Vladimir Putin and his Russia look more invincible than at any other time in his 18 years in power. Russia will remain disproportionately dependent on oil prices and its 144 million people will stay poorer than they should be. Catapulted to power on Boris Yeltsin’s surprise resignation as president, Putin walked into his new office Dec. 31, 1999, in a suit that seemed too big for his shoulders. Eighteen years later, Putin’s friends run the economy and Russia’s military is resurgent. Recent space launch failures have drawn attention to troubles with the struggling aerospace industry, once a pillar of Soviet pride, and he wants Russia to catch up on robotic technologies and artificial intelligence.

Source: Egypt Independent March 11, 2018 07:30 UTC