On one hand, he appears to be an educated and dynamic leader committed to modernizing Russia. On the other hand, with the help of the military-industrial KGB complex – the “ siloviki ” – he has systematically weakened or destroyed every check on his personal power, while strengthening the state’s ability to violate citizens’ constitutional rights.
普京在克里姆林宫掌权的七年时间里曾发出过一些相互矛盾的信号。一方面，他看上去像是一个致力于让俄罗斯走上现代化的受过良好教育、充满活力的领导人。而在另一方面，在军工克格勃联合体“西罗维基”权力集团的帮助下，他有计划地削弱或破坏了对于他的个人权力的每个制衡，同时强化了国家侵犯宪法所规定的公民权利的能力。