Czar Vladimir?

Russian President Vladimir Putin has tightened his grip on power by eliminating dissent and stoking conflict with the West. What does that mean for Russia— and the rest of the world?

Sergei Bobylyov/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Vladimir Putin arrives at the Kremlin for his fifth-term inauguration, in May.

Russians 25 and younger have only ever known one leader: Vladimir Putin.

And last May, his hand on a red-bound copy of Russia’s Constitution—which guarantees many of the democratic rights that he has spent a quarter of a century undermining—he was inaugurated for a fifth term as Russia’s president.

If Putin, 72, serves a full six years of this term, he’ll become the longest-serving Russian leader since Empress Catherine the Great, who in the 18th century ruled Russia for more than 34 years.

“Together we will overcome all obstacles,” Putin declared in his inaugural address. “We will achieve everything we have planned. Together we will win.”

According to election results released by the Kremlin, voters showed their wild approval of Putin by giving him 87 percent of the vote in the March 2024 contest against three other candidates chosen by his government. Western powers including the United Kingdom, European Union, and United States quickly declared the elections undemocratic because no genuine opposition candidates could get permission to run.

Vladimir Putin is the only leader that Russians 25 and younger have ever known.

And last May, his hand on a red-bound copy of Russia’s Constitution, he was inaugurated for a fifth term as Russia’s president. He has spent much of his presidency chipping away at the democratic rights protected by Russia’s Constitution.

If Putin, 72, serves a full six years of this term, he’ll become the longest-serving Russian leader since Empress Catherine the Great. She lived in the 18th century and ruled Russia for more than 34 years.

“Together we will overcome all obstacles,” Putin declared in his inaugural address. “We will achieve everything we have planned. Together we will win.”

According to election results released by the Kremlin, voters showed their overwhelming approval of Putin by giving him 87 percent of the vote in the March 2024 election. He ran against three other candidates chosen by his government. Western powers including the United Kingdom, European Union, and United States quickly declared the elections undemocratic because no genuine opposition candidates could get permission to run.

Putin’s rule has transformed Russia’s political system.

While Russia tried to become a democracy after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, Putin’s 25-year rule has transformed the country’s political system into “an authoritarian state where he is more or less a dictator,” says Angela Stent, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and the author of Putin’s World: Russia Against the West and With the Rest.

Experts say Putin sees himself as a history-making leader carrying on the legacy of past rulers who were willing to sacrifice untold numbers of lives to build a stronger Russian state. The recent election has allowed him to portray the war with Ukraine, now approaching its third anniversary, as having widespread public support, and to justify a tougher crackdown on those who disapprove of his leadership and the war.

“The feeling that [Russia] is under siege . . . is kind of sustaining Putin,” says Aleksandar Matovski*, a Russia expert and professor at the Naval Postgraduate School.

While Russia tried to become a democracy after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, Putin’s 25-year rule has transformed the country’s political system into “an authoritarian state where he is more or less a dictator,” says Angela Stent, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. Stent is also the author of Putin’s World: Russia Against the West and With the Rest.

Experts say Putin sees himself as a history-making leader. He believes he is continuing the legacy of past rulers who were willing to do whatever it takes to build a stronger Russian state. This includes sacrificing an untold number of lives. The recent election has allowed him to portray the almost three-year-long war with Ukraine as having widespread public support. He has also justified a tougher crackdown on those who disapprove of his leadership and the war.

“The feeling that [Russia] is under siege . . . is kind of sustaining Putin,” says Aleksandar Matovski*, a Russia expert and professor at the Naval Postgraduate School.

Jim McMahon

Russia At a Glance

POPULATION

146.9 million

(U.S.: 335 million)

(U.S.: 335 million)

POVERTY RATE

11 %

(U.S.: 11.5%)

(U.S.: 11.5%)

YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT

12.7%

(U.S.: 7.9%)

(U.S.: 7.9%)

GDP

$5.8 trillion

(U.S.: $24.7 trillion)

(U.S.: $24.7 trillion)

TOP EXPORTS

Crude & refined oil, natural gas, coal

LITERACY RATE

99.7%

(U.S.: 99%)

(U.S.: 99%)

SOURCES: World Factbook (C.I.A.); U.S. Government Data; Population Reference Bureau

SOURCES: World Factbook (C.I.A.); U.S. Government Data; Population Reference Bureau

Rise to Power

Autocratic governments have ruled Russia for most of its history. For centuries, czars, essentially all-powerful emperors, led the nation. In 1917, the Russian Revolution overthrew the monarchy and established the Soviet Union, but the Communist government morphed into a totalitarian dictatorship.

After World War II, the Soviet Union became one of the world’s two superpowers, along with the U.S. But it remained a police state, where citizens couldn’t speak freely or criticize the government.

When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, Russia tried to embrace democracy. But the chaos of the transition led to an economic crash and rising prices, leaving many Russians in poverty and disillusioned with the idea of democratic government.

Autocratic governments have ruled Russia for most of its history. For centuries, czars, essentially all-powerful emperors, led the nation. In 1917, the Russian Revolution overthrew the monarchy and established the Soviet Union, but the Communist government changed into a totalitarian dictatorship.

After World War II, the Soviet Union became one of the world’s two superpowers, along with the U.S. But it remained a police state. Citizens couldn’t speak freely or criticize the government.

When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, Russia tried to embrace democracy. But the chaos of the transition led to an economic crash and rising prices. Many Russians were left in poverty and disillusioned with the idea of democratic government.

Xinhua/Alamy Stock Photo

A military parade in Moscow’s Red Square in May

So in 1999, when then-president Boris Yeltsin resigned and named as acting president Vladimir Putin—a former spy for the KGB, the Soviet Union’s intelligence agency—Russians embraced Putin’s message of security and prosperity. And in March 2000, Putin officially won election to the presidency.

“You had a traumatized population that was looking for a messiah,” Matovski says. “The essence of [Putin’s] campaigning has always been stability.”

During his first two four-year terms, the economy boomed, thanks largely to global demand for Russian oil, and life for many Russians improved. Brands like Nike and Starbucks opened up shop and appealed to a new middle class.

In 1999 then-president Boris Yeltsin resigned his office. He named Vladimir Putin, a former spy for the KGB (the Soviet Union’s intelligence agency) as acting president. Russians embraced Putin’s message of security and prosperity. And in March 2000, Putin officially won election to the presidency.

“You had a traumatized population that was looking for a messiah,” Matovski says. “The essence of [Putin’s] campaigning has always been stability.”

During his first two four-year terms, the economy boomed, thanks largely to global demand for Russian oil. Life for many Russians improved. Brands like Nike and Starbucks opened up shop and appealed to a new middle class.

‘You had a traumatized population looking for a messiah.’

After term limits forced Putin to step down from the presidency in 2008, he selected Dmitry Medvedev as his successor, and stayed on as prime minister, maintaining control behind the scenes. After Medvedev’s term ended in 2012, Putin ran again for president and changed the Russian constitution so that he could stay in power until 2036.

Most opponents of Putin’s government have been jailed or forced into exile. Others have died under mysterious circumstances, such as by poisoning or, in the case of Yevgeny Prigozhin, a militia commander who challenged Putin over the war in Ukraine, a conveniently timed plane crash. Alexei Navalny, the country’s most prominent opposition leader, died in February at a Russian prison in the Arctic. Many Russia experts believe the Kremlin was responsible.

“He’s creating a system where there’s no public opposition to him,” says Stent, the author. “Anyone who’s going to lead the opposition movement is now outside of Russia.”

Term limits forced Putin to step down from the presidency in 2008. Dmitry Medvedev was selected as his successor. Putin stayed on as prime minister and maintained control behind the scenes. After Medvedev’s term ended in 2012, Putin ran again for president. After regaining office, he changed the Russian Constitution so that he could stay in power until 2036.

Most opponents of Putin’s government have been jailed or forced into exile. Others have died under mysterious circumstances, such as by poisoning. Yevgeny Prigozhin, a militia commander who challenged Putin over the war in Ukraine, died in a conveniently timed plane crash. Alexei Navalny, the country’s most prominent opposition leader, died in February at a Russian prison in the Arctic. Many Russia experts believe the Kremlin was responsible.

“He’s creating a system where there’s no public opposition to him,” says Stent, the author. “Anyone who’s going to lead the opposition movement is now outside of Russia.”

Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images (Prigozhin); Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP via Getty Images (Navalny)

Putin opponents Yevgeny Prigozhin (left) and Alexei Navalny died under mysterious circumstances.

A New Cold War?

Putin has called the collapse of the Soviet Union “the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century” and sees the war with Ukraine as a way to reclaim Russian territory and return Russia to its status as a global superpower.

Ukraine is one of many former Soviet countries that have since become Western-leaning democracies, which Putin views as a threat to Russian power. With roughly a million Ukrainian and Russian troops killed or wounded since the war began in 2022, according to U.S. officials, it’s become the deadliest European conflict since World War II (see “The U.S. & Ukraine,” below).

Putin’s propaganda machine, which controls all national television channels and has devised a “patriotic” curriculum in schools, has cast the war as part of a broader struggle against the West. A particular target of Putin’s ire is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, a political and military alliance of European and North American States, including the U.S., that began during the Cold War.

Putin has called the collapse of the Soviet Union “the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century.”  He views the war with Ukraine as a way to reclaim Russian territory and return Russia to its status as a global superpower.

Putin views Ukraine as a threat to Russian power because it has become a Western-leaning democracy. The conflict has become the deadliest in Europe since World War II (see “The U.S. & Ukraine”).

According to U.S. officials, roughly a million Ukrainian and Russian troops have been killed or wounded since the war began in 2022.

Putin has a large propaganda machine. It controls all national television channels and has devised a “patriotic” curriculum in schools.  The war has been portrayed as part of a broader struggle against the West. A particular target of Putin’s anger is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO. It is a political and military alliance of European and North American States, including the U.S., that began during the Cold War.

“A lot of Russians really do believe that they’re at war with the West . . . and only Putin can save them,” says Stent.

In response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. and other Western nations have imposed economic sanctions on Russia, blocking millions of Russians from using their credit cards internationally, accessing bank deposits, or traveling abroad, and cutting oil and gas exports from Russia. The sanctions have hurt Russia’s economy, but not as much as anticipated because the Kremlin responded by strengthening financial ties with China, Turkey, and India.

Some experts compare current tensions between Russia and the West to a new Cold War, referring to the period (1946-91) when the Soviet Union and the U.S. battled—but never fought face-to-face—in a contest of ideologies that pitted Communism against democracy and capitalism.

“A lot of Russians really do believe that they’re at war with the West . . . and only Putin can save them,” says Stent.

In response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. and other Western nations have imposed economic sanctions on Russia. They have blocked millions of Russians from using their credit cards internationally, accessing bank deposits, or traveling abroad. Oil and gas exports from Russia have been cut. The sanctions have hurt Russia’s economy, but not as much as anticipated because the Kremlin responded by strengthening financial ties with China, Turkey, and India.

Some experts compare current tensions between Russia and the West to a new Cold War. The Cold War was a period (1946-91) when the Soviet Union and the U.S. battled about the ideologies of Communism versus democracy and capitalism. The countries never fought face-to-face during this time.

Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg via Getty Images (oilfield); Getty Images (fast food)

Russian oil helped the country’s economy boom in the 2000s and fueled a new middle class; (right) ordering fast food in Moscow, 2022.

A Quiet Protest

Russians who may seek better relations with the West lost their strongest leader with Navalny’s death. Russians can face fines or imprisonment for speaking out against Putin’s administration, yet many have found ways to express their disagreement.

On the last day of voting in March, Navalny supporters formed long lines outside of polling places to protest the sham election by voting against Putin or spoiling their ballot. The opposition leader had organized the effort before his death.

“According to the Russian Constitution, the source of power is the Russian people,” said Kristina, 22, as she waited to cast a protest vote outside a Moscow polling station. “We are supposed to be the ones with power here.”

The purely symbolic form of civil disobedience showed how little influence the opposition has amid widespread repression.

Russians who may seek better relations with the West lost their strongest leader with Navalny’s death. Russians can face fines or imprisonment for speaking out against Putin’s administration, yet many have found ways to express their disagreement.

On the last day of voting in March, Navalny supporters formed long lines outside of polling places. They protested the sham election by voting against Putin or spoiling their ballot. Navalny had organized the effort before his death.

“According to the Russian Constitution, the source of power is the Russian people,” said Kristina, 22, as she waited to cast a protest vote outside a Moscow polling station. “We are supposed to be the ones with power here.”

The purely symbolic form of civil disobedience showed how little influence the opposition has amid widespread repression.

Russians can face fines or prison time for speaking out.

And according to independent polls, Putin’s approval rating has actually climbed since the start of the war, thanks to the economic and patriotic boost it’s provided.

With no one who could replace him, the likelihood that Putin will hold office for life feels increasingly possible to many Russians, says Andrei Kolesnikov, a Moscow-based journalist and Russian politics expert.

 “The longer he is in power,” Kolesnikov says, “the more apprehension there is about who will be next, who will be worse.” 

And according to independent polls, Putin’s approval rating has actually climbed since the start of the war, thanks to the economic and patriotic boost it’s provided.

With no one who could replace him, the likelihood that Putin will hold office for life feels increasingly possible to many Russians, says Andrei Kolesnikov, a Moscow-based journalist and Russian politics expert.

“The longer he is in power,” Kolesnikov says, “the more apprehension there is about who will be next, who will be worse.”

With reporting by Kim Barker, Paul Sonne, Valerie Hopkins, Roger Cohen, and Anton Troianovski of The New York Times.

With reporting by Kim Barker, Paul Sonne, Valerie Hopkins, Roger Cohen, and Anton Troianovski of The New York Times.

Anatolii Stepanov/AFP via Getty Images

A destroyed Russian tank in the center of Kyiv, Ukraine, in June

The U.S. & Ukraine

What’s America’s role in the war?

When Russian troops invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, President Biden issued a warning: “Putin’s actions betray his sinister vision for our world—one where nations take what they want by force.” Since the war began, the U.S. has provided Ukraine with $55.7 billion in military aid—more than any other nation—for weapons, intelligence, and training.

Many U.S. experts and political leaders worry that if Russia succeeds in the war, millions of Ukrainians will suffer under Russian rule and Europe’s security will be at risk. They say a Russian victory could embolden China to take aggressive action in Taiwan, a breakaway island that China wants to control again. Others argue that the U.S. has already spent too much money on the war and doesn’t have a responsibility to help Ukraine. American assistance stalled for months earlier this year because of opposition in Congress.

U.S. support for Ukraine could change depending on who wins the U.S. presidential election in November. Vice President Kamala Harris has said she would continue military aid to Ukraine, while former president Donald Trump won’t commit to it.

“[Putin] is hoping [to have] parties coming to power who are going to be less supportive of assisting Ukraine,” says Angela Stent, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

When Russian troops invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, President Biden issued a warning: “Putin’s actions betray his sinister vision for our world—one where nations take what they want by force.” Since the war began, the U.S. has provided Ukraine with $55.7 billion in military aid—more than any other nation—for weapons, intelligence, and training.

Many U.S. experts and political leaders worry that if Russia succeeds in the war, millions of Ukrainians will suffer under Russian rule and Europe’s security will be at risk. They say a Russian victory could embolden China to take aggressive action in Taiwan, a breakaway island that China wants to control again. Others argue that the U.S. has already spent too much money on the war and doesn’t have a responsibility to help Ukraine. American assistance stalled for months earlier this year because of opposition in Congress.

U.S. support for Ukraine could change depending on who wins the U.S. presidential election in November. Vice President Kamala Harris has said she would continue military aid to Ukraine, while former president Donald Trump won’t commit to it.

“[Putin] is hoping [to have] parties coming to power who are going to be less supportive of assisting Ukraine,” says Angela Stent, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

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