Page 8 - RusRPTJune18

2.3 Russia gets a new programme and people
Vladimir Putin is confirmed as Russian president again and Russian Dmitry Medvedev has been reappointed by prime minister. The Russian government has already rolled up its sleeves and is getting down to the work of setting the programme for the next six years.
And Putin’s last term (in theory) will in many ways be the most important. Russia’s petro-driven economic model was already clearly broken in 2013 when GDP growth dropped to zero at a time when oil prices were still over $100 per barrel. However, geopolitical showdown over first the fate of Ukraine and then the tussle in Syria meant that Putin postponed more prosperity as he redirected every spare penny into modernising Russia’s army. That process is not finished, but now Putin has achieved his immediate goals of reasserting
8 RUSSIA Country Report June 2018 www.intellinews.com