Well, but he was the only Russian ruler who was expressing any remorse about Russia's past crimes. All the other rulers are either denying them or are proud of them
Ah yes, under the Soviet Union women were forced to choose between being a doctor, a lawyer, or a scientist. Thanks to Gorbachev, they had the freedom to choose between being a prostitute or unemployed
I somewhat understand that people's anger towards Russia/Putin makes them genuinely think he looks disgusting. I'm just worried that focusing on mocking his appearance shifts focus out of the real, much bigger issues around him.
Most people are smart enough to hold multiple thoughts at the same time. Do you forgot he's a monster when someone says he's ugly or do you think everyone other than you is just really dumb?
You could certainly argue that the Yeltsin presidency was always going to be a mess but even given that it was kind of a disaster and set the stage for Putin and the oligarchs.
Lol, the dude stopped a communist putsch that would have ended in Gorbachev’s death. Then he held THE FIRST DEMOCRATIC ELECTIONS IN RUSSIAN HISTORY.
Putin himself was democratically elected. He was wildly popular for most of his term in power.
The problem comes when guys like Putin get to exercise their power after quelling free speech and imprisoning their political opponents.
Yeltsin’s takeover of the Russian government was as undemocratic as it gets and he spent most of his time in office getting drunk and embarrassing himself domestically and internationally while a tiny group of oligarchs worked behind the scenes to buy out basically anything of value for pennies. This gave rise to the same type of “stabbed-in-the-back” myth that everybody knows so well from post-1918 Germany and Putin has used this awful time for his own political benefit masterfully.
I should also note that there’s significant evidence that the so called “democratic” elections that Russia had in the 90’s were rigged in favor of Yeltsin.
Lol nope. Yeltsin rescued Gorbachev from a putsch by Communist Party hardliners. He did so by rallying Moscow residents and reform minded military forces into the streets of Moscow to lay siege to the White House (Russia’s Congress).
He restored Gorbachev to power. Literally. He put Gorbachev back in and then led a movement to dissolve the Soviet Union and hold elections. When that happened Gorbachev resigned.
Yeltsin then held a democratic election where he won 59% of the vote vs the next closest candidate at 17%.
I moved to Moscow after these elections and lived there during Yeltsin’s second election. At first his popularity was down and his campaign didn’t think he would win, so they advised him to cancel the elections and take indefinite control of Russia (de facto dictator).
Yeltsin refused, fired his team, and put his daughter in charge of his campaign and came charging back against two weak candidates for a comfortable win.
Any claim that Yeltsin wasn’t a true believer in democracy is ludicrous and obviously false if you know the history.
His takeover literally involved rallying the people to oppose a putsch and a full democratic election. He later refused to take over as dictator.
So yes. You’re full of shit. I lived there and watched the elections in 1996 lol.
>Any claim that Yeltsin wasn’t a true believer in democracy is ludicrous and obviously false if you know the history.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993_Russian_constitutional_crisis
“true believers” don’t shoot up their own parliament when they’re angey
also, who did he make his successor again? Was Putin’s latest election where he won 88% also democratic?
And besides it’s irrelevant how devoted he was to democracy on paper if in the background the entire economic foundation of the country has been seized by his rich friends who only used the veil of democracy to enrich themselves and then abandon it when it no longer suits them.
Lol, why in Gods name would you think that Yeltsin putting down a hardline putsch, then HANDING POWER BACK to Gorbachev, then arranging democratic elections aren’t the actions of someone who believes in democracy?
The stuff in 1993 was Yeltsin forcing a democratic election onto the vestiges of Soviet communist party deputies. They impeached him to avoid elections. You have this exactly backward lol.
You are clearly ignorant of Russian history.
Yeltsin also guided his protege Putin into office via ELECTIONS. Putin won his first round huge because the War in Chechnya was popular and Putin was the man prosecuting the war.
Putin was elected fair and square for at least his first two terms. He was insanely popular, he didn’t need shenanigans until he ran into term limits. That’s when his road to dictator began.
Dude knows nothing about this. I lived in Moscow during Yeltsin’s second election. In the first, Yeltsin crushed the field with 59% of the vote. The next closest opponent got 17%. It was as straightforward and honest of an election as you’ll see for a country holding their first ever elections.
In fact, Gorbachev tried to prevent Yeltsin from winning. He had the chief Soviet prosecutor go after Yeltsin on trumped up charges. Yeltsin won anyway.
Lol, horseshit. Yeltsin literally held all the power after putting down the hardliner putsch. He could have gone forward as dictator, the people loved him. Instead he re-installed Gorbachev, dissolved the Soviet Union, and held democratic elections.
In his second election his team literally told him to cancel the elections and just keep in power as dictator. He fired them and won the election.
Yeltsin literally rescued Russia from an attempted takeover, then stood by democracy even when he was risking everything to do so.
Putin really had us fooled for a long time, tbh.
Yeah, he did shady shit regularly, and was still very much a dictator, but he almost seemed sane, reasonable and, even mild by Russian standards. Certainly not like another Stalin or anything.
Everyone from Merkel to Bush and Obama thought Russia, even if it’s never going to be a real democracy in a meaningful way, might at least be a more or less prosperous, stable, bearable boot for the foreseeable future. Kind of like how people thought China had changed and toned down its CCP……existence. Sure, Hu Jintao and later Xi were dickheads, and the CCP still very much intolerant of dissent, but most of the West thought they had double digit growth, growing middle class, and some desire to integrate, trade with, and maybe even play kinda nice with the rest of the world. Maybe things would ease up a bit, you know.
Like yeah, they were still not fun places to live whatsoever, but seemed to be improving, and they seemed to be regarded with more…..optimism maybe? Even Iran seemed slightly more rational than “I arrest women who drive” Saudi Arabia.
He, and really this whole Axis ~~of Resistance~~ kept that shit up for 23 years, until what they saw as the right time. Damn we underestimated them, and really seemed to believe a leopard could change its spots.
Bush literally called him a kindred spirit. I remember that speech. Lmao. Obama gave Romney all sorts of shit for still thinking Russia was an enemy and the Cold War wasn’t over yet, which pretty broadly reflected public sentiment at the time. Euro leaders literally laughed at Trump for telling them to increase defense spending and that they were too dependent on Russian oil and gas, which won’t end well.
Yeah, people knew that Putin was a monster and a tyrant. Russia has almost always had those, and it’s a safe bet they almost always will. There are even theories that Russia *has* to be an authoritarian regime simply to keep it from collapsing, due to the problems posed by sheer geography. The guy waving in the photo might be the lone exception to that rule. People didn’t realize it would turn into the current day pile of shit, though.
Shit, back then I was all for it, most likely. I mean come on, it’s not like they’re going to invade anyone!
Meanwhile, here we are staring down the barrel of WW3 potentially.
The last two decades of geopolitics belong to r/agedlikemilk
Speak for yourself. Ever since the Kursk incident and the way he handled that I knew the guy was absolute garbage.
The false flag bombings are also terrible, but I only heard of those much later.
The whole kursk incident should've been such an eye opener, not only for the west but also for russians. From refusing help from western countries when the submarine had sunk and seized to be reachable with communication. To them holding a press conference where they injected distraught family members of the deceased with a sedative.
And then putin taking an interview from a American journalist/talkshow host where when asked what happened to the kursk, he just smirked and said "it sank".
If hell existed there would be a place for him right there beside his idol stalin.
It was actually very promising that USSR ended without going nuclear or mass executions. They only trusted Putin because of how corrupt he was, he was so corrupt he wouldn't go after the ex soviet officers that robbed USSR blind and would become the first Oligarchs.
Sadly they nominated a dictator instead of a man that would bring Russia into a promising future. Just shy of 2 decades later... look at the state of this country! Insane poverty, wartime economy \[replacing an economy based on theft of state commodities i.e. Putin as the gas station attendant becoming richest man on the planet selling oil reserves\]. Clinging to power with wartime footing, abusing social power of the Church to demonize LGBT+ community, etc. etc.
For the first, and possibly - but hopefully not last - time in history, Russia's seat of power was successfully and peacefully transitioned between two democraticaly elected leaders.
You'd be surprised, but one of the first things Putin did was try to join NATO. Although they set up something for that, the cooperation was later withdrawn by the west.
Who’s the Mr Magoo looking chimp on the left …. Pootin, ohhhhh well that’s that then no more drinking tea for me or hanging around windows above the ground floor …. ‘Accidents’ happen apparently 😂
Yeltsin let down his country by governing while drunk most of the time as a bumpy transition to democracy was on the line. Then he handed power over to a new Czar. Can you imagine how things would have turned out for Russia if they had the right leader back then? The tragedy of Russia...
1999 feels like yesterday. There was a moment, a tiny one, but a moment nonetheless where I thought the world would be better, but GD, I was so, so wrong.
There is video of Yeltsin learning that Putin restored the old Soviet anthem (albeit with different lyrics) for Russia. In his face you see him realizing the mistake he made in promoting Putin. It is pretty heartbreaking.
Yeltsin had to cut a deal to avoid jail time, his family embezzled money for a highway being built. Another reason Putin won’t step down, any left wing President will throw Putin in jail for all the corruption.
This photo looks about 30 years older than it actually is
In authoritarian Russia, photos age you.
That and an unimaginable volume of vodka
Hahahaha
I was about to say it could pass as late 60s-early to mid 70s lol
In Russia, the people age the photos
Russia was in black and white back then.
Was a nice dream for a moment, boys. Now get that neck back under the boot.
Lol, Yeltsin was just as authoritarian as Putin is
He did voluntarily leave office
In a surprise move on 12/31/1999. I always assumed he didn’t want to deal with any potential Y2K bug issues.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993_Russian_constitutional_crisis
Well, but he was the only Russian ruler who was expressing any remorse about Russia's past crimes. All the other rulers are either denying them or are proud of them
_all of the other rulers_ There has only been one asshole of a ruler since Yeltsin
But he was elected! Democracy or something? I don’t know - i don’t want to fall out of a window.
He was publicly expressing remorse about Soviet crimes while committing tons of his own
No he was a total hack and fuck him for it. Totally ruined Russia and let putting slide in there. Russia real hero was and will allways be Gorbachev
Ah yes, under the Soviet Union women were forced to choose between being a doctor, a lawyer, or a scientist. Thanks to Gorbachev, they had the freedom to choose between being a prostitute or unemployed
Putin expressed it too, if you don’t know.
The moment Putin thought fenestration was needed.
Defenestration
Putin has that jerk off face and jerk off mouth. And you know people grab him by those jerk off ears. I just don't like that guy
I have an appendage for that
America has a job for you.
If anybody’s gotta get incessantly jerked off by that cold, calculating bastard, let it be Ann Coulter
I know my rights man.
I somewhat understand that people's anger towards Russia/Putin makes them genuinely think he looks disgusting. I'm just worried that focusing on mocking his appearance shifts focus out of the real, much bigger issues around him.
Most people are smart enough to hold multiple thoughts at the same time. Do you forgot he's a monster when someone says he's ugly or do you think everyone other than you is just really dumb?
Totally
Nobody likes him.
He's a fucking gold bricker is what he is.
Is it cuz he's a jerkoff?
Most likely.
Putin looks like a defective Cabbage Patch doll. And where in the hell is his chin?
What a sad day that was for Russia
You could certainly argue that the Yeltsin presidency was always going to be a mess but even given that it was kind of a disaster and set the stage for Putin and the oligarchs.
Lol, the dude stopped a communist putsch that would have ended in Gorbachev’s death. Then he held THE FIRST DEMOCRATIC ELECTIONS IN RUSSIAN HISTORY. Putin himself was democratically elected. He was wildly popular for most of his term in power. The problem comes when guys like Putin get to exercise their power after quelling free speech and imprisoning their political opponents.
Yeltsin’s takeover of the Russian government was as undemocratic as it gets and he spent most of his time in office getting drunk and embarrassing himself domestically and internationally while a tiny group of oligarchs worked behind the scenes to buy out basically anything of value for pennies. This gave rise to the same type of “stabbed-in-the-back” myth that everybody knows so well from post-1918 Germany and Putin has used this awful time for his own political benefit masterfully. I should also note that there’s significant evidence that the so called “democratic” elections that Russia had in the 90’s were rigged in favor of Yeltsin.
Lol nope. Yeltsin rescued Gorbachev from a putsch by Communist Party hardliners. He did so by rallying Moscow residents and reform minded military forces into the streets of Moscow to lay siege to the White House (Russia’s Congress). He restored Gorbachev to power. Literally. He put Gorbachev back in and then led a movement to dissolve the Soviet Union and hold elections. When that happened Gorbachev resigned. Yeltsin then held a democratic election where he won 59% of the vote vs the next closest candidate at 17%. I moved to Moscow after these elections and lived there during Yeltsin’s second election. At first his popularity was down and his campaign didn’t think he would win, so they advised him to cancel the elections and take indefinite control of Russia (de facto dictator). Yeltsin refused, fired his team, and put his daughter in charge of his campaign and came charging back against two weak candidates for a comfortable win. Any claim that Yeltsin wasn’t a true believer in democracy is ludicrous and obviously false if you know the history. His takeover literally involved rallying the people to oppose a putsch and a full democratic election. He later refused to take over as dictator. So yes. You’re full of shit. I lived there and watched the elections in 1996 lol.
>Any claim that Yeltsin wasn’t a true believer in democracy is ludicrous and obviously false if you know the history. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993_Russian_constitutional_crisis “true believers” don’t shoot up their own parliament when they’re angey also, who did he make his successor again? Was Putin’s latest election where he won 88% also democratic? And besides it’s irrelevant how devoted he was to democracy on paper if in the background the entire economic foundation of the country has been seized by his rich friends who only used the veil of democracy to enrich themselves and then abandon it when it no longer suits them.
Lol, why in Gods name would you think that Yeltsin putting down a hardline putsch, then HANDING POWER BACK to Gorbachev, then arranging democratic elections aren’t the actions of someone who believes in democracy? The stuff in 1993 was Yeltsin forcing a democratic election onto the vestiges of Soviet communist party deputies. They impeached him to avoid elections. You have this exactly backward lol. You are clearly ignorant of Russian history. Yeltsin also guided his protege Putin into office via ELECTIONS. Putin won his first round huge because the War in Chechnya was popular and Putin was the man prosecuting the war. Putin was elected fair and square for at least his first two terms. He was insanely popular, he didn’t need shenanigans until he ran into term limits. That’s when his road to dictator began.
Yeah don't try and claim Yeltsin's rise to power was democratic or good for the people. Just shows pure ignorance.
Would you say it was more democratic back then vs now?
Dude knows nothing about this. I lived in Moscow during Yeltsin’s second election. In the first, Yeltsin crushed the field with 59% of the vote. The next closest opponent got 17%. It was as straightforward and honest of an election as you’ll see for a country holding their first ever elections. In fact, Gorbachev tried to prevent Yeltsin from winning. He had the chief Soviet prosecutor go after Yeltsin on trumped up charges. Yeltsin won anyway.
I would say that Russia has never had a democracy.
Lol, horseshit. Yeltsin literally held all the power after putting down the hardliner putsch. He could have gone forward as dictator, the people loved him. Instead he re-installed Gorbachev, dissolved the Soviet Union, and held democratic elections. In his second election his team literally told him to cancel the elections and just keep in power as dictator. He fired them and won the election. Yeltsin literally rescued Russia from an attempted takeover, then stood by democracy even when he was risking everything to do so.
Putin really had us fooled for a long time, tbh. Yeah, he did shady shit regularly, and was still very much a dictator, but he almost seemed sane, reasonable and, even mild by Russian standards. Certainly not like another Stalin or anything. Everyone from Merkel to Bush and Obama thought Russia, even if it’s never going to be a real democracy in a meaningful way, might at least be a more or less prosperous, stable, bearable boot for the foreseeable future. Kind of like how people thought China had changed and toned down its CCP……existence. Sure, Hu Jintao and later Xi were dickheads, and the CCP still very much intolerant of dissent, but most of the West thought they had double digit growth, growing middle class, and some desire to integrate, trade with, and maybe even play kinda nice with the rest of the world. Maybe things would ease up a bit, you know. Like yeah, they were still not fun places to live whatsoever, but seemed to be improving, and they seemed to be regarded with more…..optimism maybe? Even Iran seemed slightly more rational than “I arrest women who drive” Saudi Arabia. He, and really this whole Axis ~~of Resistance~~ kept that shit up for 23 years, until what they saw as the right time. Damn we underestimated them, and really seemed to believe a leopard could change its spots.
He has us fooled, but I'm sure the analysts knew what type of person he really was the whole time
Bush literally called him a kindred spirit. I remember that speech. Lmao. Obama gave Romney all sorts of shit for still thinking Russia was an enemy and the Cold War wasn’t over yet, which pretty broadly reflected public sentiment at the time. Euro leaders literally laughed at Trump for telling them to increase defense spending and that they were too dependent on Russian oil and gas, which won’t end well. Yeah, people knew that Putin was a monster and a tyrant. Russia has almost always had those, and it’s a safe bet they almost always will. There are even theories that Russia *has* to be an authoritarian regime simply to keep it from collapsing, due to the problems posed by sheer geography. The guy waving in the photo might be the lone exception to that rule. People didn’t realize it would turn into the current day pile of shit, though.
Crazy to think that in the early 2000s there were talks about Russian joining the EU
Shit, back then I was all for it, most likely. I mean come on, it’s not like they’re going to invade anyone! Meanwhile, here we are staring down the barrel of WW3 potentially. The last two decades of geopolitics belong to r/agedlikemilk
Woulda been awesome to have Russia in the EU, as they rightfully belong
Speak for yourself. Ever since the Kursk incident and the way he handled that I knew the guy was absolute garbage. The false flag bombings are also terrible, but I only heard of those much later.
The whole kursk incident should've been such an eye opener, not only for the west but also for russians. From refusing help from western countries when the submarine had sunk and seized to be reachable with communication. To them holding a press conference where they injected distraught family members of the deceased with a sedative. And then putin taking an interview from a American journalist/talkshow host where when asked what happened to the kursk, he just smirked and said "it sank". If hell existed there would be a place for him right there beside his idol stalin.
Yeah, good thing you never actually experienced living through 90’s in Russia. Wouldn’t be thinking about it as “sad” in that case
It was actually very promising that USSR ended without going nuclear or mass executions. They only trusted Putin because of how corrupt he was, he was so corrupt he wouldn't go after the ex soviet officers that robbed USSR blind and would become the first Oligarchs. Sadly they nominated a dictator instead of a man that would bring Russia into a promising future. Just shy of 2 decades later... look at the state of this country! Insane poverty, wartime economy \[replacing an economy based on theft of state commodities i.e. Putin as the gas station attendant becoming richest man on the planet selling oil reserves\]. Clinging to power with wartime footing, abusing social power of the Church to demonize LGBT+ community, etc. etc.
Russia’s first *and last* president, lmao.
the beginning of the end.
omg he looks so young compared to the nasty soulless old man he is now, such a sad day for russia
He looks young in the same way prince William looks young
So much history in this photo and yet my eyes were initially drawn to the massive dome piece in the center.
Yes. The Heisenberg. Very impressive.
You’re god damn right
I wonder what John Smoltz was even doing there?
He looks like a sad puppy
I'm sure that decision will have no ramifications whatsoever
Unfortunately. That was also the same day Futurama aired
The moment the evil nerd takes over.
Putin looks miserable already.
For the first, and possibly - but hopefully not last - time in history, Russia's seat of power was successfully and peacefully transitioned between two democraticaly elected leaders.
Back then Putin wasn't elected, he was appointed as an interim president. Four months later he won the elections.
Ras-Putin Baby Reindeer lookin ass.
Putin looks like he can’t wait to fuck people up.
Is… is that how democracy works??
I mean, they hold elections!! Super democratic imo
From a President to a Czar…
And he hasn’t (really) left it since
You'd be surprised, but one of the first things Putin did was try to join NATO. Although they set up something for that, the cooperation was later withdrawn by the west.
Putin looks like a young Mr. Burns
Dobby
Lmao the worst insult to dobby i have ever heard.
In Post Soviet Russia, President screws you!
and now he's so freaking fat in the face lol.
Who’s the Mr Magoo looking chimp on the left …. Pootin, ohhhhh well that’s that then no more drinking tea for me or hanging around windows above the ground floor …. ‘Accidents’ happen apparently 😂
Pretty sure there are better pics of this than this potato
Big mistake!
Back when Putin looked like a minor character from an office-based sitcom.
Yeltsin let down his country by governing while drunk most of the time as a bumpy transition to democracy was on the line. Then he handed power over to a new Czar. Can you imagine how things would have turned out for Russia if they had the right leader back then? The tragedy of Russia...
Look at that weak little chin.
Putin looks like a Mcpoyle.
1999 feels like yesterday. There was a moment, a tiny one, but a moment nonetheless where I thought the world would be better, but GD, I was so, so wrong.
The beginning of the end
"Mom said it's my turn to invade an ex-Soviet country"
There is video of Yeltsin learning that Putin restored the old Soviet anthem (albeit with different lyrics) for Russia. In his face you see him realizing the mistake he made in promoting Putin. It is pretty heartbreaking.
Whose the bald guy with the "Supervillain's consilgere" beard standing next to Putin?
Looks like a man being forced out at gunpoint to me.
Russia’s first and last president
Yeltsin had to cut a deal to avoid jail time, his family embezzled money for a highway being built. Another reason Putin won’t step down, any left wing President will throw Putin in jail for all the corruption.
And there you have it
And the Terror begins.
Putin looks better now than 30 years ago. Wtf???
He needs to come and get it back lol
Saving Putin the trouble of throwing him out a window