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VladimirPutin'sformativeGermanyearsBBCNews

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VladimirPutin'sformativeGermanyears
ByChrisBowlby
BBCNews,Dresden
27March2015 Magazine

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VladimirPutin'sformativeGermanyearsBBCNews

AnyonewhowantstounderstandVladimirPutintodayneedstoknowthestoryofwhat
happenedtohimonadramaticnightinEastGermanyaquarterofacenturyago.
Itis5December1989inDresden,afewweeksaftertheBerlinWallhasfallen.EastGerman
communismisdyingonitsfeet,peoplepowerseemsirresistible.
CrowdsstormtheDresdenheadquartersoftheStasi,theEastGermansecretpolice,who
suddenlyseemhelpless.
Thenasmallgroupofdemonstratorsdecidestoheadacrosstheroad,toalargehousethatis
thelocalheadquartersoftheSovietsecretservice,theKGB.
"Theguardonthegateimmediatelyrushedbackintothehouse,"recallsoneofthegroup,
SiegfriedDannath.Butshortlyafterwards"anofficeremergedquitesmall,agitated".
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"Hesaidtoourgroup,'Don'ttrytoforceyourwayintothisproperty.Mycomradesarearmed,
andthey'reauthorisedtousetheirweaponsinanemergency.'"
Thatpersuadedthegrouptowithdraw.
ButtheKGBofficerknewhowdangerousthesituationremained.Hedescribedlaterhowhe
rangtheheadquartersofaRedArmytankunittoaskforprotection.
Theanswerhereceivedwasadevastating,lifechangingshock.
"WecannotdoanythingwithoutordersfromMoscow,"thevoiceattheotherendreplied."And
Moscowissilent."
Thatphrase,"Moscowissilent"hashauntedthismaneversince.Defiantyethelplessasthe
1989revolutionsweptoverhim,hehasnowhimselfbecome"Moscow"thePresidentof
Russia,VladimirPutin.

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VladimirPutin'sformativeGermanyearsBBCNews

"Ithinkit'sthekeytounderstandingPutin,"sayshisGermanbiographer,BorisReitschuster.
"WewouldhaveanotherPutinandanotherRussiawithouthistimeinEastGermany."
Theexperiencetaughthimlessonshehasneverforgotten,gavehimideasforamodelsociety,
andshapedhisambitionsforapowerfulnetworkandpersonalwealth.
Aboveall,itlefthimwithahugeanxietyaboutthefrailtyofpoliticalelites,andhoweasilythey
canbeoverthrownbythepeople.
PutinhadarrivedinDresdeninthemid1980sforhisfirstforeignpostingasaKGBagent.
TheGermanDemocraticRepublicorGDRacommuniststatecreatedoutoftheSoviet
occupiedzoneofpostNaziGermanywasahighlysignificantoutpostofMoscow'spower,up
closetoWesternEurope,fullofSovietmilitaryandspies.
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PutinhadwantedtojointheKGBsincehewasateenager,inspiredbypopularSovietstoriesof
secretservicebravadoinwhich,herecalledlater,"Oneman'seffortcouldachievewhatwhole
armiescouldnot.Onespycoulddecidethefateofthousandsofpeople."
Initially,though,muchofhisworkinDresdenwashumdrum.
AmongdocumentsintheStasiarchivesinDresdenisaletterfromPutinaskingforhelpfromthe
Stasibosswiththeinstallationofaninformer'sphone.

AndtherearedetailstooofendlessSovietEastGermansocialgatheringsPutinattended,to
celebratetiesbetweenthetwocountries.
Butifthespyworkwasn'tthatexciting,PutinandhisyoungfamilycouldatleastenjoytheEast
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Germangoodlife.
Putin'sthenwife,Ludmila,laterrecalledthatlifeintheGDRwasverydifferentfromlifeinthe
USSR."Thestreetswereclean.Theywouldwashtheirwindowsonceaweek,"shesaidinan
interviewpublishedin2000,aspartofFirstPerson,abookofinterviewswithRussia'snewand
thenlittleknownactingpresident.
ThePutinslivedinaspecialblockofflatswithKGBandStasifamiliesforneighbours,though
Ludmilaenviedthefactthat:"TheGDRstatesecuritypeoplegothighersalariesthanourguys,
judgingfromhowourGermanneighbourslived.Ofcoursewetriedtoeconomiseandsaveup
enoughtobuyacar."

RevisitingoldhauntsonavisittoDresdenin2006

EastGermanyenjoyedhigherlivingstandardsthantheSovietUnionandaformerKGB
colleague,VladimirUsoltsev,describesPutinspendinghoursleafingthroughWesternmailorder
catalogues,tokeepupwithfashionsandtrends.
Healsoenjoyedthebeersecuringaspecialweeklysupplyofthelocalbrew,Radeberger
whichlefthimlookingratherlesstrimthanhedoesinthebarechestedsportyimagesissuedby
RussianpresidentialPRtoday.
EastGermanydifferedfromtheUSSRinanotherwaytooithadanumberofseparatepolitical
parties,eventhoughitwasstillfirmlyundercommunistrule,orappearedtobe.
"Heenjoyedverymuchthislittleparadiseforhim,"saysBorisReitschuster.EastGermany,he
says,"ishismodelofpoliticsespecially.HerebuiltsomekindofEastGermanyinRussianow."
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VladimirPutin'sformativeGermanyearsBBCNews

Butinautumn1989thisparadisebecameakindofKGBhell.OnthestreetsofDresden,Putin
observedpeoplepoweremerginginextraordinaryways.

AheavilyredactedStasidocumentreferringtoVladimirPutinandlittleelse

InearlyOctoberhundredsofEastGermanswhohadclaimedpoliticalasylumattheWest
GermanembassyinPraguewereallowedtotraveltotheWestinsealedtrains.Astheypassed
throughDresden,hugecrowdstriedtobreakthroughasecuritycordontotrytoboardthetrains,
andmaketheirownescape.
WolfgangBerghofer,Dresden'scommunistmayoratthetime,saystherewaschaosassecurity
forcesbegantakingonalmosttheentirelocalpopulation.Manyassumedviolencewas
inevitable.
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"ASoviettankarmywasstationedinourcity,"hesays."Anditsgeneralssaidtomeclearly:'If
wegettheorderfromMoscow,thetankswillroll.'"
AftertheBerlinWallopened,on9November,thecrowdsbecameboldereverywhere
approachingthecitadelsofStasiandKGBpowerinDresden.

TheformerKGBheadquartersinDresden

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Theblockofflatsnearby,wherethePutinslived

VladimirPutinhaddoubtlessassumedtoothatthoseseniorSovietofficersmenhe'dsocialised
withregularlywouldindeedsendinthetanks.
Butno,MoscowunderMikhailGorbachev"wassilent".TheRedArmytankswouldnotbeused.
"Nobodyliftedafingertoprotectus."
HeandhisKGBcolleaguesfranticallyburnedevidenceoftheirintelligencework.
"Ipersonallyburnedahugeamountofmaterial,"PutinrecalledinFirstPerson."Weburnedso
muchstuffthatthefurnaceburst."
TwoweekslatertherewasmoretraumaforPutinasWestGermanChancellorHelmutKohl
arrivedinthecity.HemadeaspeechthatleftGermanreunificationlookinginevitable,andEast
Germanydoomed.

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VladimirPutin'sformativeGermanyearsBBCNews

KohlpraisedGorbachev,themaninMoscowwho'drefusedtosendinthetanks,andheused
patrioticlanguagewordslikeVaterland,orfatherlandthathadbeenlargelytabooinGermany
sincethewar.Nowtheypromptedanecstaticresponse.
It'snotknownwhetherPutinwasinthatcrowdbutasaKGBagentinDresdenhe'dcertainly
haveknownallaboutit.
TheimplosionofEastGermanyinthefollowingmonthsmarkedahugeruptureinhisandhis
family'slife.
"Wehadthehorriblefeelingthatthecountrythathadalmostbecomeourhomewouldnolonger
exist,"saidhiswifeLudmila.
"Myneighbour,whowasmyfriend,criedforaweek.Itwasthecollapseofeverythingtheir
lives,theircareers."
OneofPutin'skeyStasicontacts,MajGenHorstBoehmthemanwhohadhelpedhiminstall
thatprecioustelephonelineforaninformerwashumiliatedbythedemonstratingcrowds,and
committedsuicideearlyin1990.
ThiswarningaboutwhatcanhappenwhenpeoplepowerbecomesdominantwasonePutin
couldnowponderonthelongjourneyhome.
"TheirGermanfriendsgivethema20yearoldwashingmachineandwiththistheydrivebackto
Leningrad,"saysPutinbiographerandcriticMashaGessen."There'sastrongsensethathe
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VladimirPutin'sformativeGermanyearsBBCNews

wasservinghiscountryandhadnothingtoshowforit."

PutinworkedforthemayorofStPetersburg(199096),thenmovedtoMoscowandroserapidly
tothetop

HealsoarrivedbacktoacountrythathadbeentransformedunderMikhailGorbachevandwas
itselfonthevergeofcollapse.
"Hefoundhimselfinacountrythathadchangedinwaysthathedidn'tunderstandanddidn't
wanttoaccept,"asGessenputsit.
Hishomecity,Leningrad,wasnowbecomingStPetersburgagain.WhatwouldPutindothere?
Therewastalk,briefly,oftaxidriving.ButsoonPutinrealisedhehadacquiredamuchmore
valuableassetthanasecondhandwashingmachine.
InDresdenhe'dbeenpartofanetworkofindividualswhomighthavelosttheirSovietroles,but
werewellplacedtoprosperpersonallyandpoliticallyinthenewRussia.
IntheStasiarchivesinDresdenapicturesurvivesofPutinduringhisDresdenyears.He'sina
groupofseniorSovietandEastGermanmilitaryandsecurityfiguresarelativelyjuniorfigure,
offtooneside,butalreadynetworkingamongtheelite.

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VladimirPutin'sformativeGermanyearsBBCNews

VladimirPutinisstandingsecondfromtheleftinthefrontrow

ProfKarenDawishaofMiamiUniversity,authorofPutin'sKleptocracy:WhoOwnsRussia?,
saystherearepeoplehemetinDresden"whohavethengoneontobepartofhisinnercore".
TheyincludeSergeyChemezov,whoforyearsheadedRussia'sarmsexportagencyandnow
runsastateprogrammesupportingtechnology,andNikolaiTokarevheadofthestatepipeline
company,Transneft.
Andit'snotonlyformerRussiancolleagueswho'vestayedclosetoPutin.
TakeMatthiasWarnigaformerStasiofficer,believedtohavespenttimeinDresdenwhen
PutinwastherewhoisnowmanagingdirectorofNordstream,thepipelinetakinggasdirectly
fromRussiatoGermanyacrosstheBalticSea.
Thatpipelinesymbolisedwhatwasseen,untilrecently,asGermany'snewspecialrelationship
withRussiathoughtheUkrainecrisishasattheveryleastputthatrelationshiponhold.
PutinwatchersbelieveeventssuchastheuprisingonKiev'sMaidanSquare,haverevivedbad
memoriesaboveall,ofthatnightinDresdeninDecember1989.
"NowwhenyouhavecrowdsinKievin2004,inMoscowin2011orinKievin2013and2014,I
thinkheremembersthistimeinDresden,"saysBorisReitschuster."Andalltheseoldfears
comeupinsidehim."
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VladimirPutin'sformativeGermanyearsBBCNews

Insidehimtoomaybeamemoryofhowchangecanbeshapednotonlybyforce,orby
weaknessbutalsobyemotion.In1989hesawinDresdenhowpatrioticfeeling,combinedwith
ayearningfordemocracy,provedsomuchmorepowerfulthancommunistideology.
SowhenwonderingwhatVladimirPutinwilldonext,it'swellworthrememberingwhathe'slived
throughalready.
Onethingseemssure.WhileVladimirPutinholdspowerintheKremlin,Moscowisunlikelytobe
silent.
ListentoChrisBowlby'sdocumentaryTheMomentthatMadePutinonBBCRadio4this
Sundayat13:30andafterwardsontheBBCiPlayer
SubscribetotheBBCNewsMagazine'semailnewslettertogetarticlessenttoyourinbox.

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