Putin vows to make Russia ‘self-sufficient’ in fifth Kremlin term

By AFP Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday vowed to make Russia “sovereign and self-sufficient” in the face of the West, in his first campaign speech before a March vote to extend his long rule until at least 2030. Putin will stand for a fifth Kremlin term in an election with no real opposition that will come just over two years since he launched the seismic Ukraine offensive. The 71-year-old came to power in 2000, with a whole generation in Russia unable to remember life without him. The vote will likely prolong his rule until at least 2030 and give him the possibility to stay in the Kremlin until 2036. “We must remember and never forget and tell our children: […]