Vladimir Putin speaking at a Public National Front event in Kaliningrad. © Aleksey Druzhinin / Sputnik
Reuters: Putin, before vote, says he'd reverse Soviet collapse if he could: agencies
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday he would reverse the collapse of the Soviet Union if he had a chance to alter modern Russian history, news agencies reported.
Putin made the comments, likely to strike a chord with millions of nostalgic older Russians, weeks before a March 18 election that polls show he should win comfortably.
Fielding quick-fire questions from supporters in Russia's European enclave of Kaliningrad, Putin was asked what Russian historical event he would like to change.
"The collapse of the Soviet Union," Putin immediately shot back.
Putin, who served in the KGB in the Soviet era, called the 1991 Soviet fall the "greatest geopolitical catastrophe" of the twentieth century in a 2005 speech and has used the Soviet Union's World War Two defeat of Nazi Germany to stir patriotism and help create a new sense of Russian identity.
Read more ....
WNU Editor: I for one am not sorry to see the Soviet Union gone.
More News On Russian President Putin'r Remarks That He Would Reverse The Collapse Of The Soviet Union If He Had A Chance To Alter Modern Russian History
Putin confesses he would like to prevent USSR breakup if he could -- TASS
What would time-travelling Putin do? ‘Prevent USSR’s collapse’ -- RT
Putin Says He'd Reverse Collapse Of Soviet Union If He Could -- RFE
Putin says he wishes the Soviet Union had not collapsed. Many Russians agree. -- Washington Post
