Kremlin Updates Vladimir Putin’s Official Hagiography

Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov told the State news agency TASS on July 13 that the biography of Russian President Vladimir Putin on the Kremlin’s official website has been updated for the first time since 2018 (the previous version ended with his re-election that year).

The biographical section of the presidential website includes personal and professional details of the key events in Putin’s life and focuses on “the country’s development during Putin’s tenure in senior political positions.” This is all delivered with the requisite amount of “positive spin,” broken down into ten-year slices over seven “fact-filled” pages, with the darker facts about the belligerent despot omitted or glossed over

Let’s take a look at some of the recent additions which Putin’s biographers consider important milestones over the last seven years.

The Kerch/Crimean Bridge: The bridge was opened by Putin in May 2018, hailed as the longest in Russia and Europe. The website tells us this was “not only a symbol of Crimea, but also an important economic tool for its development.”

The 2018 FIFA World Cup: Held in the Russian Federation, the tournament is highly praised as an example of how sport can “unite people.” It says the event changed the opinions of millions of people towards Russia, its culture and people – especially for the more than 600,000 foreign fans who attended, according to a Putin quote.

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The Coronavirus:  The 2020s section opens with a description of Russia’s fight against the pandemic and the development of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine. Putin assessed the outcome as a huge scientific and social success and is quoted as saying “Russia has passed the test associated with the coronavirus pandemic with dignity.”

Constitutional amendments: The biography celebrates the 2020 amendments to the Constitution of the Russian Federation, which it says was approved by the majority of Russians. They are described collectively as “one of the most significant events in Russia,” which consolidated the supremacy of Russian law, the protection of historical truth and the institution of family.

The “special military operation”: The biography states that the decision to implement military action in Ukraine in February 2022 was “in accordance with Article 51 of Part 7 of the UN Charter,” and was necessary, in Putin’s words, “to protect those people who had been subjected to abuse and genocide by the Kyiv regime for eight years [since the illegal Russian annexation of Crimea and parts of the Donbas]” and to bring to justice those who “committed numerous bloody crimes” against civilians, including Russians.

Referendums in “Novorossiya”: Putin is quoted as saying that the approval by the people of the [so-called] Donetsk and Luhansk Peoples’ Republics, along with the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions to became part of the Russian Federation, was based on their citizens acknowledging “their common destiny [with Russia] and our thousand-year history.”

The 2024 presidential election: The update ends citing Putin’s re-election to serve as president for a fifth term, having claimed to have secured 87 percent of the electorate and a turnout of 77 percent. When combined with his May decree on national development goals until 2030, this is seen to have “guaranteed” the future durability and stability of the nation under his leadership.

The biography finishes by including the full text of Putin's address after once again being confirmed as president, the opening words of which were:

“In a complex world that is rapidly changing, we must be self-sufficient and competitive, opening new horizons for Russia, as has happened more than once in our history.”

Putin is then quoted as saying: “But it is important for us to remember its lessons, not to forget about the tragic price of internal turmoil and upheaval. Therefore, our state and socio-political system must be strong and absolutely resistant to any challenges and threats, ensure the progression and stability of development, the unity and independence of the country.”

True to form under Putin’s rule, the official hagiography avoids mention of his cruelty and ruthlessness at home and abroad, the vast damage he has caused to Russia’s economy and international standing, his reputation as an imperialist warmonger, war criminal and international outcast, and why he has become portrayed as a modern version of Adolf Hitler.