The aim of this essay is to analyse certain succinct statements of Russian leader Vladimir Putin. His rhetorical style in general, and these statements in particular, are distinguishing Putin from other Russian political figures. The statements have survived the test of time and lived on in the media, on the internet and in the vernacular. They have come to be called Putinisms.The essay is descriptive and treats these special statements, describes where and how they came into being and analyses them on a micro level, word by word. The analysis is also qualitative as it covers selected statements, which represent only a small portion of all the statements made by Putin within the time frame chosen for this study.