When the Soviet Union fell, millions hoped for freedom. 30 years later, Putin is leading the country back in time. A conversation with Valentin Yumashev, Boris Yeltsin’s chief of staff, who helped put Putin into office in 2000.
from
Silke Bigalke, Moscow
When Valentin Yumashev meets with the Russian President, the two of them talk about books, history, and their families. The old acquaintances do not talk about politics, for good reason: Valentin Yumashev belonged to an earlier power clique, he was an advisor to Putin’s predecessor Boris Yeltsin. At that time, he pursued different goals than the Kremlin chief today. Much has changed since then, and Yumashev, who officially has the title of presidential adviser, prefers to stay out of current politics, he says.