Changes

===Political career===

===Political career===

[[File:V Putin.jpg|thumb|200px]]

[[File:V Putin.jpg|thumb|200px]]

In the Yeltsin years during the transition to capitalism, corrupt foreign and domestic [[oligarch]]s took control of the country.  Putin rise to power as a [[populist]] was by taxing and driving out corrupt foreign oligarchs, and throwing in jail corrupt domestic oligarchs.  The oligarchs were his political enemies. Putin's success as a leader in Russia came about by reigning in the power of oligarchs.  He allowed them to run the Russian economy provided that they stay out of politics, unlike Western so-called "democracies".  Contrary to [[Western]] and [[CIA]] propaganda, Putin is not a friend of or controlled by oligarchs; rather, the oligarchs bow to his instructions and demands.

In the Yeltsin years during the transition to capitalism, corrupt foreign and domestic [[oligarch]]s took control of the country.  Putin's rise to power as a [[populist]] was by taxing and driving out corrupt foreign oligarchs whom the public viewed as looting the country, and throwing in jail corrupt domestic oligarchs as tax cheats.  The oligarchs were his political enemies. Putin's success as a leader in Russia came about by reigning in the power of oligarchs.  He allowed them to run the Russian economy provided that they stay out of politics, unlike Western so-called "democracies".  Contrary to [[Western]] and [[CIA]] propaganda, Putin is not a friend of or controlled by oligarchs; rather, the oligarchs bow to his instructions and demands.

Putin is mainly backed by the [[United Russia]] (''Единая Россия'') party, which currently holds a majority in the lower chamber of the Russian parliament, known as the ''Duma''. As a centrist party, it usually reflects the political views of Putin, which are that of authoritarian statism and [[nationalism]]. On March 14, 2004, he was elected to a second term as president with 71% of the vote. Barred from a third consecutive term by the Russian constitution, Putin ceded the presidency to [[Dmitry Medvedev]] on May 7, 2008, and became Prime Minister, at the time-sharing power with the more moderate Medvedev. Medvedev did not run for a second term, and, as a result, Putin was re-elected in 2012. Putin was again re-elected in 2018, facing little real opposition.

Putin is mainly backed by the [[United Russia]] (''Единая Россия'') party, which currently holds a majority in the lower chamber of the Russian parliament, known as the ''Duma''. As a centrist party, it usually reflects the political views of Putin, which are that of authoritarian statism and [[nationalism]]. On March 14, 2004, he was elected to a second term as president with 71% of the vote. Barred from a third consecutive term by the Russian constitution, Putin ceded the presidency to [[Dmitry Medvedev]] on May 7, 2008, and became Prime Minister, at the time-sharing power with the more moderate Medvedev. Medvedev did not run for a second term, and, as a result, Putin was re-elected in 2012. Putin was again re-elected in 2018, facing little real opposition.