First Person

by Vladimir Putin

  Another option: We could agree to a division of the country. Immediately, dissatisfied leaders from different regions and territories would turn up: “We don’t want to live in a Russia like that. We want to be independent.” And off they’d go.

  Now, let’s return to the question of the independence of Chechnya. Today, everyone recognizes that it is necessary to preserve the territorial integrity of Russia and not to support terrorists and separatists. But let’s say we agreed to the independence of the republic and allowed Chechnya to succeed. The situation would be completely different. If we agreed to Chechnya’s independence, then quite a few countries would immediately grant official recognition to Chechnya, and that very same day, would begin to provide large-scale official support to the Chechens. Our current actions would be viewed as aggression, and not the resolution of internal problems. This would radically change the situation and make it far, far worse for Russia.

  Last summer, we began a battle—not against the independence of Chechnya but against the aggressive aspirations that had begun to flourish on that territory. We are not attacking. We are defending ourselves. We knocked the rebels out of Dagestan, and they came back. We knocked them out again, and they came back again. We knocked them out a third time. And then, when we gave them a serious kick in the teeth, they blew up apartment houses in Moscow, Buinaksk, and Volgodonsk.

  Did you make the decision to continue the operation in Chechnya before the apartment house explosions or after?

  After.

  You know that there is a version of the story that says the apartment houses were deliberately blown up, in order to justify the beginning of military actions in Chechnya? That is, the explosions were supposedly the work of the Russian special services?

  What?! Blowing up our own apartment buildings? You know, that is really . . . utter nonsense! It’s totally insane.

  No one in the Russian special services would be capable of such a crime against his own people. The very supposition is amoral. It’s nothing but part of the information war against Russia.

  Lyudmila Putina:

  About three weeks before New Year’s Eve, Volodya said, “I’m flying to Chechnya for New Year’s. Are you coming with me?” At first I was surprised. How could I leave the children alone? And what if something happened to both of us: What would happen to them? I decided I wouldn’t go. A few days later I flew to Peter, thought calmly for awhile, returned to Moscow, and told Volodya that I would go to Chechnya after all. I don’t know why. . . . I think I was terrified of staying behind without him. No one could guarantee that something wouldn’t happen. Things were unpredictable.

  The wife of Patrushev, director of the FSB, also came along. The rest were all men. We flew to Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, then transferred to three helicopters and flew to Gudermes, the second largest city of Chechnya. But the pilot decided not to risk landing the helicopter in Gudermes—the visibility was poor. I think he needed to see ahead at least 150 meters, but he could only see 100. Twenty minutes before the New Year, we turned around and flew back. At midnight we opened champagne in the helicopter. We had no glasses, so we drank right out of the bottles. There were two bottles of champagne for the entire group.

  When we turned back, the people in Gudermes figured that we weren’t going to make it. But you have to know Volodya. I didn’t have a minute’s doubt that we would somehow reach that military unit. It wasn’t important when or how, but we would get there. When we got back to Makhachkala, Volodya said to me, “You stay behind. We’ll go in cars.” No way! Was it worth flying such a long way to sit and wait for who knows how long? We piled into some cars. It was already 2:30 A.M. Two and a half hours later, we arrived at the unit. I slept the whole way.

  You should have seen the surprise and amazement in the eyes of our boys when we arrived. They looked tired and a little disoriented—as though they wanted to pinch themselves: Was this really Putin who had come to see them and celebrate New Year’s Eve with them? Were they dreaming?

  We spent an hour in the unit and then drove back. Several hours later, the road on which we had just been traveling was bombed. That was it. Then we flew back to Moscow. On January 1, we were invited to the home of Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin. It was only the second time in my life that I saw him.

  Masha:

  We kept asking our parents, “Where will we spend New Year’s Eve?” And about a week before the holiday, Mama said that she and Papa would be away for New Year’s. But she didn’t say where they were going. My sister and I didn’t think about it much. We weren’t hurt that they were going away. Our aunt and cousin were visiting, and we had invited a girlfriend over. We had already received our presents. We had asked for a computer, and they had given us two, so that we each had our own. Our parents came back the next evening and went out again right away. It was only later, watching television, that we realized they had been in Chechnya.

  Part 8

  THE FAMILY MAN: INTERVIEW WITH LYUDMILA PUTINA

  Interviews with Putin, Lyudmila, and their two daughters, Masha and Katya, take us inside the Putin home. Of course, things have changed since Papa’s rise to power, but the family tries to remain clearheaded about their newly found fame. They share their shopping habits, TV preferences, and talk frankly about their father’s temper and the pressures of being the First Family.

  You’ve lived with your husband for 20 years. You must know everything about him.

  No, you can never know everything about a person. Something remains secret in every person.

  He’s not very talkative?

  I wouldn’t call Volodya the silent type. He’s very eager to talk about topics that interest him, with people who interest him. But he is not inclined to discuss people, especially the people he works with. I’m just the opposite. If I know someone or I see someone on television, I tend to express my opinion. And he doesn’t like to do that.

  Well, express yourself about somebody. What about Chubais, for instance. Do you know him?

  A little bit.

  Women usually like him.

  And it seems to me that he doesn’t take women seriously. He treats them with a certain contempt. I’m not a feminist, but I want women to occupy the place they deserve in this world.

  Do you influence your husband? He’s always saying that Russian women are underestimated.

  That’s hardly my influence. Our views just coincide.

  Does he ever look at women?

  I think that beautiful women attract his attention.

  Do you take that calmly?

  Well, what sort of man would he be, if he weren’t attracted by beautiful women?

  A lot of husbands bring their work frustrations home with them at the end of the day.

  Volodya has never taken his problems out on me. Never! He has always solved them himself. Also, he won’t discuss a problem until he has found a solution himself. Later he might say something. But I always sense when he has some problems or when he’s simply in a bad mood. That’s something he’s not able to hide. In general he’s a composed person, but at certain moments it’s better not to bother him.

  Or else there will be a fight?

  It depends on what you mean. If you mean breaking dishes and flinging saucepans, no. He doesn’t even raise his voice. But he can answer rather sharply.

  Can he get drunk?

  There hasn’t been any of that. He is indifferent to alcohol, really. In Germany, he loved to drink beer. But usually he’ll drink a little vodka or some cognac.

  You’ve never been well-off, have you? Was there ever a period in your life when you didn’t have to count your money before payday?

  No, there’s never been a time when we didn’t have to count our money. I don’t know. Probably you’d have to own a large business in order to not count your money.

  Are you the one who runs the family finances?

  Yes.

  Vladimir Putin:

  Lyuda is still basically running the finances. I d
idn’t use to pay attention to our family finances, and I won’t start now. I’m not very good at saving money. And what should I save it for? I believe that you need to have a comfortable living space, eat normally, dress decently, provide your children with a good education, and go away somewhere on vacation every once in awhile. That’s all you need money for. What else would you need it for?

  If I had a pile of money, I would travel. I would take a journey. I haven’t been to many exotic countries. I’ve only been to America twice—to New York, in the sweltering heat, and also to Los Angeles. You don’t see much when you’re traveling on business—the airport, the hotel, the conference room, the airport. That’s it.

  I’d like to go on safari in Africa. To Kenya. I wanted to take my children there, but they were afraid of all the necessary shots. I’d like to travel to India. I’ve never been to any Arab countries. I’d like to see Egypt and Saudi Arabia. I’ve never been to Latin America at all. That would be interesting, too. They say that it looks like the Soviet Union in the 1950s.

  Do you do the cooking at home?

  I used to cook breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Now we have a cook.

  Have you ever noticed that when somebody takes up a serious post in our country, they begin to gain weight?

  Volodya works out every morning for 20 to 30 minutes. And he swims in the morning and the evening.

  Vladimir Putin:

  I usually don’t have lunch. I don’t have time. In the morning, I try to eat fruits and drink some kefir when I can. And when I don’t manage to, I’d prefer not to eat anything at all. I eat in the evening. I’m not on a diet, but I also don’t want to gain weight. Lyudmila has lost 15 kilograms, and I didn’t even expect it. My girls are very slender as well.

  At the prime minister’s dacha, where we are now living, there’s a little pool—about 12 meters long. I try to swim every day. And experience has shown it is better not to give up my workouts. If I give them up, I immediately have to buy clothes several sizes larger. I had a period, as I was saying, when I went from a size 44-46 to a 52. Then I took myself in hand. So at home I try to work out at least half an hour a day.

  I have to tell you, it has reached the point of insanity. I told everyone that I used to do martial arts, and now people call me and say, “We have a tournament scheduled. When should it be held?” “What?” I ask. And they repeat, “We have a tournament scheduled, but when do you think we should have it?” And I say, “Have it whenever you like.” And they ask, “When is it convenient for you? You’ll be coming, won’t you?” Well, I can’t contain myself and I tell them to go to hell: “If I can come, I will, and if I can’t, I won’t. Don’t be ridiculous!”

  You went skiing together near Sochi, in Krasnaya Polyana. Did you get addicted to skiing in Germany?

  No, before. The children ski better than we do. But they had guests that day and didn’t go with us.

  Vladimir Putin:

  I’ve been skiing for a long time. I used to go to Cheget, and to Slavsk, in Ukraine. I’ve been abroad a few times. Lyudmila skis as well. Last time we went she was pretty good. People were amazed to see us in Sochi in February. But their reaction was very kind and human. Maybe because we didn’t have 150 bureaucrats with us who didn’t know how to ski but were waiting to hold the ski poles.

  We went down the first time, and then I went over to the lift and took my goggles off. A line had formed, and suddenly I heard shouts of “It can’t be!” People began letting us through to the head of the line. Nobody bothered us, really. Some wanted to take photographs. A group of people gathered around us, and we were photographed all together. I did refuse to give autographs, because I was there to ski and I would have gotten stuck signing autographs the whole time. It was funny. Somebody said, “How can it be that you’re here among us, skiing?!” I laughed. “But who should I ski among? The Africans? They don’t know how to ski—they don’t have any snow.”

  Do you wait for your husband to get home in the evening?

  Yes. And I get up with him in the morning. You know, before he became prime minister, it was easy to get up in the morning, even though we went to bed at midnight or 1 A.M. We were less tired. Now, it’s a huge load. It seems just inhuman to me. I was horrified when I saw his meeting with Madeleine Albright on TV. He had slept about four hours the night before, and he had a three-hour meeting with Albright—and it wasn’t just a social visit.

  Aren’t you amazed at the way he manages all of this?

  I am amazed. Of course, Volodya always had a good memory. I remember when he was still working in Peter. We were invited to a reception at the French consulate. This was at the very start of his career. Volodya was late, and all of us—about seven people—were waiting for him. When he arrived, people threw questions at him, and for two hours he practically gave a press conference, even though we had just been invited for a visit.

  What did he talk about?

  Oh, everything. It was the first time I saw him in action. I sat there openmouthed. He talked about politics, the economy, history, and the law. I listened, and I kept thinking, “How does he know all this?” But you know, I always somehow believed in him. He had to start from zero so many times, and it always worked out. And in Moscow it all came together. You know, he had a hard time after he left the post of vice mayor. He couldn’t find work. That period was really difficult for him. He was silent. He didn’t say anything, but I understood. I still believe in him, although I’m a little afraid for him.

  Your husband’s status has changed dramatically, and that must affect your life. Strange as it seems, you must suffer from more limitations. Your friends can’t just up and visit you. Your girls are growing up, isolated from friends . . .

  And they are kept home from school, too, because the security measures have increased. Masha is in ninth grade, and Katya is in eighth grade. The teachers come to our home. But girlfriends come over as well. They still go to the movies, to the theater. . . . Of course, they’re less free than they were before. But our girls have turned out to be—knock wood—somehow very smart about life. I hope all these changes don’t affect them.

  Masha:

  To be honest, I’d like to go to school. Of course, they ask all sorts of questions about Papa there. Polite people don’t ask, but rude ones do. The ones who are really curious. When Papa became prime minister, people began to treat us with a lot more respect, it was really noticeable. But you know, some of them would flatter us or try to get in good with us. And that really bothers me. Some of them would be telling others on the street, “I know that Putin girl.” But on the whole, the friends I had last year are still my friends.

  Katya:

  We’re not really concerned about politics. We ask Papa to watch cartoons and sometimes he joins us. Our favorite movie right now is The Matrix, but Papa hasn’t seen it. We invited him to see it with us. He said he didn’t have time now, but he would definitely see it later. First we went to the movie theater on Krasnaya Presnya Street and watched the film with Russian subtitles. Then we bought the cassette in English. We have three languages in school-German, English, and French.

  Masha:

  They give us a lot of homework. Even if we don’t go to school, we still have a lot of homework. . . .

  Katya:

  We have guards when we go to the movies. There’s a guy who sits there watching the movie, but I think he’s guarding us at the same time. Usually, we don’t even notice the bodyguards. Even when we go somewhere with our friends, they stay nearby, but they try not to get in the way. We’ve called them over to drink coffee with us a thousand times, but they don’t want to.

  Masha:

  Sometimes people ask us, “Do you know what your Papa intends to do?” We never ask him. Why would we? He’s already getting asked a bunch of questions. We spend more time telling him about ourselves. I think it’s more interesting to him.

  It seems like the two of them get along. Wasn’t it hard to have them one after the other like that?
/>
  Volodya wanted it that way. He really loves the girls a lot. Not all men treat their girls as lovingly as he does. And he spoils them. I’m the one who has to discipline them.

  He didn’t want a boy?

  He always said, “Whatever God gives us is good.” He never said he wanted a boy.

  Now, that white, fluffy thing over by the door—is that a girl or a boy?

  She’s a girl, too. Her name is Toska. She’s a toy poodle. She hasn’t had her hair cut in a long time. Volodya was sort of amazed by her at first—she’s so little—but now he loves her.

  Do Masha and Katya talk about the future? What would they like to be when they grow up?

  Masha pronounces the English word management very seriously; and Katya says that she’d like to be a furniture designer.

  The girls probably never see their father.

  They see him more often on television than at home. But he always goes in to see them, no matter what time he gets home. We have a rule with Masha and Katya that they must be in bed by 11 P.M. If they go to bed later, then they can’t have anyone over on Saturdays. It’s probably too strict, but otherwise they’ll stay up until 3 A.M. I’m all for self-discipline: You can stay up until 3, but you know what the consequences are.