The recently published report by Boris Nemtsov and Vladimir Milov presents heaps of evidence showing that over the time of Vladimir Putin’s rule corruption has sharply increased, while the life expectancy of average Russian citizens has fallen (a translation of the document is provided on La Russophobe). The country has turned into a raw-materials appendage of the developed world, they argue, while terrorism and the war in the Caucasus are not abating, roads still haven’t been built, the gap of social inequality in society is widening, the pension reform has tanked, and of course the Putinite rackets of pork barrel spending are flourishing – Olympiad 2014 in Sochi, the APEC-2012 summit in Vladivostok and the «South stream» and «Nord stream» gas pipelines…

The authors make this kind of conclusion: «Now we know the answer to the question: «Who is Mr. Putin?» Putin– this is corruption, censorship, the raw-materials dependence of Russia, social inequality, depopulation. Deputinization of Russia — the only chance to lead the country out of a dead-end».

The authors did not mention a single word about the personal characteristics of former KGB lieutenant colonel Vladimir Putin. In my view, it seems like we know less about the prime minister than ever before, while in the meantime, I continue to this day to be amazed by certain analysts who assert that Putin is a capable manager.