Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
mind and principled resolve. It was Yeltsin's plan to spring this holiday surprise on the un-
prepared political opposition to bolster Putin's chances in the upcoming presidential elec-
tion. The plan worked. In March 2000 Putin became the second president of the Russian
Federation.
Mystery surrounded the cop in the Kremlin: he was a former KGB chief, but an ally of St
Petersburg's democratic mayor; well versed in European culture, but nostalgic for Soviet
patriotism; diminutive in stature, but a black belt in karate.
In his first term, Putin's popular-approval ratings shot through the onion domes. He
brought calm and stability to Russian politics after more than a decade of crisis and upheav-
al. The economy finally began to show positive growth. The improved economic situation
led to budget surpluses for the first time since the 1980s and wages and pensions were paid
in full and on time.
Putin vowed to restore the authority of the Moscow-based central state, engineering a
constitutional reform to reduce the power of regional governors and launching a second war
against radical Chechen separatists. His main opponent in the 2000 election, Moscow May-
or Yury Luzhkov, took note and hastily allied his political machine with Putin's new 'Unity'
party.
Putin was reelected in 2004. His second term accelerated the trend toward a more author-
itarian approach to politics. Former police officials were named prime minister and speaker
of the parliament. Restraints on mass media, civil society and nongovernmental agencies
were further tightened.
Terror in the Capital
Though the origins of the Russian-Chechen conflict date to the 18th century, it is only in re-
cent times that Moscow has felt its consequences so close to home. In September 1999 mys-
terious explosions in the capital left more than 200 people dead. Chechen terrorists were
blamed for the bombings, although the evidence was scant. Conspiracy theorists had a field
day.
In 2002 Chechen rebels wired with explosives seized a popular Moscow theatre, demand-
ing independence for Chechnya. Nearly 800 theatre employees and patrons were held host-
age for three days. Russian troops responded by flooding the theatre with immobilising tox-
ic gas, disabling hostage-takers and hostages alike and preventing the worst-case scenario.
The victims' unexpectedly severe reaction to the gas and a lack of available medical facilit-
ies resulted in 130 deaths and hundreds of illnesses. The incident refuelled Russia's cam-
paign to force the Chechens into capitulation.
