On October 7, Vladimir Putin turns 70 years old. It seems that so much has been said and written about the Russian president that it is very difficult to add something new to this. Nevertheless, the book “Putin’s Way” published this fall is yet another attempt to take a close look at how Putin got into big politics, how much he has done, and what future he is predicting in Russia and abroad. The conversations between journalist Rafael Huseynov and writer, and historian Roy Medvedev, which formed the basis of this book, took place from November 2021 to July 2022. A very recent conversation, but events are developing so rapidly and dramatically that it does not look complete. There is also a rather delicate topic in these conversations – about the family.
– In any civilized country, the personal life of the first persons becomes the object of sometimes annoying, but close attention. Voters believe that they have the right to know everything about the predilections of officials of the highest rank, as well as about their relatives and friends.
Russians in this sense are deprived of the main thing: we know practically nothing about the private life of our leaders. This secret is guarded more carefully than atomic secrets. Only if the leaders themselves want to, will a small gap be opened, through which only shoelaces can be seen. Putin’s rather harsh reaction to the attempts of some journalists to penetrate the curtain of his personal life is also known. The owner of the newspaper that invented the sensational news about his new marriage, after an understandable reaction, with fright, closed it. However, to close the newspaper, if it violates the generally accepted norms of morality, may in the UK. And yet, how do you explain the practice that has developed in Russia in recent years? Historical traditions? Security considerations? Modesty? Unwillingness to let the curious into your personal life?
— As a historian, I can tell you that this is a tradition of the entire 20th century. Since 1917 this fact has become obvious. After the Bolsheviks came to power, private life was not considered a matter of public interest. Nobody knew who Stalin’s wife was, who his children were. Nadezhda Alliluyeva rode a tram and in no way positioned herself as the wife of the head of the Soviet country. This continued under Khrushchev, Brezhnev. Journalists were not allowed into the family circle. Small changes took place under Yeltsin. He introduced certain members of his family into power. Daughter Tatyana became his adviser and participated in solving state issues. Mikhail Gorbachev made attempts to bring his wife to the fore.
– I remember that this caused some rejection among fellow citizens who were not used to this.
– I would say this: our society was not ready for this, firstly, and secondly, quite soon Gorbachev himself began to cause irritation. Natural dissatisfaction with his activities began to intensify when his wife accompanied him everywhere. It was strange to see a well-dressed, well-groomed lady when she arrived with him in Armenia, destroyed by a terrible earthquake, and posed against the backdrop of the ruins. Raisa Maksimovna was by no means a popular figure in our society. These days, the media is not allowed into the private lives of politicians. I see this tradition as healthier than the openness of personal life, which is demonstrated by the same Berlusconi. I don’t think it’s worthy of emulation. But it should be noted that part of the reluctance to flaunt their personal lives is connected with security issues. Threats against Putin appeared during the war in Chechnya, people
Maybe they are no longer alive. There were also attempts to assassinate him. I think that security issues cannot but worry him, like any normal person.
Everyone has this problem differently. The families of the presidents of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, Nazarbayev and Karimov, especially their daughters, had business projects and participated in the political life of the country. It didn’t do anything good. But the daughters of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev are actively involved in charity and social activities. In this they found themselves and are respected in the country. They say about Belarus “dictatorship, tyranny”, but the two eldest sons of Alexander Lukashenko work in the apparatus of the president and government, and they are also open political figures, his youngest son always appears with his father.
– Doesn’t that seem strange to you?
“It seems strange to me as a teacher. In what spirit will a child be brought up who walks alongside his father, armed with a Kalashnikov assault rifle, through protests in Minsk? Belarusian newspapers, information portals write a lot about this. They also write about the situation of his wife, about how his youngest son was born… We have a different tradition, and we do not discuss the family affairs of the first persons. We must treat this with respect.
– Is there something special, exceptional in the position of Putin, who does not want to get in and describe his family life, or has this practice always existed among the Russian rulers?
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– This was observed more than once, but it concerned certain individuals. And I would not call it purely Russian – rather, it is a world practice.
– We can say that the desire to turn the life of a famous person inside out, to get into the most secluded corners of his life is typical of European media. But there are many countries in the world – in Asia, in the Middle East – where such a position is unacceptable and criminally punishable. In Thailand, “insulting royal majesty” faces very serious prison terms. There is a known case when a local resident was sentenced to 60 years in prison under this article. In 2015, a man was severely punished for posting a scathing comment about the king’s dog online. You can laugh at this, but every country, every nation has its own rules, its own customs, and they must be respected if you want your customs to be respected.
At the same time, there are politicians who are not averse to putting their personal lives on display. Mikheil Saakashvili, having become the president of Georgia, brought his wife to Tbilisi from the Netherlands. While she was raising two children, he began an affair with his press secretary, who soon bore him a child. Once in Ukraine, the loving Mishiko met with a local lady – a member of the Rada. Finding himself in a Tbilisi prison at the end of 2021, Saakashvili announced the dissolution of his marriage at the very moment when his legal wife from Holland tried in every possible way to help him. He also married a Ukrainian wife. Around the same time, a Georgian singer gives birth to a child from him. The question arises: can such a person, who so actively demonstrates his love addictions, be useful to his fellow citizens, voters?
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– An exemplary example. Let’s take the Russian Empire, our emperors, who had colossal power. None of them encouraged the participation of wives or mistresses in political life. Only Nicholas II allowed this, which caused a complete rejection of society. How it ended, you know. And this happened because the last Romanov was a weak, spineless person. It would be unfair to call him a personality, although modern monarchists exalt him in every possible way. Empress Alexandra Feodorovna tried to take over the functions of the ruler. But she was far from Elizabeth and Catherine II. The sad example of Nicholas II is quite revealing. None of the previous rulers – Peter I, Paul, Alexandra, Nicholas I – did not let go of the reins of government. Considering the realities then prevailing, the emperors did not choose their own brides.
Or take the practice of American political life in the 20th century. Here Bill Clinton is the most interesting for our story. He was not very well prepared for this position. If we take the political results of his relationship with Russia, then he easily coped with Yeltsin. The very first meeting with Putin and further steps showed that he would not be able to carry out his line, tested on Yeltsin, with Putin. Clinton’s personal life became known to a wide range of people. We can say that no US president has ever experienced such a shame before or after him. But the iron character of his wife Hillary, to a certain extent, contributed to the fact that he nevertheless sat out in the White House, did not leave there in disgrace:
The wives of other American presidents – Jacqueline Kennedy, Nancy Reagan, Laura Bush – all of them were distinguished by beauty, intelligence and restraint. Their husbands could be criticized, but there was nothing to criticize them for. She actively participated in beauty contests, the future wife of Donald Trump, Melania, starred almost naked. But, having become the first lady of the United States, this lady demonstrated to America, who was watching her very passionately, not only charm and good taste, but also maternal qualities. This very young woman was able to bring together, into one family, all the many children of Trump from previous marriages …
– While working at , I accompanied Raisa Gorbachev several times, including during the visit of the Reagan couple to the USSR. I can see that she spoke to journalists nervously, arrogantly and even dismissively. Her tone was commanding, instructive.
– Raisa Maksimovna quite confidently sought to expand her sphere of influence. She had a special talent – to subdue. And Mikhail Sergeevich succumbed to this pressure back in Stavropol. She was a candidate of philosophical sciences, the author of a weak dissertation in sociology, built on local material. Those who regularly communicated with her characterize the secretary general’s wife as a domineering, capricious woman, not quite adequate. It is known that in her family there was a mentally ill person – her own brother. It was not easy to talk to her, she radiated negative energy.
Now I begin to understand why it was difficult for me to talk with Mikhail Sergeevich. During several of our meetings, Gorbachev spoke all the time. Only at the end of the conversation did I manage to insert a few words. Such a manner is surprising for a high-level leader. He was really afraid of dialogue, did not always understand the essence of the issue under discussion. Therefore, after his long monologue, a farewell handshake followed.
– Raisa Maksimovna played a certain fatal role in the fate of her husband. Informed people told me that the head of the Stavropol regional department of the KGB, a direct and open general, in response to Raisa Maksimovna’s complaints that they did not like her, replied: “I’m afraid that the fate of Elena Ceausescu awaits you.” They say that after these words she burst into tears.
As for Putin, he has a special attitude towards his personal life. He several times told the story of his acquaintance with Lyudmila Alexandrovna Putina. Their first meeting was by chance. His friend invited his girlfriend and girlfriend to a performance at the Raikin Theater in Leningrad. So that the friend would not feel lonely, they invited Putin, then a young KGB officer. For the first time, Putin spoke about this in 2000 during a visit to Raikin’s Satyricon theater in Moscow. He came there with Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, sat in the first row. There was no special box in the theater. The public, waiting for the president, had to pass through the metal detector, not everyone liked it, they met Putin with restraint. He went on stage, presented Konstantin Raikin with an award and told the story of his acquaintance with his future wife.
The first meeting, apparently, did not make much of an impression on her. Putin was dressed in an inexpensive suit, kept modest. She did not immediately see him as her future husband. However, this marriage has developed, and, I think, it has developed successfully. Putin has made an amazing career for a man of his position. I know that he was always attentive to all members of his family. And the fact that a divorce took place with Lyudmila Alexandrovna is an everyday matter. I saw how palpably he was going through when it was announced. Everything went smoothly and with dignity. As far as I know, Lyudmila Alexandrovna arranged her family life.
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Putin’s wife never prepared herself for the role of first lady, did not seek to shine on the stage of big politics. She spoke about it herself, and this only characterizes her well. Due to her modesty, character and lack of ambition, she is the absolute opposite of Raisa Gorbacheva. But Lyudmila Alexandrovna managed to support her husband, be with him in the most difficult times and raise wonderful children. Her choice to live a private life is to be respected.
As for the life of the daughters, in addition to security considerations, I note that they are very important, one must also understand that the private, private life of any person should not be disclosed at his request. Even if that person is the president. Everyone in a civilized society understands this.
— When I met with Putin in 2010, I asked him what they were doing. Then his daughters were students, and he said that they were successfully mastering science. The eldest daughter, Maria, received a higher education, graduating in 2011 with a red diploma from the Faculty of Fundamental Medicine of Moscow State University. After that, she studied at the graduate school of the Endocrinological Scientific Center of the Ministry of Health. This center is headed by a prominent scientist, academician Ivan Dedov, who became the scientific supervisor of the girl. Occasionally, a young scientist appears on TV news with comments on his scientific specialty. At the same time, she is restrained and modest.
The youngest daughter, Katerina, was born in 1986, when Putin was serving in Germany. Both girls are named after their grandmothers – Maria Ivanovna Shelomova and Ekaterina Tikhonovna Shkrebneva. Katerina studied Chinese from childhood, later, at the Faculty of Oriental Studies, she specialized in Japan. She completed her studies at Moscow State University and is now working there on the innovative and technological development of the university. She also became interested in science, is a candidate of physical and mathematical sciences.
Putin himself rarely talks about his family, the last time it was in 2015 at a big press conference. About his daughters, he said this: “They are not engaged in business and are not involved in politics, they do not climb anywhere. To talk specifically about where my daughters work, what they do – I have never done this and now I am not going to do it. For many reasons, including security issues. In general, I believe that every person has the right to his own destiny.
Let’s agree with this.
– Do you consider Putin’s tough attitude to attempts to study his family and relatives to be normal?
– The fact is that he has practically no personal life in the sense that we imagine it.
