The Putin Files

Putin Returns to the Presidency, Sparking Protests and a Crackdown

Putin’s return to the presidency in 2012 — after a four-year stint as prime minister — was met by large anti-government protests led by demonstrators upset about evidence of electoral fraud in Russia. Putin accused Hillary Clinton of meddling in Russian affairs after she voiced support for fair elections. He cracked down on the protesters and political opposition.
About this project

Highlights From This Theme

“This is the kind of 3-D Potemkin village. It’s a flexible, agile Potemkin village, which mobilizes resources to throw them at the right moment, to present a bright picture, a global picture...”

Gleb Pavlovsky

Former adviser to Vladimir Putin

“We really were in the zero-sum world where, from Moscow’s perspective, Russia’s strength was our weakness, and our gain was their loss.”

Antony Blinken

Obama adviser, 2009-15

“The Russians have an inability to recognize that not everything is manipulation, not everything is spin, not everything is fakery, not everything is a Potemkin village. There is reality out there.”

Daniel Fried

National Security Council, 2001-05

“People wanted to be heard. People wanted to participate. People wanted to feel themselves important, to feel themselves political actors.”

Ekaterina Schulmann

Russian political scientist

“This was the first time that the public saw how power in Russia is being seized, and people were outraged.”

Gennady Gudkov

Opposition politician

“For us it was a total surprise as well. We saw, for the first time, that the YouTube and Facebook could bring together millions of people.”

Vladimir Ryzhkov

Opposition politician

“He really believed that the U.S. had executed an influence operation not just against Russia but against him in particular, to try and weaken his political power.”

Massimo Calabresi

Time

“There had been an election in the preceding days that did not meet international standards, and she called it like it was. I don't think there was an intent to needle.”

Daniel Baer

U.S. ambassador, OSCE, 2013-17

“He thinks that societies need to modernize, and they need to change, but they need to do it with a strong leader to guide the masses in the right way...”

Michael McFaul

U.S. ambassador to Russia, 2012-14

Support Provided By