Vladimir Putin (born 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has led Russia as either president or prime minister since 1999. He served in the Soviet KGB for some sixteen years before entering government in the 1990s. [1]
Early life and KGB career
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin was born on 7 October 1952 in Leningrad, now Saint Petersburg. He studied law at Leningrad State University and joined the KGB, the Soviet intelligence service, in which he served for about sixteen years, including a posting in Dresden, East Germany. [1][2]
Rise to power
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Putin worked in the Saint Petersburg city administration and then moved to Moscow, where he rose to head the Federal Security Service (FSB). In August 1999 President Boris Yeltsin appointed him prime minister, and Putin became acting president when Yeltsin resigned at the end of the year. [1]
Leadership of Russia
Putin was elected president in 2000 and re-elected in 2004. Constitutionally barred from a third consecutive term, he served as prime minister from 2008 to 2012 before returning to the presidency. His time in power has been marked by the centralisation of political authority, rising state control over the economy and media, and an assertive foreign policy, including the 2014 annexation of Crimea and the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. [2][3]
