Ben Aris: Putin 25 years in office – has he been a boon or a bane for Russia?
President Boris Yeltsin stepped down on December 31, 1999 catapulting Vladimir Putin into office where he has been for the last 25 years. Has he been good for Russia or a bane? Russian President Vladimir Putin has been in power now for 25 years. The BBC’s Russia editor Steve Rosenberg wrote a retrospective as his first ever story was to write up Yeltsin’s resignation on December 31, 1999, passing the presidency to Putin.“I will never forget New Year’s Eve 1999,” Rosenberg began. “I was working as a producer in the BBC’s Moscow bureau. Suddenly there was breaking news: Russia’s President



















