Putin Says He Drove Cab To Make Ends Meet After Soviet Fall
NDTV
The end of the Soviet Union brought with it a period of intense economic instability that plunged many into poverty, as the newly independent Russia transitioned from communism to capitalism.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the collapse of the Soviet Union spelled the end of "historical Russia," revealing he drove a taxi to make ends meet following the USSR's fall.
Putin, a former agent of the Soviet Union's KGB security services, who has previously lamented the USSR's fall, said the disintegration three decades ago remains a "tragedy" for "most citizens".
The comments, reported by state-run news agency RIA Novosti Sunday, were excerpts from an upcoming film by broadcaster Channel One, dubbed "Russia. Recent History".
"After all, what is the collapse of the Soviet Union? This is the collapse of historical Russia under the name of the Soviet Union," the Russian leader was cited as saying.