Putin Talks Chechen War, Oligarchs, Ukraine, Sanctions in New TV Film

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russian President Vladimir Putin covered a wide range of issues, including the Chechen war and Russia's role in world affairs, during an almost two-hour interview to be used for a new made-for-TV film, Russian journalist Vladimir Solovyov, who hosted the interview, said Monday.

Solovyov said Putin shared his view on topics "starting from the Chechen campaign and ending with oligarch friends, attitude to power and attitude toward God."

The president also spoke about what it takes to be a leader on this scale, according to Solovyov.

"He said: 'as a matter of fact [you have to sacrifice] everything, there is no normal life at all, this is why I always honestly say that I do not like to work as president at all,'" Solovyov stated.

Putin's relations with Russian oligarchs also came up in the interview, parts of which will be used in the film, dedicated to the 15th anniversary of Putin's presidency, which will be broadcast on Sunday.

"Putin said that soon after he became president a group of oligarch mates came and said: 'Do you understand that you are not a president? We will rule the country,' and Putin said: "We shall see," Solovyov said.

Putin is currently serving his third four-year term as president of Russia after also holding the post in back-to-back terms from 2000 to 2008. He served as prime minister for four years before being elected president again in March 2012. Putin's current term expires in 2018.