Putin fights off view on `autocratic` rule
President Vladimir Putin fought off charges of leading an ``authoritarian'' regime and vowed to make
Russia's economy catch up with the West in an annual address that notably skirted the two crises of his leadership
_ Chechnya and the imprisonment of Russia's richest man. In his first state of the nation address since re-election
to a second term in March, Mr Putin told his allies and other dignitaries in the Kremlin's posh Marble Hall that
Western governments unfairly viewed his leadership as autocratic. But he also vowed to pursue the war in Chechnya that
he launched more than four years ago and which now appears to be headed for further chaos with the recent assassination
of the pro-Moscow leader Akhmad Kadyrov. He left no hint as to whom he might want to see as Kadyrov's successor in
elections scheduled for Aug 29. And Mr Putin pointedly made no mention of Mikhail Khodorkovsky _ a foe who founded the
giant Yukos oil company, and who is due to go on trial on fraud charges tomorrow amid allegations that the case is
politically motivated. Mr Putin further kept silent about his own potential successor in 2008 _ a subject that is
steadily gaining attention in the Russian press. Instead Mr Putin painted Russia as a country that was clawing its way
out the Soviet Union's ashes and scaring other nations because of its new-found muscle. ``Not everyone in the world
wants to deal with an independent, strong, and confident Russia,'' Mr Putin said in the 47-minute address
aired across the nation. ``Right now, amid a global competitive [economic] war, political, economic and media resources
are being used [against Russia]. ``We are frequently understood to be an authoritarian government. Because of this I
would like to declare, there will be no fundamental review of Russian politics,'' he said as applause broke
out. A leader who first came to power on a patriotic ticket, Mr Putin said Russia had gained an important foothold in
the international arena in recent years and that the country was now being seen as an equal to Western powers.
|
RUSSIA IN FACTS
