<blockquote>'And oh, by the way, in just a couple weeks Vladimir Putin will turn 64, the same age that Leonid Brezhnev was in 1970 as the Soviet Union was about to enter a decade of economic stagnation, intensified political repression, and escalated foreign aggression.'
- Brian Whitmore,
The Ministry Of Putin Preservation, September 22, 2016</blockquote>
<blockquote>'..The more Putin depends on just one agency, the more he may find himself free to make decisions — but always based on what the MGB tells him. Being the power behind the throne, after all, is often just as good as being on the throne.'
- Mark Galeotti,
Why Putin might be trying to recreate the Soviet-era KGB — and why he might regret it, September 20, 2016</blockquote>
Context<blockquote>
'[Putin is doing] anything that can and will expand Russian influence to U.S.S.R.-era levels of power.'</blockquote>