That three-volume book of Putin speeches you always wanted is available at last

A three-volume book chronicling the speeches of Russian President Vladimir Putin was unveiled at the Krasnay Polshad book festival in Moscow. The book, titled “Direct Speech,” was released by publishing house Zvonnitsa.

Zvonnitsa's head, Georgy Zaytsev, declared the book to be a “table of sorts” of the 21st century and said that the volumes contained the entirety of recent history.

“Putin’s first term as president [was dedicated] to keeping Russia a unified state; the second – to lifting the country up from its knees. Our book reflects these stages. It is a kind of portrait of the era. Vladimir Putin is a historical figure equal to the likes of Charles de Gaulle or Fidel Castro,” said Zaytsev.

The Kremlin approved the publication of the book. The Kremlin's official spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, called the book “a certain systematization of the president’s speeches for those who are interested. This is always a positive thing.”