(Note: This article of mine was published in the April 2015 issue of the Express Star Teller Magazine. The same is being reproduce here after some editing in the content)

The economy of Russia is depress  at present due to its tense relations with the West, on the issue of Ukraine and Syria , and the trembling oil prices in the global market. In the first half of year 2014 the price of oil were average $ 110 a barrel, which thanks to the increase in production of oil by USA, Saudi Arabia and Libya has now gone down  to below $30.The economy of Russia depends heavily on country’s  export of oil , gas and defense equipments. Western sanctions have now started showing their effects on Russian firms business, as they are trouble with the growing problem of external debt repayment with the Russian currency Ruble’s fall in the recent months.

The problem started in March 2014, when the West backed popular uprising in Ukraine toppled the Russia-friendly government there. Infuriated at this Russia annexed the strategic Crimean Peninsula, which was the part of Ukraine though there was a key naval base of Russia situated there as well. Since then Russians are fuelling a separatist rebellion in the eastern part of Ukraine where a Russian speaking population lives in large numbers. This unrest has cost, as per an estimate, over 4000 lives and resulted into an international crisis. In sharp reaction, the USA and Europe imposed sanctions, penalties and travel bans against the specific people and firms in Russia close to President Vladimir Putin. Many of those on the sanction list are Putin’s former Judo partners and KGB associates who became rich since Putin came into the helm of affairs. On the international stage, the USA and its western allies kicked Russia out of the G8 in March 2014. The G8 has now become G7; a group of industrialized nations. More recently in November 2014 Putin left the G20 summit early, citing the reason of lack of sleep,   after being cold-shoulder by his western counterparts.

In a an interview given to the state- run news agency TASS, on 23^rd of November 2014, Putin said that he does not wish to be President of Russia for life and he will step down in-line with the constitutional limit no later than 2024. Putin at the age of 62 has effectively led Russia since March 2000 that is when he first elected to the presidency although earlier he had become the acting president after then president Boris Yeltsin gave a surprise resignation in December 1999. In 2004, he was re-elected and then in year 2008 he stepped down, after completing two terms, to comply with the constitutional limits. However, Putin maintained his influence by becoming Prime Minister of Russia and making his loyal ally Dmitry Medvedev the president candidate from United Russia party. The Medvedev elected as President of Russia in year 2008. He made a constitutional amendment to extend the term limit of President from four to six years. In November 2011, Putin and Medvedev agreed to swap jobs, with Putin retaking his old position of President which Medvedev held for four years (2008-12) because Putin was constitutionally barred from having a third term in a row and Medvedev becoming the prime minister . On 4 March 2012, Putin won the Russian Presidential election and this time he got the term for six year due to the constitutional amendment made in year 2008 by his loyalist Medvedev. In Russia this exchange of position between Putin and Medvedev was termed as ‘castling’ which is a special move in chess when the King and a rook swap sides (positions). It was very clear and evident that Putin as the King had all the authority in his hand even during the Presidency of Medvedev (2008-12) who later like a rook in the game of chess swap position with his King.

However, this mockery of parliamentary democracy in the country exasperated many Russians. Anti-Putin protests took place during and directly after the presidential campaign. Western media also heavily criticized Putin for being an authoritarian and crushing peaceful democratic protest of his opponents. Since then Putin is at loggerhead with USA and his allies in Europe. Putin accuse western powers for secretly helping his opponents   to undermine his position and thus interfering in the domestic matters of Russia. He is also angry about USA’s endeavor in the expansion of NATO into Eastern Europe countries, which were part of former USSR earlier.

In the context of present scenario, I will now discuss the horoscopes of Vladimir Putin and Russia, both charts I have taken from the data of my teacher Shri K.N. Rao, to explain astrologically the possible transformation of Russian society and economy in the coming years.

Horoscope of   Vladimir Putin

7 October 1952, 14:21 hours,

Saint Petersburg (Russia) , 30 E 18’ and 59 N 57’

Balance of Dasha in Vimshottari: Moon 8 Years 2 Months and 19  Days

The striking feature in the Scorpio lagna Rashi chart of Putin is the presence of a good Parashari Yoga of 4^th lord Saturn and 10^th lord Sun in the 11^th house of gains. The mutual aspect between the 5^th lord Jupiter and 7^th  lord Venus is  a good Parashari Raj Yoga. In Dashamsha chart, which is specially seen for Raj Yogas promoting  career growth, the lagna lord Mars is exalted in the 10^th house with the lord of 10^th house Saturn making a great Raj yoga. There is no surprise that in Vimshottari dasha of Saturn (December 2001 to December 2020) Putin has become a cult figure of a strongman in Russian society. During his regime, Russia has progressed tremendously and has now come out of the recession that was upsetting during the era of  Boris Yeltsin in the 90s. The most fruitful years during the Putin administration were from 2001 to 2007 when the Russian economy grew at the rate of 7% per year continuously making it the 7^th largest economy in the world in purchasing power. The Russian GDP increased 6 fold and the country overcomes the devastating consequences of the 1998 financial crisis.

However, in personal life, Putin had bad relationship with his wife and newspapers linked him with many women’s of Russia. The President Putin rarely found with his wife in public though media portrait him as very outgoing, sporty and adventurous person. On 6 June 2013, Putin and his wife announced that their marriage was over. It was the period of Saturn-Moon in Vimshottari then. Moon is in Mrityu-Bhag in the 7^th  house of marriage. Venus, the karaka of spouse, is in bad conjunction with Mercury as both are the 7^th and 8^th lords respectively. In Navamsha the 7^th lord, falling in the 8^th house tells the story of his hidden relationships.

At present Putin is running with an unfavorable Saturn-Mars (29 June 2014 to 8 August 2015) period in Vimshottari. Mars the lagna and 6^th  lord in second house of wealth and is in exchange with 2^nd  lord Jupiter. This is a combination of possessing illegal wealth.  As per various unconfirmed claims by Russian opposition parties and journalist, Putin secretly possess a large fortune between $ 40-70 billion via ownership and stakes in Russian firms of his friends. Now the sanctions by West on Putin’s cronies are indirectly hurting his economic interests. In Rashi chart the 11^th and 8^th  lord Mercury is in  12^th house with the 12^th lord Venus there  and they are in mutual aspect with 2^nd lord Jupiter explaining  the story of Putin’s illicit wealth secretly stashed abroad.

Now see the Bhava Chalit of Putin in this context. As per my teacher Shri K.N. Rao the Bhava Chalit chart should be read to judge the inner most personality and mental inclination of native. In case of Putin’s Bhava Chalit chart, Mars has move into the ascendant explaining his macho image. The Mercury has moved to the 11^th house and conjoined with two other planets showing his mental inclination and greed to acquire wealth.

A total solar  eclipse will fall in Aquarius  rashi  on 9th of  March 2016 at the 4th house in the horoscope of Putin. In Vimshottari the period of Saturn-Rahu will be running in the chart of Putin that indicates that around this time in March-April 2016 he will take more aggressive steps in the affairs of Syria which might put the region in a destructive territorial war. Putin’s well-known tactics of crushing activists and harassing journalist at home will also intensify during the operation of this Saturn-Rahu period of Vimshottari  in his chart. In response of this, USA and its allies will put more sanctions on Russia that will put the country into a phase of economic stagnation. In Jaimini Chara dasha Putin is under Pisces maha-dasha period from October 2013 and it will last until October 2024. Pisces is the fifth house from lagna as well as from Karakamsha.  The Amatayakaraka Saturn is giving aspect to the Pisces as well as 10^th house from it ensuring that Putin can cling to power, as his intend to be, until this dasha end in October 2024. However, the Ganatikaraka Mars place in the 10^th house from Pisces also makes sure that he will keep getting into trouble repeatedly and his charisma will start fading away due to problems created by enemies in coming years.  We can reconfirm this with the horoscope of Russia here.

Horoscope of   Russian Federation

12 June 1990, 13:45 hours, Moscow

Longitude 37 E 34’ Latitude 55 N 45’

Time Zone : +03:00 hours, Day Time Saving : +01:00 hours

Balance of Dasha in Vimshottari: Moon 8 Years 8 Months and 1 Days

In the Virgo lagan chart of Russia the lagan is in Mrityu-Bhag that shows the initial struggle which country had to undergo after the fall of USSR. The second (finances) and ninth (foreign trade) lord Venus in the eighth house of underground wealth explains the Russian economy’s dependence upon its earnings from the export of oil and natural gas. The Mars placed in the seventh house giving aspect to the lagna and tenth house shows the reminders of totalitarian elements from the era of communism. Russia is a multiparty parliamentary democracy but Putin is running a one-man show here. Along with his United Russia party, he is dominating the political scene of the country since 1999.

In the horoscope of Russia, the Rahu-Mercury period is running in Vimshottari from 25 January 2014 to 14 August 2016. Mercury is the lords of lagna well place in the ninth house with Sun. Interestingly  Mercury is not in combustion and it is   in a  ‘Shub-Kartari’ yoga as it has benefic planets on either side of it. So how this Mercury sub period is giving bad results to Russia in terms of territorial war with Ukraine, international pressure and economic sanctions?  The answer is that Mercury is in debilitation in Navamsha and Dashamsha charts respectively and is under affliction by hard malefic planets there. In Shadabala Mercury is the weakest planet in the chart of Russia getting only 5.18 Rupas of bala that is bad. Therefore, during the operation of this Mercury anterdasha the Russian economy might go into a stagnation mode for a long time.

The Solar eclipse of 9 March 2016 will fall in Aquarius sign which is the 6th house from the ascendant and 2nd from the Moon.

Russia will initiate fresh military action in Syria immediately after the solar eclipse of 9 March 2016 which in-turn will ignite the Turkey and Saudi Arabia. The Lunar eclipse of 23 March 2016 will fall in Virgo at the ascendant of Russia’s horoscope. As per Claudius Ptolemy, Russia is represented  by Aquarius sign. Therefore, this lunar eclipse will be at the 8^th house from the zodiacal sign of Russia thus can give bad results in terms of loss of lives and properties in a natural calamity also. At the time of these two eclipses the major planets will be in fixed signs. Thus a diplomatic crisis generated during this period will have long lasting effects.

The Russia is helping the Bashar-Al-Assad regime in Syria but the USA and Saudi Arabia want’s to topple this government. Apart from this Russia also have differences with Turkey and Saudi Arabia over the issue of their hidden support to the Islamic State terrorist. The Turkey is said to be the biggest buyer of illegal crude oil from IS terrorist which help them to monetized their Jihadi regime. The Russia might aggressively attack the  military installation of Turkey which is directly harming their interest by downing the crude oil prices in the international market. This could spark of a big conflict in the middle east during the long stay of Mars in Scorpio sign between 20th of February to 18th of September this year. In this war  weapons of mass destruction  will be used by both sides  openly. The conjunction of Rahu and Jupiter transiting  in Leo is also a deadly combination for the fall of moral values and crime against humanities in the war. The situation will be worst at the time when Jupiter, Mars and Saturn all will be in retrograde motion at the same time during the period from the 17th of April to 9th of May 2016. During this period the Saudi Arabia, having Scorpio lagan foundation chart,  will come under lots of tensions as their could be an attack on its holy cities.