Translated material
"The king suddenly stopped being untouchable"
The German press continues to actively comment on the results of the recent presidential elections in Russia. Here are typical statements published in popular newspapers in Germany.
"Die Welt"
“Putin’s Russia should not be demonized. It is still a brutal country, but since the times of Gorbachev and Yeltsin it is no longer the Soviet Union, either in size or in methods of power. And this is no longer a wild experimental laboratory of the 90s. Putin faces the task of comprehensive modernization.”
"Süddeutsche Zeitung"
“Forecasts regarding the fact that politics in Russia will soon wake up from sleep, unfortunately, are not very favorable. Because maintaining the system of state control and at the same time radically reforming it is an extremely difficult task. Putin will have to make some gestures towards his disgruntled opponents, but only in order to then continue his previous course.”
"Hamburger Abendblatt"
“If Putin continues what the whole world has become accustomed to in his execution, the structures consisting of shadowy power circles, corrupt officials and super-rich oligarchs will become even stronger. Citizens are threatened by another phase of stagnation, as under the Red Tsar Brezhnev. The only difference is that the welfare of some part of society will be significantly higher.”
"Financial Times Germany"
“It looks like everything in Russia will remain the same. The former president became president again. And for this there was manipulation of votes, pressure on the opposition, and infringement of democracy. Putin’s system, despite recent protest attacks on it, is alive and well. And if you think about which of the tempting promises to reform the system that have come from Putin’s lips in recent weeks will actually be implemented, we have to admit: none!”
"Stuttgarter Zeitung"
“The country has changed, and it is extremely important for its future whether Putin keeps pace with these changes. At the start of his first term, the Russian president was dealing with a country on the brink of collapse. And he managed to add a little bit of strength and a lot of self-confidence to her.”
"West Deutsche Zeitung"
“The international community should hardly hope that a Russian summer will come after the Arab Spring. It is Germany that sees Russia as a stable supplier of raw materials and a reliable trading partner. Until now, no one has had any problems with gas and oil supplies. And yet nothing can be done about it: the twilight of the Russian Tsar has begun.”
"Rhein-Zeitung"
“Perhaps after his victory, Putin, from a position of strength, will make concessions to the opposition. This would be a step in the right direction. Because only with greater freedom and greater democracy will Russia be able to cope with corruption.”
"Handelsblatt"
“Russia has made a choice, and the undoubted winner has been determined - this is the opposition movement. His protests are changing the country and can influence the policies of future presidents. Vladimir Putin will govern the country again, but not in the same way as he was used to doing it at the beginning of his presidency. The king suddenly ceased to be untouchable.”
"Heilbronner Stimme"
“In his third presidential term, Putin is unlikely to become a true democrat. However, he is clearly no longer running the country like an old-school communist dictator. The former KGB officer is somewhere in the middle. And since Putin actively cared about stability in the country in the most difficult post-Soviet times, he still has more supporters than opponents.”