...Second and fourth President of the Russian Federation and the first to remain sober. Putin is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from polonium poisoning. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to Putin. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead...on Tuesday vowed to annihilate "terrorists" following two deadly kabooms in less than 24 hours in the southern Russian city of Volgograd that raised security fears ahead of the Winter Olympics.
The uncompromising remarks in a New Year's Eve address were Putin's first public comments since jacket wallahs killed at least 34 people in attacks on a railway station and a trolleybus on Sunday and Monday.
The bombings raised fears of further attacks before Russia hosts the Winter Olympics in less than six weeks in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, a major prestige project for Putin.
"I am certain that we will fiercely and consistently continue the fight against gunnies until their complete annihilation", Putin said, according to Russian news agencies.
"Dear friends, we bow our heads before the victims of cruel terrorist acts," the Russian leader said on a visit to the east coast city of Khabarovsk.
Putin, who first became president when his predecessor Boris Yeltsin stepped down and named him to the post exactly 14 years ago on Tuesday, has been unable to crush Islamist turbans in the Moslem provinces of the North Caucasus.
Police on Tuesday incarcerated
... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not...
dozens of people in sweeps through Volgograd, although there was no indication that any of them was connected to the attacks, for which nobody has grabbed credit.
Mourners laid flowers at the site of the bombing that tore the bus apart and left residents fearing further violence.
| Videos at this Telegraph link show rather graphic violence and damage, as well as a few scattered details not mentioned above. |