Putin drove a hacker taxi to survive. Three years ago he said something completely different.

In a new film, Vladimir Putin made several amazing statements. Some of them make it cold on the backs of neighboring countries.

Until a few years ago, taking a taxi in Russia was synonymous with hacker taxis. They just extended their hands, and immediately a queue of cars stood ready. Usually it was a rusty Lada or Volga.

When the Soviet Union collapsed 30 years ago, the economy came to a complete halt. Poverty erupts. Driving a taxi has been a lifeline for many. I have sat several times with physics professors, diplomats, or other highly educated people who have had to speculate on meager income. In the 1990s, President Vladimir Putin did it to survive. He says this in a new documentary: “Russia. Latest story.

– Sometimes I had to work as a taxi driver to earn extra money. I do not like to talk about it, but unfortunately the conditions were such at that time, says the president in the documentary, where he made several sensational statements.