Putin, whose full name is Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, was born on October 7, 1952, in Leningrad, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (now St. Petersburg, Russia). Former Russian intelligence officer and politician Vladimir Putin has been in office as president of Russia twice (from 1999 to 2008 and again since 2012). He served as prime minister of the country in 1999 and again from 2008 until 2012. The KGB (Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti) was the Soviet Union's foreign intelligence and domestic security service, where Vladimir Putin worked for 15 years. In 1990, he reached the rank of lieutenant colonel in the KGB and retired from active duty. The KGB was the Soviet Union's domestic and foreign intelligence service. The KGB was established in 1954 as the "sword and shield of the Communist Party" in the Soviet Union. Foreign intelligence, domestic counterintelligence, technical intelligence, political leadership protection, and border security were all KGB responsibilities. When Vladimir Putin was first elected president of Russia in 1999, the constitutional limit of two terms in office was in place. For this reason, he served as prime minister following the conclusion of his second term as president in 2008, and then returned to the presidency in 2012. Putin, though, devised a constitutional amendment in January 2020 that would let him to serve as president for two additional terms.
The acronym KGB stands for "Committee for State Security" in English. The KGB was also responsible for overseeing the country's border soldiers and conducting widespread surveillance of the populace in addition to guarding the country's political leaders. The Cheka was the first of several security organizations founded by the Bolshevik government beginning in December 1917; the KGB was the longest-lasting of these. During the Russian Civil War (1918-20), the Cheka was instrumental in putting down the anti-Soviet Kronshtadt and Antonov uprisings. When the Communist Party established the KGB in 1954, they called it the "sword and shield of the Communist Party." The new security force, which played a crucial part in the purge of Beria's allies, was created with the intention of being tightly controlled by the highest levels of the Communist Party's leadership. As time went on, the KGB was compared to the CIA of the United States.
He left the KGB as a colonel and returned to Leningrad after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, when he became a supporter of liberal politician Anatoly Sobchak (1937-2000). As a result of his election as mayor of Leningrad in 1991, Putin served under him as the city's first deputy mayor and director of external relations from 1994 onward. Putin quit his office and relocated to Moscow after Sobchak's loss in 1996. He was put in charge of the Kremlin's ties with regional governments in 1998 after being promoted to deputy head of management in Boris Yeltsin's presidential administration. Yeltsin appointed Putin to the position of prime minister from inside his government after he fired Sergey Stapashin in August 1999. Putin was appointed acting president after Yeltsin resigned in December 1999 and until new elections could be held (in early 2000). In 2004, he won re-election.
Lyudmila Shkrebneva, a former flight attendant, married Vladimir Putin in July 1983. He was a young KGB agent at the time of their encounter, which took place at a performance in St. Petersburg. Putin's have two little girls together. In 1985, Maria — or "Masha". Katerina (or "Katya") was born to them in 1986, making her the second daughter in the family.
Putin's youngest daughter, Katerina Tikhonova, is the deputy director of the Institute for Mathematical Research of Complex Systems at Moscow State University. In June 2021, she appeared via screen as a panelist during a session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Putin and Lyudmila's divorce was announced in front of hundreds of people at the 2013 ballet "Esmeralda" at the Kremlin Palace.
Putin has lived through the administrations of five U.S. presidents. Trade agreements, nuclear and ballistic missile treaties, counterterrorism efforts, and more have all been accomplished during this time of close partnership. Questions of what countries like Ukraine and Georgia, formed after the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, should be allowed to do in terms of carving out their own cultural and ideological destinies, the rule of law, and Moscow's apparent or at least tacit support for cyber-hackers. Ukraine wants to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a military alliance of 30 countries that was established after World War II to assist maintain stability in Europe. A pivot toward the European Union's democracies is a stated goal. Putin's potential invasion preparations have put a spotlight on Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and Moscow's support for separatist fighters in Ukraine's Donbass area, where conflict has raged for eights years. International outcry erupted after Putin invaded the Crimean peninsula of Ukraine. He was granted annexation rights to the territory, though, and quickly established his dominance over it. Ukrainians are naturally outraged by this.
Populist movements sprang out all over Europe in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. Putin and his strategists felt the stirrings of a wider rebellion, one that could destabilize the Continent and make life difficult for his geostrategic rivals. Given his position as Russia's top leader, Putin undoubtedly enjoys a much higher standard of living than the typical Russian citizen. Even so, he looks to be the owner of a staggering $200 billion in personal wealth. Putin is said to have a fortune that exceeds Bill Gates' by a factor of two. He has absolute power over all Russian resources and can utilize them for his own benefit as president.
Most Russians seem unconcerned about the recent allegations of corruption. Over the years, Putin's reputation as the leader of Russia has been marred by allegations of cruel, callous, and possibly criminal behavior on his part. Putin, though, is a self-proclaimed animal lover, which runs counter to popular perception. Putin's murderous assault against Ukraine can be understood in light of his many grievances against the West, his revitalized nationalist ideology, and his ambition of reviving the Russian Empire; his recent isolation during the pandemic; and perhaps a secret disease, if he really has one. But they are all ingrained in a man whose fundamental theme in life is fighting back violently against people who humiliate and betray him in order to escape defeat. Under his leadership, Russia's economy rebounded from a turbulent post-Soviet era, with increased GDP, reduced poverty, and improved infrastructure. He's been praised for restoring Russia's global influence and bolstering its military capabilities. Putin's government has also focused on social welfare, investing in education and healthcare. Moreover, his strong leadership has garnered support among many Russians who appreciate a sense of national pride and stability. However, it's important to note that opinions on Putin vary widely, and his leadership is a subject of both domestic and international debate.