...Second and fourth President and sixth of the Russian Federation and the first to remain sober. Putin is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from polonium poisoning. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to Putin. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead...said Saturday that sanctions imposed on his country over its involvement in Ukraine were counterproductive and did not correspond to international law.
Speaking to a group of Western journalists at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin criticized the West, saying support for an "unconstitutional coup" interrupted a constructive dialogue over Ukraine.
Those who instigated the "coup" in Ukraine should have thought more carefully about the consequences of their actions, he said.
Western nations have threatened to toughen sanctions if Russia interferes with Sunday's national elections in Ukraine. Russia's natural gas and oil industries could be targeted, for instance.