Washington, D.C., March 21, 2024 - Vladimir Putin’s first election as president of Russia 24 years ago was “reasonably free and fair,” according to a declassified U.S. Embassy message from Moscow, one of ten documents on Russia’s 2000 presidential race published today by the National Security Archive at George Washington University. Written by then-U.S.
  • U.S. Embassy deemed process “reasonably free and fair”
  • Putin drew 53%, not today’s purported 87% 2000 popularity based on tough Chechnya policy, image of vigorous leader, pension increases
  • What Embassy called “first ever democratic transfer of power” in Russia was managed transition to hand-picked successor

I share this not to suggest it is perfectly accurate regarding the actual history, but to show that the US did not doubt the legitimacy of Putin’s first election, according to US embassy documents.

About the National Security Archive

Founded in 1985 by journalists and scholars to check rising government secrecy, the National Security Archive combines a unique range of functions: investigative journalism center, research institute on international affairs, library and archive of declassified U.S. documents (“the world’s largest nongovernmental collection” according to the Los Angeles Times), leading non-profit user of the U.S. Freedom of Information Act, public interest law firm defending and expanding public access to government information, global advocate of open government, and indexer and publisher of former secrets.