What Vladimir Putin has done within the 8 years in office

According to the official site of the President, president.kremlin.ru, Vladimir Putin has worked for 2494 days. He has managed to accomplish 9906 deals (the number of positions mentioned in his schedule), with moving from one destination to another and work with documents excluded. Workdays account for 85% of all days of the year (common people usually have 70% of workdays). The majority of the deals regarded meetings with different people (37%). Every year Russia’s PMs were the leaders in terms of the frequency of meetings with the president – he received them as often as twice a week on average. Visiting various sights, and telephone talks take an important place in the schedule (10-11% each), with participation in ceremonies and sessions accounting for 8-9%.
Public speeches have been part and parcel of the president’s life. Vladimir Putin has delivered speeches 1900 times and said 2.2 mln words within the eight years. Assuming that he pronounced some 160 words per minute, he had to spend 230 hours on giving speeches.
Trips and visits of the President are an indispensable part of his work. Vladimir Putin covered a 1.4 mln km distance (it means that he could travel round the Earth 35 times). His longest journey was the one of 2007 on the route Moscow – Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky – Jakarta (Indonesia) – Sydney (Australia) – Abu Dhabi (the UAE) – Moscow (36.500 km in total). During his term in office Vladimir Putin visited 54 countries (Ukraine – 16 times, Germany – 12, Kazakhstan – 11, France – 9, Belorus – 8). The favourite destinations of the President in Russia were St. Petersburg (38 visits) and Sochi (34).
Vladimir Putin paid much attention to his staff: 60 people have managed to work as ministers for the eight years. Three PMs (Mikhail Kasyanov, Mikhail Fradkov and Victor Zubkov) and three Chiefs of the Presidential Administration (Alexander Voloshin, Dmitry Medvedev and Sergey Sobyanin) have been changed. Only five Deputy Prime Ministers and Ministers who were in the government early 2000 are still in office (Alexey Kudrin, Sergey Shoigu, Alexey Gordeyev, Leonid Reyman and Nikolay Patrushev).
Besides, Vladimir Putin has worked much with documents. He has signed 1.853 Federal Laws, 46 Constitutional Laws, rejected 39 bills, issued 13.006 decrees and 5.299 orders. In sum, the President signed 20.243 documents of that kind, that is 8 pieces daily.

Vladimir Putin’s terms in office. The bottom line

May 08, 2008 – Kommersant – The population of the Russian Federation decreased by 4.88 mln people. It amounted to 146.89 mln (January 1, 2000), and dropped to 142.01 (January 1, 2008). Occupying the 6th place in the world 2000, Russia sunk to the 8th position 2008. At that, the natural loss fell from 929.6 to 477.7 people per annum.

From 1999-2007 an average monthly salary grew 9 times (from 1522.6 roubles to 13.518 roubles), pensions – 7 times (from 521.5 roubles to 3682.3 roubles). The number of Russians on the bboks of labor registry offices remained the same (1.791.800 and 1.774.500 correspondingly).

According to the IMF data, the Russian GDP boosted 6 times in current terms (from $195.91 bln 1999 – the 23th place in the world, – to $1289.58 bln 2007 – the 11th place). Russia is now the world leader in producing oil. The mining increased from 305 mln tons to 490.7 tons annually, and as to gas, – from 592 bln to 651 bln m2. The volume of agricultural production grew 3 times (from 611.9 bln roubles to 2017.2 roubles), the volume of house-building got twice as high (from 32 mln m2 to 60.4 mln m2). Exports grew 5 times (from $75.6 bln to $355.5 bln), and imports – 6 times (from $39.5 bln to $223.4).

The state budget surged 10 times becoming a surplus one, incomes went up from 615.53 bln roubles to 6644.45 bln roubles, and public spending – from 666.93 bln roubles to 6570.3 bln roubles. The oil and gas sector used to account for 5.6% of the GDP, whereas now it amounts to 6.8%. Gold and exchange currency reserves soared 40 times (from $12.456 bln on January 1, 2000 to $534,422 bln on May 1, 2008), which allowed Russia to occupy the 3rd place in the world. A Stability Fund was set up in Russia ($162.52 on May 1, 2008). The state foreign debt decreased 3 times (from $158.4 bln to $44,1 bln). Overall inflation from 2000-2007 was 131% (the 22nd place in the world).

The bureaucratic apparatus grew 150%: 1999 there were 397.240 executive officials in Russia, and 2007 – 655.790. At the same time Russia lost 30 positions in the Heritage Foundation economic liberty rating (it fell from the 104th place to the 134th one), and 61 positions in the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index (dropping from the 82nd place to the 143rd one).

The number of registered crimes grew from 3 mln 1999 to 3.58 mln 2007. Though there are less people in jail now (1.06 mln on January 1, 2000 compared with 891.7 on April 1, 2008). The incarceration rate in Russia is only lower than that in the United States, occupying the 1st place.