Why Russian President Putin will now fly to work

May 17, 2013 02:57

Russian President Vladimir Putin will soon fly to work by helicopter rather than being driven there in his usual Mercedes limousine to try to appease anger over traffic jams created by his motorcade.

A helicopter pad has been built in the Kremlin "and the president will use it at the first opportunity," presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, where Putin spends most summers at a government residence.

Russia's post-Soviet shift to capitalism and the oil-fuelled boom of Putin's initial 2000-2008 presidency have clogged Moscow's once uncrowded streets with cars, making for traffic jams that rival overburdened cities worldwide.

The problem worsens when main arteries in the capital are closed off to let motorcades pass, a frequent occurrence as some officials and other influential figures have permission to use blue lights on their vehicles, giving them traffic privileges.

This has sparked resentment among ordinary Muscovites and led to the creation of the "Blue Buckets" protest group, whose members place blue buckets on their car roofs in a mocking reference to the motorcades.

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