4/1/2015 VladimirPutin'sformativeGermanyearsBBCNews

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VladimirPutin'sformativeGermanyears
ByChrisBowlby
BBCNews,Dresden

27March2015 Magazine

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine32066222?ocid=canada_canada_ppc_outbrain 1/24
4/1/2015 VladimirPutin'sformativeGermanyearsBBCNews

AnyonewhowantstounderstandVladimirPutintodayneedstoknowthestoryofwhat
happenedtohimonadramaticnightinEastGermanyaquarterofacenturyago.

Itis5December1989inDresden,afewweeksaftertheBerlinWallhasfallen.EastGerman
communismisdyingonitsfeet,peoplepowerseemsirresistible.

CrowdsstormtheDresdenheadquartersoftheStasi,theEastGermansecretpolice,who
suddenlyseemhelpless.

Thenasmallgroupofdemonstratorsdecidestoheadacrosstheroad,toalargehousethatis
thelocalheadquartersoftheSovietsecretservice,theKGB.

"Theguardonthegateimmediatelyrushedbackintothehouse,"recallsoneofthegroup,
SiegfriedDannath.Butshortlyafterwards"anofficeremergedquitesmall,agitated".

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4/1/2015 VladimirPutin'sformativeGermanyearsBBCNews

"Hesaidtoourgroup,'Don'ttrytoforceyourwayintothisproperty.Mycomradesarearmed,
andthey'reauthorisedtousetheirweaponsinanemergency.'"

Thatpersuadedthegrouptowithdraw.

ButtheKGBofficerknewhowdangerousthesituationremained.Hedescribedlaterhowhe
rangtheheadquartersofaRedArmytankunittoaskforprotection.

Theanswerhereceivedwasadevastating,lifechangingshock.

"WecannotdoanythingwithoutordersfromMoscow,"thevoiceattheotherendreplied."And
Moscowissilent."

Thatphrase,"Moscowissilent"hashauntedthismaneversince.Defiantyethelplessasthe
1989revolutionsweptoverhim,hehasnowhimselfbecome"Moscow"thePresidentof
Russia,VladimirPutin.

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4/1/2015 VladimirPutin'sformativeGermanyearsBBCNews

"Ithinkit'sthekeytounderstandingPutin,"sayshisGermanbiographer,BorisReitschuster.
"WewouldhaveanotherPutinandanotherRussiawithouthistimeinEastGermany."

Theexperiencetaughthimlessonshehasneverforgotten,gavehimideasforamodelsociety,
andshapedhisambitionsforapowerfulnetworkandpersonalwealth.

Aboveall,itlefthimwithahugeanxietyaboutthefrailtyofpoliticalelites,andhoweasilythey
canbeoverthrownbythepeople.

PutinhadarrivedinDresdeninthemid1980sforhisfirstforeignpostingasaKGBagent.

TheGermanDemocraticRepublicorGDRacommuniststatecreatedoutoftheSoviet
occupiedzoneofpostNaziGermanywasahighlysignificantoutpostofMoscow'spower,up
closetoWesternEurope,fullofSovietmilitaryandspies.

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4/1/2015 VladimirPutin'sformativeGermanyearsBBCNews

PutinhadwantedtojointheKGBsincehewasateenager,inspiredbypopularSovietstoriesof
secretservicebravadoinwhich,herecalledlater,"Oneman'seffortcouldachievewhatwhole
armiescouldnot.Onespycoulddecidethefateofthousandsofpeople."

Initially,though,muchofhisworkinDresdenwashumdrum.

AmongdocumentsintheStasiarchivesinDresdenisaletterfromPutinaskingforhelpfromthe
Stasibosswiththeinstallationofaninformer'sphone.

AndtherearedetailstooofendlessSovietEastGermansocialgatheringsPutinattended,to
celebratetiesbetweenthetwocountries.

Butifthespyworkwasn'tthatexciting,PutinandhisyoungfamilycouldatleastenjoytheEast
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4/1/2015 VladimirPutin'sformativeGermanyearsBBCNews

Germangoodlife.

Putin'sthenwife,Ludmila,laterrecalledthatlifeintheGDRwasverydifferentfromlifeinthe
USSR."Thestreetswereclean.Theywouldwashtheirwindowsonceaweek,"shesaidinan
interviewpublishedin2000,aspartofFirstPerson,abookofinterviewswithRussia'snewand
thenlittleknownactingpresident.

ThePutinslivedinaspecialblockofflatswithKGBandStasifamiliesforneighbours,though
Ludmilaenviedthefactthat:"TheGDRstatesecuritypeoplegothighersalariesthanourguys,
judgingfromhowourGermanneighbourslived.Ofcoursewetriedtoeconomiseandsaveup
enoughtobuyacar."

RevisitingoldhauntsonavisittoDresdenin2006

EastGermanyenjoyedhigherlivingstandardsthantheSovietUnionandaformerKGB
colleague,VladimirUsoltsev,describesPutinspendinghoursleafingthroughWesternmailorder
catalogues,tokeepupwithfashionsandtrends.

Healsoenjoyedthebeersecuringaspecialweeklysupplyofthelocalbrew,Radeberger
whichlefthimlookingratherlesstrimthanhedoesinthebarechestedsportyimagesissuedby
RussianpresidentialPRtoday.

EastGermanydifferedfromtheUSSRinanotherwaytooithadanumberofseparatepolitical
parties,eventhoughitwasstillfirmlyundercommunistrule,orappearedtobe.

"Heenjoyedverymuchthislittleparadiseforhim,"saysBorisReitschuster.EastGermany,he
says,"ishismodelofpoliticsespecially.HerebuiltsomekindofEastGermanyinRussianow."
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4/1/2015 VladimirPutin'sformativeGermanyearsBBCNews

Butinautumn1989thisparadisebecameakindofKGBhell.OnthestreetsofDresden,Putin
observedpeoplepoweremerginginextraordinaryways.

AheavilyredactedStasidocumentreferringtoVladimirPutinandlittleelse

InearlyOctoberhundredsofEastGermanswhohadclaimedpoliticalasylumattheWest
GermanembassyinPraguewereallowedtotraveltotheWestinsealedtrains.Astheypassed
throughDresden,hugecrowdstriedtobreakthroughasecuritycordontotrytoboardthetrains,
andmaketheirownescape.

WolfgangBerghofer,Dresden'scommunistmayoratthetime,saystherewaschaosassecurity
forcesbegantakingonalmosttheentirelocalpopulation.Manyassumedviolencewas
inevitable.
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4/1/2015 VladimirPutin'sformativeGermanyearsBBCNews

"ASoviettankarmywasstationedinourcity,"hesays."Anditsgeneralssaidtomeclearly:'If
wegettheorderfromMoscow,thetankswillroll.'"

AftertheBerlinWallopened,on9November,thecrowdsbecameboldereverywhere
approachingthecitadelsofStasiandKGBpowerinDresden.

TheformerKGBheadquartersinDresden

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4/1/2015 VladimirPutin'sformativeGermanyearsBBCNews

Theblockofflatsnearby,wherethePutinslived

VladimirPutinhaddoubtlessassumedtoothatthoseseniorSovietofficersmenhe'dsocialised
withregularlywouldindeedsendinthetanks.

Butno,MoscowunderMikhailGorbachev"wassilent".TheRedArmytankswouldnotbeused.
"Nobodyliftedafingertoprotectus."

HeandhisKGBcolleaguesfranticallyburnedevidenceoftheirintelligencework.

"Ipersonallyburnedahugeamountofmaterial,"PutinrecalledinFirstPerson."Weburnedso
muchstuffthatthefurnaceburst."

TwoweekslatertherewasmoretraumaforPutinasWestGermanChancellorHelmutKohl
arrivedinthecity.HemadeaspeechthatleftGermanreunificationlookinginevitable,andEast
Germanydoomed.

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4/1/2015 VladimirPutin'sformativeGermanyearsBBCNews

KohlpraisedGorbachev,themaninMoscowwho'drefusedtosendinthetanks,andheused
patrioticlanguagewordslikeVaterland,orfatherlandthathadbeenlargelytabooinGermany
sincethewar.Nowtheypromptedanecstaticresponse.

It'snotknownwhetherPutinwasinthatcrowdbutasaKGBagentinDresdenhe'dcertainly
haveknownallaboutit.

TheimplosionofEastGermanyinthefollowingmonthsmarkedahugeruptureinhisandhis
family'slife.

"Wehadthehorriblefeelingthatthecountrythathadalmostbecomeourhomewouldnolonger
exist,"saidhiswifeLudmila.

"Myneighbour,whowasmyfriend,criedforaweek.Itwasthecollapseofeverythingtheir
lives,theircareers."

OneofPutin'skeyStasicontacts,MajGenHorstBoehmthemanwhohadhelpedhiminstall
thatprecioustelephonelineforaninformerwashumiliatedbythedemonstratingcrowds,and
committedsuicideearlyin1990.

ThiswarningaboutwhatcanhappenwhenpeoplepowerbecomesdominantwasonePutin
couldnowponderonthelongjourneyhome.

"TheirGermanfriendsgivethema20yearoldwashingmachineandwiththistheydrivebackto
Leningrad,"saysPutinbiographerandcriticMashaGessen."There'sastrongsensethathe

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4/1/2015 VladimirPutin'sformativeGermanyearsBBCNews

wasservinghiscountryandhadnothingtoshowforit."

PutinworkedforthemayorofStPetersburg(199096),thenmovedtoMoscowandroserapidly
tothetop

HealsoarrivedbacktoacountrythathadbeentransformedunderMikhailGorbachevandwas
itselfonthevergeofcollapse.

"Hefoundhimselfinacountrythathadchangedinwaysthathedidn'tunderstandanddidn't
wanttoaccept,"asGessenputsit.

Hishomecity,Leningrad,wasnowbecomingStPetersburgagain.WhatwouldPutindothere?

Therewastalk,briefly,oftaxidriving.ButsoonPutinrealisedhehadacquiredamuchmore
valuableassetthanasecondhandwashingmachine.

InDresdenhe'dbeenpartofanetworkofindividualswhomighthavelosttheirSovietroles,but
werewellplacedtoprosperpersonallyandpoliticallyinthenewRussia.

IntheStasiarchivesinDresdenapicturesurvivesofPutinduringhisDresdenyears.He'sina
groupofseniorSovietandEastGermanmilitaryandsecurityfiguresarelativelyjuniorfigure,
offtooneside,butalreadynetworkingamongtheelite.

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4/1/2015 VladimirPutin'sformativeGermanyearsBBCNews

VladimirPutinisstandingsecondfromtheleftinthefrontrow

ProfKarenDawishaofMiamiUniversity,authorofPutin'sKleptocracy:WhoOwnsRussia?,
saystherearepeoplehemetinDresden"whohavethengoneontobepartofhisinnercore".

TheyincludeSergeyChemezov,whoforyearsheadedRussia'sarmsexportagencyandnow
runsastateprogrammesupportingtechnology,andNikolaiTokarevheadofthestatepipeline
company,Transneft.

Andit'snotonlyformerRussiancolleagueswho'vestayedclosetoPutin.

TakeMatthiasWarnigaformerStasiofficer,believedtohavespenttimeinDresdenwhen
PutinwastherewhoisnowmanagingdirectorofNordstream,thepipelinetakinggasdirectly
fromRussiatoGermanyacrosstheBalticSea.

Thatpipelinesymbolisedwhatwasseen,untilrecently,asGermany'snewspecialrelationship
withRussiathoughtheUkrainecrisishasattheveryleastputthatrelationshiponhold.

PutinwatchersbelieveeventssuchastheuprisingonKiev'sMaidanSquare,haverevivedbad
memoriesaboveall,ofthatnightinDresdeninDecember1989.

"NowwhenyouhavecrowdsinKievin2004,inMoscowin2011orinKievin2013and2014,I
thinkheremembersthistimeinDresden,"saysBorisReitschuster."Andalltheseoldfears
comeupinsidehim."

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4/1/2015 VladimirPutin'sformativeGermanyearsBBCNews

Insidehimtoomaybeamemoryofhowchangecanbeshapednotonlybyforce,orby
weaknessbutalsobyemotion.In1989hesawinDresdenhowpatrioticfeeling,combinedwith
ayearningfordemocracy,provedsomuchmorepowerfulthancommunistideology.

SowhenwonderingwhatVladimirPutinwilldonext,it'swellworthrememberingwhathe'slived
throughalready.

Onethingseemssure.WhileVladimirPutinholdspowerintheKremlin,Moscowisunlikelytobe
silent.

ListentoChrisBowlby'sdocumentaryTheMomentthatMadePutinonBBCRadio4this
Sundayat13:30andafterwardsontheBBCiPlayer

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