Vladimir Putin Quick Facts:
Born: 7 October 1952 (age 67), Leningrad, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Political party: Independent (1991–95; 2001–08; 2012–present)
Other political affiliations: People’s Front (2011–present), CPSU (1975–91), Our Home – Russia (1995–99), Unity (1999–2001), United Russia (2008–12)
Spouse(s): Lyudmila Shkrebneva (m. 1983; div. 2014)
Children: Maria, Katerina
Residence: Novo-Ogaryovo, Moscow
Education: Saint Petersburg State University (LLB), Saint Petersburg Mining Institute (PhD)
Awards: Order of Honor of the Russian Federation Order of Honour
Biography of Vladimir Putin:
The current President of Russia and for the fourth term as the President Vladimir Putin is considered as an autocrat with little respect for human rights. He was accused of ordering assassinations of his critics and opponents. He was a foreign intelligence officer before entering the politics and also served as the Prime Minister. Since childhood, had a dream of becoming an intelligence officer. He was born in a middle class family and. He entered the ‘KGB’ the Russian intelligence agency by realizing this dream. As an undercover agent, he was posted in various places. He served at the agency for a larger part of his life. He resigned from ‘KGB’ and eventually got involved in political affairs of the country. Soon he earned recognition because he diligently worked for the welfare of the country and its people. The then President of Russia Boris Yeltsin he found no better successor than Putin when decided to step down from his post, and appointed him as the president of the country. He emerged as the winner when the elections took place A few months later. The deft handling of issues with admirable efficiency led to his re-election for a second term to the office of President of Russia. Putin could not run for the presidency the third consecutive term, but was appointed prime minister by his successor, Dmitry Medvedev. Putin once again became the President for the third time in 2012, when Medvedev’s term ended. He was re-elected for his fourth-term as a President in 2018.
Childhood & Early Life of Vladimir Putin:
On 7 October 1952, Vladimir Putin was born in Saint Petersberg, Soviet Union. He was born to Vladimir Spiridonovich Putin and Maria Ivanovna Putina. He attended the ‘Primary School No. 193’ during 1960-68, located at Baskov Lane. After that, he joined the ‘High School No. 281’, and even took interest in sports like sambo (a martial art form) and judo. Later, he went to the ‘Leningrad State University’ Law Department in 1970. He joined the ‘Communist Party of the Soviet Union’ as a student. He encountered the Russian politician Anatoly Sobchak during the same time. He worked on his thesis entitled ‘The Most Favored Nation Trading in International Law’, and he graduated from the university in 1975.
Career of Vladimir Putin:
He entered ‘KGB’ (Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti) intelligence agency, which run by the government, after graduating from law school. He was trained at the ‘KGB School No. 1’, Moscow at the beginning of 1980s. He worked for the ‘KGB’ agency’s Directorate Secretariat and later employed at the Counterintelligence Division. Again, ‘KGB’ sent him for training to ‘Andropov Red Banner Institute’ to prepare him for his trip to Germany. As an undercover agent, he operated in the Dresden city of East Germany during the period 1985-90. He earned the position of lieutenant colonel by his hard work and eventually he became the senior assistant to the head of the department in the intelligence office. He travelled back to Leningrad in 1990 and was appointed as the rector to the ‘Leningrad State University’, in which capacity he handled international relations. In 1991, at St. Petersburg City Hall he chaired the ‘Committee for International Relations’ also joined the St. Petersburg City Government as the Deputy Chairman a few years later. Soon he resigned from his post at the ‘KGB’ after joining the City Hall. In 1996, he shifted to Moscow along with his family. He was appointed there as the Deputy Chief of the ‘Presidential Property Management Directorate’. He joined office as the Presidential Executive Office as the Deputy Chief of Staff also Chief of Main Control Directorate in the following year. In 1998, he became the First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office. He joined office as the Director of the Federal Security Service in the same year. In addition, he became the Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation the following year. In 1999, the then President of Russia Boris Yeltsin choose him as the Prime Minister of Russia. The then President stepped down nominating Putin as his successor for the post by the end of that year. He was elected in March 2000 as the President of Russia. In 2004, after being re-elected to the office served a second term. However, he was ineligible to run for presidency for the third consecutive term as per Russian constitution. Therefore, Dmitry Medvedev ran for the office of the President in 2008, and won the election. He appointed Putin as Prime Minister of Russia. The presidential term was extended from four years to six years in 2011. Putin once again contested the presidential election in 2012 and by polling 64% of vote; he won. For the fourth term as the President, he was re-elected in 2018. He will be in office until 2024.
Awards & Achievements of Vladimir Putin:
In the year 1989, he received the Bronze Medal for Faithful Service to the National People’s Army issued in the German Democratic Republic. In 2006, the President of France, Jacques Chirac, felicitated him with the ‘Grand-Croix’ (Grand Cross). The following year, ‘Time’ magazine named him ‘Person of the Year’. In 2007, he was a recipient of the ‘King Abdul Aziz Award’ by Saudi King Abdullah. He was awarded with the ‘Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan’ the same year. In 2011, the ‘University of Belgrade’ awarded him with an honorary doctorate.
Personal Life & Legacy of Vladimir Putin:
After a courtship of about three years, Vladimir married Lyudmila Shkrebneva on 28 July 1983. The couple were blessed with two daughters Maria and Yekaterina. However, in 2013 the couple announced a divorce and the divorce was finalized within a year.
