Mr. Putin said earlier this month that if Russian intelligence agents had wanted to kill Mr. Navalny, “we would have finished the job." In a March interview with the state news agency, TASS, Mr. Putin said opposing voices were essential. Mr. Putin also brokered a peace deal in November between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. Most former Soviet states “are our allies," Mr. Putin told his national security council in August. Next year, Mr. Putin could demand returns on the help he has extended, analysts said.

Source: Mint December 27, 2020 07:18 UTC