How does Putin manage it?

[sspringer]

He's a pathetic public speaker.

He totally lacks charisma

He is shifty eyed

He neve has a lady on his arm

He must have modelled himself on Stalin.

Give Hitler his due, he had a much better public persona.

[KidKruger]

All his work is done on the inside.

And he controls the media machine there.

And he can imprison dissenters, or kill his opposition.

Job done.

[JohnL]

He ran the KGB and somehow got into Boris Yeltsins favour towards the end of his leadership IIRC

[sspringer]

JohnL Wrote:

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> He ran the KGB and somehow got into Boris Yeltsin's

> favour towards the end of his leadership IIRC

Sure he had a favour coming from Yeltsin but he was only a regional KGB head in Leningrad. He wasn't head of the KGB. But he has been in situ as leader for 30 years now so to hold on to that for that length of time does take organisational acumen and ruthlessness.

OK, he now controls the media and ruthlessly eliminates dissent but he must have some unrecognised ability/skill.

He is capo de capo in the biggest Mafiosi structure ever. Such types are always at risk of being toppled by younger and more ruthless lieutenants/colonels.

I can only put it down to how Russians for centuries have been subject to control, serfdom, oppression and brutality coupled to brain washing. And he milks the legacy of triumph ion the Great Patriotic War , 1941-1945. Most still believe Stalin was a hero. The majority go along with it but the young brighter ones are now emigrating.

Of those who emigrate, some will have their stay-behind relatives threatened and victimised by the KGB. This happened under Stalin and the result was that many emigres were forced into espionage on the promise that their relatives would be let-off if the ?migr? cooperated.