Misplaced Pages

#664335

106-499: Modern agribusiness production systems are capital intensive. A large portion of capital used in agribusiness is borrowed. The agrarian credit system in Russia goes back to 1882 when the first specialized banks –‘Peasant Land Bank’ and ‘Gentry Land Bank’ – were established. During the Soviet period, about 90% of all long-term loans were extended to agribusiness. Russian Agricultural Bank (RusAg)

212-766: A KGB foreign intelligence officer for 16 years, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel . He resigned in 1991 to begin a political career in Saint Petersburg. In 1996, he moved to Moscow to join the administration of President Boris Yeltsin . He briefly served as the director of the Federal Security Service (FSB) and then as secretary of the Security Council of Russia before being appointed prime minister in August 1999. Following Yeltsin's resignation, Putin became acting president and, in less than four months,

318-456: A cyclone begins to form in the south western Caribbean . The price for July 2010 was about $ 84–$ 90 per barrel of crude oil . Oil prices ended the year at $ 101.80, falling to $ 100.01 per barrel on 30 and 31 January 2011. , then the Egyptian civil war broke out, as it theoretically put the use of Suez Canal at risk. Making matters worse, a gas pipeline to Jordan was blown up by saboteurs in

424-487: A full-scale invasion of Ukraine , which prompted international condemnation and led to expanded sanctions . In September 2022, he announced a partial mobilization and forcibly annexed four Ukrainian oblasts into Russia . In March 2023, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin for war crimes related to his alleged criminal responsibility for illegal child abductions during

530-641: A plagiarist according to Western standards. One book from which he copied entire paragraphs is the Russian-language edition of King and Cleland 's Strategic Planning and Policy (1978). Balzer wrote on the Putin thesis and Russian energy policy and concludes along with Olcott that "The primacy of the Russian state in the country’s energy sector is non-negotiable", and cites the insistence on majority Russian ownership of any joint-venture, particularly since BASF signed

636-566: A war in eastern Ukraine through several military incursions, resulting in international sanctions and a financial crisis in Russia . He also ordered a military intervention in Syria to support his ally Bashar al-Assad during the Syrian civil war , ultimately securing permanent naval bases in the Eastern Mediterranean . In February 2022, during his fourth presidential term, Putin launched

742-524: A 'grand bargain' with them. This bargain allowed the oligarchs to maintain most of their powers, in exchange for their explicit support for—and alignment with—Putin's government. The Moscow theater hostage crisis occurred in October 2002. Many in the Russian press and in the international media warned that the deaths of 130 hostages in the special forces' rescue operation during the crisis would severely damage President Putin's popularity. However, shortly after

848-540: A 2001 low of just over $ 10/kg. The Uranium bubble of 2007 started in 2005 and began to accelerate badly with the 2006 flooding of the Cigar Lake Mine in Saskatchewan. Uranium prices peaked at roughly $ 300/kg in mid-2007, began to fall in mid-2008 and are now (end 2010) hovering about $ 100/kg. The stock prices of many uranium mining and exploration companies rose sharply, only to fall later in this boom. There

954-525: A domestic drought destroying their wheat and barley harvests. By 3 August, wheat prices stood at $ 7.11 per bushel due to the Russian export ban. There was in increase in the demand for fertilizer from China and India . Also an increase in demand for fertilizer to create biofuels like Ethanol as a Fuel from corn in the United States, Brazil, and Europe. Increased livestock grew demand for more grain and fertilizer causing grain reserves to plunge to

1060-569: A few in his class of about 45 pupils who were not yet members of the Young Pioneer ( Komsomol ) organization. At the age of 12, he began to practice sambo and judo. In his free time, he enjoyed reading the works of Karl Marx , Friedrich Engels , and Lenin. Putin attended Saint Petersburg High School 281 with a German language immersion program. He is fluent in German and often gives speeches and interviews in that language. Putin studied law at

1166-465: A furor among the German press corps. When asked about the incident in a January 2016 interview with Bild , Putin claimed he was not aware of her phobia, adding, "I wanted to make her happy. When I found out that she did not like dogs, I of course apologized." Merkel later told a group of reporters, "I understand why he has to do this – to prove he's a man. He's afraid of his own weakness. Russia has nothing, no successful politics or economy. All they have

SECTION 10

#1732895634665

1272-547: A historic low. China put export controls on their fertilizer. Natural gas prices increased a lot during this period and that is used in the process of making some fertilizers ( Haber process ). Phosphate prices went up because of an increase in price of sulfur which is and input to phosphate fertilizer. Prices rose modestly and briefly because of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and 2006 but a bigger price climb came later from supply disruptions in India , Brazil , and other places around

1378-426: A larger share of consumer spending into gasoline, which creates downward pressure on economic growth in oil importing countries, as wealth flows to oil-producing states. In January 2008, oil prices surpassed $ 100 a barrel for the first time, the first of many price milestones to be passed in the course of the year. In July 2008, oil peaked at $ 147.30 a barrel and a gallon of gasoline was more than $ 4 across most of

1484-496: A member of the Saint Petersburg city government, was one of the suspects, was dropped. On 30 December 2000, yet another case against the prosecutor general was dropped "for lack of evidence", despite thousands of documents having been forwarded by Swiss prosecutors. On 12 February 2001, Putin signed a similar federal law which replaced the decree of 1999. A case regarding Putin's alleged corruption in metal exports from 1992

1590-616: A potential successor. Following the September 1999 Russian apartment bombings and the invasion of Dagestan by mujahideen , including the former KGB agents, based in the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria , Putin's law-and-order image and unrelenting approach to the Second Chechen War soon combined to raise his popularity and allowed him to overtake his rivals. While not formally associated with any party, Putin pledged his support to

1696-546: A private taxi driver to earn extra money, or considered such a job. On 28 June 1991, Putin became head of the Committee for External Relations of the Mayor's Office , with responsibility for promoting international relations and foreign investments and registering business ventures. Within a year, Putin was investigated by the city legislative council led by Marina Salye . It was concluded that he had understated prices and permitted

1802-458: A rising global population and a sharp decline in food crop production in favour of a sharp rise in biofuel crops helped cause a sharp rise in basic food stock prices. Ethiopia also saw a drought threaten its already frail farm lands in 2007. Cocoa was also affected by a bad crop in 2008, due to disease and unusually heavy rain in parts of West Africa. Rising demand in both India and Egypt helped to ramp up demand for American wheat during

1908-506: A small dip to about $ 325 per troy oz in the mid-1990s and an equally small rise to about $ 375 per troy ounce in the Millennium period. It started to gain value in mid-2002 and grew on an experiential curve model as the prices then began to move sharply upwards. The high point was when it was trading for $ 2,200 per troy oz in early 2007. Prices declined to $ 800 per troy oz in January 2008, but

2014-599: A trading range between $ 60 and $ 80. The price of oil nearly tripled from $ 50 to $ 147 from early 2007 to 2008, before plunging as the financial crisis began to take hold in late 2008. Experts debate the causes, which include the flow of money from housing and other investments into commodities to speculation and monetary policy or the increasing feeling of raw materials scarcity in a fast-growing world economy and thus positions taken on those markets, such as Chinese increasing presence in Africa. An increase in oil prices tends to divert

2120-414: Is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Russia from 1999 to 2000 and again from 2008 to 2012. At 24 years, 10 months and 29 days, he is the longest-serving Russian or Soviet leader since the 30-year tenure of Joseph Stalin . Putin worked as

2226-466: Is not based on promises." Putin was barred from a third consecutive term by the Constitution . First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev was elected his successor. In a power-switching operation on 8 May 2008 , only a day after handing the presidency to Medvedev, Putin was appointed Prime Minister of Russia , maintaining his political dominance. Putin has said that overcoming the consequences of

SECTION 20

#1732895634665

2332-756: Is this." In a speech in February 2007 at the Munich Security Conference , Putin complained about the feeling of insecurity engendered by the dominant position in geopolitics of the United States and observed that a former NATO official had made rhetorical promises not to expand into new countries in Eastern Europe. On 14 July 2007, Putin announced that Russia would suspend implementation of its Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe obligations, effective after 150 days, and suspend its ratification of

2438-523: The 2006 conflict between Israel and Lebanon , worries over Iranian nuclear plans in 2006 , Hurricane Katrina , and various other factors. By 2008, such pressures appeared to have an insignificant impact on oil prices given the onset of the global recession . The recession caused demand for energy to shrink in late 2008, with oil prices falling from the July 2008 high of $ 147 to a December 2008 low of $ 32. Oil prices stabilized by October 2009 and established

2544-597: The Adapted Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty , which treaty was shunned by NATO members abeyant Russian withdrawal from Transnistria and the Republic of Georgia . Moscow continued to participate in the joint consultative group, because it hoped that dialogue could lead to the creation of an effective, new conventional arms control regime in Europe. Russia did specify steps that NATO could take to end

2650-572: The Federal Security Service (FSB), the primary intelligence and security organization of the Russian Federation and the successor to the KGB. In 1999, Putin described communism as "a blind alley, far away from the mainstream of civilization". On 9 August 1999, Putin was appointed one of three first deputy prime ministers, and later on that day, was appointed acting prime minister of the Government of

2756-433: The Mayor of Leningrad . Putin claims that he resigned with the rank of lieutenant colonel on 20 August 1991, on the second day of the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt against Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev . Putin said: "As soon as the coup began, I immediately decided which side I was on", although he noted that the choice was hard because he had spent the best part of his life with "the organs". In May 1990, Putin

2862-489: The Mundell–Fleming model . One opinion stated that "The volatility and interest rates found its way into commodity inputs and all sectors of the world economy." Hence, in the case of an economic crisis commodities prices follow the trends in exchange rate (coupled) and its prices decrease in case there are downward trends of diminishing money supply. Foreign exchange impacts commodities prices and so does money supply:

2968-663: The Permanent Arbitration Court in The Hague . On 7 October 2006, Anna Politkovskaya , a journalist who exposed corruption in the Russian army and its conduct in Chechnya , was shot in the lobby of her apartment building, on Putin's birthday. The death of Politkovskaya triggered international criticism, with accusations that Putin had failed to protect the country's new independent media. Putin himself said that her death caused

3074-623: The Presidential Staff , a post which he retained until May 1998, and chief of the Main Control Directorate of the Presidential Property Management Department (until June 1998). His predecessor in this position was Alexei Kudrin and his successor was Nikolai Patrushev , both future prominent politicians and Putin's associates. On 3 April 1997, Putin was promoted to 1st class Active State Councillor of

3180-488: The Russian economy grew on average by seven percent per year, driven by economic reforms and a fivefold increase in the price of oil and gas. Additionally, Putin led Russia in a conflict against Chechen separatists , reestablishing federal control over the region. While serving as prime minister under Medvedev, he oversaw a military conflict with Georgia and enacted military and police reforms . In his third presidential term, Russia annexed Crimea and supported

3286-520: The Sinai Peninsula. Prices remained steady until a dramatic drop began the 2010s oil glut . Hurricane Katrina caused Jet fuel prices to rise in 2005 because of slowed down refining in the Gulf Coast area, those prices dipped and the price of jet fuel went up with the price of oil through 2008. Uranium traded at about $ 15–$ 20/kg since the late 1980s due to a 10-year secular bear market , with

Russian Agricultural Bank - Misplaced Pages Continue

3392-500: The destruction battalion of the NKVD . Later, he was transferred to the regular army and was severely wounded in 1942. Putin's maternal grandmother was killed by the German occupiers of Tver region in 1941, and his maternal uncles disappeared on the Eastern Front during World War II. On 1 September 1960, Putin started at School No. 193 at Baskov Lane, near his home. He was one of

3498-413: The millennium period due to increased demand, then collapsed to nearly their original starting price by the end 2002, only to start to rise less dramatically in the year 2006. Palladium prices in 1992 and 2002–04 was about $ 200/oz. It rapidly shot up to approximately $ 1,000/oz between 1999 and 2001 and collapsed to only $ 200/oz by late 2002, but is now just under $ 500/oz per of Palladium in 2010. In

3604-486: The 15th anniversary party of Gazprom , its employees threatened Ukraine with a stoppage of flow. On 4 April 2008 at the NATO Bucharest summit , invitee Putin told George W. Bush and other conference delegates: "We view the appearance of a powerful military bloc on our border as a direct threat to the security of our nation. The claim that this process is not directed against Russia will not suffice. National security

3710-669: The 1930s, died in infancy, and Viktor, born in 1940, died of diphtheria and starvation in 1942 during the Siege of Leningrad by Nazi Germany 's forces in World War II . Putin's mother was a factory worker, and his father was a conscript in the Soviet Navy , serving in the submarine fleet in the early 1930s. During the early stage of the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union , his father served in

3816-600: The CFTC Division of Trading & Markets (responsible for enforcement) Michael Greenberger specifically named the Atlanta-based IntercontinentalExchange , founded by Goldman Sachs , Morgan Stanley and BP as playing a key role in the speculative run-up of oil futures prices traded off the regulated futures exchanges in London and New York. The price of oil rose to $ 77 per barrel on 24 June 2010 as

3922-597: The East German communist regime commended Putin with a bronze medal for "faithful service to the National People's Army ". Putin has publicly conveyed delight over his activities in Dresden, once recounting his confrontations with anti-communist protestors of 1989 who attempted the occupation of Stasi buildings in the city. "Putin and his colleagues were reduced mainly to collecting press clippings , thus contributing to

4028-524: The European Union debt crisis prompted further purchase of gold as a safe asset. Since April 2001, the price of gold has more than tripled in value against the US dollar, prompting speculation that the long secular bear market had ended and a bull market has returned. Gold's price finally stood at $ 1,350 per troy oz on 1 July 2010. On 7 October 2010, it cost $ 1,364.60 per troy ounce, by 7 December reached

4134-832: The Gazprom Nord Stream - Yuzhno-Russkoye deal in 2004 with a 49–51 structure, as opposed to the older 50–50 split of British Petroleum 's TNK-BP project. In 1975, Putin joined the KGB and trained at the 401st KGB School in Okhta, Leningrad . After training, he worked in the Second Chief Directorate ( counterintelligence ), before he was transferred to the First Chief Directorate , where he monitored foreigners and consular officials in Leningrad. In September 1984, Putin

4240-584: The German Democratic Republic or of the USSR. He explained that many documents were left to Germany only because the furnace burst but many documents of the KGB villa were sent to Moscow. After the collapse of the Communist East German government , Putin was to resign from active KGB service because of suspicions aroused regarding his loyalty during demonstrations in Dresden and earlier, although

4346-609: The KGB and the Soviet Army still operated in eastern Germany. He returned to Leningrad in early 1990 as a member of the "active reserves", where he worked for about three months with the International Affairs section of Leningrad State University , reporting to Vice-Rector Yuriy Molchanov , while working on his doctoral dissertation. There, he looked for new KGB recruits, watched the student body, and renewed his friendship with his former professor, Anatoly Sobchak , soon to be

Russian Agricultural Bank - Misplaced Pages Continue

4452-523: The KGB villa in Dresden for the official authorities of the would-be united Germany to prevent demonstrators, including KGB and Stasi agents, from obtaining and destroying them. He then supposedly burnt only the KGB files, in a few hours, but saved the archives of the Soviet Cultural Center for the German authorities. Nothing is told about the selection criteria during this burning; for example, concerning Stasi files or about files of other agencies of

4558-459: The Kremlin. Khodorkovsky was arrested, Yukos was bankrupted, and the company's assets were auctioned at below-market value, with the largest share acquired by the state company Rosneft . The fate of Yukos was seen as a sign of a broader shift of Russia towards a system of state capitalism . This was underscored in July 2014, when shareholders of Yukos were awarded $ 50 billion in compensation by

4664-650: The Leningrad State University named after Andrei Zhdanov (now Saint Petersburg State University ) in 1970 and graduated in 1975. His thesis was on "The Most Favored Nation Trading Principle in International Law". While there, he was required to join the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU); he remained a member until it ceased to exist in 1991. Putin met Anatoly Sobchak , an assistant professor who taught business law , and who later became

4770-600: The RAF in West Germany. Klaus Zuchold, who claimed to be recruited by Putin, said that Putin handled a neo-Nazi , Rainer Sonntag, and attempted to recruit an author of a study on poisons. Putin reportedly met Germans to be recruited for wireless communications affairs together with an interpreter. He was involved in wireless communications technologies in South-East Asia due to trips of German engineers, recruited by him, there and to

4876-544: The Russian Federation by President Yeltsin . Yeltsin also announced that he wanted to see Putin as his successor. Later on that same day, Putin agreed to run for the presidency. On 16 August, the State Duma approved his appointment as prime minister with 233 votes in favor (vs. 84 against, 17 abstained), while a simple majority of 226 was required, making him Russia's fifth prime minister in fewer than eighteen months. On his appointment, few expected Putin, virtually unknown to

4982-655: The Russian Federation —the highest federal state civilian service rank . On 27 June 1997, at the Saint Petersburg Mining Institute , guided by rector Vladimir Litvinenko , Putin defended his Candidate of Science dissertation in economics, titled Strategic Planning of the Reproduction of the Mineral Resource Base of a Region under Conditions of the Formation of Market Relations . This exemplified

5088-609: The Russian Federation. 100% of RusAg’s shares are controlled by the Russian Federation acting through the Federal Agency for Managing State Property which holds the bank's issued and outstanding ordinary shares (78.66% from total share capital (31 December 2018: 77.11% from total share capital)), the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation which holds the bank's issued and outstanding preference shares (5.69% from total share capital (31 December 2018: 6.1% from total share capital)) and

5194-472: The Saint Petersburg branch of the pro-government Our Home – Russia political party, the liberal party of power founded by Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin . In 1995, he managed the legislative election campaign for that party, and from 1995 through June 1997, he was the leader of its Saint Petersburg branch. In June 1996, Sobchak lost his bid for re-election in Saint Petersburg, and Putin, who had led his election campaign, resigned from his positions in

5300-558: The State Corporation "Deposit Insurance Agency" which holds the bank's issued and outstanding preference shares (15.65% from total share capital (31 December 2018: 16.79% from total share capital)). Dmitry Nikolaevich Patrushev has been the chairman of the bank's supervisory board since June 2018. In 2020, Rosselkhozbank launched the Svoe.Farming ecosystem, which is designed for the comprehensive digitalization of small enterprises engaged in

5406-516: The US, for the first time since the downfall of the USSR. In December 2007, United Russia —the governing party that supports the policies of Putin—won 64.24% of the popular vote in their run for State Duma according to election preliminary results. United Russia's victory in the December 2007 elections was seen by many as an indication of strong popular support of the then Russian leadership and its policies. On 11 February 2008, while Putin addressed

SECTION 50

#1732895634665

5512-485: The US. The high of 2008 may have been part of broader pattern of spiking instability in the price of oil over the preceding decade. This pattern of instability in oil price may be a product of peak oil. There is concern that if the economy was to improve, oil prices might return to pre-recession levels. In testimony before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on 3 June 2008, former director of

5618-531: The West. However, a 2023 investigation by Der Spiegel reported that the anonymous source had never been an RAF member and is "considered a notorious fabulist" with "several previous convictions, including for making false statements". According to Putin's official biography, during the fall of the Berlin Wall that began on 9 November 1989, he saved the files of the Soviet Cultural Center (House of Friendship) and of

5724-516: The advent of a crisis will pull commodities prices down. A commodity price bubble, known as the 2000s commodities boom , was created following the collapse of the mid-2000s housing bubble . Commodities were seen as a safe bet after the bubble economy surrounding housing prices had gone from boom to bust in several western nations, including the USA, UK, Ireland, Greece and Spain. Advisers claimed that commodity prices could be predicted better than stocks, since they are traded for actual usage and

5830-616: The agro-industrial complex, and also helps with the sale of farm products using the Svoe Rodnoye marketplace. For 2022, the Svoe ecosystem unites over 30 business services and subplatforms This bank has been sanctioned by the United Kingdom since 1 August 2014, with additional sanctions in December 2023 which ban correspondent banking relationships. On February 24, 2022, US President Joe Biden imposed economic sanctions on RusAg and other Russian financial institutions in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine . Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952)

5936-627: The all time nominal historic high of $ 1,429.05 per troy ounce. Silver cost $ 4 per troy ounce in 1992, started to rise rapidly in early 2004, reached $ 18 per troy oz by late 2007, slipped badly to $ 10 per troy oz during the Credit Crunch of 2008, but was selling in late 2009 and again in early 2010 at just under $ 18 per troy oz of metal. A year later, the Feb 2011 average was over $ 30 per oz of silver. On 29 April 2011, silver price reached $ 47.94 but fell by 12% on 2 May 2011. Prices range around $ 20–$ 25 in 2013-2014. Platinum first sold at about $ 350 per troy oz in 1992 and stayed rather flat save for

6042-695: The bull market during August 2007. Discounted wheat sold at about £11–£15/t. August 2007, with non-discounted wheat at slightly higher price. The November 2007 wheat futures market was trading at nearly £165/t, with November 2008 contracts at £128.50. The market became rather bearish as non-futures prices froze and stagnated in December 2007. The price of wheat reached record highs after Kazakhstan began to limit supplies being sold overseas in early 2008, but had slowed down by late 2008. Food riots hit Egypt on 12 April 2008, as national bread prices rose rapidly in March and April 2008. In late April 2008 rice prices hit 24 cents (U.S.) per U.S. pound, more than doubling

6148-443: The city administration. He moved to Moscow and was appointed as deputy chief of the Presidential Property Management Department headed by Pavel Borodin . He occupied this position until March 1997. He was responsible for the foreign property of the state and organized the transfer of the former assets of the Soviet Union and the CPSU to the Russian Federation. On 26 March 1997, President Boris Yeltsin appointed Putin deputy chief of

6254-572: The co-author of the Russian constitution . Putin was influential in Sobchak's career in Saint Petersburg, and Sobchak was influential in Putin's career in Moscow. In 1997, Putin received a degree in economics ( kandidat ekonomicheskikh nauk ) at the Saint Petersburg Mining University for a thesis on energy dependencies and their instrumentalisation in foreign policy. His supervisor was Vladimir Litvinenko , who in 2000 and again in 2004 managed his presidential election campaigns in St Petersburg. Igor Danchenko and Clifford Gaddy consider Putin to be

6360-478: The commission for the preparation of agreements on the delimitation of the power of the regions and head of the federal center attached to the president, replacing Sergey Shakhray . After Putin's appointment, the commission completed no such agreements, although during Shakhray's term as the head of the Commission 46 such agreements had been signed. Later, after becoming president, Putin cancelled all 46 agreements. On 25 July 1998, Yeltsin appointed Putin director of

6466-521: The commodities market was attributable to investors. Since 2002 "30 per cent of trading is attributable to investors in the commodities market" which "has caused higher price volatility ". The 2000s commodities boom is comparable to the commodity supercycles which accompanied post–World War II economic expansion and the Second Industrial Revolution in the second half of the 19th century and early 20th century. The prices of raw materials were depressed and declining from, roughly, 1982 until 1998. From

SECTION 60

#1732895634665

6572-408: The custom in Russia whereby a young rising official would write a scholarly work in mid-career. Putin's thesis was plagiarized . Fellows at the Brookings Institution found that 15 pages were copied from an American textbook. On 25 May 1998, Putin was appointed First Deputy Chief of the Presidential Staff for the regions, in succession to Viktoriya Mitina . On 15 July, he was appointed head of

6678-470: The departure of foreign workers. As this happened, Brent Crude surged to a new high of above $ 116.00 a barrel as supply disruptions and potential for more unrest in the Middle East and North Africa continued to worry investors. Thus the price of oil kept rising into the 2010s. The commodities supercycle peaked in 2011, "driven by a combination of strong demand from emerging nations and low supply growth". Prior to 2002, only 5 to 10 per cent of trading in

6784-518: The establishment of the Parliamentary elections and a Regional Government. Throughout the Second Chechen War , Russia severely disabled the Chechen rebel movement; however, sporadic attacks by rebels continued to occur throughout the northern Caucasus. On 14 March 2004, Putin was elected to the presidency for a second term, receiving 71% of the vote. The Beslan school hostage crisis took place on 1–3 September 2004; more than 330 people died, including 186 children. The near 10-year period prior to

6890-462: The export of metals valued at $ 93 million in exchange for foreign food aid that never arrived. Despite the investigators' recommendation that Putin be fired, Putin remained head of the Committee for External Relations until 1996. From 1994 to 1996, he held several other political and governmental positions in Saint Petersburg. In March 1994, Putin was appointed as first deputy chairman of the Government of Saint Petersburg . In May 1995, he organized

6996-429: The four alliance members outside the original treaty, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Slovenia, join it." In early 2007, " Dissenters' Marches " were organized by the opposition group The Other Russia , led by former chess champion Garry Kasparov and national-Bolshevist leader Eduard Limonov . Following prior warnings, demonstrations in several Russian cities were met by police action, which included interfering with

7102-423: The general public, to last any longer than his predecessors. He was initially regarded as a Yeltsin loyalist; like other prime ministers of Boris Yeltsin , Putin did not choose ministers himself, his cabinet was determined by the presidential administration. Yeltsin's main opponents and would-be successors were already campaigning to replace the ailing president, and they fought hard to prevent Putin's emergence as

7208-416: The government more problems than her writings. In January 2007, Putin met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at his Black Sea residence in Sochi , two weeks after Russia switched off oil supplies to Germany. Putin brought his black Labrador Konni in front of Merkel, who has a noted phobia of dogs and looked visibly uncomfortable in its presence, adding, "I'm sure it will behave itself", causing

7314-420: The heavy price increases to many factors, including reports from the United States Department of Energy and others showing a decline in petroleum reserves , worries over peak oil , Middle East tension, and oil price speculation. For a time, geo-political events and natural disasters indirectly related to the global oil market had strong short-term effects on oil prices, such as North Korean missile tests ,

7420-435: The imprisonment and suppression of political opponents , intimidation and censorship of independent media in Russia , and a lack of free and fair elections . Russia has consistently received very low scores on Transparency International 's Corruption Perceptions Index , The Economist Democracy Index , Freedom House 's Freedom in the World index, and the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index . Putin

7526-532: The increased growth of the BRIC countries' demand for electrical goods. Russia increased production, but the US offset this with production cuts in the late 1990s and mid-2000s. Phosphorus , rhodium , molybdenum , manganese , vanadium and palladium are used in high grade steels, oil based lubricants, automotive catalytic converters, chemical plants' catalysts, electronics, TV screens and in radio isotopes. Demand for these metals appeared to be increasing as computers and mobile phones became more popular in

7632-689: The metal purchased near the price high. When prices fell in early 2001, Ford lost nearly US$ 1 billion. World demand for palladium increased from 100 tons in 1990 to nearly 300 tons in 2000. The global production of palladium from mines was 222 tonnes in 2006 according to the USGS . Because of the low availability relative to demand, rhenium is among the most expensive industrial metals, with an average price exceeding US$ 6,000 per kilogram, as of mid-2009. It first traded in 1928 at US$ 10,000 per kilogram of metal, but traded at US$ 250 per Troy ounce in mid-2010. It traded in July 2010, at about US$ 4,000–4,500/kg. Aluminium

7738-522: The mid to late 2000s. Thulium is used in x-ray tubes and neodymium is used in high strength/high grade magnets. Molybdenum , rhodium , neodymium and palladium are relatively scarce metals, while manganese and vanadium are, like phosphorus and sulfur , fairly abundant for minor minerals. The major metals such as iron, lead and tin are commonplace. Recycling of the aluminum, ferrous metals, copper fractions, gold, palladium and platinum in mobile phones and computers had got under way by

7844-444: The mid-1980s to September 2003, the inflation-adjusted price of a barrel of crude oil on NYMEX was generally under $ 25/barrel. Since 1968 the price of gold has ranged widely, from a high of $ 850/oz ($ 27,300/kg) on 21 January 1980, to a low of $ 252.90/oz ($ 8,131/kg) on 21 June 1999 (London Gold Fixing). The analysis of this period is based on the work of Robert Solow and is rooted in macroeconomic theories of trade including

7950-434: The mid-2000s. Battery recycling has helped bring down both the nickel and cadmium prices. Sulfuric acid (an important chemical commodity used in processes such as steel processing , copper production and bioethanol production ) increased in price 3.5-fold in less than 1 year while producers of sodium hydroxide have declared force majeure due to flooding, precipitating similarly steep price increases. Both

8056-399: The mountains of useless information produced by the KGB", Russian-American Masha Gessen wrote in their 2012 biography of Putin. His work was also downplayed by former Stasi spy chief Markus Wolf and Putin's former KGB colleague Vladimir Usoltsev. Journalist Catherine Belton wrote in 2020 that this downplaying was actually cover for Putin's involvement in KGB coordination and support for

8162-599: The newly formed Unity Party , which won the second largest percentage of the popular vote (23.3%) in the December 1999 Duma elections , and in turn supported Putin. On 31 December 1999, Yeltsin unexpectedly resigned and, according to the Constitution of Russia , Putin became Acting President of the Russian Federation . On assuming this role, Putin went on a previously scheduled visit to Russian troops in Chechnya. The first presidential decree that Putin signed on 31 December 1999

8268-539: The period preceding Putin's rule. In 2005, the National Priority Projects were launched to improve Russia's health care , education , housing , and agriculture . The continued criminal prosecution of the wealthiest man in Russia at the time, president of Yukos oil and gas company Mikhail Khodorkovsky , for fraud and tax evasion was seen by the international press as a retaliation for Khodorkovsky's donations to both liberal and communist opponents of

8374-420: The precious metals as a safe haven for their money as both the de facto value of cash and the stock market prices became more erratic in the late 2000s. The period from 1999 to 2001 marked the " Brown Bottom " after a 20-year secular bear market at $ 252.90 per troy ounce. Prices increased rapidly from 2001, but the 1980 high was not exceeded until 3 January 2008 when a new maximum of $ 865.35 per troy ounce

8480-490: The price had increased $ 1,600 per troy oz by early 2010. Titanium prices rose to over $ 16,000 per metric ton in 2006. Rhodium prices rose briefly during the millennium period due to increased demand, then collapsed to nearly their original 1995-7 starting price of $ 500/oz between 2002 and 2004. Later on, the mysterious and unexpected Rhodium price bubble of 2008 suddenly increased prices from just over $ 500/oz in late 2006 to $ 9,000/oz-$ 9,500/oz in July 2008, only for

8586-473: The price in just seven months. The price of wheat had risen from an already high £88 per tonne to £91 from January to March 2010, due to the bullish market and currency concerns. This led to food riots in places such as Haiti , Indonesia, Côte d'Ivoire , Uzbekistan, Egypt and Ethiopia . On 31 July, leading economists predicted that food prices, especially wheat would rise in Chad as Russia ended exports due to

8692-510: The price is based on supply and demand, while stocks are bought for speculation and news immediately influence prices. Still commodity prices have fluctuated outside predictions. The renewed interest in coal by China 's and Taiwan 's energy companies and the rise of alternative power sources like wind farms helped modify coal prices over the 2000s. Chlorine price steadily increased throughout 2007 and early 2008 as demand for PVC and some metals like copper, neodymium and tantalum rose due to

8798-488: The price then to tumble down only $ 1,000/oz in January 2009. Both an increase in demand in the American automotive industry , a herd instinct among investors, a then bullish market in rare metals and a rogue speculator or rogue speculators on Wall Street were all at least partly to blame for the sudden rise and fall in the rare metal's price . Rhodium is mainly mined as a by-product of other metals such as platinum, so

8904-525: The production is based on production of other metals and therefore on demand of them, and less on the demand of rhodium. Rhodium rose in price extremely sharply in January 2021 and by mid February 2021 it had reached an all time high of $ 21,400 per Troy ounce making it the most valuable metal ever sold. Most palladium is used for catalytic converters in the automobile industry. It is also used for some medical, high grade steel, industrial, dental and electronic purposes. Palladium prices rose sharply during

9010-473: The rise of Putin after the dissolution of Soviet rule was a time of upheaval in Russia. In a 2005 Kremlin speech, Putin characterized the collapse of the Soviet Union as the "greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the twentieth century". Putin elaborated, "Moreover, the epidemic of disintegration infected Russia itself." The country's cradle-to-grave social safety net was gone and life expectancy declined in

9116-508: The run up to 2000, Russian supply of palladium to the global market was repeatedly delayed and disrupted because the export quota was not granted on time, for political reasons. The ensuing market panic drove the palladium price to an all-time high of $ 1,100 per troy ounce in January 2001. Around this time, the Ford Motor Company , fearing auto vehicle production disruption due to a possible palladium shortage, stockpiled large amounts of

9222-460: The siege had ended, the Russian president enjoyed record public approval ratings—83% of Russians declared themselves satisfied with Putin and his handling of the siege. In 2003, a referendum was held in Chechnya , adopting a new constitution which declares that the Republic of Chechnya is a part of Russia; on the other hand, the region did acquire autonomy. Chechnya has been gradually stabilized with

9328-560: The start of the year, but saw a rapid rise in global prices in May 2010, reaching $ 217.11 per ton in the US in June 2010 as China's paper market began to reopen. Coal prices rose to A$ 73 per tonne in September and then up to A$ 84 per tonne in the October 2009 due to renewed interest by China's and Taiwan 's energy companies. During 2003, the price rose above $ 30, reached $ 60 by 11 August 2005, and peaked at $ 147.30 in July 2008. Commentators attributed

9434-476: The suspension. "These include [NATO] members cutting their arms allotments and further restricting temporary weapons deployments on each NATO member's territory. Russia also want[ed] constraints eliminated on how many forces it can deploy in its southern and northern flanks. Moreover, it is pressing NATO members to ratify a 1999 updated version of the accord, known as the Adapted CFE Treaty , and demanding that

9540-507: The terrorist Red Army Faction , whose members frequently hid in East Germany with the support of the Stasi. Dresden was preferred as a "marginal" town with only a small presence of Western intelligence services. According to an anonymous source who claimed to be a former RAF member, at one of these meetings in Dresden the militants presented Putin with a list of weapons that were later delivered to

9646-521: The travel of the protesters and the arrests of as many as 150 people who attempted to break through police lines. On 12 September 2007, Putin dissolved the government upon the request of Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov . Fradkov commented that it was to give the President a "free hand" in the run-up to the parliamentary election. Viktor Zubkov was appointed the new prime minister. On 19 September 2007, Putin's nuclear-capable bombers commenced exercises near

9752-502: The war . In April 2021, after a referendum , he signed into law constitutional amendments that included one allowing him to run for reelection twice more, potentially extending his presidency to 2036. In March 2024, he was reelected to another term. Under Putin's rule , the Russian political system has been transformed into an authoritarian dictatorship with a personality cult . His rule has been marked by endemic corruption and widespread human rights violations , including

9858-496: The world economic crisis was one of the two main achievements of his second premiership. The other was stabilizing the size of Russia's population between 2008 and 2011 following a long period of demographic collapse that began in the 1990s. The Russo-Georgian War that both started and finished in August 2008 was imagined by Putin and communicated to his staff as early 2006. 2000s commodities boom The 2000s commodities boom , commodities super cycle or China boom

9964-541: The world. The price of recycled paper has varied greatly over the last 30 or so years. The German price of €100/£49 per tonne was typical for the year 2003 and it steadily rose over the years. By September 2008 saw American price of $ 235 per ton had fallen to just $ 120 per ton, The slump was probably due to the economic down turn in East Asia causing the market for waste paper drying up in China. 2010 prices averaged $ 120.32 at

10070-615: Was a sharp down-turn in prices during 2008 and early 2009 as a result of the credit crunch and European debt crisis , but prices began to rise as demand recovered from late 2009 to mid-2010. Oil began to slip downwards after mid-2010, but peaked at $ 101.80 on 30 and 31 January 2011, as the Egyptian revolution of 2011 broke out, leading to concerns over both the safe use of the Suez Canal and overall security in Arabia itself. On 3 March, Libya's National Oil Corp said that output had halved due to

10176-559: Was also a resurgence of interest in nuclear power by the UK government between 2006 and 2008 due to the apparently insecure nature of Middle Eastern and Russian oil and after the closure of several old and economically/environmentally unviable coal fired power stations at the time. This helped the uranium price to rally at this date. There was a sharp shift in the prices of gold and, to a lesser extent, both silver and platinum . Prices were at or near an all-time high in late 2010 due to people using

10282-427: Was appointed as an advisor on international affairs to the mayor of Leningrad Anatoly Sobchak . In a 2017 interview with Oliver Stone , Putin said that he resigned from the KGB in 1991, following the coup against Mikhail Gorbachev, as he did not agree with what had happened and did not want to be part of the intelligence in the new administration. According to Putin's statements in 2018 and 2021, he may have worked as

10388-410: Was born on 7 October 1952 in Leningrad, Soviet Union (now Saint Petersburg, Russia), the youngest of three children of Vladimir Spiridonovich Putin (1911–1999) and Maria Ivanovna Putina ( née  Shelomova ; 1911–1998). His grandfather, Spiridon Putin (1879–1965), was a personal cook to Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin . Putin's birth was preceded by the deaths of two brothers: Albert, born in

10494-530: Was brought back by Marina Salye , but she was silenced and forced to leave Saint Petersburg. While his opponents had been preparing for an election in June 2000, Yeltsin's resignation resulted in the presidential elections being held on 26 March 2000; Putin won in the first round with 53% of the vote. The inauguration of President Putin occurred on 7 May 2000. He appointed the minister of finance , Mikhail Kasyanov , as prime minister. The first major challenge to Putin's popularity came in August 2000, when he

10600-445: Was criticized for the alleged mishandling of the Kursk submarine disaster . That criticism was largely because it took several days for Putin to return from vacation, and several more before he visited the scene. Between 2000 and 2004, Putin set about the reconstruction of the impoverished condition of the country, apparently winning a power-struggle with the Russian oligarchs , reaching

10706-410: Was elected to his first term as president. He was reelected in 2004 . Due to constitutional limitations of two consecutive presidential terms, Putin served as prime minister again from 2008 to 2012 under Dmitry Medvedev . He returned to the presidency in 2012, following an election marked by allegations of fraud and protests , and was reelected in 2018 . During Putin's initial presidential tenure,

10812-574: Was sent to Moscow for further training at the Yuri Andropov Red Banner Institute . From 1985 to 1990, he served in Dresden , East Germany , using a cover identity as a translator. While posted in Dresden, Putin worked as one of the KGB's liaison officers to the Stasi secret police and was reportedly promoted to lieutenant colonel . According to the official Kremlin presidential site,

10918-412: Was set (a.m. London Gold Fixing). Another record price was set on 17 March 2008 at $ 1,023.50/oz ($ 32,900/kg) (am. London Gold Fixing). In the fall of 2009, gold markets experience renewed momentum upwards due to increased demand and a weakening US dollar. On 2 December 2009, gold passed the important barrier of US$ 1,200 per ounce to close at $ 1,215. Gold further rallied hitting new highs in May 2010 after

11024-480: Was set up on March 15, 2000 under the special decree of the acting president of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin with the mission to be the conductor of the state credit and financial policy in the agribusiness sector, to facilitate a strong performance by clients, to invest in the core businesses and technology and to be the basis of the national credit and financial system of agribusiness in

11130-573: Was the rise of many physical commodity prices (such as those of food, oil, metals, chemicals and fuels ) during the early 21st century (2000–2014), following the Great Commodities Depression of the 1980s and 1990s. The boom was largely due to the rising demand from emerging markets such as the BRIC countries, particularly China during the period from 1992 to 2013, as well as the result of concerns over long-term supply availability. There

11236-475: Was titled "On guarantees for the former president of the Russian Federation and the members of his family". This ensured that "corruption charges against the outgoing President and his relatives" would not be pursued. This was most notably targeted at the Mabetex bribery case in which Yeltsin's family members were involved. On 30 August 2000, a criminal investigation (number 18/238278-95) in which Putin himself, as

#664335