His penchant for sometimes crude jokes and would-be zingers delivered with a smirk notwithstanding, Russian President Vladimir Putin hardly has the reputation of a wordsmith. The pen may be mightier than the sword, but most of Putin’s power plays involve the use of force or the threat of it: Think military actions in Ukraine and Syria, and clampdowns of protesters across his own country.
RFE/RL: Back in the USSR and Putin’s peculiar way with words
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during his annual press conference in Moscow on Dec. 19, 2019.
