DATE=12/31/1999
TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT
TITLE=PUTIN PROFILE
NUMBER=5-45161
BYLINE=PETER HEINLEIN
DATELINE=MOSCOW
CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: Vladimir Putin went from being an unknown to 
Russia's most popular politician in little more than 
four months.  With President Boris Yeltsin's stunning 
New Year's Eve resignation, the former K-G-B spy 
suddenly becomes Russia's acting leader, with an 
excellent chance of winning the presidency outright.  
VOA Moscow correspondent Peter Heinlein reports Mr. 
Putin seems to fulfill the longing of many Russians 
for a strong leader.

TEXT:  Vladimir Putin stepped into the prime 
minister's office last August promising to crush 
separatists in the volatile northern Caucasus region. 
He caused a sensation when he used prison slang to 
underline his determination to track down what he 
called "terrorists" operating from breakaway Chechnya.

   /// PUTIN ACT IN RUSSIAN, THEN FADE TO...///

He said "We'll get them anywhere.  If we find 
terrorists in the toilet, then we'll blast them in the 
toilet. That's all there is to it."

It was apparently just what Russians wanted to hear. 
As the military offensive blossomed into a full-scale 
war, Mr. Putin's popularity skyrocketed.  The newly-
formed Unity party he endorsed in the recent 
parliamentary elections finished a strong second.

Nevertheless, the 47-year old former bureaucrat and 
spy remains a political enigma.  Some analysts 
describe him, and the Unity party he supported, as 
`centrist'.  But the Moscow Times newspaper, in a 
recent editorial, said "There is  no  particular 
reason to believe Unity is `centrist,' unless centrist 
is another word for `unknown.'"

The party is a loose grouping of political, show 
business and sports figures with little in common 
except support for Mr. Putin and the campaign in 
Chechnya.

Opinion polls suggest the reason for Mr. Putin's 
popularity is that he has tapped into the current 
nationalist mood of the Russian public. Fifty-one year 
old Moscow locksmith Victor Nikolayevich is among 
those who say Russia needs a tough, no-nonsense leader 
who will restore order.

///VICTOR NIKOLAYEVICH IN RUSSIAN, THEN FADE TO...///

He says "Let him strengthen the regime. Life has 
gotten worse, and I am for a strong hand, but a sane 
one."

In the few political statements he has made, Mr. Putin 
has said he supports market reforms in general, but 
has also made clear he believes in a strong state able 
to defend its interests at home and abroad. In a 
speech the night before he became acting president, he 
said "We shall not allow Russia's national pride to be 
trampled on".

The most detailed account of Mr. Putin's views was 
released a few days ago on a Russian government 
Internet web site. In a 14-page essay, he outlines a 
vision for Russia's future that mixes market 
principles with the country's collectivist traditions. 

He also says progress in Russia is impossible until 
the country heals a deep division within society. He 
offers patriotism - the feeling of belonging to a 
Great Power - as one of the possible solutions.

The war in Chechnya seems to have triggered just such 
a patriotic wave. Russian political analysts say if 
the conflict goes well for Russia until the 
presidential elections next March, Mr. Putin is likely 
to win in a landslide.

A widespread sampling of comments, from members of the 
political elite to average people on the streets, 
suggest that the long-suffering Russian people are 
willing to put up with a lot from their leaders. All 
they ask is for a restoration of their national pride, 
and an end to the chaos that has characterized life in 
the post-Soviet era. 

It is a tall order, but one Vladimir Putin seems to 
understand. (Signed)

NEB/PFH/JO



31-Dec-1999 14:15 PM EDT (31-Dec-1999 1915 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America
.