After the Soviet Union (USSR) collapsed in 1991, Russian President Vladimir Putin worked as a taxi driver to earn his living. He reveals this in a Russian documentary that was broadcast yesterday. He also clarifies in the film how much he regrets the disintegration of the Soviet Union.
Putin described the breakup of the Soviet Union as the end of “historic Russia”. The accompanying economic problems also forced many Russians to look for new ways to earn money. I don’t like to talk about it, but it’s the truth
It is well known that Putin views the collapse as a tragedy, but his comments about his personal difficulties at the time are new. “Sometimes I had to earn extra,” he says in the documentary “Russia, latest history”. “I mean that I earned extra money as a private driver. I don’t like to talk about it, but unfortunately, it is the truth.”
At the time, taxis were rare in Russia, and many private individuals gave rides to strangers to make ends meet. Some even used work vehicles, such as ambulances, as taxis.
Putin’s comments about Russia’s history may seem harmless but could fuel speculation about his intentions with Ukraine, formerly part of the Soviet Union. Russia has for some time gathered more than 90,000 troops on the border with Ukraine, and there are fears of an invasion. Russia currently denies this, accusing Ukraine of provocation.
Before the collapse of the Soviet Union, Putin worked as an agent in the security service, the KGB. He says he resigned from the KGB after the August 1991 coup against Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev. That coup eventually led to the disintegration of the USSR.
In the early 1990s, Putin started working for the mayor of Saint Petersburg, Anatoly Sobchak. That was the very beginning of his political career.