The Russian president once again regretted the collapse of the USSR
Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke in a new documentary about his regret over the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, revealing that he had to work as a taxi driver at the time to supplement his income. In a documentary called “Russia, Recent History,” which aired on Sunday, Putin recalled: “Sometimes I had to make extra money. I mean making extra money by car, as a private taxi driver. Honestly. “I don’t like to talk about it, but unfortunately that was the case.”
When asked what kind of car he drove and whether it was not his private Volga, which he had brought after the diplomatic service in the GDR, he replied that he did not have another car at the time. This Volga is now stored in the presidency’s fleet as a historical relic.
The economic problems caused by the break-up are forcing many Russians to look for new ways to make money, the president explained. He described the collapse of the Soviet Union as the collapse of historic Russia. “It was the disintegration of historical Russia under the name of the Soviet Union,” he said, adding that the West believed that further disintegration of Russia was only a matter of time.
Putin has previously described the collapse of the Soviet Union as a “tragedy for many people”, but his memories of his personal difficulties at the time are new.
Taxis were rare in Russia at the time, and many private individuals drove strangers to make ends meet. Some even used company cars and even ambulances for taxis.
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