David,

With regard to Vladimir Vladimirovich's use of some Tatar in his recent speech in Kazan':

The closest historical parallel I can think of is probably the five-year-old Ivan IV's Tatar greeting to Shigalei in 1536 ("Tabug salam:" reported, somewhat unexpectedly, in Polnoe sobranie russkikh letopisei, vol 29, p. 22). But that was very long ago, and others may think it more apposite to recall the practice of the later Romanovs in giving whole speeches from the throne in Polish, etc. -- or George Bush's sallies into Spanish.

Ned