A Question of Identity

Writing in Yezhednevnyi Zhurnal under the headline Putin in Space, Vladimir Nadein ruminates on the near certainty that Putin will run for a third term as president whether he "wants to" or not, and considers the "black hole" scenario that is opening up for Russia:

In all his six years in the Kremlin our President has never once taken part in an open debate with his political opponents. His rare press conferences have resembled fancy dress charades. Only abroad has anyone dared to ask Putin inconvenient questions. The President has lost his temper, threatening some of the questioners with cutting off their you know whats, and sometimes limiting himself to a laconic "it sank". Even after becoming the darling of the masses, he has not dispersed the old anxiety of the question: "Who is Mr. Putin?".

I am far from intending to stain the silvery profile of our President with my suspicions. I am willing to join those who assert that Russia knew no such educated, energetic and mobile leader in the past century. But before voting for him a third time, I should like to obtain a clear idea about who he is, our Vladimir Vladimirovich. We shall in any case find out. But it would be nice if it were before, and not after.