NEWSWATCH: “As He Begins a New Term, Putin Pushes Lofty Goals for Russia” – AP

“If … Putin fulfills … goals … set for his new six-year term as president, Russia in 2024 will be far advanced in new technologies and artificial intelligence, many of its notoriously poor roads will be improved, and its people will be living significantly longer. There’s wide doubt about how much of that he’ll achieve, if any of it. Analysts assessing the prospects of his [new] term … often use the expression ‘neo-stagnation.’ … less than half of the population really trusts him, according to a state polling agency. … there were complaints of ballot-stuffing and other violations [although] his support was clearly high. Yet, when state pollster VTsIOM asked Russians a month later which politician they trusted to solve the country’s problems, only 47 percent chose Putin. …”

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