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“Yes, I will run as a candidate for the Russian presidency,” Putin said. He was meeting with workers at the country’s historic manufacturer, GAZ (Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod), in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod on Wednesday.
“Our country is its people, people like you,” the Russian leader said, addressing workers and veterans of the plant. “It’s workers, scientists, engineers, designers, teachers and doctors,” Putin said, adding that with the “active involvement” of its people, Russia “can deal with any, even the most complex challenges it faces.”
“Russia will go only forward and no one will ever stop it,” he added.
“When I make [the decision], I will certainly keep in mind our conversation today and your reaction,” Putin said. He added that “the motive behind [this very responsible decision] can be only the desire to make people’s lives in our country better and make the country itself more powerful and protected.”
The Russian president enjoys a high approval rating, with over 82 percent of Russians supporting him [according to a poll conducted by state-run VTSIOM]