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In-Flight Presidency
// Vladimir Putin defeats a friendly enemy
Exercises
Vladimir Putin decided the destiny of the Russian Government and the Kremlin administration during naval exercises at the Barents Sea abroad of Pyotr Veliky nuclear missile cruiser. He will not sack anyone because ministers still can be taught how to work, and the administration will be more active in regions. Kommersant special correspondent Andrey Kolesnikov went to sea on the ship with the president.
Vladimir Putin listened to the report of the Northern Fleet’s commander Mikhail Abramov in the conning tower of Pyotr Veliky. The military was talking about the plan of the maneuvers. The plan involved the creation of two military groupings. The Eastern one, headed by Pyotr Veliky together with Admiral Kuznetsov, Admiral Chabanenko and Admiral Ushakov warships, was supposed to test the combat readiness of the Naval Nuclear Forces and the General-Purpose Forces. The Western grouping included 37th air army, 6th army of the Air Forces and Anti-Aircraft Defense Forces of Russia and “maneuver forces of adjacent countries”, the Fleet’s commander said.
The latter remark was not just a figure of speech.
“We are aware of the operational situation in the region,” Mikhail Abramov said. “Submarines of the Northern Fleet discovered a nuclear submarine of the United States.”
Mr. Putin gave a start and gave Mr. Abramov an intense look.
“We have been in contact with it for 19 hours and 8 minutes. There are also Norwegian reconnaissance ship Marjata, Norwegian scout aircraft Orion and British Nimrod plane here,” Mr. Abramov was speaking in a genuinely anxious voice.
“They are observers, we invited them,” Putin probably wanted to reassure the commander. “Are you in contract with them now?”
Mikhial Abmarov stood there staring at the president without uttering a word.
“Any problems?”
It was as if Mr. Putin wanted to suggest there were and offer to grapple with them.
“We try to adhere to international agreements,” the Fleet’s commander was actually no happy that he was locked in by foreign spies but was ready to put up with it to observe international agreements.
“We will finish our exercises on August 18 and then continue with our friends,” he concluded.
Calling these foreign warships “friends” he perhaps hoped the word would please the commander-in-chief. But Putin was at a loss.
“They are not friends,” Defense Minister Sergey Ivanov butted in.
Puzzled Mikhail Abramov looked at him with entreaty. He entreated to stop these games and call a spade spade once and for all: are they our friends or what?
“They are partners,” was the minister’s explanation.
“Who are our friends, then?” one could read the question in the eyes of the commander-in-chief.
“Army and Fleet – these are our friends,” Mr. Ivanov uttered with satisfaction.
Defense Minister whispered something to the president pointing to the sky, then to the sea. Perhaps, it was private information.
“Can one see Marjata from here?” the president couldn’t help asking.
They showed it to he, and he peered into the rough blue dredge.
Violent shooting followed a few minutes later. Pyotr Veliky seemed to be shooting away its entire weapons load a few years ahead. Missiles were zipping, the horizon got covered by a wall of smoke. The Eastern grouping warded off an attack of the Western grouping that not only defended itself but also went offensive. But it did not go far.
The war was in its full swing. However, the supreme commander-in-chief was told that air fight had been cancelled and Su-33 would not land on the Admiral Kuznetsov cruiser because of the zero-zero weather ashore.
A ballistic missile was launched from Ekaterinburg submarine some half an hour later. Everyone recalled last year’s launches which ended up in a big embarrassment. Admiral Kuroev, commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy, tried hard then but now he was nowhere to be seen at the maneuvers in the Barents Sea. He is at hospital, according to an official version. The unofficial one, which basically does not contradict the official one, says the admiral’s powers expire early September anyway as well his contract.
When everyone thought that the war was about to end, it was announced that pilots of Su-33 had made their minds to fly to Admiral Kuzntetsov no matter what. They would begrudge the lost chance. Four pilots of Su-33 reached the flattop in twenty-five minutes, circled about it to land and shortly take off. No one had any question for the pilots.
One of the commanders of the Northern Fleet, meanwhile, was speaking at the conning tower of Pyotr Veliky on the radio with the commander of the Ekaterinburg submarine. The ballistic missile that the sub had launched hit the designated Kura range in the Kamchatka peninsula. The commander of Ekaterinburg was glad to hear that he was already a captain of the first rank, instead of that of the second.
Twenty minutes later, Vladimir Putin came to the mess room to answer the question of the press. He recalled the times when warships were onshore, planes were grounded, “and people in public transport took off officers’ caps”. President several times mentioned a cruise missile launched form the Tu-160 plane which he was flying in for five hours. They were still together in his thoughts.
“We haven’t had this kind of weapon before,” the president kept on repeating.
This idea was obviously dear to him and defense minister, who noted that the missile could be used to fight terrorists (all other means must have been exhausted and found worthless).
I asked the president the question that had tormented me since the previous day: why did prime minister Mikhail Fradkov hurry to see him in Chkalovksy before the flight of Tu-160? Was Mr. Putin going to renounce his presidential powers for the time of the flight given the risk of the undertaking? Why no one told us about it, then? After all, we have the right to know who lead us to double the GDP. Mr. Putin indignantly dismissed any suspicions that he was ready to give up his powers, even for a short time. Moreover, he did not agree that Mr. Fradkov could hasten to meet him. “Unlike me, Mikhail Efimovich observes his time and is never late,” Mr. Putin said [perhaps it’s because he does hurry. – Andrey Kolesnikov].
I asked him if there were any contingency situations during the flight. Mr. Putin categorically stated there were none. He enjoyed the flight. He had always dreamt to see how pilots work. The people were doing their job with passion, he said. The president recurred to the flight of the cruise missile again.
“We not only launched it but we also wanted to follow it for some time,” he shared.
“Did you succeed?” I asked trying to imagine myself the president of the country who chases with passion the missile he has launched.
“We did,” Vladimir Putin replied.
Pyotr Veliky also made a good impression on him. Mr. Putin said he had been on the ship while it was under construction in St. Petersburg.
“These ships are usually built for four or five years, but this one was built in ten years. At that time, they could not only fail to build the cruiser, but the shipyard could have broken up altogether,” he recalled.
A journalist recurred to the Tu-160 again asking the president about dubious comforts of the plane:
“They say that one has to use a bucket for these purposes there?”
“It is an aircraft after all, not a yacht as some of our colleges of oil and gas business have,” the president answered crossly.
“But there is a mini heater there!” Defense Minister protested.
At that point the president was asked if he was going to dismiss the Government or at least fire some ministers. Mr. Putin seemed to be expecting the question and wanted to speak on the topic on the very board of the nuclear missile cruiser.
“Nothing changes from this reshuffling. We must teach them how to work, and replace them only when there is no other way. Everyone is aware of the problems of Mr. Adamov, former nuclear minister. He was sacked at the right time, and without any scandal. You won’t get sensations this time either.”
I asked if he meant the conflict between Culture Minister Alexander Sokolov and his subordinate Mikhail Shvydkoy, head of the Culture and Cinema Agency.
“They are experienced professionals, they will find a way to settle the issue,” the president replied reluctantly.
“Do you mean an amicable agreement?” I asked again.
“I don’t mean anything. I mean there are experienced men,” Putin hinted.
The press asked the present why he submitted nominees for the governorship to regional legislatures either when the incumbent head’s term expired or when it was already up.
“The presidential administration does not work that well!” Vladimir Putin seemed to be pleased by his own remark. “They should present me with nominees in time! They should work more efficiently, search for people in regions and submit the candidates to me. They should work more with regional deputies! By the way, when the law [canceling governor elections] came into effect, they say that we would appoint governors. But we don’t! We have to consider the opinion of regions, legislative assemblies and hold consultations. Experience shows that the issue of shaping of this level of power cannot be resolved without it. We need to create the system under which governors would be tightly linked to the national interests,” Mr. Putin concluded.
Afterwards, Vladimir Putin explained why he recommended appointing railroad functionary Alexander Tishanin as the head of Irkutsk Regions instead of the incumbent governor Boris Govorin.
“It was unexpected for us,” one of the journalists confessed.
“Not only for you,” the president confessed as well.
“And for you too?” I asked.
“I did it after consultation,” Mr. Putin closed the topic.
“Do you want to fly to space? You seem to have tried everything except that,” I asked the president.
“No,” he answered crossly. “All right. You asked me and I answered you.”
Andrey Kolesnikov
All the Article in Russian as of Aug. 18, 2005
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