Putin confirms he will return as Russian President in 2012

[Ond kaja]

[QUOTE=AzureAngelic;32457897]This is probably a stupid question, but how do you even pronounce his name?

I've always called him Vladmeer Pootin but I don't know Russian so that's probably wrong.[/QUOTE][url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ru-Putin.ogg[/url]

[-Chief-]

Putin is truly a master of the photo op.

[Funcoot]

[QUOTE=smurfy;32456774]Does this mean Obama and Medvedev won't get to hang out and fuck around anymore? If you see them together they always seem to be buddies having a chill day, and not just for the cameras

:([/QUOTE]

This is why Obama is good for foreign relations, better than most other presidents.

[CheeseMan]

[QUOTE=mac338;32457844]Putin is not.
[IMG]http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/infocus/putin091311/s_p15_0RTXUL0R.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE]

[img_thumb]http://www.ushmm.org/propaganda/assets/images/500x/hitler-with-dog.jpg[/img_thumb]

Naw I'm just foolin' with ya.

[Mingebox]

[IMG]http://i56.tinypic.com/25h2zdc.jpg[/IMG]

[Sobotnik]

[QUOTE=Falchion;32457869]People view him how they viewed stalin before, during and after the cold war to this day. But actually comparing Putin to Stalin is just stupid.[/QUOTE]

I compare based on the cult of personality and their intelligence.

[sir whoopsalot]

[QUOTE=CheeseMan;32457941][img_thumb]http://www.ushmm.org/propaganda/assets/images/500x/hitler-with-dog.jpg[/img_thumb]

Naw I'm just foolin' with ya.[/QUOTE]
But we all know that Hitler had his own dog.
Is that dog Putin's own dog? How many Hitlers have hugged a dog that wasn't theirs?

[shian]

[img]http://files.redux.com/images/bb71e8272f85149a1c5379f8c30d675c/raw[/img]

Old but gold

[OvB]

[QUOTE=Starship;32456901][img]http://files.brobible.com/archive/Buzz/VladPutin/putinwhale.jpg[/img][/QUOTE]

Shooting whales for [i]science[/i].

[Mingebox]

[QUOTE=OvB;32457991]Shooting whales for [i]science[/i].[/QUOTE]The Whales did their part well in informing him of what the dolphins were up to. Unfortunately, he no longer requires their services.

[kittykaty]

[img]http://rt.com/files/politics/putin-paris-elections-medvedev/vladimir-putin-804.n.jpg[/img]

[Kecske]

[QUOTE=Sir Whoopsalot;32457906]That dog looks awesome. Anybody got an idea on what breed?[/QUOTE]
Bulgarian shepherd.

[JgcxCub]

He's putin Medvedev in an awkward position.

[Randdalf]

Putin actually isn't confirmed to be returning - he has to be elected first. Then again, that's a forgone conclusion.

[CheeseMan]

[QUOTE=Kecske;32458052]Bulgarian shepherd.[/QUOTE]

Shortly acquired after kidnapping Bulgaria's entire government and replacing them with doubles.

[pingvin99]

Oh well fuck.
8 more years of corruption and dictatorship.
(I'm Russian and know it. You love putin just because you don't know about his rule.)

[ExplodingGuy]

[QUOTE=Falchion;32457496]Hey a russian ex intelligence agent who criticised putin got killed with radioactive poison.

And anna politkovskaja had an "elevator accident".[/QUOTE]
Don't forget about the deportation of William Bowder, and his lawyer, Sergei Magnitsky who was tortured to death all after Bowder's company exposed corruption within the Russian government.

[Minilandstan]

[img]http://filesmelt.com/dl/s_p26_29133575.jpg[/img]

[Carne]

[QUOTE=pingvin99;32458180]Oh well fuck.
8 more years of corruption and dictatorship.
(I'm Russian and know it. You love putin just because you don't know about his rule.)[/QUOTE]

Well most people don't understand that. They all assume he's some action hero who blast down doors wielding an AK in each hand while saving children. He's obviously doing all the photos and stuff for PR, while he actually seems like a pretty cold guy. Didn't he also allow the army to gas a bunch of civilians at some opera that was occupied by terrorists?

[Prez]

What is this, a Post pictures of Putin megathread?

[Mingebox]

[QUOTE=pingvin99;32458180]Oh well fuck.
8 more years of corruption and dictatorship.
(I'm Russian and know it. You love putin just because you don't know about his rule.)[/QUOTE]
All facepunch needs a picture of him playing hockey with a bear or something, and suddenly they're all "Putin-san is mai husbando ^_^."

[RainstormChurch]

[QUOTE=Prez;32458225]What is this, a Post pictures of Putin megathread?[/QUOTE]

But Putin is a 100% certified badass!

Never mind all the murders, set-ups and corruption, he took a photo with a puppy!

[Sobotnik]

I remember that a chess champion was holding a campaign or something to get into power.

Putin threatened to kill his family if I recall correctly in order to get him to back down.

[GeneralFredrik]

[QUOTE=Marbalo;32458272]ITT: Westerners obviously know everything there is to know about corruption and the state of freedom in Russia from a couple of wiki articles and a literal handful of reporter deaths that can definitively be linked to governmental involvement.

Also because hating Putin goes against the popular opinion so that's the new 'cool' thing to do as well I suppose.[/QUOTE]

Looks like you didn't read anything as well as ignore any argument against a corrupt goverment.

Want a personal anectdote instead from a Russian that I am studying with? Where she came from, if you even dared to speak up against DEAR LEADER PUTIN, you were gonna get harrased and probably killed.

[Mingebox]

[QUOTE=Marbalo;32458272]ITT: Westerners obviously know everything there is to know about corruption and the state of freedom in Russia from a couple of wiki articles and a literal handful of reporter deaths that can definitively be linked to governmental involvement.

Also because hating Putin goes against the popular opinion so that's the new 'cool' thing to do as well I suppose.[/QUOTE]If only you were in Jonestown, you coulda drunk all that Kool Aid and saved everyone.

[RainstormChurch]

[QUOTE=Atlascore;32458428]Sounds like bullshit, if people were actually being harassed or killed over talking against Putin it would be all over international news, it's the 21st century it's almost impossible to hide things like that now.[/QUOTE]

Where were you back in '06-'07?
The whole Alexander Litvinenko thing was all over the news.

[Ond kaja]

I don't know if I like Putin or not. On one hand, he doesn't seem to care about corruption, human rights and democracy. But on the other hand, he is the only leader of a big country that has the balls to criticise America, a counterweight that is much needed.

[CSOD]

Edit

[Gekkosan]

[QUOTE=Starship;32456946][img]http://files.brobible.com/archive/Buzz/VladPutin/badassputin.JPG[/img][/QUOTE]

[b]In Russia, the president hunts YOU![/b]

[RainstormChurch]

[QUOTE=Marbalo;32458815]But I digress, the reason I mock people who bluntly criticize Putin to the point where he seems almost as bad as fucking Stalin is because every bad thing he ever did is blown straight out of proportion.
When it comes to comparing him with the rest of the world leaders, he is the one that actually doesn't seem half bad. Granted that just because everyone does bad shit doesn't justify doing said bad shit but I'm just trying to add a sense of perspective here, something everyone conveniently forgets.[/QUOTE]

Contract killings, torture sessions, death threats, poisonings, corruption, all blown out of proportion?