Hundreds of people streamed into the palace and quickly made themselves at home—diving into his pool, drinking his whisky, working out in his gym and cooking in his kitchen, marveling at the luxuries enjoyed by the man who oversaw the collapse of the country’s finances.
Eleanor Morley
Understanding Putin’s Russia
Putin’s approval rating spiked after the 2014 annexation of Crimea, as it had fifteen years earlier with the bombing of Chechnya. An ideological climate of conservatism and nationalism has dominated the country for almost ten years, at least among older Russians.