Is Russia improving because Putin is a good leader?
 

Or is it because the new system is far superior to the previous one.

I left Russia at a very early age, spent most of my life in Sunny Florida. But I guess every now and then I look back. I hear things are way better over there compared to the early 1990s (when I was there).

I remember my mother having to stand in line for 6 hours to get a bag of potatoes, nowadays they have supermarkets n shit.

So is it Putin? or is it just the new system?

Thank Boris Yeltsin.

:1orglaugh

Russia is improving?

Putin is a good leader?

:1orglaugh

Improving? It's joke?

you forgot Gorbatchov or whatever he is spelled...

Putin!!! WTF are you talking about. It is because of new system and new time and people mind. Come on Putin is not as good as you think

I really dont know..... I don't know much about Putin. I know more about Al Gore then I know about Putin.

Russia is DEFINETLY improving.

Are the living condition anywhere close to the "western world".. no not quite. But compared to the hellhole it was 16 years ago its a huge improvement.

Early 90's was a Wild West in all ex-Soviet republics. All that government properly ended up finding its way to whoever had the most connections and the most guns. Borders opened, export by small businesses flourished, but those also had a lot of criminal activity associated with them. I know it was bad in Ukraine because I was there at the time and my family was involuntarily involved with some of it. Ended up leaving around 1998, when it started stabilizing.

It's MUCH better and safer now.

And you're asking this question on GFY? Are you stupid or what?

Do not use please official russian TV and gazettes. Just visit to Russia and check it itself. Not in Moscow. Check it in 50 kilometres from Moscow. You will see. You will know.

?????

theres plenty of russian webmasters here

The old guard is Russia is pushing back big time, as the old KGB / FSB clan are busy centralizing state power.

This a reaction to the chaos of the wild west capitalism of the 90's, where very few got their hands on state resources and made billions. Many of these oligarchs have since fled the country or been imprisoned as Putin has put the screws to them. As far as I have read , Putin is very popular in Russia and the people seem to enjoy power being consolidated by the state again.

In any case, I visited Moscow and St Petersburg in the mid 90's and would like to go back soon to see how it has changed. A lot of people have made a lot of money there in the last 10 years, but proceed at your own risk. It could be hazardous to your health.

Less involvement in wars and military exercises (granted Chechnya is still a problem) have probably helped the economy.... but marginal by western standards outside of St. Petes & Moscow.

The improvement started before Putin.
I also feel it has become better in many ways. But It is also getting a little bit scary, when i here people talk about that government is spying Russians, going to close the internet soon. All around are talking that the old times of separation of country from the other world is comming.
Besided, the difference between rich and poors is now so big and life has become so expensive that middle class does not exists. Most of Russians are poor.

That's depends on what do you mean on "improving". If you are talking about average statistical income so the answer is yes. As about the question of topic. Hmm, I don't think so. Russia improves do to it's not more authoritarian country, so it will improve in any case (doesn't matter is there will be Putin or Mutin/Rutin/Footin or something else)

:drinkup

Kasparov for president! ;-)

Agreed. :winkwink:

...of Georgia :thumbsup

once you hit rock bottom theres only one direction to go..