Russian PresidentVladimir Putin made surprising statements in the documentary called Russia, the Newest History, released on Sunday. Sharing his thoughts on the collapse of the Soviet Union, Putin also talked about his experiences at that time. The economic difficulties experienced during the collapse caused many Russians to take up additional jobs.
During this period, which he described as “the disintegration of historical Russia under the name of the Soviet Union”, Putin admitted that he was also working on an additional job. He is also in a job that would not be expected from Putin, one of the most powerful and extraordinary heads of state in the world, who served as a KGB agent at the time.
“It’s unpleasant to talk about that period, but that was the case”
As many of you know, Putin is a former agent of the KGB, the Soviet Union’s security service. In the 1990s St. Working alongside Petersburg Mayor Anatoly Sobchak, Putin resigned from the KGB after the failed coup attempt against Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev.
In the documentary, Putin stated that he thought more countries would leave Russia during the collapse of the Soviet Union, adding, “To be honest, it was unpleasant to talk about that period, but that was the case.” Expressing that he sometimes needed to earn additional income during these periods, Putin confessed that he was working as a pirate taxi, saying, “I was earning money as a driver by car.”
Since the number of taxis in the country at that time was extremely insufficient, people could earn money by being a taxi driver to people they did not know. In fact, the number of taxis in the country was so small that in some cases even ambulances could be used as taxis. However, Putin stated that ambulances are a “red line” and stated that he is against using ambulances as taxis.
Noting that at that time most young people in Moscow used pirate taxis, also known as “bombers”, Putin also stated that almost every Russian who owns a car is also a pirate taxi driver to earn additional income.
Noting that there are two unwritten rules about pirate taxi driving, ‘don’t get into cars with more than one person in them’ and ‘talk about money before you set off’, Putin said; He stated that the biggest danger you may encounter while traveling with pirate taxis is to come across a macho driver who perceives that you just wear a seat belt as an insult. Pointing out that the number of pirate taxis increased with the gradual depreciation of the Russian ruble following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Putin said; He also underlined that it is possible to come across people from all walks and walks of life at the wheel.
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