The economic problems caused by the collapse forced many Russians to look for new ways to make money. Putin called the collapse of the Soviet Union the end of historic Russia. These statements could provoke speculation about his intentions regarding Ukraine, a former Soviet republic.
Russia has deployed more than 90,000 troops on its border with Ukraine, and there are fears that an invasion is planned. Putin has previously said Moscow has a right to defend its security.
Russia denies threatening Ukraine and claims that it is only reacting to the threatening actions of Ukraine and NATO. Putin declined to say he was planning to invade Ukraine, but said simply watching NATO move closer to Russia would be “criminal inaction.”
He emphasized that NATO’s expansion to the east was a very sensitive issue for Russia.
Putin’s remarks are from the documentary “Russia, Latest History,” which was released on Sunday.
“It was the disintegration of historic Russia under the name of the Soviet Union,” Putin said, adding that there was a perception in the West that Russia’s further disintegration was only a matter of time.
It is well known that Putin sees the collapse of the Soviet Union as a tragedy, but his statements about personal difficulties at the time are new.
“Sometimes I had to earn extra money. I mean extra money in the car as a private driver. It’s unpleasant to talk about, to be honest, but unfortunately it was.”
At that time, taxis were rare in Russia, and many individuals offered to take strangers out to “make ends meet.” Others used work vehicles as taxis, such as even ambulances.
Putin is known as a former state security agent. In the early 1990s, he worked in the office of Anatoly Sobchak, mayor of St. Petersburg.
He claims that he left the national security service after the August 1991 coup against Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, which led to the collapse of the USSR.
“When I first arrived as a student in 1989, there were only two unwritten rules: don’t sit in a car with more than one person in it and agree on a price before you go. Then there weren’t enough official taxis. Usually, the biggest risk was to offend the driver of the macho , wearing a seat belt, “writes Patrick Jackson of BBC News.
