Putin Era (2000-Present)

Who is the current President of Russia?

Vladimir Putin

Which political party did Putin form part of before becoming president?

KGB

What was Putin’s first domestic challenge/failure?

nuclear submarine Kursk sank

How did Putin address this issue?

he did nothing and refused international help = many of the crewmembers died

How were the first years of the Putin presidency?

bloody and turbulent

Who did Putin target first to ensure public support?

billionaire oligarchs

What did Putin do to the then-wealthiest man in Russia who refused to cooperate?

arrested him at gunpoint and sent him to jail in Siberia

What did Putin want to build across the former Soviet Union?

a sphere of influence

Which country (former state of the USSR) wanted to join NATO?

Georgia

What region did Georgians want to regain control of?

Russian-backed South Ossetia

When did Russia invade Georgia?

2008

Who was the US President at the time, that despite condemning Russia’s actions, still maintained good relations with them?

Obama

When did the biggest mass protests since the collapse of the Soviet Union take place in Russia?

2011

What were these protests about?

in response to widespread allegations of fraud in parliamentary elections

Who did Putin blame for these protests?

the US

Name the two main protest leaders

Nemtsov and Navalny

What happened to them?

Nemtsov - shot dead

Navalny - jailed and died three years later

Which institution supports Putin?

the Orthodox Church

When did Putin seize Ukranian territory?

2014

Name of the Ukranian territory annexed by Russia in 2014?

Crimea

When did Putin begin the full-scale invasion of Ukraine?

2022

Which civil rights group devoted to remembering the victims of Soviet oppression has been banned?

Memorial