Putin no longer feels shame over local business representatives’ actions

Speaking last month at a meeting with labor union representatives, Prime Minister Putin noted that Russian businesses have now developed a sense of social responsibility that no longer incites shame. “I still remember the situation in 1998, when it was a shame to look at our businessmen as they cheated one another, their country and employees,” he noted. “But the situation was absolutely different in 2009, when at the peak of crisis, some business owners, unlike in previous years, used their personal wealth to keep enterprises and staffs afloat. This indicates a matured sense of corporate social responsibility in our businesses.”