-polar world? No matter how we beautify this term, it means one single centre of power, one single centre of force and one single master.” – Vladimir Putin
167. “When the States already had nuclear weapons, and the Soviet Union was only building them, we got a significant amount of information through Soviet foreign intelligence channels.” – Vladimir Putin
168. “Where in the world have you seen construction people who do everything on time, with good quality and at minimal prices? Just give me one country like that. A country like that doesn’t exist in the world, you know. There’s not one such country anywhere in the world.” – Vladimir Putin
169. “Whoever does not miss the Soviet Union has no heart. Whoever wants it back has no brain.” – Vladimir Putin
170. “Why does the world dislike Russia? I do not think that we are unloved or considered to be ignorant.” – Vladimir Putin
171. “Yes, life in Chechnya so far looks more like a life after a natural disaster.” – Vladimir Putin
172. “You can swim any way you like in the Dead Sea, actually.” – Vladimir Putin
173. “You must obey the law, always, not only when they grab you by your special place.” – Vladimir Putin
174. “You need to put drones under control; you need to lay out certain rules of engagement in order to prevent or minimize collateral casualties. It is extremely important.” – Vladimir Putin