Putin calls professor of Higher School of Economics a jerk

President Putin called Professor of the Higher School of Economics, Sergei Medvedev, a jerk.

This was a president's comment to the professor's proposal, which he posted on the Internet. The professor wrote that the functions to administer the Arctic region should be delivered to the international community. In response, Sergei Medvedev wrote on his Facebook page that he took the personal insult from Putin as an award.

During a meeting with activists of United Russia, Putin said that there were US nuclear submarines deployed off the coast of Norway, and those submarines were capable of destroying Moscow in 16-17 minutes. Any ideas suggesting the region should be delivered under someone else's control are stupid, Putin said.

According to the president, the suggestions, such as coming from Professor Sergei Medvedev, express the unpatriotic attitude of their authors. He also noted that the exclusion of the Arctic region from Russia was harmful from an economic point of view, as the region was rich in mineral resources.

Putin added that the area around the North Pole had been under the sovereignty of Russia for several centuries, and such a state of affairs would be preserved in all subsequent times, he said.