• Vladimir Putin rose to power in 1999–2000 under Russian President Boris Yeltsin and was already established as a dominant authoritarian leader long before Barack Obama took office in 2009, so Democrats in the Obama White House could not have “created” him¹²³⁴.
• The Obama administration actively opposed Putin’s aggression: it condemned Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea, imposed sanctions on Russian leaders, and in late 2016 expelled 35 Russian diplomats and closed Russian facilities over election interference, all of which contradict the accusation of “aiding and abetting”⁵⁶⁷.
• By the end of Obama’s second term, he and Putin were barely on speaking terms and Obama had no ideological sympathy for Putin’s regime, making the notion of intentional support implausible⁸.
• While some analysts have criticized the Obama administration for underestimating or responding too weakly to Russian aggression, this policy debate does not equate to evidence that Democrats intentionally aided and abetted Putin’s creation or empowerment⁸.

Overall validity: 5%

1. - RUSSIA: HOW VLADIMIR PUTIN ROSE TO POWER AND WHAT AMERICA CAN EXPECT
2. Vladimir Putin - Russia, President & Ukraine | HISTORY
3. Vladimir Putin | Biography, KGB, Political Career, & Facts
4. Vladimir Putin's rise to power - Wikipedia
5. Presidency of Barack Obama
6. Fact Check: Did The Obama Administration Respond To Election Interference By Russia? : NPR
7. Fact-checking Trump’s claims Obama ‘did nothing’ to stop Russian election interference | CNN Politics
8. Don't rehabilitate Obama on Russia