As the world watches the war
Russia brutally started in Ukraine,
you wonder how these countries
would be different if the dictator
Vladimir Putin never took office.
So how did this shady figure from
the KGB become a nightmare to democracy
and his people?
Well, let's step back into the 1990s.
Wow, nice pants.
After the Soviet Union collapsed,
the Russian economy fell
with it almost overnight.
Boris Yeltsin,
the first president
of the Russian Federation,
then sold off government-run industries
that controlled natural resources,
energy production and construction
to a small group of billionaires.
This elite group,
called the oligarchs,
then held 70% of Russia's finances.
Yeah, these financial gangsters
bought a nation's economy
for pennies on the dollar.
While the oligarchs ran Russia into the ground,
Yeltsin began searching for his heir,
someone to become the next prime minister.
That led him to an ex-KGB official
named Vladimir Putin.
After Putin got the job,
Russia waged war in Chechnya,
and the brutality of that conflict
gave Putin his trademark tough-guy image.
The bloodthirsty public loved its new prime minister,
and Yeltsin passed on the torch.
But if Putin wasn't there to answer Yeltsin's call,
While Putin's ego rules supreme in Russia,
would his country be different without him?
Well, if Yeltsin hadn't appointed him as successor,
maybe these oligarchs would've fought
amongst themselves for the title.
And the top contender?
Oil tycoon and now-exiled CEO Mikhail Khodorkovsky.
When Putin took control,
he made the oligarchs an offer they couldn't refuse.
They'd stay out of politics,
and he'd stay out of their business.
But Khodorkovsky,
once the richest man in Russia,
refused to play by Putin's rules.
That attitude landed him behind bars.
Too bad for him.
He could've taken control of Russia without Putin around.
So if he and his rich buddies had free rein today,
When Putin took office,
he doubled the pensions and public salaries.
But would the greedy mobsters do the same?
Without a central figure leading
these criminals by the nose,
these oligarchs might have fought
one another to control Russia's assets
in a battle royale for their nation's future.
Putin already used the army as a political tool against his enemies.
And these madmen also used
the total weight of the military
against anyone who stood in their way.
Their lust for power could've endangered
an entire country's security and maybe the world's.
The economic sanctions brought on
by Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine
strangled Russia's economy.
The billionaires could soon be
brought down to the common people's level.
The poor are happy to see it happen,
no matter the cost.
But if the upper class had run the country
after the U.S.S.R.'s fall,
the Russian people might have rebelled
and demanded a change in government.
And they may not have asked politely.
Believe it or not,
Yeltsin and Putin once wanted to join NATO.
But neither leader would agree
to leave the former Soviet republics alone.
Maybe those political ambitions wouldn't exist without Putin around,
and Russia might be part of NATO today.
If Russia was pro-Western,
When you think of Russia's exports,
your brain immediately goes to oil.
Well, open up your mind because it's a big country.
Russia has the largest forest reserves on Earth.
But the country only exports
a fraction of what they could produce.
An economic boom could've kickstarted Russia's economy.
Instead of pumping all the money
into the military, which is what happened under Putin's orders,
Russia could've made more infrastructure,
housing and investments in education.
Better roads and more money
for transportation could have opened up
the forest reserves and created
a global demand for Russian lumber.
That robust economy could've provided
opportunities for more entrepreneurs
and a multi-faceted system
built on more than oil and gas.
Innovation and globally-minded citizens
might have had a chance to thrive
if Putin had stayed out of politics.
Of course, despite a failing economy and the brutal killing of innocent people,
most Russians support Putin
and his bloodthirsty ambitions.
Many citizens choose to get their news
straight from state-run propaganda
websites and television stations.
The older generations still have sweet,
nostalgic memories of how things
were back in the U.S.S.R.
Maybe without Putin manipulating their minds,
the Russian people would want
more opportunities for themselves
and their families
and fewer endless wars with neighboring countries.
Before their war in Ukraine,
the Russian upper and lower classes were miles apart,
and poverty was already overwhelming.
But now, the sanctions
and economic turmoil have led
to villagers fighting in grocery stores
over necessities like sugar.
Some people have never left their homes,
let alone the country.
If Putin wasn't around and acting like a cult leader,
the Russian people might have
had their daily needs met instead of being drained of their resources.
Instead of being treated like pawns,
maybe they could be treated like people.
Or maybe the people would idolize
the oligarchs the same way they worship Putin.
I mean, now Putin controls the oligarchs
that hold power over Russia.
But if their bank accounts continue shrinking,
their loyalty could change overnight.
Regime change could come at the end of a gun.
Now what would happen if Putin died?
Well, keep watching because
that's a story for another WHAT IF.