“Why are you playing? Where are the contracts? It is not common to see the Russian president flummoxed, as Vladimir Putin rarely shows emotion in public. Therefore, it was surprising that he had lost his temper with Denis Manturov, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade and Industry: the video conference was recently recorded and published by the Russian media. “After? When is it closed? I don’t see any contract,” insisted the Russian head of state, who suggested “ending the meeting” immediately.
The moment, read as a show of force, may even have been rehearsed in advance and not occur spontaneously. This is how the professor of International Relations at the Autonomous University of Lisbon and director of OBSERVAR, Luís Tomé, considers it: “It doesn’t seem very relevant to me, it’s part of the choreography”. The specialist also points out that this episode is part of a “strategy” by Vladimir Putin to “hold members of the government responsible for failures in any aspect.”
Liliana Reis, director of the International Relations course at the Lusophone University, says, in statements to the Observer, that the moment captured “comes as a result” of, “Since the end of summer, [haver] some internal challenge to the leadership of Vladimir Putin” – and this is a way to assert yourself before other members of the Kremlin.
The university professor points out that this challenge to the power of the Russian president is “especially inside the Kremlin” and originates from “military failure” in the conflict in Ukraine. In addition, Liliana Reis points out that criticism of Vladimir Putin is not limited to the corridors of the Russian presidency, since society has already shown some signs of discontent, especially after the announcement of partial mobilization in September.
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Source: Observadora
