TASS, December 12. Russian President Vladimir Putin perceived the USSR dissolution as a tragedy and the collapse of historical Russia, the Russian leader said during an interview for a documentary entitled "Russia: Its Recent History" aired on Rossiya-1 TV.

"[There was] a tragedy as for the vast majority of the country’s citizens," he said responding to a question of his attitude towards the USSR dissolution. "What’s the disintegration within the USSR? That’s the collapse of historical Russia called the Soviet Union.".